Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
Read 1 Peter 5:5–8
Ours is a day of superficiality. If you can fake it, you’re often admired as being clever, not criticized for being phony. Mediocrity can mark the ministry just as overtly as it marks many of those who work for the government and are employed in industry. I’ve also noticed that staying longer in the same place can only perpetuate the problem. People tend to let seniority excuse the erosion of excellence.
Read Hebrews 11:35–38
Hidden saints—how many there are! Not insignificant nor reluctant, just unknown to us. If we could see as our Father sees, I’m convinced we would be amazed at the size of His family. If the spiritual iceberg were suddenly turned upside down and exposed for all to view, the magnitude of the church He is building would literally take our breath away.
Isaac Watts caught a mental glimpse of such a scene after he had meditated on Psalm 72. He recorded his thoughts:
Read 1 Corinthians 6:12
I used to bite fingernails right down to the quick. I’d rip off those babies just as soon as the first signs of new growth would appear. For well over twenty years, I carried around ten ugly stumps that resulted in two miserable experiences: personal embarrassment and physical limitations.
Read Joshua 1:9
Not long ago I was reading through Psalm 78 when my eye fell upon verse nine. I was intrigued by the strange stroke of the psalmist’s pen. See if you get the same vibes:
The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle.
Like foxes hunted by hounds, they ran. The only weapon they used to restrain the enemy was a cloud of dust they stirred up as they retreated en masse, in a hurry, while “armed with bows.”
Read Genesis 22:1–2
Are you better at smothering than loving? That’s why you are blown away with the thought of relaxing your gargantuan grip on the things and people you love the most. Letting something precious go is, on occasion, unbearable. The parting cannot happen without inward bleeding.
It’s hard to let go. Turning loose heightens our stress.
Like releasing a dream or allowing a child space to grow up or letting a friend have the freedom to be and to do. What maturity that requires! What a test on our insecurity!
Read Philippians 4:13
Do you know that you are the recipient of limitless ability...incredible strength? Just read a few familiar lines out of the Book, slowly for a change:
Read Mark 1:40–42
Her voice was weak and fearful as she spoke to me over the phone. It was almost midnight, and she kept apologizing...but she was so lonely and wanted someone to listen. I never got her name nor her address nor enough hints about her location to follow up our conversation. Her desperate story broke my heart. I wept after she said “Good-bye—thanks for listening.”
Read Deuteronomy 6:6–9
Family. The place where principles are hammered out on the anvil of daily living. Where character traits are moulded and shaped under the watchful eyes of moms and dads. The batons in this relay are many.
Determination. “Stick with it—regardless.”
Honesty. “Speak and live the truth—always.”
Responsibility. “Be dependable, be trustworthy.”
Thoughtfulness. “Think of others before yourself.”
Confidentiality. “Don’t tell secrets. Seal your lips.”
Self-control. “When under stress, stay calm.”
Read Proverbs 24:30–34
When we suffer from clutter-holic syndrome, our lives are marked by mediocrity, haphazardness, and putting out needless fires.
Think you might have a mild case of that? Maybe a few questions will help prime the pump of self-analysis:
Do you often lose things?
Are you usually late for appointments and meetings?
Do you put off doing your homework until late?
Are you a time waster?
Is your reading limited to only the essentials rather than heavier works?
Read Psalm 46:8–11
As I write this, the thermometer registers in the nineties. The air is still and heavy. The dog is panting at my feet, the sun is high, and the birds are silent and still. Within a matter of hours night will fall, the dark sky will be ablaze with moon and stars, and sleep will force itself on me. As I slumber, life will continue uninterrupted. Appreciated or not, the canvas of nature will go on being painted by the finger of God.
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