Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
Read 1 Samuel 17:50
Goliath reminds me of the cross-eyed discus thrower. He didn't set many records...but he sure kept the crowd awake!
Paralyzed and hypnotized, the camp of the Israelites sat in their tents. The only noise heard from their side of the valley was the knocking of their knees—in unison. Goliath was, up to that point, eminently successful with his strategy of intimidation. His threats came with regularity every day, producing the desired result—fear.
Read 2 Corinthians 11:13–15
There's a sucker born every minute. That isn’t funny; it’s tragic. Fakery draws its fuel from the pit. That’s what God tells us.
These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ....Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Read Jeremiah 29:11
Being a prophet in Israel wasn’t an easy gig. That’s the understatement of the year. Most of the men God called were expected to boldly bear the bad news of God’s displeasure with the attitudes and sins of His people.
One such prophet often found himself in the pit of despair.
Oh, that I had died in my mother’s womb, that her body had been my grave! Why was I ever born? My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame. (Jeremiah 20:17-18)
Read Joshua 1:6–7, 9
I recall the first time I watched the children’s classic movie The Wizard of Oz. I was spellbound by the music and the enchanting way in which the simple themes of family, valuing home, and celebrating individual differences were on display. But perhaps the most hilarious character of all was the lion—the bumbling, wimp of a cat, who cowered in fear at the smallest threat. What he needed was courage!
Read Matthew 4:18–20
I'm the guy who promotes waiting and allowing the Lord to open the doors and shove you through. You know, all the stuff you expect a preacher to say. I even quote verses that support doing all of the above.
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:5–7
Back when I was a kid I got a bellyache that wouldn’t go away. It hurt so bad I couldn’t stand up straight. Or sit down without increasing the pain. Finally, my folks hauled me over to a big house in West Houston where a doctor lived. He had turned the back section into his office and clinic. It was a hot, muggy afternoon. I was scared.
Read Philippians 1:9–10
“Angela Atwood was a dear, honest, sincere girl, who—like Christ—died for her beliefs.”
Read 1 Corinthians 15:58; 16:13–14
Years ago, I listened as Anna Sklar, the author of a book titled Runaway Wives, shared some shocking statistics:
Early in the twentieth century, for every wife or mother who walked away from her home and responsibilities, six hundred husbands and fathers did so. Just ten years later, after the women’s liberation movement, for each man who did that, two women did the same.
Pause and let that sink in. Do the math.
Read James 4:14
Average life spans are shorter than most of us realize. Unlike the great redwood trees that can last for a thousand years, most other things come and go quickly. Several examples illustrate how temporary things really are:
Copper plumbing: twenty to twenty-five years
Face-lift: six to ten years
Car muffler: two to three years
Dollar bill: five to six years
Painted line on the road: three to four months
Pro basketball player’s shoes: one week
Read John 10:9–10
Call it the rebel in me, but I simply cannot bear plain vanilla when life has so many other flavours far more interesting and tasty. God has so much more in view for all of us.
Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:9-10)
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