Going Fishing ~ Chuck Swindoll

Acts 7: 17

Billy Wilder, the great movie producer, openly admitted: "I have a vast and terrible desire never to bore an audience." With tacit agreement Jack Parr once declared: "The greatest sin is to be dull."

Those two statements ought to haunt anyone who regularly practices the fine art of communication. Communication is a competitive field. Like it or not, the teacher, writer, speaker, or preacher contends with ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Rush Limbaugh, magazines, paperbacks, CDs, the theater, the cinema, the thrilling excitement of sporting events, and a zillion other attractions. 

Pity the missionary whose mimeographed letter arrives in the same mail with Sports Illustrated or Newsweek. God help the Sunday evening services across America that do battle with 60 Minutes and Masterpiece Theater.

Today's communicator faces a stiffer challenge than ever before. This means that we who communicate Christ must work especially hard at winning and then maintaining a hearing. This doesn't mean we need to put on a better show or shout louder or attack our competition. What it does mean is that we must meet at least three demands.

We must be prepared.

Basically, it necessitates doing our homework. But it also means we must determine what ought to remain behind the counter, held in reserve, and what ought to be placed on display. It's the art of verbal economy.

We must be interesting.

We must paint verbal pictures for the uninitiated, preoccupied mind to see. To do this we need energy, subtlety, relevance, and changes of pace.

We must be practical.

Communicating the Scriptures is more than dumping out a truckload of biblical facts; it means using those facts to meet practical, everyday needs. Communicating is like fishing. We need to provide the right lures and bait to attract our listeners.

Check out Paul's address on Mars Hill (Acts 17) or Stephen's defense before the Council (Acts 7) or Jesus' great sermon on the mountain (Matt. 5-7) or His conversation with Nicodemus (John 3). Not a rusty hook in the bunch! Funny thing about fish: They keep their eyes open even when they're bored and sound asleep. 

Myopic communicators tend to forget that.

When we communicate Christ, we are like GE: 
We bring good things to life.

Cost and Worth ~ Chuck Swindoll

Matthew 6

"How much does it cost?"

"What's it worth?"

These two questions may sound alike, but they are different. Very different.

"Cost" is the amount of money it takes to complete a purchase . . . the bill, the tab, the monetary expense required to accomplish a financial transaction.

"Worth" is the usefulness of the object . . . the benefit, value, and importance of the thing purchased.

It is the long-lasting return we derive from the item. Justification for paying a certain cost is usually determined on the basis of the personal worth that accompanies the purchase.

One other distinction must be emphasized.

"Cost" is cold, objective, and even painful. Nor is it necessarily easy to accept. That's where "worth" plays a vital role. In our minds we juggle the unemotional, hard facts of cost along with the subjective, magnetic appeals of worth.

Worth, when it does its job, convinces the buyer that either the cost is acceptable, or it says, "Don't do it . . . it isn't worth that kind of money."

The difference between handling our money wisely or foolishly is largely determined by the interplay between these two forces. Obviously, we have spent wisely when the cost is eclipsed by the worth.

Again, that must be determined individually. That is why, in the long run, we can usually determine a person's scale of values by the things he or she purchases.

Or, to use the words of Jesus: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21).

So next time you ask, "How much does it cost?" think also about "What's it worth?"

This is especially true when we are deciding how to spend the money God's people have given for the upkeep and ministry of the church. While our stewardship should guard against extravagance, we certainly do not want to clothe the riches of Christ in rags.

Think about Sundays—your church life and the motivation you receive.

Think about your children and their future. And their children's future. Think about your neighborhood—unreached individuals by the hundreds.

Think about the possibilities of radio or television outreach, perhaps a Christian school, enlarged missionary outreaches, room to grow, room to park!

What's it worth?

Deciding whether something is worth the cost requires intense, effective, prevailing prayer, as well as the hard work of objective thinking.

And then it requires courage to act on God's clear direction.

Ministries that stay alive are forever moving forward—walking along the ridge called "faith" overlooking that chasm called "impossibility."

Slowly, silently, subtly, things are tolerated that once were rejected. ~ Chuck Swindoll

Deterioration

by Charles R. Swindoll

1 Kings 3, 11

Solomon's life reminds me of the swing of a pendulum. Smooth and graceful . . . silent and elegant . . . yet periodically given to extremes.

Wisdom, loyalty, diplomacy, and efficiency marked his attitude and acts during the early years of his reign. Best of all, "Solomon loved the LORD" (1 Kings 3:3). His achievements could not be listed on ten pages this size. When visited by surrounding magistrates, he was viewed with awe. And rich? Multiplied millions annually. And creative? He was an architect, songwriter, artist, author, and inventor of unparalleled ability.

Things slowly began to change, however, as the pendulum began its tragic swing. Farther and farther . . . and farther.

Solomon seized the reins of wrong and drove his glistening chariot of gold onto the misty flats of licentiousness, pride, lust, profanity, and paganism. Silently, gradually, like eroding soil near the banks of a deep, angry river, he began to believe the lie that has captured many a top executive . . . or super salesperson . . . or successful physician . . . or athletic prima donna . . . or film star . . . or TV celebrity.

Materialism, polygamy, brutality, and idolatry now crippled his steps. Revolts fractured his nation, and irrational decisions characterized his rule. All to him became "vanity and striving after wind" (Eccles. 2:26). 

Nothing satisfied him any longer. 

The normal, God-given drives lost their appeal as deterioration took its final toll. And when death finally came, Solomon left in his wake a confused following and a broken, rebellious family.

Deterioration is never loud. Never obvious. Seldom even noticed. Like tiny cracks in a stucco wall, it hardly seems worth our time and attention. Never sudden.

Character threads don't "suddenly" snap. As the British expositor of yesteryear, F. B. Meyer, once put it, "No man suddenly becomes base."

Slowly, silently, subtly, things are tolerated that once were rejected. 

At the outset everything appears harmless, maybe even a bit exciting. But with it comes an "insignificant" wedge, a gap that grows wider as moral erosion joins hands with spiritual decay.

Be on guard! 

Those of us who stand must take heed lest we fall.

The pitfalls are still present. Still real. As unobtrusive as the ticking of a clock. As attractive as the swinging of a pendulum . . . until . . .

"There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."

(Solomon, Prov. 14:12).

All of us need to be needed. ~ Charles Swindoll

Living Beyond the Grind of Feeling Overlooked
by Charles R. Swindoll 
Psalm 8

All of us need to be needed. It is satisfying to know that we can make a contribution or assist others in their need.

Being in the swirl of activity, resourceful and responsive, we tend to think it'll never end.

But it does. Sometimes ever so slowly through a chain of events or sometimes abruptly without warning, we find ourselves sidelined and no longer in demand. A tiny blood clot in the brain can seize our usefulness and leave us in its devastating wake. Another factor is age . . . merely growing older can move us away from the fast lane. By being passed over for a promotion or by being benched because a stronger player joins the team, we feel overlooked. 

It hurts. 

The eighth song in God's ancient hymnal is a great one for those times in our lives when we feel bypassed, set aside, overlooked. It highlights the value God places upon His creatures, especially mankind.
There are three introductory observations that leap off the page as I read through the Eighth Psalm:
First, it is a psalm of David, written under the Holy Spirit's direction. 

Second, it was designed to be on the "Gittith" (note the superscription, those words above verse 1). The etymology of this Hebrew term is questionable. Most probably Gittith is derived from Gath, an ancient Philistine city. 

Do you remember David's most famous victory? Goliath, the giant he slew, was from Gath (1 Samuel 17:4, 23). You, too, may have a giant to slay—that personal giant of feeling insignificant. So take heart; this song is for you. 

The Scriptures also tell us that after David's victory over Goliath the people of Israel sang and danced as they celebrated the triumph (1 Samuel 18:6­–7). I suggest—and it is only a suggestion—that this psalm was composed by David as a hymn of praise in honor of God who gave David that epochal triumph over Goliath of Gath. As you read the Eighth Psalm, you'll see that it seems to fit that historical backdrop. 

My third observation is that Psalm 8 begins and ends with identical statements: "O Lord, our Lord, / How majestic is Thy name in all the earth. . . ." 

I find several interesting things about this repeated statement: 

1. The psalmist speaks on behalf of the people of God, not just himself, hence our instead of my. This tells us he represents the people as he composes this song of victory. 

2. The name of Jehovah is identified with majestic. This is from the Hebrew word ah-daar, meaning wide, great, high, noble. David pictures our Lord as One who is gloriously magnificent, absolutely majestic! 

3. The Lord's works and attributes are not limited to Israel or to the Land of Canaan. They are universal in scope. The Lord God is no national or tribal deity secluded from all else. 

David worships the living Lord as the majestic and glorious Lord of all. Take time later tonight to look up at the stars.

As you study the vast stellar spaces, give God praise for His wondrous works in the universe. Though silent, they reflect our God's majesty.

Living Beyond the Grind of Discouragement ~ Chuck Swindoll

Living Beyond the Grind of Discouragement
by Charles R. Swindoll
Psalm 5

The Book of Psalms is the oldest hymnal known to man. This ancient hymnal contains some of the most moving and meaningful expressions of the human heart. 

Songs are usually born out of surrounding circumstances that so affect the thinking of the composer, he cannot help but burst forth with a melody and an accompanying set of lyrics describing his plight. This is certainly the case with the blues and jazz of yesteryear as well as the old spirituals of days gone by and the romantic love songs of any era. 

The same has often been true of gospel songs and sacred hymns; their historical settings explain their message. 

Psalm 5 is no exception. As we read it, we can detect that it emerged out of an atmosphere of strife and oppression. David is down in the dumps . . . discouraged. Whatever his pressures were, they prompted him to compose an ancient hymn in the minor key. 

I seriously doubt that there is any subject more timely than discouragement. So many folks I meet are playing out their entire lives in a minor key. There is the grinding discouragement that follows an unachieved goal or a failed romance. Some are discouraged over their marriage which began with such promise but now seems hopeless. 

Lingering ill-health can discourage and demoralize its victim, especially when the pain won't go away. And who can't identify with the individual who gave it his best shot yet took it on the chin from a few self-appointed critics? The discouragement brought on by several back-to-back criticisms can scarcely be exaggerated. It could be that David was just picking himself up off the mat when another sharp-worded comment knocked him back to his knees . . . hence the birth of Psalm 5.

Many a discouraged soul has identified with this song down through the centuries. Frequently, the words just above the first verse (which comprise the superscription) set forth the historical backdrop of the song.

If you glance just above verse 1 in the King James Version of the Bible, you will see that David desired this song to be played "upon Nehiloth." 

A nehiloth was an ancient woodwind instrument, something like today's flute or oboe. An oboe is a double-reed instrument giving a sad-sounding whine as it is being played. Its penetrating tone causes it to be used frequently as a solo instrument. 

Interestingly, David did not play the nehiloth, but rather an ancient stringed instrument called the harp (see 1 Samuel 16:23, KJV). 

My point is simply this: David wrote this sad song of discouragement for someone else to play—not himself. Perhaps the surrounding circumstances were too overwhelming for him to participate in the playing of this piece. It could be rendered better by one who was skilled on the nehiloth. The sad tone of that instrument would enhance the feeling of discouragement which gave birth to this song. 

Consider your song today.

If you are discouraged, admit it. 

Spell it out in detail in your time with the Lord.

Take time to express the depth of your pain.

Don't deny the reality of your sorrow.

State your honest feelings. 

God can handle it! 

But don't stop there.

Now at least twice, 

tell someone why you are grateful to be alive . . . 

why you are more encouraged than you used to be. 

It will not only be therapy for you, it will lift that person's spirits as well. Wonderful changes can occur in us and others when we spread a few cheer germs around. 

Living Beyond the Grind of Compromise ~ Chuck Swindoll

Psalm 1

One of the best-loved portions of God's Book is the Psalms. For centuries these songs have comforted, calmed, and consoled the hearts of readers.

The Hebrews' ancient hymnal begins with a song that addresses one of life's most common grinds—compromise. Please understand, I'm not referring to those give-and-take times so necessary for living in harmony with one another. Without that healthy kind of compromise, nations could never find a meeting ground for peaceful coexistence. Furthermore, growing family members would seldom enjoy the freedom involved in giving one another room to be different were it not for the tolerance such compromise encourages.

I'm thinking, rather, of compromising with wrong . . . allowing the slow-moving tentacles of evil to wrap themselves around us, squeezing the joys and rewards of obedience from our lives. It happens so silently, so subtly, we hardly realize it's taking place. Like an enormous oak that has decayed for years from within then suddenly falls, those who permit the eroding grind of compromise can expect an ultimate collapse.

Years ago I recall reading of the construction of a city hall and fire station in a small northern Pennsylvania community. All the citizens were so proud of their new red brick structure—a long-awaited dream come true. Not too many weeks after moving in, however, strange things began to happen. Several doors failed to shut completely and a few windows wouldn't slide open very easily. As time passed, ominous cracks began to appear in the walls. Within a few months, the front door couldn't be locked since the foundation had shifted, and the roof began to leak. By and by, the little building that was once the source of great civic pride had to be condemned. An intense investigation revealed that deep mining blasts several miles away caused underground shock waves which subsequently weakened the earth beneath the building foundation, resulting in its virtual self-destruction.

So it is with compromise in a life. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, one rationalization leads to another, which triggers a series of equally damaging alterations in a life that was once stable, strong, and reliable. That seems to be the concern of the psalmist as he composes his first song, which encourages us to resist even the slightest temptation to compromise our convictions.

Pause today and give yourself time to think deeply. Ask yourself a few probing questions such as:

• Are areas of my life showing signs of spiritual, ethical, or moral compromise?

• Does my life resemble the kind of tree described in Psalm 1?

• Should I put an end to some things that are dragging me down?
  

The Difference ~ Chuck Swindoll

Matthew 5:13-16

Ours is a hell-bound, degenerate world, and you know it. Political corruption abounds. International peace, a splendid ideal, continues to blow up in our faces. The crime rate escalates as domestic violence and gang wars and drug traffic and overcrowded jails continue to plague society. Pending legal cases choke the courts of our land with an endless litany of litigation. And even when cases are finally brought to trial, no courtroom or prison cell can remove madness from minds or hatred from hearts.

Satan, our relentless enemy, has a game plan, and it's on the board. Knowing that his days are numbered, knowing that he has an appointed amount of time before the scoreboard counts him out, he holds the world in his lap and gives it directions, implementing his strategy day after day.

If our Christian message is a mirror image of the message of the world, the world yawns and goes on its way saying, "What else is new? I've heard all that since I was born." But if the Christian lifestyle and motivation and answers are different, the world cannot help but sit up and take notice, thinking: How come they live in the same place I live, but they are able to live a different kind of life? Why is their love so deep and lasting and ours so shallow and fickle? How is it that she can forgive and never hold a grudge? Why do these people have so much more compassion, kindness, integrity, and patience than anyone else I know?

Do you get the message? It's the difference that makes the difference!

Think about it: Do people feel more alive when they're around you? Do you create within them a thirst for God? Does anyone ever wonder why you are so unselfish, so thoughtful, so caring? Do the neighborhood children want to be in your home because of the way you treat your children?

What do people see when they look at you? Do they see your good works? Do they hear your courtesy? Do they detect your smile? Do they notice that you stop to thank them? Do they hear you apologize when you are wrong? Do they see every visible manifestation of Christ's life being normally lived out through you? When they see all that, Jesus said, they "will glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).

Isn't it a pleasure when someone says to you, "Why are you like that?" And isn't it a natural thing to respond, "I'm glad you asked. Let me tell you what's happened"?

"When the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first" (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).

Rallying Points ~ Chuck Swindoll

Exodus 40

To rally: “to muster for a common purpose . . . to arouse for action . . . to come together again to renew an effort.” That’s the way Webster defines the verb. He says the noun means: “a mustering of scattered forces to renew an effort; a summoning up of strength or courage.”

Throughout Scripture, we encounter God’s rallying points: places where His people assembled for a common purpose, for recovery and refreshment, for mustering forces and getting recharged for battle.

For Abraham it was Bethel, the place of the altar. For Moses it was the bush in the desert. For the Hebrews en route to Canaan? Well, they had several. During the day, a massive cloud overhead. At night, an enormous column of fire. Along the way, the tabernacle, that portable sanctuary where the Lord met with His chosen ones. Later, it was the temple. Then, following the terrible years of Babylonian captivity, Nehemiah envisioned a plan for “mustering scattered forces to renew an effort” as he led a ragtag group of dejected Hebrews back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls.

Jesus Himself became a rallying point for a handful of men whose lives were otherwise destined for mediocrity. And after His departure, His Spirit came at Pentecost and ignited a spark as the church universal came into existence, offering perpetual hope for fractured, lost humanity.

Finally, today, you and I can look back and recall a specific place—our own Bethel or desert bush—where God became real to us again.

Where would we be without rallying points? Places that catapult us into new dimensions we would otherwise never inhabit.

Today, rallying points are often provided by evangelistic crusades. Critics, of course, want us to believe these are nothing more than some old-fashioned revivals where church folks gather, sing a few songs, listen to Bible preaching, then promptly go back to business as usual. You and I know, however, that these meetings can be some of the most significant events ever held in America, for they may provide a fresh spiritual awakening that will be nothing short of revolutionary.

So, thank God for your own Bethel. And pray that He will provide the same for others.

Pray that He will arouse us for action and muster us for a common purpose in these days when our forces often seem scattered and when we need a summoning up of strength and courage.

Rallying points replace flabby faith with the grit and gristle of godliness.

Self-Pity ~ Chuck Swindoll

1 Kings 19

A severe case of ingrown eyeballs strikes all of us every once in a while. In both dramatic and subtle ways, the stubborn enemy of our souls whispers sweet little nothings in our ears. He reminds us of how unappreciated and ill-treated we are . . . how important yet overlooked . . . how gifted yet ignored . . . how capable yet unrecognized . . . how bright yet eclipsed . . . how valuable yet unrewarded.

But the most damaging impact of self-pity is its ultimate end. A frown will replace your smile. A pungent criticism will replace a pleasant, “I understand.” Suspicion and resentment will submerge you like a tidal wave, and you will soon discover that this sea of self-pity has brought with it urchins of doubt, despair . . . and even the desire to die.

An exaggeration? If you think so, sit with me awhile beneath the shade of a juniper tree located at 19 First Kings, the address of a prophet named Elijah.

Elijah had just won a great victory over Ahab and his Baal-worshiping pawns. In fact, God stamped His approval upon Elijah in such a way that all Israel knew he was God’s mouthpiece. As a result, Jezebel, Ahab’s spouse (he was her mouse), declared and predicted Elijah’s death within twenty-four hours.

Now, the seasoned prophet had surely been criticized before. But this threat somehow found the chink in his armor.

So Elijah ran for his life. Then, beneath the tree, overwhelmed with self-pity, he said, “I’ve had enough . . . take away my life. . . . I've worked very hard for the Lord God of the heavens; but the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you and torn down your altars and killed your prophets, and only I am left; and now they are trying to kill me, too” (1 Kings 19:4, 10, TLB).

Yet God didn’t rebuke His man, nor strike him dead. He encouraged him to take a rest, enjoy a catered meal or two . . . and get his eyes off himself and his situation so that they might get back on the Lord. God even gave him a close friend, a fella named Elisha, with whom he might share his life and his load.

Feeling sorry for yourself today? Why not try God’s remedy: Take a break, stop trying to work things out yourself. And take a long, loving look at your Savior in His Word . . . and then spend some time with a friend. You’ll be amazed at the outcome.

Self-pity is the smog that pollutes and obscures the light of the Son.

Don't Take It Easy ~ Chuck Swindoll

Psalm 90

Last fall one day at the church, I spotted a visiting gentleman who was shaking hands with a half-dozen folks he’d never met belore. Then he looked at me, and with a grin and a twinkle, he whipped out his hand. It was a hand you could strike a match on, toughened by decades of rugged toil.

“You look like a man who enjoys life. What do you do for a living?” I asked.
“Me? Well, I’m a farmer from back in the Midwest.”
“Really? I guess I’m not surprised, since you’ve got hands like a tractor tire.”
He laughed . . . asked me a couple of insightful questions, then told me about his plans for traveling on his own.
“What did you do last week?” I asked.
His answer stunned me. “Last week I finished harvesting 90,000 bushels of corn,” he said with a smile.
I then blurted out, “Ninety thousand! How old are you, my friend?”
He didn’t seem at all hesitant or embarrassed by my question. “I’m just a couple months shy o’ 90.” He laughed again as I shook my head.

He had lived through four wars, the Great Depression, sixteen presidents, ninety Midwest winters, who knows how many personal hardships, and he was still taking life by the throat. I had to ask him the secret of his long and productive life. “Hard work and integrity” was his quick reply.

As we parted company, he looked back over his shoulder and added, “Don’t take it easy, young feller. Stay at it!”

The Bible is filled with folks who refused to take it easy. Remember our friend Caleb, who, at age 85, attacked the Anakim in the hill country and successfully drove them out (Josh. 14)? Or Abraham, who had a baby (well, actually Sarah did) when he was “in his old age” . . . he was 100, she was 90 (Gen. 21)? Or Noah or Moses or Samuel or Anna, the 84-year-old prophetess . . . significant people, all.

Age means zilch. Wrinkles, gray hair, and spots on your hands, less than zilch. If God chooses to leave you on this old earth, great. If He makes it possible for you to step aside from your work and move on to new vistas with fresh challenges, that’s also great.

And whatever else you do, don’t take it easy!

"No disease is more lethal than the boredom that follows retirement" (Norman Cousins).

Finding a Refuge ~ Chuck Swindoll

Joshua 20

The law of supply-and-demand is something we face every day. Because there are those who need, there must also be those who provide. There are employers and employees. There are counselors and counselees. There are teachers and teachees (I couldn't resist).

But it breaks down when it comes to refugees. There aren't enough "refugers" to meet the demand.

Back in the days when the Hebrews settled in Canaan, they set up cities of refuge. People who were in danger—even those guilty of wrongdoing—could escape to one of these six cities and find personal relief and refreshment.

Don't misunderstand. These weren't sleazy dumping grounds for hardened criminals. These were territories dedicated to the restoration of those who had made mistakes. People who had blown it could flee to one of these places of refuge and not have those inside throw rocks at them.

Today, we have lots of places to meet and sing. To pray. To hear talks from big wooden pulpits. To watch fine things happen. Yes, even to participate occasionally in the action. But where is the place of refuge for those whose lives have gotten soiled in the streets?

More often than we want to admit, we're bad Samaritans. We're notorious for not knowing what to do with our wounded. Getting in there and cleaning up those ugly wounds and changing bloody bandages and taking the time to listen and encourage, well . . . let's be practical, we're not running a hospital around here.

That makes good sense until you or I need emergency care. Like when you discover your husband is a practicing homosexual. Or your unmarried daughter is pregnant and isn't listening to you. Or your parent is an alcoholic. Or you get dumped in jail for shoplifting. Or you blew it financially. Or you lost your job and it's your own fault. Or your wife is having an affair. Or your dad or mom or mate or child is dying of cancer.

Thankfully, in the church today, there are a few lights to help the hurting find their way back. There are dozens and dozens of small groups in churches across our land comprised of caring, authentic, but very human Christians who are committed to growing friendships and deepening relationships. Good Samaritans who have compassion. May their tribe increase!

These are our modern-day cities of refuge.

Genuine, New Testament Christianity doesn't hang out at headquarters;
it gets into the trenches with the wounded and weary.

Start Seeking God ~ Chuck Swindoll

Start Seeking God
by Charles R. Swindoll

Lamentations 3:25

"Lord, I'm back and I diligently seek you." 

How many times have we said this? 

This time stop stalking and sit silently. Wait patiently, seek diligently, sit silently. That means you need to pour out your heart and then deliberately be quiet. Spend a full day in quietness.

Meditation is a lost art in this modern, hurry-up world. I suggest you revive it. Not by endlessly repeating some mantra to get into some other frame of mind. Not that. Simply and silently wait before your faithful God. Read a passage of Scripture, perhaps a Psalm, and let it speak. Say nothing. Just sit silently. Let Him talk. Let Him reassure you that you are fully and completely forgiven and that your shame is gone. Feel His arms around you. Understand the cleansing that He's bringing. Feel again the freshness and relief of His presence.

God will give you a fresh start if you'll stop fighting. It works. I know. I've been there. Just submit to Him and accept His grace.

God will keep His promise to forgive and welcome you home.
His mercies are new every morning.

“Through love serve one another” ~ Chuck Swindohll

Act Medium
by Charles R. Swindoll 

Matthew 20

The children worked long and hard on their little cardboard shack. It was to be a special spot—a clubhouse, where they could meet together, play, and have fun. Since a clubhouse has to have rules, they came up with three:

1. Nobody act big.
   
   
   
2. Nobody act small.
   
   
   
3. Everybody act medium.
   
   
   

Not bad theology! In different words, God says the very same thing: “Let each of you regard one another as more important than himself” (Phil. 2:3). “Through love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13).

Just “act medium.” Believable. Honest, human, thoughtful, and down to earth. Regardless of your elevated position or high pile of honors or row of degrees or endless list of achievements, just stay real.

What is it Solomon said?

“Let another praise you . . . a stranger, and not your own lips" (Prov. 27:2).

Meaning what?

Meaning no self-reference to some enviable accomplishment. Meaning refusal to scratch a back when yours itches. Meaning no desire to manipulate and manufacture praise. Meaning authentic surprise when applauded.

Like the inimitable Principal Cairns, headmaster of an English school, who was walking onto the platform along with other dignitaries. As he stepped up, a burst of spontaneous applause arose from the audience. In characteristic modesty, Cairns stepped back to let the man behind pass by . . . as he began to applaud his colleague. He genuinely assumed the applause was for another.

But one final warning: Don’t try to fake it. False humility stinks worse than raw conceit.

The answer is not in trying to appear worthless or “wormy.” The answer lies in consistently taking notice of others’ achievements, recognizing others’ skills and contributions . . . and saying so. That’s called serving others in love. And that’s what Christ did.

“Nobody act big. Nobody act small. Everybody act medium.”

Such good advice from a clubhouse full of kids who, by the way, are pretty good at practicing what they preach.

Make yourself a little plaque with this rule on it
and put it in a place where you will see it every day.

Coming Home ~ Chuck Swindoll

Ruth 1

We must have resembled a family of Gypsies or a scene from Grapes of Wrath as we rambled along the highway. Several layers of redwood forest dust mixed with pine tree sap covered our car. The cartop carrier was loaded with miscellaneous stuff, including a bike wrapped in a blanket flapping in the air, piled on top of several boxes of "family fun stuff.” We were homeward bound and glad of it.

As most of the family dozed, I hummed a tune from John Denver’s best album, the main line of which says, “Hey, it’s good to be back home again. . . ." Truer words were never sung!

Lake Tahoe had been crystal clear and beautifully therapeutic. Ten days out under the stars beside an open fire is good for what ails ya . . . but coming home is better!

Why? Why would anyone prefer the maddening pace, the freeways, the smog, the crowds, loads of laundry, stacks of mail (especially unpaid bills), a desk piled with a backlog of office details? What is so magnetic about coming home to all that? Why is the appeal of the familiar so powerful that we’re always anxious to return?

I really have no profound answer. But consider this . . .

Home represents our point of identity, our base of operations, our primary realm of responsibility. Home gives life its roots, its sense of purpose and direction. Even with the hammer blows of pressure, stress, and struggles, home is the anvil used of God to forge out character in the furnace of schedule and demand. We count on it over the long haul and thereby develop security, stability, and consistency.

For me, coming home has an added benefit. It means returning to ministry. It means accepting the most exciting challenge life offers . . . one with eternal dimensions and incredible proportions. It means facing every new dawn with total dependence, living literally on the raw edge of reality.

To me, that’s not an optional existence . . . that’s the only way to live.

We are invariably drawn to come back home not because of where it is but because of what it represents.

Surprise Attacks ~ Chuck Swindoll

1 Peter 5

As an ex-marine I am often the brunt of jokes told by ex-dogfaces and ex-swabbies. Since my outfit is viewed as the guys with more muscles than brains, the jokes usually portray leathernecks as disciplined yet dull, brawny oxen with IQs about six points above a plant. I heard another hilarious one last weekend at a men's conference I attended.

In America they say, "It's 10:00. Do you know where your children are?"

In France they say, "It's 10:00. Do you know where your wife is?"

In Italy they say, "It's 10:00. Do you know where your car is?"

In the marines they say, "It's 10:00. Do you know what time it is?"

Marines aren't the only ones notorious for being thick and tired of life. Evangelical Christians run a close second!

We get our theological ducks in a row, we make sure our eternal destination is sealed in a fireproof safe, we surround ourselves with a predictable schedule that protects us from contamination with the lost world, and then, like a 600-pound grizzly, we settle down for a long winter's snooze.

Only one problem. The battle continues to rage, no matter what the season. Whether we choose to believe it or not.

It is so easy to forget that our adversary, like our Advocate, neither slumbers nor sleeps. With relentless, unslacking energy . . . as sure as this morning's dawn, he's on the prowl, "seeking someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8).

He's been at it for centuries. By means of a brilliant strategy, an insidious scheme, he takes advantage of our mental dullness. Surprise attacks are his specialty.

Small wonder Jesus kept urging His followers to "be on the alert," to "watch," to "resist," to keep a clean crop, free of stuff that "chokes the word, making it unfruitful."

Why? Because you never know when you are in the crosshairs of the enemy's high-powered rifle. It could be today that you will be the target. When you least expect it . . . in the lazy days of summer, in the cool days of autumn, in the fog of false security, under the frost of a laid-back lifestyle.

He's looking for you. He's primed and ready to fire. And he doesn't wait for hunting season. In fact, as far as Satan is concerned, it's always open season on Christians.

Are you alert to the danger?

If you're going to stand firm in the faith, you can't be lying down.

Cordiality ~ Chuck Swindoll

Proverbs 15

The heart of the term "cordial" is the word "heart." And the heart of "heart" is kardia, a Greek term that most often refers to the center of our inner life—the source or seat of all the forces and functions of our inner being. So when we are cordial, we are acting on something that comes from and affects the very center of life itself. Maybe that's why Webster defines "cordial" as "of or relating to the heart; vital, tending to revive, cheer or invigorate, heartfelt, gracious."

Being cordial literally starts from the heart, as I see it. It begins with the deep-seated belief that the other person is important, genuinely significant, deserving of my undivided attention, my unrivaled interest, if only for a few seconds. Encouraged by such a belief, I am prompted to be sensitive to that person's feelings. If he is uneasy and self-conscious, cordiality alerts me to put him at ease. lf she is shy, cordiality provides a relief. If he is bored, cordiality stimulates and invigorates him. If she is sad, cordiality brings cheer. What a needed and necessary virtue it is! How do we project cordiality? Try these four basic ingredients:

1. A warm smile. A smile needs to become a natural part of your whole person, reflecting genuine friendliness. Nothing is more magnetic or attractive than your smile, and it will communicate volumes to the other person.

2. A solid handshake. Never underestimate the value of this cordial expression, my friend. The handshake is a rare remaining species in the family of touch, and it is threatened with extinction.

3. Direct eye contact. Accompanying every handshake and conversation, no matter how brief, ought to be an eyeball-to-eyeball encounter. The eyes reflect deep feelings enclosed in the secret chamber of your soul . . . feelings that have no other means of release. Eye contact allows others to read these feelings. Cordiality cannot be expressed indirectly.

4. A word of encouragement. Keep this fresh, free from clichés, and to the point. Call the person by name and use it as you talk. Be specific and natural, and deliberately refuse to flatter the person. Let your heart be freely felt as your words flow.

"Oil and perfume make the heart glad, / So a man's counsel is sweet to his friend" (Prov. 27:9).

Spread some sweetness . . . have a heart . . . convey cordiality!

How are you doing in the cordiality department? Try to be conscious of it this week, without being self-conscious.

Q & A about God’s Will ~ Chuck Swindoll

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

As a pastor, I often get asked questions regarding God's will. Let's consider four of the more common ones.

1. What if I know the will of God but deliberately do not do it? Unhappily, this does occur. Imperfect human beings are, at times, openly disobedient. What happens on those occasions? As in every area of life, when we don't play by the rules, we must pay the consequences. But consequences don't usually happen immediately. In fact, for a temporary period of time, things may run along smoothly. Hebrews 11:25 mentions enjoying the passing pleasures of sin. Sin offers its pleasures . . . but they are short-lived.

Remember Jonah? He bought a ticket on the ship leaving for Tarshish and was even able to fall asleep. But by and by, he found himself in a threatening storm and finally in the belly of the fish. God brings discipline upon His children. This includes external consequences as well as internal conflicts. Guilt and heartache rage within. If you question that, check out David's words in Psalm 32:3–4. After his disobedience connected with the Bathsheba affair, the man admits maximum misery within.

On top of all this, there can be public embarrassment and shame as fellow Christians in the body of Christ experience the impact of your disobedience. When necessary discipline must be administered by the church (Matthew 18:15–17), the transgression you tried to keep secret becomes public knowledge. Your family also suffers. We are not isolated individuals. Like dominoes standing on end, when one falls, others are affected.

2. Can't I rely on my feelings? This is frequently asked with regard to things we really want to do—but which lack biblical support. Take the case of a young woman madly in love with the man of her dreams. She is a Christian, but he is not. With all her heart, she believes he will someday become a Christian. How does she think marrying him is God's will? Her feelings.

But the Bible states unequivocally that to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever is NOT God's will, her feelings notwithstanding. Second Corinthians 6:14–18 and 1 Corinthians 7:39 are not eased by romantic moonlit nights. No matter how strong our feelings may be, when there are biblical precepts and/or principles that point us in a certain direction, we dare not ignore or disobey God's Word.

3. Can I be in the will of God and not know it? Yes, indeed. In fact, I'm of the opinion many Christians are! While it is true God desires us to be "filled with the knowledge of His will" (Colossians 1:9), many believers are not at that level of awareness. Furthermore, there is the weird yet popular idea that God's will is always something uncomfortable, painful, or unfulfilling. To some, it is inconceivable that God's will could be enjoyable—even delightful. Romans 12:2 states very clearly that His will is "good and acceptable and perfect." Yes, we can say and do certain things that are in harmony with God's will and yet not be aware of it.

4. What about specifics that aren't addressed in Scripture? The Bible doesn't tell the Christian specifically where to live. Or which career to pursue. Or where to go to college. If it did, how easy it would be. Yet how little faith we would need! That would reduce the Bible to a vocational guidance handbook, nothing more than a divinely inspired telephone directory . . . and just about as interesting. Our spiritual maturity would be no deeper than a third-grader's.

The emphasis in Scripture is on who a person is and what a person does rather than on where a person lives. If the Lord wants you to get a specific message and to respond in an explicit manner, He has dozens of ways to communicate that to you. No mumbo-jumbo, no skywriting, no magic tricks or middle-of-the-night voices need to be sought. Those who really want to do His will, will know it (John 7:17).

Each believer is independently accountable to God for his or her response to the Lord's specific leading, even though others don't understand or agree.

Contentment ~ Chuck Swindoll

Philippians 4

Laurence J. Peter and I are close friends. Although I’ve never laid eyes on him, I’ve smiled at his comments and nodded at his conclusions . . . amazed at his remarkable insight into my own life and those around me.

The simple answer to the riddle is this: I own a copy of his book The Peter Prescription, and you should too! It's an insignificant looking paperback filled with significant, sound principles. He says it talks about “How to Be Creative, Confident, and Competent,” but I think he overlooked a better word: how to be Content.

Isn’t it strange that we need a book to help us experience what ought to come naturally? No, not really. . . not when we’ve been programmed to compete, achieve, increase, fight, and worry our way up the so-called ladder of success (which few can even define).

Face it. You and I are afraid that if we open the door of contentment, two uninvited guests will rush in: loss of prestige and laziness. We really believe that “getting to the top” is worth any sacrifice. To proud Americans, contentment is something to be enjoyed between birth and kindergarten . . . retirement and the rest home . . . or (and this will hurt) among those who have no ambition.

Stop and think. A young man with keen mechanical skills is often counseled against being contented to “settle” for a trade right out of high school. A teacher who is competent, contented, and fulfilled in the classroom is frowned upon if she turns down an offer to become a principal. The owner of Super-Duper Hamburgers on the corner has a packed-out joint every day, but chances are selfish ambition won’t let him rest until he opens ten other joints and gets rich—leaving contentment behind.

Now, listen to Jesus: “Be content with your wages” (Luke 3:14). Hear Paul: “I am well content with weaknesses,” and, “If we have food and covering . . . be content!” (2 Cor. 12:10; 1 Tim. 6:8). And hear another apostle: “Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have” (Heb. 13:5).

I warn you: This isn’t easy to implement. You’ll be outnumbered and outvoted. You’ll have to fight the urge to conform. Even the greatest of all the apostles admitted, “I have learned to be content” (Phil. 4:11). It’s a learning process . . . and it isn’t very enjoyable marching out of step until you are convinced you’re listening to the right drummer.

When you’re fully convinced, however, you’ll be free, indeed!

"Striving to better, oft we mar what's well" (William Shakespeare).

How Do I Know God’s Will? ~ Chuck Swindoll

Philippians 2:12-13

Want to know God's will for your life? Let me ask you to stop, look, and listen. God makes His desires known to those who stop at His Word, look in with a sensitive spirit, and listen to others. When we go to His Word, we stop long enough to hear from above. When we look, we examine our surrounding circumstances in light of what He is saying to our inner spirit (perhaps you prefer to call this your conscience). And when we listen to others, we seek the counsel of wise, qualified people.

1. Stop at the Scriptures

The Bible tells us that the entrance of God's Word gives light (Psalm 119:130). That it is a lamp for our feet and a light that shines brightly on our path (Psalm 119:105). God has placed His Word in our hands and allowed it to be translated into our tongue (both were His determined will) so we could have a much more objective set of guidelines to follow than our dreams, hunches, and feelings. Sixty-six books filled with precepts and principles. And the better we know His Word, the more clearly we will know His will.

Precepts. Some of the statements that appear in the Bible are specific, black-and-white truths that take all the guesswork about God's will out of the way. Here are a few:

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:15–18)

These specific things are stated to be the will of God. There are even times that suffering is directly the will of God for us.

First Corinthians 7 says a lot about remaining single as well as being committed to one's marriage. Clearly, this chapter (along with 2 Corinthians 6:14) states that a Christian is definitely not to marry a non-Christian. These are finely tuned precepts that reveal God's will.

Principles. But the Bible also has principles, general guidelines to assist us through the gray areas. Not so much "do this" and "don't do that," but an appeal to use wisdom and discretion when such are needed.

We have both precepts and principles in our traffic laws. The sign that reads "Speed Limit 35" is a precept. The one that reads "Drive Carefully" is a principle. And that principle will mean one thing on a deserted street at two o'clock in the morning, but something else entirely at three-thirty in the afternoon when children are walking home from school.

Just remember this: A primary purpose of the Word of God is to help us know the will of God. Become a careful, diligent student of Scripture. Those who are will be better equipped to understand His desires and walk in them.

2. Look Around and Within

Philippians 2:12–13 presents a good cause for our cooperating with the Lord's leading:

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

These verses highlight three specifics: There's a willingness to obey. There's the need to "work out" or give ourselves to doing our part with a sensitive spirit (fear and trembling). And then there's the promise that God will "work in you" to accomplish His plan. As we remain alert to His working, paying close attention to doors He opens and closes, He directs us into His will.

Closed doors are just as much God's leading as open ones. The believer who wants to do God's will must remain sensitive and cooperative, not forcing his or her way into areas that God closes off. The Lord uses circumstances and expects us to "read" them with a sensitive, alert conscience.

We must stop and check His Word. We must look around and within. And there is one more helpful piece of advice to remember. We must . . .

3. Listen to the Counsel of Qualified People

Solomon the wise once wrote:

A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding draws it out. (Proverbs 20:5)

Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another. . . .

As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man. (Proverbs 27:17, 19)

Like a quarterback, facing fourth-and-one on the thirty-yard line, who calls a time-out to consult with the coach, so must we. God uses others to help us know His desires.

God makes His will known: (1) through His Word . . . as we stop and study it, (2) through circumstances . . . as we look within and sense what He is saying, and (3) through the counsel of others . . . as we listen carefully.