Making a Lasting Difference
By Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Stay Where It’s Tough
“Don’t give in. Don’t give up. The grass will often seem greener on the other side. And you’ll think, ‘Well, if I change churches, it’ll be different.’ I’ll tell you, the grass is often not even edible on the other side. And you’ll think it is because it’s so tough where you are. Stay where it’s tough. Stay right there. Don’t look for someplace that’s going to be easier because you’re weary of the testing. The testing is good for you. Let it be.”
Faithful Mentors Reprove Us
“Faithful mentors on occasion will point out areas of blind spots in our lives and we look back and realize the value it was to know that and to hear their reproofs. They will also be people who affirmed us. They noticed spiritual gifts that no one else pointed out. But mentors do that for us.”
God Knows the Way You Take
“I have no idea where the Lord will take you. You think you know. You don’t have any idea. You have no clue how the Lord’s going to use you. You couldn’t even guess how the Lord’s going to test you. But He will and your life will become like Job’s who wrote, ‘He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held His steps and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the command of His lips, for I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food’ (Job 23:10–12). What a word to say. And his body is covered with sores from head to foot. ‘God knows the way I take.’”
The Necessity of Convictions
“What it will take to hang in there is not just knowledge. It will take convictions. And I’ve learned over the years that I didn’t really gain convictions in the classroom. Convictions come from one’s character, from one’s training, from one’s experience.”
The Link Between Remembering and Continuing
“There’s a helpful principle worth remembering and it’s this: There’s a powerful link between remembrance and continuance. A powerful link between what we remember from those who taught us, those who were our mentors, those who established us in our spiritual formation, and the way we continue today.”
About the author
Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Pastor Charles R. Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God’s Word. He is the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck’s listening audience extends far beyond a local church body. As a leading program in Christian broadcasting since 1979, Insight for Living airs around the world. Chuck’s leadership as president and now chancellor emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary has helped prepare and equip a new generation of men and women for ministry.
