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By Pastor Chuck Swindoll

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God’s Great Forgiveness

“Here was a man forgiven. The picture, obviously, is a picture of the living God who forgives us an infinite amount of debt in taking us as His own and calling us His children.

            ‘My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
             My sin, not in part but the whole,
             Is nailed to the cross, I bear it no more,
             Praise the Lord, O my soul!’

That’s our salvation. That’s what God has done for us. He’s forgiven us all our debts—moral debts, relational debts, all of the things we have done that have been wrong. And He scrubs us clean deep within to the core of our being. Now, having been cleansed, should you not also have mercy on your fellow slave in the same way He’s had mercy on you.”

Cultivate a Sensitive Heart and Thick Hide

“You will enter ministry, and as God’s spokesperson, in whatever may be the capacity, you will be the target of attack. And there will be those who will do you harm. There will be far more that will love you and appreciate you and respect you, but there will be some, trust me on this, who will make you the target of their tongue. They will take you on behind your back and sometime to your face. And I’m telling you, it’s tough to deal with. That’s why I said to the guys we were ordaining earlier this week, my prayer for you is that you will develop two things—a very sensitive heart and a really thick hide. A really thick hide.”

Go and Be Reconciled

“These are not nice suggestions. These are not ideas you might think about. These are imperatives. So stop. It’s the only time I know in the Scriptures where we are told to interrupt our worship to take care of other matters. ‘Leave your offering there before the altar and go.’”

Seek Forgiveness

“If you’ve been the offender, seek the forgiveness of the one you’ve hurt. Whether they forgive you then or not is not significant. What they do with it is their business between them and God. You do what you’re supposed to do. Isn’t it interesting in both cases, it’s your move. If you’re the offender, it’s your move. If you’re the one who has benefited, it’s your move. If you do not do this, your ministry will not be as successful as it could be. It will not be fulfilling or satisfying as it could be and should be. You cannot minister with an anchor hanging around your waist. Cut it free.”

Cut Free the Anchors of Unforgiveness

“I’m telling you, folks, having a successful ministry is not a theoretical matter. It’s a very personal, a very relational one. For you to be free to minister in openness and vulnerability and accountability, you can’t be dragging around the anchors of unforgiveness. Get rid of them, cut them free.”

Additional Resources

First, sign up for our Chuck’s Insights on Ministry email where we bring you his best thoughts on preaching, leadership, and ministry each week. By signing up, you’ll instantly receive a one-page checklist with 20 preaching insights from Chuck. See this page’s sidebar.

Second, check out our new Preach The Word articles and video series on YouTube where we’re teaching Chuck’s best insights on this important calling.

Third, listen to Chuck’s messages to those in ministry through our Seminary Chapels page. For decades, he offered students at Dallas Theological Seminary his best thoughts on church leadership and ministry. Now, we have put them at your finger tips. Also, you can find them through this YouTube playlist we created for you.

Fourth, if you don’t own a copy of Chuck’s book on preaching, Saying It Well, we highly recommend you add it to your library. It’s his preaching memoir that is also like a practical preaching manual. You won’t be able to put it down.

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