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By Pastor Chuck Swindoll

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Let the Lord Be Your Focus

“Keep the Lord in full focus. Continue to let your heart be broken. Continue to let the words of Horatio Spafford bring tears. Continue to sing from the very pit of your being. Continue to love Him with your whole heart. Continue to talk to Him often, pouring out your soul to Him. Continue to release the things you would want to cling to, even those closest to you. Make the Lord your full focus and your ministry will be timeless, not to mention timely. I think what it takes is a willingness. A willingness to let Him lead, let Him call the shots, let Him do the guiding, let Him do the defending, and you stay at the task of serving Him.”

Reject Isolation, Pursue Friendship

Little by little, the blows, the demands, the requirements, the workload will take its toll on you, and the worst possible thing you could do is to close off your friendship. Just as you needed friends in your university years, just as you needed them in your high school years, you really need them now that you’re engaged in a work that will, by the very nature of the work, isolate you. Everything about my responsibility tends to push me to be alone. To do the kind of work in my study, I study alone. To do the kind of thinking that this responsibility or series of responsibilities requires calls for time alone. There’s nothing wrong with time alone, but there’s something wrong when that’s all you have. You need a friend. Why? It will help keep you accountable.”

Four Ways to Guard Yourself in Ministry

“By holding close to a friend, you will guard against isolationism. By getting over those who disappoint you, you will guard yourself against bitterness. By putting your arms around and encouraging those who have been restored following a fall, you will guard against pride. And if you watch out for those who would harm you, you will guard against disillusionment.”

Don’t Worry About Those Who Drift Away

People who walk away usually don’t announce their departure, they just quietly leave. The pressure is high, the demands are great, the pay is low. The critics are always there. Not everyone can handle life when it comes to ministry leadership. Get over those who disappoint you.”

Don’t Get Lazy in Your Study

“As you get older in your ministry and as you grow, you will tend toward laziness. Things that work for you, you’ll become better at, more adept at. You’ll get better at faking it if you’re not careful. Before long, you can be an out-and-out professional hypocrite, and they’ll love you. The problem is you have to live with yourself, and you have to give account. So don’t go there. Keep loving the books. Keep doing original works in the parchments. Keep longing for those opportunities when you can make the most of your time by feeding your mind on the great truths. Read widely. Read deeply. Read often.”

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 fingertips. 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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