Train Yourself to be Godly
By Pastor Chuck Swindoll
It Is not About You
“I warn you, keep a warm heart, keep a humble spirit, keep taking our awesome God seriously and stop taking yourself so seriously. It isn’t about you. Never has been, never will be. Even though you become famous, known the world over, it is not about you. It is about our great God in whom we live and move and have our being.”
Beware of Pride
“Keep a close watch on how you live. Pay attention to your attitude. Check your arrogance. Remember, knowledge puffs up. If you’re not careful, you will gain here a great deal of knowledge, and seminary kind of prides itself on the fact that we don’t dumb it down. I hope we never do, nor should we. But the fallout is that when you begin to get really, really capable as a student, you get arrogant, and before long, not even a close friend can make you understand how stinking your pride has become.”
Satan Targets the Well-Prepared
“The godly are always targeted people. Those who are prepared well are right in the crosshairs of the demons’ scope.”
Refuse to Grumble
“‘Don’t grumble.’ Some of you haven’t even been here but a few days, you’re already starting to grumble. It’s amazing. It’s just amazing. Stop it. Stop that nonsense. It’s terrible on your spiritual life. It’s infecting to others. You become diseased and others as well, because you just grumble. We’re not interested in what you don’t like. We’re interested in what honors God. So get past the stuff that irritates you. Nor should we grumble.”
Care About Your Mind and Your Actions
“I urge you to give yourself to these studies. Don’t misread what I’m saying. Pour yourself into it. Give yourself to it but keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching.”
Preserved as a Warning for Us
“Now, there’s a transition in verse 6 that you can’t miss. I got it marked in a bright color in my Bible. ‘These things happened as a warning.’ Not to them, but to us. All of this from history that took place where all of them had all of these delightful benefits, but they are warnings to us. What are the warnings? He goes right back through it, look at this, ‘so that we would not crave evil things.’”
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.
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.
