Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

We need to model lives that are not like the majority. A positive attitude makes a major statement in our “crooked and perverse generation.” We don’t need to shout it out or make a super pious appearance; just don’t grumble or dispute.

As I consider Paul’s counsel, three practical ideas emerge that may help us cultivate an unselfish attitude. First, never let selfishness or conceit be your motive. Thais right, never. That is Paul’s advice, isn’t it?

As I have pored over Luke’s descriptions and observations, looking for insights into the Savior’s life, I have been intrigued by His responses to others. How could any man be as patient as He was? How could He keep His cool under constant fire? How could He demonstrate so much grace, so much compassion, and at the same time so much determination?

So many live their lives too dependent on others. Such clinging vines draw most, if not all, of their energy from another. Not only is this unhealthy for the clinger, but it also drains too much energy from the clingee!

When we arrive at dilemmas in life and are unable to decipher the right direction to go, if we hope to maintain our joy in the process, we must (repeat must) allow the Lord to be our Guide, our Strength, our Wisdom—our all! It

When Christ becomes our central focus—our reason for existence—contentment replaces our anxiety as well as our fears and insecurities. This cannot help but impact three of the most prevalent joy stealers in all of life.

Those are the words of a man whose image was secure and whose reputation was not in need of being protected, massaged, or defended. His mind was firmly fixed on essentials, so much so that nothing brought him anxiety.

Interestingly, Philippians is a letter from servants to saints. “Paul and Timothy . . . to all the saints in Christ Jesus in Philippi, including oversees and deacons” (Philippians 1:1 NASB).

When you are my age—matter of fact, when you are any age—a sense of humor is essential. I once heard a great talk from a veteran missionary who spoke on “What I Would Pack in My Suitcase If l Were to Return to the Mission Field.” The first item he named?

God is no distant deity but a constant reality, a very present help whenever needs occur. So? So live like it. And laugh like it! Paul did.

There once lived a man who became a Christian as an adult and left the security and popularity of his former career as an official religious leader to follow Christ.

Mediocrity is fast becoming the byword of our times. Every imaginable excuse is now used to make it acceptable, hopefully preferred. Budget cuts, time deadlines, majority opinion, and hard-nosed practicality are outshouting and outrunning excellence.

We live in a negative, hostile world. Face it, my friend, the system that surrounds us focuses on the negatives: what is wrong, not what is right; what is missing, not what is present.

Let's take a brief look at greed. Practically speaking, greed is an inordinate desire for more, an excessive, unsatisfied hunger to possess.

The essential question isn't difficult to state: How can I, a person who has absorbed so many years of mediocre thinking, change?

The world in which one person lives is too limited and restricted. When rubbing shoulders with another, we gain a panoramic view, which allows us to see the whole picture. "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man" (Prov. 27:19). That's so picturesque!

May I remind you of four of the more powerful perils that can level even the mightiest? They are fortune, fame, power, and pleasure.

Picture for a moment the barrenness and bleakness that happens in a life when compromise occurs. It doesn't come immediately. At first it's fun to run with the wrong crowd.

I think we need to sign a mental declaration of independence. Let's put our names on the line, pledging ourselves with firm resolve, much like those brave men did on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia when they signed the Declaration of Independence.

Someone once wrote, "Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap your character. Sow your character, reap your destiny." Standing tall when tested takes courage—constant, relentless, never-give-up courage!