Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Paul deals with the value of being gracious in your Christian walk in 1 Thessalonians 2:7–11: "But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children."

Years ago my older son, then a teenager, and I dropped by the local Hallmark shop to find Cynthia a card for Mother's Day. Somewhat bored with the process, Curt wandered back to the posters.

When the Ritz-Carlton Hotels won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the owner of that outstanding organization, Mr. William Johnson, stated that now they would need to work even harder to earn the respect that came with the award.

"My soul waits in silence for God only" (Psalm 62:1). Some of the best times in prayer are wordless times. I stop speaking, close my eyes, and meditate upon what I have been reading or upon what I have been saying.

Lists are everywhere. The sports page is full of them. Elsewhere we find lists of Academy Award winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, and beauty contest winners. The publishing world has its best-seller list . . .

"What is your favorite feeling?" When my sister, Luci, asked me that question recently, my brain began to click through a dozen or more possibilities. Being a person to whom feelings are extremely important, I had a tough time selecting one.

In 1991 James Patterson and Peter Kim released The Day America Told the Truth, a study based on an extensive opinion survey which guaranteed the anonymity of its participants. And the truth was shocking!

During the Thanksgiving holiday a few years ago, I experienced a moving moment as I watched our younger daughter, Colleen, with her baby, Ashley Alissa, who at that time was a newborn.

Humans are strange creatures. We run faster when we lose our way. Instead of pausing to regroup, we ricochet from place to place. Three words describe our times: hurry, worry, and bury.

In a fast-paced world where only the fit survive, it sure is easy to feel dehumanized. Our technological age has made us more aware of our insignificance.

Have you noticed how many day-planners are available these days? And then there are the time-management self-help books: how to increase your efficiency, how to make every moment count.

To be mature is to be fully developed, complete, and "grown up." Becoming mature is a process of consistently moving toward emotional and spiritual adulthood.

Do you know which sin is the subtle enemy of simple faith? Materialism and greed? Anger? Lust? Hypocrisy? No. All of these sins are certainly our enemies, but none of them qualify as subtle enemies.

One of the great doctrines of Christianity is our belief in a heavenly home. Ultimately, we shall spend eternity with God in the place He has prepared for us.

Yourself. Yourself. Yourself. We're up to here with self! How very different from Jesus' model and message! Instead of a "philosophy" to turn our eyes inward, He offers a fresh and much-needed invitation to our "me first" generation.

"Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 7:2). That single sentence is perhaps the most famous statement Jesus ever made. It is the "Everest of Ethics."

Some people mistakenly use God's sovereignty as an excuse for complacency, passivity, and uninvolvement. All is of God they say; God does everything. God's sovereignty does not mean that I am released from responsibility.

"A word fitly spoken," wrote the wise Solomon, "is like apples of gold in settings of silver" (Prov. 25:11, KJV). Like Jell-O, concepts assume the mold of the words into which they are poured.

Even in the midst of disappointment, surprise, and mystery, you will discover an amazing thing. You will discover how very reliable and trustworthy God is—and how secure you are in His hands.

In my words, the apostle Paul would tell us that joy isn't fickle; it doesn't need a lot of things to keep it smiling. Joy is deep and consistent—the oil that reduces the friction of life.