Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Few things solemnize the finality of death like making funeral arrangements and choosing a coffin, or arranging the details of a memorial service. They are among the grueling but necessary duties of the bereaved. Death comes to all.

Tests are never wasted. God never says, "Oops, made a mistake on that one. I shouldn't have given you that. I meant that for Frank. Sorry, Bob." It's as if the Lord has our name on specific trials. They are specifically designed for us.

By making us in His image, God gave us capacities not given to other forms of life. Ideally, He made us to know Him, to love Him, and to obey Him. He did not put rings in our noses that He might pull us around like oxen.

One of the greatest benefits to be gleaned from the Bible is perspective. When we get discouraged, we temporarily lose our perspective. Little things become mammoth. A slight irritation, such as a pebble in a shoe, seems huge.

All of us are surrounded by and benefit from the results of someone's quest. Let me name a few: Above my head is a bright electric light. Thanks, Tom. On my nose are eyeglasses that enable me to focus. Thanks, Ben.

When it comes to irritations, I've found that it helps if I remember that I am not in charge of my day . . . God is. And while I'm sure He wants me to use my time wisely, He is more concerned with the development of my character.

We deny it. We fake it. We mask it. We try to ignore it. But the truth stubbornly persists—we are weak creatures! Being sinful, we fail. Being prone to sickness, we hurt. Being mortal, we ultimately die. Pressure wears on us. Anxiety gives us ulcers.

Back in World War II a scribble of comic graffiti began appearing on walls everywhere, proclaiming, "Kilroy was here!" This declaration was found on walls in Germany. It was found on buildings in Tokyo. It was found on big boulders in America.

We are living in an era that attempts to stretch grace to heretical extremes. I see it and hear it virtually every week of my life. So allow me to say this very straight: The greatest gift you can give to your marriage partner is your purity, your fidelity.

When the Philistines seized David in Gath he said, "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You" (Psalm 56:3). When he fled from Saul into a cave, he cried out to God. "My soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by" (Psalm 57:1).

We toss around words like faith and love all the time. And most of us can describe both with minimal difficulty. But hope? What in the world is it? And is it really that essential? Webster defines hope, "to desire with expectation of fulfillment."

People who refuse to get bogged down in and anchored to the past are those who pursue the objectives of the future. People who do this are seldom petty. They are too involved in getting a job done to be occupied with yesterday's hurts and concerns.

Many folks eat their hearts out, suffering from the contagious "If Only" disease. Its germs infect every slice of life. If only I had more money. If only we owned a nicer home. If only we could have children. If only he would ask me out.

Contentment is something we must learn. It isn't a trait we're born with. But the question is how? In 1 Timothy 6 we find a couple of very practical answers to that question.

Life is a lot like a coin; you can spend it any way you wish, but you can spend it only once. Choosing one thing over all the rest throughout life is a difficult thing to do. This is especially true when the choices are so many and the possibilities are so close at hand.

This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, . . .

The old motto of soldiers during the Revolutionary War applies to many areas of life: "Trust in God, but keep your powder dry!" In other words, place your life in the Savior's hands, but stay at the ready.

I am more convinced than ever that there is no way you and I can move toward a deeper, intimate relationship with our God without protracted times of stillness, which includes one of the rarest at all experiences: absolute silence.

[The world] will see "your good works," Jesus said. Like what? They will hear your courtesy. They will detect your smile. They will notice that you stop to thank them. They will hear you apologize when you are wrong.

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.