Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

THOUGH I HAVE WALKED WITH God for several decades, I must confess I still find much about Him incomprehensible and mysterious. But this much I know: He delights in surprising us.

SAMUEL WAS NOT IMPRESSED. Having discovered that the self-reliant king had once again disobeyed God's command, the exasperated prophet rebuked the stubborn king as few men in Scripture were rebuked:

THE PSALMIST WAS CORRECT: the heavens do indeed proclaim the glory of God. The skies do indeed display his craftsmanship (see Psalm 19:1).

GOLIATH REMINDS ME OF the cross-eyed discus thrower. He didn't set many records . . . but he sure kept the crowd awake!

THERE'S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE. That isn't funny; it's tragic. Fakery draws its fuel from the pit. That's what God tells us.

BEING A PROPHET IN Israel wasn't an easy gig. That's the understatement of the year. Most of the men God called were expected to boldly bear the bad news of God's displeasure with the attitudes and sins of His people.

I RECALL THE FIRST TIME I watched the children's classic movie The Wizard of Oz. I was spellbound by the music and the enchanting way in which the simple themes of family, valuing home, and celebrating individual differences were on display.

I'M THE GUY WHO PROMOTES WAITING and allowing the Lord to open the doors and shove you through. You know, all the stuff you expect a preacher to say.

BACK WHEN I WAS A KID I got a bellyache that wouldn't go away. It hurt so bad I couldn't stand up straight. Or sit down without increasing the pain.

"ANGELA ATWOOD WAS a dear, honest, sincere girl, who—like Christ—died for her beliefs." These words actually fell from the lips of the Reverend Citro, a Roman Catholic priest . . .

YEARS AGO, I listened as Anna Sklar, the author of a book titled Runaway Wives, shared some shocking statistics.

AVERAGE LIFE SPANS ARE shorter than most of us realize. Unlike the great redwood trees that can last for a thousand years, most other things come and go quickly.

CALL IT THE REBEL IN ME, but I simply cannot bear plain vanilla when life has so many other flavors far more interesting and tasty. God has so much more in view for all of us.

THERE IS A STRANGE STATEMENT IN Scripture that flashes like a bright neon sign. Paul made it while he was saying good-bye to a group of friends standing near him. It was a sad moment heavy with emotion.

DISORIENTATION IS THE PITS. When you travel a lot (like airline personnel) you must deal with it.

TUCKED AWAY IN THE FOLDS OF Hebrews 11 is a two-word biography worth a second glance: "He endured" (11:27, NASB). The Living Bible says, "[he] kept right on going."

WEBSTER DEFINES THE WORD "cordial" as of or relating to the heart: vital, tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate, heartfelt, gracious. That's really a mouthful; in fact, that's worth a few minutes of our time together.

PAUL WANTED TO BE IN HEAVEN but needed to be on earth. In a temporal sort of way, this time of year, I share his frustration.

THERE IS ONLY ONE YOU. In our overly-populated, identity-crisis era it is easy to forget this. Individuality is played down. We are asked to conform to the "system."

YEARS AGO, when I pastored in California, an usher met me as I was leaving the church. He had been involved in counting the morning offering.