Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Dear gracious Father, we're our own worst enemy. We focus on our failures rather than on Your rescues.

Father, we all have hopes and aspirations. We all have dreams. And though there is nothing wrong with these, how easy it is to be driven by them.

Lord, words of hope from others can fall flat if things aren't right in our own lives. When we're consumed by rage and resentment, somehow words about joy and purpose sound hollow . . . they seem meaningless.

Sovereign God, all of us would be quick to say that we do need to be relieved of our anxieties—they are too many and too frequent. And because we want to call our own shots, we need to be leveled and removed from the realm of pride.

It's not often, Father, that we make such a statement, but today we thank You for the injustices in life that have crippled us and broken us and crushed us.

Lord, we pray that You would bring relief when we are swamped with the ever-rising tide of discouragement. Grant deliverance for us who are caught in that swamp and start to slide into its slimy waters.

Dear Father, every one of us has experienced failure. Many failures. They have left us broken, depressed, disappointed in ourselves, and full of regret.

Our Father in heaven, as a result of Your Word we pray that You might grant to us insight into our homes, our nation, and this world.

Our Father, encourage us—especially we who often doubt and feel ashamed of our doubt. May we realize that You are in the midst of our reflections.

Father, thank You for the reminder of character qualities that are such a vital part of our Christian lives.

Father in heaven, we call upon You today. We know that You are the Giver of all good things . . . and that You never change like shifting shadows.

It happened in a large, seventy-five-year-old stone house on the west side of Houston. A massive stairway led up to several bedrooms. The den down below was done in rough-hewn boards with soft leather chairs.

Leadership is influence. To the extent we influence others, we lead them. If I were asked to name some of the standard qualities or characteristics usually found among natural-born leaders, I would list: Enthusiasm, Optimism, . . .

I was on a scriptural safari. Prowling through the Ephesian letter, I was tracking an elusive, totally unrelated verse when God's sharp sword flashed, suddenly slicing me to the core: ". . . speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs."

We were rapidly descending through a night of thick fog at 200 miles per hour, but the seasoned pilot of the twin-engine Aero Commander was loving every dip, roll, and lurch.

I'm writing these words [originally] soon after my birthday. No big deal . . . just another stabbing realization that I'm not getting any younger. I know that because the cake won't hold all the candles. Even if it could the frosting would melt.

Growing old, like taxes, is a fact we all must face. Now, you're not going to get me to declare when growing up stops and growing old starts—not on your life! But there are some signs we can read along life's journey.

Leonard Held was a paragon of respectability. He was a middle-aged, hard-working lab technician who had worked at the same Pennsylvania paper mill for nineteen years. . . . He was admired as a model in his community.

The longer I live the less I know for sure. That sounds like 50% heresy . . . but it's 100% honesty. In my younger years I had a lot more answers than I do now. Things were absolutely black and white, right or wrong, yes or no.

"Self-praise," says an ancient adage, "smells bad." In other words, it stinks up the works. Regardless of how we prepare it, garnish it with little extras, slice and serve it up on our finest silver piece, the odor remains.