Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

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.

STRANGE, ISN'T IT, how we tend toward extremes? What begins as self-improvement becomes self-enslavement. What starts as merely a mellow change of pace leads to a marathon of fanaticism.

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 . . .

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.

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

I USED TO FEEL A LITTLE SORRY FOR Thanksgiving in Southern California when my family and I lived there. Since leaves don’t turn and pumpkins don’t get frosty, it’s tough to get Thanksgiving fever.

BY NOW, YOU'VE NOTICED I've got a love affair going with Thanksgiving. It has been going on as far back as I can remember. Hands down, it's my favorite holiday of all. Here's why . . .

IT'S ALMOST THANKSGIVING . . . MY FAVORITE. When it comes to holidays, this one tops 'em all, in my opinion.

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.

BLOW THAT LAYER OF dust off the book of Nahum in your Bible and catch a glimpse of this: "He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm."

MOST FOLKS I KNOW LIKE things to stay as they are. Being creatures of habit, we resist change; we protect our comfort zone; we are uneasy with the unexpected.

"DON'T GARBLE THE MESSAGE!" If I heard that once during Marine boot camp, I must've heard it four dozen times. Again and again, our outfit was warned against hearing one thing, then passing on a slightly different version.

WEALTH IS SAID TO be the parent of luxury. Perhaps you're reluctant to entertain any dreams since daily reality turns them into nightmares of unfulfilled desire.

THE FOUR MONUMENTS OF HUMAN NATURE: Fortune, Fame, Power, Pleasure Built in clusters, making them appear formidable . . . and acceptable.

"SELF-PRAISE," says an ancient adage, "smells bad." In other words, it stinks up the works. God says He hates "haughty eyes" (Proverbs 6:17).

THE POISON OF RESENTMENT enters the soul imperceptibly after injury or personal insult. It can also come through the sting of misunderstanding, injustice, and betrayal.

WHOEVER READS THE WRITINGS OF Christians from earlier centuries is struck with the frequent references to God's providence. Why don't we hear more about it today?