Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

I'm a sports fan. I'm sure that comes as news to no one! For some strange reason, even when I was growing up, I could remember the most amazing details—okay, maybe "trivia" is a better word—about different ballplayers.

I've never had a strong desire to be a teacher. Don't get me wrong. I admire tremendously those who teach. It was a teacher in junior high who taught me to love science. It was a teacher in high school who got me hooked on history.

Many professions draw public attention like warm watermelon draws flies. Those who practice them are constantly in the news. If it isn't the money they make, it's the company they keep or the trends they set.

Leaders must go beyond analysis to action. One cannot lead without energy, motion, risk. Leaders are pathfinders, road makers, action takers. Cowardice, to put it bluntly, is an ungodly trait. God is not passive in the face of evil.

Getting a big job done calls for heart. Having a high IQ is not essential. Neither is being a certain age. Or possessing a particular temperament. You don't even need the backing of the majority.

When you face an impossibility, leave it in the hands of the Specialist! Refuse to calculate. Refuse to doubt. Refuse to work it out by yourself. Refuse to worry or encourage others to worry. Stand against that.

Who really cared? His was a routine admission to busy Bellevue Hospital. A charity case, one among hundreds. A drunken bum from the Bowery with a slashed throat. The Bowery . . . last stop before the morgue.

"Grab here, amigo." I grabbed. "Hold on tight, por favor." I held on. "When you come back toward the shore and I blow whistle, you pull cord pronto!" Within seconds I was airborne.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Scripture is a verse containing much emotion: "From the city men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out" (Job 24:12). The scene is a busy metropolis. Speed. Movement. Noise.

No need to prolong the story. Or complicate it. Or embellish it. Or try to explain it. Or defend it. Just declare it. The facts speak for themselves. Jesus of Nazareth said He would "suffer . . . be killed, and be raised up on the third day."

Easter and hope are synonymous. That special day never arrives without its refreshing reminder that there is life beyond this one. True life. Eternal life. Glorious life.

I love music! Choral music, instrumental music, popular music, classical music . . . folk tunes, ballads, country western and bluegrass . . . the patriotic and romantic. For me, music is a must.

What gives a widow courage as she stands beside a fresh grave? What is the ultimate hope of the handicapped, the abused, the burn victim? What is the final answer to pain, mourning, senility, insanity, terminal diseases?

How's it going with you and the kids? Maybe that question doesn't apply to you. You may be single, or you may not have children, or you may have already raised your brood.

Are you living every day (as if it's your last) for His glory? Do you work diligently at your job and in your home (as if He isn't coming for another ten years) for His name's sake? Do you shake salt and shine the light every chance you get?

In my younger years I had a lot more answers than I do now. Things were absolutely black or white, right or wrong, yes or no, in or out—but a lot of that is beginning to change.

Not everybody gets "turned on" over management concepts, but most of us can profit from such information at home or church or school. Even as individuals we may find some of these principles coming in handy.

As our world is getting smaller, our minds seem to be following suit. Our level of selfishness is increasing by the day. Suddenly, nobody wants you to invade his or her "space."

His face was covered with a full beard. His hair fell almost to his shoulders. When he smiled, his white teeth flashed in contrast to the blanket of brown that concealed his skin. His eyes were blue, clear, and alert.

Many years ago one of my mentors told me a story I have never forgotten. A missionary was home on furlough, traveling by car from church to church.