Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Things That Matter

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"For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off and takes away their life?

Will God listen to their cry when trouble comes upon them?

Can they take delight in the Almighty? Can they call to God at any time?

I will teach you about God’s power. I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty." (Job 27:8–11)

Thinking God's thoughts is our highest goal. That's one of the reasons I'm such a proponent of the discipline of Scripture memorization. You cannot think God's thoughts more acutely than when you quote God's very words back to life's situations.

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. So what comes to mind when you think about God? I remember as a little boy thinking of God as a very old man with a long white beard, cheeks puffed out, blowing strong winds from the north. I had seen His face portrayed this way at school on an old map of the world.

What comes to your mind when you think about God? Do you see Him as the One who gives you breath and keeps your heart beating? Do you see Him as the One who will call everyone into judgment someday? Do you see Him as the One who watches over your children and your business? Do you acknowledge His power as greater than any power you could ever witness on this earth? Or, honestly now, is He a little remote, sort of out of touch with today's hi-tech society to you? Your view of God makes all the difference in how you view life.

Think of Job's situation—he is now bankrupt, childless, friendless, and diseased. Covered with boils, he is living with a high fever and constant pain. On top of that he is misunderstood, being blamed for secret sins, and is now rejected by those who once respected him. How in the world does he go on? There's only one answer: his view of God keeps him going, not what others are saying. And in light of that, he recommits himself to things that matter. In a swirl of humanistic thinking, coming from Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, whom Job has mentally turned off, he is now focused fully on the things of God.

What thoughts are distracting you from mentally dwelling on the glory of God? You can overcome them by spending more time in God's Word on the things that really matter.