Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
Read Mark 1:40–42
Her voice was weak and fearful as she spoke to me over the phone. It was almost midnight, and she kept apologizing...but she was so lonely and wanted someone to listen. I never got her name nor her address nor enough hints about her location to follow up our conversation. Her desperate story broke my heart. I wept after she said “Good-bye—thanks for listening.”
Read Deuteronomy 6:6–9
Family. The place where principles are hammered out on the anvil of daily living. Where character traits are moulded and shaped under the watchful eyes of moms and dads. The batons in this relay are many.
Determination. “Stick with it—regardless.”
Honesty. “Speak and live the truth—always.”
Responsibility. “Be dependable, be trustworthy.”
Thoughtfulness. “Think of others before yourself.”
Confidentiality. “Don’t tell secrets. Seal your lips.”
Self-control. “When under stress, stay calm.”
Read Proverbs 24:30–34
When we suffer from clutter-holic syndrome, our lives are marked by mediocrity, haphazardness, and putting out needless fires.
Think you might have a mild case of that? Maybe a few questions will help prime the pump of self-analysis:
Do you often lose things?
Are you usually late for appointments and meetings?
Do you put off doing your homework until late?
Are you a time waster?
Is your reading limited to only the essentials rather than heavier works?
Read Psalm 46:8–11
As I write this, the thermometer registers in the nineties. The air is still and heavy. The dog is panting at my feet, the sun is high, and the birds are silent and still. Within a matter of hours night will fall, the dark sky will be ablaze with moon and stars, and sleep will force itself on me. As I slumber, life will continue uninterrupted. Appreciated or not, the canvas of nature will go on being painted by the finger of God.
Read Ephesians 5:15–17
Iam a sucker for time-management books.
Read Psalm 127:3–5
The package arrived safely, the reminder “Fragile: Handle with Care” affixed to the front. Oh, it had a few scuff marks and a bent corner or two, but by and large, nothing was damaged. Inside was a photo of my family, just a picture of six people with the same last name, four of whom were delivered by God into our home between 1961 and 1970. Those four deliveries should have had the same reminder: “Fragile: Handle with Care.”
Read Proverbs 3:5-6
Ah, predicaments...life is full of them. Sometimes they are of our own making. Other times they mysteriously happen to us, apart from anything we caused. Occasionally they are comical and borderline crazy...then, on the other hand, they can be irritating and troublesome. One thing is for sure: they’re unexpected; we would never have guessed they would happen. Strangely, predicaments are unpredictable. And embarrassing. And confusing. And really weird.
Read Romans 8:23
At long last I am finally discovering that that stuff about Rome not being built in a day is true. And speaking of Rome, Paul’s words to the century-one Christians who lived there are truer than ever.
We believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. (Romans 8:23)
Read Romans 12:9–10, 13
Nobody is a whole chain. Each one is a link. But take away one link and the chain is broken.
Nobody is a whole team. Each one is a player. But take away one player and the game is forfeited.
Nobody is a whole orchestra. Each one is a musician. But take away one musician and the symphony is incomplete.
Nobody is a whole play. Each one is an actor. But take away one actor and the performance suffers.
Read Mark 4:18–19
What do the thorns represent in Scripture? Prickly issues that steal our joy, confidence, and progress in our faith. Jesus’ own words describe the menace of thorns to our spiritual vitality.
The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. (Mark 4:18-19)
Thorns are lethal to our spiritual growth.
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