Charles R. Swindoll's Blog, page 8

I’ll never forget the day a friend dropped by my study.

We spoke for a while, and just before he left, he had that look of unfinished business on his face. He couldn’t leave without looking at me squarely in the eyes and saying some hard things.

“I don’t know how I should say these things, Chuck. But I can’t just ignore them either. The fact is, I’m concerned.”

That stung a little. “Concerned about what?” I probed.

“You. I’m concerned that you might get so busy you’ll start cutting corners in your study of the Scriptures. I want to urge you: do not let that happen. We need you to continue doing original work, reading widely, thinking deeply . . . and speaking with the kind of depth and passion we have come to expect from you.”

His words were punctuated with emotion. By now he was really serious.

As he finally stood up to leave, I walked over to him and embraced him. I told him how much I appreciated his words of warning, the genuineness of his heart, the courage of his reproof. The man demonstrated that he cared—he truly cared—for my soul.

I reassured him that I never wanted to neglect the essentials in my life or my ministry. I invited him to come again, especially if he ever had reason to believe that I was yielding to the subtle temptation of shooting from the hip or coming to the pulpit without having spent sufficient time in preparation of heart and mind. God deserves my best, not the leftover scraps of a harum-scarum schedule.

After he left, I sat back down, swallowed hard, and sighed. Not only did he need to say those things, I needed to hear them. Believe me, I really did.

I believe every pastor needs to hear them often.

Maybe you need to hear them too?

—Chuck

Matthew 10:42

Over the years, a few folks have told me they were reluctant to look too deeply into serving Jesus Christ because of the risks that are involved.

Some were afraid God would expect them to become missionaries or preachers and do something really risky! If they said yes to God, they reasoned, they’d have to undertake some dirty, demanding tasks, and that kind of extreme servanthood would be more than they had bargained for.

Is that your attitude as a pastor? Is that what the biblical portrait of servanthood means?

Sometimes.

Some of us may very well be called to follow Him to the ends of the earth.
Many have done that. He may ask others of us to serve in some bold and difficult act of personal sacrifice here at home or abroad.

But it’s not always that way. In fact, I would say it is rarely that way.

Most of the time, the Lord makes somewhat smaller demands on us . . . but they still require unselfishness.

The greater reality is that every act of service, however big or small it may be, demonstrates our love for Christ and our obedience to Him. That’s the meaning of faithful servanthood. Jesus said, “Whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).

To cherish a little child, to care for an aging mother, to speak a gentle word to a hurting neighbor or a struggling friend . . . to carry an armload of groceries for that stranger down the street: these, too, are demonstrations of Christ’s love.

How valuable is genuine, selfless servanthood!

—Chuck

Esther 4:14

Many centuries ago, a woman thought
things were too far gone.

She didn’t think there was anything she could do. It
was only a matter of time before all the Jews would be exterminated.

You remember
Esther. She was the Jewish wife of a Persian king, the man who was about to be
tricked into making an irrevocable, disastrous decision. All of Esther’s people
would soon be exterminated.

But just one person
could turn the tide. One!

Esther’s adoptive
father got her attention with these words,

“And who knows whether you have not
attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

That did it.

She
broke longstanding protocol and put her own life at risk. She marched into the
king’s throne room, spoke her mind . . . and ultimately rescued the Jews from
holocaust. One woman—only one voice—saved an entire nation.

As is true of
every person who stands in the gap, Esther was willing to get personally
involved to the point of great sacrifice. Or, as she said, “If I perish, I
perish” (4:16). She didn’t think, “Someone else should be doing this, not me,”
nor did she ignore the need because of the risk.

Sacrifice! It’s the stuff that
people with true character are made of. They’re the ones who make a difference.
Sacrifice is the quality that defines the servant’s heart.

Before you toss
all this aside, saying to yourself, “Aw, that’s for somebody else. How much
difference could I make?” just stop to consider the value of one.

Once you learn to
approach each day with the heart of a servant, you soon find that one person
really can make a difference. There is lasting joy and real peace in that way
of living. And the good news is that the Lord is actively seeking those who are
ready and willing to follow Him, no matter the sacrifice or cost.

A wonderful verse
reminds us: “For the eyes of the Lord
move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose
heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

It’s a lesson every pastor should
take to heart.

—Chuck

Matthew 25:45

Several years ago, a group of boys
and girls in Florida decided to lead their parents and other volunteers in a
season of intercessory prayer for their town and for our troubled world.

The movement they
started turned out to be so dynamic that more than fifteen thousand people
showed up to march in support of the plan and to offer aid to the Russian
refugees in their area. The young people also raised support for a Russian
choir and started a prayer chain to intercede for the people of their “sister
city” of Murmansk, Russia.

How many
opportunities for selfless service can we find? Maybe I should ask that
question another way: How many Christians are willing to improve their service
toward God? Or how many acts of Christian love and kindness would it take to
change the world?

The opportunities
are endless.

In every town,
every neighborhood, and on every block, lonely and sometimes unlovely men and
women need to experience the love of Jesus.
In every city, children have never
known a gentle touch or a loving smile.
In every state and region, God’s people
can make a lasting difference.

There are random acts of love and mercy that God
has already prepared for you, so that you might share in His joy—so that you
might grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Go
ahead . . . reach out.

You will never regret it.

 —Chuck

Philippians 2:4

The art of unselfish living is
practiced by few and mastered by even less.

In today’s me-first world, we
shouldn’t be surprised. It is difficult to cultivate a servant’s heart when
trying to survive in a chaotic society dominated by selfish pursuits and
narcissistic leaders. The greatest tragedy of such an existence is what it
spawns: an independent, self-sufficient, survival-of-the-fittest mentality.

On top of
everything else, the culture around us is determined to shut itself off from
the benefits of faith.

Christian values are ignored.
Christian principles are
shunned.
Christian absolutes are mocked.
Christian charity is viewed with
suspicion.

Nevertheless, the church’s message of hope and transcendence, which
is its greatest source of compassion, must continue, even if it is often
rejected with scorn and disparagement. Our acts of kindness are received reluctantly,
with the result that too many Christians find it easier simply to give in or
give up.

As I look toward the
future, I see nothing on the horizon that offers any hope for a change. Nothing
external, that is. Grim as it may sound, we are on a collision course, and more
and more travelers are lonely and confused.

Some are downright angry.

They offer cynical
advice: “Look, you can’t change the world. Just look out for number one, press
on, and keep your mouth shut.” Those who embrace this philosophy surround us. I
admit there are times in my more hurried and hassled moments when I tend to
listen to that erroneous counsel.

But this
philosophy doesn’t satisfy. Human beings were not designed to live and treat
others like that. There has to be a better way to enter eternity than being
cold-hearted, empty-handed, and out of breath!

There is.

The art of
unselfish living must be implemented from within before it can be expressed
without. It is unlike anything you’ll hear from self-made superstars and
celebrities whose lifestyles are not compatible with being a servant of others.
That’s to be expected.

We see it modeled
best in Christ. The world sees it modeled in Christians.

That’s you.

—Chuck

Matthew 10:16

No selfless act is so small, no
good deed so insignificant, that God cannot see and does not approve.

After all, what we
do as God’s servants is not for human eyes. It is not for our own glory that
faithful service is so clearly prescribed throughout Scripture. It is for the
glory of God and God alone. Our God has given us the incredible honor of being
His stewards to carry out the work of Jesus Christ through faithful service—in
our neighborhoods, across the nation we live in, and around the world.

It is, in fact,
the very substance of the Great Commission which tells us that we are to
transmit the gospel to others, not only in our confession of Christ but by
displaying in our lives a daily example of Christ’s love.

Think about it.
When Jesus sent out that first group of wide-eyed and uncertain rustics on their
first missionary adventure, don’t you know they were terrified? Can’t you just
imagine what they must have been thinking?

“What?” Peter must
have fairly shouted. “Who, me, Lord? You want me to go into the villages and
towns and do what you have been doing? Jesus, you’ve got to be kidding!”

But that is
precisely what Jesus wanted. Furthermore, He admonished those uncertain,
quivering disciples to be “shrewd as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew
10:16). In other words, they were to anticipate that they would not be treated
well everywhere they went. In some places, they were told, people would toss
them out on their ears; but they were supposed to go anyway, trusting that God
would supply all their needs.

They were to teach
with love and mercy—to be harmless as doves, to be examples of peace.

Are you that way
when you preach?

—Chuck

Luke 22:26–27

From the beginning, the idea of true servanthood has been a bit of a paradox.

Jesus phrased it well:

“For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves?” (Luke 22:27).

Naturally, His disciples would say, the lesser should serve the greater. All of life proves that. Those with no clout should do the dirty work for those who have the power. Right?

But Jesus, their Lord and Master, turned the tables on them, by saying: “But I am among you as the one who serves” (22:27). How can this be? Does the master serve the servants? Does the leader serve the one being led?

Absolutely.

The beauty of selfless service is that it always puts others first, even the least of these, whoever and wherever they may be.

Maybe you were touched as I was by the story of students at a small college in Springfield, Ohio, who raised nineteen thousand dollars on their own to help build houses for the poor. They used money from payroll deductions, auctions, garage sales, and part-time jobs to help Habitat for Humanity build homes for underprivileged families in their community.

Or how about this unusual case? For years, an unknown philanthropist in Chicago has put valuable gold coins into the red kettles of Salvation Army volunteers. So far, the “Christmas Phantom” has given twenty thousand dollars to help the needy, without notice, without fanfare, without personal credit of any kind. What an excellent example of selfless service!

During all the furor over church burnings across the South and along the East Coast, the first good news I saw was the story of a group of multi-racial Christians—black, white, and brown—who were pitching in to help rebuild buildings and to patch up relationships in many of those hard-hit communities.

One story from Mississippi told about the busloads of believers who showed up at the sites of two burned-out churches with everything from nails to cash. Those who could hang sheetrock or install window frames brought their own tools. Those who could cook or watch young children for busy parents gave freely of their time. These people weren’t just building churches. They were investing in “the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”

How encouraging to know that the fires someone had intended for evil were suddenly being used for good—for opportunities for ministry and love through simple acts of service.

—Chuck

John 14:21

Let me guess. You are tired of the superficial.

You want to be a force for good in a world of evil—a person of authenticity in a world of hypocrisy. You are weary of witnessing what you see happening around you. You want to be part of the answer, not part of the problem.

There is no question that Jesus expected each of us to shine the light of God’s love among this dark, lost world. We are to spread it abroad and to share the truth that we have been granted. In our homes, schools, workplaces, recreations, and in every other area of our lives, there are ways we can serve others.

That means moving beyond theory and wishful thinking. That means reaching out, taking risks, and doing what Scripture commands.

Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him” (John 14:21).

I’d call that a promise worthy to be claimed.

To be loved by God and to experience the presence of Christ manifested in our lives is to possess a pearl of great price. It is to discover kingdom living while still earthbound. But to attain it, we must obey what Jesus taught us through His Word.

He commands us to love one another in word and in deed.

—Chuck

Hebrews 6:10

Because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took upon Himself the role of a servant while He was on earth, so must we.

The one who could have been or done anything, consciously and voluntarily chose to be one who served, one who gave.

So then, if we are to become increasingly more like Christ (that is still our goal, isn’t it?) then we, too, are to give and to serve. Not just stand and preach.

To those who serve, to those who stand and preach—as Jesus Christ once stood and preached many, many years ago—He promises a reward. And we can be sure He will keep His promise.

Four truths will help put all of this in proper perspective.

Every act of servanthood—no matter how large or small—will be remembered by God.
God takes special note of the heart; He knows the motive behind our actions.
As servants reach out to others, Christ’s life is modeled and a spirit of thankfulness is stimulated.
Special and specific rewards are reserved in heaven for those who practice the art of unselfish living.

Time will prove the value of God’s truths on servanthood. May God honor His name as you and I commit ourselves anew to improving our serving before God, to cultivating the art of unselfish living, and to serving and giving to others.

As Jesus Christ once did.

—Chuck

Ecclesiastes 9:13–16

In our overpopulated, impersonal world, it is easy to underestimate the significance of one. With so many people, most of whom seem so much more capable, more gifted, more prosperous, more important than we, who are we to think our part amounts to much? I’m just one person, who cannot make much difference.

That’s the way most folks think. They really do!

Aren’t you glad Patrick Henry didn’t? And Henry Ford? And Martin Luther King, Jr.? And Walt Disney? And Martin Luther? And Winston Churchill? And Jackie Robinson? And Irving Berlin? And Abraham Lincoln? And Charles Wesley? And Dwight L. Moody? And Corrie ten Boom?

“But it’s a different world today,” you say. Back then, there was room for an individual to emerge and stand out in a crowd, but now, there’s no way!”

Wrong. God has always underscored individual involvement . . . still does.

How many did it take to help the victim who got mugged on the Jericho Road? One Good Samaritan.
How many were chosen by God to confront Pharaoh and lead the Exodus? One.
How many sheep got lost and became the object of concern to the shepherd? One.
ow many were needed to confront adulterous David and bring him to his knees in full repentance? One.
How many prophets were called to stand before wicked King Ahab and predict a drought? One.
How many did the Lord use to get the attention of the land of Israel and prepare the way for Messiah? One.

Never underestimate the power of one! And that one just may be you.

—Chuck