Chuck Swindoll Daily Devotional 2nd June 2025, Insight For Today
TOPIC: Standing Firm . . . Together
SCRIPTURE READING – Philippians 1:27
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. (Philippians 1:27)
So many live their lives too dependent on others. Such clinging vines draw most, if not all, of their energy from another. Not only is this unhealthy for the clinger, but it also drains too much energy from the clingee!
Paul would have none of that, and neither should we. Maturity is accelerated when we learn to stand firm on our own. There may be occasions when others play helpful roles during needy episodes of our lives, but those should be the exception rather than the rule. Codependent people are not joyful people.
Does this discount the need for close and harmonious relationships? Hardly. In fact, after encouraging a healthy independence, Paul turns the coin to the other side and suggests a need for balance: “with one mind striving together.” Why? Because life includes tests, and some of those tests involve “opponents” who are not to alarm us. By striving together, we keep from being intimidated and frightened.
Great comfort comes when we realize that our striving is not an isolated series of battles fought one-on-one, but that we are fighting together against a common foe. This brings a sense of camaraderie and support when we realize we are in the ranks of the faithful, a “mighty army” of those set apart by Christ, a force to reckon with.
Most in our day would consider anyone a fool who pursued anything but comfort and ease. But since when did the majority ever vote in favor of Christ? If this happens to be your current way of life, if suffering and difficulty have come your way because of your walk with Him, take heart. You are in good company. And some glorious day in the not-too-distant future, God will reward you for your faithfulness. You will have forgotten the pain of pressing on. And, like never before, you will laugh again.
Taken from Laugh Again by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1992 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com