INSIGHT FOR TODAY 21 AUGUST 2024 DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE WRITTEN BY PASTOR CHUCK SWINDOLL
TOPIC: An Abundant Life
SCRIPTURE: John 10:9–10
CALL IT THE REBEL IN ME, but I simply cannot bear plain vanilla when life has so many other flavors far more interesting and tasty. God has so much more in view for all of us.
Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
God has arranged an abundant life for you, but it’s slipping past. Are you becoming addicted to the narcotic of predictability? I should warn you, the longer you persist, the greater will be the pain of withdrawal.
I’ll let you in on a secret: living and learning go hand in hand; existing and expiring do too. Every day brings a totally new set of circumstances and experiences. Now I’m not suggesting you do stupid stunts to prove your unpredictability. No need to row to Tahiti in a dinghy . . . or brave the wilds of Antarctica in winter . . . or scale Mount Everest without a Sherpa. How much more sensible to turn your everyday problems into creative projects. How much better to take life by the throat and achieve mastery over a few things that have haunted and harassed you long enough. How much better to take the Lord up on His gracious offer to give you a rich and rewarding life! Why is that so hard to embrace?
He is for you. He’s in your corner. He wants to pour out His great pleasure on you—He desires that you live abundantly, joyfully, freely. Why not try living abundantly, joyfully, and freely for a change? Go ahead . . . I dare you.
Devotional content taken from Good Morning, Lord . . . Can We Talk? by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2018. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved. The full devotional can be purchased at tyndale.com or wherever books are sold.