Authentic heroes. People of integrity, whose lives inspire us to do better, to climb higher, to stand taller. This has always been true.
Maybe that explains why biographies of great men and women have fascinated me throughout my life. I can still remember the first Bible I owned because of the colorful pictures of various characters interspersed through its pages. Each one loomed larger than life as I relived each drama, imagining the sounds, entering into the action-packed scenes portrayed on the pages. I still find delight in entering those scenes from antiquity. My soul is stirred and my heart inspired as those saints of old, people of “whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38), play out their lives, make their mistakes, accomplish their incredible feats, and finally pass on into glory. What encouragement! What enrichment!
The words of the Russian poet Boris Pasternik come to mind: “It is not revolutions and upheavals that clear the road to new and better days, but someone’s soul inspired and ablaze.” It is my hope that you will be enlightened and encouraged from beginning each new and better day spending time with the Great Lives you’ll discover in this daily devotional. Since our world is desperately in need of models worth following, here are ten deserving of our time and attention to help us endure the uncertain challenges of the future.
-Chuck Swindoll
Frisco, Texas
Cream still Rises, As Does the Sun, Yet!
Since beginning this blog in late ’18, I’ve searched out and recycled dozens of slightly used devotionals from thrift stores posting their worthy wisdom over the years that captured my attention. The Introduction above is taken from my favorite published 20 years ago and first opened by Loretta and I during the drama of visiting the Republic of Panama nearly two years ago. Each interval of visitation from this devotional book has profoundly blessed us as did my first encounter with Chuck’s radio ministry back in 1980.
I remember it well as I was sitting in my car near the UVA campus in Charlottesville VA preparing myself mentally for an appointment. At the time, I was really struggling spiritually. A decade earlier, while working in the very same vicinity near campus, I was on the top of my game. Now, a decade exactly later, I was in the valley of discouragement & despair because of earlier sinful choices. I was floundering when Chuck’s clarion call came out of my radio that day; I heard every word, loud and clear, and it’s as much of me now as knowing exactly where I was standing in Jr High when I heard JFK was shot! And as with JFK, I have been reminded of that UVA gospel invitation whenever I’ve encountered Chuck over the past 45 years since. I hope you too have such a recollection of being confronted by your sin.
It has always been my intention to introduce & promote reading worthy wisdom among you readers, especially since reading is seriously declining among all ages today. I firmly believe reading worthy wisdom literature today is even more vital to your spiritual transformation, thriving, and subsequent empowerment, than good nutrition and exercise is for an Olympic champion. I’m just old fashioned enough to know in my heart that more good stuff is happening to you inside physically & mentally when you read and digest good stuff, than when you merely watch YouTubes & podcasts. Just as science has now been freed to learn how vital nutrition really is on so many repressed fronts prior, so do I believe spiritual scientists will soon, if they’ve not done so already, validate man’s need to both read and then compose his thoughts from those readings most often by sharing in conversation with other believers; or in my case and Chuck Swindoll’s, by writing them out…
Frequently I introduce you to paragraphs from, if not chapters, to draw you into to buying the book either for your library or even better, your “seeds of ministry loaning bin.” This particular book of Chuck’s is not likely in print but I found several dozen used copies available on Thrift Books for far less than two coffees…. The books title is “Great Lives with the Great Lives.” Thomas Nelson Publisher. Joseph-Moses-David-Elijah-Esther-Job-Paul (Snapshots of Abraham-Samuel & Saul) Future posts will provide you sampling….. merlin