GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: May 31, 2025

Be Yourself

It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is. (Desiderius Eramus, 16th century theologian)

Wishing you were someone else is a futile pursuit. You may know all about the unusual abilities and successes of someone you admire, but do you know about their personal life and the hard work and costs of their achievements? It would be far better for you to acknowledge that you are who God made you to be and begin to use your gifts to become all that you could be.

So God created people in his own image . . . Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way. (Genesis 1:27, 31)

Stop & Think: May 30, 2025

Weakness

To see weakness as purely negative is a mistake. Weakness befalls us all, and in many ways. (Arthur Brooks, author and university professor)

Brooks continues: “. . . But it is also an opportunity. . . Stop hiding it, and don’t resist it.” When we acknowledge our weaknesses, we can reach out more easily to find the help we need. Strength often comes in learning and working with others. Brooks also suggests that once you’ve been open about your fears, you can relax and help others when they struggle

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Corinthians 1:4)

Stop & Think: May 29, 2025

Looking Ahead

Our best havings are wantings. (C. S. Lewis, late British teacher)

Think about this: what do you really want? Anticipation of that desire may be best thing about it because its fulfillment could be disappointing. On the other hand, your yearning for it may be a hindrance. Here’s what ancient philosopher Seneca said, “Anticipation is the greatest impediment to living life. In anticipating tomorrow, we lose today.”

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. (Hebrews 10:23)

Stop & Think: May 28, 2025

Honor

An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory (Millard Fillmore, 13th U.S. president)

Who won the Super Bowl this year? Can you name the 2025 March Madness or the Master’s winners from just last month? How soon we forget even some major events in our own lives. Apparently, winning isn’t everything. What’s important is the way you played the game. Fillmore was right; it’s better to be honorable and lose than win dishonorably.

Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. . . Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. (Romans 12:17; James 4:10)

Stop & Think: May 27, 2025

The Cost of Success

Success rarely improves our character. (Sam Yeiter, preacher)

Nearly everyone wants to succeed, and some are willing to pay almost any price in money, time, or effort to climb the so-called ladder of success. Yeiter’s comment is a clear warning that compromise as you move up may cost you your good reputation or, at least, a clear conscience. Those may never be restored, and that’s a very high price to pay.

The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity. (Proverbs 11:20)

Stop & Think: May 26, 2025

Memorial Day

O beautiful for heroes proved / In liberating strife / Who more than self their country loved / and mercy more than life. (Katharine Lee Bates: America the Beautiful)

The words of the third stanza of this popular patriotic song are particularly appropriate on this day when we remember the many who gave their lives for our freedom. We sorrow over family members and friends, and we honor all who have given their lives in the defense of our country. Thank God for patriotic Americans and for the liberty they fought to provide.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13)

Stop & Think: May 25, 2025

Rest

Fatigue is the wife of poor judgment and the mother of all error. (Source unknown)

This unattributed thought was found in a book about sailing. You can imagine what the author was warning sailors about. Like being asleep at the wheel when you’re driving or sailing a boat of any kind, especially in uncharted waters or bad weather, it can be dangerous, even fatal. Tired? It’s best to get your rest before you set sail.

My heart is glad. My soul is full of joy. My body also will rest without fear. (Psalm 16:9)

Stop & Think: May 24, 2025

Forgiving

Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace. (Jonathan Lockwood Huie, author)

When we are deeply hurt, we often find it very hard to forgive the offender. We need and deserve an apology, at least. We may even want to be forgiving, but that’s not easy to do, especially if the hurt, either physical or emotional, remains. To forgive, however, is to obey God and even follow his example. We may also discover, as Huie suggests, that our attitude has given us peace.

And through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:20)

Stop & Think: May 23, 2025

Perspective

Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you. (Walt Whitman, 19th century American poet and essayist)

Whitman’s comment has often been seen as an encouragement to think and act positively rather than facing a shadowy unknown that might lead to discouragement or discontent. One could offer a different perspective, too. Perhaps, the sunshine at your back lights the way ahead, and you can move forward with confidence. It may be just a question of attitude and perspective.

Throw off . . . your former way of life . . . Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. (Ephesians 4:22-23)

Stop & Think: May 22, 2025

Persistence

The ways of the universe yield to persistence. (Pat Robertson, late televangelist)

Robertson reminds us of the struggle that hatchlings have in breaking out of their shell. It takes effort, persistence, and time. If you try to help the little chick hatch prematurely, it will not develop the strength it needs to survive. What a great illustration of the value of struggles. If we persist through them, we will be strengthened in every way. Stick with it!

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:4)

Stop & Think: May 21, 2025

Struggles

To refuse to struggle is to stand still, to stagnate. (Source unknown)

We are often faced with a struggle that’s not of our own making. If we choose to ignore the problem and don’t fight to overcome it, we may become unproductive and lose our ability to work through tough issues. We can profit from Paul the apostle who discovered his struggles and weaknesses were within God’s plan for his life.

God to Paul: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Stop & Think: May 20, 2025

Simple but Not Easy

There are simple answers to problems, but not easy ones. (Ronald Reagen, 40th U.S. president)

Life seems so complicated at times. Whether you’re a student, an apprentice, a growing family, or someone who seems to have things all together, we all face situations that seem to be beyond our ability to serve. Like Reagen, we often face a variety of weighty issues, and, like him, we must seek for the simple answers and do the hard work necessary to overcome them.

We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. (Proverbs 16:1)