GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: August 1, 2026

Wisdom

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. (Miles Kington, late British journalist)

This month’s thoughts are about Wisdom, the ability to make sensible decisions and judgments based on personal knowledge and experience. We’ve all known people who seemed very intelligent but weren’t able to make sense of the simplest things in life. It’s all too easy to gain lots of knowledge but not have a clear understanding of how to best use it for personal and community benefit.

Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it (Ecclesiastes 7:12).

Stop & Think: July 31, 2026

Truth

Change is the end result of all true learning. (Leo Buscaglia)

We live in an age of information overload. Resources are readily available to anyone, almost anywhere, on any subject. But, the Bible says, we may be “always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7).  Unless knowledge of truth is applied to life, there will be no change and very little, if any, learning.

Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you (Psalm 86:11).

Stop & Think: July 30, 2026

Truth

If scholarship is about wisdom as much as truth, then it is about practice as much as knowledge. (Chris Gehrz)

We assume that scholars are always seeking to find truth in their special field of study. Gehrz is suggesting that it isn’t just truth (the facts) that you should look for, but wisdom—how you apply that truth to life. Furthermore, it isn’t just learning more but putting that learning into practice—seeing life change and experiencing growth from discovering truth.

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out (Proverbs 18:15).

Stop & Think: July 29, 2026

Truth

Truth is what is real; it describes how things really are. (Henry Cloud, self-help author)

It can sometimes be difficult to see things as they “really are.” How do we confront someone with truth that may be hard for him or her to face? Cloud suggests that truth must be joined with grace. “Truth without grace,” he says, “is just judgment, and grace without truth is just deception.” We need to blend both into our speech and behavior.

Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! (Psalm 85:10)

Stop & Think: July 28, 2026

Truth

What makes an idea worth spreading is not its novelty or scientific intrigue, but its ability to transform. (Tim Sprankle, pastor)

Sprankle also said, “Information [by itself] does not result in transformation because information is impersonal.” Gossip, which is assumed to be information, is most often personal, but rarely intended for positive transformation. Ideas are important, of course, but we must be careful to impart truth that will help others grow and change.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

Stop & Think: July 27, 2026

Truth

Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions. (G. K. Chesterton, 19th-20th century British apologist)

The more often we hear something that at first seems strange, the more acceptable it may become. Yet, falsehood doesn’t become truth by its repetition. Some TV commercials are repeated so often that they become commonplace to us, and no matter their validity, they may soon become acceptable to the unwitting observer. Beware!

An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies (Proverbs 12:17).

Stop & Think: July 26, 2026

Truth

Truth without grace is just condemnation; grace without truth is mere license. (James Emery White, contemporary pastor and writer)

Confronting a family member or friend about his or her improper conduct or attitude can be a really critical moment. As White suggests, we need to approach such an encounter with both truth—facts, not rumors or preferences—and grace, a willingness to forgive and restore upon proper acknowledgement of wrongdoing and a commitment to correct past wrongs.

People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy (Proverbs 28:13).

Stop & Think: July 25, 2026

Truth

The human heart set on sin is impervious to reason, never mind appeals to fairness. (Eric Metaxas, radio host and author)

Whatever your definition of sin, Metaxas notes a common reaction when someone is confronted with his errors: defensiveness and resistance. No matter the arguments about right and wrong or the effects on others of one’s poor behavior, the offender seems impervious to criticism or logic. The result of constant misbehavior is the blinding of a sinner to truth.

Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully (Proverbs 28:5).

Stop & Think: July 24, 2026

Truth

Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimension. (Oliver Wendell Holmes, famous 19th-century American physician and poet)

That truth just might be a two-edged sword. If an evil idea is introduced into our thinking, we might not be able to disregard it, and it could lead to evil behavior. We’d prefer to look at it more positively. When good ideas are introduced, they provide an impetus to move forward, to expand our thinking, and to pursue worthy goals.

So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things (Ecclesiastes 7:25).

Stop & Think: July 23, 2026

Truth

What goes into a mind comes out in a life. (Source unknown)

If this statement is true, what we put into our minds is critically important to the way we live. It’s even more sobering to realize that what enters the minds of impressionable children during their formative years, when they are eager to learn, will affect their lives permanently. Computer whizzes say, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Let’s make sure it’s “truth in, truth out.”

Set your hearts on things above. . . . Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2).

Stop & Think: July 22, 2026

Truth

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort, you will not get either comfort or truth. (C. S. Lewis, later English academic)

“What is truth?” Mankind has been looking for that answer since the beginning of time. Today, however, it seems that many people, rather than searching for final answers, merely want to find things that will make them feel comfortable. They soon discover that comfort is not lasting, but that finding truth results in finding the God of all comfort.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

Stop & Think: July 21, 2026

Truth

It’s better for a society to hold strong truths weakly rather than weak truths strongly. (R. R. Reno, theologian and political philosopher)

In a day when many reject the idea of absolute truth, people think almost anything is acceptable if you believe strongly enough. Of course, believing in something that is not real or is false will result in disaster. The real test of truth is discovering its source. A little faith in a genuine truth is better than strong trust in something that is untrue.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. . . . Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 1:17; John 14:6).