Daily Stop & Thinks

Facts/Truth

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. (John Adams, 2^nd U.S. president)

A lot of people today would do well to hear and understand Adams’ statement. When passions run high and prejudices ignore realities, current and future damage is almost beyond imagination. When we ignore the facts, even our best wishes and intentions will not bring resolution to problems or meaningful benefit to the greatest number of people.

Truthful words stand the test of time but lies are soon exposed. . . Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment. (Proverbs 12:19; 23:23)

Be Careful

Prevention is better than recovery. (Stonestreet and Kunkle, authors)

Author Josh McDowell illustrated the principle this way, “I’d rather put a fence at the top of the cliff than an ambulance at the bottom.” Seat belts, bike helmets, warning lights, and such are all ways to avoid dangerous situations, and we take them for granted. We must also take careful precautions to avoid dangers to our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual lives.

Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge (Proverbs 23:12).

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise (Ephesians 5:15).

Tenacity

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is, the one comes from a strong will the other comes from a strong won’t. (Henry Ward Beecher, 19^th century social reformer)

Perseverance is an admirable quality. We respect people who stay with a tough situation to its conclusion, when it would have been much easier just to give up. On the other hand, we don’t think so highly of people who simply refuse to move on when it’s clear that change is necessary, even inevitable. Don’t confuse your will- and won’t -power.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Image

I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it. (Margaret Chase Smith, late U.S. senator)

We are often not able to control our environment or circumstances. “Things happen,” as they say, and we must deal with them the best we can. As Senator Smith noted, we are often changed by situations beyond our control, but how we allow them to affect us, is our personal responsibility. Created in the image of God, we must never let others make us think otherwise.

God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

Silence

Silence and smile are two powerful tools. Smile is the way to “solve” many problems and silence is the way to “avoid” many problems. (Betsy Shuttleworth, exercise guru)

Did you know that “smiles” is the longest word in the dictionary? There’s a mile between the first and last letter. Seriously, without a word, a smile can charm, or a smile can disarm. It can lift another’s spirit and it can help avoid a conflict. The next time you’re tempted to sound off, don’t say a word. Smile!

A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes (Ecclesiastes 10:4).

Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back (Proverbs 29:11).

Aim Ahead

A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be. (Wayne Gretzkey, Canadian hockey star)

What a great skill to develop! Think of rocket scientists. When they send a rocket into space, they’re not aiming at the moon or Mars where they are at the time of launching but where they will be when the rocket gets there—light years away. In our planning and scheming, we need to picture things as they will be down the road and aim our efforts to be there at the right time.

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:14)

Be Wise!

There are two kinds of people in the world, those that are wise and those that are otherwise. (Jim Brown, professional athlete)

Who are the “otherwise”? It would certainly include the foolish: “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness” (Eccl. 2:13). The reckless: “The wise are cautious . . .  fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence (Pro. 14:16). The stupid: “I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense” (Pro. 30:2). Seek wisdom.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. (James 1:5)

Think!

To help thinkers believe and believers think. (Ravi Zacharias, late apologist).

This was Zacharias’ life mission, as he tried to help Christians learn how to defend their faith. Today many people are dangerously fervent about a particular philosophy or lifestyle; they have great zeal for their cause, but too often they don’t have any understanding of the underlying foundation for their beliefs. Before we debate, we must understand the argument.

There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking. . . Wise people think before they act. (Proverbs 29:30; 13:16)

Hard Work

Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can. (Lowell Thomas, columnist)

Have you ever become so weary in the middle of a project that you felt you just couldn’t go on for another minute? Near the end of a tiring workday we might just want to call it a day before we’ve finished. There might be times, though, when it would be better to take Thomas’ advice and give it one more push. The results may well be worth it.

Hard work brings rewards. . . those who work hard will prosper. (Proverbs 12:14; 13:4)

Affliction II

Affliction may be lasting, but it is not everlasting. Affliction was a sting, but withal a wing: sorrow shall soon fly away. (Thomas Watson)

We’ve all experienced times of great difficulty which seemed like they would never end. Watson’s poetic words encourage us to realize that in the long run those times were relatively short. But they might not have seemed so. In hard times, life seems to move very slowly. In light of eternity, of course, life is very short, so hang on and trust God for better times.

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Affliction I

Poverty and affliction take away the fuel that feeds pride. (Richard Sibbes, 17^th century Anglican theologian)

Sibbes was probably not promoting poverty and affliction as circumstances of life to be desired. Rather, he was emphasizing the danger of thinking that wealth and its benefits are the results of one’s personal achievements. That would certainly lead to pride, a trait that offends others and leaves great emptiness. It certainly displeases God, as well.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)

Winds

When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure. (Peter Marshall, late US Senate chaplain)

Who doesn’t want a life of ease with a minimum of trials and difficulties? Yet, as Marshall points out, healthy growth always involves a certain amount of tension and pressure. Without it, we don’t learn how to stand up, much less move forward and make progress. While we don’t look for or create difficulties, we must respond to them with perseverance if we wish to grow.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. (Romans 5:3)