Daily Stop & Thinks

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)

Religion II

Religion is not a thing which it is possible to put off and put on like a Sunday dress… If you think you are doing so, believe me that as yet it is not a religion, but a web of delusions. (Edward Reynolds, 17^th century English bishop)

In many churches today “Sunday dress” is nothing special. Most people just wear everyday clothes, realizing that it isn’t the way you dress that impresses God. But, unfortunately, for too many church attendees, religion is restricted to just that one day a week. And Reynolds warns us that true religion extends far beyond an hour once a week.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. (James 1:27)

Religion I

Most men. . .  play at religion as they play at games, religion itself being of all games the one most universally played. (A. W. Tozer, author)

If religion (a system of beliefs) is only a game, then it probably doesn’t make much difference how we play it—seriously or just for fun. But if, as most people think, it has something to do with a person’s relationship with God, it is more than playing monopoly or baseball. If it’s not our attempt to reach God but his gracious effort to reach us, we’d better pay attention to it.

It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Truth

Correct practice flows from correct truth. (Christopher Yuan, author, seminary professor)

Yuan continues, “We’re often encouraged in our society to embrace relevance and pragmatism at the expense of truth . . . We must resist the natural impulse to disjoin (separate) practice from truth or truth from practice.” In a day when truth means different things to different people, we must stick doggedly to absolute truth as revealed in God’s creation and his Word.

Truthful words stand the test of time but lies are soon exposed. (Proverbs 12:19)

The church of the living God. . . is the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)

Do Your Best

The pursuit of perfection will ultimately limit you [and it] will cost too much. (Craig Groeschel, leadership speaker)

Excellence in your work is a worthy goal to pursue, But, as Groeschel suggests, pursuing perfection may be too costly. How? Because in trying to be perfect, we may discard anything that’s less than perfect even if it has great worth. Don’t throw away good work because it isn’t absolutely flawless. Use the results of your best efforts as you continue to pursue excellence.

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)