Daily Stop & Thinks

Preparation

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.  (Seneca, 1^st century philosopher)

“Good luck” is what we say to someone who’s beginning a competition or starting a new venture. We mean well, of course, and we recognize that the person we’re wishing to have success has spent a lot of time in preparation and practice. And now, the right time has come about, and they’re ready to go. The key is not luck but careful planning and preparing.

Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house. (Proverbs 24:27)

Comparing

Comparison is the thief of joy. (Attributed to many authors)

Most of us have fallen into the trap of comparing ourselves with others—either thinking we are not as good or maybe that we’re even better. In either case, the comparison really does us no good. A lower self-image is the result of the one view and pride of the other. Better to compare our present condition with what we used to be. Have we grown? If not, how can we learn to grow?

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. (Galatians 6:4)

Learning

The important thing is not to stop questioning. (Albert Einstein, late scientist)

They say that curiosity killed the cat, but, as Einstein suggests, an enquiring mind is one of the key factors in learning and growing. Our children began to learn life’s lessons with their continual “Whys.” When we stop wondering and asking, we will stop learning and begin to lose not only useful information but also our usefulness as well. 

Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. (Proverbs 18:15)

The Future

Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. (Wayne Dyer, self-help, best-selling author)

Some people rush from one thing to the next, while others seem reluctant to get started. They’re waiting for just the right moment, or they’re letting circumstances keep them from moving on. After the loss of her husband, a friend said that, though he was very ill, they kept doing things together. She said,” I didn’t want him to die without living.” What a positive way to face life’s difficulties

No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future (Ecclesiastes 10:14).

To God: My future is in your hands (Psalm 31:15).

Truth

There are a dozen views about everything until you know the answer. Then there’s never more than one.” (C. S. Lewis, late British apologist)

That was Lewis’ response to this statement, “I suppose there are two views about everything. Eh? Two views?” Lewis said. We are certainly finding this to be true today, even in terms of theology and Christian experience. And his conclusion emphasizes the importance of finding the right answer. And where we look for truth is critical

Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” “I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” (John 14:6; 18:37)

Helping

Heaven helps those who help themselves. (Aesop’s Fables)

That seems like a worthy observation, doesn’t it? We would really prefer to work with someone who needs help and is willing to work hard with us. But sincere charity may move more toward those who cannot help themselves, even they might want to. That’s where “heaven” comes in. God is intent on helping the helpless, and he encourages his followers to do the same.

If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord (Proverbs 19:17).

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

A Better Person

They say if you become a better person, you’ll have a better life. (Charlie Brown in the Peanuts cartoons)

Do we need a cartoon character to teach us something this important that we should already know? What does it take to be a better person? Greater talent, intellect, or wealth? We don’t all have great talent, intellect, or wealth, so what are we to do? We all have opportunities to show our better selves when we love our neighbors and reach out to help those in need, great or small.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24)

Work Hard 

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. (Thomas Paine, 18^th-19^th century American revolutionary)

Some of us are looking for a life of ease—perhaps retirement—when we won’t have to work hard or face much conflict. During the American Revolution, Paine emphasized a different view of conflict—not a desire to avoid work but to recognize the value of working hard to overcome the conflict. Whatever the endeavor, the harder we work at it the greater the sense of reward.

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Hang in There!

Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit. (Napoleon Hill, motivational author)

At the end of a hard day’s work, it might feel as if there has been little progress. When the project is still not completed after weeks or months of such toil you might feel that your effort was pretty much wasted. Most people easily grow tired of working hard and seeing no tangible result. But we should heed Hill’s encouragement to hang on, work hard, and don’t quit.

Hard work brings rewards. (Proverbs 12:14)

I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. (Ecclesiastes 2:10)

Friendship

The wide world is all before us—but a world without a friend. (Robert Burns, 18^th century Scottish poet) 

 An anonymous writer put it this way, “A world without a friend . . . would be like a world without water, something you need . . . Keep your friends, as you would keep your water.” In some arid parts of our world, water is carefully guarded. In other places, great care is given to maintain its potability and purity. Be a good friend to someone and guard it carefully.

The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends. (Proverbs 11:30)

Life

Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin. (Grace Hansen, author)

There are probably not a lot of people who are fearful that they are facing an early death. But for those who do, perhaps, as Hansen suggests, they could be helped if they were made to think positively about what life can be like. They need to begin to think positively about life’s possibilities rather than be obsessed with the fear of premature death.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

Acceptance

Acceptance is building a bridge not making a point, winning a heart not winning an argument, and accepting not convincing. (Mike Lee, pastor)

Do we sometimes reject other people because they have different opinions? Can’t we be friends with someone of a different political ideology or the fan of a different sports team? We would do well to make note of Lee’s comments. In our attempts to win an argument, make our point, or convince others that we are right, we may find that we have sacrificed friends and influence.

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. (Romans 14:1)

Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars. (Proverbs 18:19).