Daily Stop & Thinks

Largesse

The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations, and benefits. (Plutarch, 1^st century Greek philosopher)

Sounds like a modern conservative, doesn’t he? Maybe things haven’t changed much in the 20 centuries since Plutarch wrote. Many parents have discovered—to their great disappointment—that giving in to their children’s demands and wants, always granting them their desire, creates an entitlement attitude that leads to an unproductive and selfish life.

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

Family

We must take care of our families wherever we find them. (Elizabeth Gilbert, American Journalist)

The nuclear family has come under attack in recent years. There are too many single-parent homes and dysfunctional families, so the ideal of healthy families is difficult to achieve. It would be helpful to apply Gilbert’s counsel to what we might think of as our family at church, or school, or even our workplace. But following clear biblical teaching will benefit even more.

 But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. (1 Timothy 5:8)

Confidence

I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all of the time. (Anna Freud, 20^th century British psychoanalyst)

Apparently, Freud is viewing life from a purely humanist perspective. If man is merely the result of millennia of evolution, perhaps she could be right. But a Judeo-Christian perspective understands man to be the direct creation of an all-powerful God, made in God’s image. His strength and confidence ultimately come from the inner working of God in his life.

Your strength comes from God’s grace. (Hebrews 13:9)

But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

Security

[Security] does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. (Helen Keller)

Keller concludes, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” This statement is all the more amazing when we understand the physical handicaps that she endured. We might wonder how she could just survive with the potential dangers of her blindness and deafness, but she did far more, achieving fame as a writer and speaker. Security is not our goal so much as opportunity. 

Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm. (Proverbs 19:23)

Time

If you want a better tomorrow, you’ve got to evaluate your past to make better decisions in the present. (Chris Suitt, pastor and blogger)

Past, present, future—it can be confusing trying to discern the priority of each in our planning. Suitt puts it together well. We must not be glued to our past memories, but we dare not forget what we learned yesterday. And it’s not good to make great plans for the future unless we work well today to prepare for it. Remember, all of our time and experience is important.

For everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Common Sense

Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom. (Samuel Coleridge, 18^th-19^th century English poet)

In a topsy-turvy world like ours today, we might often wonder what happened to common sense. So many decisions seem to be made on what look like faulty premises (at least in some eyes). Yet, as Coleridge points out, when there is a great deal of well-thought-out practical sense, we can rightly call it wisdom. We should encourage everyone to think carefully and sensibly.

Don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them…[God] grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. (Proverbs 3:21; 2:7)

Finishing Well

Beginning well is a momentary thing; finishing well is a lifelong thing.

Many of us have begun well but finished poorly in our attempt to diet or exercise. Usually, we begin with a lot of excitement and anticipation. But, when the effort becomes tedious and the obstacles mount, it’s so easy to find a better option and just bailout. Finishing well demands good intentions and perseverance; it may take a long time.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. (2 Timothy 4:7)

Waiting

Those who are best at waiting are best at serving. (James Gribble, pioneer 20^th century missionary) 

Gribble and his team waited many months before they were given permission to move into darkest Africa to minister. They personified what Pastor Charles Stanley meant when he said, “Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on what we’re waiting for.” When we value our future work, it becomes easier to wait with patience as we continue to prepare for that future.

But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. (Romans 8:25)

Pride

We may often be of more consequence in our own eyes than in our neighbors’. (from Aesop’s Fables)

Winners who sometimes find themselves in the spotlight with a lot of accolades in the press might begin to believe what they read and hear about themselves. We’ve seen too often how those winners begin to believe their own press. It can happen to any of us when we achieve a bit of success. Our neighbors might just be the best judges of us.

Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor. (Proverbs 29:23)

Results

Let us watch well our beginnings and results will manage themselves. (19^th century U.S. Ambassador)

We often focus on the goal, what we want the end of our project to look like. We do always have to keep the end in mind, of course. We have to determine how to get there, what’s involved in the process; what resources we will need along the way. The success or failure in our venture will be based on all those things, but the really essential issue is, how do we begin?

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. (Philippians 1:6)

Peace

First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. (Thomas à Kempis, 15^th century German-Dutch churchman)

Nearly everyone wants to see peace in his home, the community, the nation, and even the world. But, as has been said, peace really has to begin within each one of us. In today’s fast-moving, world, many are finding it difficult to be at peace within themselves, not to mention in their relationships with others. Peace on a horizontal level must begin with a vertical relationship.

When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them. (Proverbs 16:7)

Believing II

We have a right to believe whatever we want, but not everything we believe is right. 

Independence and accepting everyone’s “rights,” seems to be out of control today. Everyone is allowed to believe and express whatever he wants. “What is true for you,” some say, “is not necessarily true for me.” But, as was noted above, just because you believe something doesn’t make it true or right. We need to find bedrock truth and hold on to it.

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). 

[Jesus to God the Father], “Make them holy by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)