Daily Stop & Thinks

Expectations 

If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome. (Michael Jordan, former all-star athlete)

Jordan failed to make the basketball team when he was a sophomore in high school. At 5’11” he was too short, they thought, so the expectations for his athletic career were not very high. Wow, was that ever a mistake! Still acclaimed by many as the greatest basketball player of all time, his advice to ignore the expectations of others is valid. Set your own goals for achievement.

And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us (2 Corinthians 8:5).

Choices

Don’t waste time playing the victim! You may have fallen, but you are not down! (Chris Suitt, pastor)

It’s popular today to play that victim card. It has become a very divisive technique which is extremely hurtful. But Suitt continues, “You can play the victim card. ‘Look at what happened to me!’” And then make bad choices, which only take you backward. Make new choices today to go forward.” Really good advice.

Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. (Proverbs 2:11)

Courage

Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. (from To Kill a Mockingbird)

It doesn’t take much courage when you’re playing against an inferior talent; the only danger there might be overconfidence. But, when you are in a no-win encounter, it’s very easy to give up even though doing so might bring more long-lasting results than just losing this single conflict. Don’t accept apparent defeat as inevitable; give it your best and carry on bravely.

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. . . Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. (Psalm 27:14; 125:1)

Opportunity

Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. (Orison Swett Marden, 19^th-20^th century inspirational author)

They say that opportunity knocks only once. As Marden suggests, waiting for that special chance to do something may never occur, or you might just miss it. So, it’s far better to look for simple chances to do good and be helpful, and then pursue them to the best of your ability. Who knows how much help you can be to someone who really needs it?

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone. (Galatians 6:10)

Caring

If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God. (G. K. Chesterton, 19^th-20^th century British literary critic)

Abraham Lincoln expressed a similar idea: “Die when I may, I want it said of me that I plucked a weed and planted a flower wherever I thought a flower would grow.” When we touch someone else’s life in a meaningful way—however briefly—we may simply be sharing the love of God at a time of need. Looking out for others is a meaningful way to live a life of love and care.

For God is not unjust. [God] will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers. (Hebrews 6:10)

Joy

There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go. (Jean Paul, 18^th-19^th century German author)

Do you know some people like that? It’s a pleasure to be with them, isn’t it? But our world seems to have too many people who seem always to be despondent and spread gloom and doom whenever you’re around them. It isn’t always easy to express joy when our circumstances are really trying, but certainly we should work hard to be a joy-spreader.

God gives. . .  joy to those who please him (Ecclesiastes 2:26).

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart (Proverbs 15:30). 

Humor

Work hard and have a sense of humor! (Mother Theresa)

Surely Mother Theresa was a hard worker. She toiled tirelessly to alleviate the sufferings of the world’s overlooked and distressed people who often lived in the harshest conditions imaginable. We’re told that she herself was often overwhelmed with her unending ministry to the needy. In addition to prayer, apparently, she found a bit of humor is needed, too.

King Solomon said, “So, I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 8:15)

Fear                                            

We can spot the fear of man everywhere. (Edward T. Welch, author)

Further: “The fear of man goes by other names. When we are in our teens, it is called peer pressure. When we are older, it is called people-pleasing. Recently, it has been called codependency.” Regardless of the labels, this concern has had a pervasive effect on modern living. Being a “people-pleaser” is an endless and fruitless behavior. 

Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. (1 Thessalonians 2:4)

Faith or Fear?

Faith, which is trust, and fear are opposite poles. If a man has the one, he can scarcely have the other in vigorous operation. (Alexander Maclaren, 19^th-20^th century English minister)

Some people are concerned about their faith. Like the seeking man in the Bible, they plead, “help me overcome my unbelief!” But, as he learned, it’s not the amount of faith or trust, it’s the object. What (whom) do we trust? When we place our faith in the all-powerful and all-wise source of faith, we can live fearlessly.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Hard Times

God is a wise Father who sometimes refuses what you want to give you what you need. (H. B. Charles Jr, pastor)

Joni Erickson Tada put it this way “God will permit some things that He hates, but He’ll allow those things so that something He loves can be accomplished.” In every life there are those really hard times of suffering or difficulty when we ask, “Why, why me, why now?” And the answers don’t seem to come. That’s where unrelenting faith in a loving God is the anchor to depend on.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. . . This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. (Proverbs 3:5; Hebrews 6:19)

Flag Day

A national spirit is necessary for national existence. A flag is a material aid to the development of such a spirit. (Mahatma Gandhi)

It’s flag day in the U.S., and we’ll see lots of them on government buildings, store fronts, and homes. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed, “When we honor our flag, we honor what we stand for as a nation—freedom, equality, justice, and hope.” We are grateful for our nation, but we recognize that nations have come and gone over the centuries. So, we pray, “God bless America.”

The Lord judges the nations. . . All the families of the nations will bow down before [the LORD]. . . For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations (Psalm 7:8; 22:27-28).

Being Poor

It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor. (Seneca, 1^st century Roman philosopher)

Seneca addresses our common view of being poor upside down, doesn’t he? It’s eye-opening to think of his perspective. When we always want more and more, we become more and more dissatisfied with what we already have. Perhaps he had learned the same lesson the Apostle Paul had learned only a few years before: how to be content with what you have.

I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. . . I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. (Philippians 4:11-12)