Daily Stop & Thinks

Pleasure

Recreation becomes the goal of life…. a meaningless life. (William Wilberforce, 18^th-19^th British statesman)

His full statement included “…almost any form of entertainment is pursued to fill the void created by a meaningless life.” Modern Americans seem to be endlessly seeking recreation or entertainment—sunning at the beach, camping in the mountains, taking cruises, etc. That can be an important and helpful part of life, but if recreation is the goal, it will be a wasted life.

I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 2:1)

Why Not?

Imagination is more important than knowledge. (Albert Einstein, late renowned scientist)

Einstein was certainly not devaluing knowledge. What you know is not only the basis of learning; it is also the material from which you make your choices and decisions. But we not only have the capacity to learn and know, God has put within us a creative ability. When we put that to use with our knowledge, there may be no end to what we can produce.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power to work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20)

Anger

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. (Thomas à Kempis, 15^th century German-Dutch cleric)

Anger is an insidious and often uncontrollable emotion. As Kempis suggests, when we are angry at the failings of others, we very well may be guilty of the same failures in ourselves. It’s easy to be critical of others and far more difficult to be honest about our own shortcomings. If we are upset with someone else, we would do well to examine ourselves first.

People with understanding control their anger (Proverbs 14:29).

Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry (Ephesians 4:26).

The Future

It is difficult to live in the present, ridiculous to live in the future, and impossible to live in the past. (Jim Bishop, 20^th century journalist)

He concludes, “Nothing is as far away as one minute ago.” No matter how much we may long for a time past—even just a minute ago, we can’t bring it back or re-create it. Be glad for the good experiences of the past and forget the disappointments. In spite of present difficulties, work hard at today’s tasks, and you won’t have to worry about the future.

. . . be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

Friends

A hug is worth a thousand words. A friend is worth more. (Jasmine Fitzwilliam, photographer)

There was a time (maybe only senior citizens will remember) when hugging was reserved for families and lovers. Today, however, everyone seems to hug—even strangers. All 50-plus players in this year’s baseball All-Star game hugged one another after the game. Superficial hugs, however, don’t begin to substitute for real friendship—much more than a playful hug.

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. . .  A real friend sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 17:17; 18:24)

Time

God has a time for everything, a perfect schedule. He is never too soon, never too late. The when of His will is as important as the what and the how. (Richard Halverson, late chaplain of the U.S. Senate)

Life seems to become more complicated as time moves on. So many people are tied up with busy schedules, charted on their smart phones, and programmed to remind them of important meetings. God has a schedule, too, and he never misses an appointment. As Halverson reminds us, it’s not just the appointment but God’s timing that’s important.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. . . God has made everything beautiful for its own time. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11)

Habits

You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought, “I release the need for this in my life.” (Wayne Dyer, self-help author)

As we grow, we develop habits—both good and bad—that often begin to control our thoughts and actions. The longer we continue in those routines, the harder it is to move away from them. Change is difficult because we think we need them. Dyer’s counsel can be very helpful. Recognize the unhealthy habit and determine it isn’t something you need to be healthy.

[A true expression of faith] is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. (Paraphrase of Romans 2:29)

Power

No power on earth is greater than a mind and soul reawakened. (Cal Thomas, syndicated columnist)

We see demonstrations of all kinds of power in today’s world. There’s the destructive power of hurricanes and tornados. The life-threatening power of nuclear weapons is a constant fear around the world. And then, there’s power of ideas and words as suggested by Thomas. That’s the kind of power that must be under the control of one’s character and integrity.

From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive. (Proverbs 16:33)

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. (1 Peter 1:13)

Influence

Control violates the human will and renders freedom an illusion. (Roy Angle, cross-cultural worker)

Angle continues, “The illusion of control is starkly contrasted with the reality of influence. Influence always gives options.” We all know a few people who are controllers. They really like to be in control, sometimes rather subtly. Angle seems to imply that being an influencer is a better way, because you may suggest, but you give others an option to choose.

[Those who fear God] . . . share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor. (Psalm 112:9)

Respect

If you want to be respected by others the great thing is to respect yourself. (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 19^th century Russian novelist)

Looking at it another way, former general and U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell wrote, “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.” The goal is not to seek attention or to be popular but to live a wholesome lifestyle, interact well with people, and be confident in your worth. Let your reputation take care of itself.

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands. . . Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

Character

Character is the one thing we make in this world and take with us into the next. ( William Hershey Davis, seminary professor)

Davis continues, “Reputation is what you have when you come to a new community; Character is what you have when you go away.” Reputation may precede you; people may have heard about you, so they have an idea of what you’re like. But after you’ve been around a while, your real character becomes known. Live in such a way that people will honor your memory.

May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:11)

Relationships

Relationships — of all kinds — are like sand held in your hand. (Kahlil Jamison, leadership consultant)

She says: “Held loosely, with an open hand the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost.” Treasure your relationships.

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. (Ephesians 4:3)