Daily Stop & Thinks

Opportunity

No great man ever complains of want of opportunities. (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19^th century essayist))

In fact, F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Our lives are defined by opportunities—even the ones we miss.” Sometimes we’re frozen in waiting for opportunity to knock at our door. But, as these writers have said, we are surrounded by chances of all kinds; we simply need to be looking for them and pursue them to the best of our ability. We’ll be known by how we respond to them.

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone. . . . Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. (Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 5:16)

Abundance

The more men have, the more perplexity they have with it. (Matthew Henry, 17^th-18^th century Bible commentator)

Henry continued, “It is the folly of most men, to mind and pursue that which is for the body and for time only, more than that for the soul and eternity.” We’re living in a time of abundance—at least in the western hemisphere. We rent storage places, because we don’t seem to know what to do with all our stuff. It is dangerous to be working only for what is temporal and passing.

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? (Mark 8:36)

Advice

There is a fountain of youth. It’s your mind. When you learn to tap this resource, you’ll truly have defeated age. (Sophia Loren, actress)

Men have looked for the fountain of youth in vain, but Loren’s observation is helpful. We can stay young mentally if we exercise our thinking abilities. But former US President Woodrow Wilson had another helpful idea: “We should not only use the brains we have, but all that we can borrow.” Use the brains God has given you, but don’t hesitate to use others’ as well.

Those who take advice are wise. … Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. … Plans succeed through good counsel. (Proverbs 13:10; 19:20: 20:18)

Ready or Not?

If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin. (Ivan Turgenev, 19^th century Russian author)

Advance planning is essential if we are to accomplish anything of lasting value. We are almost certain to fail if we don’t develop a plan, gather the needed resources, and consider the pros and cons of the venture. To want to get everything ready before you launch a project is a worthy consideration, of course, but you have to get started sometime, or you can’t possibly finish.

You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. (Proverbs 19:21)

Storms

Not all storms come to disrupt your life. Some come to clear your path. (Fernando Cabrera, city council member)

After a heavy spring storm season, there is a lot of cleanup to do. Getting trees and storm debris cleared away must be accomplished quickly to make way for traffic and to restore life to normal. In a similar way, if we can look beyond life’s personal storms to see how they have “cleared the way,” we will be better able to endure those “storms.”

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. (Romans 5:3)

Teaching

A mentor knows how to stretch without insulting, affirm without flattering, release without abandoning us. (Chuck Swindoll, pastor and author)

Who were the most influential people in your growing up years? Think about your high school and college teachers, for example. Did you learn most from those who put you down, or were quick to criticize, or just left you off to yourself? Not likely. Learning to influence others in the ways Swindoll recounts will enable you to become the best kind of mentor.

In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned. (Titus 2:7-8)

Together

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. (Late President Harry S Truman)

It’s said that a later president, Ronald Reagan, like Truman, kept this saying on his desk. In a day when politicians (and many others, no doubt) are boldly broadcasting their achievements, such humility is rare. Teamwork has always accomplished much more than solo endeavors, so it’s wise to find compatible companions and work together to pursue worthy goals.

Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)

Power

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. (French General Ferdinand Foch)

We’re awed at the potential destruction from nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles. And what about natural disasters like earthquakes, tornados, and tsunamis? Wow, what power! We’re frightened just to think about them. General Foch’s statement reminds us of the potential power of a worthy ideal pursued by a man or woman fully committed to pursue it.

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

Thinking

As you think, so you shall become. (Bruce Lee, late martial artist)

In this modern digital age, it sometimes seems as though you really don’t need to know much, except how to use your computer or tablet. If you need to know something, you can look it up on your device. Better yet, you can just ask Siri or Alexa, your seemingly omniscient assistant. But, learning to think for yourself will enable you to become more than a storehouse of knowledge.

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)

Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Romans 12:2)

Education

The brain originally is like an empty attic, and you have to stock it. (Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes mysteries)

When you buy a computer, it is already loaded with basic apps and software. But to make it capable of processing the work you intend for it, you will have to add other software and apps. At birth, certain abilities and capabilities are already “installed” in the baby. But for one to be a competent child, teen, and adult, a lot has to be “installed” through education and training.

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Freedom

Freedom comes only through deeds, not through thoughts taking wing. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred German pastor in WW II)

On this Independence Day holiday in the U.S., we celebrate the freedoms that were won for us by the brave men and women of Revolutionary Days. We also remember with gratitude those who sacrificed so much for our liberty. As Bonhoeffer said and demonstrated in his own life, it isn’t just by good intentions, but by meaningful actions that our liberty is maintained.

For you have been called to live in freedom . . .  use your freedom to serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13)

Humility

Honorable: to do things that are honorable and not seek honor for them. (Larry P. Arn, president of Hillsdale College)

Honor seems to be a missing ingredient among many leaders in America. Almost every day newspapers, magazines, and TV newscasters report on some sort of scandals in business or politics. And too often, those who are not involved in dishonorable behavior are tooting their horns about their achievements. Arn’s definition sounds a lot like humility, doesn’t it?

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. (James 3:13)