Daily Stop & Thinks

Simplicity

Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated. (Confucius, 6^th century B.C. Chinese philosopher)

We might not agree that life is always simple, but we certainly recognize that we often make it pretty complicated. For example, trying to understand instructions that came with the latest DIY kit you bought. Was the manual really easy to follow or did it use terms that needed a translator? We would do well to remember the KISS adage: Keep It Simple, Stupid!

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple (Psalm 19:7).

Success

Nothing changes your opinion of a friend as surely as success – yours or theirs. (Franklin P. Jones, author)

Can you remember when a friend of yours suddenly received some acclaim because of his or her successful accomplishment? How did you respond to the sudden fame that your friend achieved? With surprise? Pride? Jealousy? A friend’s success may be a better test of our relationship than a failure. True friendship rejoices when a friend succeeds.

Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

Risks

We all need to decide whether to “play it safe” in life and worry about the downside, or instead take a chance, by being who we really are and living the life our heart desires. (Charlie Badenhop, author)

Some people like to take risks; no matter the danger, they’re ready to jump into their project with both feet. Others of us are a little more hesitant; we see the risks as too great, so we freeze. Is pursuing our “heart desires” the highest motivation? That might be the important question. Or are there more important issues to consider?

But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve (Jeremiah 17:10).

Humility

If you’re a horrible decision maker and want to become better, become humble. (Mike Lee, minister)

When you review the reasons things aren’t going well, have you realized it may be because you’ve made some bad decisions—some poor choices, perhaps? Sometimes it’s pride that causes us to blame our troubles on others or on the circumstances we can’t control. When we acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers, it may be the beginning of better decisions.

True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life (Proverbs 22:4).

Enjoy Life

Life is like an ice cream cone…you have to learn to lick it. (Charlie Brown, “Peanuts” cartoon)

Is life like an ice cream cone because it’s gone so quickly? Or because it’s really so tasty? Or because, if you don’t deal with it properly, you’ve lost the potential good of it? If you didn’t learn to lick an ice cream cone, you’d surely have a mess and miss out on all the good it promised. We have to learn how to deal with life to really enjoy it.

To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God (Ecclesiastes 5:19).

Knowledge Plus

Scholarship is not simply the production of knowledge. . . [In former times] scholars chiefly engaged in the transmission of knowledge for the purpose of formation. (Chris Gehrz, college professor)

They say that knowledge is doubling every 12 hours or so. Wow, how can we keep up with it all? We can’t. But as Gehrz suggests, there’s something equally important with accumulating information. The information we gain must be passed on to learners who will do more than merely absorb more facts. The goal is life transformation; learning that produces change.

Supplement your. . . moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness (2 Peter 1:5, 6).

Teamwork

I am a member of the team, and I rely on the team. I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion. (Mia Hamm, USA women’s soccer star)

Tom Wilson, another professional athlete put it this way, “Many of us are more capable than some of us . . . but none of us is as capable as all of us.” Many corporations and organizations are organizing their employees into various teams. Working as a cooperative team member, rather than as an individual, will achieve much more for the team and for the larger group.

We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other (Romans 12:5).

Yes, there are many parts, but only one body (1 Corinthians 12:20).

Easter

But from this earth, this grave, this dust, my God shall raise me up, I trust. (Walter Raleigh, 16^th-17^th century English writer)

For the Christian, the resurrection of Jesus is not only the keystone of his faith in the saving work of Jesus on the cross, but, as Raleigh testifies, it is the guarantee of the believer’s resurrection. Admired by many non-Christian movements as a great prophet and good teacher, Jesus is much more, and Easter is the prime evidence of his role as the Savior sent from God.

Christ died for our sin. . . he was buried. . . he was raised. . . according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

[He] was declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4).             

No Regrets

Giving up is the birth of regret. (Deshanna Barber, USAR officer & former Miss USA)

We’ve all been tempted to give up at one time or another. Perhaps it was a project that wasn’t going well or an athletic event that we didn’t finish well. The decision we make at that point is critical. Barber suggests that if we give up, we’ll eventually regret it. Evaluate your failures carefully. Planning well and starting over may lead to success and no regrets.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up (Galatians 6:9).

Good Friday

Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. (Victor Hugo in Les Misérables)

Today the Christian world is honoring the day when Jesus died. One might well imagine how his disciples were mourning, thinking that the promise of his coming kingdom was now not to be. In spite of his having warned them of this day, they had not understood, and it was not until Sunday that their joy was restored when the sun rose to reveal that the Son, too, had risen.

Until then [Sunday] they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead (John 20:9).

Pressing On

There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there; you must go beyond them. (Bruce Lee, actor and martial artist)

Have you ever tried rock or mountain climbing? If you have, you’ve probably looked up to see what looked like the final peak only to find it was merely a plateau and there was a lot more climbing to do. If your goal is to reach the top, you can’t stop on the mesa. You have to move on to achieve your goal. In reality, there may be limits, but press on to reach your goal.

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God . . . is calling us (Philippians 3:14).

Work

Like what you do, and then you will do your best. (Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician)

Johnson’s story is fascinating. Overlooked because of her ethnicity and gender, she succeeded because she loved her work and saw its value. She and her team provided essential data that made space flights successful. When we’re stuck in work we don’t like, we often do less than our best, and the results often fail. Pursue work that you love and you’ll enjoy the results.

So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. . . To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God (Ecclesiastes 2:10; 5:19).