Daily Stop & Thinks

Doubts

Doubt is letting your circumstances get between you & God. Faith is letting God get between you & your circumstances (Mark Batterson, author).

Circumstances are like mattresses. When you’re on top of them, you can be really comfortable. But, when you’re under a mattress (or your circumstances), life can be far more than just uncomfortable. We’ve all discovered that having a friend to stand between us and our difficulties is a great help. Find someone today that you can encourage.

When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer (Psalm 94:19).

Seeds

You can count the number of seeds in an apple, but you can never count the number of apples in a seed. (Karen Jensen, actress)

“Of course; that’s obvious,” we might say. But how seriously have we applied that thought to our daily lives? How can your investment in your children or your encouragement of just a few people produce results far beyond your imagination? Don’t overlook the single person or project; the multiplication of your effort through them could be astounding!

Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Opportunity

Having the opportunity to develop our strengths is more important to our success than our role, our title, or even our pay (Tom Rath, author). 

Some people are impressed by titles—professor, CEO, all-star and so forth. Others consider the wage scale a good indicator of advancement—the more you’re paid, the better you must be. Rath argues, however, that the real key to success is the opportunities you have to develop your skill and your ultimate worth in the workplace. That’s were success begins.

Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days (Ephesians 5:16).

Resources

At the time of our greatest need we tend to forget our greatest resource (Kip Cone, pastor).

When things are going well and life seems good, we aren’t greatly concerned about our sources of help. All is working, and we’re getting along fine with our own abilities and strength. Then, when life changes and becomes tough, we may continue to rely on our own abilities and wisdom. That’s when we need to remember our great resources of family, friends, and God.

Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory (Psalm 50:15).

Best

Good, better, best; never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best (Sterling Shepherd, “Shep,” former professional football player). 

This is one of many motivational statements “Shep” uses in challenging young people to live a positive life of value to themselves and their community. It has been said that the worst enemy of real progress is settling for good instead of pursuing the best. How much better would our communities be if we all sought to be and do our very best, instead of settling for less?

I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others (1 Corinthians 10:33).

Changes

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered (Nelson Mandela, late president of South Africa).

Have you had an experience like Mandela’s? Perhaps he was alluding to his return to civilian life after a long political imprisonment. Probably nothing else had changed as much as he himself had. Life is all about change, of course, but the most important changes are those that happen in us. We must continue to adapt, to mature, to become more productive and encouraging.

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow (James 1:3).

Fear

A life lived in fear is a life half lived (Alan Hirsch, author).

Some people seem to live in fear. And there is a lot to be fearful about today: diseases, threats of war, corruption in politics and business, to name a few. But, as Hirsch suggests, living in fear robs you of enjoying life; you may experience good times, but you’re always afraid it won’t last. Learning to look beyond the fearful things in life can help you live joyfully in the present.

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

Certainty

Optimism is a wish without warrant (J. I. Packer, Canadian theologian).

Optimism helps a lot of us face the difficulties that arise in our experience with a positive outlook on life, hoping for the best. Packer continues: “Optimism hopes for the best without any guarantee of its arriving and is often no more than whistling in the dark.” He offers a better outlook: “Christian hope is a certainty, guaranteed by God himself.”

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we. . . can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us (Hebrews 6:18).

Don’t Wait!

The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. (W. M. Lewis, teacher)

Procrastination seems to be a continuing problem among many people. It keeps them from getting started on something they may really want to do. They keep waiting for “the right moment” or for “the stars to be in a certain alignment.” Whether real or imagined, they are losing today’s opportunity. Don’t wait; plan, prepare, and just do it.

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest (Ecclesiastes 11:4).

Love

Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love (Socrates, 4^th century B.C. Greek philosopher).

“Love ya” seems to be the more and more popular expression when parting company with a friend—or even a mere acquaintance. It’s widely recognized that “what the world needs now is love, sweet love” (song lyrics from the 1960s). Most of the time, however, it’s just a lightly-spoken sentiment without deep meaning. Better to demonstrate affection by overt acts of love.

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions (1 John 3:18).

Commonality

We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Despite a variety of national origins, languages, skin colors, economic standing, and other obvious differences, King’s observation is helpful. We are all here together; we experience the same social and political environments—they all affect us greatly, but in different ways, perhaps. Common difficulties should create some sense of unity for us; we’re all in it together.

The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both (Proverbs 22:2).

I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Reading II

Once you have read a book you care about, some part is always with you (Louis L’Amour, 20^th century American author).

Books can have an amazing influence in your life. You can probably remember books you heard read as a child and their clever titles (e.g. Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham). It’s important to keep reading and to read books that are more than just entertaining—books with substance. One of those books surely should be the Bible, God’s Word.

But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice (Luke 11:28).

For the word of God is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).