Daily Stop & Thinks

Christmas

God walked down the stairs of heaven with a Baby in His arms. (Paul Scherer, late seminary professor)

Scherer’s comment doesn’t sound much like a seminary professor’s definition of Christmas, but it certainly states the most important event in history in simple, straight-forward terms. The theological term is “incarnation,” God taking on human flesh. Why? To experience human life and provide the necessary sacrifice (himself) to offer salvation for all who will trust him.

When the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman… to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. (Galatians 4:4-5)

Christmas Eve

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. (Burton Hills, 20th century member of Canadian House of Commons)

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is a popular but sadly emotional seasonal song. Almost everyone wants to be with family and close friends for the holidays. Tonight is the time when many families gather around the tree to sing, open gifts, and read the Christmas story from the Gospels. Be sure to consider that wonderful story and the truth it tells about Christmas.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

Help share the story of Jesus Christ with other’s by donating to God of Hope today.

Give a smile

Perhaps the best yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles. (from a Norman Rockwell calendar)

It’s just two days till Christmas, and we’ve enjoyed all the decorations for several days now. The house—inside and out, probably—is covered with lights and ornaments. Even the city streets and the rural roads give evidence of the season. We’re big into decorations for the holidays. But Rockwell highlights what may be the best decoration of all: a loving smile for everyone.

A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance. (Proverbs 15:18)

Help share the joy of God by donating today.

Success

In my experience, each failure contains the seeds of your next success—if you are willing to learn from it. (Paul Allen, late co-founder of Microsoft)

No one likes to fail, and often we just want to put that failure way back in our minds—just forget about it. But, as Allen suggests, if we examine those past disasters carefully, we may find some hints as to how to avoid the same mistakes in the future. Avoid the errors of the past, but try to determine what did go well and capitalize on it.

Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. (Ecclesiastes 11:6)

Learn from life’s difficulties by self reflecting with the help of the book God of Hope.

Protest

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. (Mahatma Gandhi, 19th-20th century independence leader in India)

Gandhi demonstrated what progress was like in the long battle for independence in India. Are there some lessons to learn from him for today? Initial protests are often not heard, at least not from those whose actions are being challenged. Then, they are scorned and made light of. Too often that leads to actual conflict. But, in the end, if the protest is just, patience most often wins out. Stick to it!

Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride. (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones. (Proverbs 25:15)

Friendship

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words. (Donna Roberts, imprisoned felon)

When you learn that Roberts is on death row in an Ohio prison, you have to wonder how many friends she has now. You also have to wonder what the song in her heart is. We can hope that there are friends who will encourage her and point her to the source of real friendship and hope. That’s something to live for.

A friend is always loyal… a real friend sticks closer than a brother… The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. (Proverbs 17:17; 18; 24; 27:9)

Encourage a friend around you by buying them the book God of Hope this holiday season.

Power

I firmly believe that before many centuries more, science will be the master of man. (Henry Adams, 19th-20th century historian)

Way back in 1862 Adams also wrote, “Someday science may have the existence of mankind in its power, and the human race [may] commit suicide by blowing up the world.” He even questioned if “we [shall] be able to cruise in space.” Wow, what foresight! But, is it a good thing that science should have so much power? Who or what is it that is the ultimate master?

For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations. God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you. (Psalm 22:28; 62:11)

Donate today to help show others who the power truly belongs to.

Your Gift List

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. (Peg Bracken, late American author)

Just one week till Christmas, and if you’ve not already finished your Christmas shopping, this is a good reminder from Peg Bracken. It isn’t the cost of the gift in terms of money, but the intent and the affection associated with it. The older we get, the more we appreciate those intangibles. So, as you complete your gift list, make sure you’re giving with joy and love.

For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Consider donating to God of Hope today to help spread God’s love to others.

Reactions

Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out. (John Wooden, late hall-of-fame basketball coach)

Our reaction to the unexpected and sometimes really bad circumstances of life determines how well it will all work out for us. We are often faced with situations that require us to adjust our plans and schedules. Rather than let those interruptions discourage us, we must face them with resolve to make the best of them and keep moving forward.

Keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you. (1 Peter 4:19)

Read about how to evaluate and work through life’s difficulties in the book God of Hope. Click here to learn more.

Wisdom

Meaningful learning must go far beyond mere knowledge of the facts. (Jesse Deloe, writer, editor)

We’re told that on average human knowledge is doubling every 13 months, and some say that it will soon be every 12 hours. Wow, how can we keep up with it all? The honest answer is we can’t. But, as suggested above, it isn’t the accumulation of knowledge that is all important. The question is how can we wisely use the knowledge we’re gaining? Think about that awhile.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. (James 1:5)

For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6)

Help yourself grow further in the knowledge God by purchasing the book God of Hope today.

Anticipation

An intense anticipation itself transforms possibility into reality… (Samuel Smiles, 19th century Scottish author)

Remember, when you were a child, how you looked forward to a long planned vacation trip? Sometimes, the reality wasn’t nearly as much fun as the anticipation. But Smiles was speaking of good planning and effort that almost guarantees a good result. He continued: “our desires being often but precursors of the things which we are capable of performing.”  

Anything is possible if a person believes [expects]. (Mark 9:23)

Click here to purchase the book God of Hope.

Winning

The game of life is a lot like football. You have to tackle your problems, block your fears, and score your points when you get the opportunity. (Inspiration Line)

Football is a complicated game. Only the coaches, players, and sports commentators seem to be able to keep the X’s and O’s straight—Oh, and the referees, too. For the rest of us who enjoy watching the game, we understand the quote above: we can recognize tackling, blocking, and scoring. Applying the stated observations can really help us win in this game of life.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24)

Learn more about how to tackle your problems and hardships in the book God of Hope.