Daily Stop & Thinks

Achievement

God is not going to look us over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars. (James Gribble, pioneer missionary)

We tend to evaluate people’s success by the medals won, degrees or diplomas earned, or otherwise gaining public acclaim for their achievements. They are worthy of note, of course, but a better indication of achievement might be the obstacles overcome, evidenced by the marks of struggle and difficulty. Value is increased by the cost of the achievement.

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. (1 John 2:16)

Humility

With popularity comes the need for humility. With prosperity comes the need for integrity. (Chuck Swindoll, author)

Only a few people may want to be the life-of-the-party, but almost everyone wants to be popular. No one enjoys being the “wall flower” at a party or a class reunion. But, like every positive trait, even popularity has its downside. The more popular you are, the more you may have to deal with pride. That’s why Swindoll says that humility is a helpful antidote for pride.

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)

Christmas is Coming

Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. (Joan Winmill Brown, British actor & writer)

It’s still three weeks till Christmas, yet the anticipation has begun. Brown continues, “No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given, when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes.” Avoid the rush; anticipate the joy of the Day.

Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than receive.” (Acts 20:35)

Plan Ahead

December, being the last month of the year, cannot help but make us think of what is to come. (Fennel Hudson, rural lifestyle author)

Children (even grown-up children) welcome December and look forward excitedly to Christmas. Others are already complaining about the weather and are counting the weeks and days till spring. In reality, we all must pay attention both to today and its work and to the future, as well. Failing to plan will almost certainly make our future days more difficult.

If you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love and faithfulness. . . Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity. (Proverbs 14:22; 21:5)

The Seasons

May and October, the best-smelling months? I’ll make a case for December: evergreen, frost, wood smoke, cinnamon. (Lisa Kleypas , American novelist)

Some people like spring freshness; others wait eagerly for summer heat. Fall colors are favorites for many. But then there are some who really prefer cold and snow. So it takes all kinds, doesn’t it? Klaypas’ comment is a great encouragement to those who dread winter. Think positively, she says, about the scents of the season. There’s always something to appreciate.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

December

It is December, and nobody asked if I was ready. (Sarah Kay, American poet)

We say that time flies, and when we reach December, we wonder how it arrived so quickly. And yet, we knew all along that it was coming—like every other month on the calendar. Or every day and week, for that matter. We should prepare ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually for every day, no matter the time of year, so we are ready to live and serve well.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

Learning from Life

Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know. (Pema Chodron, Buddhist nun)

Some lessons in life seem to be never-ending. We might struggle against them, try to wish them away, or ignore them, but they are aggravatingly persistent. They just won’t go away. What to do with them? We can pray for endurance and ways to learn from difficult experiences. Nothing God allows in our life can be wasted if we look to him for its purposes.

Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. (Proverbs 18:15)

Success

Success is built on the ability to do better than good enough. (Zig Ziglar, late motivational speaker)

Have you ever worked on a project until you were just tired of it and wanted to quit? You may have said, “It isn’t what I wanted, but it’s good enough.” Later you may very well have wished that you hadn’t stopped so soon. You may get by with good enough, but to achieve anything of real value we often have to go beyond “tired” to complete a really worthwhile task well.

I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race. (Philippians 3:13-14)

Thanksgiving

As antitoxins prevent the disastrous effects of certain poisons and diseases, thanksgiving destroys the poison of fault-finding and grumbling. (Clinton C. Cox, minister)

This is a good reminder for us on this Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Cox continues, “When trouble has smitten us, a spirit of thanksgiving is a soothing antiseptic.” When we determine to be grateful, in spite of trails and difficulties, it’s amazing how our outlook can change and how helpful we can be to others. It is really helpful to develop an attitude of gratitude.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Endurance

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. (Confucius, ancient Chinese philosopher)

While that axiom would certainly not apply to the 100-meter dash in an Olympic contest, it surely has a broader and helpful application to life in general. Often, progress is slow, but so long as it continues to move forward, it is an encouragement to keep on working toward worthy goals. It’s not speed but faithfulness and endurance that really count in the long run.

And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)

Sincerity

Those who have virtue always in their mouths, and neglect it in practice, are like a harp, which emits a sound pleasing to others, while itself is insensible of the music. (Diogenes, 4^th century B.C. Greek philosopher)

Today we night say rather crudely, “Put your money where your mouth is.” Or more politely, “What you do speaks so loud I can’t hear what you say.” No one likes a hypocrite. And yet we seem to be living in a day when we hear a lot of high-sounding speech but see too much low–living especially in election years. We should try extra hard to always speak and live the truth.

I speak with all sincerity; I speak the truth. (Job 33:3)

I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception. (Proverbs 8:7)

Choosing

When the choice is to be right or to be kind, always make the choice that brings peace. (Wayne Dyer, self-help author)

Have you ever been in an argument about who won the World Series or who was the vice presidential nominee in a specific year? In such a debate, we’re sure we’re right and we hate to lose the debate. But really, who cares? Dyer is right. It’s better to lose an inconsequential argument and maintain a peaceful relationship with your companion.

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)