GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: March 30, 2025

Excuses

People who fail in life are people who find lots of excuses. (Ben Carson, neurosurgeon)

“The dog ate my homework” was the childhood excuse. Today it might be, “The computer ate my spreadsheet” or something similar. It is often difficult to admit our mistakes. And there are some who just can’t “get over themselves.” Carson’s advice: “It’s never too late for a person to recognize that he is God’s chosen and have potential in themselves.” No excuses. Just be you.

You are a chosen people. (1 Peter 2:9)
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. (Romans 8:33)

Stop & Think: March 29, 2025

God’s Creation

Until you make peace with who you are you will never be content with what you got. (Doris Mortman, late author)

People who never seem to have enough, or who have plenty but not what they would like to have, are often not content. God may not choose to give us everything we want, but he has made us who we are. The basis for contentment with what God gives us is in realizing and accepting that very fact, appreciating that he has made us to be who we are.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous. (Psalm 139:14-15)

Stop & Think: March 28, 2025

Aging

Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. (Franz Kafka, late Austrian-Czech writer)

Kafka began this comparison with “Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty.” In Ecclesiastes 12, the Bible reminds the reader of the complications of aging: diming eyesight, weak legs and shoulders, few remaining teeth. Then, the writer says, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” Thankfully, the grateful heart, though aging, can enjoy the beauty God provides.

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11a)

Stop & Think: March 27, 2025

Mañana

The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it. (John Maxwell, leadership author and speaker)

It’s called procrastination, and it is a troubling habit of many of us. Our motto seems to be, “Mañana. Don’t do today what you can put off till tomorrow.” Maxwell’s observation is all too true: There is no end to the tomorrows that we think we can wait for to do what we’ve put off again. Whether a leader or a follower, we must learn to act today while the opportunity is here.

Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. (Proverbs 6:4)

Stop & Think: March 26, 2025

Focus

Where FOCUS goes, energy flows. (Tony Robbins, author and motivational speaker)

Have you ever been talking with someone when they kept looking away at something or someone else? It’s rather distracting, isn’t it? It’s obvious that that person’s focus and attention are not fixed on your conversation, and it’s extremely impolite. Keep your focus on what’s at hand and most important. Then your attention and energy will help you keep on track.

Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus . . . (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Stop & Think: March 25, 2025

Be Kind

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. (Wendy Mass, novelist)

We would all do well to follow Mass’ advice. Sometimes, we may not respond well to someone because we’re having a bad day, but we should strive to be gracious all the time. It’s always good to be as kind as possible to everyone we meet, realizing that they may be having a difficult time, too. You might even be able to help lift their spirits.

The words of the godly encourage many. (Proverbs 10:21)
Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (Ephesians 4:29)

Stop & Think: March 24, 2025

Learning

Genius without Education is like Silver in the Mine. (Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac)

Whether it’s gold, silver, or other precious ore, it’s of little value buried deep in the earth. Once it’s mined, assayed, and processed, those metals suddenly become very valuable. Poor Richard’s analogy is right on. No matter how great one’s IQ, his or her natural talent becomes even more valuable when coupled with a well-structured continuing education.

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

Stop & Think: March 23, 2025

Examples

The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion. (Paulo Coelho, Brazilian novelist)

It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it, that Americans are highly opinionated people? It’s most evident in election years when the political scene is crowded with so many who want their ideas to be heard. The real test of the worthiness of a candidate who is running for office is not so much what he or she says, but their example, how much their lives back up their rhetoric.

And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. (Titus 2:7)

Stop & Think: March 22, 2025

Listening

Talk to someone about themselves and they’ll listen for hours. (Dale Carnegie, author)

In his best seller, How to Win Friends & Influence People, Carnegie said this as an illustration of how not to win friends. For those egocentric people we meet from time to time, there’s nothing they would rather hear than someone telling them how great they are. Ben Franklin “nailed it” when he said, “A person wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.”

Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)

Stop & Think: March 21, 2025

Vision

Principles and disciplines may help us from time to time, but the primary shaper of our hearts and minds is the vision we have. (Chris Tiegreen, devotional writer)

Tiegreen is certainly not arguing against principles and disciplines. Rather, he’s recognizing their value in helping us live with integrity. He is also aware that merely keeping the rules can lead to a lifestyle that is so law-driven that we miss out on the higher goals of life. Our vision—what we strive for–must be foremost in shaping our worthy pursuits.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. . . . It is pleasant to see dreams come true. (Proverbs 13:12, 19)

Stop & Think: March 20, 2025

Being and Doing

The question of today is not what then shall we do but, as always, who then shall we be? (Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship)

Colson was alluding to Francis Schaeffer’s How Should We Then Live? Schaeffer encouraged Christians to live out their faith as a witness to a declining civilization. Colson goes to the heart of the matter, suggesting that what we are is the basis for what we do. Out of the depth of our transformed heart and mind come the actions that can be a positive influence for good.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (Romans 12:2)

Stop & Think: March 19, 2025

Crying

Crying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive. (Charlotte Bronte, 19th century English poet and novelist)

The baby’s first cry is always a welcomed sound. He/she is alive! The baby’s crying thereafter becomes its signal to mom: “I’m hungry,” “I’m wet,” “I’m hurting”—and sometimes it’s just to get attention. We tend to think that when an adult cries—especially a man, it might be a sign of weakness. However, overwhelming emotion, whether grief or joy is a healthy reason to cry.

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:5)