Daily Stop & Thinks

Stick with the optimists. It’s going to be tough enough even if they’re right. (James Reston, 20^th century journalist)

The pessimist fears the worst. If things turn out that way, he can say he was right. If they don’t, he’s happy because things are better than he thought they would be. But even when the optimist is right, and things turn out well, they’re seldom perfect. Life still has its difficulties and trials. So, it’s best to have strength and hope rather than just our feelings of what might be.

In all your ways acknowledge [God], and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:6).

Prayer is the most aggressive, offensive, pro-active, invasive work you can ever engage in. (Jennifer Kennedy Dean, author and speaker)

Is prayer a last resort for you when nothing else seems to work? Or is it the repetition of memorized liturgy that can be spoken without much thought or sincerity? True prayer acknowledges the significance of the one to whom you pray. Prayer should be a first resort and a constant practice, recognizing that only God knows and can provide what we really need.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Before trying to keep up with the Joneses, be sure they’re not trying to keep up with you. (Erma Bombeck, late humorist)

Keeping up with the Joneses is like a game, isn’t it? It doesn’t often work, and even when it does, it rarely satisfies. It’s not just keeping up, It’s trying to get ahead of the Joneses. It would be better to learn to be content with what we have, to find joy in the more important things of life like family, friends, social involvement, and faith rather than in material possessions.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (Philippians 4:12).

Faith is a living and unshakable confidence; a belief in God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake. (Martin Luther)

The important thing about faith is not how much you have or how often you claim it. The critical issue is in what or whom you put your faith. Faith in a broken chair will not provide a safe place to sit. Putting your trust in an unreliable person will surely bring disappointment. Be sure to put your faith in a trustworthy resource.

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you (Psalm 9:10).

He who holds his tongue is wise. (The Bible)

We would all agree, no doubt, that this is easier said than done. How often have you wished you hadn’t said something? Or, at least you hadn’t said it in anger or accusation? The man or woman who can control the tongue is well on the way to having and keeping friends and not offending other people. It’s a grace we should all want to improve.

No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. … If anyone is       never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check (James 3:8, 2).

Every job is a self portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence. (Anonymous)

The old proverb says, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” Whatever we set our hand to do should be worthy of our best effort. The quality of our work reveals a lot about our work ethic and character. Would you be pleased to be judged by your work? It may be what you are remembered for when you leave it behind.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23).

Remember always that your work or ministry or position dare never keep you from your family. If you fail them, you fail your greatest responsibility—and you are a failure in life. (Ted W. Engstrom)

Rather strong words, aren’t they? Yet, as someone has noted, on their deathbed no one has ever regretted that he or she hadn’t spent more time at work. Rather, they regret the time lost from their families while they went after more fame, position, or money. Besides, think of the damage to children for lack of more time with dad or a working mom.

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8).

If you haven’t got charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. (Bob Hope, late comedian)

Heart disease may be the number one killer today. People die of heart attacks, heart failure, and clogged arteries that hinder blood flow to the heart. But some people have another kind of heart disease—the kind that thinks only of #1 and consequently doesn’t care about anyone else. Medicine may help the physical heart, but it takes something more for the loveless heart.

To love [God] with all your heart, and with all your understanding and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices (Mark 12:33).

There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. (Albert Einstein, late renowned physicist)

It’s a matter of perspective, isn’t it? Does the dawn inspire you with its beauty—it’s new every morning. Or does it just mean another day to go to work? How about the beauty of the sunset—or is it just the end of another dreary day? Look around you, you’ll find many miracles that you may have begun to take for granted.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1).

A joy that is shared is a joy that is doubled. (Professor John Roy)

It’s much more fun to share your good fortune with someone else than to enjoy it alone, isn’t it? Whether it’s a good report from a doctor, an unexpected gift, a tax refund—whatever brings joy to us, we want to share the news. Even when we don’t have much, we can share something that will bring joy to someone else.

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled          up in rich generosity (2 Corinthians 8:2).

The real democratic . . . idea is not that every man shall be on a level with every other man, but that every man shall have liberty to be what God made him [to be], without hindrance. (Henry Ward Beecher, 19^th century social reformer)

“All men are created equal.” But what does that mean? We don’t all have equal talent, ability, or resources. That’s true, but the democratic ideal is that no one should be deprived of the opportunity to develop their abilities and skills to be all they can be. Because we’re not in this world alone, we should work to benefit others as well.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others (1 Peter 4:10).

Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been. (Mark Twain)

There are a lot of wrinkle-removing products offered in magazine ads and on TV commercials. Do you suppose you can really reverse the aging process with some cream or oil? If we live our life with frowns, no doubt it would be nice if we could remove the wrinkles they form. But if our wrinkles are from smiling—now, that’s a good thing!

A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit (Proverbs 15:13).