Daily Stop & Thinks

Kindness

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. (Plato)

Plato’s observation of life way back in the 5^th century B.C. is not much different from what we can observe in 21^st century America. It’s not just the homeless and the jobless that are facing difficulties. Many who pass us in the street or work alongside us on the job or in school may be struggling. Look for ways to encourage them with a kind word or deed.

Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. (Proverbs 16:24)

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Moving Forward

In order to reach your dream, the passion inside your heart must outpace the fear inside your head. (Kary Oberbrunner, author and speaker)

Fear of failure often keeps us from moving forward to achieve the goals we’ve dreamed about. Perhaps it’s the economy or the shortage of the needed resources that prevents us from taking the next step in our hoped-for endeavor. Wise planning is always essential, of course, but so is the courage to step out with confidence as the opportunity presents itself.

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

Looking Ahead

One thing with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us. (Michael Cibenco, teacher)

We’re well into 2019, and maybe it’s time to evaluate what progress we’re making. How’s it going with you? Have things gone a bit sour so that you’re looking back to last year, wishing things were like they were back then? Well, as Cibenco suggests, looking back may be just the reason that we’re not doing as well as we’d hoped. Let’s begin looking to the future with hope.

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 12:13)

If you want to learn more about hope, check out our book.

Gratitude

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. (Johannes A. Gaertner, author)

It’s easy to say “Thank You,” but gratitude should certainly extend to more than just the expected gesture after a kind deed or being generous in giving gifts on special occasions. When our lives begin to reflect a consistent attitude of gratitude, we will have an immeasurable effect on others. What’s more, a sense of well-being will pervade our lives.

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

Work

The price of success is hard work… (Vince Lombardi, successful football coach)

He continued, “dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” We might wonder today if some younger people have discovered Lombardi’s axiom. Everyone wants to be successful, but not everyone is willing to work hard for it. What a shame! Good work is truly satisfying.

My mind found joy in all the work I did—my work was its own reward! (Ecclesiastes 2:10)

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Responsibility

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up, and never give up. (Abraham Lincoln)

The story is told of a mother who was trying to get her reluctant son to get up to go to school. He rebelled; he didn’t want to go to school, he said. The mother insisted, however, reminding him that he was the principal. Lincoln’s advice at that time would have been most appropriate. We all need to be reminded from time to time that responsibility outweighs feelings.

Don’t try to avoid doing your duty. (Ecclesiastes 8:3)

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Serving

Your business resumé is less important than your community service calendar. (Dan O’Deens, 3^rd world social worker)

Business-minded young people begin to worry about their resumés very early in their careers—often before they even finish their formal training. It is important, of course, to be able to point to your achievements in preparation for your chosen vocation, but O’Deen’s counsel should be taken seriously. Your character is reflected more by how and whom you serve.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others. (Mark 10:45)

You can help spread the Word of God today by donating to God of Hope.

Generosity

There never was any heart truly great and generous that was not also tender and compassionate. (Robert Frost, 19^th-20^th century American poet)

What is your motivation for being generous? Some very well-known, wealthy people give a lot of money to their favorite charities. Why? Is it because of a hefty tax deduction? Is it to gain a measure of fame for their generosity? Or, is it simply that they have deep concerns for the people their charities serve? The latter are the kinds of donors that are truly great.

Use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

Do you want to help share the message of Christ with others? Donate to God of Hope today.

Shortcuts

There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going. (Keith Minier, pastor)

With GPS and Google Maps, you would think that you’d never get lost again, wouldn’t you? And yet, those helps aren’t always correct, and sometimes we even try to take a shortcut. A lot of wives cringe when their husbands try to do that. Minier’s point, of course, has more to do with life decisions than merely finding the best route to your physical destination. Hear the words of the biblical writer:

Hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5b)

Happy New Year!

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. (Oprah Winfrey. TV personality)

Days, months, and years keep rolling around like clockwork. Many days seem exactly alike, but January first encourages us to think more positively about the future and how we plan to use it. So, what are you looking and hoping for this year? Whatever our dreams might be, remember they don’t just happen. Plan, pray, counsel, and set out to achieve your goals this year.

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity. (Proverbs 21:5a)

Start your new year off right by reading our book. You can buy it here.

Anticipation

New Year’s Eve is like every other night… yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights. (Hamilton Wright Mabie, 19th-20th century essayist)

Mabie also said, “there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted” So, what is it that makes New Year’s Eve so different from every other night? No doubt, it’s the anticipation of something better—a new year filled with hope and expectation.

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 23:18)

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Mistakes

I hope that in the year to come you make mistakes… (Neil Gaiman, English author)

That’s not a good New Year’s blessing, is it? Hear Gaiman out: “because if you are making mistakes you are making new things, learning, living, pushing  yourself, changing yourself, changing the world.” Now that puts it in a more positive light, doesn’t it? Mistakes are inevitable, so expect them and try to learn from them. It will make for a better New Year.

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. (Ephesians 4:2)

As you go into the new year, make sure to purchase yourself a copy of the book God of Hope to help you get through our mistakes.