Daily Stop & Thinks

We not only live among men, but there are airy hosts, blessed spectators, sympathetic lookers-on, that see and know and appreciate our thoughts and feelings and acts. (Henry Ward Beecher, 19^th century Congregationalist clergyman)

John Milton, another English writer agrees: “Millions of spiritual creatures walk the Earth unseen, both when we sleep and when we wake.” Neither writer mentions that the unseen spiritual world is not all “sympathetic lookers-on.” The Bible warns us “against … the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). We must be aware and prepare.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Ephesians 6:11)

Common sense can be learned from experience or the teaching we receive from those we trust. (Cindy Hess Kasper, author)

We sometimes lament the apparent lack of common sense in society today. The more “far out” behaviors become, the more widely they seem to be accepted. The result often is poor judgment about the simple realities of life like morality and courtesy. Kasper suggests, “God’s Word is the best source of all to develop discernment and good judgment.”

 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)

He (God) is the still point of the turning world. (T. S. Eliot, 20^th century British poet)

The physical world is constantly in motion—the planets, the stars, even the earth on which we walk. The universe is in a fixed, pre-determined cycle of movement that is beyond our full comprehension. Eliot reminds us that it is all because of an intelligent Creator who put the universe in motion and still keeps its movements accurate and precise.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 40:28)

I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees. (Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet-diplomat and Nobel Prize author)

Spring arrives in the Northern Hemisphere today. After a long, hard winter, it is welcome. Perhaps Neruda was referring to the Japanese Cherry Trees that beautify Washington, D.C. each spring. But his thought is deeper than mere trees. If we all were to bless others with spring-like beauty in our words and actions, how beautiful life could be.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

The Vision of the ideal guards monotony of work from becoming monotony of life. (Brooke Westcott, Anglican Bishop and theologian)

You may find your work boring because of its repetitiveness—watching products flow through an assembly line and adding your little part time after time after time. To be alert in such work, you have to visualize the end products. You’re not just adding an insignificant small part, you’re building something of value. Keep your eyes on the end goal.

Not that I have already . . . arrived at my goal, but I press on . . . toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me. (Philippians 3:12, 14)

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” (from Alice in Wonderland)

Humpty Dumpty sounds like a 21^st century person. Dictionary definitions don’t seem to mean much anymore. We use words in about any way we want, giving them the meaning that best suits our views. But, relativism aside, facts are facts and truth is truth. We all have the same facts, and we must work to express them in accurate and truthful terms.

I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. (1 John 2:21) We cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. (2 Corinthians 13:8)

If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me. (St. Patrick, 5^th century missionary)

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and the Irish will celebrate the “Apostle of Ireland.” Some have said that “St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time—a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summer’s magic.” But, its significance is much deeper than that. He brought Christianity to the Emerald Isle, and his positive influence lasted for generations.

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

We are defined by our choices, not our circumstances. By the choices we make and the choices we don’t make. By our action or our inaction. (King Abdullah of Jordan)

Many of us try to explain away some of our troubles by blaming them on the circumstances. If people only understood what we are going through, they would be less critical of our decisions and actions. King Abdullah makes it clear, however, that regardless of our current circumstances, we are responsible for actions that result from our choices.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

You don’t earn loyalty in a day. You earn loyalty day-by-day. (Jeffrey H. Gitomer, author and business trainer)

Gitomer was commenting on the “Ides of March,” the day in which Caesar was assassinated in Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. He had been warned of that day, but the deed was done, perpetrated by his own people and led by his friend Brutus. Loyalty is too often a lost virtue in today’s “me first” society. Yet, it is a primary feature of character and integrity.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Matthew 6:24)

The value of an object is based on how much is paid for it. (Barry C. Black, chaplain of the U.S. Senate)

Antiques Roadshow is a popular TV program where experts place a value on people’s prized possessions. Many are surprised at the high prices some of their heirlooms might bring at an antique auction. Of course, the reality is that it will bring only what someone is willing to pay. Consider what the Bible says about value.

Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)

Nothing is more difficult to counterfeit than ethics. (John Calvin, prominent leader of the Protestant Reformation)

In an age of relativity, everyone seems to establish his own set of morals and beliefs. In the Old Testament ((Judges 21:25), we’re told that “everyone did as he saw fit” because they had no king.” In such a society it soon becomes obvious that there must be some kind of standard, some set of rules or laws, or chaos will ensue.

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. (James 2:8)

When something needs to be done – don’t wait for someone else to do it for you—donate your time and pitch in. (Charles Wickers)

When we see an obvious need in our community or around the world, we sometimes say, “Somebody ought to do something about it.” Wickers encourages us to be that “somebody.” Surely, if we can, we ought to. It may involve the sacrifice of time and effort, but if it really needs to be done, perhaps we are the ones who should step up and do it.

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives. (Titus 3:14)