Daily Stop & Thinks

Waiting

Let there be silence. Silence is the training wheels of a good deep discussion. (Jack Brown, pastor)

Brown says, “Sometimes an awkward amount of time is required. But without it, some may never speak up.” It’s awkward, isn’t it, when the teacher asks a question to provoke discussion and no one speaks up? Trainers say that if you wait 20 seconds, someone will respond. But, it’s hard to wait, so we sometimes jump in too soon. Being patient will bring good involvement.

Understand this . . . You must all be quick to listen (James 1:19).

Character

It must happen IN you before it can happen THROUGH you! (Timothy Kight, Elementary school teacher)

This is an important lesson for adults as well as children. After all, what you ARE is more important than what you DO. Why? Because what you are determines what you do and what you do shows what you are. Is that so hard to understand? Preparing yourself intellectually and spiritually is essential to living a life of value and purpose.

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

Planning

By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail. (Benjamin Franklin)

Some folks really like to be spontaneous; they don’t like to plan too far ahead. Life is more exciting, they think, when you don’t know exactly what’s coming up next. Sometimes, however, they discover too late that a little advanced planning would have saved them from pain or loss. Better to plan carefully and allow for the unexpected.

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. . . Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity (Proverbs 16:3; 21:5).

Balance

The amazing activity of the cat is delicately balanced by his capacity for relaxation. (William Lyon Phelps, 19th-20th century author and critic)

You might often see a cat lazing in the sun’s rays while all kinds of activity may be going on around it. At other times, the cat could be chasing the dust in the sun’s ray or a loose thread or string. Which picture characterizes you? Will you be known as the person who is comfortable, relaxing with a book or rushing from one task to another? Can it be both?

Be still, and know that I am God! (Psalm 46:10).

So prepare your minds for action (1 Peter 1:13).

Comparison

Comparison is the thief of joy. (Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President)

It’s a simple statement, but certainly conveys an important and practical lesson. It can work both ways. Do you lose your joy when you see someone doing so much better than you do? Or do you become proud at another’s failure, thinking you could do it better? Both views are destructive, and both reveal a misunderstanding of true joy.  

I pray that . . .  you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding (Philippians 1:9).

Be joyful. Grow to maturity (2 Corinthians 13:11).

Freedom

Nothing is more wonderful than the art of freedom, but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom. (Alexis de Tocqueville, 19th century French historian)

Americans are proud of their liberty, which was gained for them by the heavy price of war and the sacrifice of many who fought to gain and maintain it. We rejoice in our freedom, but we also have seen how it can be abused when everyone does what seems right to them, to use the biblical observation. (You can read the disastrous results in the Book of Judges.)

Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).

Ideals

It is your responsibility . . . not just to be zealous in the pursuit of your ideals, but to be sure that your ideals are the right ones . . .  (Antonin Scalia, late Supreme Court Justice)

Scalia completes the sentence, “. . . —not merely in their ends but in their means.” Having ideals (principles) is important, but you can have an ideal that is based on an inadequate moral premise. So, we need to be sure we’re following ethical standards that include not just high ideals but the methods and strategies to attain them that are, themselves, ethical.

Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence (2 Peter 1:5).

Hard Work

Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard. (Kevin Durant, pro athlete, quoting Tim Notke, basketball coach)

Pro athletes have great talent, of course, but as Durant said, “Working hard is better than having talent and not putting effort or work in what you do.” To be successful in almost any of life’s endeavor requires a certain amount of talent, perhaps gained by exercising a latent skill. But without hard and persistent work, talent alone will not achieve the intended goals.

Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper (Proverbs 13:4).

Serving

God’s greatest invitations often come in life’s interruptions. (Bob Fetterhoff, retired pastor)

Don’t you hate to be interrupted—the phone call during family dinner or the doorbell during the last overtime of a thrilling ball game? If we could look at them as opportunities to make a difference in someone else’s life, we’d more likely recognize the serving opportunities that God sends our way. The challenge is to focus less on ourselves and more on the needs of others.

Use your freedom to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). 

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

Leadership in Action

Leadership is action, not position. (Donald H. McGannon, author)

Like a good combat officer, effective leaders can’t stay behind their desks all the time. They have to go ahead of the “troops,” leading by example. But movement alone isn’t enough, As Ernest Hemingway said, “Never confuse movement with action.” Effective leaders don’t stand still; they don’t move just for the sake of movement. It takes deliberate action worth following.

Without wise leadership, a nation falls (Proverbs 11:14).

If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. (Romans 12:8)

Troubles

God sometimes takes us into troubled waters, not to drown us but to cleanse us. (Author unknown)

It’s a paradox of Christian teaching, written in different ways. For example, in response to Paul’s prayer for healing, God replied, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Elsewhere, “Tribulation works patience” (Romans 5:3). Rather than beg to be freed from the difficulty, perhaps it would be best to seek God’s purpose in it all.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28)

Consequences

When you choose an action, you choose the consequences of that action.  (Lois McMaster Bujold, fiction writer)

Many of us suffer from short-sightedness. We too often make a decision or take action before we’ve thought of the consequences. Some people don’t even want to consider what might happen as a result of their choices. Unless we give thought to those choices and potential outcomes, we may cause irreparable harm both to ourselves and others.

A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. (Proverbs 22:3)