GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: October 27, 2024

Awaiting Results

When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. (Helen Keller, late author and lecturer)

When we do our work well, we want to see the results of our efforts sooner rather than later. After serving others, we want to know right away that something good has happened. Some have received heart-warming responses from those they’d helped many years earlier. And some may never be thanked. But when you do your best, you can trust God for recognition and reward.

If we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. (Romans 8:25)

Stop & Think: October 26, 2024

Critics

A critic is a hen that clucks when another hen lays an egg. (Giovanni Guareschi, late Italian humorist)

There are several kinds of critics: those who are always finding fault; in fact, they’re looking for it, and others who want to find the positive and comment on it. Then, there are a few who are evaluating carefully and are willing to place blame or give credit where they belong. How good life would be if we would just complement the egg- laying hens.

The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.  . . . Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly. (Matthew 7:2; John 7:24)

Stop & Think: October 25, 2024

Contentment

You can’t have everything. Where will you put it?  (Ann Landers, advice columnist)

Landers’ comment may be somewhat facetious, but her statement is true in more than one way. First of all, look at your neighbors’ garages or the multitude of storage units in your town—and they’re still building them. But what is even more important, we cram our lives and hearts with stuff, yearnings, and hopes only to find they don’t satisfy. Look for those things that will last.

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.  . . . So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. (1 Timothy 6:6, 8)

Stop & Think: October 24, 2024

Wisdom

Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it. (Albert Einstein, renowned scientist)

Einstein’s famous formula (E=MC2) about energy and mass was a monumental find for the scientific world. But in grade school, Einstein was thought to be “dumb and unteachable.” Today he is regarded as a genius, and his observation about wisdom is insightful. No amount of formal education alone will make you wise. It’s a growing achievement that begins with God.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking (James 1:5).

Stop & Think: October 23, 2024

Making a Difference

You don’t have to make headlines to make a difference. (Drew Scholl, businessman, author)

Much has been made about everyone having “15 minutes of fame,” but that isn’t always true. While many athletes, musicians, and politicians do gain the headlines, not everyone seeks that kind of notice. Some of those headliners do make a difference, but most of us will make a difference simply by doing good works, encouraging, and helping others as God enables us.

Be careful not to do your good deeds in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you (Matthew 6:1). [But] Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16).

Stop & Think: October 22, 2024

Prepare Well

Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well. (Kary Oberbrunner, motivational author and speaker)

Oberbrunner’s observation is true for more than just a game of cards. Sports coaches always have strategies in mind to deal with just about any situation their team faces. Event organizers always have plan B or C if plan A doesn’t work. Life is never as smooth as a glassy sea. Waves can develop quickly, so advanced preparation is always in everyone’s best interest.

If you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love and faithfulness . . . Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity. (Proverbs 14:22; 21:5)

Stop & Think: October 21, 2024

Tough Times

Through adversity, God reminds us that He wants us to give Him control of our life.  (Author unknown)

Counselors have often used this idea, wanting to help people address the really hard things in life. Parents console their children when they face a difficulty too hard to handle emotionally. We often ask, “Why?” “Why me?” “Why now?” Answers to life’s hard questions often aren’t easy to find, but the assurance that God has a perfect plan is a comfort for his followers.

God: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (1 Corinthians 12:8).

Stop & Think: October 20, 2024

Control

But the human tongue is a beast that few can master. (Robert Greene, American author)

Green continues: “It strains constantly to break out of its cage, and if it is not tamed, it will run wild and cause you grief.” We all have heard an “uncaged tongue” in conversation or public discourse. And today we often hear vulgar new words and language that should be censored. Controlling the tongue is a habit we all need to develop.

The tongue is a flame of fire.  . . .  but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:6, 8) Those who control their tongue will have a long life (Proverbs 13:3).

Stop & Think: October 19, 2024

Only One Life

We have but one life here…It pays, no matter what comes after it, to try and do things, and not merely to have a soft and pleasant time. (Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. president)

“Teddy” was right. We have only one life to live. And his counsel is good: “try and do things” . . . not merely to have an easy and fun life. He achieved a great deal in the military and in politics, but there is an even higher calling for us to pursue. God has placed each of us where we are with the talents and opportunities he’s given us to honor him by sharing his love and serving others.

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people (Colossians 3:24).

Stop & Think: October 18, 2024

Mental, Physical, or Spiritual?

Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical. (Yogi Berra. Late professional athlete)

Berra was a hall-of-fame baseball player as a Yankee catcher and hitter for 18 seasons and later a manager of the NY Mets. He is often remembered as well for his frequent malapropisms, well-known words used improperly. His comment about baseball is humorous, and he may have been right about the importance of the mental aspect of life. But we must not overlook the other essential element in life, the spiritual.

Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. (John 3:6) For only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Stop & Think: October 17, 2024

An Atheist?

Nobody talks so constantly about God as those who insist that there is no God. (Heywood Broun, late American journalist)

To deny there is a God requires that you speak of him often as in a generic term, e.g. “OMG” or most often in profanity. God has made himself known in a variety of ways with a number of significant names describing his character and works. Look at creation; look around you, and even look inside yourself. Your heart will respond to God.

Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” . . . The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. (Psalms 14:2; 19:1).

Stop & Think: October 16, 2024

Change

Learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn. (Peter Drucker, management consultant)

Do you like change? A lot of people don’t, but change is inevitable, isn’t it? We’d be bored if everything remained the same all the time. We like the change of seasons. We like new music, new TV shows and movies. But what’s most important is that we learn from change. If we don’t know how to adapt to it, we’ll lose out on the possibilities of growth and learning.

Let us learn together what is good.  . . . All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. (Job 34:4; Colossians 1:10)