Daily Stop & Thinks

Once you replace your negative thoughts with positive ones you’ll start getting positive results. (Nelson, Country music star)

Nelson is noted more for his music career than for philosophical musings, but this thought has been shared by many renowned thinkers. Most of us, at some time or another, have let negative thoughts discourage us from moving ahead in the face of the disappointments of life. Replacing negative thoughts with optimistic concepts will bring greater success.

You were taught . . .  to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires [and] to be made new in the attitude of your minds (Ephesians 4:22-23).

Be thankful for what you have. Your life, no matter how bad you think it is, is someone else’s fairy tale. (Wale Ayeni, investment advisor)

We are following the example of the Pilgrims, who “…made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving” (H. U. Westermayer). So, in the midst of the abundance that most of us enjoy, we should be grateful but also find ways to encourage the less fortunate.

The purpose of riches: “You will be made rich . . .  so that you can be generous on every occasion” (2 Corinthians 9:11).

Gratitude turns what we have into enough. (Often quoted)

In the United States, tomorrow is the day we will celebrate the long-standing tradition of Thanksgiving. The last Thursday of each November gives us at least one day to acknowledge our blessings. Many who do not have a lot of this world’s goods have learned to live happily with what they have because they have developed an attitude of gratitude.

Godliness with contentment is great gain. . . . If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that (1 Timothy 6:6, 8).

Don’t let your happiness depend on something that you may lose. (C. S. Lewis, British professor and apologist)

What make you happy? When your favorite sports team wins a championship? When your investments earn a significant gain? Perhaps, when you receive acclaim because of some noteworthy achievement? Unfortunately, all of those great accomplishments are transitory; they’re gone all too quickly. Better find your joy in those things that are eternal.

All that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life      . . . is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:16-17).

Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. (Mike Lee, American pastor)

Victims of crime often plead for justice. What they want is to see the criminal caught and punished, getting what he deserves. Pastor Lee would remind us that each of us is indebted to God because of our sin and all of us deserve punishment. But in His mercy (undeserved), God offers grace (also undeserved) in response to faith in the work of Jesus on our behalf.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).

Leaders don’t create followers – they create more leaders. (Alex Absalom, church missions leader)

We sometimes say that a person is not a leader if no one is following him or her. Good leaders very likely have many who follow and are devoted to them. But Absalom takes the idea a bit further. Great leaders have followers, of course, but they reproduce themselves in their disciples, who, themselves, become leaders also.

Go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).

There are two great days in a person’s life. The day you were born & the day you discover why. (Kary Oberbrunner, motivation writer and speaker)

In the formative years of our lives, we only begin to discover who we are. Our associations with family, school, and playmates help us develop our personalities and abilities. But, a primary question for everyone is, “Why am I here?” Discovering that answer will affect our continued personal growth and enable us to make a worthy contribution to society.

It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. … I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me. (Philippians 2:13; 3:14)

Obedience never produces love, but love will always produce life change. (Source unknown)

While this statement might be true, it can surely be said that obedience can be a strong evidence of love. Disobedience demonstrates a lack of love or respect for the one being disobeyed. Moreover, if you exhibit true love, you will see a change in life. We should obey not because we have to, but because we respect those who are in authority over us.

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to [God’s] commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love (2 John 1:6).

Contentment is the antidote to complaining. (Many sources)

Someone else has said that the antidote is being grateful. In any case, no one likes to be around people who are disagreeable, always critical of others, and dissatisfied with their circumstances. To counter such unpleasant behavior, don’t waste time using logic. Demonstrate your own gratitude for life and contentment with what God has given you.

The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content (Proverbs 19:23).

An office is where an entrepreneur goes to hide from opportunities. (Dan Sullivan, U. S. Senator)

People who are gifted with unusual imagination and creativity often find it difficult to stay at a desk in an office. They need to be where the action is, where theory meets reality. In those settings, they exercise their unusual abilities to initiate futuristic ventures that often provide useful innovations for development. They find the opportunities for progress.

Do not neglect your gift … Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress (1 Timothy 4:14-15).

The illiterate of the 21^st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and re-learn. (Alvin Toffler, American writer and futurist)

Illiteracy is still a big problem in many parts of the world—underprivileged people who have never learned to read and write. Toffler, however, suggests that in the literate world there is a greater problem: people who can read and write but who have lost the ability to think outside the box, to question and research to find new answers in a changing world.

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. … Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. (Proverbs 1:5; 9:9).

Learning how to learn is one of the greatest skills anyone can have. (Mark Cuban, sports team owner and investor)

Education is an important issue in American culture. We spend millions of dollars in tax moneys and private funds to educate our children from pre-school through post-graduate studies. Is it possible that we’ve failed to teach the very first important lesson: how to learn? It isn’t memorizing facts; it’s applying truth to life. It’s called developing wisdom.

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding (Proverbs 3:13). Get wisdom, get understanding (Proverbs 4:5).