Daily Stop & Thinks

Work is not, primarily, a thing one does to live, but the thing one lives to do. (Dorothy Sayers, 20^th century English writer)

Sayers’ comment may seem trite to some, but it strikes at the very purpose of human life. When God created man and woman, he gave them a job to do—not only for His good purposes but for their own satisfaction and well being. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15).

You should mind your own business and work with your hands, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser. (Socrates, 4^th century BC Greek classical philosopher)

Those ancient words could well be attributed to an observer of today’s political scene. Gone are the days, apparently, when debaters can be gracious and friendly toward each other after the debate has ended. Today, it seems that the debates never end. What’s worse, it often isn’t the debated issues that are discussed but the character of the debaters. How sad and unhelpful!

Remind the people . . . to be obedient . . .  to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone (Titus 3:1-2).

Faith makes things possible, not easy. (Church signboard)

Everybody has faith in something—religion, hard work, education, a political worldview, and many more options. When someone says, “Keep the faith,” what do they mean? At least, it’s an encouragement to be faithful to what you believe. However, faith is not always easy. The bigger question is not how strong your faith is by what is the object of your faith?

 In him (Christ Jesus our Lord) and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12).

Without the element of uncertainty, even the greatest business triumph would be dull, routine, and eminently unsatisfying. (J. Paul Getty, late American industrialist)

There may not be many of us who could face our uncertainties with the same attitude Getty had. Too often we try to avoid anything that may be vague or uncertain. We’d like a better prospect of success with little or no chance of failure. Getty is probably right, however, that overcoming uncertainties and achieving success make life more satisfying.

Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times come, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life (Ecclesiastes 7:14).

Too much learning and not enough doing will turn you into an “over motivated underachiever.” (Darren Hardy, author and speaker)

Can you really learn too much? The brain is almost limitless in what it can handle, we’re told. But most of us realize that knowledge alone is not enough to bring us satisfaction and completion. We have to put what we know to work. As Hardy says, we have to know and to do in order to reach our potential and achieve our goals.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

No executive has ever suffered because his subordinates were strong and effective. (Peter Drucker, 20^th century management consultant)

Some leaders tend to hire staff who will affirm all their strategies and decisions without dissent. They are what we call “yes men,” always agreeing with the boss’ decisions. That really isn’t good for the organization and its future. Good leaders depend upon staff who are competent and trustworthy, unafraid to give contrary counsel when needed.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed (Proverbs 15:22).

There is no limit to the human capacity for self-rationalization. (Chuck Colson, late Christian apologist)

Did you ever think that someone is “fooling himself/herself” because he or she refuses to recognize a weakness or they think they are better at some task or activity than they really are? But, wait! That same fault is likely true of all of us at some time or another. Taking a careful look at ourselves with the counsel of others might well prevent us from tragic mistakes.

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought (Romans 12:3).

Happiness is like jam. You can’t spread even a little without getting some on yourself. (Inspirational Line)

Do you remember what it was like when you were little and tried to make your own peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Not only did you get the peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth, you probably also had jelly all over your face. You just couldn’t help it. If we could just spread happiness like that, it would be a happier world, wouldn’t it?

A happy heart makes the face cheerful (Proverbs 15:13). Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise (James 5:13).

The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want now. (Zig Ziglar, late motivational speaker)

We live in a generation of “me first” and “right now” people. Some of us have not outgrown our behavior as kindergartners when we always had to be first at the drinking fountain. And, like children, we still want our desires fulfilled immediately. Delayed gratification is a trait of adulthood and maturity that some of us have not achieved yet. But, it’s past time to grow up!

When I was a child . . . I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me (1 Corinthians 13:11).

Courtesy is the idea “that no one give any kind of preference to himself” (C. S. Lewis, British scholar and author)

Does the proliferation of “selfies” on social media suggest something about personal image and self-interest? We even see people “photo-bombing” others’ pictures—that is, inserting themselves where someone is taking a picture, so they are in it, too. Courtesy seems to be a lost practice today. As Lewis suggests, we need to think of others before ourselves.

In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:3-4).

A trait of virtue is doing the right thing even when you don’t feel like it. (Stonestreet and Kunkle, authors)

When being watched closely, probably most people will try to do the right thing. But, what if no one’s watching or no one will likely find out what you’re doing? How do you respond to the temptation to follow your feelings, which don’t always lead you to the right choice? Virtue is conforming to what is right. Making the right choice is always an evidence of true virtue.

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out (Proverbs 10:9).

Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly. (Kary Oberbrunner, motivational speaker and author

It’s often been said that “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” And we would all agree with that, no doubt. Could Oberbrunner be saying, “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly”? Can’t a worthy project have value even if it isn’t done perfectly? That’s an encouragement to us who don’t always do things as well as we’d like.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).