Daily Stop & Thinks

There is no kind of ultimate goal to do something twice as good as someone else. It is just to do the job as best you can. (Chuck Yeager, first pilot to break the sound barrier)

It’s good to set goals, but they should be reasonable. What’s the special value in doing something “twice as good as someone else”? Setting goals should be for the purpose of self-improvement, not to be better than another person. Our goal always should be to do the very best we can with the opportunities and abilities God gives us.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved (2 Timothy 2:15

When I look at my life in its full sweep, what I realize is that the only things that give me sustained joy . . . have to do with the people I’ve helped. (Charles Colson, late founder of Prison Fellowship)

Chuck Colson was a man of intelligence, vision, and compassion. He was the author of best-selling books and winner of prestigious awards, but he took no pride in such things. His passion was to help those most often overlooked by society. We would do well to follow his example and work to help people rather than seek temporal recognition.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:10).

The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. (William James, American philosopher and psychologist)

As children, we didn’t understand that there is more to life than the now. We didn’t think beyond what we might be doing at any given time. As we grew, we learned that there are many tomorrows; in fact, they will continue beyond our lifetime. Hopefully, we’ve learned the great value of contributing to those worthy causes that will last long into the future.

For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life (Proverbs 9:11). As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians 4:1).

Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody. (Robby Novak, child actor)

A simple, childlike expression of a valuable concept: encouragement. How do our friends feel after they’ve been with us? Are they let down or uplifted? Have we given them something worthwhile to hope for? We would do well to remember and practice the Golden Rule.

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you (Matthew 7:12).

Don’t survive your life. LIVE IT! (Oliver Edwards, Canadian pastor)

Life may sometimes be very difficult. Sometimes we ask, “Can I ever get through this day?” The ordinary burdens of everyday life are difficult enough at times, and when something else hits us, like illness or job loss, it becomes almost overwhelming. Edwards encourages us not to think merely in terms of survival, but to persevere and live life to its fullest.

Jesus: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. (Michael Pritchard, actor and youth counselor)

Someone else has said, “If you laugh a lot, when you get older, your wrinkles will be in the right places.” We’ll never be too old to laugh, and to make someone laugh is a pleasure enjoyed by both parties. We too often think of old age as a time of sadness and depression. It ought not to be. Let’s continue to laugh a lot and cause others to laugh with us.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh (Luke 6:21).

I am not afraid of failing, I am afraid of being successful at something that doesn’t matter. (Quoted by Morris M. Michalski, coach and basketball specialist)

Coach “Mo,” as he was known, quoted an athlete with a unique perspective on success. It’s an interesting and challenging thought, isn’t it? We can learn a lot from our failures, so when we stumble, it doesn’t have to be a complete loss. But, nothing of real value is gained if we succeed at something that really “doesn’t matter.” Pursue worthy accomplishments!

For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again (Proverbs 24:16).

The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. (Orison Sweet Marden, 19th-20th century inspirational author)

Marden continued, “It is not in your environment, it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone.” Too often we’re inclined to blame other people, our circumstances, or bad luck when we can’t seem to achieve our goals. While we certainly do need help from others, the motivation for success must come from within.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15-17).

It is harder to win back the friendship of an offended brother than to capture a fortified city. His anger shuts you out like an iron bar. (The Living Bible)

Remember when you were a child and you had a falling out with your best buddy? It hurt for a while, but it wasn’t long before you were best buds again. Perhaps you’ve discovered that it isn’t like that when an adult upsets a friend. Sometimes it seems almost impossible to make amends and restore a good relationship. It must begin with loving forgiveness.

[Love] keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:6).Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone (Colossians 3:13).

The avoidance of legitimate suffering means we also avoid the growth that problems demand of us. (Swindoll, American pastor and author)

No one in his right mind likes to suffer. We avoid suffering at all costs—with medication, alcohol, or any other means of escape. Yet, some pain is helpful, even necessary. Without it, how would we know we’ve burned or injured ourselves? More importantly, it is often when we’re hurting that we learn important lessons that help us grow and mature.

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold (Job.23:10).

Failure seems to be regarded as the one unpardonable crime, success as the one all-redeeming virtue, the acquisition of wealth as the single worthy aim of life. (Charles Francis Adams Jr, Civil War Union army officer)

Adams’ observation is as relevant today as it was a century-and-a-half ago. The “all-mighty dollar” seems to be the most sought-after goal for many in our 21st century society. For some, that’s what success is all about, and failure to achieve that goal is “unpardonable.” All of these ideas, however, are temporal and passing. We should be pursuing higher goals.

But seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).