Daily Stop & Thinks

You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. (John Bunyan, 17th century English writer)

Bunyan forces us to think carefully about how we live our lives. He argues that doing something—no matter how noble—with the expectation of being repaid is living selfishly. We haven’t really lived, he seems to say, until we learn to serve others without any prospect of being rewarded or even recognized.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others. . . . If anyone serves, they should do so . . . that in all things God may be praised (1 Peter 4:10-11).

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. (W. T. Purkiser, preacher and author)

It’s common in prayer to thank God for His blessings without being very specific. An old hymn encourages us not only to count our blessings but to “name them one by one.” As Purkiser suggests, we should do more than talk about the good things we have. We should make use of them for our own growth and to encourage and help others.

Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted (Proverbs 11:11).

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire, for hospitality in the hall, [and for] the genial flame of charity in the heart. (Washington Irving, 19th century American writer and diplomat)

Just two weeks to Christmas, and people are thinking a lot about the holiday. Irving’s comments are heart-warming and comforting. But, is that all that Christmas is about: comfort and good will? That’s often what it looks like in the decorations and celebrations, but you must look in the Bible to discover its real significance.

 When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law (Galatians 4:4).

Be honest with yourself, and you will find the motivation to do what you advise others to do. (Vince Poscente, motivational speaker)

It’s easy to give advice. We all seem to like to do that. But, Poscente says you can profit by listening to your own advice: “Walking your talk,” he says, “is a great way to motivate yourself. Before I counsel someone else about his life or work, I would do well to be sure I’m following my own advice. That gives me a platform from which to offer advice.”

The wise listen to advice. … Wisdom is found in those who take advice. … Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. (Proverbs 12:15; 13:10; 19:20).

I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. (Thomas Jefferson, founding father of the United States)

Some people seem to think that achieving success depends on luck. And that circumstances have to be just right for you to accomplish much of value. Jefferson suggests that hard work just might be the reason that successful people have “good luck.” Luck or not, hard work will always accomplish more good than waiting for luck to strike.

 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23).

Opportunities don’t happen, you create them. (Chris Grosser, entrepreneurial businessman)

Most of us have been told time and time again that opportunity knocks only once, so we’d better grab it when we can. Grosser, however, implies that we shouldn’t wait for the knock; it may never rap on our door. Instead, we have to create our own opportunities. In any case, we should always be on the alert to see or create openings for advancement.

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

You cannot be anything you want to be—but you can be a lot more of what you already are. (Tom Rath, management consultant and author)

Rath’s comment is a correction on the common idea that if you try hard enough you can be anything you want to be. Americans like to think that’s true, but in reality there are a lot of factors that limit what any one person might be able to achieve. But Rath’s observation is helpful; maybe you can’t be what you want to be, but you can be a better you.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed. (2 Timothy 2:15).

When you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done. (Often attributed to Thomas Jefferson)

A variation of this statement suggests “You must be willing . . .” Repeatedly doing what you’ve always done will almost certainly produce the same results you’ve always had. To achieve something different, you may have to be creative, initiating new ways to experiment or pursuing untried paths. Don’t be afraid to try something different.

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means (2 Corinthians 8:11).

No prison is as endless as the prison of perfection. (Max Lucado, preacher and author)

Andrew Murray wrote, “You are confined only by the walls you build yourself.” Self-imposed imprisonments may be more difficult to live with than incarceration. And the worst may be the demand for perfection. It’s so difficult, in part, because none of us will ever be perfect. Only God is perfect and can forgive us our imperfections.

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him (2 Samuel 22:31). The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul (Psalm 19:7).

Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone. (Charles Schultz, late creator of the comic strip “Peanuts”)

Christmas is just three weeks away, and already many are planning their gift-giving. Schultz suggests doing a little extra this year, and Peg Bracken, another American author, offers a helpful idea: “Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.” Begin to think now about how you can spend time with and give love to others.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18).

To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing. (Fred Shero, professional hockey player and coach)

That’s not a very comforting thought, is it? But, it’s probably true. The only people who aren’t criticized are those whose existence is hardly noticed. If you want to succeed in life, you are very likely going to be criticized for something at sometime. So, get use to it. Don’t be defeated by it. Work, improve, take good counsel, and move ahead.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you (Psalm 32:8).