Daily Stop & Thinks

Fears of what might happen in the future rob us of the joy of now. We miss out. (Jennifer Studio)

Many people seem to be afraid of life. They are often second-guessing themselves: “what if I had …?” The quote above also pondered, “How easily the what ifs can make us miss out on wonderful things in life.” The worries and fear of the unknown cannot be settled by second-guessing. Finding faith and trusting in God will ease the concerns of the future.

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:27). Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever (Psalm 125:1).

With greater freedom comes greater responsibility. (Victor Hugo, 19th century French author and dramatist)

Some seem to think that freedom means they can do whatever they want to do without any restriction. That view overlooks the accountability that comes with liberty. As children grow, parents try to instill in them a sense of duty that comes with more independence. Freedom gives us the opportunity to be productive, responsible human beings.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked (Luke 12:48)

Love is measured by what we do, not in the results we see. (Florent Varak, French pastor and author)

The same thing could be said about success, but we most often judge success by the results of an effort. Is a sports team successful if it loses a game? As the old cliché puts it, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” So, whether it’s love or success, we should judge the quality of the effort and process not just the result.

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night . . . Then you will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8).

In some practical way, some daily way, [we have to] figure out how to see people differently from the way we were brought up to. (A Paraphrase of Alice Walker, American author and activist)

Walker prefaced this quote with “I think we have to own the fear we have of each other …” Her counsel is wise. We need to rid ourselves of the fear of others, reject the prejudices we may have had, and learn to see people for who they really are. That, no doubt, will require changes in the way we think and act in everyday life. Learn to respect and love others.

Show proper respect to everyone (1 Peter 2:17).

If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember this whole thing was started by a mouse. (Walt Disney, entrepreneur and creator of Disney World)

That’s a very positive outlook on life, isn’t it? It surely would be an encouragement to someone who has a vision and the means to accomplish it. The dreamer must have resources, however, to achieve his vision: money, materials, connections, and much more, no doubt. The challenge to the visionary is to persevere and pursue his dream.

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:4).

Worry is a cycle of inefficient thought, centered on a fear. (Quoted by Corrie ten Boom, Holocaust survivor)

People worry about a lot of different things: money, romance, politics, crime—the list is endless. We all know, of course, that worrying doesn’t solve problems. As ten Boom says, it is a very inefficient method for solving problems. We must learn to face our fears, work out a plan to address the problem, seek counsel, perhaps, and be courageous in facing life.

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? . . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. (Matthew 6:27, 34).

It’s not how much we give, it’s how much love we put into our giving. (Mother Teresa)

The reasons for giving are many. Sometimes we give out of a sense of obligation; it’s something we should do, so we give. At other times we are motivated to give because we recognize serious need: giving to victims of a fire or a natural disaster. But the best gifts are those that are motivated by and accompanied with love.

But since you excel in everything [including the] love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7).

To live our lives and miss the great purpose we were designed to accomplish is truly a sin. (William Wilberforce, 19th century British anti-slavery leader)

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why am I here?” “What’s the purpose of my life?” Those are essential life questions that most of us have asked at some time. Wilberforce sees the question as of the greatest importance. Life’s purpose is more than just to “eat, drink, and be merry.” Discovering your personal purpose in life should be a primary pursuit.

I press on to take hold of that for which [God] took hold of me. . . . one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me (Philippians 3:12-14).

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).