Daily Stop & Thinks

STOP AND THINK – To live without deadlines is to live an inefficient, unorganized life, drifting with the breeze of impulse on the fickle wave of moods. (Charles Swindoll, minister and author)

Some people work easily with deadlines. Others of us prefer a freer lifestyle without deadlines. Swindoll points out their value, however: “We set deadlines because they help us accomplish the essentials—they disciple our use of time.” If we are to give account of how we used time, it would be wise to keep the end in sight.

For lack of discipline [the wicked] will die, led astray by their own great folly (Proverbs 5:23).

STOP AND THINK – You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have really lived are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love. (Henry Drummond, 19^th century Scottish writer and lecturer)

People are moved into action by a variety of motives. Sometimes, those reasons are purely selfish; others may be for good purposes but are pursued more for self-aggrandizement than anything else. As Drummond suggests, however, accomplishments of any lasting value are those that were intended for the best interest of others. That’s what love is about.

All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord (Proverbs 16:2).

STOP AND THINK – Passion is like an artesian well—when tapped, it brings life and energy to even the most barren desert. (Ken Duncan, Australian professional photographer)

Some people go through life in a sort of humdrum fashion. They take things as they come; they do their daily chores, mostly without complaining. But there doesn’t seem much that captures their imagination. They rarely get excited about anything. As Duncan says, when you become passionate about your activity, it energizes you and brings excitement to life.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord (Romans 12:11).

STOP AND THINK – Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler. (Albert Einstein, noted scientist)

That’s quite a statement from one of the most brilliant minds of the 20^th century. Only a few intellectuals could understand many of his theories and formulas. Yet, this quotation is striking. If the complicated can be made simple enough for most of us to comprehend, a lot is to be gained. On the other hand, to oversimplify is to inhibit study and learning.

Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning (Proverbs 9:9).

STOP AND THINK – I’ve always felt that the great high privilege, relief and comfort of friendship was that one had to explain nothing. (Katherine Mansfield, pen name of Katherine Murry, fiction writer)

Real friends are trustworthy, respecting each other’s privacy and supporting them in every way possible. Outsiders may want to know why and how, but true friends don’t demand or expect an explanation. Friends patiently wait until compatriots are ready to talk; but, even then, talk is not necessary. The loyalty of friends is invaluable and supportive.

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy (Proverbs 12:22).

STOP AND THINK – You can observe a lot by watching. (Yogi Berra, professional baseball player and manager)

Berra was well known for his malapropisms. It is not only humorous, but what he said here is insightful. Do we really see what we’re looking at? The same can be true of what we hear. Sometimes we hear someone speak, but we’re not really listening, so we can’t profit from it. This is true, also, about observing and seeing. So, be sure to see what you’re seeing.

This is why I [Jesus] speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand (Matthew 13:13).

STOP AND THINK – What you leave behind is not what is engraved on stone monuments but what is woven into the lives of others. (Pericles, 5^th century B.C. Greek statesman)

This is an ancient observation that remains as true today as ever. While we might think it’s important to be memorialized with monuments and historical archives, what’s of greatest importance is what we leave behind in the lives of those we’ve influenced, not only for their remembering us but for their lives and their social impact.

The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them (Proverbs 20:7).

STOP AND THINK – We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them. (Kahlil Gibran, 20^th century Lebanese-American artist, poet)

As we grow and encounter life, we are preparing ourselves for the future without even realizing it. Our choices now have a direct effect on the experiences we will have perhaps years later. Making bad choices now will likely influence the options we pursue in the future. On the other hand, choosing well in the present will make it easier to choose better later on.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).

STOP AND THINK – If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrows. (Chinese proverb)

Quite often our anger is expressed in an unexpected moment. Our angry words cannot be taken back, and even if we apologize, the damage has been done, and the hurt may remain for a long time. If we could just control our anger for that moment, as the proverb suggests, we would save ourselves and those we’ve hurt a lot of heartbreak and anguish.

For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife (Proverbs 30:33).

STOP AND THINK – The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for. (Zig Ziglar, author, salesman, and motivational speaker)

At times it seems that we are living in an age of ingratitude. People are so concerned about their rights and entitlements that they don’t appreciate what they already have or are about to obtain. When we learn to live with an attitude of gratitude, we not only gain an appreciation for what we have, but we begin to see with appreciation what we might achieve.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

STOP AND THINK – Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts. (John Wooden, renowned coach and counselor)

In the search for success, we often think that when we achieve it, we will have finally arrived. However, there is always something more to accomplish. Likewise, when we fail, it’s not the end, either. We must get up from our failures and courageously work that much harder and wiser to achieve a worthy goal that will benefit us and our community.

God holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless (Proverbs 2:7).

STOP AND THINK – Hope: A trusting expectation that God is going to keep His word. (Author Unknown)

Dictionary definition:  to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true. Sounds pretty indefinite, doesn’t it. To the contrary, biblical hope is a certainty based on God’s Word. His word can be trusted. It’s a critical aspect of faith, trust in what God has said. The bedrock for faith, trust, and hope, then is the Bible, God’s revealed Word.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. … Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 6:19; 10:23).