GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: November 19, 2023

The World

Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is ‘finding his place in it’. . . (C. S. Lewis, late British scholar)

When someone has achieved “the American Dream,” he likely feels that he has arrived. Prosperity has made him king, at least of his own little world. But Lewis continued: “. . .while really [the world] is finding its place in him.” The Bible warned against just such a prospect. Things of the world are temporary; keeping them in perspective in view of eternity is essential.

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you (1 John 2:15).

Stop & Think: November 18, 2023

Growing Up

It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then. (Lewis Caroll, English writer and poet)

Have you ever gone back to your childhood neighborhood? What was it like? Did it conjure up memories from those days long past? Did you find that things seemed much smaller and less exciting than your memories of them? Of course, the biggest change was not in the past memories but in your present status. You’ve changed—hopefully grown in personal maturity.

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

Stop & Think: November 17, 2023

Legacy

What you do now becomes your legacy. (Barbara Ridley, businesswoman)

We often don’t think of our legacy until we begin to consider end-of-life circumstances and what we might leave to our heirs. Even then, we’re mostly concerned about material possessions. What are more important, however, are the intangible assets we pass on: shared memories and experiences, lessons of integrity and incentive. What legacy are  you leaving your children?

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold (Proverbs 22:1).

Stop & Think: November 16, 2023

Wisdom

Wisdom is shown by its results. (Jesus)

Webster says that wisdom is “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.” The biblical writer James describes four kinds of wisdom: “earthly wisdom, intellectual wisdom, devilish wisdom and the wisdom from above,” James 3:15-17). And Jesus explains that the “proof of the pudding” is in the outcomes. True wisdom has good results.

Wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it (Luke 7: 35).

Stop & Think: November 15, 2023

Self-Image

You are what you think yourself to be. (Stephe H. Bashor, late 19th & early 20th century evangelist)

People who feel that they are less important than others may have what we call an inferiority complex. Just the opposite is true of those who consider themselves better than others. As Bashor suggests, such people usually behave in keeping with the way they see themselves. But to think realistically about what God has made us to be is to be satisfied and productive.

Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves (Romans 12:3). Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too (Philippians 2:3-4).

Stop & Think: November 14, 2023

Being a Crusader

The humblest citizen of all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error. (William Jennings Bryan, late 19th and early 20th century political activist)

Bryan was a noted orator and politician, running in three US presidential elections. He is noted, also, as a witness for the prosecution in the so-called “monkey trial” in Dayton, Tennessee, opposing the teaching of evolution in public schools. He was a devoted Christian whose witness encouraged others who are less well known to pursue just causes fervently.

Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper (Proverbs 11:11).

Stop & Think: November 13, 2023

Self-control

Greater is he who controls his spirit than he who takes a city. (The Bible)

We celebrate winners with awards and accolades—even parades for a victorious military leader or a championship sports team. Stars in sports, literature, and the arts are honored and sometimes idolized. But the lives of some “stars” reflect a lack of control of their attitudes, speech, and behavior. Fame fades quickly, but a life of self-control and selfless sacrifice is long remembered.

A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls (Proverbs 25:28).

Stop & Think: November 12, 2023

Opportunity or Obstacles?

If you believe it’ll work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you don’t believe it’ll work out, you’ll see obstacles. (Wayne Dyer, writer and motivational speaker)

Dyer seems to be suggesting that the attitude you take before beginning a project is key to your success. A positive attitude enables you to see beyond the difficulties and grasp the prospects of achieving your goals. The pessimist, on the other hand, recognizes possibilities for good but is hindered by the perceived hindrances that might stand in the way.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance (Romans 5:3).

Stop & Think: November 11, 2023

Veterans’ Day

We don’t know them all, but we owe them all. (Source unknown)

Today, we honor the men and women who have served in the military in defense of our country. Every day we ought to thank the men and women we see—sometimes with a cap from a service tour—for their service. Our freedoms have been won and are maintained by God’s gracious giving us service personnel and enabling them to do the essential tasks of protecting us.

Pay to all what is due them . . .  respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor (Romans 13:7).

Stop & Think: November 10, 2023

Outlook

Better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right. (Mark Twain, 19th-20th century humorist and author)

When the pessimist’s gloom and doom about a future event does not come true, he might say, “Well, I hoped I was wrong.” The optimist, on the other hand, is likely to be right more often than wrong, because a positive attitude goes a long way in achieving a goal. When he’s wrong, he pursues the next project with equal expectation of success.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise (Hebrews 10:23).

Stop & Think: November 9, 2023

The Pursuit of Happiness

The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it’s all that matters. (Audrey Hepburn, late movie actress)

Hepburn certainly caught the apparent aim of today’s modern society. Whatever the cost, and no matter who else may be involved, happiness seems to be the goal of almost everyone. Wanting to be happy is not wrong, of course. but happiness is not a goal to be achieved. It is the result of pursuing a life of integrity and service. Want to be happy? Love and serve others.

For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies (1 Peter 3:10).

Stop & Think: November 8, 2023

Smile!

We cannot control the beauty of our face, but we can control the expression on it. (John Maxwell motivational speaker and author)

People are most often identified by their appearance. We recognize their face, even though we may not recall their name. But it’s the expression on the face that gives us a least a hint of how they’re feeling or what might be their current attitude. If we take Maxwell’s comment to heart, we could make a big difference in what others feel just by a smile.

As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person . . .. A glad heart makes a happy face. (Proverbs 27:19; 15:13)