Daily Stop & Thinks

STOP AND THINK – Where you go and what you do tells people what you are. (Zig Ziglar, late motivational speaker)

It is true that what you are is more important than what you do. What’s inside you is essential, but the externals are important, too. Where you go and what you do, as Ziglar suggests, is very important because your activity reveals your inner character. What’s inside will ultimately expose the real you. So, be careful what you say and do.

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45)

STOP AND THINK – Leaders understand that activity is not necessarily accomplishment. (John Maxwell, author and motivational speaker)

This is what Maxwell calls the “Law of Priorities.” In a frenetic time like ours, we seem to think that a lot of activity means a lot of progress and achievement. Just be busy working or playing at something, and things will turn out well. Well, we’ve all seen a lot of unproductive activity, haven’t we? It’s important to prioritize to do good so we can achieve the best results.

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives. (Titus 3:14)

STOP AND THINK – The more time you give to something, the more you reveal its importance and value to you. (Rick Warren, pastor and author)

Our use of time and money will pretty accurately reflect our priorities or, as Warren says, their “importance and value” to us. Hours spent in sports, watching them on TV, traveling to sporting events—such behavior might pretty well show what we value most in life. It would be good for us to examine the use of time in order to make sure our priorities are right.

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

STOP AND THINK – Since changes are going on anyway, the great thing is to learn enough about them so that we will be able to lay hold of them and turn them in the direction of our desires. (John Dewey, American philosopher and educator)

Change seems to be one of the few constants in life. Dewey suggests, “Conditions and events are neither to be fled from nor passively acquiesced in; they are to be utilized and directed.” We should not fear change, and we dare not ignore it. We must approach it with a view to using it to our best advantage; minimize the bad in it and maximize the good.

Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it. (Ecclesiastes 7:12)

STOP AND THINK – In every crisis there is a message. Crises are nature’s way of forcing change. (Susan Taylor, editor, writer, and journalist)

Legend has it that the Chinese word for crisis is made up of two words meaning “danger” and “opportunity.” Whether that’s an accurate translation or not, it does suggest the best way to look at crises when they occur. Often, as Taylor says, a crisis may force us to make a change for the better. So, we should accept the crisis and work toward beneficial change.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. (Ephesians 5:15-16)

STOP AND THINK – Do what you can, where you’re at, with what you have. (John Wooden, renowned basketball coach)

Do the tasks before you seem insurmountable? We look at their immensity or difficulty, and we think we can’t do much. Wooden says, however, that whatever we can do, do it. Don’t look for something far away, perhaps more glamorous; do what you can right where you are now. And don’t think you haven’t enough resources; use what is at hand.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others. (1 Peter 4:10)

STOP AND THINK – Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. (Winston Churchill, World War II British prime minister)

When we’ve accomplished something significant, we may think that our success will continue unendingly. On the other hand, when we stumble and don’t do well, we may think we’ll never be able to do anything well again. Churchill reminds us that neither is true. We must get up and with courage move ahead to greater achievement.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. (Joshua 10:25)

STOP AND THINK – I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. (Maya Angelou, African-American poet)

We should be careful about what we say to people. Did we say the right thing? Were we critical? Did we make a joke at somebody’s expense? It’s important to remember that it’s not merely the words we use, but the tone and accompanying body language. The question always is how we made someone else feel. Aim to make them feel good.

Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect. (James 3:2)

STOP AND THINK – Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed. (Wayne Dyer, self-help author and motivational speaker)

Dyer is encouraging people to live in the present; don’t fret over the troubles or losses of the past, and don’t worry about the unknown future. Live for now. For a lot of people that is good advice, no doubt. But, we need to be reminded that, while life is not just a rehearsal, it is only temporary, and there is a future to be aware of and prepare for.

The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death. (Proverbs 10:16)

STOP AND THINK – The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one. (Marianne Williamson, teacher, author, and lecturer)

Williamson is emphasizing the importance of each individual. She says further, “Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us.” That’s all true, of course, but a more important issue might be the specific influence an individual has. It begins with personal integrity and seeking after the good.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

STOP AND THINK – Change is the end result of all true learning. (Leo Buscaglia, author and motivational speaker)

We live in an age of learning. Resources are readily available to study almost any subject. But, as the Bible says, we may be “… always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). Unless knowledge of truth is applied to life, there will be no change—thus, no learning.

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives. (Titus 3:14)

STOP AND THINK – Leaders don’t force people to follow; they invite them on a journey. (Charles S. Lauer, healthcare publisher)

A leader who forces people to follow is a dictator or tyrant, someone who doesn’t give his “followers” a voice in the direction or goal of their trip. The successful leader, who has a willing and happy following, is one, as Lauer says, who invites people to join him. How much easier it is to follow when we are invited to go along and are involved in the planning.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people. (Matthew 4:19)