GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: March 19, 2023

Friendship #2

Friends are God’s way of taking care of us. (Author unknown)

Emblazoned on wall posters and sweatshirts, these words are a reminder that we are not alone and that God has blessed us with helpful and loving friends. God has promised to be with his children in times of difficulty. Quite often it’s when friends are present when we’re hurting that we recognize it is God’s way of sharing his presence with us in those tough times.

God . . . will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them (Hebrews 6:10).

Stop & Think: March 18, 2023

Friendship #1

It is a sweet thing, friendship, a dear balm, a happy and auspicious bird of calm. (Percy Bysshe Shelley, 19th century English romantic poet)

Life was never intended to be lived alone. When God brought humankind into his creation, it was a pair, perfectly matched for tending his creation and populating his world. After sin messed up the picture, human relationships became increasingly important. In addition to marriage, God brings friends into people’s experience which enriches lives immeasurably.

And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself (1 Samuel 20:17).

Stop & Think: March 17, 2023

Why?

Your whys have made you wise. (Lysa Terkeurst. author)

Why me? Why now? We often ask these questions when difficulties face in our otherwise peaceful lives. Terkeurst makes it clear that such questions can be very helpful to explain and learn from life’s hard situations. But, not having answers to the whys can make life even more difficult. That’s where faith is essential—not in our knowledge but in God’s perfect plan.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Stop & Think: March 16, 2023

Imprisonment

Imprisonment of the body is bitter; imprisonment of the mind is worse. (Thornton Wilder, 20th century Pulitzer Prize winning novelist)

The number of people in prisons around the world is staggering. Many deserve to be there, no doubt, but we fear for the many who are unjustly incarcerated.  Wilder suggests something even more frightening: the victims of brainwashing who are deprived of any opportunity to learn because of political or ethnic prejudices. Pray for the release of those unjustly imprisoned.

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned . . .  Let the oppressed go free and remove the chains that bind people (Isaiah 58:6).

Stop & Think: March 15, 2023

The Ides of March

Beware of the Ides of March (from Julius Caesar)

Those simple words refer merely to the middle of the month. But we hear them as a prophetic warning in Shakespeare’s play. They were a warning about potential political danger. People can be pretty superstitious about fictional warnings or common life experiences like Friday the 13th which happens every few months. Better to trust in the real and true.

Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me (John 12:44)

Stop & Think: March 14, 2023

Life Change

Real life change starts with one step and then the next. (Chris Suitt, pastor)

Suitt continues, “Surrender is a series of choices, not a one-off event.” We often find it difficult to give in to the changes we need to make for improvement in our health or lifestyle. The word “surrender” is appropriate because it may seem like we’re in a war when we know we need to change and we’re struggling with it. Choose to surrender to the changes you need to make.

All must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do (Acts 26:20).

Stop & Think: March 13, 2023

Life’s Races and Battles

Slow and steady wins the race. (Aesop’s Fables)

Another from Aesop: “The battle is not always to the strong.” These adages are simple but profound. Simple because they are easily understood. Profound because when they are considered in our actions, they can have powerful results. Like the hare and the turtle or David and Goliath, our best, steady efforts will result in the best outcomes.

And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us (Hebrews 12:1).

Stop & Think: March 12, 2023

The Now

Be intent upon the perfection of the present day. (William Law, 17th century Church of England priest)

We often look back at past experiences and regret that we didn’t do better. We get caught up in the “what if …” On the other hand, we may be tempted to look to the future with determination to make every experience the very best we can. Both may have some limited value, but as Law points out, it’s the present that we have to be intentional about. Work hard today to do your best.

Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. (Proverbs 6:4).

Stop & Think: March 11, 2023

Forgiving

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. (19th century Oscar Wilde, Irish poet)

When a friend offends you, most often unintentionally, it’s easy to forgive and forget. But when someone who really doesn’t like you offends you, it’s a bit more difficult to forgive. Our natural instinct is to fight back, to seek revenge. Wilde may be right, but our purpose in forgiving is not to hurt or harm the offender, but to bring him or her to a place of reconciliation and peace.

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven (Proverbs 17:9). Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you (Colossians 3:13).

Stop & Think: March 10, 2023

Beauty and Love

We have so mixed love with beauty and charm and sensuality and contact that we’ve robbed it of its higher call of cherishing and nurturing. (Late apologist)

So-called beauty pageants usually ask a serious question or two of the contestants, which seem to be merely incidental in determining the queen. It’s difficult to deny that it’s their physical beauty that wins the prize. The same can be said of shows where beauty determines who the guy or girl will fall in love with. It’s all the world’s misconception of beauty and love.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last (Proverbs 31:30) … Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty … or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Stop & Think: March 9, 2023

Problems

Problems should be solved on the spot as soon as they arise. (Jan Carlzon, Swedish businessman)

It’s probably human nature that makes us want to avoid problems, especially if they might include some kind of personal conflict. We like to put it off until another day, thinking either that the problem will go away, or we will have a solution later. Most of us have found out, however, that problems only seem to get worse when we delay facing them. Better get at it right away.

When you pray, if you remember anyone who has wronged you, forgive him so that God above can also forgive you (Mark 11:25).

Stop & Think: March 8, 2023

Friendship

Truth and tears clear the way to a deep and lasting friendship. (Marie de Rabutan-Chantal, 17th century French aristocrat and letter-writer)

Genuine friendship certainly requires truth, and the expression of tears will often solidify a relationship. Photographer Gabriela Catalina put it another way, “Friendship: a building contract you sign with laughter and break with tears.” As you evaluate your list of acquaintances, you can probably identify those true, lasting friends by those two elements: truth and tears.

There are “friends” who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).