Daily Stop & Thinks

STOP AND THINK – Are you okay with serving even if you are not the main act? (Mike Lee, American pastor)

We should be grateful for many people who serve us in a variety of ways, and we should try to serves others, too. As in many things, motivation is a key element. Why do we serve? Is it for recognition, an award, perhaps? Someone with a true servant’s heart wants only to help others without expecting anything in return except the satisfaction of being a help.

The Son of Man (Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve. (Matthew 20:28)

STOP AND THINK – I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time—waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God—it changes me. (C. S. Lewis, 20^th century British Christian apologist)

When we face difficulties and dangers, most of us are inclined to pray. “Lord, save us,” may be all we blurt out when we’re in imminent peril. But Lewis is looking at prayer, not as a last-minute appeal for deliverance, but as a necessary communication with God because of an intimate relationship with Him. Prayer doesn’t change God, but it will change the pray-er.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2)

STOP AND THINK – Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work. (Rita Mae Brown, American writer)

Creativity, trust, instincts, hope, work—these are very valuable concepts whose meanings cannot be fully grasped in a sentence or two. Creativity is innate; we all have it to some degree. Trust is only as good as its object, so be cautious about instincts. If hope is only a wishful desire, then you had better work hard to achieve goals.

You should mind your own business and work with your hands. (1 Thessalonians 4:11)

STOP AND THINK – He who does not live in some degree for others, hardly lives for himself. (Michel de Montaigue, 16^th century French essayist)

Montaigue was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance. Perhaps he was awakening a more humane element in the current culture. Certainly, his sentiment is worth our consideration. As someone else has said, man is not an island; he must live in context with others. It is in our own best interest, then, to be positively involved in the lives of others.

Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed (Proverbs 11:25). In humility value others above yourselves . . . looking … to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:3-4)

STOP AND THINK – Education, like happiness, is individual, and must come to us from life and from ourselves. (Will Durant, 20^th century American historian and philosopher)

Durant also says, “Do not depend upon teachers to educate you … follow your own bent, pursue your curiosity bravely, express yourself, make your own harmony.” Perhaps the quote is out of context, for surely the author is not saying that we can learn all we need to know by ourselves. It is important, though, to understand that we are responsible for our own learning.

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. (Proverbs 1:5)

STOP AND THINK – Happiness is not easily won; it is hard to find it in ourselves, and impossible to find it elsewhere. (Nicolas Chamfort, 18^th century French writer)

Apparently, according to Chamfort, the idea of “happy-go-lucky” is not realistic. Wow, is happiness really that hard to achieve? If it cannot be found outside ourselves, where can a person find it? Since we often make happiness dependent on our feelings or our immediate circumstances, perhaps it can be found only in the spiritual realm.

To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness. (Ecclesiastes 2:26)

STOP AND THINK – A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life. (Muhammad Ali, heavyweight boxing champion)

During childhood and adolescence, we learn a lot about life and we gain the essentials for living. As Ali suggests, however, learning must not stop at a certain age. As we learn, we gain a better perspective on life. People who are constantly learning, whatever their age, are the people who are continually growing, who become successful and fulfilled.

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 have always grown from my problems and challenges, from the things that don’t work out, that’s when I’ve really learned. (Carol Burnett, American actress and comedian)

The difficulties we face in life often seem to be insurmountable. When we encounter them, we become discouraged, we want to quit, to just give up. In her life, Burnett discovered that persevering paid off. In fact, it was from those very difficulties that she learned lessons that helped her succeed. Don’t discount problems; let those challenges be opportunities to learn.

Keep your head in all situations, endure hardship (2 Timothy 4:5). Endure hardship as discipline (Hebrews 12:7).

STOP AND THINK – Man is a creature of hope and invention, both of which belie the idea that things cannot be changed. (Tom Clancy, American novelist and historian)

Hope does seem to be inherent in mankind. We are always looking for something better and hoping for the best. Maybe, a lot of that hope is because of our ability to search, discover, and invent. As Clancy suggests, those characteristics ought to encourage us to work for positive change. Things don’t have to stay as they are if we make the effort to improve them.

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:25)

STOP AND THINK – Falsehoods don’t become truth by their repetition. (Jesse Deloe, teacher and editor)

Somehow we seem to think that if we hear something often enough, it must be true. That seems to be the reasoning behind many TV commercials. Constant repetition—sometimes at fast-paced and high decibel levels—is impressed on our memories, so we often accept what is being related as truth. We would do well to check the facts to verify authenticity.

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable . . .think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

STOP AND THINK – Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything. (Tim Timberlake)

Those are the extremes of life, aren’t they? If we have struggled with having too little, we know how difficult it is to be in need and have no resources. On the other hand, when we have a lot, we often fall into the trap of putting our faith in “things,” and feeling secure. But many people will acknowledge the importance of being happy in either circumstance.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. (Philippians 4:12)

STOP AND THINK – It’s not the “learned” that make great leaders, but the “learners.” (Quoted by Neil Cole, church planter and author)

We often look to the scholars, the academically-trained teachers to provide strong leadership. And some highly educated learners do give strong and valued leadership. However, as suggested above, the greatest leaders are often those men and women who are still learning, who don’t think they already know it all. They lead best by learning with their followers.

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