Daily Stop & Thinks

STOP AND THINK – What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are. (C. S. Lewis, British Christian apologist)

It’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? We don’t just hear things objectively. Our hearing, or at least our understanding, is the result of our worldviews, our prejudices, and preconceived ideas. Even our personalities taint what we hear. Do you listen as a pessimist or an optimist? As open-minded or biased? How’s your hearing, my friend?

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. (Proverbs 23:12)

STOP AND THINK – Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on our own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon. (Denis Waitley, American motivational speaker and author)

What do you want to achieve in life? What do you expect to get out of life? According to Waitley, the answers to those questions pretty well determine what you will accomplish. We become what we think, so be careful what you put into your mind and how you evaluate your goals and desires.

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (Romans 12:3)

STOP AND THINK – We cannot choose how many years we will live, but we can choose how much life those years will have. (John Maxwell, American motivational speaker and author)

No, we can’t determine our life span, but we can choose how we will live the years that are given to us. “Adding life to years” is the advertising jingle for a retirement community. Their goal is to help their residents realize that life is more than just living. We are the ones who determine the degree of “life” that we will enjoy in our later years.

Jesus: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

STOP AND THINK – Reading is a means of thinking with another person’s mind; it forces you to stretch your own. (Charles Scribner, Jr., publisher)

The higher the literacy rate, the more likely an educated and prosperous people. When you can read, you have access to the accumulated knowledge of the ages. You can discover and analyze the thoughts of others, and then reject or adopt them as your own, enlarging your impact on your world.

I have written [these letters] as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. (2 Peter 3:1)

STOP AND THINK – Man’s mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension. (Oliver Wendell Holmes, early 20th century associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court)

The power and value of ideas can hardly be exaggerated. What’s more, when a new idea enters your mind, it seems to generate other ideas, never before thought of. And your mind is never the same. The opportunity to learn and to grow has increased, making learning an unending life-long experience.

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, (Proverbs 1:5). Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still. (Proverbs 9:9)

STOP AND THINK – Procrastination is the thief of time. (Roadside billboard)

Many people have acquired a well-developed habit of procrastination. Mañana is their mantra. “Don’t do today what you can put off till tomorrow,” they say. But time is a precious commodity; we all have only so much of it. So we should use it, not steal it.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

STOP AND THINK – Correction does much, but encouragement does more. (Goethe, 18th & 19th centuries German writer and politician)

Educated Americans often seem to be in a correcting mode. We critique the words and actions of everyone, and “to help them,” we offer our corrections. Sometimes that may work well, but how much better to give a word of encouragement.

Be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2)

STOP AND THINK – The greatest motivational act one person can do for another is to listen. (Roy E. Moody, late motivational speaker)

Listening is mostly a lost art. Even when someone is speaking to us—perhaps pouring out his or her heart—we’re often mentally phrasing our response instead of really hearing what is being said. Let’s make an attempt to listen and really hear our friend’s heart. That will likely mean more to them than any advice we may offer.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak. (James 1:19)

STOP AND THINK – When we have enough clarity to turn “Life’s Lemons” into sweet lemonade, we realize what a gift those lemons were! (Inspiration Line)

It’s hard to be grateful for the unexpected problems and difficulties that come into our lives, isn’t it? But, if we look back on those “lemons” and the good that may eventually have come from them, we should be thankful.

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

STOP AND THINK – “But” after an apology is like whipped cream on a pickle; they don’t go together. (Erick Ohman, American pastor)

If we place conditions on our apologies, we really haven’t apologized. “I’m sorry, but…” will discredit the sincerity of the apology. For it to be accepted, make sure there are no “ifs,” “ands,” or “buts.”

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as God . . . forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

STOP AND THINK If you want to enjoy the rainbow, be prepared to endure the storm. (Warren Wiersbe, American pastor and author)

There are many experiences in life that we can enjoy, but many of them are the result of a stormy event that preceded them. So, when difficulty faces us, we must remain steadfast in anticipation of the “rainbow” to follow.

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me. (Philippians 3:13-14)

STOP AND THINK – Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact. (William James, 19th-20th centuries American philosopher)

Sounds too simple, doesn’t it? Yet, if you are down on life, pessimistic that any good can ever come in your life, you are surely doomed to unpleasantness and a sense of worthlessness. Take a more positive attitude and you may discover the joy of worthy living.

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:8)