GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: September 14, 2026

Work

A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play. (Francois Auguste René Chateaubriand)

It’s been said that when a person loves his job, he never works a day in his life. That’s no doubt an exaggeration. It’s never just “all work and no play” or “all play and no work.” We really should do both. But if you can really enjoy your work so much that it’s almost like play or recreation, so much the better!

When God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God (Ecclesiastes 5:19).

Stop & Think: September 13, 2026

Work

Years ago, we discovered the exact point [that is] the dead center of middle age. It occurs when you are too young to take up golf and too old to rush up to the net. (Franklin P. Adams, 20th-century American columnist)

We really can’t tell when we’re halfway through our lives. When we’re young, it seems as if life will go on indefinitely. As we age, we recognize that our time is becoming short. Only God knows the number of our days. The important thing is to make the best use of the time we have, planning as if we’re going to live forever and working as if we’ll die tomorrow.

So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

Stop & Think: September 12, 2026

Work

Lazy hands make a man poor. (The Bible)

Several books of the Bible include warnings about poverty coming upon the lazy person. That seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Work is honorable, designed by God for man’s good, not only because it provides for our material needs, but it also makes it possible for us to give to the needs of others.

Make it your ambition . . . to work with your hands. . . . If a man will not work, he shall not eat (1 Thessalonians 4:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:10).

Stop & Think: September 11, 2026

Work

The greatest enemy of great is good. (Author Unknown)

Are we inclined to settle for good when we could do better? Old mail-order catalogs used to list products as good, better, or best. When it comes to our work, who is the target we want to please with our work? We should take the greatest pleasure in our work when it is done at our very best. Let’s do the best we can and not settle for good. Go for great!

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Stop & Think: September 10, 2026

Work

Man must strive, and striving he must err. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 18th-19th century, regarded as the most influential writer in the German language)

Not a very encouraging thought, is it? Are we doomed to failure? No, it’s more likely simply a warning that we will make mistakes. As important and difficult as mistakes are, it’s what we do afterwards that is the essential issue. What do we learn from the mistakes? How do we improve and move on? Ever striving and ever learning, that’s the ticket!

Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive (Titus 3:14).

Stop & Think: September 9, 2026

Work

What we do is not as important as why we do it. (Anonymous)

It’s all in the motivation, isn’t it? Do we do our good deeds to earn some personal benefit, to receive the accolades of others, or to improve our résumé? Or are we helping to improve life for someone else, to serve those in need, or to render a service to a deserving charity? Whatever we do, let’s do it thoughtfully and with proper intent.

For it is [God] who blesses you with bountiful harvests and gives you success in all your work (Deuteronomy 16:15).

Stop & Think: September 8, 2026

Work

Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. (Vince Lombardi, late legendary football coach)

They say that some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. They are rich because of mom and dad’s wealth, not from their own effort. People who are successful in business, music, or athletics may have been born with unusual talent, but they achieved their successes the old- fashioned way—they earned them. If you want to achieve anything, be sure to work hard at it.

Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper (Proverbs 13:4).

Stop & Think: September 7, 2026

Work

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. (Aristotle, 4th century BC Greek philosopher)

A great thought for Labor Day. If your work gives you pleasure, you will no doubt do a better job. As someone else has said, “What we do is not as important as why we do it.” It’s all in the motivation, isn’t it? Do we do our good deeds to earn some personal benefit, or are we helping to improve life for someone else? Whatever it is, let’s do it thoughtfully and with proper intent.

Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards (Proverbs 12:14).

Stop & Think: September 6, 2026

Work

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence. (Anonymous)

The old proverb says, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” Whatever we set our hand to do is worth our best effort. The quality of our work reveals something about our work ethic and character. Would you be pleased to be judged by your work? If not, it’s time to work at doing your very best.

Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave (Proverbs 12:24).

Stop & Think: September 5, 2026

Work

The real democratic . . . idea is not that every man shall be on a level with every other man, but that every man shall have liberty to be what God made him [to be], without hindrance. (Henry Ward Beecher, 19th century American clergyman)

“All men are created equal.” But what does that mean? We don’t all have equal talent, ability, or resources. That’s true, but the democratic ideal is that no one should be deprived of the opportunity to develop his or her abilities and skills to be all they can be. Because we’re not in this world alone, we should work to benefit others as well.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others (1 Peter 4:10).

Stop & Think: September 4, 2026

Work

Poverty is not virtue; wealth is no sin. (Charles Surgeon, late renowned preacher)

Some cultures regard wealth as an indication of God’s blessing. To be poor is thought to be evidence of wrong living. The Bible teaches that neither is true. Work is said to be virtuous, and the accumulation of wealth for selfish reasons is said to be sinful. The secret is what we do with what we have and how we regard our stewardship of what God entrusts to us.

Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time (Prov 13:11).

Stop & Think: September 3, 2026

Work

Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for? (Robert Browning, 19th century English poet and playwright)

If you’re a student, are you working hard to learn more, to do more than what’s required, to gain more involvement in your field of study? If you’re in the workforce, are you striving to be more efficient and effective? If we don’t try to do more than what’s required, we may miss out on the value to be gained by putting in the extra time and effort.

One thing I do . . . I press on toward the goal to win the prize (Philippians 4:13-14).