Daily Stop & Thinks

STOP AND THINK -I believe the unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.
(Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Those are two powerful instruments: truth and love. Truth alone, unvarnished and not relativized, and love, freely given and unconditional—used together can overcome the most powerful of opponents. But where do you find them? The answer is to be found in the revelation of God.

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. (2 John 1:3)

STOP AND THINK – We cannot change our past or the way people will act. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. (Paraphrased from Charles Swindoll, American pastor and author)

Swindoll is right. As much as we might want to, we cannot change the past or the way people act toward us. We might even hope to change certain consequences of our deeds. But we can’t. However, whatever the circumstance, we can and must control our attitudes, thinking positively and graciously toward others.

You were taugh, . . . to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires [and] to be made new in the attitude of your minds. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

STOP AND THINK – We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn. (Henry David Thoreau, 19th century American author and philosopher)

What is it that gets you going? Does the ring of the alarm clock find you ready and eager for a new day? Or do you need a cup of strong coffee in the morning to get off to a good start? Thoreau seems to offer the challenge that looking forward eagerly to new opportunities every day is the way to enjoy life and find fulfillment.

Awake, my soul! … I will awaken the dawn. (Psalm 57:8)

STOP AND THINK – A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer. (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century American essayist)

Probably very few people ever plan to be a hero. It just happens when an occasion arises that demands a brave response. Men and women who have been in the heat of battle will often confess to fear and thoughts of running away. But some value within them enables them to stick it out, to face the danger, and an ordinary person becomes a hero.

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)

STOP AND THINK – We are what we believe we are! (C. S. Lewis, British Christian apologist) A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes. (Mahatma Gandhi, advocate of non-violent disobedience in India)

What we think really determines how we live. Our moral and ethical standards are the result of how we think about God, life, and values. And the way we think about those things pretty much defines who we become. It is paramount, then, that we put into our minds those things that are worthy and proper if we are to be all that we could be.

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

STOP AND THINK – One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks. (Inspiration Line)

It’s a given: We all face obstacles and difficulties in life. We can’t always avoid them, so the question is, “How do we handle those problems?” Successful people use imagination and determination to turn difficult situations into some useful advantage.

I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

STOP AND THINK The breadth of your library will enhance the depth of your life. (Quoted by Rev. Jim Brown)

With the advent of television, e-mail, and social media, the skill of reading may be a lost art in the 21st century. Perhaps the advent of e-readers will revive the habit of reading books. Let’s hope so, because the wisdom of the world and the understanding of culture and tradition hidden in books will be lost if we don’t continue reading the great literature.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it. (2 Timothy 3:14)

STOP AND THINK The only person you should try to do better than is the person you were yesterday. (Author unknown)

We often compare ourselves with others. We wish we were as good-looking or as talented as so-and-so. Or, though we would probably never say it aloud, we sometimes think we’re not as bad as, or we’re more talented than somebody else. In either case, we should take an honest view of ourselves and try to improve day by day over what we have been.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment. (Romans 12:3)

STOP AND THINK You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of your choice. (Author unknown)

We all like the freedom of choice, don’t we? To be able to make our own decisions, to pick out what we want and not be restricted to what others might choose for us. But, we must always be aware, that choices have consequences. Think first; then choose. Be prepared to have your choices and deeds judged.

The Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done . . . and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14-15)

STOP AND THINK If you treat an individual … as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be. (Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 18th-19th century German writer, artist, and politician)

The way we respond to people, the way we act and react toward them, contributes to their view of themselves and their achievements. So, we should be very careful in our relationships, trying not to be negative and critical but positive and helpful.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. … 
Let us encourage one another. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

STOP AND THINK It’s not what you look at that matters; it’s what you see. (Henry David Thoreau, 19th century American author and philosopher)

Two people look at a rose plant. One sees the thorns; the other sees the blossom. Likewise, two might be facing a perplexing situation. One sees the hurdles to overcome, the problems to solve, the difficulties to wrestle with. The other, aware of all those things, sees the great opportunities inherent in the situation. Life could be more pleasant if we were more careful to see the positive in what we look at.

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” (Matthew 13:14)

STOP AND THINK In suffering, God is not getting back at you; He is getting you back to Himself. (Bob Kellerman, psychologist and author)

People often think that sickness and suffering are punishments from God. More often, however, they are the result of viruses, injuries, hereditary anomalies, and the inevitable spread of disease. If God allows you to suffer, perhaps He is merely giving you time to think more seriously about life and, particularly, your relationship with Him.

But those who suffer [God] delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. (Job 36:15)