Daily Stop & Thinks

STOP AND THINK A thankful heart hath a continual feast. (W. J. Cameron, news anchor, columnist, author)

We sometimes speak of an attitude of gratitude, a continual sense of being thankful. Grateful people seem to complain less and to enjoy life more. Circumstances may not always be pleasant but they choose to be glad for the good things they have and to express their gratitude. Oh, that more people were like that!

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. (1 Timothy 4:4)

STOP AND THINK The greatest and noblest pleasure which we have in this world is to discover new truths. (Frederick II, the Great, 18th century Prussian king)

There may be nothing new in the world, as King Solomon said, but there remain truths to be discovered or re-discovered. The scientific data are ancient, but modern technology has only recently discovered how to engineer the data to produce the electronic marvels we use today. Likewise, there are intellectual and spiritual truths yet to be appreciated by many.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)

STOP AND THINK It is better to prepare than to repair. (Richard Krejcir, pastor and author)

“Think before you act.” “Measure twice, cut once.” These are reminders that careful advance work can save a lot of work. No one wants to go back and do it all over again. “Do it right the first time” is another worthy admonition. If we were to apply those principles to our words and actions, we’d no doubt develop better relationships and accomplish more good.

Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you. (1 Peter 1:13)

STOP AND THINK Those who turn back, remember the ordeal. Those who persevere, remember the adventure. (Milo Arnold, Christian author)

This quote is presumably from Arnold’s book, The Adventure Called Marriage. In the broader context of life, it is just as appropriate. When we quit our involvement in something difficult, we most often will look back on that experience as a trial. But, if we stick it out to a successful conclusion, we will likely view the experience with greater peace of mind.

Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)

STOP AND THINK Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike; they die without any idea of death. . . (Voltaire, 18th century French Enlightenment philosopher)

At first, that last statement might seem like a good thing. For animals, perhaps, but in reality, men recognize that there is an end to life and no man is exempt from death. So, the question is not if we’re going to die, but when. And, more important, what lies beyond the grave? Are we prepared for it?

It is appointed unto men once to die [and] after this the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)

STOP AND THINK The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically… Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

In America this is Martin Luther King, Jr., day, commemorating a leader in the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. King was more than an educator, a preacher, and a political activist. Perhaps, his role could be summed up in the term “educator.” Today’s quote is a reminder of education’s true purpose: intelligence with character (integrity).

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity. (Titus 2:7)

STOP AND THINK Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible. (St. Francis of Assisi)

We like to jump to the end, don’t we? We want to dream, to create, to build—sometimes before we’ve done the necessary groundwork. It’s important to start at the beginning, however—to learn the fundamentals, to do the required and what we are capable of doing. Then, it’s time to take a step of faith, perhaps, and move beyond the ordinary.

Jesus . . . said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)

STOP AND THINK Nature always takes her time. Great oaks don’t become great overnight. (Andrew Matthews, international speaker and author)

Patience is not a virtue to be found easily in modern society. We want what we want, and we want it right now. But almost anything of value and worth will take time and effort. Perseverance is a much needed trait today.

[We pray that you may be] strengthened with all power according to [God’s] glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience. (Colossians 1:11)

STOP AND THINK We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it. (C. S. Lewis, British Christian apologist)

As Mark Twain pointed out in an earlier “Stop and Think” quote, man is capable of knowing right and wrong. However, the ability to choose and do right rather than wrong requires more than good intentions. The more we struggle against our own inclination to do wrong, the more difficult it seems to overcome.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

STOP AND THINK With our thoughts we make the world. (Buddha)

Perhaps Buddha was thinking that we make our own world by the way we think, and that is certainly true to a certain extent. We can’t always choose our environment or circumstances, but we can control how we think and what we think about. Setting our minds on higher elements of life, we will find greater joy and contentment.

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)

It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere. (Voltaire, 18th century French Enlightenment philosopher)

We hear a lot about addictions today. There are all kinds, apparently—drugs, alcohol, food disorders, pornography—you name it. Some of them are publicly denounced; others are socially acceptable, it seems—eating too much, over-spending, sports fanaticism, to name a few. And it’s tough to free ourselves from those habits, especially if we don’t want to.

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. (Galatians 5:1)

STOP AND THINK When it is time to die, let us not discover that we never lived. (Henry David Thoreau, 19th century American author and philosopher)