Daily Stop & Thinks

STOP AND THINK To be sure, reputations are not always accurate. Yet, in the long run we usually get a reputation that is close to what we deserve. (Dan Doriani, Presbyterian pastor)

Character is what you really are; it’s a matter of integrity. Reputation is what people think you are; it’s a matter of observation. What you do will ultimately reflect what you really are because what you are does come out in what you do.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

STOP AND THINK Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Ignorance is no excuse, they say. Even sincerity will not make up for activity based on incorrect information. You can be sincerely wrong, because you haven’t tried to find the truth and learn from it.

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. (1 Peter 1:14)

Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending everyone except God.
(Billy Graham, 20^th century evangelist)

Today’s emphasis in society seems to be tolerance. It’s politically incorrect to say or do anything that would offend anyone. The only problem is that speaking the truth may sometimes be offensive. Tolerance of wrongdoing is not a virtue. It offends God.

Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. (Ezekiel 18:31)

The way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement.
(Charles Schwab, Founder and chairman of the Charles Schwab Corporation)

Apparently, Schwab knows more than just how to help people invest their funds well. He understands what it means to invest in people. Men and women most often respond to words of thanks and support more than any other motivation.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.
(Elbert Hubbard, 19^th-20^th century American writer, artist, philosopher)

A noble thought but terribly difficult to practice. Americans seem never to be satisfied and are always wanting more. But happiness can be found in less rather than more.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.
(Hebrews 13:5)

Hate is like a cancer. It doesn’t matter if you have a little cancer or a lot of cancer — it’s still cancer. (Inspiration Line)

To hear the doctor use the big “C” word is a frightening experience. It doesn’t matter if it’s small; it’s still scary. Sin is a lot like that, too. Even the smallest of wrongdoing can ruin one’s life and hope.

After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:15)

Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.
(David Hudson Burnham, 19^th-20^th century American architect)

When a designer draws plans for a huge project, it creates excitement and a desire to see the completed masterpiece. When we make any plans, we would do well to dream big it will motivate us to give it our best and pursue success.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and . . . to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

In our life there is a single color, as on an artist`s palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love. (Marc Chagall, Russian-French artist)

Your emotions do affect everything in your life, don’t they? What is the emotion most often reflected in your attitudes? If it’s love, it will certainly paint a beautiful picture people will be drawn to.

Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs. (Proverbs 10:12)

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
(Berthold Auerbach, 19^th century Jewish-German poet)

Music is certainly one of God’s great gifts to man. While there is a great variety of types and styles of music, almost everyone appreciates some kind of the art. It can create a wide range of responses from melancholy to joy. The Bible instructs us to use music to praise God and to encourage our fellow men.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19)

In darkness God’s truth shines most clear.
(Corrie Ten Boom, Dutch Christian survivor of Nazi oppression in WW II, in The Hiding Place)

The darker the environment, the brighter a light shines. And it is in times of deep distress that aid from the outside seems so much more helpful and encouraging. Don’t disregard times of stress and darkness, for they often offer greater light and understanding.

You [Jehovah God] have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. (Isaiah 25:4)

Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. (Inspiration Newsletter)

Instead of coveting the talents that others may possess, each of us should discover and exercise our own talents, gifts we were given by God. What a boring life it would be if everyone exercised the same talent! The beauty of our lives is partly because of the variety of talents we enjoy from others. Consider the analogy of the human body.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? (1 Corinthians 12:17)

Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you.
(Don Miguel Ruiz, Mexican author and spiritualist)

Our natural tendency is to take everything very personally. We quickly think that what others do or say is about us. Occasionally, that is true, but, in reality, others are responsible for their own thoughts and deeds, and we should respond always with grace.

A prayer to God: Then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart. (2 Chronicles 6:30)