GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: January 26, 2026

Choices

When you say no to what’s right, you lose the opportunity you would have had to learn something of value by doing the right thing. (paraphrase of retired minister)

There are times when we face the choice of doing what is right or something we know would be wrong. The latter choice may offer the prospect of gain or notoriety, but it would likely cost our personal integrity and maybe our reputation. Not only is it always right to do right, but failure to do so may forfeit the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and experience.

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ”Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right (James 2:8).

Stop & Think: January 25, 2026

Choices

You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices. (Deepak Chopra, Indian American writer)

The ability to choose is one of the few factors in life that we can control. We choose what to wear, who our friends will be, what work we will do, and so much more. So, when you are besieged with multiple outside voices attempting to influence your choices today, “think twice; choose once.”

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living (Romans 6:16).

Stop & Think: January 24, 2026

Choices

There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist or to accept the responsibility for changing them. (Denis Waitley, late motivational speaker)

Life can be very hard at times. When tough times come, how do we respond? Some feel victimized with a “there’s nothing I can do about it” attitude. It’s easy to give in, but it’s much better to say, “That’s tough, but it’s up to me to work this thing out and find a way to improve the situation.”

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him (James 1:12).

Stop & Think: January 23, 2026

Choices

Your choices create your reality. (Jason Harvey, actor)

Harvey continues, “You shape your future every day through the choices you make.” Much in life we can’t control—the weather or the pace of time, for example, but we are in charge of our choices. Every day provides multiple opportunities to make decisions that are either good or bad, even better or best. Today’s choices affect not only your life today but your future as well.

Today I have given you the choice between life and death,  between blessings and curses. . . .Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Stop & Think: January 22, 2026

Choices

Our life is the sum of the choices we make. (Retired pastor)

One of the few things we can control in life is our choices. From childhood, we began to make choices, and as we grew, the choices became more numerous, more difficult, and more important. Those choices pretty well determined who we are and how we behave now. It is critical, then, that we choose carefully in every circumstance of life.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).

Stop & Think: January 21, 2026

Choices

Three things you can’t recover in life: the moment after it’s missed, the word after it’s said, and the time after it’s wasted. (Source unknown)

Someone has added: “So choose your words wisely, embrace every moment you have with those you love, and never waste time arguing over things that will not matter in the last five minutes of your life.” Good advice! It’s extremely important, then, that we monitor and control our words and our time, leaving little to regret.

Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check (James 3:2).

Stop & Think: January 20, 2026

Choices

We are shaped by those things we habitually choose. (Aristotle)

We are constantly making choices, often without much forethought. When we make those choices again and again, they become habits and, as Aristotle suggests, those habits help shape our personalities. In a sense, we become what we do as a result of our own choosing. Be careful what you choose. Is it what you want to become?

Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose (Psalm 25:12).

Stop & Think: January 19, 2026

Choices

It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped. (Tony Robbins, life coach)

Expressing the same idea, a film some years ago was titled, “Decision Determines Destiny.” Another way of putting it might be “Choices have consequences.” There are not many things in life we can control, but making a choice or a decision is one we can. In light of the future outcome of our decisions, we must give careful thought when we choose.

Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold (Proverbs 8:10).

Stop & Think: January 18, 2026

Choices

You can never make the same mistake twice because the second time you make it, it isn’t a mistake; it’s a choice. (Michael Baisden, TV host)

No one is above making mistakes. We all do it. An honest mistake should not discredit an otherwise truthful person. But, when people repeat their mistakes, you might question their choices. When you become aware of a mistake, you have the responsibility to correct it and, even more importantly, not to repeat it.

A fool goes back and makes the same mistakes again (Proverbs 26:11). 

Stop & Think: January 17, 2026

Choices

True happiness consists not in the multitude of friends, but in their worth and choice. (Inspiration Line)

Young adults often look for satisfaction in big, noisy crowds—parties, music festivals, or entertainment centers—wherever there are lots of people and loud music. Often, they find themselves with people they don’t even know. How much better to choose good friends who have healthy values and relationships.

The righteous choose their friends carefully. . . . One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 12:26; 18:24).

Stop & Think: January 16, 2026

Choices

We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them. (Kahlil Gibran, late poet and visual artist)

As we grow and encounter life, we are preparing ourselves for the future without even realizing it. Our choices now have a direct effect on the experiences we will have even years later. Making bad choices now will likely influence the options we pursue in the future. On the other hand, choosing well in the present will help you make wiser and better choices later on.

Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness (Isaiah 35:10).

Stop & Think: January 15, 2026

Choices

Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values rather than personal gain. (Author unknown)

In modern America, we emphasize individuality and personal freedom. As important as those values are, they sometimes make us think and act without regard for others and their hopes and dreams. We must learn to make our choices, not so much on the basis of what will benefit us, but on the essential values of family and community.

In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:3-4).