GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: April 8, 2026

Hope

There is no future in any job. The future lies in the person who holds the job. (George Crane, late newspaper columnist.)

Graduates often pin their hopes on finding just the right job, the one that promises security and a successful future. In reality, while having the job one is truly fitted for is important, the critical issue is the employee. The job’s success depends more on the character and persistence of the worker than the job description.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Stop & Think: April 7, 2026

Hope

There is one thing which gives radiance to everything. It is the idea of something around the corner. (G. K. Chesterton, British apologist)

Life has its ups and downs for all of us. There are times when we feel really hopeless, thinking that nothing will ever be right again. But Chesterton reminds us that there is always tomorrow, always another day for things to improve, for our circumstances to change for the better. Wait expectantly with hope that tomorrow will bring a good new beginning.

Anyone who is among the living has hope. . . . There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off (Ecclesiastes 9:4; Proverbs 23:18).

Stop & Think: April 6, 2026

Hope

The house of delusions is cheap to build but drafty to live in. (A. E. Housman, English poet)

It’s easy to let your mind run away with you and dream dreams that are fanciful, fun, and pleasing to pursue. Since they have no real substance, such dreams are of little value except for momentary pleasure. When reality sets in, they are blown away as if in a windstorm. It’s better to keep our hopes in the realm of reality. Dream big but plan well.

Before you do anything, put your trust totally in God and not in yourself. Then every plan you make will succeed (Proverbs 16:3).

Stop & Think: April 5, 2026

Hope

Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible. (Anonymous)

The word faith has a variety of meanings, and is often very difficult to define. To have faith is to trust in something or someone. Of course, that faith is only as good as the one you’re trusting. The Bible asserts that faith must be placed in an invisible but ever-present God. Such faith is rewarded with unexplainable peace and hope.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

Stop & Think: April 4, 2026

Hope

Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America. (Dwight D. Eisenhower, late US president)

What Eisenhower said about America would be true of any nation and its people. The bigger question, however, is “What is the source of hope?” It would be misplaced in governments and social structures. But, like the word faith, hope can be found only in the God of hope who gives joy and peace along with overflowing hope.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

Stop & Think: April 3, 2026

Hope

Christians do not hope for something; they hope in someone. (John Stonestreet, apologist)

Stonestreet’s hope is based on the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a fundamental Christian doctrine. The Bible teaches that if Jesus was not raised from the dead, Christian faith is in vain, worthless. But the evidence of His resurrection is overwhelming, and the believer’s faith in Jesus is a certainty, not mere wishful thinking.

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1).

Stop & Think: April 2, 2026

Hope

One must not tie a ship to a single anchor, nor life to a single hope. (Epictetus, ancient Greek philosopher)

While the rest of us might wrestle with applying this metaphor, seamen will understand the philosopher’s reference to the value of multiple anchors. It surely would be a grave mistake to tie one’s life to a single hope if that hope is misplaced or untrustworthy. The good news is that the Bible presents a single hope that holds promise for life and beyond.

This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven (Hebrews 6:19).

Stop & Think: April 1, 2026

Hope

Hope: A trusting expectation that God is going to keep His word.

This month, we’re considering the promising thought of hope—the expectation that something we’ve wished for is likely to happen. Biblical hope is more than that, though. It is a certainty based on God’s Word that can be trusted. It’s a critical aspect of faith that one trusts in what God has said, and it’s the bedrock for faith, trust, and hope.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise (Hebrews 10:23).

Stop & Think: March 31, 2026

Leadership

Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another. (John C. Maxwell, author and speaker)

What makes a person a good leader? We’ve all known people who have risen to high positions and have impressive titles, but , in reality, are not good leaders. It’s not position but the ability to recruit and wisely use followers that makes for success. A good leader has a positive and challenging influence on those who work with him.

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account (Hebrews 13:17).

Stop & Think: March 30, 2026

Leadership

A leader is a peer who does not see himself as superior to or different from his followers. (Author unknown)

A good leader, then, is not an autocrat or a tyrant. He may hold a superior position in order to exercise his proper function, but he is not essentially different from those he is leading. It’s a truth sometimes hard to realize when society seems to evaluate success in terms of “climbing the corporate ladder.” A peer relationship will most often result in shared achievement.

Those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and . . . like the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3, paraphrased).

Stop & Think: March 29, 2026

Leadership

We become leaders of integrity when we learn to serve without concern for recognition. (Scott Morton, author)

Entrepreneurs who want to be leaders can be energized by a number of incentives. Some try to create a profit-making enterprise by introducing a new means of production or a unique strategy. Others may be motivated by ambition and self-promotion. Morton suggests respected leaders are more concerned about their contribution to society’s benefit than personal recognition.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3).

Stop & Think: March 28, 2026

Leadership

Accepting the conundrum that arrogance is weakness and humility is strength builds foundations for rich leadership. (Dan Rockwell, leadership guru)

A conundrum is a puzzle, an unusual idea. Rockwell explains this one a bit: “Arrogance creates emptiness. Humility builds connections.” In modern minds, humility is often seen as a weakness. The perspective that says, “You have to stand up for yourself and not let others walk all over you,” is backwards. Actually, just the opposite is true. Be a leader whose strength is humility.

Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves (Romans 12:3).