GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: October 18, 2023

Service

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. (Mahatma Gandhi, 19th-20th century independence activist in India)

Some young people and dissatisfied adults move away from their normal lifestyle, seeking, as they say, to “find themselves.” Identity crises are in the news today because so many people can’t seem to cope with their inadequacies or feelings of inferiority. Gandhi’s suggestion would go a long way toward helping people recognize their true identity and worthiness.

I plead with you to . . .  be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind [God] will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him (Romans 12:1).

Stop & Think: October 17, 2023

Recognition

Don’t worry when you are not recognized but strive to be worthy of recognition. (Abraham Lincoln)

Most of us want our “15 minutes of fame,” but that alone is not a worthy ambition. Successful accomplishments deserve honor, but Lincoln’s admonition is really helpful. Whether acknowledged publicly or not, living with integrity and humility will be recognized by the One who is our final judge.

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ (Philippians 1:27).

Stop & Think: October 16, 2023

Productive Patience

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time. (Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace)

Tolstoy wrote first, “Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow—that is patience.” Impatience is a common characteristic of the young and immature which is rarely outgrown. Of course, patience requires time, which is used for resting, thinking, or planning the important work that precedes fruitful action.

Better to be patient than powerful . . .. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence . . .  with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness. (Proverbs 16:32; 2 Peter 1:5-6)

Stop & Think: October 15, 2023

Kindness

Kindness is thrown away upon the evil. (Aesop’s Fables)

Is this really a good life-principle? Remember that a fable is intended to enforce a useful truth and is sometimes a legend or a story that may or may not be true. This fable may represent too many people who think revenge (rather than kindness) is the best response to evil. But those who live that way miss the joy of seeing how kindness can produce an unexpected, warm response.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them . . .. Never pay back evil with more evil. (Romans 12:14, 17)

Stop & Think: October 14, 2023

Life’s Traps

So you’re in one of life’s bunkers today? You hit it in there, now hit it out! (Jim Sheard and Wally Armstrong, golf writers)

This golf event illustrates one of life’s realities. The golfer doesn’t intend for his ball to land in a sand trip, but, yes, he is the one who hit it there. The wind may have carried it off course, but the wind won’t get it out of the trip. As in life, the troubles we find ourselves in are most often the result of our miscues. We got ourselves there; we’re the ones who have to get us back on course.

The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time (Psalm 34:19). 

Stop & Think: October 13, 2023

Rest

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it. (Sydney J. Harris, 20th century journalist)

It’s one of those suggestions that seem counter-intuitive. When I’m so pressed for time that I don’t even want to take my coffee or lunch break. The deadline is fast approaching and there is still too much to do. Sydney’s advice, however, may be the very practice that will prevent the stroke or heart attack that could create an even longer and unproductive pause.

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones (Psalm 127:2).

Stop & Think: October 12, 2023

The Latest and the Best

The best equipment in the world, used improperly, won’t elevate your game an inch. (John Freeman, literary critic)

In sports, as in life generally, most people look for the best equipment available—the state-of-the-art skis, running shoes, exercise equipment—whatever is the latest. In the tech world, it’s the fastest computer, the smartphone with the most bells and whistles. But using the new stuff most often ends in frustration. (Ask any senior citizen about his newest phone).

Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away. (1 Corinthians 7:31)

Stop & Think: October 11, 2023

Service

You need an attitude of service. You’re not just serving yourself. You help others to grow up and you grow with them. (David Green, founder of Hobby Lobby)

One might wonder what happened to Green’s premise today. Service agencies seem to have difficulty finding employees who have a sense of loyalty to their employer, much less a concern for those they serve. But a strong attitude of service will go a long way in developing one’s self-esteem and, more than that, help others in their own self-respect and growth.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10).

Stop & Think: October 10, 2023

Procrastination

Someday is not a day of the week. (Janet Dailey, late American novelist)

“I really want to read that book – visit that beautiful garden – write that essay I’ve been planning, and I will someday.” Haven’t we all said something like that? But as Dailey suggests, there is no such time as someday. We should be challenged by what Spanish artist Pablo Picasso said, “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die left undone.”

When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, . . .. Keep all the promises you make to him (Ecclesiastes 5:4)

Stop & Think: October 9, 2023

Time

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot. (Michael Altshuler, motivational speaker)

Everyone is given the same amount—60 minutes an hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, etc. It is constant; it doesn’t slow down or speed up. As humorist Art Buchwald put it, “Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got.” Although time seems to go faster as we age, the important issue, of course, is how we use the time God has given us.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven . . .. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time…Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11; 8:5)

Stop & Think: October 8, 2023

Rejecting God

If we reject God, then the concepts of right and wrong, good and evil, become blurred at best and totally disregarded at worst.  (Kip Cone, pastor)

In today’s society the distinctions Cone speaks about have been lost. It’s as if white is seen as black and black, white. Relativism argues that there is no inherent right and wrong. What is wrong for you may be okay for someone else. No wonder we can’t seem to reduce today’s rise in crime. A return to a belief in God and his standards might just be the right answer for today.

When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong (Ecclesiastes 8:11)

Stop & Think: October 7, 2023

Success

A huge obstacle to success is the fear of appearing foolish. (Tom Roy, sports coach)

Do you remember what it was like the first time you played in a piano recital? Or when you ran out on the field to play your first game before a crowd? Many of us feared the first oral report we had to give in school, whether in 5th grade or in college. We probably feared making mistakes, didn’t we? Working hard to get past those jitters is a big part of achieving success.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).