GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: January 11, 2026

Choices

Temptations are everywhere. It’s your job to avoid them. (100 Devotionals)

It’s obvious, isn’t it? We are constantly faced, either directly or by innuendo, with opportunities to do wrong, to give in to baser emotions. Even magazine ads and TV commercials can tempt us to do something we know we shouldn’t. But whether it’s as simple as overeating or drinking too much or something far more sinister, it’s always our choice.

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. . . .When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Stop & Think: January 10, 2026

Choices

The secret to happiness, of course, is not getting what you want; it’s wanting what you get. (Rabbi Hyman Schachtel, late cleric)

This is a very difficult lesson for children to learn—and even adults struggle with it sometimes. It seems so natural to think that if we can just have what we want, we will be happy. But, of course, there’s always something else, something more we will want. Choosing to be content with what we have is an important key in discovering happiness.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (Philippians 4:12).

Stop & Think: January 9, 2026

Choices

It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. (J. K. Rowling, British author and philanthropist)

We admire talented people—Olympic stars, great orators, and artists of various kinds. We’re often in awe of their accomplishments and think they are the result of their natural talents. But is their athletic or artistic ability the true evidence of their character—who they really are? It isn’t our talents and abilities; it’s how we choose to live that’s most critical.

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity (Proverbs 11:3).

Stop & Think: January 8, 2026

Choices

We are defined by our choices, not our circumstances. By the choices we make and the choices we don’t make. (King Abdullah of Jordan)

Many of us try to explain away some of our troubles by blaming them on our circumstances. If people only understood what we are going through, they would be less critical of our decisions and actions. King Abdullah makes it clear, however, that regardless of our current circumstances, we are responsible for the actions that result from our choices.

A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one (Ecclesiastes 10:2).

Stop & Think: January 7, 2026

Choices

True discernment means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. (Sinclair Ferguson, Scottish theologian)

Many people today would not remember Sears and Roebuck catalogs. Most products were listed by categories, indicating good, better, and best. The choice was up to the buyer. There’s a lot in life like that. We can settle for something that’s good, passing over options that are better. Our choices should always be for the very best we can be or do.

Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold (Proverbs 22:1).

Stop & Think: January 6, 2026

Choices

Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be. (Abraham Lincoln)

It’s a simple statement that many might disagree with. When you are sad and unhappy, is it because you want to be? That may be hard to admit, but often it seems to be true. After all, we can “make up our minds” about a lot of things. Although we can’t always change our circumstances, we can choose to adopt a better attitude.

For as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

Stop & Think: January 5, 2026

Choices

What you believe must determine how you behave. (Warren Wiersbe, late pastor & author)

Why do we choose to do the things we do? There may be different influences that cause us to do this or that, but in the end, we most often act based on what we believe. When we think something is true, we’ll move in light of that truth. If, on the other hand, we doubt it, we most likely will not act on it.

You will succeed in whatever you choose to do, and light will shine on the road ahead of you (Job 22:28).

Stop & Think: January 4, 2026

Choices

Is it not by the courage always to do the right thing that the fires of hell shall be put out? (James Smith Bush, Episcopal clergyman)

The Bible says, “If anyone . . . knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them” (James 4:17). So, we know we ought to do the right thing. But it isn’t always easy. Sometimes, circumstances or the influence of others make it seem okay to do wrong. As Bush reminds us, however, choosing to do right may take courage, but it’s always best.

Let the one who does right continue to do right (Revelation 22:11).

Stop & Think: January 3, 2026

Choices

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing that you might make one. (Elbert Hubbard, 19th-20th century writer)

How many times have you hesitated to start a project because you were afraid you might make a mistake? We all have such fears, but the truth is twofold: 1) it isn’t absolutely certain that you will slip up; 2) even if you do, blunders aren’t fatal. In fact, we often learn so well from our mistakes that we do much better when we try again.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26).

Stop & Think: January 2, 2026

Choices

If I need to change or improve my behavior (and who doesn’t), I shouldn’t need the artificial date of January 1 to inspire me to action. (Alan Terwilleger, Worldview commentator)

New Years’ resolutions are usually simple confessions that we haven’t been or done all we could have in the past year, and that we’d like to do better this year. As Terwilleger suggests, however, the change of the calendar is not sufficient motivation to improve. It will take an act of our will, in fact, a daily choice to work at doing what we know we should to improve.

Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13).

Stop & Think: January 1, 2026

Choices

This month our daily “Stop and Think” thoughts will relate to our understanding of the choices we have to make.

Choosing is a decision to select one thing, person, or course of action in preference to others. Each day demands untold numbers of choices, some not very important but others of great significance. We need to remember that the choices we make result in consequences, which should be considered before we make the choice.

A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one (Ecclesiastes 10:2).

Stop & Think: December 31, 2025

New Year’s Eve

As we bid farewell to what was, we bid welcome to what will be. Celebrate endings because they precede new beginnings. (Jonathan Lockwood Huie, author)

The end of one year and the beginning of another often bring mixed emotions. We sometimes like to hang on to the old things; at other times, we can hardly wait for new starts. As we anticipate all that will happen in 2026, we are eager to begin new projects and make new friends, hoping that at the end, it will all have been for our good as well as the good of those around us.

The end of a matter is better than its beginning (Ecclesiastes 7:8).