GOD OF HOPE

Daily Stop & Thinks

Stop & Think: April 24, 2022

Aging

Age is just a number. (Joan Collins, English actress)

Many have added a joke line, “Yes, and mine is unlimited.” Maybe that’s just an attempt to escape the reality of getting older. The late self-help author, Napoleon Hill, commenting on age, said, “Our only limitations are the ones we set up in our own minds,” We can’t know the limit of our time, but we can be very careful to make good use of it for the benefit of others.

Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. (Psalm 71:18)

Stop & Think: April 23, 2022

Forgiving

Only a reckless confidence in a Source greater than ourselves can empower us to forgive the wounds inflicted by others. (Brennan Manning, late author and public speaker)

Why is it so difficult to forgive someone who has hurt you with words of ridicule or criticism? Even if the person apologizes and asks us to forgive him or her, sometimes it seems so hard to say “I forgive you” with a sincere heart. It’s just not in our nature, is it? We’d prefer to harbor a grudge or retaliate. That gains nothing of course; we need to find the Source Manning speaks of.

Put up with one another. Forgive. Pardon any offenses against one another, as the Lord has pardoned you. (Colossians 3:13)

Stop & Think: April 22, 2022

Questions

Your whys have made you wise. (Lysa TerKeurst, author)

Who am I? What am I here for? Answers to those identity questions may help us feel we have value and purpose. Then there are the questions about activity and scheduling. But the harder questions might be: Why is this happening to me? What is the purpose of this trial? And what we learn from these answers may be the very means of our learning how best to deal with life.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Stop & Think: April 21, 2022

Confidence

Faith moves us to do great things during tough times. (John Smith, pastor)

When we’re faced with really difficult circumstances, we may feel that there are few options for the future. Seeking counsel and assistance from others may be one helpful path to pursue. But, even when that doesn’t work, we may have to fall back on our own training and experience, believing we can do it. Of course, trusting in the God of help is a wise step.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

Stop & Think: April 20, 2022

Tell the Truth

A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes. (Jonathan Swift, 17th-18th century Anglo-Irish satirist)

Have you ever played Gossip? One person whispers a comment in another’s ear, which is then whispered from person to person. The original statement is almost always very different by the end of the line. That’s why it is so important to always repeat and share truth carefully. Distorted truth can be painful and harmful. Always be truthful.

An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies. … The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth. (Proverbs 12:17, 22)

Stop & Think: April 19, 2022

Identity

The journey inward is the most difficult of all our life travels. (Jodi Kreun, Jewelry artist)

It was Socrates, the 5th century B.C. philosopher. who said, “Man, know thyself.” Still today many people are having difficulty “finding themselves.” Identity has been a critical search for many people. And it’s that personal self-knowledge that influences so much of our interaction with others. Discovering who God has made us to be will bring contentment and purpose in life.

Once you had no identity as a people; now you are Gold’s people. (I Peter 2:10)

Stop & Think: April 18, 2022

Interdependence

Pull a human out of a meaningful group and he or she begins to fall apart. Every “me” needs a “we.” (Thaddeus J. Williams, author)

That certainly contradicts what actor Humphrey Bogart is quoted as saying, “Ain’t nothing a man can’t do if he believes in himself.” It’s not like “I’ll do it my way,” which seems to be a popular attitude today. Independence is a great privilege, but most of us have discovered that associating with a group of like-minded people makes life much more worthwhile.

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:15)

Stop & Think: April 17, 2022

Easter

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. (Often attributed to Mark Twain)

Do you agree? Discovering why you were given life is certainly a key to your sense of self-worth and value. But there’s another day even more important for everyone: the day of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It promises a life of value now and for eternity for those who put their trust in him.

Jesus: “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.” (John 11:25-26)

Stop & Think: April 16, 2022

Obstacles

You can focus on things that are barriers or you can focus on scaling the wall or redefining the problem. (Tim Cook, business executive)

Many of us can be easily stymied by anything that stands in the way of our progress. We just don’t want to face those obstacles; we’d rather move on to something else. But Cook points out a much better way. Face the difficult issues and, rather than avoiding them, study them more carefully to discover ways to potentially overcome the difficulty and move on to success.

Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people. (Isaiah 57:14)

Stop & Think: April 15, 2022

Real Love

Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold. (Zelda Fitzgerald, 20th century American socialite)

Poets write about it. Songwriters provide lyrics for music about it. Books, movies, and TV try to explore and explain it. Fitzgerald is probably right from a human perspective. But on this Good Friday, we can remember with thanksgiving the real demonstration of love. May you be blessed with compassion, patience, and love toward humanity, especially today.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Stop & Think: April 14, 2022

Who Am I?

Our deities shape our identities. (Thaddeus J. Williams, author)

Some people don’t identify with God at all. Yet Williams would suggest that we all have our little gods (idols). It might be wealth; everything we do or think about, is for (or about) the accumulation of more. Sports, entertainment, work, popularity—almost anything can take so much of our time and effort that it becomes like a deity to us. Beware! What identifies you?

Jehovah: “You must not have any other god but me” (Exodus 20:3). So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols (1 Corinthians 10:14).

Stop & Think: April 13, 2022

Simplicity

Simplicity is the glory of expression. (Walt Whitman, 19th century poet and essayist)

We live in a complex age. That’s pretty much an understatement. Trying to find something on the Internet can often prove to be frustrating. The instructions for an “easy” assembly project can be equally exasperating. The old K.I.S.S. advice would be good to follow today. (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) When we can breakdown the complex to the simple, we can save a lot of heartbreak.

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. (Psalm 19:7)