Daily Stop & Thinks

Work II

We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are. (Oprah Winfrey, TV personality)

Can contentment ever become complacency? That is, if we are really satisfied with what and where we are at any given time, will that stifle possible growth and improvement? There may be so much more we can be and do if we recognize that learning and growth are important—even critical—to becoming all that we are intended to be, especially for the benefit of others.

Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave. (Proverbs 12:24)

Work I

There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There’s only scarcity of resolve to make it happen. (Wayne Dyer, self-help, best-selling author)

Jobs are sometimes hard to find. At other times, there are lots of jobs, but they are often in fields that we have no interest in or are not trained for. Dyer argues that if you are really determined to work at something you care about, you’ll find a way to do it. What a challenge! Work hard to determine your skills and resources and begin to diligently pursue that desired work.

I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. (Ephesians 3:22)

Sacrifice

Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice and is never the result of selfishness. (Napoleon Hill, American editor)

Success in life often requires giving up a great deal of time, effort, or expense to reach your goals. The athlete spends hours in the gym or on the track, building up his body and strength in order to win. The musician uses constant discipline to practice his or her skill to become the very best at his instrument. How much am I willing to give to accomplish worthy goals? 

Jesus: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

Leadership

Good leaders must first become good servants. (Robert K. Greenleaf, leadership author)

Many people aspire to be leaders, whether it’s in education, athletics, or politics. Few achieve success without learning good principles of leadership. The most successful leaders have learned their role by, first of all, being good followers, having learned what it’s like to be led well and observed the qualities and practices of successful leaders. Note the example of Jesus.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others. . . (Matthew 20:28)

Little Things II

If you believe in a God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things. (Elisabeth Elliot, author and speaker)

Elliot continues, “It is we, of course, to whom things look “little” or “big.” For an all-knowing and all-powerful God there is neither big nor small. He “handles” them all with ease, working out his ultimate plan which involves both kingdoms and nations but people, too, who may or may not be so important in the view of others.

God has chosen what is weak and foolish of the world, what is hated and not known, to destroy the things the world trusts in. (1 Corinthians 1:28) 

Little Things I

You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction. (Alvin Toffler, late American futurist)

Many of us tend to disregard “little things,” wanting to concentrate on the “big things” of life. Toffler warns us, however, that the big things won’t work well if we haven’t lined up the little things in a reasonable, logical plan that makes the big things work. Another way of saying it might be that, in a certain sense, “there are no little things.”

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. (Luke 16:10)

Words

The sooner our kids can identify what is in the water they’re swimming in, the better. The best place I know of to start is with the definition of words. (John Stonestreet, worldview writer)

Old ideologies and new ones are being argued all across the United States, and Stonestreet expresses a concern as it relates to our children and their education. He has suggested that the debaters are using the same words and terms, but the meanings are often quite different. It would be helpful to define our terms and make sure they align with truth and reality.

Get the truth and never sell it. (Proverbs 23:23)

Jesus: “I . . . came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” (John 18:37)

Mistakes

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes. (John Wooden, late all-star basketball coach)

No one really likes to make mistakes. We work hard to avoid them. But slipups are a part of life and Wooden suggests that to make a mistake is to affirm that you, at least, are doing something. Elbert Hubbard writes, “The greatest mistake one can make is to be afraid of making one.” So don’t let occasional errors upset you. Learn from them and move on with care.

A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes. (Ecclesiastes 10:4)

Names

You may not be responsible for your name, but you are responsible for what men think when they call your name. (Zig Ziglar, late lecturer)

The names of inanimate objects may not be of great significance. Shakespeare observed that a rose if called something entirely different, would still smell as sweetly as it does with the name “rose.” But names given to people are far more important. They carry deep personal, cultural, familial, and historical connections.        Live in such a way to give your name honor.

A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. (Ecclesiastes 7:1)

Choice

Life is a choice – as is how you handle the pitfalls along its bumpy road. (Julie Donner Andersen, freelance writer)

Making choices sometimes is fairly easy: choosing an ice cream flavor, for example. The choice can’t be a bad one; they’re all good. But when hard times come and it’s a choice between two good options and there are only enough resources for one—ah, that’s when it’s really tough. But Andersen reminds us we do have a choice. It may be hard but think carefully and choose well.

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

Fighting Battles

Don’t waste your precious time and energy fighting battles you cannot win. (Dave Phelps, businessman)

Not fighting those hopeless battles, Phelps says, “[will] make your life . . . much happier.” How many times do we find ourselves, like Don Quixote, fighting windmills of our imagination or real obstacles, hoping to overcome if we just fight hard and long enough? What a waste of time! It would be so much better to identify our real enemies and war against them with God’s help.

We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us! (2 Chronicles 32:8)

Wisdom

If we pay attention, the treasury of wisdom from our elders should astound us. (Tim Sprankle, graduate student)

Sprankle is a young adult who has learned something many young people today have ignored. While there really is “no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9), every generation seems to think they have to discover or invent new truths. Make friends with someone younger than you and take advantage of the opportunities for your wisdom to rub off on them.

The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old (Proverbs 20:29).

Wisdom belongs to the aged and understanding to the old (Job 12:12).