James 1:12 "God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" Throughout the season of life, we will all endure life-altering personal losses that leave us breathless. When we do, we may be overwhelmed by fear and doubt. Thankfully, God has promised that He will never desert us. And He always keeps His promises. God loves us and He will protect us. In times of hardship, he will comfort us; in times of sorrow, He dries our tears. When we are troubled or weak He is with us. His love endures, not only for today but for eternity.

Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you. yes, everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened." We often ask "where is God"? He is everywhere we have ever been and He is everywhere we will ever go. He is with us night and day; he knows our every thought; He hears our every heartbeat. Oftentimes in the rush of our daily lives, God may seem far away. Life's disappointments and sorrows leave us brokenhearted and He may seem distant, but He is not. When we seek Him, we will find Him. He is always here patiently waiting for us to reach out to Him.

Phillipians 2:3 "When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves" Sometimes our faith is tested more in times of prosperity that in times of adversity. In times of accomplishment, we tend to stick out chests and say "I did that". Nothing could be further from the truth. All of our blessings and accomplishments come from our Heavenly Father. Whatever "it" is, He did it through us and He deserves the credit.

proverbs 29:25 "The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that" Do you ever find yourself trying to impress others or worry about what others think of you? As the reading today states, "human opinion disables", but yet we tend to spend a large portion of our time worrying about the opinion of others. We look for that affirmation that we are accepted. But when we spend our time looking to win favor of those around us we may tend to lose focus of our true path, the intention of our Creator. If you find yourself looking to win the opinion of others, instead focus on winning the opinion of our Heavenly Father. We turn to Him and focus on His desires we gain courage and belief in ourselves. We begin to live with conviction and purpose and become callused to the opinion of this world.

Psalm 51:8 "make me hear joy and gladness" To be a pessimistic Christian is a contradiction in terms, yet even the most devout Christians fall pray to fear, doubt, and discouragement. But God has different plans for our lives. The words of the 23 Psalm remind us of God's blessings. So, the next time you find yourself in a pit of pessimism, remember God's word and redirect your thoughts. This world is God's creation; look for the best in it, and trust Him to take care of the rest.

1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." On the grand stage of a well-lived life, material possessions should play a rather small role. Of course, we all need the basic necessities of life but when those needs are met and we begin to pile up possessions just to do so, it creates more problems. So how do you know when you have too many possessions? When your possessions get in the way of your relationship with Our Heavenly Father or other words when your possessions begin to own you. Be mindful of your desire for more things and instead amass riches that will endure throughout eternity - the spiritual kind.

Proverbs 19:20 "Take good counsel and accept correction - that's the way to live wisely and well." When it comes to learning life lessons we can choose to do it the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is recognize God's teachings and to learn from them. The difficult way is to ignore and continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. The good news is that even though we may resist God's teachings he persistence never fails. Our challenge is to recognize His lessons from everyday life and learn from them so we can move on to the next.

Exodus 15:26 "If you are careful to obey the Lord your God, do what God thinks is right, pay attention to His commandments, and keep all His regulations, then I won't bring on you any of the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord who heals you" "I am the Lord who heals you", what comforting words to those of us who look for physical, spiritual, or emotional healing. Although we are God's creations, and we have been created in His perfect image, we do oftentimes suffer from maladies. But our Heavenly Father is always there to heal us if we follow His prescription. All He asks is that we take in His word and live by it, that we follow His commandments. His healing and redemptive power was seen through the many miracles of Jesus and in His resurrection. His redemptive healings are still happening today, and can happen for us, as long as we continue to walk with and in faith.

Deuteronomy 31:8 "God is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you. Don't be intimidated. Don't worry." In a world filled with dangers and temptations, God is the ultimate armor. In a world filled with misleading messages, God's Word is the ultimate truth. In a world filled with more frustrations than we can count, God's Son offers the ultimate peace. May we accept God's peace and wear His armor against the dangers of this world. When we do, we can live courageously, knowing that we possess the ultimate protection: God's unfailing love.

matthew 7:12 "Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's law and prophets and this is what you get"

In today's seemingly self-centered world it is often difficult to reach out and be the first to love, to help. This is, however, the message of today's reading and is consistent with Jesus' message of the Golden Rule. Treating others as we wish to be treated is the cornerstone of living a Christian life. It is a choice. If we want to know how we should treat others all we have to do is look in the mirror and ask ourselves how we wish to be treated. Treating others kindly is not easy, especially when dealing with difficult people. Just remember, ill behaviors say more about where those people are in their lives, it is not a reflection of our Christian lives. As Christians we are called to often take both the first step and the last in living a Golden life.