Golden Opportunities: Hard Choices - Part 2

When Jesus said, "Whatsoever you wish men would do to you, do so to them," he was teaching that the essence of righteousness is constructively doing good, not just avoiding sin. It means to create opportunities to do good by being proactive, earnestly seeking to incorporate this command into everyday life. It may require stretching to the limits of your sincerity, faith and patience.

Don't be fooled into thinking you can achieve this command in your own strength. It’s the presence of the Holy Spirit reminding, enabling and encouraging you to seize the moment. "Whatsoever you wish men would do to you," demands a desire to see good things happen to others.

The statement, "You never know what life is like for others until you have walked in their shoes," involves imagining yourself in that person’s position regardless of who that person happens to be. How about that? Would you even consider it? This is what the Golden Rule is asking you to practice each day.  

Resisting Stress: God Empowers - Part 1

The word stress can be defined differently for anyone managing a difficult situation. "I'm stressing," is a negative expression known to everyone who believes stress is undesirable; yet without stress there would be limited motivation to make needed and necessary changes. Stress challenges us to reach outward and inward for solutions to bad situations.

While it's true that stress can be overwhelming, it doesn't have to be disastrous. If your attitude encourages surrender and defeat, then stress can be devastating. It's your attitude that supports the will to challenge difficult situations. The readiness to challenge and change situations determines the negative or positive influence stress has on your life.

When Jesus called his disciples, he endowed them with resilience that made it possible to challenge and change what they previously believed was impossible to do. When troubles came, their faith prevented stress from becoming overwhelming. They believed Christ Jesus was on their side and was the source of their empowerment. This is what he offers to you.