But only one with a gut full of faith can live a sermon on a mountain of pain.

We choose our response--rock or sponge? Resist or receive?

Death, failure, betrayal, sickness, disappointment—they cannot take our joy, because they cannot take our Jesus.

If today starts to get hectic, take five minutes to be alone with God. If your work gets interrupted, ask God for patience to deal with the interruption and for endurance to finish the task.

him" (Deut. 11:2 TEV). Rather than ask God to change your circumstances, ask him to use your circumstances to change you. Life is a required course. Might as well do your best to pass it. God is at work in each of us whether

Don't see your struggle as an interruption to life but as preparation for life. No one said the road would be easy or painless. But God will use your mess for something good. "This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. . . . God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best" (Hebrews 12:8, 10 MSG).

If we sense we are victims of unseen, turbulent, random forces, we are troubled.

God doesn't manufacture pain, but he certainly puts it to use.

Joseph's pit came in the form of a cistern. Maybe yours came in the form of a diagnosis, a foster home, or a traumatic injury. Joseph

Begin by thanking God for thumps. Every thump is a reminder that God is molding you (Hebrews 12:5—8). 2. Learn from each thump. Look upon each inconvenience as an opportunity to develop patience and persistence. 3. Be aware of "thump-slump" times. Know your pressure periods. Bolster yourself with extra prayer, and don't give up. Remember, no thump is disastrous. All thumps work for good if we are loving and obeying God.

Our lives are a little like a milkshake. Ingredients get mixed together. Some of the ingredients are unimpressive by themselves. Some—rejections, disappointments, failures—are awful at the time. Yet God shakes them up and pours them out into a concoction that is delicious and good.

Difficult days demand decisions of faith.