“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)
 
Persecution can come in a variety of forms a snarky comment, broken relationship, physical or emotional abuse. We all have felt the pain of these if we had young children, we might get snarky comments more than we would want. There are many who are persecuted for outrageous things that they have said or done. However, we do not give them a reward instead, we might frown upon them. In difficult moments when people fail to understand why we choose to live a certain way and uphold values that are different from them that are beneficial and wise based on God’s standard we can face persecution.

When you start making new habits that are good for you and line up to with different values people start to notice. The friends that you had before even question who you are and start ridiculing you since “you changed” or there is something different about you that they do not understand the reason behind it. You are hated because your life goes against the grain of what society says based on what God says is right. We feel the pain when our old friends no longer want to spend time with us because of the new habits that formed within us because of Jesus. We feel the sting.

​It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt when we are rejected but, we can have hope and comfort knowing that God will provide for us and be there for us even when we are mistreated. It is through our faith in Jesus that we can stand firm in difficult times.
 
Heavenly Father, help us to stand firm in our faith even in difficult times even in the face of criticism, rejection, or cruelty. Help us not to avoid in doing good but, lean into your faithfulness.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
 
How well do you handle conflict? It is always an awkward interview question. Most people just reply I just walk away. Do you just walk away, or do you try and face it head on and come up with a resolution? For many of us who do not like conflict we agonize over it for a while and think of all the possible scenarios for the situation. Some of us would probably prefer cleaning a crocodile’s teeth with a mini toothbrush than deal with some situations that involve conflict. It could be intimidating to enter a situation that would involve a disagreement or tension between two people but, we are called to not just walk away from situations or turn a blind eye but, to enter disputes to make peace.

Peace does not come naturally, and it does not come easily it takes hard work. Peace involves sacrifice. To obtain peace a person must insert themselves into uncomfortable situations and strive for reconciliation communally and personally. Reconciliation happens through Jesus who restores us to a right relationship with God. Those who have been changed by God seek others to also be changed by God in order that others may know God and be called “blessed” by Him.

True peace is only found within a relationship with Jesus. There are moments when there is an illusion of peace in the middle of chaos when we take time to walk in nature, being with people who care about us, or practicing mindfulness. These are temporary moments of peace not sincere peace true peace only comes from Jesus. When we give our hearts to Jesus’ peace that cannot be measured flows throughout us to become peacemakers to others.
           
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus the Prince of Peace to be an example to everyone may we be agents of change under your direction.

Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.”
(John 14:27)
                 
Swings on playgrounds are fun; you can feel high in the air when you are swinging forward or backward. Once you get going on a swing it takes a moment to stop. We can apply Newtons law of motion on figuring out how to stop, keep going faster, and getting the initial push off the ground. When there is no force upon the swing it sits at rest. Our lives can feel like the swing that it is going in one direction and progressing, or we are swinging backwards and going even further away from the direction of where we want to be. In the middle is where the swing rests. There is no force moving it forward or backwards it is just there at peace.

There is a lot that is always happening in the world which propels us forward into changing for the good or going backwards and making wrong choices that can harm us. There are few things in this world that can give us peace. We may say a quiet afternoon strolling the beach or hikes near our favorite lake, gives us peace but this peace is only temporary. Complete peace is found within Jesus. Jesus brings peace that unites friends, family, and even strangers, and even contentment in all the areas of our lives. There is a restoration of an imbalance and Jesus brings us into a new harmony.

Jesus Christ came as the Prince of Peace this does not mean that there is an automatic peace in our lives, and everything will be made exactly how we envision it. Our hearts will know a new type of peace that brings us harmony even in our troubles. We must believe in Jesus and surrender our lives to Christ actively choosing to follow God living under his wisdom and direction.
 
Jesus, thank you that no matter our circumstances are at the time and the difficulties I see before me that you bring peace.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God”
(Matthew 5:8)

Pinocchio is known for his nose growing when he tells a lie. Pinocchio is confronted when he is locked in a bird cage, he is asked why he did not go to school that day. He starts by saying a small lie suddenly his nose gets bigger and bigger while he continues to add on more lies. We are not like Pinocchio are noses do not grow when we lie but, are actions are determined by our hearts.

Our actions and heart are connected and contribute to how we live our lives. Jesus does not challenge us to change our actions in this verse. Often, we try and change our behavior thinking that alone will change us however, our heart must be changed first for a real change to take place. Our heart shows us what we desire. If we truly desire to donate to charity, the desire must be in our heart first. When we give and the desire is not in our hearts, we feel the sting of every dollar leaving our account. We continue to talk about what that money could have been used for instead. We watch the money leave our account with pain and not joy that it is going to benefit a good cause. The heart must first be changed for true behavior to be changed. Jesus wants our hearts to genuinely desire things that are pleasing to Him.

When we desire things that are pleasing to Jesus it reflects in our lives, and we produce things that are pleasing to Him. If we desire honesty, we learn to tell the truth even when it is hard or can affect us and our relationships. It leads us not to tell lies even if it would be easier. To know what Jesus’ desires we must first desire a relationship with Him. When we commit to follow Jesus, he begins a transformation within our hearts. This transformation changes what we care about and our desires.
 
Heavenly Father, purify my heart from wrong desires and selfishness. Help me to have pure intentions each day.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
(Matthew 5:7)
 
Many sports have mercy rules in Little League Baseball the game will end if the winning team is ahead by 15 runs after three innings or 10 runs after four innings. In grade school basketball there is a mercy rule of once there is a 35- point differential during the third quarter a continuous running clock will be maintained. Both sports mercy rules are about showing sympathy and compassion to another team and end the game early. Those who are shown compassion and sympathy will show compassion and sympathy towards others. The compassion must not only be on the inside a desire to help but, put into action. Mercy costs us something and the other person nothing.

Mercy comes from a heart that has felt spiritual bankruptcy. The heart comes to grieve the wrong that has been done and eagerly cries out to the Lord for God’s mercy to satisfy us with the righteousness that we need. God sees our need that our spiritual life is bankrupt and deserves justice for the wrong that we have done however, God shows mercy to us by sending his son to die for us.

​We can all show mercy to others when we see someone who has not eaten, we can give them something to eat, when we see someone who is mourning, we can sit and comfort them, we can assist a coworker that has wronged you in the past. These all cost you something from time, resources, and money however, it benefits the other person. Those who are compassionate towards others will be shown compassion.
           
Heavenly Father, thank you for showing compassion towards us help us to become more understanding and sympathetic towards others.
           
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)  
 
There are only a few people who are not hungry: the dead, the sick, and those who just ate. When we are hungry, we look for ways to quench our hunger and thirst. Hunger is a sign that we need something. When we feel hungry or thirsty our bodies are signaling to us that it needs nourishment. Here hunger is not from food for our physical bodies but, a hunger for something else. Some people are hungry for respect, love, power, or even money. This is not the hunger that satisfies people but, instead it leaves people craving for more. This hunger pertains to our spiritual health a hunger for righteousness is a hunger for something deeper than the world cannot offer.

A hunger for righteousness comes from knowing God. By knowing God, we know what he desires and what he dislikes we can look around at the world at all the injustice and develop a deep craving to do the next right thing. It does not involve just wishing that everything would be made right. This involves a deep soul-searching and understanding of seeing what is going wrong in the world from taking care of the environment, fair treatment of individuals, and education. By knowing God, we recognize our need for God’s grace and strive to live a life in a worthy manner.

There are practical steps that we can take by doing the next right thing we can recycle, treat people fairly, volunteer, donate, and even raise awareness. There will be a day when our hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied. The world can feel overwhelming at times with all the injustices, evil, and pain don’t lose hope for one day there will be no more injustices.
 
Heavenly Father, the world seems overwhelming with all the injustices that are happening help us to do the next right thing to help take care of our neighbors, friends, and those we care about.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15)
 
Little children are amazing they have no problem asking if a friend can take their tongue and lick their elbow or why questions. I am not sure who even tells a child “You need to ask why” but they somehow just get to the point of asking why regarding various subjects in life. They are confident in coming to any person and asking. It is the same for us today we can be confident when come before God in prayer. We can become confident because we know that God is faithful and desires to take care of his children. As we continue to walk a faith journey with him, we become more confident in our prayers and what we are asking for from him. 

Often, in our prayers we only list out the situation but forget that we must ask God. He wants us to make our requests. Our requests are not just desires that we want. God is not a genie granting wishes of the things that we desire for he knows some of the items that we desire in life is not good for our relationships, health, or who he has made us to be. We are to ask according to his will which can be difficult.
​
Asking according to God’s will makes us first have to step back and reconnect our heart to God. From spending time with him we get to know what he truly desires and wants for us. It changes how we pray we go from praying for a certain amount of money to praying to learn to steward our money better. God’s will is written throughout scripture if you are unsure seek guidance from a pastor. God earnestly desires to hear from all of us for he loves all of us. When we ask according to his will our prayers become bold.
 
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of prayer and you hear our prayers and answer them according to your will. Lord help me to not just list my situation to you but ask you for what I need according to your will.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)  
 
There is a great line in the Avengers when Bruce Banner reveals his ability to turn into the Hulk whenever he chooses by stating “That’s my secret, Captain; I’m always angry.” His secret is being able to keep strength under control, instead of having spikes of angry outbursts at random he learned to keep his anger at a certain point that he was in control. He took a powerful personality and properly controlled it and no longer let it control him.

It is okay to be angry over things that happen. It is how we respond within our anger which is more important. Those who are meek do not seek malice or vengeance for the wrong that was done to them, nor does it mean that they just lay low and let others just walk all over them. Many have taken the word meek to be those who are weak and simply passive who are easily pushed around. This is not the case the meek are those who have been disciplined enough to be able to restrain their anger in obedience to God. They are people who can be angry and not do wrong to others or their selves nor be easily provoked by others.

I​t can take a lot of practice not to be provoked by others over simple little things. Through prayer and guidance from the Holy Spirit we can become gentler in our spirit. We become meek when we are confident that God watches over us. Our behavior changes and we become gentle, humble, and mild in temperament. We can look to Jesus as our example as being meek for, he is gentle and humble in heart. He is not weak but kept his strength under control for he knew his identity as being the son of God.
 
Heavenly Father, help us to become meek like your son Jesus may you help my spirit to become gentle, temper mild, and humble.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy  Watkins

“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.” (Matthew 5:4)
 
Each of us has had to mourn in our life. Whether it was over a loss of a job, dream, relationship, abuse, or even divorce we still know the pain and hurt of the situation that we had to grieve over. Many people when a friend is crying often, feel overwhelmed and tell them “Do not cry,” however, there is nothing wrong with crying over a loss and having to let go of something that they held dear to them. We tell people not to cry but, God made us with the capacity to cry and shed tears over the things that we hold dear to us. One major thing that we must grieve over is our own heart and wicked nature.

Mourning in this instance here relates to inner spiritual grieving of a broken and contrite heart. When we grieve over the sorrowful state of our own evil heart we then can be comforted by the mercy and saving grace from God. When we come to realize our own brokenness and can grieve it then we can allow God to work within us. We must be vulnerable and allow God into the dark parts of our souls and work within us.

​True repentance and confession include an element of grief. Although we can rejoice in the promise of God’s forgiveness, we must mourn that we have done evil acts that God is not proud of. Repentance is possible when we come to mourn over our own wicked behavior. We may struggle our entire lives with a particular wicked behavior, addiction, or language but when we want to truly overcome an addiction, we must hate it in our souls. We must mourn the harm that it caused ourselves and others. Those who grieve will be comforted. God comforts his children when they turn their hearts back to him.
 
Heavenly Father, may we recognize our own brokenness and learn to grieve the pain and hurt that you have felt when I turn away from you. Lord, may I turn my eyes to you and seek your comforting embrace.
                   
Praying for you,
Stacy Watkins

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:3)
 
There is a verse in the song We Believe in God by Amy Grant that recognizes we all need someone else’s help because life is hard “We believe in God, and we all need Jesus cause life is hard.” When my cousin was around three, she would go around singing this song but instead say “we all need Mommy cause life is hard.”  Life for three-year-olds can be difficult with people making them take a nap and playing with stuffed animals all the time. However, she recognized that there were things that she could not do for herself, and she needed help. She needed someone she could depend on to help her in her time of need.

Generally, when we think of people who are blessed in their lives our minds think of the wealthy, those with good careers, and close family relationships. However, Jesus does not say these people are blessed, but those who are poor in spirit. Jesus states, that the poor in spirit inherit the kingdom of heaven. Here he is not looking at the person’s financial status but, the depth of their spirituality is broken, bankrupt, and apart from Christ. The poor in spirit recognize that they are incapable of providing by their own strength, goodness, or even righteousness they need someone else to help them along. We must realize our own spiritual emptiness and humbly approach God about our wrong doings in life and where we need help whether it is with addiction, loneliness, or even controlling our temper.

​The Message Bible translates the verse as “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more God and his rule.” When we exhaust all our resources and see no possible solution, we become blessed since we lean onto the one who made everything. When we get out of our own way from being prideful and recognize that we need help we allow for God to work within us.
 
Heavenly Father, Lord, give us a heart that is humble in spirit and not dependent on my own merit.
 
Walking with you
Stacy Watkins