“The angel told the women,” Don’t be afraid because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”
 (Matthew 28:5-6)
 
Caterpillars when they are ready to begin their transformation process first make cocoons. After a while they will change into butterfly. Their cocoons will remain empty but the caterpillar that was once there leaves and becomes something we all love to see in the spring butterflies flying and landing on flowers. Their cocoons lay empty. No one celebrates a butterfly’s cocoon being empty although the caterpillar became something beautiful the empty tomb of Jesus deserves all the praise and glory.

The women who went to the tomb. The tomb was sealed and no way for the women to open the tomb. They went expecting to see Jesus laid in a tomb but instead was meet by an angel. They went expecting to mourn a dear friend and teacher however, he was not there. That day the angel shared the news with the women that Jesus had risen from the dead just as he had said he would. They only had to come and see the place that he once laid to know the power of God. To know the promise that he had told them. It is the empty tomb that reminds us that Jesus defeated death and has all authority under heaven and on earth. The death of Jesus does not end on the cross for where he once laid is empty and still is empty. This is a sign of everlasting hope that cannot be denied that Jesus who came to die on the cross for us so we can have a right relationship with God defeated death and we will be with him again.

​Jesus was not held by death but lives. Death can be hard especially when it is someone we know and loved but we can have hope for if we believe in Jesus and that he conquered death we will come to live with him for he promises he will be with us always. Death does not have the final answer for Jesus defeated death.
 
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the empty tomb and that our savior lives.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” “He answered them, I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.”” (Luke 19:39-40)
           
Could you imagine rocks crying out and shouting? That would be a sight that no one would expect to see. Talk about watching a rock band made up of all rocks that would be rocking. There are many places we can go that expect us to be quiet the library, movies, and even museums try and ensure that the noise levels in rooms are comfortable for everyone. You would hardly find people shouting or making a lot of noise it is often discouraged to make noise in these places. Even some places of worship creature a posture towards silence in moments of prayer and communion.

There are times when we are not silent and can be loud. At sporting events people cheer loud for their favorite teams and even some sing loud to their favorite songs not caring who is listening. These shouts at sporting events might help to encourage the team but these shouts do not bring glory to them, nor do they bring praise to the one who paid the ultimate sacrifice for us. The religious leaders wanted Jesus to rebuke his disciples for praising him. They did not believe praising Jesus was appropriate and it should be stopped. Jesus replied that even the rocks will cry out. Jesus is worthy of our praise.

These shouts of praise are filled with joy, and even gladness for all that God has done and will continue to do in someone’s life. It includes singing praises to God that ascribe glory to him, professing Jesus as Lord and Savior, and making a public acknowledgment of God. At times we might want to keep quiet because of fear or even judgement from other people but, Jesus states that even if we decide not to praise God creation itself will praise God.

Heavenly Father, may we not keep silent but lift our praises to you.

​Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
           
Spring reminds us of new life. Birds are out, and flying, new nests appear in different areas of houses. If we are lucky, we can find eggs that are awaiting to hatch. All the trees that were barren during the winter start growing leaves and seeds that lay dormant start to sprout. Some people during the spring start the season off by cleaning out everything that they no longer want or need trying to bring in the new season with a fresh start.

The tulips that are in bloom are new life they are not the same tulips from last season or even used. They are brand new flowers that once started as seeds that were buried during winter and lay dormant awaiting the right time to blossom for everyone to enjoy. The old flowers that were in the garden beds are no longer there they have passed making room for a new creation. The same thing happens in our lives when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior our old self must get out of the way to make room for a new creation. Old habits that helped us for a time that are not virtuous must be put to death for new wholesome habits to be able to form.

It is difficult to create new habits while trying to maintain old habits that are not beneficial. It will become a struggle to do good while maintaining wrong habits. We must admit to ourselves that something must change for a transition to begin. It is not through our own power that we are able to become new we can try with all our might but, it is difficult to become a new person on our own. It is through the saving work of Jesus Christ that we can become new and have a new identity.
 
Heavenly Father, may we leave our old life in the past. Thank you for creating a new identity in us.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17)

Biographies have been very popular some especially from previous first ladies of the United States, famous athletes, and even actors. Many of these are autobiographies that they wrote about themselves but some biographies that authors have written about a famous person involved extensive research from various sources to get a better understanding of the person that they are writing about. Some of these biographies might talk about laws if they were about senators or presidents but, it is mostly about their experience.

The Law which includes the first five books of the bible, while the Prophets include the rest of the Old Testament composed of history and wisdom literature. It includes various laws about how to treat individuals and the history of the people. The entire Old Testament was written prior to the birth of Jesus but, Jesus states that he is not here to abolish the law but fulfill it. The entire law even the smallest letter is fulfilled through him. Everything in the law matters and not one letter is missing in him. There is an importance in the law not in what it says but, the heart behind the law.

​The heart behind the law that Jesus is here to fulfill is that God loves the people and wants them to be redeemed. God created laws not as a punishment but to keep his children safe. Often, we can get upset about the creation of laws because we do not understand the heart behind the law. Some laws are made because accidents happen while others are from lengthy research to better assist people. The laws of God are about creating freedom and love.
 
Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus who fulfills the Law and the prophecies that came centuries before him. May we not look at them as a burden but, with a grateful heart that it is through the laws Jesus fulfills that we now have found freedom.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Wakins

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” (Matthew 5:13)
 
Have you ever eaten something and tasted the salt? The salt can be clearly distinguished from all the other seasonings and even overpower the food. Some people season their food with a lot of salt while others cannot stand to have salt on their food. Salt can be used for many things to preserve, heal, and add flavor. A salt scrub on your feet makes your feet extremely smooth and heals the cracks.

Jesus calls us to be like salt in the world to bring healing into the world. There are several ways we can bring healing into the world we can seek to help others who are hurting physically, emotionally, spiritually. We can help meet their physical needs by giving food, supplies, or time by volunteering, as well as being a shoulder to lean on during difficult times. We can seek to help friends during their spiritual journey during times that they question their faith or by even guiding them to understand God better.
​
Salt is a preservative it prevents food from rotting. It also allows food to last longer. Those who follow Jesus should resist moral corruption (drinking, sexual immorality, impurity, greed, and lust). Those who follow Jesus should influence culture and be clearly distinguished from negative aspects of culture. They will reflect love, compassion, kindness, and humility within culture. When you eat something salty the salt creates a thirst within you. Those who follow Jesus should create a thirst in others and their selves to know God and follow Jesus. They will continually desire God more and more even within the midst everything going on in the world.
 
Heavenly Father, may you give us strength each day to live differently than the world calls us to live. Help us to distinctive and expand the influence and impact of your Kingdom.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“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