“When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

Introductions in group setting are boring the host usually makes everyone state their name and where they are from. Sometimes the host try and get a little more and want people to say their occupation this allows people to get a general understanding of the person whether they are a professional, skilled labor, or management. We tend to use these descriptors to get a general idea about the person what kind of training they had in life or even who trained them. We use these descriptors to define the person what they are capable of or where they will be successful.

Who trains us plays a factor in our character formation we might start picking up their habits without even knowing we are coping them. The people we spend time with help shape our character and understanding of values such as “the Golden Rule” treat others how we want to be treated we learn who fits into the other category (everyone) and the how to treat them with love, kindness, patience, dignity, respect. No amount of training can determine a person to be loving or showing kindness to a stranger but, a changed heart which comes only from spending time with God.

These two men were ordinary men but spent time with Jesus. Spending time with Jesus made them who they were Jesus makes us bold, loving, and kind. Jesus makes us ready for His purpose and to encounter the world for Him. We might doubt ourselves because we think we are not qualified, not educated, our position, or even wealth. God can always do more than what is expected through us we do not need to worry about our qualifications. Just spend time with him and allow him to change you and become bold for his purpose.
 
Heavenly Father, may we find time to spend time with you and let your presence change us from the inside out.
 
Walking with 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