Author: sagmoe

This week we sang a song called Stars by Skillet. Its a good song and a thought provoker. It starts with “You spoke a word and life began.” Ok, I have no issues with that for it falls in line with my thinking about God. It goes on to say “If you can hold the stars in place, you can hold my heart the same.” This is where my mind starts to wander.

For me, I don’t really struggle with the whole God created the universe thing. Even if I had to choose between a creator of everything and everything just banging into existence, the creator takes less faith to believe. For you and I were created with an inner wonder and the seeking of a creator. But that’s not where I’m going today.

Where my eggs start to scramble is when I think of a God that holds the stars in place and wants to know me in a personal way, not in the same way some people know us as someone they work with or someone they know from from the bar type of thing. But instead the way our closest friend knows us. Even more than that, someone who knows the things we don’t even tell our closest friends. That’s what I struggle with.

In Psalms 147:1-4 NLT it reads “How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting! The LORD is rebuilding Jerusalem and brining the exiles back to Israel. He heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name.” There is a lot going on here by my account. I believe it is good to sing praises to my God. That is a direct reflection of my faith in Christ. It is also interesting to read about Jerusalem and all the implications that has wrapped up in it (for another time) but the part that hits me hardest right now is God will heal my broken heart and in the same breath not only counts the stars but has them all named.

That’s where I’m landing today.

I am so far from perfect that if I had to count up all my failings, I don’t have enough fingers and toes to even count up this past week. I have a feeling I’m not alone there either. God wants us to do our best at following what Jesus said. What he would like for us to do as it all boils down to Love God, Love Others. (And yourself too) Jesus wants us to be realistic in our daily lives and take care of one another.

See if you can relate to this or not. I was working on a project far from home and trying to build something that I don’t know if I should have taken on or not but my help consisted of my wife, my son, and me. Let me preface this with the fact that 20 years ago there would have been no issues with anything. For 20 years ago I could lift the world with one hand, fly to the height I needed to work and do it all without breaking a sweat before noon. But today, I get out of bed wrong and my back is sore, my knees hurt, and may attitude goes in the trash so fast it surprises even me. I know old people suffer from this but not me of course. How about you?

Something as simple as growing older can cause us to struggle in many areas. Yes, our bodies seem to show the signs first but the mind is what really can cause us the most trouble. If we have worked like I have over the past 30 years in construction, it’s no wonder stuff doesn’t work like it used to. It’s our mind that get us, or I should say me, in trouble. I don’t allow myself the grace to slow down or heaven forbid realize I can’t do what I used to anymore. I can talk myself down from the ledge of slowing down but my problem this time was I was working with people that didn’t have the same background I did. I quickly became frustrated by the fact that others were not as intuitive about the project as I was. That’s where my mind led me off the path of greatness and down the ravine of trouble and sorrow. I started to offer up help in ways that were, let’s say not real constructive. I of course don’t want to throw myself under the bus but at the end of the week on my drive home it nailed me pretty hard that my life long experience of construction has taken me down a path that would rather choose production over relationships, Or that’s the way it seemed anyway. So what am I going to do?

Well, that may be a little to raw or personal for some but it’s causing me to wrestle with things that are going to take me into the next stage of life. That next stage of life for me is going to be survival of the mind over the body. My mind goes at the 30 year old pace in thinking about production and my body says “hey, wait a minute, you’re in your fifties and stuff don’t work the same anymore.” Let alone having to understand the changing culture of the workplace.

Construction is a different culture than almost any other job there is as sometimes it doesn’t really matter how much you try or want to do your best you have to do it right or there is no gain. I know that sounds harsh but it’s one of the only industries that is pass fail and not based on a degree of effort. This is what I’m having to move up to the front of my mind and eventually into actions. I have been in some sort of leadership most all of my life; from businesses to volunteer boards and teaching of churches and small groups but until know I was able to get away with a style of leadership where if I did it myself and I could make it all work. Now, I’m not saying I was always right or always wrong but I could make it work.

Today is the start of the realization that I need to put into practice something I heard a business coach say. Take care of your people so they can take care of your business. This is becoming more and more real for me every day. As I make this transition from being able to do it all to having other people do it for me there is a real disconnect for people like me. Most people are smarter than me and figure this out right away but not me. I’m a proud Scandinavian with a think headed nature. But by the grace of God I too may be able to figure out a way to do a better job at taking care of the people around me in such a way that they will flourish and therefore I can flourish. For me this will be a real adventure. I will struggle with not being able to do the things as fast, as well, or even at all, the things I once was able to do. That pokes my pride. But if I am going to believe that God cares enough to name all the stars and yet still take an interest in me then maybe I can do the same for others. That’s really getting back to the heart of loving God and loving others anyway doesn’t it.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week I want to challenge you to take a moment to think about ourselves first. I know that seems wrong at first but if we don’t take a personal perspective of life we will lose it. For me, I have some people I need to make some things right with, how about you? That doesn’t’ mean everything will get fixed overnight but it will be the first step in letting a God who “heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds.” Start to work in us and on us.

This holiday season why don’t you join me in starting to live life a different way. One where we take care of our own mind first and put the priority on relationships as we move forward in business, church, and life in general. Know that God wants to have a relationship with you like he wants us to have with others. Let him walk life with you and let’s see what happens. Love ya, have a great day and Happy Thanksgiving!

Brayn

Good morning, It is my sincere hope that this finds you with a bit of joy in your heart as we wake up on a Monday morning. I think that waking up on a Monday morning can be the least joyful thing we do. The weekend is over and the real work week starts. I hope you can find at least one thing that you can say to yourself “Hey, I like that. I’m looking forward to that today.” If you’re like me, I find it easier to say on a Friday than on a Monday but here we are. So we might as well make the best of it.

This part of the book of Matthew in the Bible was part of my devotions the other day.

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For me, living in the Midwest of the good ol’ USA I have to admit that being persecuted for doing right is not a problem. I identify as Christian and so do a lot of people around me. I will have to admit that I live in a community that largely thinks politically along the lines I do. I live in a community that puts a high value on God, family, and country. So when I think about being persecuted it’s usually just a notch above being picked on. I don’t have a perspective on what it means to be persecuted like it talks about in the Bible.

As I turned on the news this morning they were talking about a plane that landed in Russia and was being surrounded by an angry mob. My first thought was “ok, that’s in Russia, big deal” Well it is a big deal. It’s a big deal because the plane had taken off from Tel Aviv Israel. There was a group of people wanting to see the passports of all the people on the plane to see who was a Jew. Does that ring any bells with anyone to a part of history that is just long enough ago that it is on the edge of the memories of those old enough to remember?

For those of you who may not know and are way too young to remember, like me, a little group of people led by a little man wanted to see who was a Jew. Yes, those people in the 1930s-40s’. In 2023 there is a group of people that want to try and rid the world again of the Jews. So yes, I’m shocked but not surprised, that the evil in the world is once again trying to raise its evil head.

This post is meant to awaken us to action. I’m not calling for violence in the streets but better yet to wake us up to the reality that we are living in. I’m convinced that we have always been living in a time of evil but there are times in history when we get lulled into a false sense of security and we think that peaceful times are possible long term.

I hate to burst your bubble but we need to wake up and pay attention. I do believe that the end of our time here on this earth is one day closer than it was yesterday but I have no idea what day that all will come to a close. I do know the one that is ultimately in control loves you and me. It’s not a matter of does God loves you (because he does) but a matter of whether are you willing to listen to the one who loves you. No matter where you live on this planet, you can choose to follow Jesus and spread the good news that Jesus wants all to choose him and keep our focus on an eternity of life in Heaven. In doing so, the devil and his side hate God so much that the only way he can hope to hurt God is by taking his creation (that’s you and me) down with him.

So, what’s joy got to do with it? The only way you and I can have joy in a time like this, in a place like this is to put our hope in Jesus. Persecution will come and for some is already here. If you are on a plane and people are ready to take your life because of the God you serve. Your time is here. When you are in a classroom and your teacher tells you there is no god and the world is billions of years old, your time is here. When you live in a place that says it is okay to kill babies because they are an inconvenience or will be born too poor to live a “good” life. Your time is here!

It is time to stand up and be counted. It is time to show this world what love truly is. It is the love of Jesus lived out through your life. It is time for you to pray. Pray like your life depends on it. Pray that you will see God and that you will be able to hear the voice of God in your decisions, your relationships, your spouse, your kids, and your community. As you hit your knees in prayer, stand up.

STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!!! And love like Jesus today

Pray for those around you who are truly being persecuted today. From the war in Israel to those trapped on a plane in Russia. Pray for those in school trying to find their way in life. Pray for the moms and dads trying to raise kids in a culture that wants their destruction.
Today remember, take joy in being persecuted for the right thing. An eternal joy awaits us. God loves you and I do too!

Have a great Monday!

Last week I asked you what you would do if money wasn’t a factor. What did you come up with? My hope is that it started to spark something inside of you. Ultimately my hope is that it would start to unlock the chains we sometimes put ourselves in. It usually starts early in life when we get scared of our dreams. We all have had dreams at one time or another. Whether it was wanting to be a doctor or firefighter when we were kids all the way until later in life when we wanted to be a difference maker in this world. That usually comes about the time we get out of high school. If you went to college, why did you go? What did you want to make a difference doing?

Usually at this point in life is where we start to get scared of the future. We start to listen to the wrong voices, some are inside voices and some are outside voices of others that may not know what we desire or what we even want to learn and get better at doing. Often times, we don’t give ourselves credit for the things we are learning or what we have learned in our past.

When you sit in a quiet place and think about your life, what comes to mind. If you’re like me, I can remember both good times and bad. I can remember the wins I have had in life and the mistakes I wish I wouldn’t have made. Can you remember the awards you won and the achievements you made happen or won? Let’s call these things markers.

Our past, I will call it our timeline, is one of the keys we can use to help unlock our future. Take a piece of paper and draw a line on it from left to right. The far left side is when you were born and the far right is today. Now, think back as far as you can in the past an make a mark on your timeline for how old you were and what that memory marker was. One more thing, was that first memory marker a positive or negative thought? And on a scale from one to ten how positive or negative was it? Put down the major memory markers in your life and how positive or negative they were. It will take a little time and if you allow yourself to think about it during the day, you will find yourself remembering things you had only thought you forgot about.

There is a reason it is helpful for us to do this exercise. I will talk more about it soon but for now, see if you can start to see any patterns in your life. Look for threads through your own life and see if you can connect any of the dots.

I want to help you see what your past has to do with your future and how it can help you unlock your dreams. In the journey of life, and you’ve heard this before, you never get anywhere unless you are willing to take that fist step. Through the Bible we see that God created people for a purpose on purpose. When he told Jeremiah that he wanted him to be a profit to the nations or when King David had accomplished what God put before him then he died.

God has a plan for you!! Sometimes we just gave up on our dreams or what God has put in our hearts and desires.

Have a great day and we will talk soon!

Bryan

Well for us in South Dakota, everyday in October that it isn’t snowing is a blessing. Yesterday was one of those days. It was 70 degrees and light wind, the trees are in beautiful color and the road was calling.

I called up some friends and we hit the road for a fun filled day in the sun. We put about 175 miles on the bikes through the Iron Mountian Road in the Black Hills of South Dakota and even managed to get a little sunburned. What a great day!

Carpe Diem!

They say seize the day and all that comes with it. So, what does that mean to you? And, are you seizing it? Do you even know what it means to seize this day?

Our culture has gotten so busy that I’m not sure we know how to do it or if we’d even have time to do it. I always think back to the old Robin Williams movie Dead Poets Society, where he taught a class of young men how to do just that, – seize the day.

I think we fall into the same trap these young men did. We live life each day going about our business but we never get past the point of just living life in a rut of routines. You get up, go to work, come home, have dinner, go to bed, repeat the cycle. Then on Friday or Saturday night maybe go out and get hammered and see if you can find love, even if only for the night. You may have gotten into a cycle that you don’t even question it. We don’t see life flying by us day by day and we never hang onto all that it has to offer or who it has to offer that are right in front of us.

You don’t have to be single to live this kind of life, married people do it too. Whether its your job or your marriage we have been blinded by busyness. I have found over the years that busy is the true killer of dreams. And without dreams we can never really live the life we were created for. God has put inside of you a wonderful gift of life and hope. You know deep down inside that without hope you never really live life either.

As I read in my devotions today Peter gives us a way to uncover a piece of Carpe Diem. When you realize that when you live out the gifts that only God has given you then the blessing of living life to the fullest will present itself to you.

“Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What are your gifts?

A question I ask my students that take my ETHOS class is… “If money or time was not an issue, what would you be doing right now?”

This is after of course you say, “Take a year off” “Travel the world” stuff like that. When you get past that, what is it your thinking of right now that you would love to do because it not only brings you joy but it brings you fulfillment. That, is where the dreams and hope of God really lives. We’ll talk more about that later, but for today, act out on something that God has put inside of you for the benefit of others and see what just a little bit of Carpe Diem will do for you today.

Have a great day!!!

Bryan

How’s your day going? Are you having a good day or have things not gone so well? Are you on top of the world with this bright sunny day (at least where I am is sunny) or are you in the trenches of defeat knowing that everyone seems to be against you? We all tend to walk somewhere in between these two emotions. It’s easy for us to flip and flop and if we do this too easily and often it can become very unhealthy.

In our culture today, it seems that there are a lot of people that feel persecuted. For some people, it’s easy to get bent out of shape if you don’t agree with everything they think, say, or do. For others, there is a sense of entitlement towards a lifestyle or career and for others, it seems that nothing can bother them or take them off their game.  As a society, It seems that no matter where you go, someone, is having trouble with being persecuted and feeling defeated.

Just a few weeks ago, we sat and watched the famous Notre Dame Cathedral burn we think of the momentous tragedy this is. I admit my feelings were a bit conflicted as I thought what a loss of a building but it also makes me think about the church. Some feel that as this building burns they have lost a sense of identity. For others, they are only thinking of what a loss in architecture and art. Ask yourself this, what happens to the church when the church burns down? Does it just end? Is it over for the people of Paris as they will now have no place to worship?

Jesus has told us that we are the church and we must not confuse what fire can do to a building it can never do to the real church. We do lament the burning of a great building and the history that comes along with it but a fire can never burn down the church. 

As we live our lives, we will deal with people at home, at work, at play, and everywhere else we go. Let’s try to do good in all we do and know that there will be times when our lives may be on fire. As it can be a tragedy but it will all the more be a blessing when we strive to do what God wants us to do. If you are persecuted for that then you are in great company. Like the Apostle Paul, the 12 Disciples of Jesus, and countless others across the pages of history.

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. (Mt 5:10)

As we continue to walk through the Beatitudes, the next one is this “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. (Mt 5:9)

I will admit that today this is NOT the piece of scripture I want to focus on. Why do you ask? Because I’m in a bad mood. Two weeks ago I was sitting on the beach at South Padre, playing with my dog in the ocean. And today I’m watching the icicles fall off our RV. All I hear in my head is “come back to South Dakota, it will be fun” they said…..BIG FREAKING LIARS!!

Another thing that happened today is that Joan and I were walking our dogs this morning and when we get back to the RV we unhook our black lab to let him back into the RV. Just as I do, a friend drives up and Dexter goes to say hi. There is no problem with this they know each other and like one another. It’s all good…..right? Well not exactly. The guy in the little golf cart just happens to be going by and stops to say “hey, the dog has to be on a leash” Seriously, he’s off for 3 seconds to go back inside and this pin head’s only goal in life is to stop and make me think I just took a shot at the president or something. (I will admit that the thought of a gun may have flashed through my mind for a moment) not really but it did capture my thought process for quite a while. Why you may ask. Well, I’ll tell you why. I like to do things right. I really do like to follow the rules. In fact, it is a core value of mine (to have things in order) and I didn’t like the fact that this guy didn’t take any reasonable thought to what was going on in the situation. Not to mention we are on the edge of the RV park and the nearest RV is about 40 yards away with a foot of snow on the ground. My mind was racing to the idea that this is no big deal, back off. It’s not like we just let our dogs run unchecked!!! And besides, I’m a good guy!

Have you ever had a day like that? Is it possible that this is exactly why Jesus found it so important to make sure we know this? I think it is. In our culture of today this is more important than ever. It doesn’t matter if you are in Texas or South Dakota or anywhere in between, people are living on the edge. We are living on the edge of our finances, we live on the edge or our marriages, and we really live on the edge of our emotions some times. Don’t believe me, turn on the tv and watch the news sometime.

Our lives will be significantly better if we follow the principles that Jesus gave us in his Word and this is one of them, work for peace. He doesn’t say live a peaceful life or go in peace. He says “work” for peace. He’s telling me…I mean us, that we should keep our emotions in check and work for peace. I can easily think that this guy doesn’t know who I am or what I’m thinking and how dare he intrude upon my life. Or, I can take Jesus’ perspective and work for peace in my own emotions and actions. I don’t know this guy but I do know that Jesus created him and loves him and therefore I have to too. It’s always hard when we don’t want to but it is even more important to in these cases. Granted, not everyone will want to work for peace but that does not make it ok for me or you not work for it. I want to be a child of God and Jesus has given me the key to unlock my hard heart. “Work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” Besides, if you don’t work for peace who will?

I truly hope you have a peaceful day and a great weekend!!

As we follow along with the beatitudes that Jesus spoke to us we have come to this one found in Matthew’s Gospel 5:8 “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”

So to see God, and experience the blessing of God we should then change the way we act. When I see this and think about it my first impression can be to just make sure I act right. But what does act right mean?

Today I would like to do a little Bible study and see if it will help guide us to an answer. In the book of Galations Paul writes this 5:16-18 “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.”

Paul is helping us understand that there are only two forces that can guide our lives or better yet inspire us in all that we do. We will driven to act out what our hearts give us for inspriation. Our hearts are filled and guided by one of two camps. We will be inspired by either our sinful nature that we were given by the sin of Adam or we will be inspired by the promptings of God as in the Holy Spirit.

All of our actions, whether we are conscious of it or not, come from our heart. You may have noticed by now that when you try to just gut it out and make good choices it usually doesnt last very long. Trying to just do good things all the time is like having an open box of girl scout cookies laying on the table. At some point you are going to have one. The real fact is you will end up having the whole box and not just one. I know this becasue a friend told me about it.

Let’s get back to the top. To see God is a blessing brought on by a pure heart and a pure heart is brought on by listening to the Holy Spirit and blessings to us and others will show up in the form of goodness. The goodness that can only come from God and will be washed over us and we will in turn wash it over others. So if you want to do good, pay attention first to what and who you are listening to. When I was younger my mother would remind me “garbage in, garbage out.” and she was right.

So far we have seen the beatittudes play out in the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and now goodness. In essence, as we sit at the table of life, let’s grab for a carrot instead of that box of girl scout cookies and see how that changes our lives, relationships, and jobs.

Have a great day and pay attention to goodness. It will change your life!

As we look at the beatitudes in the Bible, this time we are going to take a look at mercy. Everyone knows what mercy is right?? So my question today is this. If everyone knows about mercy, why is it so elusive today? Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, said this “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matt. 5:7 NIV)

I have to be honest here and tell you that this blog has not been for you. It’s been for me. A place I could put down some thoughts, fears, excitement, and a snapshot of life. Those of you that have left me comments and/or likes are very kind. But to be honest there have been times in my life, and maybe you can relate, where all I do is go from one “like” to another hoping it will be enough to get me through the day, week, or month.

Chasing after the “like” has been a bigger part of my life than I relly care to admit, esipacally since leaving the contracting world. Going from owning and running two successful business (what successful means can be debated) to being a pastor. Some people think (I really should say me), being a pastor means you give up everything. This includes things like money, prominence, opinions, and everything else that can have to do with self-respect. We as pastors do this so as to not get in the way or putting barriers between people and God. It really is a knoble calling. The problem comes when anyone does this, especially pastors, it will lead to quickly burning out.

While the idea is right, putting others ahead of yourself, sometimes how we go about it is wrong. For me, I found myself in a pattern of thinking that I was being asked to go from business leader to a sheep being led to the slaughter. You know, just like Jesus did. A very knoble purpose of being sacrificed by and for God. What I didn’t realize was that the position of sacrifical lamb was already taken and was only ment for the Son of God. When you find yourself at that point it is truly like looking off the edge of a cliff.

What I have found instead, is that only when we become broken to ourselves can God really start to build. We pastors find that this preaches very well and really easy to others but we really don’t like to hear it for ourselves very often. But this is where you truly find the mercy of God.

This past year for me has been one of true testing. Not the kind of testing we see in most of our lives. Like a testing of trials and decisions but rather a testing of sabbath and listening. Because I am such a superior student what takes most people a few weeks only has taken me about nine months.

So what have I learned? I have learned that no matter who you are or what you think you may be ready for, you’re not. The crushing. It’s the crushing that you’re not ready for. The crushing of dreams, the crushing of relationships, the crushing of career. All these things can and will be crushed by God if that’s what it takes to refine one of his children. That is where true mercy can be found.

Mercy is found when you come to the end of you and you recognize that this is precisely where God begins. God will not compete for leader in your life but his mercy is there when you are crushed and looking for a Savior. When you get to this point you start to see the pain and crushing that others are going through too. It is at this end that mercy for others will start to shine and bloom in your mind and life.

When we start to see the need to build others up instead of tearing them down we will understand mercy. That is when we too will see the mercy of God in our lives. Thanks be to God, the creator of heaven and earth and the one who is truly merciful.

Have a great day and be merciful to others!!

The last couple of weeks have been interesting at best. When you go from riding motorcycles and golfing in Texas to a winter retreat in Billings Montana it is quite a shock to the system. 70’s on the one hand and when I woke up this morning it is a balmy -9 degrees Fahrenheit. In spending this year traveling around the country and getting to reset my mind I have been reminded of how diverse our country is. From the Rocky Mountains of Yellowstone, Glacier, and into Canada. To the hill country of Texas and even the sandy beaches of the south Texas coast I am fascinated with it all.

The thousands of different people we have encountered along the way, have reminded me that even though we are different and individual we still all have one thing in common. We are all striving after something.

As I have been reading Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, I have been trying to look at it with a different perspective. At first, and in the last few posts, I had been taking an if-then approach to the beatitudes. If you are poor in spirit, if you mourn, if you are meek then you will get the kingdom of heaven or comfort or things of this nature. What I am learning and becoming more impressed upon is this. We need to shift from an if-then type of thinking to an examination of what is most important in life. In this shift of thought, we are still granted all of the things that Jesus promises in the beatitudes, it’s just a different mindset as to what we are chasing after. If you are just chasing after a better life now, you might be encouraged to act in false humility. You may be looking to mourn so you might be comforted or meek so as to try and gain all that earth has to offer. That’s not really what Jesus is trying to get across here. Living life this way is all about focusing on me and my happiness. What I want to help us shift is who or what should be the focus of our actions.

This time we take a look at “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matt 5:6 NIV

What are you hungry for? Ok, I’m writing this at breakfast time so that’s probably not the right question. In life what are you hungry for? What is it that helps you get out of bed in the morning? Why do you have the relationships you have? Why did you take the job you have? Why do you go to or avoid church?

We all are hungry for something and are trying to squeeze everything we can out of it but sometimes we don’t recognize what that is. Some people try to do as little as possible and they work very hard at it. Some, try to do as much as they can to succeed in work, money, relationships and they are also working very heard to gain it.

This may or may not make sense but the results of what Jesus is talking about here is really what kind of impact is happening from an eternal perspective. We should grieve about injustice or mourn for those who are hurting but the shift comes from what the outcome will be. Alright, hang with me here for just a bit. This shift is a spiritual shift. Going from what will I get to who am I focusing on. In an if-then focus or I want the result, therefore, I will do the action to get the desired result. When we shift to thinking from a godly perspective we are focused on both the here now and the what’s later, we will focus on what it will take to make sure that everyone has a chance to hear the Good News of the Gospel and not only spend eternity in Heaven but will have the proper perspective of what life on earth will look like and where we will place our hope. The results of the beatitudes are the same but one will only give satisfaction here on earth and the other will grant happiness for eternity.

So love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength and you will then gain all that the beatitudes have to offer. Thirst for the righteousness of God and you will be filled with all you can imagine and more. Yes, it is an if-then thing but just keep the if in the right perspective.

Have a great day!!