Bible devotionals

Pray for the Children

Posted on by Betsy

Back when I was a very young mother, a church matriarch named Betty Brown gave me some of the best advice I have ever received. We were attending a program on prayer and she leaned over to me and said, “Betsy, do you pray for your children?” I had a two-year old at the time and was eight months pregnant with the second one. “Yes, I do. Every day,” I responded. “What do you pray FOR?” she asked. “Well I pray mostly for their health and their safety,” I responded.

She looked at me sideways and said, “You should be praying for their college roommates and their husbands.” My mind went “Whaaaaat?”

“Think about it. Who in their lives will have influence over them when they leave home? College roommates and spouses will have a direct effect on their happiness long after your influence is over.” Well, heck. That was just so sad, somewhat devastating … and true.

So from that day forward, I added those two things to my daily prayer list. And lo and behold, each girl had wonderful college roommates who are still close friends to this day, and boy, oh BOY did we hit the husband lottery! Twice! I thank God every day for these wonderful young men who indeed have a much greater influence on their happiness than I do. They truly are God-sends.

God answered my prayer, and the wonderful matriarch who suggested this taught me a valuable lesson … pray for your children and for future things.

In fact, I believe we should pray for all the children. Yours, your friends, the kids on the block, the ones in the church, the vulnerable ones all over our country, the broken ones crying at our border…all of them.

I still pray for my “children,” even though they are grown up ladies with children of their own. They will always need Mama’s prayers. And I pray for their children, the children in my village, and beyond. It is a blessing and a privilege to be able to pray for all of God’s children.

Colossians 4

2 Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.

So to the young mamas and papas out there, get down on your knees tonight and start praying for all the future boyfriends, girlfriends, roommates, co-workers, bosses, teachers…all the people who shape and form your children as they grow into adulthood.

Be persistent. Be devoted to praying for them and their little friends. Be alert to what God reveals to you as you pray. And focus your petitions with gratitude that you have a God who listens and answers.

And for the rest of us, let us join in by praying for the children around us and the children far away. May God hear our hearts as we bow in love and hope for their future. As Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them.” May the Kingdom of God be truly theirs.

Lord, in your mercy

Worry Warts

Posted on by Betsy

Did you know that over 40 million people a year struggle with some type of anxiety disorder? From Generalized Anxiety Disorder to PTSD, there are many types of anxiety disorders, and it is the most common mental illness. And for the most part, it is treatable.

While most of us probably don’t fit in to an anxiety disorder category, it can be said of all of us that we worry. And some of us worry too much. Worrying is both a symptom and a catalyst for anxiety and can absolutely overwhelm you to the point of paralysis. When we worry, our joy is stolen, our peace is non-existent, and our well-being suffers, along with those around us.

The root cause of much of our anxious worrying is fear. When we are afraid of something, we turn that fear into negative thoughts and run through multiple scenarios of what could go wrong. And there are so many things that we fear! 

Rejection

Failure

Abandonment

Exposure

Being manipulated

Losing someone or something precious

Losing control

Accidents

Not getting things finished

Being hurt in a relationship

And on, and on, and on.

Did you know that God does not give us fear? Nope. Fear is not from God. We manage that all on our own.

2 Timothy 17 (Modern English Version)

7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control.

I think a clue for how to battle worry is found in what God does give us. Instead of fear, he gives us power. His power is available to us to help us in our problem-solving. Instead of fear, he gives us love, the strongest emotion a human can give or receive. There is strength for the battle in love. And perhaps most importantly, he gives us self-control, so that when worrying begins to overtake us, we can clang shut that nonsense and focus on things that are going right and the many places we have been blessed.

Power, love, and self-control. Next time you find yourself starting to worry, remember that you have these weapons in your battle bag. God is your strength and your shield.

No Worries Here by Michelle Robertson

The Confessional

Posted on by Betsy

How many of you insist on trying to carry every single grocery bag from your car to your kitchen in one trip? I don’t know why we do this. I seem to think that it it somehow against the law to make multiple trips up and down the stairs, so I slide the handles of every single bag down my arms and stagger up 13 steps to deposit them on the kitchen counters and then collapse. Do you do that, too?

It is hard to carry heavy things. Isn’t it lovely when you find a way to set them down?

David knew all about carrying heavy things. His many sins weighed heavily upon him. If you run a checklist of the Ten Commandments, he broke almost every one. But David also knew the joy that comes with forgiveness after you lay that heavy sin at God’s feet and repent:

Psalm 37 (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 While I kept silent, my body wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

I have admired the sacredness and promise of the confessional booth. While protestants do not follow a practice of confessing sins to a priest, the visual example of that ornate box while sitting in a worship service must bring comfort to Catholics during mass. It is a visible, tangible reminder of the nearness of God’s grace, and that every single confession is guaranteed to be received with forgiveness.

All you have to do is come.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

6 Therefore let all who are faithful
    offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
    shall not reach them.

God is our hiding place, where we can take our sins into the sacredness of his presence and be assured of redemption. God hears us when we confess and delivers us from the harm that sin brings.

7 You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah

Are you carrying a burden of sin that is just too heavy to keep lugging around? The “confessional booth” of God’s heart is always open. Just come.

Hyde Park, London

World Famous Broccoli

Posted on by Betsy

For some reason, my five-year-old grandson is in love with my broccoli. Like most five-year-olds, he can be a little picky when it comes to food, so I am delighted that we found something he likes. And it is akin to a fabulous Julia Child recipe: steam fresh broccoli in the microwave, add butter and salt. Voila! Bon Appetit!

We had all six grandchildren together last week and I served the aforementioned broccoli. Layne excitedly declared, “GUYS! We’re having Nana’s World Famous Broccoli!” He needs to be an Influencer when he grows up. They devoured it like it was Boeuf Bourguignon made by the French Chef herself.

This is a demonstration of the power of a positive word. Not only does he make me feel good, he convinces his peers to eat something healthy. Positive words can go a long way in changing the atmosphere for the better.

Paul knew a thing or two about the power of words. With his words he was able to build the church, convert pagans and Jews, and establish the Gospel across the known word. He also understood how effective words of affirmation could be:

Ephesians 4 (New Revised Standard Version)

29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 

Paul wrote these words while he was in prison in Rome. He took that time to think deeply about matters of faith. Ephesians is said to be some of his best theology. Rather than addressing specific situations in specific churches, he let the Holy Spirit guide him through a deeper understanding of Christ’s death and resurrection, particularly focusing on grace.

Do you give grace with your words to others, or do condemnation and judgment flow out of your mouth? Do people hear the echoes of Jesus in your conversations, or do you sound like everybody else on the street?

Let’s end by looking at the entire passage, which gives new rules for our new lives:

25 So then, putting away falsehood, let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not make room for the devil. 28 Those who steal must give up stealing; rather, let them labor, doing good work with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. 29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Today’s challenge: Be kind.

Ephesus

Ingratitude

Posted on by Betsy

Few things in life bother me more than ingratitude. It boggles my mind when someone extends themself with generosity and thoughtfulness only to be met with silence or worse, to be taken for granted. When I receive any expression of gratitude it means the world to me. A text, a well written thank you note, a gift card to a favorite restaurant … I have been the grateful recipient of other people’s gratitude, and it encourages me and makes me happy to know that my effort was acknowledged. I met recently with a young woman for pastoral counseling and was delighted to receive a handwritten card from her a few weeks later. That meant my time with her was appreciated, and that brought me joy.

On the other hand, I once drove five hours to officiate a funeral and did not receive any thanks in any form, not even from the funeral home that surely was handsomely paid for their services. The funeral director knew how far I had to travel, yet even my gas was not reimbursed. My time spent writing the sermon and planning the service, coordinating with the musician, organizing the bulletin, in addition to the long day, was met with ingratitude. I hope, at least, the Lord was pleased with my effort.

Jesus felt this frustration, too. In our passage from Luke, he extended himself to ten lepers and healed them. Watch what happens next:

Luke 17 (Common English Bible)

11 On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten men with skin diseases approached him. Keeping their distance from him, 13 they raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, show us mercy!”

14 When Jesus saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they left, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw that he had been healed, returned and praised God with a loud voice. 16 He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus replied, “Weren’t ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 No one returned to praise God except this foreigner?” 19 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

Ten were healed. One gave thanks. And he was a Samaritan, the sworn enemies of Jews like Jesus, making this all the more profound.

This story is a great reminder to us that giving thanks is part of our faith. Giving praise is part of our faith. Acknowledging and appreciating all that God has done for us is part of our faith! You may be familiar with the “ACTS” of prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Thanksgiving is woven into the very fabric of our relationship with God.

Lest the Lord think we all take him and his wonderful blessings for granted, may we pause right now to fall at Jesus’ feet like a healed leper and give thanks.

Étretat, France

Kingdom Come

Posted on by Betsy

When do your Christmas decorations go up? I feel as though people decorate earlier and earlier. In the past, it seemed as though decorations started to appear the weekend after Thanksgiving, beginning with outdoor decorations. A tree might go up somewhere around the middle of December, especially if you use a live tree with a short shelf life. There is nothing worse than having your tree die before Christmas!

But lately it seems that Christmas immediately follows Halloween. Take a look around your neighborhoods and see if that is true where you live. Perhaps it is an economy of effort, as you might as well take advantage of ladders and steps tools already being out for the removal of Halloween decor. And nothing ages faster than Halloween decor in November.

Advent will begin on the Sunday after Thanksgiving this year, in November. It seems as though even the lectionary calendar is rushing us toward Christmas.

But while we are still in October, let us dwell in the moment of realization that a messiah was needed before we get to the manger. Isaiah is probably my favorite book in the Old Testament, and this passage resonates with the hope and heartache of a nation in diaspora who longed for a messiah to come in order to be delivered:

Isaiah 11 (Common English Bible)

A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse;
    a branch will sprout from his roots.
2 The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him,
    a spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    a spirit of planning and strength,
    a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.
3 He will delight in fearing the Lord.
He won’t judge by appearances,
    nor decide by hearsay.
4 He will judge the needy with righteousness,
    and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land.
He will strike the violent with the rod of his mouth;
    by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be the belt around his hips,
    and faithfulness the belt around his waist.

The humble nature of this messiah is proclaimed right off the bat. By stating that this “shoot” will spring from Jesse and not David reminds us of the humility of the messiah yet to come. David was a king, and Jesse was a plain farmer and shepherd. While both are part of the messiah’s lineage, to name Jesse as the stump is to indicate that this savior would not appear as royalty. Amazing!

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
    and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;
    the calf and the young lion will feed[c] together,
    and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow and the bear will graze.
    Their young will lie down together,
    and a lion will eat straw like an ox.
8 A nursing child will play over the snake’s hole;
    toddlers will reach right over the serpent’s den.
9 They won’t harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain.
    The earth will surely be filled with the knowledge of the Lord,
    just as the water covers the sea.

Good news for the vegans! This seems to indicate a return to the beginning of creation, when all creatures lived in harmony and there were no carnivores on the earth. It wasn’t until Genesis 9: 2-3 that humans were given dominion over the earth’s creatures and meat was added to their diet. When the messiah comes to reign, even the lion will eat straw and the children will be safe around snakes.

10 On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal to the peoples. The nations will seek him out, and his dwelling will be glorious.

“On that day.” We already know the end of this story as it bore fruition with the birth of Christ. We now anticipate Christ’s second coming, which will fulfill all the promises of peace and harmony that the world today so desperately needs. Let’s not jump ahead too quickly but allow the seasons to unfold slowly as we wait. Jesus is coming! Let us take time to get ready.

Harvest Moon at Sunrise by Stacy Murphy

Meeting William

Posted on by Betsy

William is a sweet little goat who recently traveled the Seine River with a group of adventurers. I was blessed to meet William one afternoon after spotting him peeking out of his friend Duncan’s backpack as we hiked cliffs and visited cathedrals. I noticed that Duncan, who otherwise was traveling alone, would remove William and seat him at the table for cheese and macaron tastings, etc. and to be perfectly honest, I initially found it a little “different.” But I quickly realized that William must have an amazing back story, so I boldly approached Duncan to gently inquire about William. I had a feeling that grief was involved.

As it turned out, William was the constant companion of Duncan’s wife Denise when she went through cancer treatments. He bravely attended every chemotherapy session, was in the bed with her after every surgery, and listened attentively at every doctor’s appointment. Denise’s best friend had given William to her as a gift and William proved to be faithful, reliable, and always cheerful.

When Denise passed away, Duncan and William stayed home for a few years until they realized that Denise would have liked to see the Seine River, so off they adventured together. Duncan showed me the camera roll of pictures he had taken of William to show his daughter and the friend who gifted William to Denise. My favorite was a series of three images taken at the sunny hillside apple orchard where we had sampled cider. The first showed William contentedly sipping the first cider, the one with the smallest alcohol content. The next showed William slightly off-kilter as he sipped the more alcoholic one. The third showed William face-planted into the glass that contained the high alcohol content cider that tasted like flavored kerosene when I sipped mine. As you can see, Duncan was enjoying his role as William’s travel log scribe!

I noticed on our small riverboat that as soon as William’s story was shared, Duncan was never alone at meals or on the bus again. Nobody could resist William’s charm. Or Duncan’s, for that matter.

Everybody handles grief differently. That’s the thing about grief: There is no one way to work through it. Nobody hands you a step-by-step manual when your wife dies. Nobody can describe every milestone of recovery and hand you a chart to check your own progress. It is exhausting, numbing, debilitating, and necessary. We all go through it at our own pace, and the smart ones go through it with the support and comfort of family, friends, support groups, and churches. Or a little stuffed goat who loves to travel and make friends.

Matthew 5:4 (New Revised Standard Version)

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

I have grieved in my lifetime and know I will grieve again. But watching Duncan and William negotiate their grief together gave me encouragement. Jesus assures us that we will be comforted as we grieve and gives us the promise of his presence. In John 14 he reminds us that he will never leave us orphaned but will return to fetch us in due time. To me, that is the greatest comfort of all.

Are you grieving today? I wish you moments of soft reflection, the hint of break-through joy, and the companionship of a stuffed goat to soothe you along the way.

Macarons? Oui, oui!

King Tides

Posted on by Betsy

I got a phone call from my oldest daughter last night asking if I was in a hurricane. The question surprised me, as yesterday’s weather was stunning, It was perfect example of how gorgeous fall is on the Outer Banks. The temperatures were in the 70’s, the sun shone brightly but wasn’t scorching, there was a gentle breeze all day, etc. My running partner and I met at the Wright Memorial for a pleasant five-mile run and truly the day couldn’t have been nicer. I assured my daughter that I was fine, and she explained that a friend had just seen a news report of houses falling into the ocean due to a storm here.

Indeed, houses have recently been reclaimed by the sea on the beaches south of us. These fragile homes have been the victim of beach erosion over the years. The two hurricanes that recently swept past the east coast brought winds and waves close enough to destroy ten unoccupied beach houses. The damage is horrific, and now the rest of the nearby homes are threatened with floating debris as the county workers and volunteers scramble to clean up the remains of these once beloved homes. But even more threatening is the effect of the destructive power of an incoming King Tide.

“King Tide” is a term people in coastal areas use to describe exceptionally high tides. Tides are long-period waves that roll around the planet as the ocean is “pulled” back and forth by the gravitational force of the moon and the sun as they interact with the Earth in their monthly and yearly orbits. Higher than normal tides typically occur during a new or full moon (such as this week’s stunning Harvest moon),  and when the moon is at its “perigee”, meaning when it is nearest to the earth. We are in King Tide season in the Outer Banks.

In our passage today, Paul warns of a different type of destructive power.

Ephesians 2 (Common English Bible)

2 At one time you were like a dead person because of the things you did wrong and your offenses against God. 2 You used to live like people of this world. You followed the rule of a destructive spiritual power. This is the spirit of disobedience to God’s will that is now at work in persons whose lives are characterized by disobedience.

Disobedience is a soul-destroying force that we all contend with. Pulled to and fro by the destructive spiritual power of Satan, we are tempted and beguiled to turn away from God as we succumb to the pleasures of this world. Paul warns us that these offenses turn us into dead people.

The pull on us is as forceful as a King Tide, but we know where to go to resist it.

1 Corinthians 10 (Common English Bible)

13 No temptation has seized you that isn’t common for people. But God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that you will be able to endure it.

Is something tempting you today? Are you about to give in to something you shouldn’t ? Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil this day! Amen.

Harvest Moon Over Avalon Pier by Michelle Robertson

Chocolate Beans

Posted on by Betsy

Today’s devotional is a follow up to the previous one where I discussed bringing my rusty French speaking skills out of the dull chambers of my high school mind and tried to communicate in France. Some of my attempts worked, but others … well, you be the judge.

We were in a small chocolatier watching a demonstration of how chocolate is made. Our local guide (the one who had encouraged my French) was giving us a talk on the history of chocolate, from the very first discovery of the cocoa bean to the present. The store owner had a large cocoa pod on the counter that contained beans. She described how the beans were used as currency due to their high value once certain foreign royal courts discovered the magic of “le pot du chocolat chaud,” or hot chocolate. When the cocoa beans were first introduced in France, however, the king rejected them because he thought they looked like “goat poo,” as the store owner delicately explained, and thus missed out on immense riches that others were able to snatch up as they rushed to procure the beans.

The missed opportunity and the reference to “goat poo” struck my high school brain hard and I said aloud, “Oh merde!” (Google it.) The three French ladies working behind the marble chocolate slab began to giggle and our local guide laughed and told me I was right. I probably shouldn’t have said that, but I was relieved that it made everyone laugh.

The writer of Ecclesiastes has something to say about this:

Ecclesiastes 5 (Common English Bible)

2 Don’t be quick with your mouth or say anything hastily before God, because God is in heaven, but you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few.

Have you ever blurted out something only to instantly regret it? Have you ever spoken a word in anger that seemed rash a few hours later when you calmed down? Have you wished you hadn’t fired off an email in haste? We all have these moments. It is in those moments that we need to pause, breathe, and ask the Holy Spirit to come and duct tape our mouths for a few hours.

Solomon reminds us that God is always watching and listening. He advises that we should consider our words and minimize the impact they might have on a situation. Thoughtful repartee is what is needed in this world of mudslinging and name calling. Indeed, it is often better to just shut up.

May our words be a sweet as chocolate today, and may others be blessed by our consideration.

Chocolate Making

Insomniafests

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever wished to go back to your childhood so that you could sleep with your stuffed animal and feel the instant security and peace that your old friend would bring? Somehow just pulling that fluffy thing into your chest as the lights went out made all the scary things go away. A warm feeling of not being alone replaced the fear of separation from parents, Watching children cradle their “lovies” gives a parent a sense of security too, as we reluctantly close the door and whisper goodnight to the two friends snuggled together.

It is our fervent hope that the safe haven of their sleep won’t be interrupted by night terrors. Night terrors are common in childhood and are thought to be the way the subconscious expresses daytime fears and stress that found no voice. Watching a child have one is just as terrifying for the parent.

Typically we grow out of night terrors, but they seem to be replaced in adulthood by a similar sleep disruptor: night guilts. Night guilts occur when your overtired brain lays its weary head down, only to immediately begin to replay everything you didn’t get accomplished that day, every harsh word you said (or heard), every feeling of failure, worrying about everything, the oppression of “unfinished business”, etc. Throw in a little stress about tomorrow’s list of things to feel bad about, and you are in a full blown night guilt insomniafest. Bring out the jugglers. Oh, wait, did I remember to hire the jugglers?? What will they wear, should I coordinate my outfit with their costumes?? Rats, why didn’t I hire the dancing elephant instead?

And this all gets stuck on “replay” in a continuous loop.

Next time you find yourself reaching for the light switch at 3AM, read this:

Psalm 91 (English Standard Version)

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

“For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.”

When I’m worried, and I can’t sleep, I try to drive out all those unprofitable, useless, stupid sleep-stealing mind guilts and imagine myself hidden and secure under the Father’s wings. I feel the strength of his pinions protecting me from the incoming arrows of my negative thoughts. His shield bounces away every worry from causing permanent damage to my psyche, and these imaginings help in quieting the insomniafest that rages within me.

“Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
    the Most High, who is my refuge

no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
    no plague come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
    the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”

So tonight, when you fall into your bed, hear God saying this to you:

“Because you hold fast to me in love, I will deliver you;
    I will protect you, because you know my name.
When you call to me, I will answer you;
    I will be with you in trouble;
    I will rescue you and honor you.
With long life I will satisfy you
    and show you my salvation.”

Isn’t that so much better than a teddy bear?

Monet’s Garden