Daily devotionals | At Water’s Edge

RipWords

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Betsy

Have you ever been picked on or singled out from the crowd for some reason? Bullies come in all shapes, sizes, ages, political persuasions, and religious preferences. When you are on the receiving end of someone’s vitriol, you long for release. It can be embarrassing and even humiliating to be “called out” by someone who disagrees with you or simply doesn’t get who you are. You can feel like you are drowning and nobody is throwing you a lifeline.

And when you are completely misrepresented, it’s even worse.

Even in those circumstances where the person has made incorrect assumptions, is projecting their issue on you, is threatened by you, or is jealous of you, being the object of someone’s derision is uncomfortable at best and demoralizing at worst. You just want to hide, and you wish to heaven that someone would come along and defend you.

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever made someone feel that way?

Read these words and see if they resonate with you:

Psalm 69 (New King James Version)

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

¹⁴Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.

¹⁵Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

This imagery of floodwater overflowing us when we are hurt by someone’s words is powerful. The psalmist pleads with God to not let him sink in the mire and to deliver him from the deep waters.

Have you ever been caught in a riptide? This deadly force can swiftly carry even the strongest swimmer out to sea in a matter of minutes. It flows from the shoreline to the waters beyond the waves and takes everything with it, much in the same way that a mean-spirited and angry person can take you out with his words, lies, and innuendos.

16 Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
¹⁷And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.

God wants us to learn how to swim parallel to the shore when riptides and ripwords assault us. We are to look to him to help us out of the undertow of somebody’s disapproval. Just keep swimming along the shoreline and you will eventually swim out of it. It works with tides and people. You have the power to keep your head above water and swim out of their deadly pull. Fighting both tides and ignorance gets you nowhere.

¹⁸Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.

If you are in a war of words with a bully, stop talking. Walk away. Respond with good wishes, show them some lovingkindness, and then get on with your life. You may need to block their number, unfollow, or unfriend them…whatever it takes to swim out. Never feed a troll.

God delivers those who deliver themselves.

How Long?

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Betsy

Do you remember life in the before-time? When you didn’t have to strategically plan an early morning grocery store trip on the day you knew toilet paper had been stocked the night before? When you could run a quick errand without having to stop to grab your mask? When everything was open? When you could choose to watch a movie, eat out at a restaurant, go to a football game, or attend a middle school band concert in the school auditorium on any given weekend?

Yeah, me neither. I react when I am watching television and I see people less than six feet apart until I realize it was filmed before the pandemic started. I think in the beginning of this we all thought that if we sacrificed, stayed at home, minded our p’s and q’s, and hunkered down, we would flatten the curve and everything would quickly go back to the way things were. Now we find ourselves in an extended first wave that is not flattening as we had hoped, and a second wave is becoming more of a reality.

As a nation, along with other nations in the world, we groan with one breath and cry out, “How long?” How long will we have sorrow in our heart every day? How long will this enemy virus have power over us? How long until we completely forget what “normal” looks like?

In Psalm 13, the psalmist beautifully articulates exactly what we are feeling right now. He asks the painful question of how long his torment will last:

Psalm 13 (New King James Version)

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
²How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

But his faith steps in and he remembers to whom he is speaking. He asks God to hear him. And we know that whenever we cry out to our Lord, he always inclines his ear.

³Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
⁴Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

So even in the terrible circumstance that brought him to pen these words, he defaults to his trust in God’s mercy. He is able to turn his lament into a rejoicing of heart, anticipating God’s salvation.

⁵But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

Guess what? We are officially one day closer to the end of this thing. So let us prepare for that day by warming up our voices and practicing our harmonies. There will come a day soon when we will sing to the Lord with thanksgiving for his bountiful mercy to us.

⁶I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Freedom

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Betsy

How would you define freedom? Is it a political thing? Does it have the force of law? Is it a state of mind? Is it defined entirely by the country you inhabit, or the company you keep?

Paul talks about freedom almost exclusively in terms of spiritual matters. For him, freedom is the end result of salvation and forgiveness as we leave the enslavement of sin and death and live under the openness of God’s grace.

Romans 6 (The Message)

^15-18So, since we’re out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!

OK, hang on a minute, Paul. Do you mean to say that we have just traded one master (sin) for another master (God) who gives commands?

Read on…

¹⁹I’m using this freedom language because it’s easy to picture. You can readily recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God’s freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?

God’s freedom comes with some conditions. For one, you will be healed. And your life will be expansive in holiness. I don’t know about you, but I think I can live with that.

^20-21As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn’t have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you’re proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.

^22-23But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.

A whole, healed, put-together life is the freedom-gift God offers. His gift is real life, eternal life, given to all who choose to receive his offer of salvation and believe in him.

Where is God offering you freedom from sin right now? Are you ignoring him? Living a life under the tyranny of sin results in less and less freedom. You may think you are living life on your own terms, but the end result is nothing you can be proud of. It’s a dead end.

Choose true freedom.

Patient Waiting

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Betsy

In the constantly evolving science of a global pandemic, we have been through several iterations of do this/do thats. From ‘bleach your groceries‘ to ‘further science has determined that you may not need to bleach your groceries,’ we have followed the science with bated breath, waiting for the day when science will have the final word. Personally, I continue to pray fervently that 1. God removes this virus from the earth, and 2. We develop a vaccine. Yes, I know a vaccine may not completely solve this issue. See #1.

In the days of Jeremiah, the cream of the crop of Israel, including the king, the scientists and artists, had all been removed from Jerusalem and taken away to Babylon. Jeremiah received a prophecy from God that the people were to settle into this new normal and await God’s promised return to their land. But in the meantime, they were to plant crops and have babies. In other words, everyone needs to wait patiently for God.

Hananiah stood up in the temple and announced that the exiles and all the spoils of war were about to returned in full, and that victory and peace had been achieved. This was not the case. Jeremiah stood to speak the harsh truth of the matter.

Jeremiah 28 (Common English Bible)

⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah responded to Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the Lord’s temple. ⁶The prophet Jeremiah said: “Indeed. May the Lord do just as you have said! May the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied and bring back from Babylon the equipment of the Lord’s temple and all the exiles to this place.

⁷However, listen closely to what I have to say to you and all the people: ⁸The prophets who came before you and me long ago prophesied war, disaster, and disease against many lands and great kingdoms. ⁹So the prophet who prophesies peace is recognized as one who is actually sent by the Lord only when that prophet’s message is fulfilled.”

I wish that the news that we have conquered this virus and are now safe to return to normal operations was true. It is not. The numbers say otherwise. States that have seen a recent upswing in positive cases are now moving to mandatory face masks and enforced social distancing. Some have issued curfews. Some counties are levying fines for those who don’t comply.

Science now suggests that wearing masks will help us bring this thing to an end. The more compliance we see, the sooner the virus will be defeated. As we move forward, let us continue to pray for our county, state, and national leadership to make wise and informed decisions that will help us defeat this thing. The Hananiah’s among us are trying to claim victory. But Hananiah was wrong. In other words, we all need to wait patiently for God.

See #1.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait by Wende Pritchard

Persecution

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Betsy

There are places in our world where owning a bible, going to church, or proclaiming your faith could result in imprisonment, beatings, or even death. It is hard for people living in free countries to fathom that there are countries where being a Christ-follower is dangerous. North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iraq rank among the top nations where practicing Christianity is punishable by death. It is estimated that one in eight Christians world-wide lives in a country where practicing their faith is outlawed. (You can read more about this here)

When free people read the following passage in Matthew 10, we think about the rejection and ridicule we might experience for sharing our faith. We don’t think about danger if we are privileged enough to live in a country where such activity is permissible.

But today, I challenge you to read it with the lens of the persecuted church in mind:

Matthew 10 (Common English Bible)

²⁶“Therefore, don’t be afraid of those people because nothing is hidden that won’t be revealed, and nothing secret that won’t be brought out into the open. ²⁷What I say to you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, announce from the rooftops.²⁸Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. ²⁹Aren’t two sparrows sold for a small coin? But not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father knowing about it already.³⁰Even the hairs of your head are all counted. ³¹Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

Don’t be afraid. The stark reality that some could could kill the body but have no power over the soul is shocking when set in the context of countries who literally are torturing and executing Christians for their faith. Yet Jesus boldly proclaims three times not to be afraid, because the Father knows your situation down to the very last hair on your head.

Friends, we must pray for the persecuted church.

³²“Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. ³³But everyone who denies me before people, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Do you ever deny or downplay your faith? When you’re at a party or meeting someone for the first time, do you play it cool until you know if your faith will be accepted? Do you change the subject at family gatherings rather than suffer someone’s sarcasm?

Those of us who live in free nations must not hesitate to go and tell the good news of Christ. If ridicule is the worst weapon that might be formed against us, bring it on. We have brothers and sisters all over the world who can’t even possess a bible. Maybe we could open ours and do what it says on their behalf.

Wonder-Worker

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Betsy

Have you ever had a time in your life when you really, really needed someone to just listen to you? As in REALLY listen, not just nod their head waiting for their turn to speak. Deep listening is an ability that some people never fully achieve in their lifetime. Maybe you know someone like that. Maybe you married someone like that.

The gift of having someone deep-listen to your heart is an amazing catharsis and a healing balm. Sometimes just being HEARD is therapy enough, even without the other person saying a single word. Your heart takes a deep cleansing breath with each word, and exhales frustration, sadness, angst, and heaviness with each syllable.

If you have someone who can listen to you like that, thank them for the blessing they give you.

If you can be someone who can listen to others like that, use your gift in God’s service. You are a blessing.

Psalm 68 (Common English Bible)

Lord, listen closely to me and answer me,
    because I am poor and in need.
²Guard my life because I am faithful.
    Save your servant who trusts in you—you! My God!
³Have mercy on me, Lord,
    because I cry out to you all day long.
⁴Make your servant’s life happy again
    because, my Lord, I offer my life to you,
⁵    because, my Lord, you are good and forgiving,
    full of faithful love for all those who cry out to you.

Nobody can listen to you the way that God can listen to you. God’s word assures us that when we cry out to him, he listens closely.

⁶Listen closely to my prayer, Lord;
pay close attention to the sound of my requests for mercy.
⁷Whenever I am in trouble, I cry out to you,
because you will answer me.

Are you in trouble? Cry out to your Heavenly Father. Nothing can compare to his works.

⁸My Lord! There is no one like you among the gods!
    There is nothing that can compare to your works!
⁹All the nations that you’ve made will come
        and bow down before you, Lord;
    they will glorify your name,
¹⁰    because you are awesome
    and a wonder-worker.
        You are God. Just you.

God is a wonder-worker. God is YOUR wonder-worker. Need someone to listen? Just talk.

Lightening in the Cloud By Michelle Robertson

Dead to Me

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Betsy

Have you ever been so “over” something that you just wanted to yell, “This is dead to me!” A broken trust, the ninth consecutive day of rain, a cheating spouse, a relative showing up drunk and obnoxious once again, a contractor who ripped you off, waking up with yet another hangover…it is harsh but understandable to wish a situation or relationship to be “dead” to you when you no longer want to deal with it. Just. Go. Away.

Abuse, you are dead to me.

Alcohol and drugs, just go away.

Lying, cheating, soul-destroying behavior, you are dead to me.

Toxic relationship? Dead to me.

Rain, be GONE.

Scripture condones a “dead to me” response in a specific situation: when we declare sin to be dead to us.

Romans 6 (The Message)

6 ^1-3So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!

Sin! Just. Go. Away. I don’t live there anymore.

^3-5That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.

Baptism, forgiveness, and the new life promised from the cross guarantee that we have moved to a new land of grace. In that place, God comes alongside of us and offers his strength to resist temptation and sin, and helps us to not return to sin-country.

^6-11Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word.

You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.

Where in your life is God asking you to declare a certain sin dead-to-you? What behaviors and habits continue to drag you back into the miserable life that sin guarantees?

We aren’t called to a life where we get to keep sinning because we know God forgives. We are called to be included in Christ’s sin-conquering death so that we can be a part of his life-saving resurrection. So do better. Pack up that sin and leave it for good. God is speaking his language of redemption now…hang on his every word.

Speaking Truth

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Betsy

Have you ever been in a situation where you suddenly had a deep conviction that you needed to stand up and say something? Have you ever experienced a time when the urge to speak out was so overwhelming that you couldn’t stop yourself? Maybe it happened in the middle of an argument, or at the discovery of an injustice or betrayal. Sometimes it happens in the least likely of places, like the ball field or the grocery story or a church administrative meeting.

Hopefully your word is received well after people have a minute to consider what you are saying. I once had an irresistible urge to interrupt a preacher in a church I was visiting. At the end of his sermon, he announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer that Thursday. As I heard the audible gasps around me, I felt compelled to step out into the aisle and call the congregation to lay hands on him and pray for him as he was about to give the benediction.

I knew that I had been prepared for this by the Holy Spirit. Before the service began, I had spotted a decorative jar of anointing oil on top of an unused piano at the side of the sanctuary. So when this moment came, I walked right over to it as I called the people to come out of the pews to pray for their pastor. We had just done a healing service at my church at home, so the scriptures, instructions, and prayers for this were very fresh in my mind.

In other words, God set me up.

If you have ever found yourself speaking a word of truth to a crowd who is startled to hear what you are saying, you’re in good company.

Jeremiah 20 (Contemporary English Version)

You tricked me, Lord,
    and I was really fooled.
You are stronger than I am,
    and you have defeated me.
People never stop sneering
    and insulting me.
⁸You have let me announce
    only destruction and death.
Your message has brought me
nothing but insults
    and trouble.
⁹Sometimes I tell myself
not to think about you, Lord,
    or even mention your name.
But your message burns
in my heart and bones,
    and I cannot keep silent.

In Jeremiah’s situation, his words of prophecy and condemnation of sin were not well received by the people. Go figure. He, too, was set up by God, and he suffered for the words he was compelled to speak. But his faithfulness to the Lord made it impossible to keep silent. In the choice between pleasing people or pleasing God, he chose to please God.

¹⁰I heard the crowds whisper,
    “Everyone is afraid.
Now’s our chance
    to accuse Jeremiah!”
All of my so-called friends
are just waiting
    for me to make a mistake.
They say, “Maybe Jeremiah
    can be tricked.
Then we can overpower him
    and get even at last.”

Choosing to please God is always the right choice. Even when the message is extremely difficult to say, and even harder for others to hear, pleasing God is the only thing that matters. God always stands by those who speak his truth.

¹¹But you, Lord,
are a mighty soldier,
    standing at my side.
Those troublemakers
will fall down and fail—
    terribly embarrassed,
    forever ashamed.

¹²Lord All-Powerful,
    you test those who do right,
and you know every heart
    and mind.
I have told you my complaints,
so let me watch you
    take revenge on my enemies.
¹³I sing praises to you, Lord.
You rescue the oppressed
    from the wicked.

Where is God calling you to speak an uncomfortable truth into a situation today? Where is he compelling you to speak a word to someone who is not ready to hear what you need to say? Where do you need to stop pleasing people and choose to please God instead?

I am glad I overcame the awkwardness of taking over the church service that morning many decades ago. As it turned out, that pastor retired and began to attend the church I have served for over ten years now, and he just celebrated his 100th birthday. PRAYER WORKS, PEOPLE!

Whatever you are burning to say, know that if it is God’s truth, he will stand by you. Don’t let fear of reprisal keep you silent any longer. God is with you.

Speaking Truth Shall Set You Free By Carson Creef

526 Seconds

Posted on June 12, 2020 by Betsy

I had an extraordinary opportunity this week to attend a protest in my community. It was coordinated by the county Minority Coalition, and was held on the campus of our local community college. People carried signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” “I Can’t Breathe,” “Say Their Names,” etc. It is estimated that close to 500 local citizens attended, and we were moved and uplifted by speakers, singers, clergy people, and the feeling that we were collectively hearing a raw truth that was spoken in voices pleading to be heard and understood. This truth, so beautifully and passionately articulated, was heard by many for the first time. It is a truth that has endured for many generations.

In the wake of the George Floyd murder, the world is beginning to wake up to a reality that our brothers and sisters have been enduring for centuries. Statues are coming down, aggressive force practices and chokehold policies are being rescinded, the NFL has apologized, and NASCAR has outlawed the Confederate flag.

Our local chief of police and the county sheriff spoke at the demonstration. The sheriff spoke compassionately about the injustices that have brought us to this point, and emphasized the need for community policing. He described the death of George Floyd as a criminal act.

The sheriff remarked, “One thing you can be sure of, that it is not the badge you wear that makes you the officer. It is the heart behind this badge.”

One of the most powerful moments of the evening came when we were invited to stand or kneel in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. That was the length of time it took for one officer’s knee to shut off the life from another man’s neck. 526 seconds that changed the world.

Maybe it took a pandemic to get our attention. Black men and women have been killed by racial injustice and prejudice for decades…maybe it took the world literally stopping for people to focus long enough to really see this issue and begin to understand all that has been happening for generations. In the absence of life’s normal busyness and frantic pace, we have paused long enough to see. To hear. To listen. And eventually, to change.

“Together we have the power for change,” the president of the Minority Coalition said. “It is it now at this moment that we summon the powers to right the wrongs that have happened all throughout history from ancient to more recent times. We must use these powers for the good of all of us, especially the least among us. We must inspire change in the world with hopes that injustice will fail, and justice shall prevail…We will fear the darkness no more.”

Amos 5 (New Revised Standard Edition)

Seek good and not evil,
    that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
    just as you have said.
¹⁵Hate evil and love good,
    and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
    will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

With God’s help, we shall overcome. Today is the day.

Commissioned

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Betsy

Have you ever heard the phrase, “That’s the tail wagging the dog?” You will hear that used in the context of an institution or group that is allowing a minor part of the system or body to set forward an agenda at the expense of the larger whole. Obviously a dog is supposed to wag its tail, not the other way around.

It happens when the vision is too micro-focused on one certain aspect of the overall mission. It happens when one person or group has too much power and uses it at the expense of the whole. It is painstakingly transplanting a single tree when the entire forest is on fire.

I walked with a clergy friend last week who had just finished a webinar on the mission of the church. Her take-away from it was wrapped up in one incredible thought: God’s church doesn’t have a mission; God’s mission has a church! But sometimes we get that wrong, and put our mission before God’s vision. We try to wag him with the power of our planning.

Let that roll around in your brain as we take a look at the great commission Jesus gave all his disciples, just in case we have lost sight of God’s mission for his followers:

Matthew 28

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.“

Let’s look at the trees for a moment before we get to the forest.

There were eleven disciples there, as this occurs after the crucifixion. It is the resurrected Jesus who is speaking, and all but Judas are present. And did you catch the part where “all worshiped, but some doubted.” Can you imagine being Jesus in that moment? Come on, guys! What does a savior have to do to gain respect, already?? If Jesus was a southern lady in that moment, he would have thought, “Well, bless your hearts.”

So he asserts God’s authority once again, and then gives them their life-long commission.

MAKE

BAPTIZE

TEACH

Notice that there are things that churches sometimes do that are NOT listed in that commission. Things like judge, condemn, alienate, or rebuke. The forest-view of these four charges reminds us that God’s mission has a church. And the church is the thing he is counting on to forward his mission on the earth. It is only by his authority that we do this. And the best news of all? We don’t do it alone:

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Remember that without vision, the people perish. Jesus was very clear about his vision for his followers when he departed for the last time. Go to the people where they are; bring them into a discipled life; baptize them as part of their initiation into the Body of Christ; teach them everything you know about my kingdom and its commandments.

How are you living out the great commission in your life? Are you inviting others to a relationship with Christ? Are you telling your truth in a way that people can hear Jesus? You’re the only Jesus some will ever see. Will they see him in you? God calls everyone into his mission today and invites each one to join him in this great undertaking.

So go. Make. Initiate. Enlighten.
Be Jesus to someone today, and watch the forest grow.

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