Daily devotionals

Every Kind of Aggravation

Posted on by Betsy

We are living in the days of every kind of aggravation. In all of my years of living, I have never experienced this level of sustained aggravation before. There were certainly times of grief, trial, exhaustion, and all manner of challenges, but not like this. How about you? I won’t even attempt to list them, but just a snapshot of trying to buy groceries once a week should give you a picture. Spoiler alert: there is a lot of WHINING in this next section.

I don’t report to work early on Sundays anymore since we are now taping the service on Thursdays. That should make for a nice, slow Sabbath. But in the early days of the pandemic, when I was still driving to church on Sunday to do Facebook Live, I discovered that my local Publix opened at 8AM and was very uncrowded…and the toilet paper was restocked every Saturday night.

So now I get out early on Sundays just to shop. That is the beginning of all kinds of aggravation. Mostly it is my N95 mask and disposable gloves that aggravate the heck out of me. By the time I speed through the aisles, being careful to follow the one-way arrows and social distancing, my claustrophobia is peaking and my hands are literally dripping with sweat. And even though I have a concise list, I spend time waiting my turn to go down an aisle that already has a looky-loo leisurely standing in front of an array of products and seemingly reading the ingredient list of each one. She can see me waiting (I dare not pass her) yet she lingers…and ends up not putting anything in her cart.

A friend and I were commiserating about the fact that we used to enjoy shopping and found it relaxing. Now it is like entering a war zone of mine fields, and your heart is racing to just get out. Not to mention all the shortages of products, resulting in having to think on the fly of different meals based on what is actually available. OK, RANT OVER.

Our passage from 1 Peter takes us away from whatever is aggravating us right now, and reminds us that we have been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for:

1 Peter 1 (The Message)

3-5 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.

My mantra for months now has been, “we are one day closer to the end of this thing.” Look at that last sentence: “The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—-life healed and whole.” Man, did I need to hear that this morning! How about you?

6-7 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

Peter reminds us that faith, like gold, gets refined in the fire. Folks, we are in the fire right now. What a time to refine our faith! What an opportunity to come out of this thing stronger, better, and more deeply connected with God because we’ve worked hard to stay in the Word. Think about it…what would you normally be doing right now? Our hustle-bustle life got slammed shut. God is inviting us to use the SLOW to reevaluate EVERYTHING.

8-9 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.

What is God asking you to reevaluate today? Where do you need further refining? Will you go back to your old self when this is over?

I hope not. I hope that enduring every kind of aggravation right now bears the fruit of all kinds of godly behavior in all of us. And maybe I’ll learn to be more patient with the looky-loos in the grocery store. Anything is possible with God!

Another Day Closer by Lisa Lawrence

Refuge

Posted on by Betsy

Waterspouts occur in the Outer Banks when the conditions are just right. Like a land tornado, a waterspout is a fast column of rotating air and water mist that occurs over a body of water and moves quickly and unpredictably. They are forceful enough to cause great damage, and strong enough to pick up objects as they move along.

I have first-hand knowledge of this, unfortunately. A few years ago my husband and I were on a long walk, and were almost two miles away from home when we spotted a waterspout coming rapidly across the sound toward the harbor. To our horror, it turned and aimed directly toward the area where we were walking.

People were out on their decks watching it move closer. We decided to run up a driveway and take shelter in somebody’s carport when a woman began to yell at us to come into her house. We told her we were OK, but she insisted. The urgency in her voice changed our minds, so we ran into her house just as the waterspout changed direction again and came directly over the houses around us.

We sheltered with this kind woman and her mother for about 30 minutes until the danger had passed. When it was safe to walk home, we discovered that the waterspout had caused quite a bit of damage to the houses around us. A large orange patio umbrella had landed on the roof of the house next to the one were we found refuge. A day later, we found out that it had flown from our next door neighbor’s deck across the marina and landed there. A friend across the canal shot a video of the waterspout hitting our neighbor’s house. It sucked the umbrella straight up out of the table, where it swirled in the spout until finally landing almost two miles away. It was like being in a water version of The Wizard of Oz.

The damage to our house was manageable. Our two large trash cans had flown from the front curb OVER THE HOUSE and landed in the canal out back. A pair of heavy Adirondack chairs was picked up off our dock, and also landed in the water. Loose shingles were all over the yard. But thanks to the intervention of a kind stranger, we were safe.

Psalm 16

Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.’
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    ‘They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.’
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.

It doesn’t take a waterspout to make you realize that there are times in your life when you need to take refuge. God is our permanent place of refuge. In him is all the peace, hope and comfort we need. Apart from him, we have no good thing. Running after the gods of pleasure and distraction (as we are inclined to do) is a faulty plan. God sets boundary lines to keep us safe from harm, and we are wise to observe them.

5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

For the second day in a row we are given a scripture that boldly states, “I shall not be shaken.” Do you think the Holy Spirit might be trying to tell us something??

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

And here again, for the second day in a row, the scripture assures us that we will not be abandoned to death. We know that Jesus brought about the death of death.

11 You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Where is God calling you to find refuge in him today? What aspect of your life needs to be carefully placed in the safe shelter of his plan right now? What needs to be left behind so that you can continue on the path of life?

You will not be shaken or abandoned. God is with you in every waterspout and storm…and pandemic. Thanks be to God!

See Betsy and Kenn RUN

Pitching Tents in the Land of HOPE

Posted on by Betsy

Every day that goes by during this pandemic brings a new set of numbers, reports, opinions, plans, sorrows, and sometimes even words of hope. Trying to keep up with all of it is overwhelming. Taking a news-fast helps, but every driveway conversation with our neighbors as we walk the dog brings new information and more speculation into our thoughts.

The lectionary passage for the second week of Eastertide absolutely nails it. Again, the ability for the lectionary to speak directly into our situation continues to blow me away. I was accused of cherry-picking my texts (which I don’t do, if you understand how the lectionary works.) But if I was a cherry-picker, honey, I’d have picked this bright red cherry for us today:

Acts 2 (The Message)

22-28 “Fellow Israelites, listen carefully to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man thoroughly accredited by God to you—the miracles and wonders and signs that God did through him are common knowledge—this Jesus, following the deliberate and well-thought-out plan of God, was betrayed by men who took the law into their own hands, and was handed over to you. And you pinned him to a cross and killed him. But God untied the death ropes and raised him up. Death was no match for him.

What jumps out immediately is that Jesus was following the DELIBERATE and WELL-THOUGHT-OUT plan of God. That took me back to an earlier lectionary passage where we discovered Paul’s words of encouragement to persevere as we run this race, which is “already marked out” for us. We take that to mean that this pandemic has a beginning, a course of moving forward, and a finish line. There is hope in that! Every day we are one day closer to the end, thanks be to God.

Today we are reminded that God’s plan for dealing with this is deliberate and well-thought-out. Jesus followed it. So should we.

Did you know that God’s plan includes the death of death? He untied the death ropes from Jesus, and death was no match for him!

David said it all:

I saw God before me for all time.
    Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;
    I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.
I know you’ll never dump me in Hades;
    I’ll never even smell the stench of death.
You’ve got my feet on the life-path,
    with your face shining sun-joy all around.

I would love for us to make David’s words our prayer. Pray this today if you need a little boost:

“Gracious and Loving God,

Today I have decided that nothing can shake me. YOU are right by my side.

Knowing this brings me gladness from the inside-out!

And so today, I will choose to pitch my tent in the land of HOPE.

I know that I will not be abandoned to the hell of death, because You have my feet walking the path of light.

Father, I raise my joy-bright face toward heaven and loudly proclaim:

NOT TODAY, SATAN. Amen.“

Thank you for pitching your tent next to mine. Together, we will get through this.

Sunrise in the Land of Hope by Michelle Robertson

Known in the Bread

Posted on by Betsy

I have always loved the “Walk to Emmaus” passage. It is one of my favorite post-Easter readings. I totally relate to two men who unknowingly encounter the risen Jesus and are so startled by the very notion of a risen Jesus that they don’t know until the very end that they have been walking with the RISEN JESUS!

Let’s be honest. There are many times in our lives when we have failed to realize that the risen Jesus has been walking by our side, too.

Jesus is sneaky like that.

Jesus joins these guys as they are discussing all the events that had just taken place in Jerusalem, ending in the crucifixion. They related a lot of good detail about Jesus, and how they thought he was the Messiah, the One who would deliver Israel. They then recounted how the women had “confused them” this morning by reporting that the tomb was discovered to be empty. Everything was laid out before them, but they couldn’t put two and two together.

Jesus was a tad peeved.

Luke 24 (The Message)

25-27 Then he said to them, “So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?”

Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.

Can you image any better “Prophets of the Old Testament” professor? The fellows still didn’t get it…but at least they had the good sense to invite Jesus to dinner.

28-31 They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: “Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.” So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.

In all that is beautiful about this passage, it is the singular moment when Jesus blessed and broke the bread that the power of the risen Lord was revealed, and their eyes were opened.

That is exactly what happens in communion. Jesus becomes known to us in the breaking of the bread. We arrive at the altar, looking for him. When the bread is broken, we know that it is for our sake that the brokenness happens. He broke his body to heal OUR brokenness. That is what we recognize in the bread.

Communion has been set aside in my church for the duration of the pandemic, following the suggestion of our Bishop. Many people have adopted a practice of home communion, and some churches have created online communion. I have a friend who celebrated communion all by herself on Easter Sunday by carrying the elements in a backpack up a sand dune, and taking them as the sun came up. I think that is beautiful. I think it is ALL beautiful. I think abstaining is also beautiful.

I know for me, when I finally am able to take and serve communion, the abstinence from it will make that moment all the sweeter. I want more than anything to be TOGETHER when that happens, and I pray it happens soon.

But in the meantime, know this: the risen Jesus has been walking with us all along.

Walking with Jesus by Janie Serbousek

ONE thing

Posted on by Betsy

Many of you know that I have a dog named Georgia. She is a big yellow lab, and by big, I mean 110 pounds big. Georgia loves many things….long walks, swimming, any kind of food, and anything that smells. She can be a real challenge to walk.

Often when I am walking her, my arm suddenly gets yanked out of the socket because she has found something good to smell. I keep explaining to her that we came out for a walk, not a sniff! I spend the whole walk telling her to lift her head up…more than once she has walked smack into a mailbox post that she never saw coming. She has amazing focus….just on the wrong thing!

Philippians 3 (New International Version)

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.

But ONE thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

This scripture is a beautiful portrait of Paul, the Jesus-follower. The fact that Paul had such a passion for following Jesus is amazing, considering where he started. Remember that before he became Paul the apostle, he was Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of Jesus-followers. Paul’s credentials were impressive: he was circumcised eight days after his birth, was a member of the tribe of Benjamin, was a Hebrew among Hebrews, a Pharisee, and a zealous advocate of the Jewish faith until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. 

From that point on, he was a zealous advocate of only one thing: Jesus. Look again at vs. 13 and 14: “But ONE thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Did you notice Paul’s focus? “But ONE thing I do…” Not ten things, not a hundred things, but ONE thing. 

I would bet that if we were to hire a consultant to look at our lives and advise us on how we can be more successful, the first thing that consultant would say is, “You’re trying to do too many things.” Henry Ford once said, “A weakness of all human beings is trying to do too many things at once. That scatters effort and destroys direction. It makes for haste, and haste makes waste.” The key to a successful life is to have one goal, and to pursue that with all your heart, might, and focus.

What ONE thing is Christ calling you to focus on right now? Is it healing your marriage, forgiving someone who has hurt you, releasing a grudge and moving on, starting a deeper, intentional commitment to your discipleship…where should your focus be?

Paul invites us to join him in his ONE thing. Forget the old baggage of what lies behind. Strain forward to what lies ahead. Press on toward your goal. Pursue the upward call of God….and find Jesus.

Focused Fishermen by Michelle Robertson

Post-Pandemic Plans

Posted on by Betsy

My husband just made a reservation at a favorite restaurant in Disney World for September. It is a reservation that in normal times is impossible to get, especially for a popular time in the evening, but it’s ours now. The thing I love the most about this is that we are starting to think in concrete terms about life AP….After Pandemic.

It is good to do this. Our patient watching-and-waiting is energized when we allow ourselves to think about life getting back to normal. We may still be staying at home in September, but it sure feels good to look ahead and dream.

This morning’s reading is just like that. Isaiah, the renowned Old Testament prophet, was also in a watching-and-waiting place. It was during the time when Israel was divided into a Northern Kingdom (Israel) and a Southern Kingdom (Judah). Isaiah watched as the Northern Kingdom was overrun by the Assyrians, and the Israelites were captured and taken to places far away. Judah is hanging on for now, and in the midst of this, Isaiah writes this beautiful vision of a post-diaspora celebration where all the people of the world will come to feast in Jerusalem:

Isaiah 25 (The Message)

But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies
    will throw a feast for all the people of the world,
A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines,
    a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts.
And here on this mountain, God will banish
    the pall of doom hanging over all peoples,

The shadow of doom darkening all nations.
    Yes, he’ll banish death forever.
And God will wipe the tears from every face.
    He’ll remove every sign of disgrace
From his people, wherever they are.
    Yes! God says so!

9-10 Also at that time, people will say,
    “Look at what’s happened! This is our God!
We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!
    This God, the one we waited for!
Let’s celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation.
    God’s hand rests on this mountain!”

Oh, how this resonates today! We long for God to come and remove the shadow of doom, the PALL of doom, from our world today. We long to be able to gather together, to lay down our masks and gloves, and to feast on the finest foods and vintage wines.

The time is coming. God will wipe the tears from every face. He will remove every sign of this pandemic from his people, wherever they are. God’s hand rests on his creation, and he will show up and save us, in his time.

What are your post-pandemic dreams? What is the first thing you want to do when the restrictions are lifted and the danger has passed? What do you miss the most? Dream and plan, friends! It is good for your soul.

But for now, we wait.

And as we wait, remember this: we are one day closer to the end of this thing. Thanks be to God.

Watching and Waiting. Photo by Michelle Robertson

Flat Bread

Posted on by Betsy

My father-in-law has been a widower for eight years. Among the many impressive skills he has acquired in that time is baking. He didn’t have much time to hone this skill in the thirty years that he was serving the country as an active duty Navy officer, but now he has taught himself how to make lovely bread.

The quarantine challenged this recently when his stores of yeast diminished. He found some tucked away in the garage, but like most things tucked away in garages, it perhaps had been there from the time they moved into that house…in the 80‘s. Old yeast is flat yeast, and does not do what yeast was created to do: produce light, raised, airy bread.

1 Corinthians 5 (The Message)

6-8 Your flip and callous arrogance in these things bothers me. You pass it off as a small thing, but it’s anything but that. Yeast, too, is a “small thing,” but it works its way through a whole batch of bread dough pretty fast. So get rid of this “yeast.”

Our true identity is flat and plain, not puffed up with the wrong kind of ingredient. The Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed for the Passover meal, and we are the Unraised Bread part of the Feast.

So let’s live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread—simple, genuine, unpretentious.

Paul is being pretty harsh with the church at Corinth. He spends a great deal of this letter chastising them for practices they have adopted which are not in keeping with his teaching. Particularly in this instance, he is reprimanding them for their “puffed up boasting” in the resurrection. Humility is the way, he counsels. Christ looks for followers who are simple, genuine, and unpretentious.

Can you think of a time in your life where your arrogant boasting got you into trouble? Did you suffer the consequences of your own puffed up ego? Are you suffering from someone’s narcissism, and feeling the pain of being around a person who thinks way more highly of themselves than they ought? And by default, seems to think nothing of you?

The Enemy just loves flattery. So do we. When we allow ourselves to be puffed up, we lose sight of everything that has value: simplicity, selflessness, genuine caring for others, and the humble attitude that our Savior took on.

So be like Jesus. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and HE will lift you up. Quit believing your own press, and look outside of yourself.

Humility and servanthood are the best kinds of yeast we can spread throughout our community. When people see THAT kind of bread, they can’t wait to get to the table.

Bread from the Holy Land by Michelle Baker

Believing is Seeing

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever missed out on something really, really big because you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? Some of you will remember that actress Christine Lahti missed receiving her Golden Globe award for Chicago Hope because when it was announced she was….wait for it….in the bathroom. That could so easily be me.

Our scripture today takes us to the evening of the Resurrection. The disciples had scattered and were hiding behind a locked door in a house. Then the best thing happened! Jesus joined them. Note that the first words out of his mouth as our resurrected Lord were, “Peace to you.”

John 20 (The Message)

19-20 Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.

20-21 The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”

Peace to you…peace to you. Boy, we need to hear those words right now. The disciples were able to see Jesus with their own EYES. Can you imagine that? They were huddled together in fear of their lives, likely discussing all the events that had happened in the last week, and surely some of them were struggling to understand and accept their new normal. In the midst of that, came Jesus.

22-23 Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”

24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.”

Indeed, Thomas was the Christine Lahti of the resurrection. This poor guy had probably run the other way after the crucifixion and missed the big reveal.

He said what many of us say today:

But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.”

“Unless God heals my son, I won’t believe in him.”

“Why would a powerful God allow this horrific pandemic to happen? I don’t believe in a so-called loving God that would do this.“

“Evil people are committing terrible acts all over the world: there is no God.”

When we hold up our own litmus test of what a living God should look like, we are likely to be disappointed. God rarely conforms to our narrow version of him.

Eight days later, Jesus appeared to them again. This time, Thomas got the memo and saw Jesus with his own eyes. And don’t miss this important point: eight days later, Thomas had enough faith to show up again….

29 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”

That’s us, folks. Even BETTER blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing. So when you have doubt, and you will, remember all those around you who have never seen, but still believe. Remember Thomas. Listen to their stories and testimonies, bury your heart in God’s Word, and receive the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Ask God to help you in your unbelief. Be a Believing Thomas.

We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight by Elaine Walls Reed

He is Risen!

Posted on by Betsy

Happy Easter, beloved readers! I am breaking my sabbath practice of not posting on Sunday to share this beautiful Outer Banks Easter sunrise picture. May your Easter celebration be holy, happy, and draw you closer to one another and our Savior. He is risen, indeed!

Easter Sunrise by Wende Pritchard

Completed

Posted on by Betsy

We have finally arrived. Today is Good Friday, the last weekday of our journey through Lent. As a child, I used to wonder why we called it “Good.” It seemed to me the day Jesus died on the cross was anything but good. Easter Sunday? Good. Birthdays? Good. Last day of school? Very good. But the crucifixion? Not so good.

Some believe that it is a variation of “God’s Friday.” In Germany, it is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday.” Of course what remains good about today is that God’s plan to save humanity could only come through Jesus’ willing sacrifice, which brought eternal life to everyone. Even though it was horrific by any measure, God indeed used Jesus’ death for the “good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28)

John 19 (The Message)

28 Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, “I’m thirsty.”

29-30 A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done . . . complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.

Note that the scripture reads that he offered up his spirit. It wasn’t taken or forced from him, but he offered it. Can you imagine? He did that for you.

38 After all this, Joseph of Arimathea (he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews) petitioned Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission. So Joseph came and took the body.

Take a look at the detail in the descriptions of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (below). Joseph was a “secret” disciple, because he was intimidated by the Jews. Nicodemus, however, has made the leap from first coming to Jesus in the dark of night to now being able to come in the broad daylight. What are we meant to learn?

Be Nicodemus. Stand in the light and proclaim Christ as Lord. Don’t be intimidated by the secular world or the scorn of non-believers. Share your faith openly and boldly. You have a story to tell….because it doesn’t end with Good Friday.

39-42 Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. They took Jesus’ body and, following the Jewish burial custom, wrapped it in linen with the spices. There was a garden near the place he was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. So, because it was Sabbath preparation for the Jews and the tomb was convenient, they placed Jesus in it.

But for today, we leave Jesus in the tomb. You have to go through Good Friday to get to Easter Sunday.

On this day of sorrows, be mindful of everything it cost our Lord to purchase your salvation. He loves you that much.

It is finished.

The Garden Tomb by Faye Gardner