You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's epistle reading is here.
Tomorrow is Independence Day for the United States of America, a milestone birthday. Even after 250 years we have yet to achieve liberty and justice for all. Yet independence means something different in the Christian life than it might socio-politically. I believe God’s greatest desire for us is freedom, to be free from all that holds us back and makes us less than who we were intended to be, less than who God already knows us to be. That freedom does not make us independent, however – it makes us interdependent. That is the kind of liberty Jesus calls us into. He invites us to be tethered to God, to one another and to serving the world, not because we are forced, but by our free choice.
Paul writes in Romans that we have been set free from sin so as to be enslaved to God, being made holy (“sanctified”) in the process. Would we voluntary enslave ourselves to anything? Well, yes. Our lives are full of ways in which we yield our freedom – on a limited basis – to achieve a goal. We become employees working under the policies and procedures of our employers; we pay personal trainers large sums to make us perform painful and arduous exercises; we follow certain diets. I even discovered when I was instituted into ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada that I had sworn an oath of fealty to King Charles!
And we voluntarily take on the yoke Jesus offers, which he says is easy. Which it is, when we truly trust him; it is only when we pull away that we find it chafes.
We are asked to become more dependent on God, to throw all our weight and trust on this One we cannot see but discern in our lives and around us. As we grow in that relationship, we learn the ways that God is depending upon us to be the vessels by which her/his transforming love and healing power are enacted in the world. We cannot do it without God; God will not do it without us.
We are also invited to become interdependent with others in our communities of faith, and with those whom we would serve. And we are interdependent in service to the world, willing to be served as well as to serve. We will see peace and justice reign when we truly understand that to seek the good for our neighbor will create good and security and plenty for us. Even better will be the day when we don’t think in “us” and “them” terms at all – as U2 sings in Invisible, “There is no them; there’s only you, there’s only me.”
I wish all of us a weekend of perfect freedom and fun – with the prayer that, as we celebrate the unfathomable liberties many – though far from all – enjoy as a nation, we find a pattern of “tethered freedom” in Christ that allows us to be truly free.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
7-2-26 - Cure for Inner Conflict
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's epistle reading is here.
The reading from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome appointed for Sunday is convoluted in language but deeply important in message, as Paul expresses a basic human conundrum: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
This plight will be familiar to anyone who’s ever found himself unable to put down the ice cream container, or stick to one cocktail, or stop herself from telling someone else’s secret… we know what “right” is in most circumstances, and sometimes we just watch ourselves walk right over to the “wrong” side of town. “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.”
Paul sees two forces at work in himself, two competing laws – the law of God, or spirit; and the law of the mind, or “flesh.” Describing the turmoil wrought by the effort to navigate these skirmishes, he ends up with a cry from the heart we’ve all felt at some point or other, especially when faced with the consequences of our choices: “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
His answer is close at hand: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” The way to stop the cycle of self-destructiveness when we’re in its grip is not to try harder, but to surrender more to the one force in the universe more powerful than our own desires: the God who made us, who sent his Son among us to draw us into a relationship in which our internal battles are overwhelmed by Love. As any recovering addict will tell you, will power doesn't get us very far; surrender to help allows us to go the distance.
God’s power is right here – power to resist evil, turn away from temptation, turn to life instead of death. The only thing we need do is invoke the power of God: "Jesus, be here now!” That was my prayer once when I’d fallen down a flight of stairs; it should be my prayer every time I struggle with choosing the best course.
Let’s not forget the loving invitation we’ve been looking at from our Gospel reading this week: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Turning toward Jesus, calling on the power of the Holy Spirit to fill and transform our desires gets easier the more we do it. It takes a while for anything to become habitual, but with practice, this can become our first response. Just as oxen that are yoked to a cart have to travel together, spirits that are yoked to Christ no longer try to go their own ways but follow his.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
The reading from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome appointed for Sunday is convoluted in language but deeply important in message, as Paul expresses a basic human conundrum: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
This plight will be familiar to anyone who’s ever found himself unable to put down the ice cream container, or stick to one cocktail, or stop herself from telling someone else’s secret… we know what “right” is in most circumstances, and sometimes we just watch ourselves walk right over to the “wrong” side of town. “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.”
Paul sees two forces at work in himself, two competing laws – the law of God, or spirit; and the law of the mind, or “flesh.” Describing the turmoil wrought by the effort to navigate these skirmishes, he ends up with a cry from the heart we’ve all felt at some point or other, especially when faced with the consequences of our choices: “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
His answer is close at hand: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” The way to stop the cycle of self-destructiveness when we’re in its grip is not to try harder, but to surrender more to the one force in the universe more powerful than our own desires: the God who made us, who sent his Son among us to draw us into a relationship in which our internal battles are overwhelmed by Love. As any recovering addict will tell you, will power doesn't get us very far; surrender to help allows us to go the distance.
God’s power is right here – power to resist evil, turn away from temptation, turn to life instead of death. The only thing we need do is invoke the power of God: "Jesus, be here now!” That was my prayer once when I’d fallen down a flight of stairs; it should be my prayer every time I struggle with choosing the best course.
Let’s not forget the loving invitation we’ve been looking at from our Gospel reading this week: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Turning toward Jesus, calling on the power of the Holy Spirit to fill and transform our desires gets easier the more we do it. It takes a while for anything to become habitual, but with practice, this can become our first response. Just as oxen that are yoked to a cart have to travel together, spirits that are yoked to Christ no longer try to go their own ways but follow his.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
7-1-26 - Come Unto Me
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Were sweeter words ever found in Scripture for a harried people? “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Being a disciple means taking on the discipline of a master, doing whatever she or he tells you to do. The Pharisees and teachers of the law demanded much of their followers, to keep the Law of Moses perfectly in every particular. Nuances of love, mercy and relationship often fell by the wayside. The burdens of these demands were heavy indeed, and never satisfactorily met - except by the Teachers, of course.
We can say the same of the demands our culture places upon us – to be more productive, more successful, more financially secure, more fashionable, attractive, sweet-smelling, popular… you name it. The new law is no less onerous than the old. And so Jesus’ invitation is alive for us as well.
We take on a yoke when we take on Christ’s life, as oxen are fitted with an apparatus so they can pull a cart. We offer our obedience to him and take on the ministry of being his apostles, his witnesses – proclaiming the Good News, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, freeing the captives. Like his original disciples, we may be called to give up things or people we find precious for rewards only known later.
But Jesus says his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. Unlike the burden of the Law-bound, his is the yoke of freedom in God. Unlike the arrogant Teachers, he is gentle and humble in heart; he was never ashamed to eat with obvious sinners and people on the margins.
Were sweeter words ever found in Scripture for a harried people? “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Being a disciple means taking on the discipline of a master, doing whatever she or he tells you to do. The Pharisees and teachers of the law demanded much of their followers, to keep the Law of Moses perfectly in every particular. Nuances of love, mercy and relationship often fell by the wayside. The burdens of these demands were heavy indeed, and never satisfactorily met - except by the Teachers, of course.
We can say the same of the demands our culture places upon us – to be more productive, more successful, more financially secure, more fashionable, attractive, sweet-smelling, popular… you name it. The new law is no less onerous than the old. And so Jesus’ invitation is alive for us as well.
We take on a yoke when we take on Christ’s life, as oxen are fitted with an apparatus so they can pull a cart. We offer our obedience to him and take on the ministry of being his apostles, his witnesses – proclaiming the Good News, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, freeing the captives. Like his original disciples, we may be called to give up things or people we find precious for rewards only known later.
But Jesus says his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. Unlike the burden of the Law-bound, his is the yoke of freedom in God. Unlike the arrogant Teachers, he is gentle and humble in heart; he was never ashamed to eat with obvious sinners and people on the margins.
- Do you want to find rest for your soul? In many of us, our soul feels restless, especially in a culture that does not privilege space for the spiritual.
- Have you experienced knowing Jesus as restful or stressful?
- If stressful, we might take a look at what part of his message we’re focusing on.
- What can you do today to find rest for your soul?
Whether you are in the midst of work stress, or easing into a summer vacation, I suggest you start with some “soul rest” in Jesus’ presence. Hand off your burdens and take on his promise of peace. And then spread it around.
6-30-26 - Who're You Calling a Baby?
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
How do you feel about being called a baby? At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.”
We could see it as an insult - or receive it as an invitation to total trust in God. Infants are receiving machines - they do not feed, clothe or even move themselves. The only thing they can “do” is ask for help by using their voices – and reward their helpers with big smiles, which they quickly learn will get them far. If it were true that “God helps those who help themselves,” a deeply destructive maxim nowhere to be found in Christian scripture, none of us would see our first birthdays.
Infants are clear about their needs and quick to ask. They are fully in relationship with their care-givers. We can learn from them to go first to God when we need something instead of making it our last resort. And, as with those babies who reward us with gurgles and smiles, we can learn to praise the moment we receive a gift.
Of course, infants are anything but simple. In their tiny minds and bodies are contained all the systems and equipment that adults have, just waiting to mature. Whether we are young or mature in faith, we too have everything we need to live a God-reliant, praise-filled life – it is all given to us by the Holy Spirit in baptism, waiting to be developed.
How do you feel about being called a baby? At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.”
We could see it as an insult - or receive it as an invitation to total trust in God. Infants are receiving machines - they do not feed, clothe or even move themselves. The only thing they can “do” is ask for help by using their voices – and reward their helpers with big smiles, which they quickly learn will get them far. If it were true that “God helps those who help themselves,” a deeply destructive maxim nowhere to be found in Christian scripture, none of us would see our first birthdays.
Infants are clear about their needs and quick to ask. They are fully in relationship with their care-givers. We can learn from them to go first to God when we need something instead of making it our last resort. And, as with those babies who reward us with gurgles and smiles, we can learn to praise the moment we receive a gift.
Of course, infants are anything but simple. In their tiny minds and bodies are contained all the systems and equipment that adults have, just waiting to mature. Whether we are young or mature in faith, we too have everything we need to live a God-reliant, praise-filled life – it is all given to us by the Holy Spirit in baptism, waiting to be developed.
- What are some attributes of infants that you might borrow and try on as you approach God?
- What are the things you cannot do for yourself that you are afraid to trust God with? Or eager to?
The most challenging part of faith-life for many is having to depend upon the grace and mercy and power of God for what matters most in the long term. Learning to receive God’s goodness and not worry so much about repaying – for we cannot – is a mark of maturity in faith.
Today in prayer try an imagination exercise – imagine yourself as an infant being held or watched over by Jesus… that image once came to me in healing prayer.
How does he interact with you in that prayer space?
Does he say anything? Do you? What do you feel?
Infants have a huge learning curve, because they have everything about life to learn. As Christ followers, we are in a similar position – we have everything about God-Life to learn. Let’s open our spiritual senses and breathe it in.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Today in prayer try an imagination exercise – imagine yourself as an infant being held or watched over by Jesus… that image once came to me in healing prayer.
How does he interact with you in that prayer space?
Does he say anything? Do you? What do you feel?
Infants have a huge learning curve, because they have everything about life to learn. As Christ followers, we are in a similar position – we have everything about God-Life to learn. Let’s open our spiritual senses and breathe it in.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
6-29-26 - Hidden From the Wise
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Summertime – and the living is easy… or should be. This week’s gospel contains Jesus’ beautiful invitation to “come unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Perfect for a holiday week, right? (Canada Day on July 1, U.S. Independence Day on July 4…)
In the section before this, Jesus inveighs against the faithlessness of his critics, chiefly the Pharisees and their ilk. He is also angered by the fickleness and lack of faith he finds among his own people relative to what he encounters in Gentiles. Forget the scholars, he says – give me the simple-hearted: At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”
Sometimes knowledge gets in the way of our understanding; expectations cloud our ability to see the surprising; familiarity obscures the fullness of revelation. People envy those who have a “simple faith,” an ability to say “yes” to the story of God’s revelation in Christ, and to participate in that story. Blessed are the simple-hearted – for they are often better at living by the Spirit.
And yet the Gospel is also given for those of us who think too much - we just make it harder for ourselves. In the final analysis, analysis will not yield full understanding, any more than playing with the food on our plate will get us fed. The Good News is a gift to be taken and received, ingested, allowed to play in our minds, hearts and spirits.
Summertime – and the living is easy… or should be. This week’s gospel contains Jesus’ beautiful invitation to “come unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Perfect for a holiday week, right? (Canada Day on July 1, U.S. Independence Day on July 4…)
In the section before this, Jesus inveighs against the faithlessness of his critics, chiefly the Pharisees and their ilk. He is also angered by the fickleness and lack of faith he finds among his own people relative to what he encounters in Gentiles. Forget the scholars, he says – give me the simple-hearted: At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”
Sometimes knowledge gets in the way of our understanding; expectations cloud our ability to see the surprising; familiarity obscures the fullness of revelation. People envy those who have a “simple faith,” an ability to say “yes” to the story of God’s revelation in Christ, and to participate in that story. Blessed are the simple-hearted – for they are often better at living by the Spirit.
And yet the Gospel is also given for those of us who think too much - we just make it harder for ourselves. In the final analysis, analysis will not yield full understanding, any more than playing with the food on our plate will get us fed. The Good News is a gift to be taken and received, ingested, allowed to play in our minds, hearts and spirits.
- Is the life of faith simple or complex for you?
- How do you most fully connect with God – through your mind or your emotions or both?
If your analytical self gets in your way spiritually, you might try on a prayer practice of inviting Jesus to make his presence known, and just be with him, letting your feelings become known. And if you tend to shy away from theological thinking, you might try a bible study and let your mind play.
Thanks be to God, even the most “wise and intelligent” among us are also invited to be “infants” in Christ, to learn to rely fully on the One who made us, loves us and renews us. He will not leave us hungry.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Thanks be to God, even the most “wise and intelligent” among us are also invited to be “infants” in Christ, to learn to rely fully on the One who made us, loves us and renews us. He will not leave us hungry.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
6-26-26 - God's Free Gift
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's epistle reading is here.
In the passage from Romans appointed for this Sunday’s readings, Paul unfolds an argument to support his contention that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not through our own efforts. It is Christ’s sacrifice that sets us free, not our own will-power or ability to modify our behaviors… indeed, behavior change comes as we accept with relief the free gift of forgiveness and grace: But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In order to truly receive the free gift of God’s eternal life – which begins now, not just when we die – we need to allow God to free us from sin. Paul is concerned lest his listeners think this extravagant grace invites us to more sin. “Should we sin the more, that grace may abound?” he asks rhetorically, offering a resounding “No!” to the question. Rather, we should allow the gift of God’s grace to loosen sin’s grip on us.
“Sin” can be defined in many ways, but one way Paul uses the term is to name the purely human, self-oriented nature that exists in all of us. All those things we label as “sins” grow out of that basic sinfulness, an orientation toward self that can cause us to see other people as objects for our gratification, and God’s creation as something to be exploited. When Paul says we have been freed from sin, that is an “already” gift, given at baptism, secured by Christ’s sacrifice, made real in his resurrection. As we let that reality seep into our bones we are freed to choose the Spirit-led life Jesus won for us. The fancy word for that is “sanctification," becoming holy.
Paul adds, provocatively, that we exchange one bondage for another, as we now “become enslaved to God.” Yet such a voluntary relinquishing of our self-will and prerogatives invites us into a freedom unlike any other. It is a freedom that allows us to love beyond our capacity, to forgive more than we think possible, to walk into God’s dreams for mission, to offer healing and ministry in Jesus’ name that enriches our lives beyond measure and transforms others.
That’s the free gift of eternal life we have already received in Christ Jesus. Let's not leave it on the closet shelf.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
In the passage from Romans appointed for this Sunday’s readings, Paul unfolds an argument to support his contention that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not through our own efforts. It is Christ’s sacrifice that sets us free, not our own will-power or ability to modify our behaviors… indeed, behavior change comes as we accept with relief the free gift of forgiveness and grace: But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In order to truly receive the free gift of God’s eternal life – which begins now, not just when we die – we need to allow God to free us from sin. Paul is concerned lest his listeners think this extravagant grace invites us to more sin. “Should we sin the more, that grace may abound?” he asks rhetorically, offering a resounding “No!” to the question. Rather, we should allow the gift of God’s grace to loosen sin’s grip on us.
“Sin” can be defined in many ways, but one way Paul uses the term is to name the purely human, self-oriented nature that exists in all of us. All those things we label as “sins” grow out of that basic sinfulness, an orientation toward self that can cause us to see other people as objects for our gratification, and God’s creation as something to be exploited. When Paul says we have been freed from sin, that is an “already” gift, given at baptism, secured by Christ’s sacrifice, made real in his resurrection. As we let that reality seep into our bones we are freed to choose the Spirit-led life Jesus won for us. The fancy word for that is “sanctification," becoming holy.
Paul adds, provocatively, that we exchange one bondage for another, as we now “become enslaved to God.” Yet such a voluntary relinquishing of our self-will and prerogatives invites us into a freedom unlike any other. It is a freedom that allows us to love beyond our capacity, to forgive more than we think possible, to walk into God’s dreams for mission, to offer healing and ministry in Jesus’ name that enriches our lives beyond measure and transforms others.
That’s the free gift of eternal life we have already received in Christ Jesus. Let's not leave it on the closet shelf.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
6-25-26 - Instruments of Righteousness
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's epistle reading is here.
For the rest of the week we turn to Sunday’s passage from Romans, which is such a deep and complex work of theology, it’s a hard to just take a quick dip in it. But let’s jump in anyway, because it contains a beautiful invitation to freedom in Christ – freedom from sin, and freedom from the effort to claw our way into God’s good graces. Paul writes, Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
It doesn’t always feel like we are living under grace – the world lives by law, and we often ingest the message that we’re never quite righteous enough, no matter what we do. And on one level, we’re right – we’re not. In our own merely human selves, we are wired for self-gratification and self-righteousness. The Good News is that we are made righteous, deemed righteous by the righteousness of Jesus – we get to put on his goodness as we “put on Christ” in baptism.
I once explained this to someone who had grown up in a religious system of judgment and legalism, condemnation and never-good-enough-ness. She said, “Wait, you’re telling me I’m off the hook?” “Yes!” I said, “Jesus took the hook for us." We are off the hook of trying to save ourselves, justify ourselves, grit our teeth and discipline ourselves into better behavior. It is not about behavior; it is about belonging to the God whose love is so overwhelming it can set the whole world free, who can bring us from death into life.
As we take in that breathtaking Good News, we start to see that it is the power of Christ’s life released in us that enables us to “not let sin exercise dominion” in us. In the face of temptations to gossip, or judge, or exert power over another, or manipulate something for our own gain, we may be weak, but St. Paul tells us that God’s strength is perfected in our weakness. We don’t have to try harder; we have to accept the gift of God’s grace more deeply, and allow that life to flow through us in love.
We don’t discipline ourselves into being more loved; we are loved into making more holy and life-giving choices. Thus we become vessels of God’s goodness; conductors of God’s power into people and places in need of healing; instruments of God’s righteousness through whom the sweetness and grace and mercy of God’s song of love can echo throughout the universe.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
For the rest of the week we turn to Sunday’s passage from Romans, which is such a deep and complex work of theology, it’s a hard to just take a quick dip in it. But let’s jump in anyway, because it contains a beautiful invitation to freedom in Christ – freedom from sin, and freedom from the effort to claw our way into God’s good graces. Paul writes, Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
It doesn’t always feel like we are living under grace – the world lives by law, and we often ingest the message that we’re never quite righteous enough, no matter what we do. And on one level, we’re right – we’re not. In our own merely human selves, we are wired for self-gratification and self-righteousness. The Good News is that we are made righteous, deemed righteous by the righteousness of Jesus – we get to put on his goodness as we “put on Christ” in baptism.
I once explained this to someone who had grown up in a religious system of judgment and legalism, condemnation and never-good-enough-ness. She said, “Wait, you’re telling me I’m off the hook?” “Yes!” I said, “Jesus took the hook for us." We are off the hook of trying to save ourselves, justify ourselves, grit our teeth and discipline ourselves into better behavior. It is not about behavior; it is about belonging to the God whose love is so overwhelming it can set the whole world free, who can bring us from death into life.
As we take in that breathtaking Good News, we start to see that it is the power of Christ’s life released in us that enables us to “not let sin exercise dominion” in us. In the face of temptations to gossip, or judge, or exert power over another, or manipulate something for our own gain, we may be weak, but St. Paul tells us that God’s strength is perfected in our weakness. We don’t have to try harder; we have to accept the gift of God’s grace more deeply, and allow that life to flow through us in love.
We don’t discipline ourselves into being more loved; we are loved into making more holy and life-giving choices. Thus we become vessels of God’s goodness; conductors of God’s power into people and places in need of healing; instruments of God’s righteousness through whom the sweetness and grace and mercy of God’s song of love can echo throughout the universe.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
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