IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS!

God of the ages, and God of today; bless and watch over this dear reader in all that they may face or encounter today. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Our 40-day Lenten journey is coming to an end. And as we come closer to the day of Good Friday we are reminded it's all about what Christ did for us, not what we have done for Him. In today's recommended scripture, the writer in Hebrews 5:5-10 reminds of that:

5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"; 6 as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus' earthly days were spent in ministry with and prayers for us. Jesus came to glorify the Father, as was shared in yesterday's gospel reading in John. His ministry was about obedience to God though it involved suffering. Whatever sacrifices we may have made during this Lenten period have been only to ready us spiritually to receive the deep and rich blessings of Christ's passion for us.

PRAYER: Loving God of mercy, as we journey towards that day when Jesus gave Himself up for us, help me to be ready to receive the deep and precious message of what You are sharing with us. This time has been only about you and how much you love us. Help me to realize that and accept that. May I be willing to share that with others. I pray this, not in my name, but in the Name of He who died for me, Jesus the Christ, my Lord and Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Guide: As we continue our prayers for Rev. Roberto Gomez, please also pray for missionaries, such as Sherry DeMarcay, serving in Mozambique. She and others are being affected by the economy and their support is waning and seriously down from where it should be. If, besides prayer, you would like to send a love offering to Sherry, please do so by sending it to First United Methodist Church, 129 W. Hutchison, San Marcos, TX 78666. Please mark your check's memo: Sherry DeMarcay support and they will get the money to her. Thank you.

STUDY GUIDE: monday Hebrews is not a biblical rationalization for men making coffee! It’s a wonderful letter on faith. Read 5:5-10 to hear God speak about Jesus as God’s beloved Son.

OUR PRAYER OF THANKS

Dear God, let there be within this reader's heart a melody that "whispers sweet and low, fear not, I am with thee."* So be it. In Jesus' Name, amen. *UMH380

Loving God, let me continue in prayer as I give you thanks for all you have shared. You are indeed good and Your love endures forever. I join with all the redeemed in saying so. Lord, many have been the times You have rescued me from trouble, and many have been the times I have seen many, from all places, praising and glorifying You. You are the Divine Physician and You have healed those who were sick because of sin and whose iniquities had brought affliction. When they were almost to the point of death, You delivered them. You hear us when we cry out to You and You have saved us from distress. For those who are still hurting and discomfort, send Your healing, deliver them from destruction. Let us join with those in thanking You again for your love, for your wonderful works to humankind. Let my heart always sing praises to Your Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Psalm 107
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble 3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; 18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; 20 he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. 21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. 22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.

STUDY GUIDE: thursday Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 can be verses for prayer. Let God speak to you as you read this.

FLEEIN G THE WRATH OF GOD?

Gracious Lord, hold my hand, help me stand. May those famous words from the hymn bless this reader. In Jesus' Name, amen.

John Wesley's question of admittance to his society (small group) meetings was: "Are you willing to flee the wrath of God?" A positive answer gained you admission. A "no" would have kept you out. Would you today be willing to be asked such a question? Are you aware of what such a question asks? We find in Ephesians what Paul knew: If you stay "dead through the trespasses and sins in which (we) (live)..." we would be "children of wrath." That means, if we never seek to repent of our sins and never seek the redemption that Christ Jesus offers us, we are going to die and be eternally separated from God. Wesley's question reminded those who wished to join about that, and a YES got them into a fellowship that stregthened them in their struggles for the week ahead.

As you plan for today and the week ahead, are you living a life that is life? Or are you living a life that is, sadly, a living wrath? We don't have to live in that way. Ours is the freedom life offered to us by Jesus. We have been saved by grace. We have been raised up with Jesus and we have a seat right next to him "in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," all this as a gift from God.

PRAYER: What a wonderful gift You have given to me, dear Father, through Jesus. I claim that freedom and those "immeasurables riches" of Your grace as I seek to live a life that pleases You. I thank You for my salvation and I pray that I might live as a person who blesses You and others. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

"You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ —by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

tuesday We find in Ephesians 2:1-10 some words from Paul about the power of grace to save. Find and read that passage and let it bless you.

LIFE GIFTS!

Loving God bless and strengthen this dear reader in all that they may face today. In Jesus' Name, amen.

It was several years ago and our children were all small. Caitlin was still pretty much in Mom's arms most of the time and we finally made a stop at one of the wildlife refuges along the Gulf Coast. We had driven by it many times and we decided we would stop and see what God had shared in that particular area. We decided to walk the nature trail and we took it in very gingerly. Towards the end, Nellie wanted to get Caitlin back to the care either for feeding or changing. And when Nellie decides to step it up, she does leaving Dad with the other three in tow, trying our best to keep us. I had warned the little ones about snakes, for the signs said to beware and we walked cautiously. The girls had learned and repeated many times, "Just freeze, Daddy?" Yes, just freeze. We were scared to death as we saw Nellie not caring about where she stepped as she walked on rapidly stepping over a snake that that come out to the trail. She kept walking, the snake froze as did we. The girls were very good about staying frozen and then the snake decided to continue its trip into the wilderness. We thank God that Nellie was not bitten.

I pray that will the only snake tale I tell from experience. I suspect most of us have a morbid fear of snakes and yesterday's OT passage put the fear of God in us! It's the story of Moses' encounter with God's people as they have, once again, grumbled and complained about the food and the journey. Sound familiar? I am presently a very grumpy person as I am on the last full day of the first two weeks of the South Beach Diet. I told the congregation it is called that because it is the same as eating sand or at least that's my perception of the food, though in all fairness, Nellie has done a great job of preparing wonderful diet for us and I just joked about the sand part. But God's people said they were fed up with the food on the journey, calling it in some versions, namely the NRSV, "miserable food"! But their desire to die was met by the presence of snakes that obliged many with that request. They repented and asked Moses to pray for the life they really did love. God's response was for Moses to rise up a poisonous snake on a pole upon which they were to gaze so they could receive life. It was a foretelling of Jesus being lifted up for us to receive life.

May we always look up to the Cross of Jesus and remember that because Jesus was willing to die for us, He gave us life. That's what this whole Lenten Journey is, a reminder of the fullness of life that is yours and mine, not because of what we've done but because of what God did through Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Lord of life, grant to me the fullnes of life as I journey today in all that is before me. May my words in every setting, here at home, at work, at play, reflect my firm faith in You. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

AN AFFIRMATION FOR TODAY

God of all glory, reveal Your glory to this dear reader today in all that he or she undertakes. In Jesus' Name, amen.

My Affirmation for Today

I believe that as I see the heavens, I see the glory of God. As I walk on the earth I see the signs of God at work in a creative way in all things. Though these creations of God cannot speak, there is a declaration each day and their is an awareness at night, throughout the world, that God has made them and that God is present. How can I not see it? The sky is so beautiful, like a blue tent under which the sun is placed. And the sun each day, like a bridegroom at a wedding, emerges at just the right time for the celebration of the day. It is a joyful thing to behold, for God has made it.

I believe that God has shared His holy Word with us to revive and make us wise. As I read his Word as found in The Holy Bible I have joy in my heart; may I truly understand what God is saying. I believe that my respect of God is something honest and real, and it is something that will last forever. I believe that I desire to know more about God through His Word than any earthly possession or anything on earth. As I read more, may I heed Your instruction and know that in keeping Your Word I can live my life better. I believe that I can hide nothing from God, so let nothing be hidden from me. Let me be honest with me about things I've tried to hide. I believe I can have a positive influence on others for the good of God instead of letting others, especially those who are negative about God to have influence on me. I believe I can be blameless and let me be innocent of any great sins. I affirm this with the belief that I all that I speak today and all that I think on today can be an affirmation of my faith in God. For You, O God, are my rock and my redeemer. Amen. (An Affirmation of Faither based on Psalm 19-NRSV)

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Amen.

Eradio Valverde

THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS

God of mercy and love, bless this reader in all that he or she faces today. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Paul writes: 18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

When you strongly believe in something, you will discover that not all believe like you. When you hold something to be true, not, not everyone will believe like you. When you believe something is truth, some will say it is false. Paul discovered, and this urged him on even more, that not all people believe in the message of the cross. That was why the Church celebrates Lent. Lent is a time to strengthen our faith in Someone in Whom not all believe; but our job remains sharing the Good News with the hope that one day all will believe. Did you stop to notice that nowhere in the Bible does it say, "Well, we'll try and do the best we can, yet one day just us will bow down at the Name of Jesus"? It doesn't. The Bible affirms that one day "at the name of Jesus all will bow." Ours is to plant the seed, God will do the rest, but the key is in the "seed."

The seed is how we share our faith. Do we live and act like we believe in the "message of the cross?" Or are we one of those who, claiming to be wise, have set aside the truth for a lie?
Live your life today as one who believes and who wants others to come and believe!

PRAYER: God of the cross, help me to live my life in a way that plants the seed of Your love and truth. As You and I journey together during our Lenten Journey, make my faith stronger. Help me to help others come to faith in You. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Study Guide: tuesday Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 1, verses 18-25 tells us that we may have some friends who consider the Cross foolishness. Read this passage and see what Paul has to say about them.

PRAYER UPDATE: Dylan Joseph Leal has been moved to Valley Baptist Hospital where he is in ICU, Mother, Natalie S. Leal remains in Harlingen Medical wanting to be released today so she can be with Dylan. Please be in prayer for Dylan, Natalie, and Ricky. May God heal Dylan to fullness and may God's peace be with Natalie and Ricky and all of their family.

TEN MARKS OF GOD

Loving God, grant Your strength to this dear reader in all they face today, in Jesus' Name, amen

What "marks" of Christ do you carry? In other words, how do you live your life as a witness to what Jesus has done in your life? That was the point of yesterday's sermon as we studied two passages related to our Lenten Journey. The first was the 20th chapter of Exodus that contains The Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17). As you read those verses again this day, see what "marks" God desired for His people as they prepared to become "a nation of priest for all the nations." The first commandments have to do with our relationship with Him and the others with our parents, our spouses, ourselves and others. To follow each one lovingly "marks" us as those who belong to Him and have been exposed to a greater love than the world has ever known.

The second passage was the one with Jesus going to the Temple and instead of finding a house of prayer, he found a house of profit; this passage takes away that image of meek and mild Jesus, for the passage says he was angered to the point of making a whip and driving out those who were involved in this violation of sacred space. The question begged here is, what are the marks of your church and of you?

May we journey towards the days of Holy Week intent on becoming even better at obeying God and serving God like never before. May our marks give God away, that it has been God at work in our lives.

PRAYER: Almighty God, may Your marks of love, compassion, joy, peace, and service be upon me today. May I be strengthened during my 40-Day journey with You. Let me be a blessing to You and Yours, I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Concerns: For Natalie and Ricky Leal. Natalie goes in this morning for a C-section to deliver her baby. Ricky is the proud papa. Also, our youth groups leaves by bus for Colorado for their spring break ski trip. Pray for their safe travel as well as for all spring breakers.

Study Guide: Please find Exodus 20:1-17 and read it again. Yesterday at worship we centered on The Decalogue, or as we know it, The Ten Commandments. Read these aloud and let their power sink in. What influence have these had on your life if any at all?

PRAYING THE PSALMS

Eternal God, speak the words of life to this dear reader as they celebrate You today in all they do. In Jesus' Name, amen.

23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. 28 For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. 29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, 31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

Loving God I lift up my prayer to You using the eternal words of David: I begin my day in praise to You. I join with others everywhere on the face of the earth who are lifting up words of thanksgiving and worship to You. I stand in awe of You. I cannot begin to understand Your love for me and how You did not spare Your Son for me either. You know that I am a sinner, yet You do not despise me or others like me in our condition; You continue to make Yourself known to me and when I pray to You, You answer. I join in prayer with members of my church family asking that we might be truly obedient to You in all things and in all ways. I pray for those who are hungry right this minute, that somehow they might be fed and satisfied, use me to be a part of that feeding. May the hearts of those who are seeking You live forever! I pray dear Lord, for a revival and a reawakening of true worship for You; may we seek beyond that which pleases us, to that which pleases You. May all nations come to know You, for only You have domininion over the earth. Let me, like those before me, be truly a blessing to You and my life and the example of my life bless those who may come behind me. Let my story include Your story in my life so that even those yet unborn might come to know You. I pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Prayer Concerns: Dear ones, please lift up in your prayers Mrs. Phifer of Jacksonville, TX. Mrs. Phifer was my freshman and sophomore English professor at Lon Morris College. She is in hospice care battling cancer and needs our prayers for comfort and peace during this time. Pray for her family during this time as well. She was a loving, gentle, patient person who gave of herself to all her students and blessed me personally in my transition from high school to college. Please pray for George Roberts of Bossier City, LA, who is undergoing emergency surgery and needs our prayers. George is Missy Roberts' brother. Please lift up Vernay Carrington, recovering from surgery in Plano, TX. She is the wife of one of my dear friends from Lon Morris College. Pray for Tom as well during this time.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

GOD OF THE PROMISE

God of grace and peace, pour out your Spirit on this dear reader throughout this day and all days. Amen.

Our God is a God of promises kept. I wish I could say the same for myself as I know you wish you could say for yourself. But God is also one who does not give up on us even when we fail. Our God is a God of second, third, fourth, 100 chances. As you think back on the promises you've made to God, which have you kept? Those of us who are members of the United Methodist Church had to promise four (now five) things: To support our church with our prayers, presence, gifts, and service. Now, we've added Witness to the list. Have we kept those? Think about the God-side of those vows: If we pray, God keeps His promises in answering our prayers. If we go to church and worship, God is present receiving our praise and adoration and God blesses us. If we give to God our tithes, gifts, or offerings, God is blessed as is the church, but ours is the greatest blessing in knowing that we have a grateful heart to the Lord for all the Lord has provided for us. If we serve the Lord and the Lord's people as He said in Matthew 25, "when you do this for the least of these, you've done it for me..." (Valverde paraphrase). And lastly, each time we witness with our lives and/or words about the goodness of God, God is blessed as is the person receiving the witness.

Now think about the promises God has made in your life. Can you remember what they are and have you done your part to be a blessing in receiving and sharing those? Has a lack of faith on your part kept you from truly being blessed in the way God intended for your life? In Abraham's case, God promises him a lot of things but it took Abraham taking that first step towards the promised land and towards the greatness God said would be his, for the blessings to begin. Had Abraham said, "Well, Lord, let me think on this because the wife's a little reluctant to leave her family and I kinda promised her we would live near them..." he would have never been the father of the faith, recognized by both Jews and Muslims as their "daddy." What have you said to God? My journey was one of trusting God when he called me to preach. Preaching was in my opinion the last thing I wanted to do and the least area of strength as far as I was concerned. But had I stayed behind that excuse I would have never discovered God's greatness in allowing me to be a preacher. The same may be true for you. You're reluctant, scared, shy, embarrassed, afraid, etc. to take that first step; let me tell you, it's not half as bad as you might imagine. Take that first step, then the next, and the rest and let God bless you beyond your wildest expectations!

PRAYER: God of the promise, help me take that first step towards the fulfillment of the promises and claims You've made in my life. I can't leave "home" without leaning a bit towards where I know I need to; and when I do, help me to give honor and glory to You. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

FOLLOWING GOD'S CALL

Heavenly Father, richly protect this dear reader in whatever challenge may come their way today. In Jesus' Name, amen.

As we journey towards Holy Week, especially towards a deeper and richer understanding of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, we are aware of "calls" in our lives. Our text for yesterday's sermon was from Genesis 17 and the call of Abram and Sarai to be faithful to God. After revealing Himself as "God Almighty," both Abram and Sarai believed and as a result had their names changed, to the promise towards which they had been called. As soon as they said yes, it was a done deal as far as God was concerned. The new name of Abraham means "father of multitudes" and that comes to a man who is 99 years old and childless. Sarah means "noble woman" or "princess" indicating the change in her stature among her people.

To what have you been called, and what was your answer? I shared how when I was in seminary in the late seventies, I lived in a dorm filled with single, twenty-something men. When I visited the campus of SMU, it had become a freshmen dorm for gifted and talented students; a self-contained environment where classes, living space, etc. was all within. At that time the average age of seminaries was about 53 years old. I made the point that these fifty-somethings had been called perhaps earlier in their lives but they had said no and after a successful secular career heard the call again and entered into ministry. The Bible is very clear that when we say yes to God, regardless of the difficulty of the call, God's presence and God's peace is always with us.

If you feel a lack of peace, have you honestly reflected on where you are and where God wants you to be? Perhaps today is the day when you realize that to have complete peace in your heart involves your finally saying yes to God.

PRAYER: God of my life, if You have called me to a specific purpose, help my doubts and disbeliefs and help me to say yes, realizing that You will be with me as will Your peace. Guide me to faithfulness. I ask this in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

PSALM 25, OUR PRAYER

Loving God, pour our Your blessings and protection on this dear reader. Amen.

Dear friends, let us join our hearts in prayer today as we pray the words of Psalm 25:1-10 as our prayer for this day:

Let us be in an attitude of worship and prayer as we make these words our own:

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

Lord, at times my soul has been low, sometimes even I believe the lowest it could go, so please lift it up in praise and worship and I do it only for You.

2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.

Lord, there is no where else I can place my trust other than in You. As I go about doing the things expected of me in my many roles, as spouse, parent, employee, employer, let me do that which makes You look good. Do not allow me to make a fool of myself trying to be someone that I am not.

3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

As I make my 40-day Lenten Journey let me grow closer to You, closer to others and with myself; may each day bring a greater knowledge of the truth that is Yours for me. Let me choose wisely in the decisions that come before me. Let those who seek only to harm others or to profit from others find that which convicts them of their mistakes, but include me if I am one of those.

4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.

Let those spiritual disciplines that I have taken up during this Journey speak to me in terms that are loud and clear about who I am and who I need to be; remind me always, over and over, that I am Yours.

5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.

May I find time to spend in quiet. Come to me in the quiet and speak of that which is truth for my life. Let me be a students of Yours and all that is Yours. Make my mind center on You as I read Your word and as I pray to You.

6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.

Lord, you better than anyone know that I have not been perfect and stand in need of Your mercy. Be merciful to me as I should and will be merciful to others. Remind me that long before I was born You had mercy and love for me.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O Lord!

While others may exclaim, "O, to be young again," remind me of what youth brought me in those times I did not know you or chose to act like I didn't know You. That applies also to yesterday and today when I thought I knew more and sought to please only myself.

8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

You are perfect and Your way of life and love can be instruction to me and to others. Let me help show others the way.

9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

Lord, those that want to be led humble themselves before You and so do I. Lead me in Your way.

10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

Let my life know of Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness, and may I be like You today and all days. May I seek Your Word daily that You may continue to speak to me. This all I pray in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

God of grace and God of glory, on this person pour thy power, for all s/he faces today. In Jesus' Name, amen.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. 21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

We find again "water words" in the above passage, Jesus being the righteous one, willing to die even for those who were unrighteous, in order to bring us into relationship with God. The passage from Genesis this past Sunday spoke of how God searched for those who might be righteous and found only eight, in the family of Noah; these 8 were saved through water. Mark's gospel spoke of the waters of baptism through which Jesus identified with you and me, and how now Jesus sits at the right hand of God, ruling over angels and authorities.

Isn't is a great feeling to know how much God desires to have a relationship with you? God spared nothing, not even His only begotten Son, to bring you and me into full relationship. Why do we still refuse? It seems that on every page of the Bible we find that precious choice: life or death? Through Christ's death, we might find life and that in abundance!

PRAYER: Lord, as I journey today through life and this season of Lent, remind me again of how precious it is to journey with You. I don't expect to win at all things and I realize that sometimes I will fall, but in all things, win or lose, I am not alone. Let me share this message with others I ask, in Jesus' precious and powerful Name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

TEMPTATION CAN KILL

Loving God bless this person reading this in the most wonderful way s/he needs today. In Christ's Name, amen.

As we make our 40-day Lenten Journey we should be aware of temptation and how it can keep us from completing the journey faithfully; so we turn to a portion of James' letter, chapter 1, verses 14 and 15: "Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. 15 These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death." That was from the NLT. I've always loved the way the NRSV describes it: But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15 then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.

Not all of our desires are evil, but some are. And it's up to us to be honest with ourselves about those which are, and our needing to pray for God's help in helping avoid them. James knew the process; you get tempted by the evil desire, you then think about the actions that will help you obtain or complete that which you desire, and that evil action may lead you to death if you don't repent and turn away once and for all from that which took you there in the first place. The NRSV process makes it more of a birth process, but a birth of death. There's no getting around the fact that our giving in to sin cannot produce positive results.

The purpose of Lent is to journey with the Lord in preparation for Easter. Our sermon series started yesterday is called "Come to the Cross." Yesterday we covered the Lectionary passages that deal with water and the power of water. The Genesis passage was on how God used water to destroy the earth and through Noah start again with a covenant between God and Noah. The Mark passage was on Jesus' baptism and how God used the water through John to wash away the sins of all people and Jesus' willingness to identify with us by undergoing baptism even when He did not need it. Jesus took it all the way in taking our place at the Cross. Lent is about surrendering to God, trusting that God will see us through it all.

PRAYER: God of all seasons, during this season of Lent journey with me like never before. Let me recognize the need in me that needs to die, and let me trust You to bring me life as I surrender completely to You. I pray this prayer of faith in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Study Guide: James 1:14-15 speaks of temptation and its birthplace and consequence. Please read these two verses and see what it says about our weaknesses and willingness to stray.