Make God Known

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1 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 2 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 4 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 5 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, 6 you his servants, the descendants of Abraham, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob. 23 Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham. 24 The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes, 25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants. 26 He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 45 that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the LORD.

I have lived long enough to have seen some incredible things. We have reached the point to say that most people today are connected by phone than any other generation. I'm old enough to remember not having a telephone until I was about ten years old. And when we moved from Kingsville to Houston we were without a phone for about three years. And, to make things even more interesting we have access, in the palm of our hands, answers to questions that no longer require going to the library to read from the encyclopedia or going next door to your wealthier neighbor and borrowing their copy of said resources. Yet, we still live in a hustle and bustle society where we, the generation for which all these time-saving devices were invented to save us time, have little to no time to do needed things, like listening to each other, or enjoying conversation with the people who matter in our lives, and many of us have no longer allowed time for God.

The psalmist made time to worship and praise God. He also made time to write out many of his praises to God as a record and reminder for us to do the same. This psalm is a prime example of such a time. The psalmist sets the tone by urging us to give thanks and praise to God for His wondrous works. We should remember the times when God intervened in our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Our hearts should be filled with joy as we seek God's presence and strength. Just as God's faithfulness was evident in the lives of Abraham and Jacob, so it is in our lives today.

The psalmist does not want us to forget the way God helped Israel during their days of slavery to the Egyptians and how God delivered them from that. God was able to turn a dire situation into a testimony of His great power. The bleakest of circumstances did not hinder God from turning things around. God was able to raise up leaders such as Moses and Aaron to guide God's people towards freedom. Even our darkest moments and times of trial , God is working behind the scenes to bring about His purposes for our lives.

The passage concludes with a reminder of the covenant God made with His people. God was able to lead them out of bondage into freedom and along the way formed a people of faith. God can and does do the same for us. We should honor God with our lives in ways that honor Him.

Our praise becomes a natural response to His unchanging love. No matter the challenge or obstacle you may be facing dear friend, God is with you and helping you. Even in your darkest hour, your praise will help break the clouds of sadness and lift your spirits to bless those around you.

PRAYER: Loving and merciful God, bless us in our trials. Keep on our lips Your praise. May we always honor and glorify You with our thanksgiving and praise. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Make God known in your good and bad times.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Burning for God?

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1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” 13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. (Exodus 15:1-15 NIV Bible)

Friend, what kind of call have you had from God? Years ago, a friend and I were talking and he said, "Man some people have these awesome calls from God; they were drug dealers, or drug addicts and they were rescued from there, and what kind of call do we have?" I chuckled and said, "I'm glad we were called in a way that found me where I was and called me to where I needed to be." Moses had one of those dramatic calls, and not to say that my nor your call was not dynamic - it was! For the record, Moses was a murderer on the run. He was raised in the palace of Pharaoh, but his Hebrew roots ran deep and when he saw a Hebrew man being abused, he killed the oppressor. He thought he was not seen, but soon his own countrymen asked him if he was going to kill them as he had killed the Egyptian? Oops, gotta run! And run he did. To another country where he married into a ranching family, who had livestock. One day while working for his father-in-law, who was also a priest, Moses led the flock to Mount Horeb, known as the mountain of God. There Mo sees an angel of God who appeared to Mo while inside a bush that was on fire, but the fire was not consuming the bush. Reminds me of some barbecues I have been invited to! This fire caught Mo's interest and he walks up to it, God calls him. By name. Twice. "Moses! Moses!" Gulp, yes, Lord? "Stay where you are, but do take off your shoes, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Gulp again. God then says, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." Triple gulp. I would hide my face, as Moses did, as he heard God say that He had seen the misery of His people in Egypt and heard their cries, and shared His concern with Moses. And so, God says, "I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey - the home of the Canaanites, et al, and now, I am sending you (fourth gulp!) to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt."

God reviews His plan with Moses and Mo has to ask, "What's Your name?" Mo knew the key to success in business and life; know the name of the person who makes decisions and use that name to get into the door! God replies, "I AM WHO I AM." You can shorten that to "I AM," as in "I AM has sent me to you." And in case the Israellites happen to ask, tell them, "The LORD, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation."

Regardless of our call, every counter is special and sacred, just like the ground on which Moses stood when he was called. God knows us by name and called us by name. I was in the eleventh grade when I was called into ministry. And like most people I said no. I truly believed that of all people, God could have done better. I was shy and shared the top fear of most humans, public speaking. And the idea of the material that God was calling on me to share frightened me. I did feel like Moses. But still God persisted as He might be with you. I heard from many that said true happiness would not be mine until I said yes to what God asked of me. They were right.

This passage also shares with us a foundational text for understanding God's call to ministry. It highlights the importance of our recognizing God's presence in our lives, our approaching ministry with humility and reverence, our need of addressing human suffering, of our relying on God's equipping, proclaiming God's eternal truth, and our embracing a multi-generational calling. Those who sense a calling to ordained ministry can find encouragement and guidance in these principles as they seek to serve God and His people.

We need to remember that not all of us are being called into ordained or professional ministry, but as baptized believers into the Body of Christ, we have a calling into the ministry of all believers. We have the permission of God to serve, to reach out, and to help in the healing of those hurting hearts. It could be a child in your Sunday school class, or a fellow choir member, or a fellow usher. It could be a visitor fearful of even being in your church, or it could be your neighbor who is hurting. Pray and listen, pray and speak.

PRAYER: God of Moses and God of all people, including me, use me how you will; let me serve all people with boldness and Your blessing; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Pray about your call from God and how to best serve Him.

Receive my blessing of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Love In Action

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9 Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. 10 Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. 11 Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, 12 cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. 13 Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. 14 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. 15 Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. 16 Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. 17 Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. 18 If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. 19 Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." 20 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. 21 Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. (Romans 12;9-21 The Message Bible)

I keep coming back again and again to a quote from the late Rev. Dr. Charles Allen, former senior pastor of First United Methodist Church of Houston, Texas, who wrote, "Old age has a way of peeling away all of the superficial and getting back to the core of who a person truly is." (Or something along those lines!). But in making a pastoral visit to a nursing home, there was one dear, sweet lady, whose core had revealed a true woman of love. This lady never said a negative word or comment during any of the visits I made to her. Sadly, her contemporaries in other facilities were revealed to being some interesting, for lack of a nicer word, cores. If we stop right now to reflect on our core, which we need to do, what would the world see when we are in the golden years of life? Would we be seen a truly people of love, or would we be shocking our pastors with our remarks and views on life? Now is the ideal time to check!

This modern version puts it quite clearly about our core needing to be one of love. "Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it." If you don't like what or who's at your core, you can pray and ask to be made new. King David did when he wrote in the psalm, "Create in me a new heart." He knew the power of God to make new from the old and to place in empty spots of our hearts, fresh love. So many sweet social media posts of children of different heritages and backgrounds getting the same clothing or haircuts because they see themselves as twins from different mothers, tells me that these children, still in their innocent, do not see difference and they certainly don't see the need to hate. What changes them? I think you know.

And Paul warns us against this for he writes, "Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good." Parents, yours is the responsibility to model and teach love to your little ones, praying unceasingly, for their hearts to be filled with love. "Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle ("Deny yourself and take up your cross"). In other words, live out your faith in love without ever giving up and staying the course for good. When hard times come, it's time to pray harder; soak up flammable love from Christ and set ourselves on fire with love in the midst of a cold world that does not yet know that. Seek to be active servants of the Master, bearing all things with cheerful hope, never giving up or having such discouragement that we seek to quit. Be available to all, laughing with those who laugh and crying with those who cry. Seek to understand enough to get along with all. Do not be stuck up. Love all people, even the ones others choose not to see. Don't seek to be somebody you're not; Don't hit back; seek the beauty in all people. Give up on revenge; leave it to God. Bless your enemies and if you ever see them hungry, feed them; if they're thirsty, give them water to drink. Your unexpected generosity will surprise them. Never let evil get the best of you; beat out evil by being and doing good.

In other words, dear friends, be known as those whose lives shines forth love.

PRAYER: God of love and joy, fill me til I want no more; bless me to love others; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be a person of love.

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Take Up Your Cross

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21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. 28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:21-28 NIV Bible)

Happy and blesssed Monday, dear Reader. I pray this finds you well. Please know of my love for you and my tnankfulness to God for you. You were made for a reason and once you discover it, you can shine in brilliant ways to bless God and God's people. If you haven't yet found your purpose, pray, be silent, listen, read, pray again, and God will speak to you!

Many of the churches I served as pastor, would hand to me a huge ring of keys. My idea was "Okay, this is my cross - I must carry it!" Then I would set out to figure out how to use the most essential of the keys to save the pockets in my trousers. Keys are pocket killers! I would use the front door to the office part of the building, then the key to my office and I would leave the ring of keys in my desk and use them as needed. This was a process because I didn't want to imitate my mentors who would mount that ring on their belt somehow. To their credit they wore it proudly.

No one likes to hear that a dear one is sick, or worse, terminally ill. In the same way, the Disciples did not like the first verses of this passage as Jesus began to prepare them for what was next in His life. They were to travel to Jerusalem and there Jesus said he would "suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Did they really hear what Jesus said about the three days He would be raised to life? Probably not. And it certainly did not sit well with Peter because he took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him. Ouch! His words were, "Never, Lord!" This is his going through the stage of denial. "This shall never happen to You!" You can relate to Peter's feelings and fears. I've shared how I've gotten several calls from dear friends who told me of their upcoming deaths; each one touched me greatly and hurt my soul, so I relate to Peter's heart.

Peter was not expecting Jesus' response to him; "Get behind me, Satan!" Ouch again. As a faithful disciple, he knew who was who and what was what. Satan was no bueno. And to be called Satan by Jesus must have hurt a lot. But Jesus was not finished. "You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." He lets that simmer while He turns to the others and says that a requirement for them to truly follow Him would involved 1) Denying themselves, and 2) taking up their cross and follow Him. He also said to save their lives would involved their losing their lives; but if they lost their lives because of Jesus would find their lives.

What does it mean, dear friend, to take up our cross? Here are several meanings we can find in what Jesus is saying. The first is self-denial and surrender. What Jesus has emphasized that denial of self means to stop being self-centered, overly ambitious for the wrong things, and trying to acquire all of our desires. To take up our cross means to turn over to Jesus our personal wants, our comforts and even our pride to learn more about Jesus and His example. Taking up our cross also involves our awareness of the possibilities that may cause us to suffer. Jesus is warning that our discipleship will bring the possibilities of hardships, challenges, and even personal persecution. Taking up our cross means we truly will identify with Jesus. Jesus is not only our Lord, but also our example. We unite with Him in our lives by identifying with Him. Taking up our cross is also a daiily commitment; we hear Jesus adding the word "daily" which we take to mean an on-going choice to each day giving ourselves to Jesus.

Jesus is calling us to embrace a life of selflessness, giving, endurance, and unwavering commitment to His ways, even in the face of challenges and oppostitioon. It is His profound invitation to follow Jesus with a heart that is ready to sacrifice personal wellbeing and comforts for the sake of His kingdom.

Jesus promises that He will come in His Father's glory with His angels and He will reward us according to what we have done, and many will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

PRAYER: Loving God, help us surrender to You in ways that allow us to take up our cross and follow You. Grant to us a new heart with a spirit of service to all; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Take up your cross and follow Jesus.

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

If It Hadn't Been for God

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1 If God hadn't been for us - all together now, Israel, sing out! - 2 If God hadn't been for us when everyone went against us, 3 We would have been swallowed alive by their violent anger, 4 Swept away by the flood of rage, drowned in the torrent; 5 We would have lost our lives in the wild, raging water. 6 Oh, blessed be God! He didn't go off and leave us. He didn't abandon us defenseless, helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs. 7 We've flown free from their fangs, free of their traps, free as a bird. Their grip is broken; we're free as a bird in flight. 8 God's strong name is our help, the same God who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 124 The Message Bible)

A most terrific of Thursdays to you, dear Friend. May the fullness of God's grace bless you and lift your spirits today; that's my prayer for you! Let us pray for one another; pray for those on our church's prayer list, and pray for those who have asked prayers from us. Pray for our world and those who are in need.

The photo for today reminds me of an ancient movie called The End and the star was the late Burt Reynolds. I vaguely remember the movie but will never forget the scene where Burt , a wealthy man in this movie, felt let down to the point where he goes on a boat to the middle of the bay, far from shore, hoping to end it all by being in the water without a boat. Once he's in the water he realizes that what was bothering him was not that big of a deal and so he begins to swim and pray, "Lord, if you help me get to shore, I'll give You everything I own; then as he nears the shore changes it to "Lord, if you help me get to shore, I'll give you half of everything I own!" Closer he changes it to 30% then 10%, then as he's almost there, "Okay, Lord, fine! You really don't want anything from me, that's fine!" And makes it to shore. I know that's not you is it?

The psalmist on the other hand, has an eternally grateful heart to all that God has done for him. This is his journey back to acknowledging the potential disasters that could have befallen us, and takes us to the place where we recognize the unceasing help that has flowed from the Lord. It addresses our human vulnerabilities and our ultimate dependence on God's grace and protection. Tying this psalm to yesterday's Exodus story reminds us that had it not been for God the consequences could have been far worse. The birth and rescue of Moses was thanks to God. In our lives, we can, and should be, singing the same song! Numerous have been the times we have been down and thought it was all over, but when we called on God, that turned around and victory was ours. We are fragile at times and vulnerable too, but as Paul would later write, that is when God shines in spite of our weaknesses.

I love the modern language of this version which pretty accurately describes some of those times, "(God) didn't abandon us defenseless, helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs." Amen! God does step in and we get "flown free from their fangs, free of their traps, free as a bird. Their grip is broken; we're free as a bird in flight." We go from calamity to celebration; all because of God. God's protection is unfailing and He is always with us. Let life throw us what it will, we will be sustained and victorious, thanks to the Lord.

Again, I believe we are called to be a people of immense gratitude towards God for all God has done on our behalf. We are called to live lives that give witness to that gratitude in ways that invite others to come and join us in our journey of faith.

PRAYER: Loving and awesome God, help us keep our eyes fixed on You at all times. We face unknown challenges each day but we know that with You on our side, we will be triumphant. Help us help others; this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Help others focus on Jesus today!

Receive my blessings of hope and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

A New Pharoah Can't Be Good

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1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly. 15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” 20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” 1 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. 7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” 8 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.” (Exodus 1:8-2:10 NIV Bible)

Okay, this is a very long passage, but it is important one. Actually, all passages in the Bible are important and matter to God and to us. Each I will admit, have their purpose and time. This one is important in the history of Israel as it sets the stage for the birth of one of Israel's greatest and earliest leaders.

The passage begins with the list of Jacob's sons, also known as The Twelve Tribes. It numbers the descendants at seventy, but by the time Joseph died, the Israelites got busy and as The Bible says it, "Exceedingly fruitul; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them." Uh oh. No bueno. The immigrants are now outnumbering the natives! And what makes this worse is that the king that had allowed them in, is now dead and the new king had a limited memory of who, what, when, and where. The only thing that he did notice is that "them" were more in number than "us."

The new Pharaoh calls his advisors together to try and hatch a plan. The plan has the word "shrewdly" in it, giving it away; there was no love on the part of the king towards the unwanted. Among the greatest fear was that given the history of the region, there would be invasions and the unwanted could join the invaders and the new king would be short one kingdom. So, the Pharoah enslaved the people, and put evil slave masters over them and the Israelites were made to build large cities. The desired result or so hoped the new king, would be the lack of energy would cause the birthrate among the Israelites to fall. Yet, the opposite was the result. The "rest" the hard working men and women were seeking caused the population to grow higher. The overlords increased their workload and the last straw was they asked two Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, to kill all the Hebrew boys at birth. The girls could survive. Thank God, the midwives loved God and did not do as they were told, and when called to aacount said that the Hebrew women were sturdy and delievered their own babies before they could even arrive. The order was intensified and the midwives were told to throw the Hebrew male children into the river. Again, the girl newborns would be allowed to live.

Here comes the hero of the story. Born to a Levite man and a Levite woman, this baby boy was hidden for three months. Now was the time that drastic action and that was this mom made for the boy a waterproof basket and she had the basket placed in the river near the reeds. As God would have it, the baby was found by the new king's daughter, who immediately seeks a woman to nurse it, and who else to nurse it than his own mother? When he was older, the mother took the baby to Pharoah's daughter who made the baby her own son, naming him Moses, meaning he was pulled from the water.

God was present in every word of this passage; from start to finish. What comforts me is that God is always with us, always at work, even when it seems the circumstances seem so against us. We should know that it is through adversity that we are made stronger and God prepares us for His greater purposes even using seemingly ordinary events to bring about extraordinary outcomes. Moses' life was always under God's guiding hand, as are ours. God cares for us and can direct us to where we need to be and to do what we need to be doing. God is behind the scenes to help fulfill His promises for us and to bring about His plans for our lives.

PRAYER: Loving God, as You worked to guide and direct Moses and the Hebrew people, I know that You are working with us to guide and bless us. May we seek to honor You by bringing others to come and know Your love and grace; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Seek God's direction for your life today.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Offer Yourself in Service to God

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1 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2 Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. 3 I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. 4 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. 5 The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, 6 let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't. If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; 7 if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; 8 if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. (Romans 12:1-9 The Message Bible)

A question that tripped up many a candidate for ordained ministry was to explain what it meant to be set apart for ministry. Some had no clue. Some had a bit of a clue, and some knew exactly what that meant. When God calls one to faith, one should respond in kind. God gave us for us, and we should give our all to Him. When one joins the military, the first few months are spent in training recruits into becoming a visible, integrated part of the organization. The haircut, the uniform, the shoes, the language, etc., all show to the world, this recruit is a part of the U. S. Army, Air Force, etc. The art of interacting between leaders and followers is also taught and is expected to be followed. The soldiers, sailors, aviators, etc. are truly set apart and their mission is instilled in them. What happens to Christians?

The Apostle Paul knew about Romans soldiers and that's why he wrote about the full armor of God, but he understood the discipline and training and so his instructions come from a disciplined man of structure. He lays out his plan for new believers by saying, turn your everyday, ordinary life, and he includes all aspects of life: sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and even our "walking-around life" and present it to God as an offering. And couple your offering to God with a grateful heart for all that God has done for you. Paul knows that we should focus on God; this will bring about a complete change from the inside out if we are receptive to God. No longer will we be dragged down by the culture or society, instead we will be lifted up above immaturity, and God will bring out the best in us, and that includes a level of maturity. Ours is a call to live in grace, knowing and sharing that it is God who brings this out in us. It is all about God and not us or anything we could possibly do on our own. To God belongs the glory.

Paul further believes that in our service to God as He may direct, we become like an integral part of God's body. We, as individual parts of this same body, as we are led, have unique but vital roles to play in serving God. But our meaning and identity comes from the belonging to the body "as a whole, not the other way around." And this, Paul says, if the Body of Christ. We further find our meaning and function as being a part of the body.

Paul says for us to be who we were made to be, without stooping down to worrying about pride or envy, or comparing ourselves and our work to others and their work. All work for the good of God and God's people. Paul stresses that if we are called to preach, we should preach the Message of God and nothing else. If we've been called to help we should just help without trying to take over and be in charge. If we've been called to teach we should teach. If we're called to give guidance or encouragement, we should do it without trying to lord it over others. If we're called to be in charge, then we should lead without manipulating others. If we have been called to give, we should give readily and openly; and if we're called to work with the disadvantaged we cannot get iritated or depressed by our work. And part of who we are and how we dress should include a smile on our face.

Dear ones, we have received a blueprint for how we should live our lives. Our lives in Christ Jesus should be transformed and purposeful. We should live as surrendered souls to the Lord who recognize our call to service in ways that will bring honor and glory to God. We should dedicate ourselves in love to love God and one another in faithful and fruitful people.

PRAYER: Loving God we are thankful for this passage in which we can live as transformed followers of Jesus. May we desire to be living sacrifices who offer ourselves to wholehearted service and worship. Receive this prayer of faith in Christ Jesus in Whose names we pray, amen.

Have a great aned blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be a living sacrifice to God in ways that bless others.

Receive my blessings of love and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

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13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. (Matthew 16:13-20 NIV Bible)

St. Peter is known as the one who allows or not allows people into Heaven. This is because Jesus gave him the keys in Matthew 16:19 which we will get to in a moment. This is the same man who betrayed Jesus three times, as Jesus said he would. Ours is a God of second chances. This passage gives us another glmpse of the core of who this man Peter really was. As the disciples and the Lord come to this region of Caesarea Phillippi, Jesus asks them, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" Jesus, as well as the Twelve, knew there was talk about Him, and them, to be honest. So, Jesus wants them to air out what they were hearing and feeling. Their responses are interesting; "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Please note these are all dead prophets, but great prophets. The people did not know what to think about Jesus. Jesus had turned their world upside down. Their longheld traditions and teachings were being challenged and interpreted in new ways. I would say wonderful ways, but still they did not catch on. The feeling among the disciples was the people were being impacted, but still confused. Jesus then asks them, "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" Here Peter shines, for he says without hesitation, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Boom. "Good answer," was what could have been Jesus' response. He finally got it. He realized Who Jesus really was. Jesus was indeed the Anointed One of God, aka the Messiah, the chosen One to bring the Good News of salvation.

Jesus' response is epic: "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven." There was the connection; God had revealed this to him meaning Peter was connected to God through prayer and listening. This pleased Jesus for He says, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven." This is a promise that has echoed through the ages; Peter is said to be the Rock, a play on his name, the chuch needs an unyielding foundation from which the church can proclaim the good news of God's love that will stand strong against the challenges of time and the powers of darkness.

Jesus entrusts his disciple Peter with the symbolic handing over the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. This signifies the authority and responsibility to share the Gospel, which unlocks for humanity the treasures of heaven for them. To bind and loose on earth means the connection to the heavenly realm, showing the connection that God desires with His creation.

Peter is recognized as the first Pope of the Catholic Church. His body is buried in the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City near the site where he was martyred for his faith. He was faithful to Jesus and is known as a man of God. He left everything he knew and loved for the sake of Jesus. Peter answered yes when Jesus said, "Follow me." He also responded to becoming a fisher of people and did all he could thanks to his faith. This makes me ask myself if I have done enough? Has my faith guided me to do all I could for the sake of Jesus? How about you?

PRAYER: Living God, speak to me as I reflect on this passage of Your word. We are grateful for the revelation of Jesus, Our Messiah and Lord; may we, like Peter, recognize Your ability to work in and among us so that we can win more souls to Your work; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Seek to make Jesus known to all people today and all days!

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

God Loves All People

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View here: https://bit.ly/3DScd3l 1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. (Romana 11:1-2a, 29-32 NIV Bible)

We catch up with the regret that Paul had about reaching his brethern in the Jewish faith, asking both for himself and for his readers an important question, "Did God reject His people?" He knew the answer but it was necessary for him to say it again, "By no means!" Paul again stresses his heritage and lineage and his strong belief that God does not reject His people. He also shares something we all need to hear that God does not revoke His gifts and His call. I've mentioned the question our bishop would ask us during some cabinet meetings about whether God calls anyone out of ministry. Paul would say no. Some humans in authority might try to withdraw folks from appointments to local churches, but deep within the soul of those genuinely called, the desire to serve burns ever brightly and strongly. Those called by God will continue to preach and serve and proclaim as long as they have breath. Two mentors in my life, The Rev. Dr. Alfredo Nañez, was a retired pastor active in our church El Buen Pastor of Edinburg when Nellie, our girls, and I, were in campus ministry. Dr. Nañez would still do the preaching and sharing of the gospel on Wednesday night and it was on one such Wednesday night that he collapsed while leading and later died. The second was The Rev. Dr. Josue Gonzalez, who while preaching at an annual conference session of The Rio Grande Conference, also collapsed and later died in the Georgetown Hospital and I know both would not have had it any other way.

Paul then talks of finding mercy even during a time of disobedience. Actually, anyone of faith who went through normal teenage years knows all about disobedience and how difficult it was to fly in the straight and narrow; but I could speak of mercy shown me by my Dad and Mom, but more importantly shown me by my Heavenly Father. The darkness of those days was perfect for God to shine forth His love as a beautiful sunrise of acceptance and peace. And even now, as verse 32 shares, "God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them (us) all." Those who turn back to God will find His tender mercy on us all. Stay away or staying separated from God should not be an option for us.

PRAYER: Loving God, embrace us in our disobedience. We humbly come before You, amazed by the depth of Your plan. Just as You never rejected Your chosen people, may we never stray from Your path of righteousness. Help us to embrace the unfailing mercy You offer, a mercy that knows no bounds. In Christ's strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Ask God to free us and all who are still bound up in disobedience so we can experience the tenderness of His love!

Receive my blessings of love and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Be Clean

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10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” 21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. (Matthew 15:10-28 NIV Bible)

The Jews were, or attempted to be, clean people in all areas of their lives, especially their dietary practices, and it was interesting how that influence made its way into even into our families. Nellie clearly remembers her Mother being very strict about which pans could hold milk and which could not. The pan dedicated to the heating of milk could only be used for that and nothing else. It was their form of kosher. For the Jews in Jesus' day, purification was very key to their daily life. To prepare to receive and enjoy a meal they had to wash their feet, because they usually sat at tables close to the floor, and they had to eat their hands. Of course, all eyes were always on Jesus and His disciples and the religious leaders noticed that on one occasion, the disciples, being very hungry, helped themselves to grain and did not wash their hands. The religious folk got to some of the disciples and told them they were offended by that, and so this passage begins with Jesus addressing that concern.

Jesus said it's not what goes into your mouth that makes you unclean (defile), but what comes out of your mouth; that is what defiles you! After the teaching on this the disciples told Jesus about that offending the Pharisees; to this Jesus says the Pharisees were "blind guides," with the old adage of "the blind leading the blind." The blind will lead the other blind into a pit. Peter, speaking possibly for the twelve asks to have this explained. Jesus says that whatever goes into the mouth as food which goes into the stomach and then out of the body. But what is terrible are the things that come out of some mouths! These things, says Jesus, are coming out of what's in their heart. Let us hear His list: Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. This, Jesus explains, is far worse that thinking that unclean hands are bad.

Jesus goes to a another place and there He is met by a Canaanite woman begging for her daughter to be freed from a demon-possession and all the torment that was causing her. Jesus did not say a word about this and the disciples thinking that was Jesus' way of not wanting to do anything for this woman and so they say, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." Jesus' answer is, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel," which could be taken as I'm not here for Canaanites, just Jews, but some have said that Jesus is saying it in a way that challenging that very statement, for we know that He did do something for her. But, it was also the woman's responses to Him that led to her finding help in Jesus. His remark about "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs," allows her to counter, "Yes it is, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." This moves Jesus to say, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was freed that instant.

Friends, It's crucial for us to understand that Jesus wasn't prejudiced; rather, He used this scenario to reveal the depth of this "foreigner's" faith to those around Him, especially the religious leaders. Like the good parent that will do anything for their child, this Canaanite woman's faith moved her beyond cultural barriers and personal pride. She knew Jesus' authority and ability to help, even if it meant taking a seemingly lower position, and she was willing to be there to get the help she knew that only Jesus could supply.

This passage invites you and me to examine our own hearts. Are we focused on external appearances or rituals, neglecting the true condition of our hearts? Are we willing to persist in faith and humility, even in the face of challenges or apparent silence from God? Just as the Canaanite woman's faith led to the healing of her daughter, our genuine faith can lead to spiritual breakthroughs in our lives. We must persevere!

In our journey of faith dear friends, let us remember that it's not the external trappings that matter, but the purity of our hearts and the depth of our trust in the Lord. Let us cultivate a faith that moves mountains, a faith that persists even in the face of challenges, and a faith that humbly surrenders to God's will. Just as Jesus commended the Canaanite woman, may He also say of us, "Great is your faith!" Indeed.

PRAYER: Loving God, move me beyond what I perceive as necessary to the realm where You expect purity; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Examine your heart. Are you pure yet?

Receive my blessings of peace and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

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1 Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! 2 Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music! 3 Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! 4 Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence. 5 Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he's rendered - 6 O seed of Abraham, his servant, O child of Jacob, his chosen. 16 Then he called down a famine on the country, he broke every last blade of wheat. 17 But he sent a man on ahead: Joseph, sold as a slave. 18 They put cruel chains on his ankles, an iron collar around his neck, 19 Until God's word came to the Pharaoh, and God confirmed his promise. 20 God sent the king to release him. The Pharaoh set Joseph free; 21 He appointed him master of his palace, put him in charge of all his business 22 To personally instruct his princes and train his advisors in wisdom.45 So they could do everything he told them - could follow his instructions to the letter. (Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b The Message Bible)

Are you into geneaology? I get mine secondhand from my wife, who is heavily into researching her family and mine. She has found a lot of names of ancestors we otherwise would not have known. It's interesting in that we have never met, and in many cases not even seen a photo of a great grandfather or great grandmother, but we believe they existed. We know their name, place of birth and even their date of birth. but more than geneaology, the psalmist knows details like names and roles, but he knows the power of God at work in the lives of these mothers and fathers of the faith. And in a very real way, God has been at work in your lineage and mine. The years and miles they/we have traveled, would not have been possible without God. I can't explain it but when Nellie and I first visited Spain we felt it immediately, we couldn't explain it but it was a feeling of home and I asked what drove our forebears (forefathers and foremothers) to leave this place? We had some idea but we said it facetiously but meaning what a place they left and we were blessed to visit; but we believe that God led them to a better place. We do thank God and praise God.

Ours is to seek God daily for Him to lead us where He would. Our eyes should be on Jesus, like Peter and not the "winds" of life that scare us or slow us or even make us stop. When we focus on the Lord we receive from Him precisely what we need. And the psalmist reminds us of Joseph and his terrible experience of being sold by his brothers into slavery and still he stayed true to God because he knew God was true to him and we konw how the story ended. Joseph went from slavery to prison to the palace. All because God led him exactly where he needed to be led. The psalmist reminds us that Joseph was chained on his ankles, and an iron collar around his neck. He was a slave meaning he lost his freedom and to emphasize his slavery, he was physically shackled and chained, enough iron and steel to keep him from even think about running away and yet even at this very low point in his life, his faith was strong in God. He knew that God would act, maybe not that day or the next, but in His time. When the day finally came the blessing was beyond belief as has and will continue to be in our lives, too. We don't give up and our faith does not waver the first or second or even thirtiest day of whatever it is, but we trust God and we will see the blessings soon enough.

The Christian faith, dear believer, is a solid, unwavering faith. The writer of Hebrews reminds us in this modern language, "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see," and in the classic version, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1 in The Message and NIV versions). Hang on, don't give up, stay strong.

PRAYER: Loving God, come to us now in our hour of need. Bless us with new faith and new strength and guide us out of whatever is trying to enslave or hold us; make us bold in sharing that which holds us together, faith in You; and it is through Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Move towards God and bring others with you.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

The Whiny Brother

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1 Meanwhile Jacob had settled down where his father had lived, the land of Canaan. Joseph and His Brothers 2 This is the story of Jacob. The story continues with Joseph, seventeen years old at the time, helping out his brothers in herding the flocks. These were his half brothers actually, the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought his father bad reports on them. 3 Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was the child of his old age. And he made him an elaborately embroidered coat. 4 When his brothers realized that their father loved him more than them, they grew to hate him - they wouldn't even speak to him. 12 His brothers had gone off to Shechem where they were pasturing their father's flocks. 13 Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers are with flocks in Shechem. Come, I want to send you to them." Joseph said, "I'm ready." 14 He said, "Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing and bring me back a report." He sent him off from the valley of Hebron to Shechem. 15 A man met him as he was wandering through the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?" 16 "I'm trying to find my brothers. Do you have any idea where they are grazing their flocks?" 17 The man said, "They've left here, but I overheard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph took off, tracked his brothers down, and found them in Dothan. 18 They spotted him off in the distance. By the time he got to them they had cooked up a plot to kill him. 19 The brothers were saying, "Here comes that dreamer. 20 Let's kill him and throw him into one of these old cisterns; we can say that a vicious animal ate him up. We'll see what his dreams amount to." 21 Reuben heard the brothers talking and intervened to save him, "We're not going to kill him. 22 No murder. Go ahead and throw him in this cistern out here in the wild, but don't hurt him." Reuben planned to go back later and get him out and take him back to his father. 23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing, 24 grabbed him, and threw him into a cistern. The cistern was dry; there wasn't any water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat their supper. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way from Gilead, their camels loaded with spices, ointments, and perfumes to sell in Egypt. 26 Judah said, "Brothers, what are we going to get out of killing our brother and concealing the evidence? 27 Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let's not kill him - he is, after all, our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed. 28 By that time the Midianite traders were passing by. His brothers pulled Joseph out of the cistern and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites who took Joseph with them down to Egypt. (Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 The Message Bible)

A blessed and wonderful Wednesday be yours today. I pray the love of the Lord help you shine with those who are still in darkness. May the truth found in today's passage build you up with strength and peace. Remember to pray for those who have asked prayers from us; pray for one another; and pray for the world and its needs.

Let me repeat again, the Bible is an honest book. It does not try to hide or mislead. The people with wrinkles and the people with pimples are not hidden behind screens or have special effects people to make them look younger and more beautiful. And if their actions are childish, well, there they are in living color as shown in perfect high definition. And today's main character is just one of those. He's the second-youngest son of a major player, who had two wives, in keeping with the standards of the time, and in all honesty, he loved one wife more than the other. And the main character just happens to be the son of the favored wife, born when the dad was an old man. And the old man had trouble hiding his favoritism, going so far as to give him a coat of many colors while the older brothers looked on. Some of you/us, may have younger brothers that may coincidentally resemble some living younger brothers, but the portrayal of such was purely unintentional. As we read about Joseph, we do find, he was a whiny brat, as some have called him. I will let you form your own opinion about how you view Joseph. One thing the Bible says is true, verse 4; "When his brothers realized that their father loved him more than them, they grew to hate him - they wouldn't even speak to him." And this set in motion a terrible plot on the part of the brothers towards little Joe. They also had heard the dreams Joe had had concerning his future role among and with them. The dreams did not set well with the bigs.

Dad sends Joe to check on the bigs and they were ready to do something about Joe. Here's honesty again, when we read the bigs were ready to kill Joseph. They were even willing to say that a vicious animal ate him. The biggest/oldest of the brothers decides he will not allow Joseph to be killed and tells them so. Rueben prefers to throw Joe into a well. As Joseph got closer the brothers grab him and tear off the colorful coat and throw him into a cistern. Thankfully, the well was dry and left him there until a caravan of Ishmaelites came and the brothers sell their little brother to them. They buy him for twenty pieces of silver who took the boy into Egypt as a slave.

Let me reiterate that there are, nor have never been, a perfect family. There haven't been any perfect people, save for Jesus, but if imperfect people make up a family, the family will be imperfect. Some even have imperfect families of their own (No, I'm not asking a show of hands). The discussion is about was Joseph truly a whiny brat or was he truly a man of God? At this point, the answer might be that he was whiny and annoying; but the best part was yet to come. And the same may be true in your family sitiuations; your perceptions about others may not yet be on a spiritual level; can we see others with the eyes of Jesus and the mind of Christ? That may reveal to us a world that human minds cannot truly comprehend, so our prayer should be to ask for patience and peace.

PRAYER: Loving God, bless this dear reader and their family; may we seek to better understand all members of our families. Grant us the eyes of Jesus and the mind of Christ; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Seek the best in others while showing the best in you!

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Whom Shall I Send?

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5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:5-15 NIV Bible)

A video featuring a United Airlines pilot urging passengers not to be rude, nor selfish, went viral. The mood is that the whole world needs to hear that message and so those who loved the message forwarded on to others. What other message do we need to hear? What other attributes do we need to embrace? This passage speaks of the need for the world to embrace and share the call to be righteous people. As Paul shares this, he is saying this trait is needed by all people who would call themselves believers. There is no need for us to try to reach Heaven, for Heaven reached us. There is no need for us to try to descend into the other place, for Christ came among us and is still here. "The word is near you: it is in you mouth and in your heart;" meaning that's how close Jesus is to us. Paul says that all we need to do to become righteous and help others become righteous too, is to proclaim with our mouth, "Jesus is Lord. Next, our heart should believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, salvation is ours. Paul knows that is with our heart that we believe and can be justified; for we have truly professed our faith as part of our salvation. And the awesome declaration that "Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame." I know that from experience when I am afraid to preach a sermon that I don't feel quite right about and my prayer as I walk into the pulpit is, "Please, Loving God, do not let me be shamed for standing and preaching this sermon. I also pray that God be glorified in my words.

We reach an important theological point that Paul shares; "For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile -- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." And here is the call for which today's devotional is called; Who will go for us and reach those who have not yet heard? This echoes Isaiah's vision in his sixth chapter of his book; angels ask, "Whom shall I send?" It is the same question asked through the ages and "sturdy dreamers" answer, "Here am I, send me!" These dreamers and seekers of righteousness hear it in their Sunday schools, their worship services, the youth meetings, camp settings, retreats, from reading the Bible and even in visions shared with them in dreams. I heard it in worship and youth group when I was in the eleventh grade. I argued long and hard with God that He had chosen the wrong one and that He meant my friend, who was taller, slimmer, and more handsome! And still, God persisted and I finally relented and surrendered my life and future to Him.

I believe my feet have always been beautiful as my wife has told me on more than one occasion, so check your feet, dear one, and see if it is you that God wants to take this life-saving message to the masses? Okay, there's humor in this as well as seriousness about the task before us to tell the world about God's love. Have you brought good news to anyone in your life? Have you shared how Jesus loves and cares for them? Or, have you been wrestling with a call from God in your life to become an ordained minister? Heed the call and trust God. God will provide!

PRAYER: Loving God, we praise and lift up Your name as we seek to find where you would best have us serve. Bless those who have heard Your call into ministry; and be glorified; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Listen to God and serve Him!

Receive my blessings of joy and hope,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Jesus Walks on Water

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22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:22-33 NIV Bible)

How strong is your faith now compared to say some years ago? Do you have more faith now or did you have more faith then? What things were you able to accomplish in your life because of God's influence on you? Were you willing to try new undone things?

As an example, I had faith, more than fifty years ago that I would go to college, graduate, then go on to graduate school (seminary), graduate, and then begin my ministerial career. All from a very blue class family (i.e. no money for college). The faith comes after one takes the first step. I trusted God would provide and answer my prayers and those of my parents. I was blessed in having as my pastor, a graduate of the only United Methodist Junior College west of the Mississippi River, Lon Morris College. He recommended it very highly and said that I should apply to attend. I did and in the summer of my high school graduation, a tall gentleman knocked on our door and it was a professor from Lon Morris College. The caller was The Rev. C. R. Oliver, and he was the professor of sociology. I did not have an idea that he was there to also tell me that I was admitted and that I was a recipient of a work-study scholarship. One prayer answered.

Nellie and I and a group of ministers and spouses were on these very waters of today's passage. The director of our group explained how the mountains on both sides of the Sea of Galilee, allowed for sudden, unexpected storms, some very violent. The disciples knew this, even Peter, and as the passage describes the wind was causing the waves to be violent. And as the boat is tossed to and fro, Jesus is walking on water. This, dear friends, is a miracle, an unexplainable act of God meant not to be understood but to instruct and bless. The disciples at first believe they're seeing a ghost and say so, but Jesus, ever the comforter explains that it is He and for them not to be afraid. It is here that Peter gets the idea that he too, could walk on water. For Peter to have even asked if he too, could walk on water was an incredible act of faith. The Lord Jesus replies that he can and he should. And that, dear friends, requires a lot of faith. Can you imagine that first step? Peter steps on what should not even support him. And yet, Peter takes that step, then another. Peter's eyes were on Jesus and that, dear one, is what made this possible. The verse that reveals what happens next is verse 30, "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. "You of little faith," He said, "Why did you doubt?" When the two of them climbed into the boat the wind died down, and the ones in the boat began to proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God.

In our lives if we can keep our sight on Jesus and not on the worries and stresses of our lives, we can do much, especially overcoming the very obstacles that brought us the worries and stresses. It is difficult at times to completely focus on Jesus, but that should be our main goal. With all the hollering and shouting that comes our way for this or that, we can tune our focus on Christ Jesus. Jesus Himself set the model; He was a man with two holy habits; prayer and worship. Though He was the Son of God, He knew to be in connection with God was to be in prayer. He also knew the blessings that came through being in worship of God and so as the gospels say, "as was His custom." What can be said about our customs? Are we people of prayer? Are we people of worship?

PRAYER: Loving God, make us people of powerful holy habits and increase our faith as we seek to keep our vision on You. Guide us, bless us and help us be a blessing to others; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Help others keep their focus on Jesus.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

God's There

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8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. 9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. 14 The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. 18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. (Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21 NIV Bible)

Dear Friend, Nellie and I just drove in from Wharton via Austin and it's about 11:15 pm. This devotional will be brief as this old man is tired. We had a wonderful time with the fine folks of Wharton ISD where for two days I helped enrolled staff, teachers, and adminstrators for this coming school year. At this reading the peace and calm that was in the building has ended as today, Thursday is the first day of school for the students there in Wharton. Let us pray for the safety and blessing for the students and all who make up the schools of Wharton Independent School District. May we also ask God cover all students and teachers and all who make up schools everywhere. Pray for parents who have mixed feelings about the opening of school once again.

I met several wonderful people in Wharton and was blessed by the hospitality at the two schools where I set up shop. I heard many a story and prayed for all, especially those who shared some hard times in their personal lives. And I had the blessing of having Nellie by my side on Wednesday as we had to check out of our hotel early and she and I shared with a lovely lady about the "secret" of forty-five years of marriage. We affirm that we believe that God brought us together and it has been God who has blessed us through the good and the bad. The psalmist could have been writing about our lives together as he gives witness to his faith about God's graciousness and compassion. The psalmist knew that God was indeed slow to anger and very rich In love. I too, believe that God is good to all people and that God has compassion on all creation for creation is His. God has been there when we have fallen and helps us get up; even those whom life has made them bow down in defeat, God lifts them up. God is aware of us during our time of need and when we lift up our eyes in desperation; God has provided food for us when it seemed we might not have any. The mere opening of God's hand brings blessing to those who ask, and the desires of all living things are satisfied in God.

God is there when we need Him the most. When we call on the Lord, God listens and responds. Even our desires are fulfilled in Him; and He hears when we cry and brings us salvation. Friends, God watches all of us who love Him, but the wicked face a fearful future. Yet, our mouth should speak the praises of God. The call is for all of us to join in with all creation in praising God, for God's name is holy now and for ever. Amen? Amen!

PRAYER: GOD, you are awesome and we praise You for all You do for us; may we be worthy of all and do all we can for those in need; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Share the news that God is there for all who need Him and who cry out to Him.

Receive my blessings of love and hope,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Regrets

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1 At the same time, you need to know that I carry with me at all times a huge sorrow. 2 It's an enormous pain deep within me, and I'm never free of it. I'm not exaggerating - Christ and the Holy Spirit are my witnesses. It's the Israelites . . . 3 If there were any way I could be cursed by the Messiah so they could be blessed by him, I'd do it in a minute. They're my family. 4 I grew up with them. They had everything going for them - family, glory, covenants, revelation, worship, promises, 5 to say nothing of being the race that produced the Messiah, the Christ, who is God over everything, always. Oh, yes! (Romans 9:1-5 The Message)

Is there a place for regrets in your life? If you're human, you have had them from time to time. And the place you allow regrets to hold in your life can determine your life's trajectory. Our lesson today will focus on what we can call holy regret that the Apostle Paul had in his life. Paul was a devoted Jew and he was proud of that, but he was also a Christian, called into the faith by Jesus Himself. And his career in both the Judaistic oppression of Christians to being the most successful evangelist of the Christians, Paul had a lingering hole in his heart; his people, the Jews, were not being a part of the truth that Christ had shared with him. Paul was called to save souls, and the souls that matters so much to him, rejected him over and over. And, let us not forget, these same "religious" men sought to kill Paul on more than one occasion. Yet, Paul became a man of God and a man of love when he experienced the face-to-face encounter with his savior, Jesus the Risen Christ. From that moment on, life made more sense and life beyond this life became his goal.

For Paul to think and even write, "If there were any way I could be cursed by the Messiah so they could be blessed by Him, I'd do it in a minute. They're my family. I grew up with them." That's love. He would risk losing his own life, even eternally, to win over his "family." I guess that begs the question, how much do you love others? And I mean beyond those who love you back? Would you give your life for your fellow church members? For those who visit the church? Even those who walk past your church with no intentions of ever stopping? I know it's a difficult question to answer, but Paul wants to stress that his entire ministry, though successful among the Gentiles (non-Jews), felt incomplete and maybe even a sort of failure because he could not win over his fellow Jews. Truly, Paul had a Kingdom-building heart and wanted to include all people especially those who had given him his start in faith.

What regrets are holding your heart right now? What can realistically be done about them? I have to admit Paul's regret was never fulfilled to his liking. The Jews, though called righteous by Jesus and included in His remarks of "Those who have no need of healing," still await their Messiah. We do celebrate those victories that Paul made and through his writings, continue to have in the faith. The door is wide open for us to continue to reach all people, trusting God will direct our steps and our words and lead us to victory after victory. Perhaps the first victory some of you need is your own. If you have not yet given your heart to the Lord, do it right now. A simple prayer of repentance and asking of forgiveness for your sins and a simple invitation to Jesus to enter your heart is all that takes. Of course, that is but the first step in a life of faithful service to God and God's people. Live a life of love, show compassion to all, be prepared to show love to those who are in need; hugging those who need a simple hug; listen to the hurting and bless all people.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, lead us to Your side to walk with You and to be guided by You. Help our hearts be open to You and the leading of Your Holy Spirit. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Give your heart to Jesus and then to all people.

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.