Come Now, Let Us Reason Together

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1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 12 When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; 13 bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation— I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. 14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 NRSV)

Happy Wednesday! May this be your day, dear Friend! Make it a day of prayer, enrichment, discernment, and decision; decide to follow Jesus because you're in love with Him!

How were your raised? With a list of do's and don'ts? Or were you given free reign to do and act as you wanted? I know that different ages meant different eras of beliefs and ideas about how to raise your children. I was from the strictness of parents, teaching respect towards others and our failings were met with a spanking. Maybe yours was the time-out phase of child-rearing? Or something different. You can leave you comments on different formats or you can email me at eradiovalverde@yahoo.com to share your thoughts and experiences. I remember the strictest place for us was church. My parents took worship and participation in church activities very seriously. The worst spanking of my life came when I expressed my anger to my mother in a major category, I believe the ranking about be a 7. That was thanks to my grandfather Popó, my Dad's dad. He thought it would be cute and fun to make me trilingual; Spanish, English, and Maldiciones, not an island controlled by Great Britain. Though I was still a baby, the memory of that spanking will follow me to eternity! I was being a baby and walking up and down the pew enjoying the smiles I was bringing to those who should have been listening to the sermon, which in the canonical books of childrearing, Portatebienotemato, that was a strict no-no. So, Mom pinched me and I believe she added a twist or twirl, which was meant to drive home the point. I, without malice or much thought responded with a "Me duele, Ch-----". Immediately upon arriving home I was taken to the bathroom and given a severe spanking with a brush. Did that rid me of saying such things? In church, mostly yes.

What this passage is talking about is the internal and eternal change that should occur in us inside. If our inside is right with God so will our outside be. God is a bit upset and I know He so wants to pinch and twirl the soft part of the upper arm of those to whom this passage is directed, but He won't. But God is expressing His displeasure with the outward expressions of repentance and obedience, but God knows full well, that inside nothing has happened. Think of televangelists who say they need a fifth jet to spread the gospel, while boasting of living in the largest home in the state, and later claiming that Jesus' Second Coming has been delayed because people (viewers) are not giving as they should. Hmm. God said all that is for show and means nothing to Him and even less to us. "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the oprhan, plead for the widow. Then HIs famous invitation, "Come now, let us argue (reason) it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall become like wool."

Isaiah’s opening oracle is a sobering summons. It’s a wake-up call to a people who had kept the rituals of religion but lost the heart of it. The Lord’s words through Isaiah cut deep: offerings without obedience, prayers without justice, worship without repentance—it was all noise in God’s ears. The people of Judah, though going through the motions of faith, were spiritually adrift.

Yet within this stern rebuke, there’s a staggering invitation: “Come now, let us reason together.” The Holy One of Israel, the righteous Judge, extends a hand not to condemn, but to reconcile. He doesn’t cast us away in our guilt—He calls us to reason with Him. He invites us into a conversation that leads to transformation.

God doesn’t want religious performance; He desires surrendered hearts. The call to “cease to do evil, learn to do good” is not moralism—it’s covenantal living. It’s a call to realign with God’s heart for justice, mercy, and humility.

And here lies the challenge: true faith isn’t just expressed in temple courts or church pews. It must show up in the streets, in the way we treat others, especially the vulnerable—orphans, widows, and the voiceless. Isaiah reminds us that faith devoid of justice is hollow. But God offers grace that is never hollow. It cleanses. It changes scarlet-stained souls into garments of white.

The promise remains: If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. Will we come to God with open hearts? Will we let His grace confront and cleanse us?

PRAYER: Righteous and merciful God, we confess that we have often clung to form without faith, ritual without repentance. We have heard Your call to justice and turned away too quickly. Forgive us. Cleanse us. Teach us to do good, to seek justice, to defend the oppressed. Thank You for the grace that meets us even when our sins are scarlet. Help us not just to hear Your Word but to respond to it with obedience, humility, and faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Open your heart to God's reasoning. Step away from empty rituals and step into a living, active faith that reflects His justice and mercy.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Let Go and Let God

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32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12:32-40 NIV)

The South Indian Monkey Trap is a story of villagers in South India who will take hollowed out coconuts and fill them with cooked rice. These are placed where monkeys are and a monkey will come, put its hand in the coconut and will grab a handful of rice. Once it has the rice in its hand it will not let go thus making it easy for the villagers to catch the monkey. This story sounds a lot like what happens in Walmart's toy section every day! A child, more specifically, a grandchild, will grab a hold of a toy that that child really needs and will not let go and any attempt to pry it away from said child will result in high decibel screaming or crying or both, and thus Walmart stock goes up every day. This story can be repeated in a car or boat dealership or a jewelry store.

The gospel is all about letting go of precisely those things that can completely separate us from the things that really matter, and Jesus addresses it in this passage. In this chapter Jesus has been talking to people who were truly worried about staying alive; having food to eat, clothes to wear; mostly what we in this part of the world take for granted. If we're hungry we go to the store to buy food to cook or we drive to a restaurant or fast food joint and get something to eat. And thanks to Covid, we can use DoorDash and order same fast food delivered right to our door for incredibly high markups. Jesus speaks a comforting word about believers getting access to God's kingdom while we do what others might not do or expect anyone to do like selling our possessions and giving them the profits to the poor. The treasures that truly matter namely treasure in heaven, and the awesome truth of the statement that He shared, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Our clothing should reflect our willingness and readiness to serve, and we should be prepared at all times. Even today, Pope Leo was attacked by a Fellow from Oxford for the Pope having said, ""Even today there are many contexts in which the Christian faith is considered an absurd thing, for weak and unintelligent people; contexts in which other securities are preferred to it, such as technology, money, success, power, pleasure." The Fellow said, 'How dare the Pope suggest that the gods of tech, wealth, fame, clout, and pleasure are counterfeit securities? How dare the pope critique those, in this scholar's words, “whose values or priorities differ from our own.” For this Oxford Fellow, the real scandal is that the Pope fails to realize that “Not all who seek truth answer in the same way.” Rev. Leonard Sweet, a professor and author said, "Welcome to your world, church, a world where . .Truth is a choose-your-own adventure. Jesus is a lifestyle brand. Faith is optional equipment. When the Gospel offends, it’s often doing its job."

Jesus speaks these words with tenderness and assurance. He knows that we live in a world full of uncertainty, where fear often takes hold—fear of not having enough, of missing out, of what lies ahead. But here, He calls us His little flock, cared for by a good and generous Shepherd who gives us not scraps, but the kingdom.

What does it mean to live like that’s true? Jesus invites us to loosen our grip on possessions, to trade anxious hoarding for generous living: “Sell your possessions and give to the poor… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

This isn’t just about money—it’s about trust. If our treasure is in God’s hands, our hearts will follow. If our eyes are on His kingdom, we’ll live with a readiness that runs deeper than fear.

Jesus urges us to be watchful and alert, like servants waiting for their master’s return. The point isn’t fear of being caught off guard, but joy in being prepared to meet Him—eyes open, hearts expectant, lives shaped by grace.

Whether you’re deeply rooted in faith or simply searching, the message is clear: You are not forgotten. The kingdom is near. Let go of fear, and live ready.

PRAYER: Gracious Father, thank You for giving us the kingdom—a gift we could never earn but freely receive. Help us loosen our grip on fear and trust You with our heart, our plans, and our future. Make us ready, not by our own strength, but by Your Spirit alive in us. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, choose one way to trade fear for trust—whether through an act of generosity, a moment of prayer, or simply by speaking hope into someone’s day. Let that be your step toward living ready.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

The God Who Turns Things Around

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1 Oh, thank God - he's so good! His love never runs out. 2 All of you set free by God, tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression, 3 Then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas. 4 Some of you wandered for years in the desert, looking but not finding a good place to live, 5 Half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion. 6 Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God. He got you out in the nick of time; 7 He put your feet on a wonderful road that took you straight to a good place to live. 8 So thank God for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves. 9 He poured great draughts of water down parched throats; the starved and hungry got plenty to eat. (Psalm 107:1-9, 33-37 The Message Bible)

A blessed and tremendous Thursday to you, dear Friend! I pray God surprises us with new and wonderful opportunities to shine His love and grace to all people today and all days! As we pray, let us pray for Mrs. Marie Currie who is having surgery on Monday, Aug. 4th, and on the 11th for Mrs. Pam Lester. I believe both are having knee surgery. And speaking of knee surgeries, please add my name to the list. I don't have a final or official verdict on that but my MRI showed serious damage to muscles and meniscus which will require surgery. I'll share more when I know more!

The three most popular prayers are 1) Help me, 2) Thank you!, 3)Wow, Awesome! And most of us have personal experiences with those prayers, Mostly number one! Many, many, many are the times we have cried, screamed, yelled, whimpered, "Help me"? When one reaches rock bottom and there seems to be no other way to go but up the only One to lift us is God. David in his life as we have recorded in Scripture shared the highs and lows, and it was thanks to his lows that he did some of his finest writing which serve to inspire and rescue us. The theme for this week given all the scriptures we have read has to be Never-ending Love, and this is the psalm that backs that up.

We could call this psalm the Anthem of Gratitude for David shares his thanks and praise to the God of neverending love. But this isn’t just poetic praise from someone who’s had an easy life. It’s a cry of joy from people who’ve wandered, hungered, thirsted, and found themselves lost—physically and spiritually. David had a long road from the pasture to the palace, including times in the palace where his life was in danger from the king who supposedly loved him.

The psalm tells the story of a God who doesn’t ignore the cries of the desperate. “Some of you wandered for years in the desert… you couldn’t find your way… but you called out to God in your desperate condition, he got you out in the nick of time.” Sound familiar? Maybe you’re in a dry season now—emotionally, spiritually, or even physically. Maybe your soul is weary, your heart is hungry, or your hope has been running low.

But this psalm reminds us that God is a God of turnaround. “He changed rivers into wastelands… then changed the wasteland into fresh pools of water.” He brings life where there was drought, hope where there was despair. He doesn’t just fix what’s broken—He transforms it into something fruitful.

Whether you’re a longtime believer or someone still unsure about God, this psalm offers an invitation: cry out to the One whose love never runs out. He hears. He helps. He heals.

PRAYER: Faithful God, thank You for hearing our cries and never giving up on us. You meet us in the desert places and make streams flow again. Turn around what feels lifeless in us. Make us new. Let our lives be a testimony to Your unfailing love. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Take a moment today to name one area of your life that feels dry—and invite God to bring new life to it. Then watch for signs of His love at work.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Love That Will Not Let Go!

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1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. 3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. 4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them. 5 “Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent? 6 A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets and put an end to their plans. 7 My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them. 8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. 9 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man— the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities. 10 They will follow the LORD; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. 11 They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows, from Assyria, fluttering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the LORD. (Hosea 11:1-11 NIV)

Those of us blessed with good loving parents have an inkling of just what this passage is addressing. Good parents do not easily let go of their love for their children no matter what it is they do or cause. I was the wanderer of my family. I was the first surviving child of my parents, preceded by two or three other boys, and one after my birth. Yes, there were, I believe, two other Eradio Valverde, Jr.s born, including one that lived for a day or so, then died. I was given his name I pray that in Heaven we won't fight about that; after all, neither of us had a choice! Given the year and times of my birth, I was given free roaming rights over most of out small town, Kingsville. I loved the railroad tracks and used them to walk on to all things downtown; for other trips I used my bicycle. When I graduated from high school I went away to college, to the East Texas town of Jacksonville. From there I went to Georgetown, then Dallas, then Denver, back to Dallas and upon my ordination to a lot of places. No where I roamed did I not feel the love of my parents. I knew I always had a home to return to, and that's what Nellie and I have told our daughters, that they will always have a home with us should they need. I don't know if spats with sons and dads is common, but if it is, we had our share. Many were the times that I disagreed with my father and we hurriedly left, sometimes in the middle of the night, back to whatever place was our home at the time. One spat lasted through Grandparents Day in September and as I did the children's sermon that day I asked the kids how many had grandparents and all but my youngest raised their hand. Gulp. I called my dad right after church and we both cried as we said our I'm sorries.

Yes, I even wandered away from God when I felt I was not worthy to pursue a career in ministry. I walked away and tried to hide anywhere but in God's house. I left seminary in Dallas and tried to hide in the belly of the whale that was AT&T in Houston. I've shared before that in Houston AT&T had 60,000 employees and I was hired to be a salesperson with them and after sixteen weeks of training I get assigned to sit directly across from another seminary dropout! I knew then I was trying to go up against God. After almost a year working together we both left Ma Bell to return to our seminaries because of a God Who never will not let us go! Try as we might, hide where we will; God will not give up. God will find us (actually He's been with us the entire time!) and will embrace us when we return.

Few passages in Scripture reveal the heart of God more tenderly than Hosea 11. Here, God speaks not with judgment or wrath, but with the pain and love of a parent whose child has walked away. “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” This is not distant affection—it’s personal, intimate, and full of longing.

God recounts how He taught Israel to walk, lifted them in His arms, and led them with cords of kindness. But despite all of God’s care, His people kept turning away. They chased after idols, ignored His voice, and rebelled against His love. Still, God’s response is astonishing: “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?” And how can we not mention Jesus' most powerful parables in His story of The Prodigal Son?, His third story in Luke 15 which we call the Lost Chapter of the lost sheep and lost coin.

This is the God of relentless mercy—one whose compassion “is aroused,” even when His people don’t deserve it. He does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead of lashing out in anger, He speaks words of restoration and hope: “They will follow the Lord… I will settle them in their homes.”

This passage is both comforting and convicting. For the believer, it’s a reminder that God’s love remains steady, even when we falter. For the skeptic or seeker, it’s a glimpse of a God who is not cruel or cold, but heartbreakingly faithful. Whether we’ve wandered a little or a lot, God’s invitation still stands: Come home.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for loving me with a love that does not give up, even when I wander. Forgive me for the times I’ve turned from Your kindness. Draw me back to You with Your mercy, and teach me to trust Your heart again. May my life reflect the beauty of being known and loved by You. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Take time today to reflect on where you’ve wandered—then respond to God’s love by turning back, trusting His arms are still open wide.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

A New Way of Living

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1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. (Colossians 3:1-11 NIV)

Happy Tuesday!  Better yet, a blessed and secure Tuesday geared to your spiritual needs and growth.  May our time together bring us exciting, unexpected blessings.  Let us journey foward into the future holding tightly onto God.

Most pastors will have some requests they have no way to explain or understand; some will be asked questions to which we have no ready answers.  Most simply need a ready and loving listening ear.  We tend to forget we are supernatural people; spiritual beings in an earthly body, doing and saying spiritual things many times to a crowd that wants little to nothing to do with the spiritual.  I have seen and experienced many things of a spiritual nature that I would be hard pressed to explain.  I believe the true definition of a miracle is an act of God that is meant to bless and to enjoy without the need to explain it.  Think of the blind men who received their sight; the line, "I once was blind, but now I see" from scripture and the famous hymn relates that profound truth; what do I have to gain to sit here and try to explain how it is that I now can see?  I just received the most precious gift I could think of and to sit here and debate anything robs me of what I want to do - to go and see!

I once got a call from a family who had bought a home with a swimming pool sold by the family whose baby boy had drowned in that pool.  The family loved the home until they began hearing the giggles of a baby in another room and upon exploring found wet toys on the bed.  They removed the toys only to find the next day the area around the same toys wet and the toys themselves dry.  "Reverend, what is causing this?"  I said I would come right over and pray for them and pray a blessing over the home.  Beyond that I had no answer for them or even for me. I've served churches with unexplained noises and footsteps and my theory is that some people die without knowing Jesus and not knowing Jesus their soul knows only to go to the church and no farther.  The soul, I believe, must know and love Jesus, so that when death comes, they know to Whom they belong and Who will be there to receive them.  I know there is no biblical foundation for that other than the disciples' fear of seeing Jesus walking on water and they exclaim that it is a ghost.  (Matt. 14:26) and again when they saw the Resurrected Jesus they, full of terror exclaim that Jesus is a ghost; Luke 24:37.  

This is a passage that invites us to set our hearts on the spiritual things where Christ is, "seated at the right hand of God (Sound familiar like something we say every Sunday or time we affirm our faith in the Apostles Creed?).  Our thoughts should be on things of above, not on earthly ones.  We as believers truly believe that when we came to faith in Jesus, we died with Him and now our lives are hidden in Him.  When Jesus returns, we will see Him and go with Him.  Meanwhile, we are called to put to death those things that belong only to the earthly realm; sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed.  We are to flee the coming wrath of God and by killing these things in our thoughts, words, and actions, prepares us to be holy.  Paul further adds to the list anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language.  Just two days ago our four year old said the word idiot after hearing our daughter use the word to describe another driver.  She immediately told him that she only could use that word since she went to college to which our grandson said, "I can't wait to go to college!"  Sigh. 

For the believer, this is a call to live with eyes fixed on eternity, not just the here and now. For the seeker or skeptic, it’s an invitation to consider that there is more to life than possessions, success, or even self-improvement. Paul describes an old life—a life weighed down by greed, anger, bitterness, and deceit—and he calls us to leave that behind. He also paints a picture of a new self, one renewed in the image of God, filled with love, compassion, and purpose.

This “new life” isn’t about following a list of rules or becoming religious. It’s about letting God transform your heart, bringing freedom from what once defined you. Whether you believe or are simply curious, the question is the same: What are you setting your heart on? Are you living for what will fade or for what will last forever?

PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, You see my heart and know where we place our hope. Teach us to set our minds on what truly matters—on You and Your ways. Remove the things in us that weigh us down, and create a new heart that reflects Your love and truth. Help us to live with the freedom and peace only You can give.This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  OUR CALL TO ACTION: Let your heart and mind shift toward what truly lasts—choose one way today to reflect Christ’s love, whether through kindness, forgiveness, or seeking Him in quiet prayer.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

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Treasures Towards God

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13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." 16 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 18 Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God." (Luke 12:13-21 NRSV)

It's Monday!   And we're still alive!  Yes, give thanks for another day, another week, another opportunity to serve the Lord and the Lord's people.  So, do it!  With love and compassion, no less!

Back in the day, almost every single person in America hoped secretly that their doorbell would ring and that he would be there holding a big ole check.  You see kids, there was a company that used to push magazines for every single magazine publisher in the world and their company was called Publishers Clearing House and twice a year or so, they would hold a sweepstakes worth millions.  Supposedly, the late Ed McMahon, co-host of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, would show up in a van with balloons and flowers, and of course, the big check. Of course one's chances of winning this sweepstakes were as good as winning the major lotteries, but the Clearing House advertising was written in marvelous ways that led many to believe they had already won!  One had to read and re-read the letter so that you realized that there may be a winner, but it is not me.  Unfortunately, in one of my churches, a gentleman came to my office early one morning with said letter and excitedly told me he had won and wanted me to help him collect the prize money.  He was serious and he wanted me to call the headquarters of said sweepstakes to help him collect the money.  Tried as I did, he would not take my word that I too, had received the exact same letter and I kept underlining the word MIGHT, but he would not hear of it.  Thankfully, his son came and together we helped him realize, much to his sadness, that he was not a millionaire.  

Let me repeat what Rick Warren, who did become a millionaire with his books, that "it is not a sin to be rich, but it is a sin to die rich."  And then there was Jesus who spoke more about money and possessions than he did about prayer.  Why do you think that was?  Someone said if you don't control your posessions they'll eventually possess you.  And we come to this passage.   

Jesus shares a powerful warning about greed and misplaced priorities. A man approaches Jesus, asking Him to settle a family dispute over inheritance. Instead of dividing the possessions, Jesus points to the deeper issue of the heart: “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

Jesus then tells the parable of the rich man who, after a great harvest, decides to build bigger barns to store all his grain. He convinces himself that he has secured years of comfort and ease, but God calls him a fool, saying, “This very night your life is being demanded of you.” His possessions cannot save him, nor can they give his life true meaning.

This passage challenges us to consider what we treasure most. Are we building barns of temporary wealth, or are we investing in what is eternal—faith, love, and the things of God? Being “rich toward God” means aligning our hearts with His purposes and trusting that true life is found not in what we have, but in who we are becoming in Christ.

PRAYER:  Generous and loving God, teach us to guard our hearts against greed and self-reliance. Help us to see the value of eternal treasures over earthly possessions. May we grow rich in love, faith, and kindness, storing up what matters most in Your kingdom. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  OUR CALL TO ACTION:  This week, practice generosity. Look for one way to bless someone with your time, your resources, or your encouragement, and in doing so, build treasure that lasts forever.

I love you and I thank God for you,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Remember for Revival and Renewal

Image from biblia.com

Listen to devo: https://bit.ly/3UqE1DZ

View devo: https://bit.ly/3INqfZz

1 God, you smiled on your good earth! You brought good times back to Jacob! 2 You lifted the cloud of guilt from your people, you put their sins far out of sight. 3 You took back your sin-provoked threats, you cooled your hot, righteous anger. 4 Help us again, God of our help; don't hold a grudge against us forever. 5 You aren't going to keep this up, are you? scowling and angry, year after year? 6 Why not help us make a fresh start - a resurrection life? Then your people will laugh and sing! 7 Show us how much you love us, God! Give us the salvation we need! 8 I can't wait to hear what he'll say. God's about to pronounce his people well, The holy people he loves so much, so they'll never again live like fools. 9 See how close his salvation is to those who fear him? Our country is home base for Glory! 10 Love and Truth meet in the street, Right Living and Whole Living embrace and kiss! 11 Truth sprouts green from the ground, Right Living pours down from the skies! 12 Oh yes! God gives Goodness and Beauty; our land responds with Bounty and Blessing. 13 Right Living strides out before him, and clears a path for his passage. (Psalm 85 The Message Bible)

A blessed Thursday of opportunity and adventure for you, dear Friend! May God bring blessings to your life the kind you love to share with others.

When I was in college one of our classmates lost his older brother in the late 1950s. I believe his death was due to an illness. What my friend who was. his roommate and I could figure out is that that event froze his life, meaning that the music that followed that era was never good enough, nor the dress or movies or television shows, etc. His life for all intents and purposes ended the day they committed his brother to the grave. I suppose it was his grief that kept him living there. If you can call that living. Grief is one of many factors or events that can paralyze one's life and many are the ones who have stopped growing and living because of them. Sin is also a factor that has power to cripple. God has the power to restore the fullness of life through Jesus Christ.

In this passage we see a nation whose actions of rebellion against God kept them from progressing like God expected during several eras. The psalmist remembers this era and also knows how important it is for the nation to pray for renewal. As we've mentioned before, the prophetic cycle is a circle that show the highs of their national life as well as their lows. The people sin and fall; they cry out to God for deliverance and forgiveness; God forgives and restores and again they sin and fall and cry out; with God providing a prophet at each key step as part of their coming back. The funny thing is that that cycle or circle could also be used in our lives; our highs and lows, forgiveness and repentance, etc. and etc.

The Message paraphrases verses 8-9 this way:

“I can’t wait to hear what he’ll say. God’s about to pronounce his people well, The holy people he loves so much, So they’ll never again live like fools. See how close his salvation is to those who fear him?”

This is the posture of trust—waiting, listening, expecting God to move. It’s the hope that even when things fall apart, God is still near. The psalmist believes that mercy and truth will meet, that justice and peace will kiss—that what seems impossible in the world becomes possible when God shows up.

We live in a time when we too need renewal. In our personal lives, our communities, even our churches, we long for healing and reconciliation. Psalm 85 reminds us that real restoration doesn’t start with our strategies but with our surrender. It begins when we listen for God’s voice and look for His presence.

God is not done with His people. He specializes in fresh starts. He is ready to breathe new life into what feels lost. But we must be willing to listen and respond—to turn from foolish ways and walk toward peace and truth.

PRAYER: God of mercy and justice, thank You for Your patience and faithfulness. We long for Your presence to renew what is broken in us and around us. Help us to listen closely for Your voice and follow in Your ways. Let truth, peace, and righteousness take root in our hearts and in our land. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Take time today to listen. Find a quiet moment to ask God where He wants to bring renewal in your life. Pray for His peace to kiss your path and commit to walking in His truth.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Living Sermon Prop?

Image from livinghopebiblechurch.org

Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/4m9J0F8

View devo: https://bit.ly/4lAgeNU

2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord." 3 So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And the Lord said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." 6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen." 8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then the Lord said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God." 10 Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," it shall be said to them, "Children of the living God." (Hosea 1:2-10 NRSV)

Happy Wednesday, dear Friend! May the Lord bless you and keep you! May your journey be one of joy and blessing for all! Seek to bless God and to have God bless other through you and your love!

Many preachers from time to time, use props when preaching. If I were to preach this week, which I won't or can't, I would truly need props, like my crutches! A prop is a support used to further draw attention to the theme or main message of the sermon. I am guilty of using many props, like the infamous throwing of tortillas during a sermon on the bread of life. I gained a new family that Sunday thanks to my boldness in doing such a thing. I may or may not have hit a church member during that sermon. (It was so many years ago, but I was so much older than now). One Sunday, during the series The Ten Commandments, I had my janitor bring in an old easy chair from another part of our campus and I wore a running suit under a bathrobe while reading a Sunday newspaper and sipping tea. I may have lost the choir at that point. My idea was to always be unpredictable which one Sunday almost backfired as a homeless man known for holding posters up against the president, asked to preach. His presence and his walking right up to me while preaching caught my ushers thinking I had asked him to do this. I finally had to raise my voice and ask him to sit down. Finally the ushers caught on!

But imagine being Hosea. A prophet called to bring Israel back to the Covenant, he lived in the northern kingdom and he may have been in his mid-20s or 30s when God called him to marry a living sermon prop. Please keep in mind that the Bible is a very honest book filled with unexpected surprises, none more so than for the young Hosea. God told him to marry the type of girl that momma would not approve of and the kind that might bring a smile to grandpa and grandma to her grave. And to be fair, significant number of scholars are not sure that Gomer was necessarily a prostitute, but certainly an adulteress and a promiscious one at that. This version uses the certain word of professionalism, for God wanted Israel to know this woman was them! "For the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord." Ouch. The prophet takes Gomer, daughter of Bilaim, as his wife, and she conceived and bore them a son whose name was Jezreel, a name that means judgment on Israel is coming! What would be the English shortcut name for Jezreel? WhoopinSoon? WaitTilWeGetHome? Okay, it's a lot more serious than that, because God is mad!

Hosea and Gomer have another child, this one a daughter, and the name given her by God is Lo-ruhamah which means "No Mercy" showing Israel that God would no longer have His compassion. With this child, Israel reached the point that God said that He would show pity to Judah and would save them, but not with military might. After Lo-ruhamah was weaned, a third child comes along and this one is named Lo-ammi (“Not My People”): Signifying a broken covenant. Wow! God ain't playing now. Not my people and I'm not your God. "How could God do that?" Uh, God didn't. The people of Israel did. But yet, God says, "Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' it shall be said to them, 'Children of the living God,'"

God’s love is fierce and relentless. Even when His people turn away, He refuses to let go. His heart aches for restoration, not rejection. This story is ultimately not just about punishment—it’s about divine mercy, and the deep, painful, determined love of God who longs for His people to return.

We, too, stray in ways big and small. But God’s response is not to abandon us. In Christ, we see the full measure of God’s faithfulness—taking our shame, restoring our name, and calling us once more: “My people. My beloved.” Their family becomes a living parable of divine love: broken, betrayed, but ultimately restored.

PRAYER: Lord God, Your love both humbles and astounds me. Even when I fail or wander from Your path, You remain faithful. Help me to return to You with a whole heart. Thank You for calling me Your own. May I live today as a child of the living God. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Take time today to examine your heart. Where have you drifted from God? Confess, return, and trust that His love is ready to receive you again. Let His mercy shape how you live and love.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.