Eyes on The Hand

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1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! 2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us. 3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. 4 Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. (Psalm 123 NRSV).

Happy Thursday, Friend! Make this Thursday a tremendous one by being tremendous in your love and service to all!

Most mothers and some fathers have eyes on the back of their heads. They can see or percieve things before the one being watched are aware. A look or a word usually foils the next action on the part of the child. Such is the thought of the psalmist about God.

Have you ever watched a waiter in a busy restaurant? The good ones have a superpower. They never seem to look at you, and yet they know the exact moment your water glass is empty. Their eyes are always scanning for the slightest signal from the people they serve.

That’s the picture the psalmist paints in Psalm 123, and it’s a surprisingly tender one. The psalm opens with a simple upward gesture: “To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!” Notice where the eyes go. Not to the problem, not to the people causing it, not to the mirror. Up.

Then comes the comparison. As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy upon us.

Think about what a servant watches for in a master’s hand. A signal. A direction. A provision. A word of “that’s enough” or “come here.” The servant isn’t staring out of fear but out of attentiveness, because everything the servant needs flows from that hand. And that’s what the psalmist is claiming about God. Our provision, our protection, and our direction all come from His hand. So we keep our eyes there.

I also love the little phrase “until He has mercy upon us.” It isn’t “if.” It isn’t “maybe.” It’s “until.” There’s a quiet confidence tucked inside it, the kind of waiting that knows how the story ends even before it does. This is not anxious pacing. It’s patient looking.

But the psalm doesn’t pretend life is easy. In verse 3 the tone shifts, and the cry gets rawer: “Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.” Then the psalmist says it again: our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.

Have you ever been there? Worn out by the dismissive tone, the eye-roll, the quiet sense that you’re not enough? Maybe it’s a coworker who treats you like furniture, a family member who always has a comment, or a culture that keeps whispering you don’t measure up. The psalmist doesn’t tell you to pretend it doesn’t hurt. He tells you where to take it.

And that’s the invitation here. When you’ve had your fill of everyone else’s opinion, you can turn your eyes toward the One whose opinion of you is mercy. You don’t need to win the argument or prove your worth to the proud. You just need to look up, repeatedly if necessary, and wait for the hand that has never once failed to provide.

Jesus Himself was scorned by the comfortable and the proud, and He knows exactly what this feels like. You are not looking up to a distant master. You are looking to a God who has walked through contempt and come out the other side with mercy in His hands.

Prayer: Merciful God, when I grow weary of the scorn and noise around me, lift my eyes to You and fill me with patient trust in Your mercy, in Christ Jesus’ strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, each time you feel discouraged or dismissed, pause, look up, and whisper, “Lord, have mercy.”

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me! Seek the Lord's will in your life and follow it.

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Deborah Under the Palm Tree

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4 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’” (Judges 4:1-7 NIV)

Blessings of joy and peace for this wonderful Wednesday, dear Friend! I pray your joy is contagious and it reaches all people in wondrous ways.

I have two favorite trees. The number one tree for me is the mesquite. I grew up in mesquite country in Kingsville. The mesquites provided shade, a place to play under and climb; and one of the sweetest beans a kid could chew on. Not to mention the wood is strong, makes for great writing pens, and furniture if you're so disposed to making and you have the right equipment and grit to tackle. My second favorite is the palm tree. I can't explain all the reasons why, I just know when I see a palm tree I feel joy. I grew up seeing palm trees as we neared the Rio Grande Valley on our trips to visit family. Once they were in view I knew it would not be long before we would be seeing the faces of our family. I love visiting places where palms are prevalent and especially when finally we were in the Holy Land seeing the palm trees there. Today's passage features them in prominent ways.

Have you ever noticed how some problems come back like a bad sequel? You fix it, you promise never again, and then a few chapters later, there it is, wearing a slightly different costume.

That’s the rhythm of the book of Judges, and chapter 4 opens right on cue. After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the Lord. So He sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan who reigned in Hazor. His army commander, Sisera, operated out of Harosheth Haggoyim, and he had nine hundred iron chariots. If you’re keeping score at home, Israel had a lot of faith problems and not nearly enough chariots.

For twenty years Jabin cruelly oppressed them. Twenty years is a long time. That’s a whole childhood, a whole season of hard decisions and quiet despair. And then comes one of the most hopeful phrases in the whole story: the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

They didn’t cry out with a polished prayer. They didn’t have a plan or a PowerPoint. They just cried out. And God, who had every reason to say “Well, you got yourselves into this,” heard them anyway.

Now meet the person God used. At that time Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel. Let’s pause and appreciate the setting. She held court under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. No marble courthouse. No fancy robes. Just a woman, a palm tree, and a long line of people who trusted her to hear from God. Some of us have worked in offices with far more furniture and far less wisdom.

Deborah doesn’t go to war herself at this point. She sends for Barak, and she hands him a message that begins with the most important words: “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you.” Go, take ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun, and lead them to Mount Tabor. Then comes the promise: God Himself will lead Sisera, with his chariots and troops, to the Kishon River and give him into Barak’s hands.

Notice the order. The command comes first, and the promise follows. God doesn’t say, “Win a battle and then I’ll show up.” He says, “I am already ahead of you. Walk toward the mountain.”

Maybe you are staring at your own nine hundred iron chariots right now. A bill. A diagnosis. A strained relationship. A situation that has dragged on far longer than you ever thought you could bear. Here is what this passage says to you: God hears the cry of weary people, and He often begins His rescue in the most unexpected places, with a prayer, a palm tree, and someone willing to say, “This is what the Lord says.”

You may not see how He will do it. Just know that He is already at the river before you get there.

PRAYER: Faithful God, hear the cries of my weary heart, and give me the courage to take the next step of obedience, trusting that You are already working ahead of me, in Christ Jesus’ strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, bring your biggest worry honestly to God in prayer, and take one small step of obedience toward it.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God, and you matter to me! Live a grace-filled and Spirit-led life that makes miracles possible in the lives of those you touch!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Tell Me Exactly When

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5:1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 NIV)

Happy Tuesday, dear Reader! Praying this finds you well and blessed. May those blessing pour out of you like honey to share with all people. The world continues to need sweetness and joy in daily life. And it takes so little to be kind usually, but it can mean so much. Kindness is a key that opens doors and hearts!

Imagine growing up as a person who loves to plan things out and knowing details, in your opinion, helps you plan better; but your mom or dad is the opposite; sharing nothing and expecting everything! Case in point, years ago, upon my arrival home from my first year of college, my Dad said for us to pack our suitcases. My first question: "Where are we going?" The answer: Pack y. our suitcases. Second question: "How many days?" Answer: Six. Okay, something is something. We headed out of Houston on Interstate 10 and ended up at Walt Disney World's first summer opening! It was well worth the frustration!

Have you ever tried to predict the weather by looking out the window, checking three apps, and consulting your knee? And then it rains anyway on the one day you left the umbrella at home.

Some of the Thessalonians were doing something similar with the return of Jesus. They wanted dates, charts, and timelines. Paul, with great kindness, says he doesn’t need to write to them about times and dates, because they already know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Now, a thief doesn’t send a calendar invite. That’s the point. While people are saying “Peace and safety,” destruction comes on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. It’s a sobering image, and Paul doesn’t soften it.

But then he turns, and I love this turn. “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.” Notice what he’s saying. The people who are caught off guard are the ones living in the dark, asleep and unaware. For those who belong to Jesus, the day isn’t an ambush. “You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.”

Think about how different that feels. A burglar fears the porch light. A child of the day isn’t hiding from anything.

So what does living in the daylight look like? Paul says, “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.” He’s not asking us to stare at the sky with binoculars. He’s asking us to live alert, steady, and clear-headed. Then he gives us a wardrobe: put on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. It’s armor, but notice what it’s made of. Faith, love, and hope are not flashy. They are the daily, practical gear of people who are ready for whatever the day brings.

And here comes the heart of the whole passage. “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.” Your standing doesn’t depend on how well you guessed the timeline. It rests on what Jesus has already done.

That’s why Paul ends the way he does: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Not “panic one another.” Not “argue about the details.” Encourage. Build up.

So maybe today’s question is this: are you anxious about what’s coming, or are you living awake and encouraged? You don’t have to decode the future to be ready for it. You just have to keep your armor on, stay close to Jesus, and cheer on the people next to you.

PRAYER; Faithful God, keep me awake, steady, and wrapped in faith, hope, and love, so that I live each day as a child of the light and lift up those around me, in Christ Jesus’ strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, send an encouraging word to someone and build them up in the hope we have in Jesus.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God, and you matter to me! Live a life of love to all people in hopes of winning the world for Jesus!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Don't Bury the Treasure

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14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ 23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25:14-30 NIV)

There's a trend in modern funerals to insert the words of verse 23 at some point of the eulogy or sermon and it comes from this passage about the Talents, a parable of Jesus. Our having know the deceased has made us wonder if the family truly believed that about their loved one. Mind you, we are not ones to stop a funeral and say, "Uh, there must be some mistake here." The old joke was the widow who as the sermon got further on and on, she asked her little boy to go and see if that's really your dad in that coffin!" My joke is that some of us will hear St., Peter say, "Turn the ovens to well done as we receive this one!"

Somewhere in your house, there is a drawer where good intentions go to die. The fancy candle you’re saving for a special occasion. The nice dishes that only come out when the Queen visits. The gift card from three Christmases ago that is “definitely in here somewhere.”

Jesus tells a parable about a man going on a journey who entrusts his property to three slaves. To one he gives five talents, to another two, to another one, each according to his ability. A talent, by the way, was a staggering sum, worth many years of a laborer’s wages. So nobody in this story was handed pocket change.

The first two go out and put their money to work, and each doubles what he was given. The third, however, goes off, digs a hole in the ground, and hides his master’s money. I can almost picture him checking the spot every so often. “Still there. Great. Nothing exciting happening. Perfect.”

After a long time, the master returns to settle accounts. To the first two he says the same beautiful words: “Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Don’t miss that last part. The reward isn’t just more responsibility. It’s joy, shared with the master Himself.

Then the third servant steps up, and his explanation is revealing. “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man... so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.” Here is the heart of the problem. He was not lazy so much as afraid. He had decided the master was harsh, and that picture of the master shaped everything he did. Fear told him that safe was better than faithful.

The master doesn’t accept the excuse. He calls him wicked and lazy, and the talent is taken and given to the one who has ten. It’s a sobering ending, with the worthless servant cast into the outer darkness. Jesus doesn’t soften it.

So what’s the invitation hiding inside the warning? Look at what the first two servants had that the third didn’t: a trust that their master was good. They were free to take risks because they weren’t terrified of him.

The same is true for us. God has given each of us something, whether it’s a skill, a season of influence, a little money, a listening ear, or a story that needs telling. It isn’t a test of how impressive your portfolio is. The servant with two talents got the very same “well done” as the servant with five. God isn’t asking you to be someone else. He is asking you to stop burying what He has already placed in your hands.

And here is the good news: you serve a Lord who delights in your faithfulness, not one who waits to catch you failing. Dig that treasure up. Dust it off. Put it to work, even if it feels small and even if you’re nervous.

PRAYER: Generous God, free me from fear and show me what You have placed in my hands, so that I may use it faithfully for Your glory and the good of others, in Christ Jesus’ strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, identify one gift God has given you that you’ve been keeping buried, and use it to bless someone.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me! Let's win the world for Jesus with loving all people and see all people as our neighbors!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Tell It Again

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Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, 3 things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders that he has done. In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. 13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it and made the waters stand like a heap. 14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud and all night long with a fiery light. 15 He split rocks open in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. 16 He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers. (Psalm 78:1-4, 12-18 NRSV)

Every family has that one story. You know the one. It gets told at every holiday, the details grow a little more dramatic each year, and by now the fish was definitely bigger than it was originally. Someone always groans, “Not this again,” and yet somehow everyone leans in when it starts. Our stories were rare and not always shared with all the family at the same time; but I loved hearing them. I loved hearing how my Dad, who struggled with showing affectiuons to a strong grandmother, found himself having to visit her while she was in the hospital, and while on that forced visit, a young, attractive nurse came in to check on his grandma and that was all it took for my Dad to fall madly in love with my Mom. The rest was history.

Psalm 78 opens with a storyteller clearing his throat. “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.” He says he will open his mouth in a parable and utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.

Then comes the heart of it: we will not hide them from their children. We will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done.

Notice the verbs here. Not “we will debate,” not “we will hope they figure it out.” We will tell. Faith, it turns out, is rarely caught by accident. It is passed along at kitchen tables, in car rides, and in bedtime conversations that were supposed to be about brushing teeth. Somebody told you. Now somebody is waiting for you to tell them.

And what exactly is worth retelling? The psalmist gets specific. In the sight of their ancestors God worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap. Think about that for a moment. Water, standing up like a pile of laundry, so that frightened people could walk through on dry ground.

Then, in the wilderness, He led them with a cloud by day and with a fiery light all night. He split rocks open and gave them drink abundant as the deep. He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers. A people who had every reason to worry about their next sip were given a drink straight from stone.

Here’s what strikes me. Every one of those stories is about a God who showed up when His people had nothing to offer but need. Nobody in that wilderness earned a river. They were simply thirsty, and God was generous.

So here is a gentle question: what is your rock-and-river story? When has God made a way where you saw a wall, or poured out water where you saw dust? Maybe it was a job that appeared just in time, a healing you didn’t expect, or a peace that made no sense on a hard night. Those stories are not meant to stay in your journal. Someone younger, newer, or more weary than you needs to hear them.

You don’t need a polished sermon. You just need to say, “Let me tell you what God did.” Then, yes, tell it again next year. The fish may grow, but the faithfulness is already enormous.

PRAYER: Faithful God, thank You for the wonders You have done in my life and in the lives of those before me, and give me the courage and joy to tell the next generation of Your goodness, in Christ Jesus’ strong name we pray, amen.

Have a grerat and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, share one story of God’s faithfulness with a child, a friend, or a family member.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me! Share your story to all those whom you love!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

xChoose This Day (And Actually Mean It!)

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24:1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.” 19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. 23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.” 25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. (Joshua 24:1-3, 14-25 NIV)

A blessed and holy Wednesday to you, kind Friend! I pray God's blessings upon this land and all its inhabitants; may peace be ours for the taking and sharing; may we truly care for one another, especially the needy and underprivileged. It is our duty to love those with no love, care for the uncared for, and show compassion to all people. In that way God's kingdom will be strengthened and made better.

I hated when we had to choose sides when playing competitive sports in gym class. My fear was being picked last when I secretly did not want to be picked. Worse yet was when I was made the chooser and what an ordeal that was after I had picked the known good players. Today we look at a choice that we make daily while being unaware of it. The title of today's devotional says it all. Make a choice and really mean it; for choosing God back, for God chose us first, is important and vital for a blessed life.

Anyone who has made a New Year’s resolution knows how easy it is to declare something bold and then quietly abandon it by February. The gym membership is still active. The treadmill is now a very expensive coat rack.

Joshua is at the end of his life, and he gathers all the tribes of Israel at Shechem for what is essentially a covenant renewal ceremony. He starts by reminding them where they came from. Long ago, their ancestors, including Abraham’s father Terah, lived beyond the Euphrates River and served other gods. Then God took Abraham from that land and led him through Canaan, giving him many descendants. In other words, their story began with God’s initiative, not their own good ideas.

Then Joshua gets to the heart of it: “Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness.” Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped, he says. And then comes the line that has been stitched onto more wall hangings than I can count: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

I love that Joshua doesn’t wait to see which way the crowd leans. He plants his flag, and he invites them to do the same.

The people respond with great enthusiasm. Far be it from us to forsake the Lord, they say, because He is the One who brought us out of Egypt and protected us along the way. It’s a beautiful speech. And this is where Joshua does something surprising. He pushes back. “You are not able to serve the Lord,” he tells them. He warns that God is holy and jealous, and that if they forsake Him, He will not overlook it.

Why would Joshua dampen the mood? Because he knows how easily a heart makes promises that a life doesn’t keep. He’s not trying to discourage them. He wants their yes to be a real one, not just a burst of excitement. The people insist: “No! We will serve the Lord.” So Joshua says, “You are witnesses against yourselves.” They agree, and he tells them to throw away the foreign gods that are still among them and yield their hearts to the Lord.

Did you catch that? There were still foreign gods in the camp. They were shouting their loyalty to God while holding onto the idols in the closet.

That’s the part that gets me, because I have a few closet idols of my own. Mine rarely look like carved statues. They look like busyness, approval, comfort, or the need to always be in control. We can sing “I surrender all” on Sunday and still keep a few things tucked away just in case.

The invitation here is gentle, though. Joshua doesn’t ask for perfection. He asks for a real choice, made again and again, with eyes wide open. And the God who brought His people out of Egypt is the same God who gives strength to keep choosing Him.

So what might need to leave your closet today?

PRAYER: Faithful and loving God, search my heart for the idols I’ve tucked away, and give me the grace to choose You wholeheartedly today and every day, in Christ Jesus’ strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, name one thing competing for first place in your heart, and honestly hand it over to God.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me! Be a loving servant of all people today.

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Hope for the Long Goodbye

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13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15 For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NRS)

Dear Friend, how do you handle going to funerals? Is there a ritual you follow in preparing yourself to just show up? Or, do you just avoid going to them anyway? My brothers and sisters and I, went to more funerals than are allowed to federal guidelines about children and funerals. We went very unwillingly but there was no getting out of them. And it seemed the funeral homes were no conduits for joyful experiences either. There were some funeral directors whose last smile had been back in the black and white years. And it didn't help that some looked like they enjoyed their work a little too much. Part of our childish coping game was "And the Oscar goes to..." to the women who cried the loudest and longest, while, for extra points, keeping their eyes open to see who was next in line or who had just come in. Funerals are a part of life and our presence is, in some ways, very necessary. Paul started his ministry with a very urgent Jesus is coming soon message and after a few years, he had to amend that message to address the growing number of Christians murdered for their faith; and this passage is just one example of that devoted Apostle's ministry.

There is a particular kind of quiet that settles over a house after a funeral. The casseroles are in the fridge, the cousins have finally gone home, and you’re left staring at a Tupperware lid that belongs to someone you can’t quite remember. Grief has a way of making the ordinary feel strange.

Paul writes to a church that knows that quiet. Some of the Thessalonian believers have died, and the living are wondering what it means. Were they lost? Left behind? Paul steps in with the tenderness of a friend who refuses to let them walk in the dark. He says he doesn’t want them to be uninformed about those who have died, so that they do not grieve as others do who have no hope.

Notice what he doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “Don’t grieve.” Grief is love with nowhere to go, and Jesus Himself wept at a tomb. Paul says grieve with hope. Those are two very different ways of standing at a graveside.

Then he lays out the foundation: we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have died. If the resurrection is true for Him, it is the promise for them.

And then Paul gets almost cinematic. The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet. Let’s just pause on that. Most of us can’t get a toddler to come to dinner with a cry of command. Here, the whole creation hears it. The dead in Christ rise first, and then those who are still alive are caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Paul adds the sweetest line of all: “and so we will be with the Lord forever.”

Forever. Not a quick visit. No awkward goodbye at the door.

Here’s what I love about how Paul ends. He doesn’t say, “Therefore, go forth and decode the timeline.” He says, “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” This isn’t a puzzle to solve. It’s a comfort to share.

So maybe the question for today is: who around you is carrying a heavy loss? Maybe someone is a year out and everyone else has stopped asking. Maybe they don’t need a theological chart. They may just need you to sit beside them and say, quietly, that this is not the end of the story, because the One who rose is coming back.

Your grief matters to God, and so does your hope. He holds both at the same time, and He invites you to do the same.

PRAYER: Gracious loving God, comfort every grieving heart with the living hope of the resurrection, and make us gentle messengers of that hope to one another, in Christ Jesus’ strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, reach out to someone who is grieving and encourage them with the hope of being with the Lord forever.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me. Winning the world with hope is awesome! Be hopeful and spread it to all!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.