"Here's Mud in Your Eye!"

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View and Hear devo: https://bit.ly/4lqKYlm

1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said. 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. 17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” 18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?" 20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” 26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. (John 9:1-42 NIV)

Happy and Delightful Monday, dear Friend! I pray your weekend was great and that God blessed you in some significant way during the weekend. Nellie and I were blessed two years ago Sunday, when our youngest grand-baby was born. Ari James Muñoz made his debut in Houston, Texas to our daughter Caitlin and our son-in-law Jesse. It was an awesome day! I chuckle because my youngest sister would joke she was born in Houston at Methodist Hospital and she wasn't. She along with the four of us, were all born in Kingsville, Texas! We moved to Houston and adopted Houston as our home town, but Eli and Ari are the ones who can truly say they were born in Houston. Also, please be in prayer for a young man named Nate, who is recovering from surgery. May God give him peace, new strength, recovery and a secure vision for the future. In Jesus' name!

The gospel passage for next Sunday is a delightful one! Yes, delightful seems to be the word for today. Several things are taught here and we would be blessed to learn them all. The first is the age-old question: Does sinning bring about consequences? For the ancients, the simple answer was yes. One's illness or disability was seen as the result of either one's own sin, or the sin of the parents. And while there may be several instances where we could closely prove as true, Jesus has to answer this question because His own disciples asked that question. Was this man blind because he sinned, or was it because his parents sinned? Jesus answers that this blindness "Happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." He said this to further illustrate that He was the light of the world and this man's darkness caused by his blindness, might still allow the blind man and those who witnessed the coming healing, see the light. Jesus also spits on the ground and made a mud paste with His saliva and put this on the man's eyes, thus the title of the devotional, "Here's mud in your eyes." While Jesus was not sharing a drink with this fellow, He was sharing something way better, sight! The man, obedient to Jesus' command to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam, and he returns home with full vision! Immediately, those who knew him as a blind beggar now see him as a full visioned man. Still, others doubted and asked if he only looked like the former blind beggar. But the man, proudly and thankfully says, "I am the man." Then the questions: How then were your eyes opened and your vision restored? Jesus. He made some mud, put it into my eyes and told me to wash in Siloam, and then I could see. Friends, this is no small miracle. To have been blind and now see, this is headlines news.

Oh oh. This miracle takes place on a Sabbath day; you know, the day when no one is supposed to do anything. Sabbath was a full day of rest, and according to the Pharisees, this was a no-no, a sin, a violation of God's law. "Oh! This man again, He's not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath." "How then do sinners perform miracles," asked another. Division set in to the circle of so-called righteous men. They then ask him, "What have you to say about Him? It was your eyes He opened." Cue the Jeopardy I'm Thinking Music. The man replies, "He is a prophet." No way, no how. They could not believe that a man who was blind could now see. Send for his parents! In come the parents, joyful for sonny's new ability to see, yet fearful because they have been called on the carpet. "Is this your son? Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?" The parents reply, "Yes, that's our boy and we know he was born blind. But how he can now see or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." To me, it's truly sad, that these men of God, instead of joining in praising God for this awesome miracle, cannot see beyond the law. And parents, who should have been planning a party to celebrate God's victory in this man's life, are now fearful they might be punished for having given birth to a blind man, who can now see, healed by the hands of a sinner. Shaking my head. Their idea of glory to God was to have the man tell the "truth" about Jesus being a sinner. The man can only say, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" The man, John Newton, many many years later, when he received his vision about men owning other men being sinful, repented of his sin and freed, or tried to free his own slaves, but also penned a hymn we all love so much, Amazing Grace, whose verses include the response of this man, "Was blind, but now I see."

The Pharisees were relentless, tell us again how he made you see. The man says, "Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples too?" Whoa. Is this former blind man now not just a believer, but a disciple as well? The Pharisees hurl insults at him. They were not praying thanksgiving prayers as they should have been but do holler they are disciples of Moses; for they knew that God spoke to Moses, but as far as Jesus was concerned, not so much. The former blind man has gained more than just his vision; he now says that God does not listen to sinner, but that God does listen to the godly person who does God's will; for as far as he knew, nobody had told of a blind man having his sight restored, especially those born blind, and his awesome declaration,, "If this man was not from God, he could do nothing." Their closing remark? "You were steeped in sin at brith; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.

Jesus hears about this and goes looking for this man and asks, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He asks, "Who is He, sir? Tell me so that I may believe in Him." Jesus says, "You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the one speaking with you". At this point my eyes would have been sweating big drops of water, and I pray that I would have had the same faith to declare along with him, "Lord, I believe," and he and I would have been worshiping Him.

Meanwhile, the Pharisees insist they can see. And Jesus says that's precisely their problem. The most dangerous blindness is the kind that doesn't know it's blind. Spiritual pride—the certainty that we have God figured out, that we see clearly, that we don't need healing—keeps us from encountering Jesus.

During Lent, we're invited to admit our blindness. To acknowledge the places where we've been stumbling in darkness. To stop pretending we have it all figured out. To say, like the blind man, "Lord, I want to see."

And when we do, Jesus meets us. He makes mud. He sends us to wash. He opens our eyes. And the first thing we see clearly is him.

PRAYER: Loving Lord, for the rain we received on Saturday and Sunday, we thank You and praise You for it. In the same way, renew our faith and remove from our eyes that which keeps us from seeing You at work in the world, and working in us. Open my eyes to see you clearly. Give me courage to testify to what you've done in my life, even when it costs me. Help me worship you with newly opened eyes. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Identify one area where you've been spiritually blind—a sin you've rationalized, a truth you've resisted, a need you've denied. Confess it honestly to God today. Ask him to give you sight. Then, like the healed man, tell someone this week: "I was blind in this area, but now I'm beginning to see."

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God, and you matter to me.

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

The Love That Holds Us

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Hear devo: https://bit.ly/4udYk8g

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1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5: 1-11 NIV)

A fantastic Friday be yours, dear Friend! May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus be with you now and always! Make this be a day of prayer, strong, fervent prayer to the Lord sharing with Him all that may be weighing us down knowing that only He can provide that release that we need. As we pray, pray for the family of Mr. Lynn Wilburn, of Gonzales who passed away on Tuesday and today is his funeral. Lynn was a faithful member of First Methodist Gonzales and a retired law enforcement officer. May God's peace be with Pat, his wife and all who loved him and who will miss him. Also, please join me in lifting up a prayer of gratitude for being released by my orthopedic surgeon from further x-rays and office visits related to my torn tendon surgery! X-rays taken early this morning (Thursday) showed healing progressing as needed; all honor and glory to the Lord! I thank Him for Dr. Gloria Box who did the surgery and has been my surgeon during this ordeal! Also, a prayer to the Lord for allowing Nellie and I to escape what would have been a terrible accident at a very busy intersection on Hwy 46 just outside of Seguin. As the light changed I proceeded slowly and Nellie said for me to stop, which I did, and a pickup truck did not even bother to slow down for his red light! He swerved to miss us but kept going at a very high rate of speed! Gulp! God is good! Yet, another angel story from the Lord and His loving watchful eye on us!

When did you come to know real love? Yes, most of us learned about love from our moms and dads; some from their grandmothers and grandfathers; some from school teachers and some from school friends. But when did REAL love come into your life? My real love came from Jesus when I invited Him into my heart and He gave me such a peace and a joy that I have endured much and experienced more than I ever dreamed possible. At the tender age of eight, I was justified through faith; being made welcome in a world that seeks to exclude and keep out many. God opened a door that only He could and I walked in. John Wesley would have said it was Prevenient Grace that led me there and when I said YES, Justification occurred; a validation of life and faith because of my belief in making the invitation to Jesus; which is what Paul wrote about in verse 1. "Hope in the glory of God" became mine. I knew I could trust Jesus and walk with Him and onward still we go! Now, I wish I could say not a single bad thing ever happened to me; nope. I'm human and I was raised by and around other humans. And when sufferings came, I found glory in God in spite of the pain or anguish that accompanied the sufferings; but Paul takes it to another level, for he believes that the glory in suffering comes with perseverance; that keep on keeping on feeing that says don't quit, don't stop believing. And perseverance leads us to character, a shaping of the inside of us into more of the image of Jesus; a yet imperfect soul, but more loving and tolerant of others; the ability to look above the pain and sorrow to the place where smiles are possible; and Paul further believes that character leads us to hope that place of optimism and joy that faith allows us to see the bigger picture of what may be coming next and the certainty that we journey not now or ever, alone.

Paul says that hope cannot put us to shame, because we are God's vessels into which God pours His amazing love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who is now ours, and Paul shouts, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ dies for the ungodly." At this point friends, you are free to holler loudly, Hallelujah! This death of Jesus excites Paul and should excite us as believers for Paul writes correctly, that rarely will somebody die for a righteous person, except, he notes, possibly a "good person" might die for us or someone else. But here we can hear that were Paul standing, he was moving excitedly with the words that are coming out of his heart and onto the page where it was being recorded: But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I don't believe you heard that; let me say it again: WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US!" The paper stuck to our shoes that the mud and dust almost covered up that read: Imperfect. Sinner. Debtor. has flown up and ends up pristine and clean with the words, PAID IN FULL having taken the place of the condemning words. Beside the Paid note it now reads: RECONCILED. And just above that we read the word: SAVED!

I chuckled a bit sadly when I heard my children sing an old song that I learned in a Baptist kindergarten there in Kingsville. Miss Moreno taught all the little brown kids in that Primera Iglesia Bautista to sing, in English, "If you're save and you know it, clap your hands!" And loudly we clapped mainly out of classroom competition, but deep down the Holy Spirit was moving among us, getting us ready for the day we could sing and truly clap, shout, turn around, stand up, and whatever else the song asked, for we were indeed saved. Saved or salvation scares a lot of people and some check their IDs to make sure they're not really Baptist for having said that; but the Baptists do own the copyrights to salvation. But my kids sang, "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." Okay, I can see that because, you know, salvation is something very personal and we don't want to hurt the feelings of others; and you don't have to sing it about being saved. But salvation is important to the believer; it is the mark of Jesus on our lives and it's part of the voice of our Shepherd that identifies us as His, so that when it comes time, you and I will recognize that voice and He will recognize us!

Friends, let me meddle a bit in your private life. If you have not yet come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please do not put it off any longer. God loves you right now, imagine that love once you've entered the realm of truly being His? All it takes is a simple, heart-felt prayer inviting Jesus into your heart. You can say that you're tired of being a sinful person and want those sins taken away, and say, "Lord Jesus, take the place of sin and all the negative it brought with it, with You, Your love and the positive, freeing things that will give me victory in this life and the joy that will come now and accompany me into the gates of Heaven; in Thy name, I pray, amen!"

PRAYER: Loving Lord, for all You have already done, I am blessed and thankful. For those who pray the above prayer, I rejoice and celebrate. I pray for those hurting and healing; for the lost and confused, and for those who are quite content in their ignorance, praying you open their eyes and minds to the realities of what could be; in Your name, Lord Jesus, I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, identify one area of suffering or struggle in your life. Instead of asking God to remove it immediately, ask him what perseverance, character, or hope he might be building through it. Journal one sentence about what you sense him saying.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me! Ours is the Victory in Jesus!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Living Waters for Thirsty Souls

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View and Hear devo: https://bit.ly/4lheXMn

5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, "Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back."17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, "I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 30 They left the city and were on their way to him. 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, "Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together .37 For here the saying holds true, "One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." 39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world." (John 4:5-42 NRSV)

A blessed and wonderful Wednesday to you, dear Friend! Welcome back to ConCafe! I always say that and wonder how you read that? I'm the one who has been away, but I did miss you! And I missed doing these devotionals. I confess I did enjoy the time off and time away with my bride. God has blessed us with 48 years of wedded bliss. Time is relative. My beloved laptop computer on which I write these devotionals was turned off on Tuesday morning last week as Nellie and I drove off to New Mexico and on Sunday when I tried to start it, it would not. The two power cords I have for it would not indicate it was receiving a charge and so my IT guy said it might be something other than a battery because even a computer without a battery would turn on if plugged in. When he asked how old my laptop was I said it couldn't be more than two years old. Today as I logged into the Apple website, it informed me that the laptop is five years old! I couldn't believe that it was that old! Reading the email report and description of of my "baby" laptop, it read like the thing had barely survived furious battles in the Pacific! So, 48 and 5 years just seem to run together! The damage is my laptop needs a new logic board (I may need two myself, but they don't make them that old!) and that will cost me $800 to fix. Gulp. And Ouch! But onward and upward! It will be ready in about 12 days and I use a desk top to write this.

I write this devotional in the state of Texas known for being hot and dry on most days. It's the heat that has driven some newcomers to head back home mighty quick. And the drought that has plagued our state is still with us. I drive over the Guadalupe River daily and as I glance at it from the bridge we're not too far away from the days when most of us can walk across what was once a mighty and beautiful river. One of my old parishioners replied once when talking about the drought that his doorbell rang and it was a catfish from the river asking for a glass of water. Jesus finds Himself thirsty, dry and dusty, and worn out from the walk He and his crew has undertaken to get to this touchy spot of Samaritan land. John puts it nicely when he says that "Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans." It went deeper than that, but there are children present! Jesus asks a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. And she nicely replies, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" We should also note that the time of day is noon. High noon. Not normally the time most women would come to draw water from this well, but the belief is that given this woman's sinful past, she was not likely welcomed as a sister by other women at normal water-drawing times. The cool of the morning, the company and fellowship of neighbors, the daily rhythm of community were no longer hers to enjoy! She's alone in the heat because the weight of her past has pushed her to the margins.

And there Jesus waits — not to condemn her, but to offer her something she has never been given: the chance to be fully known and fully loved at the same time. “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband.’” He names her reality without shaming her. He sees all of it — and stays.

Lent asks us the same question Jesus asked the woman: “What are you thirsty for?” Not the polished, acceptable answer — but the true one. Have we been drawing water from wells that leave us empty? The well of achievement, of approval, of control, of comfort? Every one of those wells runs dry.

What makes this story remarkable is not only what Jesus offers, but what the woman does with it. She leaves her water jar — the very thing she came for — and runs back to her community. “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!” The one who came to the well in shame departs as an evangelist. She becomes the first missionary in John’s Gospel, and her testimony brings an entire village to faith.

This is the pattern of grace: we come burdened, we are seen and loved, and we go transformed — carrying the news. The water we receive is never only for us.

PRAYER: Loving Lord, how awesome if Your love for all, even me! You came not to condemn the world, but to save it; so count me in with those who need to be saved from the empty wells and even from ourselves. Revive me and renew me and make me worthy of the living waters You so lovingly share with all who ask. I ask now, fill me til I want no more; fill me up and make me whole. Thank You! In Your name, I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, identify one person in your life who, like the woman at the well, may feel unseen, marginalized, or shut out. Reach out to them — not with answers or advice — but with the simple gift of your presence and attention. Listen to their story. Let your encounter with living water overflow into their life.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God, and you matter to me!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Even at Night, God is There

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View devo: https://bit.ly/3ZM0PAZ

Hear devo: https://bit.ly/4rxnCwE

1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:1-17 NIV)

Prayers for my nephew Alex Valverde and his familly as they are in preparation for ministry in Mexico. For now, they are safe in a southern state away from the violence but the days are drawing near for them to move to where the violence is taking place. May the Lord cover Alex, wife Mykelia, children: David, Ezra and Natalia with His preicous blood and keep them safe as well as those on their ministry team who are already in the state where harm is present and threatening. Prayers also for Ms. Donna Dobbs, who undergoes cataract surgery today in Houston. Donna is the sister of a dear colleague and friend, Rev. Michael Dobbs, and a former classmate of mine from Lon Morris College.

Great joy was ours as we watched the confirmands at First Methodist Church and we saw the joy on each and especially on our pastor as he welcomed them into full membership of the Church. He also expressed great faith in the future of the Church as seen in these young people's faith. And in today's passage we see hope, albeit expressed in fear, about what God was about do do among and through, and yes, very much in spite of some, like the Pharisees, with God's Church. One of the leaders, a Pharisee himself, Nicodemus, believed that maybe, just maybe, Jesus was who He said He was. He wants to ask Him, but fears doing it during business hours. Imagine the impact such a daylight meeting might have on his career and life? The Pharisees were a rabid bunch; they would not suffer fools, such as Nic might be seen for asking Jesus who He was. But notice again what Nic said to Jesus, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God." Stop. Imagine being fully a company man who hears a co-worker doubt the company? Nic was smart enough to know that sharing such a statement to Jesus might end his career and his life, like immediately! We wonder, who did Nic include in the "we" part of his statement? Were there other Pharisees who might have thought Jesus was on the level? His second part says a lot as well; "For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with Him." We do know that Jesus was a daily topic of discussion among the Pharisees, and Scribes, Herodians, Sadducees, and others. Jesus had done and said so much that He had many thinking and talking about Who He really was. Can we truly say that Nic was a believer? Maybe not at the point, but we know that after Jesus' death and resurrection, Nic is shown as being among those who were believers in the Lord and His ministry.

Jesus' response to Nicodemus sets in motion much for Jesus says that "no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." Being born again since that first time it was uttered has meant a lot to some and seen as being necessary as Jesus said, for to fully understand the spiritual aspects of faith, we must be born again or anew, in a spiritual sense. Nic is dumbfounded by such a declaration, but Jesus says all should be born of water and the spirit. And caps off this discussion with the sharing of what may be the most recognized verse of all time, the 16th verse, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Lent is our season of coming to Jesus at night. It is the time when we set aside our pretenses and our public faces and sit, honestly, with the questions we haven't dared to ask out loud. Where am I still clinging to the darkness? What old self do I need to release so that something new can be born?

PRAYER: Loving God, during this time of Lent many of us may feel we are walking in the dark, but we see this is perfect to be honest as we talk with You. Speak to our doubts and fears, and remind us of what we may gain as we complete the 40 days of prayer and fasting. Bring us the fullness of life we need; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Take time as you awaken each morning to share with the Lord something that is troubling you. Speak honestly to Him and then listen. Write down what comes to mind as you earnestly pray and listen.

I love you and I thank God for you. You matter to God and you matter to me. Be the light to someone in the dark.

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

We Know More Than God?

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Hear devo: https://bit.ly/46aQB0x

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 NIV)

I was the smartest person in the world. There, I said it. I knew more than anyone. Of course I was going through my teenaged years and that was the common litmus test. I even better than my Dad! I didn't need a curfew and many times I thought I did not need permission for anything! I was my own man; though legally I was not of age. What a painful memory now. How I miss my Dad and having my regular talks with him. But at the time I remember disagreeing strongly with him about things that I know now he was right. I was wrong.

Today's passage is all about that. God is Creator. God is Father. We are not. We are introduced to how things came to be according to this story. These things are important to know and to follow. The first part, from chapter two, God is shown as taking the first man, Adam was his name, and placing him in a garden. It is a paradise setting. What I came to realize in my later years is that paradise was not so much the foliage or setting, as it is the RELATIONSHIP. God created the man and placed in where He needed to be and began a RELATIONSHIP with the man. The basis of that relationship was love. And a foundational tenet of love is trust. In all relationships there are guidelines and expectations. The first thing God expects from this relationship is that the man will "work and take care of it." Stewardship is introduced. The man would be the one responsbile for the upkeep and care of the garden.

The second is also important, and here we see that God tells the man that he is free to eat from any tree in the garden. It is a positive command; it begins with permission from God to eat from ANY TREE. Except one. There was a certain tree which was off-limits. Its name gives it away; THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. Bam! If you eat from this tree, you will have the ability to know the difference between the good and evil. God does not have to say that, but what God does say impliles the seriousness of this act. God says, "For when you eat from it you will certainly die." I've always found it interesting that the man would know what "die" means; there is no record of such a conversation with God and the man in the previous pages. To die is meant, again, to stress the seriousness of the consequences of doing what you should not be doing.

As the chapter ends and the new one begins, we see the presence of a second creature, the woman, whom we know later as Eve. This chapter begins with a talking snake. We also konw it was a walking snake, but we find that out later. I laugh everytime I read this passage because in my household growing up when age was referenced to an old person, it was said, "But she's from the era when snakes walked upright!" This snake was also "more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made." And we see how crafty when we hear its first question: "Did God really say, 'You mjst not eat from any tree in the garden'?" See? God didn't say that. God had given the man the freedom to eat from any tree in the garden. The woman replies with the right answer but adds that the restriction was on one tree, with an added but revealing condition, "And you must not touch it, or you will die." Where did God add the no-touch restriction? He didn't. But it says a lot. Adam and Eve had explored the garden and like little children, gone directly to where they shouldn't; the tree. And it could have been that one of the two of them may have stretched out their hand and the other may have said, "Don't touch it!" But the serpent is aware of all that and so it goes right to the temptation. "You will not certainly die. God knows that when you eat from that tree your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

The serpent's strategy in Genesis 3 is worth studying carefully, because it hasn't changed in thousands of years. He didn't approach Eve with an outright lie at first. He began with a question designed to plant doubt: "Did God really say...?" Four words that have echoed through every human temptation since. He subtly twisted God's generous command—God had said they could eat from any tree except one—into something that sounded restrictive and suspicious. Before Eve took a single bite, the serpent had already gotten her to question God's character.

Then came the direct contradiction: "You will not certainly die." God's clear warning was reframed as fear-mongering, as if God were keeping something good from them rather than protecting them from something devastating. The fruit was recast not as forbidden danger but as desirable wisdom—something that would make them like God. The temptation wasn't merely about fruit. It was about autonomy. About being their own authority. About deciding for themselves what is good and what is evil.

And they ate.

Notice what followed immediately. Not the godlike wisdom they were promised, but shame. Their eyes were opened, yes—but what they saw was their own nakedness and vulnerability. The intimacy they once enjoyed without self-consciousness suddenly felt exposed and unsafe. So they covered themselves with fig leaves—history's first attempt to manage the consequences of sin through human effort. It didn't work then, and it doesn't work now. Sandpaper underwear is never comfortable.

This is the Lenten reality we must sit with. The fig leaves we sew today look different—busyness, achievement, perfectionism, people-pleasing, religious performance—but the impulse is identical. We sense our brokenness and reach for something to cover it rather than turning to the only One who can actually heal it.

Lent calls us to stop. To put down the fig leaves. To stand honestly before God in our need and remember why Jesus had to come. The garden of Eden was lost through one act of disobedience rooted in pride and distrust. The road back runs through a different garden—Gethsemane—where another man knelt in the dirt and said not "I will decide for myself," but "Not my will, but yours be done." C. S. Lewis wrote that hell was filled with those who said, "My will be done," while Heave is filled with those who prayed, "Thy will be done."

What Adam and Eve grasped for, Jesus willingly surrendered. Where they chose autonomy, He chose obedience. Where they hid, He was exposed on a cross—naked, shamed, bearing every consequence of that first bite and every sin that followed. The fig leaves were never enough. But His sacrifice is.

PRAYER: Loving Father, forgive us for the ways we have echoed Adam and Eve—doubting Your goodness, trusting our own judgment over Yours, and reaching for fig leaves to hide what only You can heal. This Lenten season, give us the courage to stop hiding and to stand before You honestly, trusting that the cross of Christ is sufficient to cover us completely. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, identify one "fig leaf" in your life — a habit, achievement, or distraction you use to avoid facing your need for God. Set it aside intentionally, even for a day, and bring that vulnerable place honestly before Him in prayer.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me! Share love and wisdom today!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Holy Hunger

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1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, "He will command his angels concerning you,' and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' " 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. (Matthew 4:1-11 NRSV)

Most of us have had jobs we did not like nor did we look forward to. Some of us maybe more than one. We more than likely had no choice; we needed the money and once we were told "You're hired," decided we'd best start. My least favorite job was a summer job in college, in Houston at a manufacturing plant where we made huge industrial fan covers out of fiberglass. And that was the cause of my not liking that job. The job paid well, but not enough to prepare me for the incredible itching all over my body that no shower could cure the entire time I worked there. I have conveniently forgotten how long I worked there and I believe it was not the entire summer as I had planned. I worked with a good boss and he warned me that working with fiberglass would be difficult, and it was. Tiny, airborne shards of microscopic glass would find their way through my shirts and pants. I wore protective gear to protect my breathing any of those shards in, but no such protection was offered for my skin. Needless to say I did not sleep that first night after spending all day allowing fiberglass to find its way into my shoulders, arms, and back. If you can imagine an army of microscopic soldiers wearing cleats of steel making its way around your shoulders, legs, arms and back. Yes, the back. You dare not lay on your back because it aggravates the army and its parade intensifies. Your mind screams all kinds of insults at you for having made such a bad decision for even considering this choice of employment. You wonder how the other guys at work, who have been there for years have coped with this? My hat's off to the men and women who may still work in fiberglass to this day.

The second temptation was about testing God: "Throw yourself down and force God to rescue you." It's the temptation to manufacture a crisis to prove God cares, to demand he show up on our terms. But Jesus understood that faith isn't forcing God's hand—it's trusting his heart.

The third temptation was about shortcuts to purpose: "Worship me, and I'll give you all the kingdoms without the cross." It's the offer of achieving God's purposes through ungodly means. The right destination through the wrong road. But Jesus knew that how we get somewhere matters as much as where we end up.

In each temptation, Jesus responded with Scripture. Not his own wisdom. Not clever arguments. Just "It is written." He fought spiritual battles with spiritual weapons—the Word of God he had hidden in his heart.

Here's what we need to understand today: You will face wilderness seasons. You will experience times when you're depleted, vulnerable, and the temptations feel overwhelming. Times when taking shortcuts seems wise. Times when immediate relief feels more important than long-term faithfulness.

But Jesus has been there first. He knows what it's like to be famished and tempted. And he shows us how to stand: with the Word of God, with trust in the Father's provision, with commitment to the right path even when the wrong path looks easier.

The story ends beautifully: "Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him." After the test came the ministry. After the wilderness came the strengthening. God didn't abandon Jesus in his hunger—he sent angels when the battle was done.

The same is true for you. The wilderness is not forever. The testing has a purpose. And when you stand firm, when you choose faithfulness over shortcuts, God sees. He provides. He sends help.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for going into the wilderness before me. When I'm depleted and tempted, remind me of your Word. Help me trust your provision, resist the shortcuts, and stay faithful to your path. Give me strength for today's battle. In Your strong name I pray, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, memorize one verse that speaks to your current struggle. Write it on a card. Put it where you'll see it daily. When temptation comes—and it will—speak God's Word aloud just as Jesus did. The same weapon that worked in his wilderness will work in yours.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God, and you matter to me! We can and we will win the world for Jesus!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Eyewitness to Majesty

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View devo: https://bit.ly/4raifD9

Hear devo: https://bit.ly/4qNIHln

17 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:16-21 NIV)

Of all the disciples, the original twelve that is, I have to say that I like Peter the best. Why? Because he reminds me of me. Many were the times he reacts without thinking as have I. He says what comes to his mind almost right away, and still given all his missteps and doubts, God still loved him and used him. The same is true for me. I wonder what it was like to have been him; from his call to ministry from Jesus, to making the move from fisherman to fisher of people, to announcing to his family that he had a higher calling and to all that ultimately became asked of him including the ultimate sacrifice of his life. Think of all Peter saw and experienced! The touch of Jesus on his life, especially his soul. The miracles he witnessed; Lazarus raising from the dead and others. The miraculous feeding of thousands boggles his mind; being the only man to walk on water, besides Jesus. In a movie used in the early days of the Walk to Emmaus, the twelve disciples are sitting around a table and talking among themselves and then one disciples says to Peter, "When I get home, I'm going to..." And Peter says, "We're not going home ever again! Don't you realize what we're in? We are not going home." And that was true. Their lives were never theirs again.

Among the things Peter saw that few others, if any, saw, was his being on that mountain with Jesus and James, and John. And of course, cameo appearances by Moses and Elijah. The transfiguration wasn't religious theater or spiritual hallucination. Peter, James, and John stood on that mountain and watched Jesus' appearance change before their eyes. They saw his face shine, his clothes become dazzling white. They heard the voice of God the Father break through the clouds: "This is my Son, my Beloved."

Peter calls it being "eyewitnesses of his majesty." He's using legal language—the testimony of those who saw with their own eyes what actually happened. The Christian faith isn't built on wishful thinking or clever philosophy. It's grounded in real events witnessed by real people in real history.

But notice where Peter goes next. He doesn't say, "So trust our experience above everything else." Instead, he says the transfiguration made "the prophetic message more fully confirmed." The mountain experience didn't replace Scripture—it validated Scripture. The glory Peter witnessed pointed him back to the Word.

This is crucial. Experiences fade. Memories dim. Even the most spectacular spiritual moments eventually become history. But "we have the prophetic message," Peter says, "as something completely reliable." The Word of God remains when feelings pass, when mountaintops become distant memories, when eyewitnesses die.

Peter describes Scripture as "a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." We're living in the in-between time—after the resurrection but before Christ's return. The world is still dark. We need light to navigate. That light is God's Word, confirmed by prophets, validated by the transfiguration, and illuminated by the Holy Spirit.

The same Spirit who spoke through the prophets, the same Father who declared Jesus his Beloved Son, the same Christ who was transfigured in glory—this God speaks to us through Scripture. Not as ancient literature to dissect, but as living truth to obey. Not as human invention, but as divine revelation.

On Transfiguration Sunday, we remember that our faith rests on both: the testimony of eyewitnesses and the certainty of Scripture. Peter saw the glory and heard the voice. But he directs us to something even more reliable—the Word that endures, the lamp that keeps shining, the prophetic message that guides us until Christ returns.

We weren't on the mountain with Peter. We didn't see Jesus transfigured. But we have what Peter had: the Word of God, inspired by the Spirit, testifying to the majesty of Christ. And that, Peter insists, is enough. More than enough.

Pay attention to Scripture. It's not mythology. It's not human cleverness. It's the lamp lighting your path through the darkness until the morning star rises.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for eyewitnesses who saw Your glory and for the prophetic Word that confirms Your truth. Give us faith to trust Scripture as Your reliable lamp until Christ returns.This we pray in Christ Jesus' name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, read Scripture not as an academic exercise but as God's living Word to you. Ask the Spirit to illuminate one passage and show you how to live it out.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me. Be the only sermon someone needs today.

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.