Good day dear friends.
I again thank you all for your prayers for baby Liam and his delivery, which went well and fast! The nurses and doctor were amazed at how Caty went from barely dilated to "Girlfriend, you're having a baby!" (as the nurse put it). Caty and Joaquin were set to go home when the major labor pains came and thank God. The doctor said, "Come back Friday and we'll see." The hospital said, "No room on Friday, come back on Wednesday." Liam said, "Nah, I'm here and I might as well make my appearance!" Photos of the precious boy are on my Facebook, Eradio Valverde.
I ask prayers for Liam as today his blood will be checked again since he is a bit jaundiced. Pray that the time spent in the sun has done its work! Thank you.
THE DEVOTIONAL IS IN RED BELOW:
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NOTE TO HARLINGEN FOLKS: The devotional line at church is up again. Call in the church number 956-423-0540 and ask for the prayer line. If you call in after hours, press 121 and you'll hear the devotional.
We need children for our Christmas program! Yesterday Jan had no children show up for practice and she's about three weeks behind schedule. Believe it or not Christmas is almost upon us and we have to get this program in shape! Please call the church office for more information.---------------------------------------------------------------------
We need children for our Christmas program! Yesterday Jan had no children show up for practice and she's about three weeks behind schedule. Believe it or not Christmas is almost upon us and we have to get this program in shape! Please call the church office for more information.---------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is our study guide for today:
Please find 1 Kings 18 and beginning with verse 20 forward read about a man who was ready when everyone else was not. Read how this one man’s faith in God outdid the faith of 400 who had faith in some other god. Where is your faith and are you passing inspection?
Here is that text from 1 Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets number four hundred fifty. 23 Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God." All the people answered, "Well spoken!" 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it." 26 So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." 28 Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29 As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come closer to me"; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, "Israel shall be your name"; 32 with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 33 Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." 34 Then he said, "Do it a second time"; and they did it a second time. Again he said, "Do it a third time"; and they did it a third time, 35 so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. 36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back." 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God."
Our theme for this week is "Live the Life." In other words, live a Christian life that sends out the message that we're on a mission for God. Our sermon series is about having a transformation in all of us from being simply members of a church, to being missionaries willing to follow God. I shared a plane trip I took once from Miami to Dallas with a jumbo jet filled with returning Mormon missionaries. These are the young men who give two years of their lives to serve their church in worldwide mission. I asked the congregation how United Methodists would respond with such a request and I got laughter. I then challenged the church, as I'm challenging you, to spend two minutes sometime this week being a missionary for Jesus Christ. Simply find an opportunity to speak positively about your faith with someone in need. Two minutes. That's all. It may lead to more, but with those two minutes you might find you're saving someone's life for all eternity.
The text above tells of the prophet Elijah's faith in spite of his very life being in danger all the time. He stepped forward. He lived the life and God vindicated him. God will do the same for us if we live the life.
Step forward. Give two minutes of your life to saving someone's life.
PRAYER: Loving God, give me faith to share my life with someone. My prayer is to truly live the life as I have learned it from Christ Jesus Himself. Let me have the boldness to share two minutes of my life with someone in need. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
