DAY TWO IN A JOURNEY OF GRACE

Loving God of all days, be this day with the needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Here is our text for this morning from Ephesians 2: 4But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ*—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9not the result of works, so that no one may boast.

Grace is God's "YES!" vote on your life. It is an affirmation we all need to hear at one time or another, or in some cases, all the time. Life has a way of knocking us down in so many ways and sometimes those knocks hit us in very delicate areas and we long to hear an affirmation such as the one shared in the Ephesians passage. God always takes the first step in reaching us. It is our decision to reach back, as it were, to take God's hand and let Him hold us. Our very relationship with God was God's initiative. Paul calls it our having "been saved" has come "by grace." Grace is God's free gift of love indwelling and active in our lives. Grace is receiving that which we know we don't deserve, but need, coming our way because of the awesomeness of God.

The very word grace comes from the Greek word, charis, which means "gift." I don't know about you, but I love gifts. I'm a bit old-fashioned in that I love getting those that come in boxes, gift wrapped in such unopenable ways that the excitement just builds and builds until I can get the gift unwrapped. Okay, I'm not going to lie, I also enjoy the ones that come in gift bags. I do wonder, who invented those? Probably someone who realized, "Man, am I late to this party - oh, here's a nice bag, I'll put the gift in there, 'hide' it with tissue, and viola! the gift is ready!" That works as well. Grace is a gift that comes ready for us to enjoy.

Pause for a moment and just receive God's grace for your life today. Let God speak to your life and needs in a wondrous way.

PRAYER: Loving God, I thank You for your gift of grace. I confess that I don't deserve it, but Your love for me goes beyond what I think, and for that I am blessed. May this day be a day in which I can share grace with others. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

DAY ONE IN A JOURNEY IN GOD'S GRACE

God, let love so amazing fall upon the needs of this dear reader's life; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Friends, we'll take a walk down some of the most powerful teachings we have as a church concerning God's love as expressed in what we call "grace." For our text for today, we'll look at what David declared in Psalm 139: 13-15: 13For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

To begin to understand grace, we must first discover and declare that we are God's. It was God who made us out of love and Who loves us all our days, and even beyond our days here on the earth. Notice how David came to know that and to declare from God's own inspiration, "For it was You who formed my inward parts," this from a man who had not yet been blessed by what science has taught us about the marvelous machine that is the human body. Yet David knew that inside were his feelings of love and fear, of peace and comfort, of hunger, satisfaction, and while he couldn't explain how each thing worked, he did the next best thing, he attributed them to God. He uses the word "knit" remembering possibly how his mother or household servants knit their clothing and this indicates he may have stood by and asked, "Mom, what are you doing?" As she explained knitting, the thing that remained with David was the care and attention paid to the process, knowing that out of love this project was coming to life. And so had he! And you and me!

David declares that there isn't a day in which we were not God's. You can't go further back in our own development and life than the womb and that is what that second verse of the passage declares, "you knit me together in my mother's womb." And what should our response be to all this? The same as David's: To praise and thank God and to enter into a relationship with God for God's love towards us.

Grace's first step comes in our knowing that we belong to God.

PRAYER: How awesome and amazing is Your love. Help me today know that I was made, out of love, by You. As David declared, so do I, I was formed by you much like a mother knits clothing, and for that I praise You and thank You, and ask that I might begin a journey with You in understanding Your grace. I pray this in the awesome name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Update: Roberto Olivares' surgery went well. Doctors expect a full recovery. Thank you for your prayers.

DID YOUR HAPPY MEAL MAKE YOU TRULY HAPPY?

Gracious God of all, bless the life and needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

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

When growing up our daughters learned early the signs and trademarks of their favorite places to eat. The grand champion of all is McDonalds, whose golden arches beckon to the young and the hungry. Their Happy Meal is a delight to the young, getting a meal and a toy, like an early Christmas gift. Many were the times that one or the other wanted the toy first before worrying about the meal. And then there's Ronald, whose painted smile confirms the message of this hamburger joint: We're selling you happiness.

Oh, if it were so simple. And yet, at our age we still think happiness is to be found in meals or clothes or cars or homes or vacations, when we truly know true riches lie in our relationship to God. Jesus has to serve as a referee in this case between brothers. One wants his half (could these two have been the inspiration for the story of the other brothers in that story of the Prodigal?) of his inheritance and Jesus replies the truth of the matter that happiness and riches lie elsewhere not in material possessions. The reality of life is that our possessions are powerful and if we're not careful, they come to possess us.

Make a deposit in the heavenly bank today where your eternal riches lie by saying a prayer for someone or seeking to spend more time in the word of God.

PRAYER: Awesome God, how often I get pulled in the wrong direction because of where I think true happiness can be found. I know better or should. True happiness lies in You and Your love for me. Help me this day invest more in that bank where no one nor nothing can take what is mine. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Concerns: For the Michael Reilly household; they've been called by God to minister in Brazil. May the Lord bless them and protect them and use them for great things. Also, for Roberto Olivarez having heart surgery during this hour in McAllen, TX. May God watch over his recovery and over his family as they await this to be over.

DISCONNECTED FROM GOD?

Loving God, for Your mercy let this dear reader be thankful and aware of Your presence in all they may face today; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Our text for today comes from the prophet Amos 1: 1 This is what the Lord God showed me—a basket of summer fruit. 2 He said, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the Lord said to me, "The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by. 3 The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day," says the Lord God; "the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!" 4 Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, 5 saying, "When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, 6 buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat." 7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. 8 Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who lives in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt? 9 On that day, says the Lord God, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight. 10 I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day. 11 The time is surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.

Amos shared the sad word of God about unfaithful people. God knew the hearts and minds of His people and how far they had gotten from Him, so the result of their action would be that God would cease to listen to them. Having chosen to disconnect themselves from God they had set themselves free from God and they would, as verse 12 says, "wanter from sea to sea, and from north to east...seeking the word of the Lord but they shall not find it."

We sometimes choose to disconnect ourselves from God because of the many distractions that present themselves in our lives. May God forgive us for those times and allow us to re-connect and re-charge in His presence and power. May the distractions of the day keep us from becoming like the ancients of Israel that chose complete "freedom" only to discover a bondage to death.

PRAYER: Loving God, free me for joyful obedience. May I come to know that through prayer, Bible study, worship, fellowship, service to others, I am reconnecting the plan and purpose for my life. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

PS Praises to God for a very special and moving Service of Celebration for my becoming district superintendent. Bishop James Dorff led us in a wonderful service, I shared the word and was blessed by the presence of many of my pastors, their families. I was especially thankful for the presence of my family; Nellie, our daughters, our sons-in-law, and our babies; sisters-in-law, Carmen Ramirez, Blanca Rodrigue, and my younger brother Elias, his wife Orpha, and my nephes, Elias II, and Alex. Please continue to pray for me as I have begun this new journey of ministry.

HIDING BEHIND PRIESTLY ROBES AND LEVITICAL ROBES

Blessed Lord, take the hand of this precious reader and guide them to faithfulness in the challenges and needs of today; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Many of us know and love the story found in Luke 10:25-37: 25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" 27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." 29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, "Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Ah, the qualifier in all things. I've been guilty of it, especially when younger and told by my parents to do something. I would seek further clarification to perhaps lessen the load of that with which I had been entrusted, only to discover that sometimes added to the burden. Here the lawyer wants to know one thing: How do I inherit eternal life? Interesting word, inherit, for that implies one's parent or loved one must possess it to leave it to us. Haven't you daydreamed about out of nowhere, like in the movies, you discover you had a long-lost uncle who was loaded and left you all his wealth? Sadly, I knew and loved all my uncles and they're all gone, and I'm still waiting (better said, still poor!). This man knew of what he asked, but he wanted to make sure. Jesus replies with the teachings this man has known since childhood, but he wants to know more. Yes, yes, I know all that and try to do all that, but that love your neighbor stuff, tough as it sounds, Who is my neighbor? Glad you asked, Jesus replies, here's the answer. Our neighbor is not just the person who lives across the street or next door to you. And it isn't just the persons who live on your block or in your subdivision. It's the person in need, the one who is hurting, the one wounded and left for dead, even, and hear this, even if he is not of your race, color, sex, or creed.

The story of the Good Samaritan has been told to us countless times and we love to sneer at those who walked on by, not realizing that many times that has been us. Time constraints, job commitments, family obligations, etc., all have played a role in our not being the one who has stopped to render assistance. We have been the prominent people of society, "priest and Levites" in our importance, who because of that, have not done what we know God would have had us do. May the Lord help us be like the one whose heart broke when he saw the need and jumped off his vehicle to help, and not just help but to follow through with the comfort and healing of the one in need. "The one who showed mercy" is the true neighbor. May it be said of us, that we are the true neighbor to those around us.

PRAYER: Loving God, help me today not hide behind my "priestly robes and roles" or my Levitical importance where I become blinded to the needs all around me. Mine is the call to commit to care, help, and heal. I can't do it alone, I need You. In Jesus' precious and powerful name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

WHAT WOULD GOD HAVE YOU SAY?

Loving God of all places, be with the needs of this dear reader in all they face today; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Here is our text from Amos 7: 7 This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; 9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword." 10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said, "Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.' " 12 And Amaziah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom." 14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15 and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, "Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'

Everyone's call comes in different forms, and everyone's call is to something unique. All are called to believe and serve. Some are set apart to serve in ways that most everyday folk cannot. Trying to explain or define that call is difficult sometimes. Trying to live it out is even harder. God remains constant, we waver from time to time. We read this morning the call from God to Amos. The call begins with an everyday object with which Amos was accustomed. The intrument was a plumb line, and it attracted Amos' attention then God shares the purpose of God's wanting Amos to go and speak to God's people.

Amos discovered as have we, that not all people, even those who call themselves people of God, want to hear what God has to say. Words that make us squirm and wiggle in our comfortable seats fall on deaf ears. Challenges and invitations seem to go over our heads to "someone else." Amos was called from among the common people, not the professional school of prophets, as are we.

What would God use you to say today?

PRAYER: Lord God, You have called me to faith and to be Your servant. I ask that You might give me the words to comfort and to afflict those to whom You direct. Give me the wisdom to know the difference and the courage to act on what You would. I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

ARE YOU KNOWN FOR YOUR LOVE?

Good day dear friends. May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you and any need you may be facing; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Here is our text for today: Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

How public is your love? And by that I don't mean, how often have you or will you embarrass your children with PDAs? And by PDAs I mean Public Displays of Affection. I mean, do people, does God, know you as a person of love? Do you care for others in ways that you demonstrate the love of God alive and active in you? Do you go the extra mile in showing compassion for people? Do you help others rather than hurt them? Is there love in your heart, home, and beyond?

Paul prayed for the people of this church in Colossae. He knew the struggles and so he lifted up prayers to the Lord on their behalf. I pause to reflect how awesome that must have been for those folks who knew that Paul knew Jesus personally, face-to-face, and could lift up prayers to Him on their behalf. And he and others thanked God for the love they had encountered in their walk with Christ Jesus. They were people of caring, kindness, thankfulness, and sharing. Are you?

PRAYER: Loving God, we thank You for loving us and for walking with us. As I pray, I pray for the friends and family that I have in different churches. I ask that they might be known as people and congregations of love. May I too, be a person of love and may that love be made public in way that embarrassed the devil. I pray this in Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

IN WHOM DO YOU TRUST?

God of all days, bless the needs of this dear reader in whatever it may be they face today; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Here is our text for today: Psalm 82: 1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: 2 "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? (Selah) 3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." 5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 I say, "You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; 7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince." 8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!

At first reading this seems a difficult psalm. We do not know who wrote it or what was the motivation behind it being written. It is saying that the only one in whom we can trust is God. To God belongs judgment, especially that which will ask of all of us, the role we played in dealing unjustly and impartially with the wicked. To God also belongs the judgment among us in our dealings with the weak, the orphans, the lowly and the destitute. Ours is a faith in a God that calls us to care for the weak and needy, to show them light and direction. If we or they trust in anything or anyone other than God, that trust will die with the death of those things or those persons. Our call is to ask God to motivate and strengthen us in our call.

PRAYER: Lord, how often we neglect others. We have become blind to those who are in need. We know they're right next to us and we cannot see them. Our eyes hear nothing of the hurt and want. Help me to change, to be a person of faith in doing that which You call us to do. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

PLANTING SPIRITUAL SEEDS

God of wind and rain, fall afresh on the life of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Here is our text for today: Galatians 6: 7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. 11 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. 14 May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! 16 As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Whatever kind of seed you plant, that's the kind of tree or plant you will receive. I remember one summer during my childhood, that I determined to take advantage of the seeds in a delicious watermelon our family had enjoyed. We weren't much into spitting seeds to see how far they could go. So I dug a hole in the back yard, watered it faithfully, and waited. It wasn't too long before I saw a small sprout coming out of the dirt and got excited. Weeks later it was like a vine and out of all those seeds came my one and only watermelon. I confess I didn't let it grow to its full length because of my excitement; I ate what was a mini-watermelon. But it was mine! The same is true about what we plant spiritually and carnally. If we invest time in a spiritual discipline, we are planting great seeds for later growth and blessing. In the same way whatever we do to please our flesh and passion, we are planting not-s0-great seeds for what may come and harm us later in a physical way.

Paul speaks of "the opportunity" to "work for the good of all." And he's right even today. We as the church could and should be doing the great spiritual work that will bring about a revival in our midst. And the revival starts in us first.

What seeds have you planted? What will you plant today? Will you allow God to work in you to bring about a great harvest?

PRAYER: Loving God, I thank you for all the spiritual seeds we can be planting in our lives. May we allow You to work for our good and for the good of others. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde