[Concafe2011] Amazing God, blaze a path of righteousness before the
life and needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Exodus 12: 1 God said to Moses and Aaron
while still in Egypt, 2 "This month is to be the first month of the year
for you. 3 Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the
tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb
to a house. 4 If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it with
a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons involved. Be
mindful of how much each person will eat. 5 Your lamb must be a healthy
male, one year old; you can select it from either the sheep or the
goats. 6 Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and then
slaughter it - the entire community of Israel will do this - at dusk. 7
Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the
lintel of the houses in which you will eat it. 8 You are to eat the
meat, roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without
yeast, and bitter herbs. 9 Don't eat any of it raw or boiled in water;
make sure it's roasted - the whole animal, head, legs, and innards. 10
Don't leave any of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them
in the fire. 11 "And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed
with your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat in a hurry; it's
the Passover to God. 12 "I will go through the land of Egypt on this
night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether
human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God.
13 The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I
see the blood I will pass over you - no disaster will touch you when I
strike the land of Egypt. 14 "This will be a memorial day for you; you
will celebrate it as a festival to God down through the generations, a
fixed festival celebration to be observed always. (The Message)
Which holiday is the most special to you? How do you celebrate it?
Which personal day is most special to you and how do you celebrate it?
You and I have many answers to these questions. Sometimes I would say
Christmas, other times I might say Easter. And yes, I might say
Thanksgiving. And the second part of the first question I would answer:
food! As for personal days, my anniversary is very special to me as
is the birthday of my family members, and I would have to answer, for
the second part of that question: food! There seems to be an age-old
pattern of celebration and one might argue it has to do with food!
Today's passage has to do with the setting of the Passover with Moses
and the people of Israel. God could not stress enough its purpose or
its meaning nor how important it would be to always remember the event
for all time. The instructions for that first event were specific and
quite graphic. Every believer in the Lord God would have to sacrifice a
lamb which met God's specifications. The blood of that lamb would be
placed on the doorposts and lintel of the house of each believer. This
would be a sign of faith and obedience for the angel of death as he
would pass over each house with that symbol on it. And the urgency of
this celebration was marked by how the people were to dress, ready to
leave! It is God saying, You asked for it, you got it! You're about to
receive your freedom and liberty from your oppressors but be ready to
leave in short notice.
God has acted on our behalf as well, in special holy days that we
observe in the church as well as personal days that mean something
special to us; our baptism, our confirmation, our marriage, the baptism
of our children, our times of goodbyes to loved ones who have passed on
to their reward, etc. May we never forget God's presence, love, and
involvement in our lives. May Jesus' peace be ours always as a reminder
that He was our Lamb who took away our sin and delivered us from
captivity of that sin.
PRAYER: Loving God, all days are special to You and may those days
special to me always remind me of Your presence and care for me. May I
never take Jesus' sacrifice for granted, for He paid the price of my
sinfulness and set me free. It is in His name that I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PS Our prayers for Rev. Pamela Dykehouse of St. Luke's UMC here in Corpus Christi, who undergoes foot surgery this morning. We pray for a successful surgery and relief from pain that necessitated this procedure. To God be the glory!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Dressed in Christ. Dressed to Love!
Loving God, bless the life and needs of the dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Romans 13: 8 Don't run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. 9 The law code - don't sleep with another person's spouse, don't take someone's life, don't take what isn't yours, don't always be wanting what you don't have, and any other "don't" you can think of - finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. 10 You can't go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love. 11 But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. 12 The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. 13 We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. 14 Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about! (The Message)
Imagine getting love invoices from loved ones? They might come in the mail, addressed to you, with the message: You owe me love! Sadly, some of us might get SECOND NOTICE or THIRD NOTICE or even worse, FINAL NOTICE. Paul's message was urgent. We should be all about love in every aspect of our lives. We owe love to one another. We should treat each other in love. Paul saw that as the foundation of the Law, especially the Ten Commandments. If you study them you see he's right; we should love God and then love others in the correct way. Later, the Law would sum it up in The Great Commandment and the second greatest, love thy neighbor as you love yourself.
The urgency has not worn off except in most of us. We just cruise along looking out for ourselves and our families and we're forgetting the needs all around us. If confronted with needs we have great excuses. I challenge churches as I did last night and size, the belief another church "is doing that already," or a sense of hopelessness saddens me. I remind them that our church now, in most cases, looks exactly like the established church that John Wesley left to start the Methodist movement. In that movement the key word was "go, " not "come." Yet, we say, "We can't get people to come to church!" Uh, yes, most folks don't want to come to your church - Your church has to go to them. Sort of like what verse 14 says, "Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minutes. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!"
PRAYER: Loving God, pour out Your Holy Spirit on me and on my church! Let us have that sense of love and urgency that Paul and John Wesley and so many others have had at the start of great awakenings, and may it spread to our church members that they may see and come alive to the needs of loving and serving You and Yours. I ask this and pray this in faith and in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from Romans 13: 8 Don't run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. 9 The law code - don't sleep with another person's spouse, don't take someone's life, don't take what isn't yours, don't always be wanting what you don't have, and any other "don't" you can think of - finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. 10 You can't go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love. 11 But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. 12 The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. 13 We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. 14 Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about! (The Message)
Imagine getting love invoices from loved ones? They might come in the mail, addressed to you, with the message: You owe me love! Sadly, some of us might get SECOND NOTICE or THIRD NOTICE or even worse, FINAL NOTICE. Paul's message was urgent. We should be all about love in every aspect of our lives. We owe love to one another. We should treat each other in love. Paul saw that as the foundation of the Law, especially the Ten Commandments. If you study them you see he's right; we should love God and then love others in the correct way. Later, the Law would sum it up in The Great Commandment and the second greatest, love thy neighbor as you love yourself.
The urgency has not worn off except in most of us. We just cruise along looking out for ourselves and our families and we're forgetting the needs all around us. If confronted with needs we have great excuses. I challenge churches as I did last night and size, the belief another church "is doing that already," or a sense of hopelessness saddens me. I remind them that our church now, in most cases, looks exactly like the established church that John Wesley left to start the Methodist movement. In that movement the key word was "go, " not "come." Yet, we say, "We can't get people to come to church!" Uh, yes, most folks don't want to come to your church - Your church has to go to them. Sort of like what verse 14 says, "Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minutes. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!"
PRAYER: Loving God, pour out Your Holy Spirit on me and on my church! Let us have that sense of love and urgency that Paul and John Wesley and so many others have had at the start of great awakenings, and may it spread to our church members that they may see and come alive to the needs of loving and serving You and Yours. I ask this and pray this in faith and in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Monday, August 29, 2011
Where Two or Three Are Gathered...
Loving God of health and healing, be with those whose lives need Your divine touch this day; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Matthew 18: 15 "If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him - work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. 16 If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. 17 If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love. 18 "Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. 19 When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. 20 And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." (The Message)
Someone once said, "Where two or three are gathered, there's bound to be trouble soon enough!" Sadly, that's true. And it's also true in the church. Notice that Jesus talks about "fellow believers" not getting along and hurting each other. Notice that Jesus also talks about how this can best be worked out. Honest communication, give-and-take, compromise, confession, whatever it takes. Work it out. And if that doesn't work involve the church and if that doesn't work, you start over, offering God's forgiving love. Notice the powerful statement about how long words can last: "What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this." Yikes. We know that to be true. You and I have heard damaging words that we have carried to this day. Anything that triggers a reminder hurts again and again. Imagine how different it is for words that catch someone by surprise that help someone or boost their feelings. Those "tapes" can be played again and again for good. And notice that when two agree on something and make it a prayer, God goes into action on the matter. And then what Jesus said is better than what was first stated above, "When two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." Amen.
PRAYER: Loving God, forgive me the times I have said something against someone. Help my words to be the kind that last for good for all eternity in the lives of those who need to hear them. May my words be of love and encouragement and support. May my words make someone's life a litte brighter and better today. And may the presence of another believer be an occasion for a celebration of Jesus, in Whose name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PS Prayers for Alisha Purdy Carrizalez, daughter of Rev. & Mrs. Steve (Vicki) Purdy who is undergoing surgery this morning here in Corpus Christi.
Our text for today comes from Matthew 18: 15 "If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him - work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. 16 If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. 17 If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love. 18 "Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. 19 When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. 20 And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." (The Message)
Someone once said, "Where two or three are gathered, there's bound to be trouble soon enough!" Sadly, that's true. And it's also true in the church. Notice that Jesus talks about "fellow believers" not getting along and hurting each other. Notice that Jesus also talks about how this can best be worked out. Honest communication, give-and-take, compromise, confession, whatever it takes. Work it out. And if that doesn't work involve the church and if that doesn't work, you start over, offering God's forgiving love. Notice the powerful statement about how long words can last: "What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this." Yikes. We know that to be true. You and I have heard damaging words that we have carried to this day. Anything that triggers a reminder hurts again and again. Imagine how different it is for words that catch someone by surprise that help someone or boost their feelings. Those "tapes" can be played again and again for good. And notice that when two agree on something and make it a prayer, God goes into action on the matter. And then what Jesus said is better than what was first stated above, "When two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." Amen.
PRAYER: Loving God, forgive me the times I have said something against someone. Help my words to be the kind that last for good for all eternity in the lives of those who need to hear them. May my words be of love and encouragement and support. May my words make someone's life a litte brighter and better today. And may the presence of another believer be an occasion for a celebration of Jesus, in Whose name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PS Prayers for Alisha Purdy Carrizalez, daughter of Rev. & Mrs. Steve (Vicki) Purdy who is undergoing surgery this morning here in Corpus Christi.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunset or Sunrise?
Early this morning Nellie and I walked along the beach of Mustang Island. We're on the last morning of our Area Cabinet retreat with Bishop & Mrs. Dorff, the district superintendents and spouses, and staff that make up the Extended Cabinet of the San Antonio Area. It's been a great time and this morning we resolved to do our brisk walk/run on the beach. Nellie ran barefoot and I ran with my Vibram Five-Fingers (just like barefoot but with protection). We started early enough that we only saw the light of the sun hidden behind distant early morning clouds. We walked until the sun peeked and were awed by the beauty of the sun rising slowly to its place. I wondered, which do I like best, a sunrise or a sunset? A sunset means the end of a day with rest coming, but a sunrise means the start of a new day with adventures and challenges coming... Which do you like? I like the promise of a new day and new adventures and challenges. More so if we do it with the knowledge that Christ goes with us. Who can forget His promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matt. 28:20)
Enjoy your day! Glorify God today!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Coke Or 'Sbury?
Nellie and I got to spend a couple of days in London on our way to South Africa. We learned a lot about our Methodist roots in visiting and worshiping with the fine folks at Wesley's Chapel on Sunday, July 31, 2011. The church was packed and with people of all shapes and colors. Noticeable is the number of Africans that are now a part of the church. There was an American community choir made up of all faiths that sang; the senior pastor baptized his grandson (actually he played the grandpa role and let his associate do the actual baptism), and there was a Commendation for the soul of a young man brutally murdered earlier that week. The young man was African and his family was there all wearing the same garments, both women and men.
We toured the house after refreshments. It seems to be a Methodist tradition that the South Africans have learned and come to love - that of immediately after worship of serving tea, coffee and pastries. Everyone is welcome and invited and we may have been the strange ones in not taking part in eating. We walked down to the museum and toured it and guess-timating the time of the tour joined the tour upstairs. The chapel itself is a marvel of architecture. The main beams holding the structure were once ship masts that were donated to the building effort. These have long been replaced with modern support beams and the original ship masts now take up a place near the entrance of the chapel. The pews are solid and built with dividers that keep each row from being one long row and the most interesting thing about each pew is that at the end of each near the aisle there is a slat that slides out as needed to provide yet another seat for an overflow crowd. Amazing!
Wesley's house is considered a Level 1 home. That is to say it was among that period's most beautiful and strongly made. The woman giving us the tour stressed that at no time did John Wesley live alone in that house. There were usually at least 36 or so that lived there at any one time. Among these were visits by his brother and sisters, lay preachers of the Methodist movement, those who had lost their homes and needed a place to stay, etc. Everyone was literally welcomed and cared for in his home. There was however, a rule; if you stay the night you had to be at 5:30 a.m. worship led by John himself in the Chapel. No exceptions! Most were very thankful to be housed there and to be in the presence of Mister Wesley so they were there. There was one who had the most trouble getting up. The tour guide asked us who it might be. I wanted to answer Charles Wesley, thinking the younger brother would think he was exempt from being there, but it turns out, of course, that when Charles was there he was the organist. The rascal? Mister Thomas Coke. Yes, one of the original American superintendents, later known as bishop Thomas Coke, the Coke of Cokesbury fame. That made me chuckle and this morning I awoke thinking about Rev. Coke. I don't know his age, for he lived a long time and he worked very hard. He crossed the "pond" between England and American some 18 times and that was no small feat. He then turned his ministry towards India and other parts and it was on one of those voyages that he died and his remains were buried at sea. When the Revolutionary War broke out Thomas Coke returned to England. He did return during the war but returned again to Great Britain.
The 'Sbury in Cokesbury was for young Francis Asbury, who, unlike Thomas Coke, was not a part of the Church of England. Thomas Coke left his ministry as a part of the established church to work under the supervision of John Wesley. Francis, on the other hand, was ordained by John Wesley at the age of 24 and sent to America with Rev. Coke, to be a superintendent as well over the work among the Methodists in America. It was Rev. Asbury that first called himself Bishop to distinguish himself as supervisor over this important work. Rev. Asbury stayed in America during the war and moved amongst those fighting and those caught in the middle of the fighting, preaching and praying, and being the church while this war raged on. When it was over and the new nation of the United States was formed, it was Francis Asbury that called upon the newly-elected President, Mr. George Washington, to pray for him and for the country; a tradition that continued for many years (and may still be in effect) through the visit and prayer by several United Methodist Bishops with newly-elected Presidents.
Two different men, with two different and fruitful ministries. It was said about both of them that they had a zeal for the Lord and the Lord's work. Both were open to the leading of God and they served in different places and served as leaders in each setting, doing what they could for the good of the Lord.
May it be said of you and me, that we too, never lost our zeal for the Lord and that we were open to the Lord's leading to different places as leaders; bold to take charge and lead the way to bigger and better things for the people of God!
We toured the house after refreshments. It seems to be a Methodist tradition that the South Africans have learned and come to love - that of immediately after worship of serving tea, coffee and pastries. Everyone is welcome and invited and we may have been the strange ones in not taking part in eating. We walked down to the museum and toured it and guess-timating the time of the tour joined the tour upstairs. The chapel itself is a marvel of architecture. The main beams holding the structure were once ship masts that were donated to the building effort. These have long been replaced with modern support beams and the original ship masts now take up a place near the entrance of the chapel. The pews are solid and built with dividers that keep each row from being one long row and the most interesting thing about each pew is that at the end of each near the aisle there is a slat that slides out as needed to provide yet another seat for an overflow crowd. Amazing!
Wesley's house is considered a Level 1 home. That is to say it was among that period's most beautiful and strongly made. The woman giving us the tour stressed that at no time did John Wesley live alone in that house. There were usually at least 36 or so that lived there at any one time. Among these were visits by his brother and sisters, lay preachers of the Methodist movement, those who had lost their homes and needed a place to stay, etc. Everyone was literally welcomed and cared for in his home. There was however, a rule; if you stay the night you had to be at 5:30 a.m. worship led by John himself in the Chapel. No exceptions! Most were very thankful to be housed there and to be in the presence of Mister Wesley so they were there. There was one who had the most trouble getting up. The tour guide asked us who it might be. I wanted to answer Charles Wesley, thinking the younger brother would think he was exempt from being there, but it turns out, of course, that when Charles was there he was the organist. The rascal? Mister Thomas Coke. Yes, one of the original American superintendents, later known as bishop Thomas Coke, the Coke of Cokesbury fame. That made me chuckle and this morning I awoke thinking about Rev. Coke. I don't know his age, for he lived a long time and he worked very hard. He crossed the "pond" between England and American some 18 times and that was no small feat. He then turned his ministry towards India and other parts and it was on one of those voyages that he died and his remains were buried at sea. When the Revolutionary War broke out Thomas Coke returned to England. He did return during the war but returned again to Great Britain.
The 'Sbury in Cokesbury was for young Francis Asbury, who, unlike Thomas Coke, was not a part of the Church of England. Thomas Coke left his ministry as a part of the established church to work under the supervision of John Wesley. Francis, on the other hand, was ordained by John Wesley at the age of 24 and sent to America with Rev. Coke, to be a superintendent as well over the work among the Methodists in America. It was Rev. Asbury that first called himself Bishop to distinguish himself as supervisor over this important work. Rev. Asbury stayed in America during the war and moved amongst those fighting and those caught in the middle of the fighting, preaching and praying, and being the church while this war raged on. When it was over and the new nation of the United States was formed, it was Francis Asbury that called upon the newly-elected President, Mr. George Washington, to pray for him and for the country; a tradition that continued for many years (and may still be in effect) through the visit and prayer by several United Methodist Bishops with newly-elected Presidents.
Two different men, with two different and fruitful ministries. It was said about both of them that they had a zeal for the Lord and the Lord's work. Both were open to the leading of God and they served in different places and served as leaders in each setting, doing what they could for the good of the Lord.
May it be said of you and me, that we too, never lost our zeal for the Lord and that we were open to the Lord's leading to different places as leaders; bold to take charge and lead the way to bigger and better things for the people of God!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Live a Happy Life! Sing if You Have To!
Blessed God of the Sower, may the life of this dear reader be filled with the seeds of hope from Thy heart; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Psalm 105: 1 Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! 2 Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music! 3 Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! 4 Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence. 5 Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he's rendered - 6 O seed of Abraham, his servant, O child of Jacob, his chosen. 23 Then Israel entered Egypt, Jacob immigrated to the Land of Ham. 24 God gave his people lots of babies; soon their numbers alarmed their foes. 25 He turned the Egyptians against his people; they abused and cheated God's servants. 26 Then he sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, whom he also chose. So they could do everything he told them - could follow his instructions to the letter. Hallelujah! (The Message)
Nellie and I started reading the gospels at night. We covered the Gospel of John while in Africa and this week we started with Mark. We forgot to read last night! Yes, we did. So, while on our morning walk, while walking through Seaside Cemetery, I let the Bible be read to us. Using my smart phone for something smart for a change, it read Mark 4 in this English accent. At the very last verse in that chapter I started singing, "What a Mighty God We Serve." Not too loud, didn't want to disturb the residents and Selena was nearby and she could sing; me somewhat.. But then we started talking about the power of God to calm even the storms and cast out demons. I said, "Why do we cower in fear at the sight of storm in our lives when the God we worship controls anything and everything that can and does come against God's Church?" The Psalmist is saying the same thing. Make known your faith in a joyful manner and others will want to know and some may even want the same for their lives. Live a life that radiates the joy and profound happiness that is ours as Christians. Don't let people say, "Why should I want to be a gloomy-faced 'believer?' They seem down all the time!" Not so or shouldn't be so in our lives. Remember the great things God has done in your life and the even greater things still to come!
Live a happy life!
PRAYER: Loving God, give me a smile when it hurts to move my mouth. Give me a laugh when others expect a cry. Let Your joy be my strength today and all days; in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name I pray, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from Psalm 105: 1 Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! 2 Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music! 3 Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! 4 Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence. 5 Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he's rendered - 6 O seed of Abraham, his servant, O child of Jacob, his chosen. 23 Then Israel entered Egypt, Jacob immigrated to the Land of Ham. 24 God gave his people lots of babies; soon their numbers alarmed their foes. 25 He turned the Egyptians against his people; they abused and cheated God's servants. 26 Then he sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, whom he also chose. So they could do everything he told them - could follow his instructions to the letter. Hallelujah! (The Message)
Nellie and I started reading the gospels at night. We covered the Gospel of John while in Africa and this week we started with Mark. We forgot to read last night! Yes, we did. So, while on our morning walk, while walking through Seaside Cemetery, I let the Bible be read to us. Using my smart phone for something smart for a change, it read Mark 4 in this English accent. At the very last verse in that chapter I started singing, "What a Mighty God We Serve." Not too loud, didn't want to disturb the residents and Selena was nearby and she could sing; me somewhat.. But then we started talking about the power of God to calm even the storms and cast out demons. I said, "Why do we cower in fear at the sight of storm in our lives when the God we worship controls anything and everything that can and does come against God's Church?" The Psalmist is saying the same thing. Make known your faith in a joyful manner and others will want to know and some may even want the same for their lives. Live a life that radiates the joy and profound happiness that is ours as Christians. Don't let people say, "Why should I want to be a gloomy-faced 'believer?' They seem down all the time!" Not so or shouldn't be so in our lives. Remember the great things God has done in your life and the even greater things still to come!
Live a happy life!
PRAYER: Loving God, give me a smile when it hurts to move my mouth. Give me a laugh when others expect a cry. Let Your joy be my strength today and all days; in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name I pray, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Saying Hmm to God
Loving God of the journey, travel with the life and needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Exodus 3: 1 Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. 2 The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn't burn up. 3 Moses said, "What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't the bush burn up?" 4 God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" He said, "Yes? I'm right here!" 5 God said, "Don't come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You're standing on holy ground." 6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God. 7 God said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. 8 And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9 "The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I've seen for myself how cruelly they're being treated by the Egyptians. 10 It's time for you to go back: I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt." 11 Moses answered God, "But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?" 12 "I'll be with you," God said. "And this will be the proof that I am the one who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right here at this very mountain." 13 Then Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the People of Israel and I tell them, 'The God of your fathers sent me to you'; and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What do I tell them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I-AM-WHO-I-AM. Tell the People of Israel, 'I-AM sent me to you.'" 15 God continued with Moses: "This is what you're to say to the Israelites: 'God, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you.' This has always been my name, and this is how I always will be known. (The Message)
You called me just so I can end up here? God has a wonderful and sometimes unexplainable plan for your life. And yes, sometimes it doesn't make sense to us, but that's all right because it makes sense to God for God's purposes. I heard of a man who during World War II decided he would sign up to do his part for his country and see the world at the same time. He was from a small town here in Texas, south of here, Bishop, Texas. He was sent to San Antonio, Texas, to train and when fully trained was sent to Kingsville for the duration of the war. For those who don't know Texas, Kingsville is 5 miles south of Bishop. Moses, newlywed and working for his father-in-law, is also a fugitive from the law. He had murdered someone in Egypt and now a strange call from God comes from a burning bush. The bush was not consumed by the fire but it served its purpose, that of calling Moses towards it so that God could call Moses. The voice of God tells Moses that God has heard the prayers of the people and God was going to set them free using Moses and that when this liberation took place God would be worshiped on the same spot that Moses stood. You and I would probably have said, Hmmm. Moses almost did and said something similar in his response and several times during this faithful service to God. As probably you have during your life of service to God, you've had those days when you've wondered just why you said yes to God to begin with; yet at the right moment you've said, Thanks be to God!
May today be one of those days when the bright light of assurance and blessing breaks through the dark and gloom of doubt. May God share a revelation with you today about your life and purpose. And may we all be ready to receive it.
PRAYER: Loving God, may today be the day of blessing and assurance for my life; may I walk with You in a way that will speak to me about faithful devotion and service to You; I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from Exodus 3: 1 Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. 2 The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn't burn up. 3 Moses said, "What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't the bush burn up?" 4 God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" He said, "Yes? I'm right here!" 5 God said, "Don't come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You're standing on holy ground." 6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God. 7 God said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. 8 And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9 "The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I've seen for myself how cruelly they're being treated by the Egyptians. 10 It's time for you to go back: I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt." 11 Moses answered God, "But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?" 12 "I'll be with you," God said. "And this will be the proof that I am the one who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right here at this very mountain." 13 Then Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the People of Israel and I tell them, 'The God of your fathers sent me to you'; and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What do I tell them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I-AM-WHO-I-AM. Tell the People of Israel, 'I-AM sent me to you.'" 15 God continued with Moses: "This is what you're to say to the Israelites: 'God, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you.' This has always been my name, and this is how I always will be known. (The Message)
You called me just so I can end up here? God has a wonderful and sometimes unexplainable plan for your life. And yes, sometimes it doesn't make sense to us, but that's all right because it makes sense to God for God's purposes. I heard of a man who during World War II decided he would sign up to do his part for his country and see the world at the same time. He was from a small town here in Texas, south of here, Bishop, Texas. He was sent to San Antonio, Texas, to train and when fully trained was sent to Kingsville for the duration of the war. For those who don't know Texas, Kingsville is 5 miles south of Bishop. Moses, newlywed and working for his father-in-law, is also a fugitive from the law. He had murdered someone in Egypt and now a strange call from God comes from a burning bush. The bush was not consumed by the fire but it served its purpose, that of calling Moses towards it so that God could call Moses. The voice of God tells Moses that God has heard the prayers of the people and God was going to set them free using Moses and that when this liberation took place God would be worshiped on the same spot that Moses stood. You and I would probably have said, Hmmm. Moses almost did and said something similar in his response and several times during this faithful service to God. As probably you have during your life of service to God, you've had those days when you've wondered just why you said yes to God to begin with; yet at the right moment you've said, Thanks be to God!
May today be one of those days when the bright light of assurance and blessing breaks through the dark and gloom of doubt. May God share a revelation with you today about your life and purpose. And may we all be ready to receive it.
PRAYER: Loving God, may today be the day of blessing and assurance for my life; may I walk with You in a way that will speak to me about faithful devotion and service to You; I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Loving from the Center of Who We Are
O Lord, be Thou the vision and future of this dear reader in whatever she or he may be facing today and all days; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Romans 12: 9 Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. 10 Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. 11 Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, 12 cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. 13 Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. 14 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. 15 Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. 16 Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. 17 Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. 18 If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. 19 Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." 20 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. 21 Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. (The Message)
Yesterday in many parts of the country it was the first day of school. Those of you who are on FaceBook may have seen pictures of those going on their first day of school. Our grandson, Liam, 2, went to his school and did not cry, which I think may have made his mom cry. He was ready and he was learning about dinosaurs and wasn't all that ready to leave school when she picked him up. It made her laugh because for as long as she can remember everyday when I would pick them up or see them when they got home, no matter their age, I would ask, "What did you learn in school today?" Usually their reply was, "Nothing." I would immediately ask, "You didn't learn about dinosaurs?" No, sir. "Volcanos?" No, sir. "What kind of school are you in??" Yes, even in high school we had that routine. One thing I worried about for my kids and perhaps you worry about yours is bullying. Not every child is in Sunday school every Sunday. Not everyone has the solid spiritual foundation that perhaps you're trying to instill in your child(ren). Not everyone will see this great passage from Paul about how to act. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone read this list and learn from it? Even Christians?
We all have room to grow in our relationship with God and with others. We should never reach a point where we can say, I am comfortable or I have done enough. I don't love enough as I should. I don't think I have learned quite how to "love from the center," because "I" usually get the in way. Loving from the center of who we are means putting God and others first. That is a difficult thing to do. We don't always want to be number two in anything and we're just out for what we can get for ourselves. And that flies right in the face of what our Lord taught us.
May we today learn from Jesus and those who write about him, like Paul, about how to live. May it rub off on our children and we pray on their friends and schoolmates.
PRAYER: Loving God of love and peace, may I today be as Your Son taught. May this passage from Your Word be a list of how I should be and live. May my life be a positive force in the lives of those who are in need of it. Bless and protect all of our children and their schools. May we come closer to that which You would have us be and live. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from Romans 12: 9 Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. 10 Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. 11 Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, 12 cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. 13 Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. 14 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. 15 Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. 16 Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. 17 Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. 18 If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. 19 Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." 20 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. 21 Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. (The Message)
Yesterday in many parts of the country it was the first day of school. Those of you who are on FaceBook may have seen pictures of those going on their first day of school. Our grandson, Liam, 2, went to his school and did not cry, which I think may have made his mom cry. He was ready and he was learning about dinosaurs and wasn't all that ready to leave school when she picked him up. It made her laugh because for as long as she can remember everyday when I would pick them up or see them when they got home, no matter their age, I would ask, "What did you learn in school today?" Usually their reply was, "Nothing." I would immediately ask, "You didn't learn about dinosaurs?" No, sir. "Volcanos?" No, sir. "What kind of school are you in??" Yes, even in high school we had that routine. One thing I worried about for my kids and perhaps you worry about yours is bullying. Not every child is in Sunday school every Sunday. Not everyone has the solid spiritual foundation that perhaps you're trying to instill in your child(ren). Not everyone will see this great passage from Paul about how to act. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone read this list and learn from it? Even Christians?
We all have room to grow in our relationship with God and with others. We should never reach a point where we can say, I am comfortable or I have done enough. I don't love enough as I should. I don't think I have learned quite how to "love from the center," because "I" usually get the in way. Loving from the center of who we are means putting God and others first. That is a difficult thing to do. We don't always want to be number two in anything and we're just out for what we can get for ourselves. And that flies right in the face of what our Lord taught us.
May we today learn from Jesus and those who write about him, like Paul, about how to live. May it rub off on our children and we pray on their friends and schoolmates.
PRAYER: Loving God of love and peace, may I today be as Your Son taught. May this passage from Your Word be a list of how I should be and live. May my life be a positive force in the lives of those who are in need of it. Bless and protect all of our children and their schools. May we come closer to that which You would have us be and live. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Monday, August 22, 2011
Let Jesus Lead!
Blessed God of all creatures, pour out showers of Your grace and love upon this dear reader. We also could use some rain, dear Lord, according to Thy plan and will for us; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Matthew 16:21 Then Jesus made it clear to his disciples that it was now necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and then on the third day be raised up alive. 22 Peter took him in hand, protesting, "Impossible, Master! That can never be!" 23 But Jesus didn't swerve. "Peter, get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works." 24 Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. 25 Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. 26 What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? 27 "Don't be in such a hurry to go into business for yourself. Before you know it the Son of Man will arrive with all the splendor of his Father, accompanied by an army of angels. You'll get everything you have coming to you, a personal gift. 28 This isn't pie in the sky by and by. Some of you standing here are going to see it take place, see the Son of Man in kingdom glory." (The Message)
If we take Jesus by the hand, let Jesus lead! To be quite honest with ourselves and with God, we don't always know what we're doing or wanting to do or knowing where we need to go. Jesus does. Even when it seems that we don't like what we're about to do or undergo or where it seems Jesus is leading. Such was the case in this passage. Jesus was sharing with His disciples that which He needed to endure for the sake of God's plan for His life. It was not what the disciples, especially Peter, wanted to hear. As often happens with us, the first one or two words of bad news we stop hearing or understanding what follows. Jesus said He would suffer and die, and that's all they heard. They probably did not hear the part about "the third day." Peter takes Jesus by the hand and began to protest and to utter words of protection for Jesus. This from the man whose name Jesus had changed to ROCK. Now Jesus gives him another name, thank God no permanently, "Satan." His words and actions were not God-like; they were Satan-like and thus the name. The message to the disciples is ours as well: Let Jesus lead. Let Jesus drive. Do not fear suffering, learn from it. Self-help is not as good as self-sacrifice. If you lose yourself, you'll find your true self. Be patient and realize that God's in control and all things will go God's way.
These are not easy lessons. They run contary to everything the world teaches. These lessons are lessons of obedience, surrender and trust. They are eternal lessons of truth that we should learn from and embrace for the good of our lives and the good of Christ's ministry in us.
Let Jesus lead.
PRAYER: Loving Lord, I surrender to You and allow You to take my hands and gently lead me to obedience and service. I repent of the times I have thought I have been leading when all along I was wrong and lost. Thank You for new opportunities! I pray this in Your Name, Jesus, my Lord and Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from Matthew 16:21 Then Jesus made it clear to his disciples that it was now necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and then on the third day be raised up alive. 22 Peter took him in hand, protesting, "Impossible, Master! That can never be!" 23 But Jesus didn't swerve. "Peter, get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works." 24 Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. 25 Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. 26 What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? 27 "Don't be in such a hurry to go into business for yourself. Before you know it the Son of Man will arrive with all the splendor of his Father, accompanied by an army of angels. You'll get everything you have coming to you, a personal gift. 28 This isn't pie in the sky by and by. Some of you standing here are going to see it take place, see the Son of Man in kingdom glory." (The Message)
If we take Jesus by the hand, let Jesus lead! To be quite honest with ourselves and with God, we don't always know what we're doing or wanting to do or knowing where we need to go. Jesus does. Even when it seems that we don't like what we're about to do or undergo or where it seems Jesus is leading. Such was the case in this passage. Jesus was sharing with His disciples that which He needed to endure for the sake of God's plan for His life. It was not what the disciples, especially Peter, wanted to hear. As often happens with us, the first one or two words of bad news we stop hearing or understanding what follows. Jesus said He would suffer and die, and that's all they heard. They probably did not hear the part about "the third day." Peter takes Jesus by the hand and began to protest and to utter words of protection for Jesus. This from the man whose name Jesus had changed to ROCK. Now Jesus gives him another name, thank God no permanently, "Satan." His words and actions were not God-like; they were Satan-like and thus the name. The message to the disciples is ours as well: Let Jesus lead. Let Jesus drive. Do not fear suffering, learn from it. Self-help is not as good as self-sacrifice. If you lose yourself, you'll find your true self. Be patient and realize that God's in control and all things will go God's way.
These are not easy lessons. They run contary to everything the world teaches. These lessons are lessons of obedience, surrender and trust. They are eternal lessons of truth that we should learn from and embrace for the good of our lives and the good of Christ's ministry in us.
Let Jesus lead.
PRAYER: Loving Lord, I surrender to You and allow You to take my hands and gently lead me to obedience and service. I repent of the times I have thought I have been leading when all along I was wrong and lost. Thank You for new opportunities! I pray this in Your Name, Jesus, my Lord and Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Thursday, August 18, 2011
You Matter to God!
Loving God of this precious day, bless and protect the life and needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Exodus 1: 8 A new king came to power in Egypt who didn't know Joseph. 9 He spoke to his people in alarm, "There are way too many of these Israelites for us to handle. 10 We've got to do something: Let's devise a plan to contain them, lest if there's a war they should join our enemies, or just walk off and leave us." 11 So they organized them into work-gangs and put them to hard labor under gang-foremen. They built the storage cities Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. 12 But the harder the Egyptians worked them the more children the Israelites had - children everywhere! The Egyptians got so they couldn't stand the Israelites 13 and treated them worse than ever, crushing them with slave labor. 14 They made them miserable with hard labor - making bricks and mortar and back-breaking work in the fields. They piled on the work, crushing them under the cruel workload. 15 The king of Egypt had a talk with the two Hebrew midwives; one was named Shiphrah and the other Puah. 16 He said, "When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the sex of the baby. If it's a boy, kill him; if it's a girl, let her live." 17 But the midwives had far too much respect for God and didn't do what the king of Egypt ordered; they let the boy babies live. 18 The king of Egypt called in the midwives. "Why didn't you obey my orders? You've let those babies live!" 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; they're vigorous. Before the midwife can get there, they've already had the baby." 20 God was pleased with the midwives. The people continued to increase in number - a very strong people. 21 And because the midwives honored God, God gave them families of their own. 22 So Pharaoh issued a general order to all his people: "Every boy that is born, drown him in the Nile. But let the girls live." 1 A man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. 2 The woman became pregnant and had a son. She saw there was something special about him and hid him. She hid him for three months. 3 When she couldn't hide him any longer she got a little basket-boat made of papyrus, waterproofed it with tar and pitch, and placed the child in it. Then she set it afloat in the reeds at the edge of the Nile. 4 The baby's older sister found herself a vantage point a little way off and watched to see what would happen to him. 5 Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to bathe; her maidens strolled on the bank. She saw the basket-boat floating in the reeds and sent her maid to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the child - a baby crying! Her heart went out to him. She said, "This must be one of the Hebrew babies." 7 Then his sister was before her: "Do you want me to go and get a nursing mother from the Hebrews so she can nurse the baby for you?" 8 Pharaoh's daughter said, "Yes. Go." The girl went and called the child's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter told her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me. I'll pay you." The woman took the child and nursed him. 10 After the child was weaned, she presented him to Pharaoh's daughter who adopted him as her son. She named him Moses (Pulled-Out), saying, "I pulled him out of the water." (The Message)
Your birth may not have been as dramatic as Moses', but it had a purpose nonetheless. What is that purpose? You and I mattered to God on the day of our birth and we matter just as much now. What are we doing about it? We can choose to ignore thinking we owe anything back to God and live our lives pleasing only ourselves and what will that get us? Most everyone will reach a point where the spiritual will matter and a lot of people seek to find answers. And that is especially great if we know to look in spiritual places for spiritual answers. Some try to buy things for comfort and meaning. Those things grow old and start to malfunction. You can keep trying to re-place them but why? Others seek comfort and meaning in stimulants and vices and soon learn there is nothing there only part of what Jesus said about our nemesis in John 10:10. Some know right from the start and you see it in their development and joy. Others find it later in life and spend their lives trying to tell others about it. The good thing is that it is never too late to find the meaning and purpose God has for your life and then doing something about it.
Spend some time today in quiet reflection with your God and allow God to speak to you about what it is that is missing in your life's meaning and purpose. Then do something about it.
PRAYER: Loving God all of us matter to You and for that we are thankful. May today be a day of confirmation for the plan and purpose you have for me and my life. May I seek to be faithful to Your leading. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from Exodus 1: 8 A new king came to power in Egypt who didn't know Joseph. 9 He spoke to his people in alarm, "There are way too many of these Israelites for us to handle. 10 We've got to do something: Let's devise a plan to contain them, lest if there's a war they should join our enemies, or just walk off and leave us." 11 So they organized them into work-gangs and put them to hard labor under gang-foremen. They built the storage cities Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. 12 But the harder the Egyptians worked them the more children the Israelites had - children everywhere! The Egyptians got so they couldn't stand the Israelites 13 and treated them worse than ever, crushing them with slave labor. 14 They made them miserable with hard labor - making bricks and mortar and back-breaking work in the fields. They piled on the work, crushing them under the cruel workload. 15 The king of Egypt had a talk with the two Hebrew midwives; one was named Shiphrah and the other Puah. 16 He said, "When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the sex of the baby. If it's a boy, kill him; if it's a girl, let her live." 17 But the midwives had far too much respect for God and didn't do what the king of Egypt ordered; they let the boy babies live. 18 The king of Egypt called in the midwives. "Why didn't you obey my orders? You've let those babies live!" 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; they're vigorous. Before the midwife can get there, they've already had the baby." 20 God was pleased with the midwives. The people continued to increase in number - a very strong people. 21 And because the midwives honored God, God gave them families of their own. 22 So Pharaoh issued a general order to all his people: "Every boy that is born, drown him in the Nile. But let the girls live." 1 A man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. 2 The woman became pregnant and had a son. She saw there was something special about him and hid him. She hid him for three months. 3 When she couldn't hide him any longer she got a little basket-boat made of papyrus, waterproofed it with tar and pitch, and placed the child in it. Then she set it afloat in the reeds at the edge of the Nile. 4 The baby's older sister found herself a vantage point a little way off and watched to see what would happen to him. 5 Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to bathe; her maidens strolled on the bank. She saw the basket-boat floating in the reeds and sent her maid to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the child - a baby crying! Her heart went out to him. She said, "This must be one of the Hebrew babies." 7 Then his sister was before her: "Do you want me to go and get a nursing mother from the Hebrews so she can nurse the baby for you?" 8 Pharaoh's daughter said, "Yes. Go." The girl went and called the child's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter told her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me. I'll pay you." The woman took the child and nursed him. 10 After the child was weaned, she presented him to Pharaoh's daughter who adopted him as her son. She named him Moses (Pulled-Out), saying, "I pulled him out of the water." (The Message)
Your birth may not have been as dramatic as Moses', but it had a purpose nonetheless. What is that purpose? You and I mattered to God on the day of our birth and we matter just as much now. What are we doing about it? We can choose to ignore thinking we owe anything back to God and live our lives pleasing only ourselves and what will that get us? Most everyone will reach a point where the spiritual will matter and a lot of people seek to find answers. And that is especially great if we know to look in spiritual places for spiritual answers. Some try to buy things for comfort and meaning. Those things grow old and start to malfunction. You can keep trying to re-place them but why? Others seek comfort and meaning in stimulants and vices and soon learn there is nothing there only part of what Jesus said about our nemesis in John 10:10. Some know right from the start and you see it in their development and joy. Others find it later in life and spend their lives trying to tell others about it. The good thing is that it is never too late to find the meaning and purpose God has for your life and then doing something about it.
Spend some time today in quiet reflection with your God and allow God to speak to you about what it is that is missing in your life's meaning and purpose. Then do something about it.
PRAYER: Loving God all of us matter to You and for that we are thankful. May today be a day of confirmation for the plan and purpose you have for me and my life. May I seek to be faithful to Your leading. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
God, bring out the best in me!
Loving God of joy and peace, pour out Your rich and wonderful blessings upon the life and needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
At the World Methodist Conference we heard from a man who when a boy lost his home and belongings to an army of occupation. The home and the land his father owned was taken from them and they were forced to walk many miles to a refugee camp. It had been the father who had told the family that this army was coming and they needed to accept them for they had had not place to call home for many years and they were a persecuted people. They did as the father said and welcomed them, fed them; and within a few days the army sends them away from their own home. This would have planted the seeds of hatred in most of us. Many of our lives would have taken a different course and many of us would have sought ways to pay back this injustice.
Today's text comes from Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 12, verses 1-8:
1 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2 Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. 3 I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. 4 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. 5 The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, 6 let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't. If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; 7 if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; 8 if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. (The Message)
This young man grew up with love for all people and dedicated his life to God as a priest. Yes, he is a Christian. And the army to which he lost everything was the Israeli army (Jewish). He is a Palestinian Christian living alongside the Jews who took his land. It was in 2005 when the Israeli police chief of his town called him frantic that something tragic had happened and could get worse for both sides if he did not help out. The situation was that a young Jewish soldier riding in a bus filled with Palestinians lost his temper and shot the bus driver dead. He shot the nephew of the bus driver, and he shot dead two young women. One was on the bus to the bridal shop where she was to buy her wedding dress, and the other on her way to her college graduation ceremony. The other passengers on the bus stoned the young soldier and killed him. There was a standoff between Palestinians and Jews. The police and army could not retrieve the body of the soldier and thus the call to this priest to help them recover the body and to stop and prevent further bloodshed. He accepted the call and went. He asked permission to board the bus and was given it. He talked to the Palestinians and told them what he was going to do. The police chief told him the bus was wired to explode. He entered the bus and said he saw blood everywhere. He wanted to know which was Palestinian blood and which was Jewish blood. He said, "It was all the same!" With God's help he diffused the situation and allowed the people to go home without further bloodshed. This priest is now the Archbishop of Galilee.
Paul writes to Christians about Christian behavior. In fact, a lot of the New Testament is Paul writing to Christians about Christian behavior (or the lack thereof!). Paul is basically saying, let God bring out the best in you! He was echoing Jesus about this type of living that makes no sense to the world. It inspired the famous prayer, "where there is hatred, let me sow love," etc., God bring out the best in me.
May your life today be the best that God has brought out in you!
PRAYER: Loving God, bring out the best in me. Let me truly be an instrument of your peace; let me show love, pardon, faith, hope, light, and joy; no matter what the world may show. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Request for Mrs. Marcelina Alegria, who suffered a fall at a convenience store in Bryan, TX, on her way home to Corpus Christi. She was airlifted to the hospital with various injuries and is now recovering at her son, Rev. Frank Alegria's home. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
At the World Methodist Conference we heard from a man who when a boy lost his home and belongings to an army of occupation. The home and the land his father owned was taken from them and they were forced to walk many miles to a refugee camp. It had been the father who had told the family that this army was coming and they needed to accept them for they had had not place to call home for many years and they were a persecuted people. They did as the father said and welcomed them, fed them; and within a few days the army sends them away from their own home. This would have planted the seeds of hatred in most of us. Many of our lives would have taken a different course and many of us would have sought ways to pay back this injustice.
Today's text comes from Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 12, verses 1-8:
1 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2 Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. 3 I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. 4 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. 5 The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, 6 let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't. If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; 7 if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; 8 if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. (The Message)
This young man grew up with love for all people and dedicated his life to God as a priest. Yes, he is a Christian. And the army to which he lost everything was the Israeli army (Jewish). He is a Palestinian Christian living alongside the Jews who took his land. It was in 2005 when the Israeli police chief of his town called him frantic that something tragic had happened and could get worse for both sides if he did not help out. The situation was that a young Jewish soldier riding in a bus filled with Palestinians lost his temper and shot the bus driver dead. He shot the nephew of the bus driver, and he shot dead two young women. One was on the bus to the bridal shop where she was to buy her wedding dress, and the other on her way to her college graduation ceremony. The other passengers on the bus stoned the young soldier and killed him. There was a standoff between Palestinians and Jews. The police and army could not retrieve the body of the soldier and thus the call to this priest to help them recover the body and to stop and prevent further bloodshed. He accepted the call and went. He asked permission to board the bus and was given it. He talked to the Palestinians and told them what he was going to do. The police chief told him the bus was wired to explode. He entered the bus and said he saw blood everywhere. He wanted to know which was Palestinian blood and which was Jewish blood. He said, "It was all the same!" With God's help he diffused the situation and allowed the people to go home without further bloodshed. This priest is now the Archbishop of Galilee.
Paul writes to Christians about Christian behavior. In fact, a lot of the New Testament is Paul writing to Christians about Christian behavior (or the lack thereof!). Paul is basically saying, let God bring out the best in you! He was echoing Jesus about this type of living that makes no sense to the world. It inspired the famous prayer, "where there is hatred, let me sow love," etc., God bring out the best in me.
May your life today be the best that God has brought out in you!
PRAYER: Loving God, bring out the best in me. Let me truly be an instrument of your peace; let me show love, pardon, faith, hope, light, and joy; no matter what the world may show. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Request for Mrs. Marcelina Alegria, who suffered a fall at a convenience store in Bryan, TX, on her way home to Corpus Christi. She was airlifted to the hospital with various injuries and is now recovering at her son, Rev. Frank Alegria's home. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Jesus Christ for the Healing of the Nations (World Methodist Conference theme)
Loving God of all people, may Your rich and wonderful blessings be upon this dear reader today; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Dear friends, I thank you again for your faithfulness in your prayers for Nellie and I during our trip to South Africa. We were richly and wonderfully blessed by what God is doing among the people called Methodists all around the world, but especially in South Africa. The World Methodist Council sponsors the World Methodist Conference and it is to celebrate and be aware of needs among people of the world. The Council was started in 1891, a hundred years after John Wesley's death to commerate his work among the people of the world and because they knew that the people called Methodists numbered about 2 million in 1891. Among the purposes for establishing the work of the council is to "Pray for and support needs of persecuted Christians " and "Encourage ministries of justice and peace." The reason we were in South Africa was to celebrate the work of Jesus in ridding the country of apartheid. This was the first time the conference and council could meet their after the end of apartheid and the work of Methodists was key in helping end legalized segregation and injustice. It was a tremendous time of worship and witness to the people of South Africa as well as the 3,000 delegates from around the world. It was very much in line with the Gospel text for this coming week found in Matthew 16:13:
13 When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets." 15 He pressed them, "And how about you? Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter said, "You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus came back, "God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn't get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. 18 And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. 19 "And that's not all. You will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven." 20 He swore the disciples to secrecy. He made them promise they would tell no one that he was the Messiah. (The Message)
Every day and in every way, you and I have an opportunity to give an answer to Jesus' question, "And how about you? Who do you say I am?" May our words, our actions, our love and compassion give the answer that Peter shared, Jesus is "the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
PRAYER: Loving God, may it be so in my life today and all days; that I give witness to Who you are. May I say something or do something that will glorify You and give evidence that in my heart, You are the Messiah, the Son of God, and my Lord and Savior. I pray this in Thy name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Dear friends, I thank you again for your faithfulness in your prayers for Nellie and I during our trip to South Africa. We were richly and wonderfully blessed by what God is doing among the people called Methodists all around the world, but especially in South Africa. The World Methodist Council sponsors the World Methodist Conference and it is to celebrate and be aware of needs among people of the world. The Council was started in 1891, a hundred years after John Wesley's death to commerate his work among the people of the world and because they knew that the people called Methodists numbered about 2 million in 1891. Among the purposes for establishing the work of the council is to "Pray for and support needs of persecuted Christians " and "Encourage ministries of justice and peace." The reason we were in South Africa was to celebrate the work of Jesus in ridding the country of apartheid. This was the first time the conference and council could meet their after the end of apartheid and the work of Methodists was key in helping end legalized segregation and injustice. It was a tremendous time of worship and witness to the people of South Africa as well as the 3,000 delegates from around the world. It was very much in line with the Gospel text for this coming week found in Matthew 16:13:
13 When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets." 15 He pressed them, "And how about you? Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter said, "You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus came back, "God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn't get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. 18 And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. 19 "And that's not all. You will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven." 20 He swore the disciples to secrecy. He made them promise they would tell no one that he was the Messiah. (The Message)
Every day and in every way, you and I have an opportunity to give an answer to Jesus' question, "And how about you? Who do you say I am?" May our words, our actions, our love and compassion give the answer that Peter shared, Jesus is "the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
PRAYER: Loving God, may it be so in my life today and all days; that I give witness to Who you are. May I say something or do something that will glorify You and give evidence that in my heart, You are the Messiah, the Son of God, and my Lord and Savior. I pray this in Thy name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
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