Loving God of all days, may the rest of this day be a blessing in the life of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from 1 Thessalonians 2: 1 So, friends, it's obvious that our visit to you was no waste of time. 2 We had just been given rough treatment in Philippi, as you know, but that didn't slow us down. We were sure of ourselves in God, and went right ahead and said our piece, presenting God's Message to you, defiant of the opposition. 3 God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. 4 Be assured that when we speak to you we're not after crowd approval - only God approval. Since we've been put through that battery of tests, you're guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. 5 We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you. 6 Even though we had some standing as Christ's apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. 7 We weren't aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. 8 We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did. (The Message)
This comes at a later point of the day than usual. I'm sorry for those of you who start your day with my devotional that I was not able to share one early. This morning found me on the road to Goliad for a meeting with some pastors. It was a delight to travel there and more of a delight to meet and chat with them about the Why Not's of ministry. This passage would have fit in very appropriately into our discussion. Ministry has never been easy. Ministry of God's message will always be met with opposition of some sort. Paul shares how even his visit to Philippi was not an easy visit. He calls his time there and that of his companions a "test" to make sure we "were qualified to be trusted with this Message." Paul knew that our call into ministry did not mean that every day was a sure day of our knowing everything and doing everything as God wanted. There are those days when we think we know what we're doing and fail to ask God's presence and guidance. There are even times when we seek the approval of people rather than God and we fail both.
God's message of God's unending love never changes. God loves us. God seeks for us to love God back. God desires our turning away from sin and towards life, and that message is never readily and happily met. Yet, we press on asking that God be with us as we seek to grow God's Kingdom in our midst. It's not about about our being pleased, it's about our pleasing God.
PRAYER: Loving God, may I never lose sight of the Message. May I seek to share it as You would direct and guide. May I truly be a vessel of Your grace for all, even those who may at first resist and find fault in what I seek to do. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PS. Dear friends, please be in prayer for the family of The Rev. Dr. Roy D. Barton, who passed away this afternoon in Dallas. Dr. Barton was a faithful servant of God in the Rio Grande Conference and for many years a mentor to many, this servant included, at Perkins School of Theology at SMU. May Roy rest in peace and may God's comfort be with Roy's wife, Rosa Marina and their children.
