Good day dear friends.
Our text for today comes from Psalm 30: 1 Help, God - the bottom has fallen out of my life! Master, hear my cry for help! 2 Listen hard! Open your ears! Listen to my cries for mercy. 3 If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? 4 As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped. 5 I pray to God - my life a prayer - and wait for what he'll say and do. 6 My life's on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning.7 O Israel, wait and watch for God - with God's arrival comes love, with God's arrival comes generous redemption. 8 No doubt about it - he'll redeem Israel, buy back Israel from captivity to sin. (The Message)
I was paid a compliment from a support person from a computer company. Yesterday in trying to "help" my wife with a problem with her phone, I reset it and much to my aging dismay, could not remember the proper contact info to get all her data back on her phone. This included our daughters' telephone numbers and email addresses. I did not panic and though we were on the road most of the day, she believed that I could "fix" the problem that evening. I knew all of her information was somewhere in the "cloud," and with the proper contact info I would retrieve it back. As this young man was helping me via telephone support, I asked about a recent article about pay and working conditions for this particular company and he said he loved the product and he loved the customers, "just like you that have lost all their data and still remain calm and cheerful." He shared how he had once lost his job because he had lost all his data and now he used three backup methods for his data. Thank the Lord that within a few minutes all of Nellie's data on her phone was restored and in her eyes I was a hero once again.
The psalmist knew of the "cloud" way back then. He knew that God could easily store a record of all our sins, yet God's "habit" was one of forgiveness, not condemnation. And though it seemed like the bottom of his life had fallen out, God would respond with full restoration. And like himself, Israel also should wait upon the Lord for their restoration. Restoration comes from a God of love. We are still responsible for our end of the deal to seek forgiveness for our sins and when we do that "cloud" of recorded wrongdoings is erased permanently. God is just that way.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for Your love and faithfulness to respond to our prayers of reconciliation and restoration. May we seek to be right with You always and may we share the good news message of Your loving kindness. In Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Strength for Today, Bright Hope for Tomorrow
Good day dear friends.
Our text for today comes from Lamentations 3: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth, 28 to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it, 29 to put one's mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope), 30 to give one's cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. 31 For the Lord will not reject forever. 32 Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone. (NRSV)
This passage was the inspiration for one of my favorite hymns, "Great is Thy Faithfulness." There is one line in the hymn that has always spoken to me, and it is in the third stanza, "strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow." Of course, it's in the midst of a powerful complete stanza, "Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! (Refrain) Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed Thy hand hath provided, Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!" (UM Hymnal 140). The words are by Thomas O. Chisholm, who was inspired to write the hymn's words from verses 22 and 23.
Honestly, one cannot look at the title of this biblical book, Lamentations without thinking, "What can come from that book with a name like that?" But we are corrected, for in the sharing of what we find in that book we find the promise of a God whose presence is always with us; the promise of a God who offers mercy and love to those who seek God, and the promise of a steadfast love that never ends. May the words of this passage and this hymn bless our day today with that which we need to be faithful and fruitful to God.
PRAYER: Loving God, may it be so, that Your blessings allow us to bless others; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from Lamentations 3: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth, 28 to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it, 29 to put one's mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope), 30 to give one's cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. 31 For the Lord will not reject forever. 32 Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone. (NRSV)
This passage was the inspiration for one of my favorite hymns, "Great is Thy Faithfulness." There is one line in the hymn that has always spoken to me, and it is in the third stanza, "strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow." Of course, it's in the midst of a powerful complete stanza, "Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! (Refrain) Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed Thy hand hath provided, Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!" (UM Hymnal 140). The words are by Thomas O. Chisholm, who was inspired to write the hymn's words from verses 22 and 23.
Honestly, one cannot look at the title of this biblical book, Lamentations without thinking, "What can come from that book with a name like that?" But we are corrected, for in the sharing of what we find in that book we find the promise of a God whose presence is always with us; the promise of a God who offers mercy and love to those who seek God, and the promise of a steadfast love that never ends. May the words of this passage and this hymn bless our day today with that which we need to be faithful and fruitful to God.
PRAYER: Loving God, may it be so, that Your blessings allow us to bless others; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Does Your Heart Control Your Hand?
Good day dear friends. If some of you just received yesterday's ConCafe, I apologize because my notification usually comes right away informing me that I have indeed written a devotional and that yahoo groups needs my approval before sending it out. I usually get that immediately and then I post my devotional on my blog, yesterday I waited and waited, then went to post on my blog and got so busy I did not think to re-check this site. So, here's today's ConCafe as well.
Our text is from 2 Corinthians 8: 7 You do so well in so many things - you trust God, you're articulate, you're insightful, you're passionate, you love us - now, do your best in this, too. 8 I'm not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians' enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. 9 You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us - in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. 10 So here's what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. 11 Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. 12 Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands. 13 This isn't so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you're shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, 14 your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even. 15 As it is written, Nothing left over to the one with the most, Nothing lacking to the one with the least. (The Message)
The Apostle Paul was the first Christian to ever hear, "All he ever talks about is money!" No, wait, that was Jesus. Oh, I remember now, Jesus did it because giving is a spiritual matter, and Paul, being trained by Jesus, also spoke about money and how it is a spiritual matter as well. And there are those who do not believe that and when they hear money mentioned in church grumble and moan and threaten not to come back next Easter! (Or Christmas!). It is true, you either possess your possessions, including money or your possessions will possess you. Jesus taught this because He knew it was true. Here, Paul is "closing the deal" on an effort to help the Macedonia churches who were going through a terrible ordeal in all matters, especially financial. Paul heard their pleas and took up the effort to raise money for them. What impressed Paul was that these Macedonian Christians, in spite of their "extreme poverty" gave in ways that impressed and blessed Paul. (Read the entire chapter; this quote comes from verse 2). Paul praises the areas in which they were very faithful; their trust in God, their way of presenting God's word, their passion for their work, and their love and dedication to Paul and his ministry. He then reminds them of Jesus' faithfulness in being generous; we tend to forget Jesus left the extreme wealth of God's presence to come among us to make us rich. Paul says, the best they could do, was to finish what they started the year before in starting their collection to help their brothers and sisters in Macedonia; doing what they could with what they had (they had more than enough!), reminding them that their hearts controlled their hands.
The truth is we can never out give God. God provides to us daily and our attitude should bless our gratitude. We give not out of obligation but out of thankfulness with a hope that as we give our money goes to places we ourselves could not go to do things we would not do. Our giving is a lifeline offered in love to people and ministries that bless God and God's purposes in our world. Try not to hold back from the One who never holds back from us.
PRAYER: Loving God, may my heart truly control my hands in sharing as I should. In Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Request: Mrs. Carol Price, wife of Rev. Dr. Bob Price, faces cancer surgery tomorrow in San Antonio. May we all be in prayer for a successful surgery.
Our text is from 2 Corinthians 8: 7 You do so well in so many things - you trust God, you're articulate, you're insightful, you're passionate, you love us - now, do your best in this, too. 8 I'm not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians' enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. 9 You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us - in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. 10 So here's what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. 11 Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. 12 Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands. 13 This isn't so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you're shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, 14 your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even. 15 As it is written, Nothing left over to the one with the most, Nothing lacking to the one with the least. (The Message)
The Apostle Paul was the first Christian to ever hear, "All he ever talks about is money!" No, wait, that was Jesus. Oh, I remember now, Jesus did it because giving is a spiritual matter, and Paul, being trained by Jesus, also spoke about money and how it is a spiritual matter as well. And there are those who do not believe that and when they hear money mentioned in church grumble and moan and threaten not to come back next Easter! (Or Christmas!). It is true, you either possess your possessions, including money or your possessions will possess you. Jesus taught this because He knew it was true. Here, Paul is "closing the deal" on an effort to help the Macedonia churches who were going through a terrible ordeal in all matters, especially financial. Paul heard their pleas and took up the effort to raise money for them. What impressed Paul was that these Macedonian Christians, in spite of their "extreme poverty" gave in ways that impressed and blessed Paul. (Read the entire chapter; this quote comes from verse 2). Paul praises the areas in which they were very faithful; their trust in God, their way of presenting God's word, their passion for their work, and their love and dedication to Paul and his ministry. He then reminds them of Jesus' faithfulness in being generous; we tend to forget Jesus left the extreme wealth of God's presence to come among us to make us rich. Paul says, the best they could do, was to finish what they started the year before in starting their collection to help their brothers and sisters in Macedonia; doing what they could with what they had (they had more than enough!), reminding them that their hearts controlled their hands.
The truth is we can never out give God. God provides to us daily and our attitude should bless our gratitude. We give not out of obligation but out of thankfulness with a hope that as we give our money goes to places we ourselves could not go to do things we would not do. Our giving is a lifeline offered in love to people and ministries that bless God and God's purposes in our world. Try not to hold back from the One who never holds back from us.
PRAYER: Loving God, may my heart truly control my hands in sharing as I should. In Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Request: Mrs. Carol Price, wife of Rev. Dr. Bob Price, faces cancer surgery tomorrow in San Antonio. May we all be in prayer for a successful surgery.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Do Not Fear, Only Believe
Good day dear friends. Again, we have received much thanks from the family of "Uncle Dan" who is amazing doctors and nurses by the strides he's making in his fight against cancer. His recovery after surgery has gone well enough to move Dan out of ICU into another room. Their hope is to start a liquid diet by Thursday after a meeting with his surgeon on Wednesday. There is power in prayer and especially when we pray for one another, so thank you again for prayers!
Our text for this coming week comes from Mark 5: 21 After Jesus crossed over by boat, a large crowd met him at the seaside. 22 One of the meeting-place leaders named Jairus came. When he saw Jesus, he fell to his knees, 23 beside himself as he begged, "My dear daughter is at death's door. Come and lay hands on her so she will get well and live." 24 Jesus went with him, the whole crowd tagging along, pushing and jostling him. 25 A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years - 26 a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before - 27 had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. 28 She was thinking to herself, "If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well."29 The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with. 30 At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?" 31 His disciples said, "What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you, you're asking, 'Who touched me?' Dozens have touched you!" 32 But he went on asking, looking around to see who had done it. 33The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story. 34 Jesus said to her, "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague." 35 While he was still talking, some people came from the leader's house and told him, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?" 36 Jesus overheard what they were talking about and said to the leader, "Don't listen to them; just trust me." 37 He permitted no one to go in with him except Peter, James, and John. 38 They entered the leader's house and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and neighbors bringing in casseroles. 39 Jesus was abrupt: "Why all this busybody grief and gossip? This child isn't dead; she's sleeping." 40Provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn't know what he was talking about. 41 He clasped the girl's hand and said, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, get up." 42 At that, she was up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were all beside themselves with joy. 43 He gave them strict orders that no one was to know what had taken place in that room. Then he said, "Give her something to eat." (The Message)
What do you need from Jesus? What are you willing to do to get it? That could be the questions asked about the characters in this passage. The answer from Jairus is the life of his little daughter. The answer from the woman is healing from a disease that has plagued her for 12 years. The things they were willing to do was whatever it takes! For Jairus that meant falling to his knees to beg from Jesus; for the woman it meant risking the pushing and shoving of the crowd, just to touch Jesus' garment. The result was what they had wanted, but with the usual questions we might throw in: Why did it take so long? Had Jesus come sooner the results might have been different, or at least that is what Jairus could have claimed, for Jesus stopped to talk to the woman after the healing and while this was happening the news from Jairus' home was that his daughter had died.
The message from Jesus in verse 36, "Do not fear, only believe," from NRSV and this version, "Don't listen to them, just trust me." Do you have faith enough to not only believe but to ask in ways that show your complete dependence on Jesus? Or to press against the crowd to receive that which you need? Ours is a faith that comes to us by simply believing, but after we reach that point we exercise our faith to show others Whose we are and who we are. Can it be said of us that we are children of the Living God? Could it be said we have faith enough to ask even for seemingly impossible things? Our Savior still provides that which we need if we but ask and trust like Jesus said.
PRAYER: Loving God, grant to me and this person praying this as their own, the living faith to trust and believe in You and what You can do in our lives, especially with our needs. Bring healing to areas where this is needed, and new life where others have said there is death. We ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for this coming week comes from Mark 5: 21 After Jesus crossed over by boat, a large crowd met him at the seaside. 22 One of the meeting-place leaders named Jairus came. When he saw Jesus, he fell to his knees, 23 beside himself as he begged, "My dear daughter is at death's door. Come and lay hands on her so she will get well and live." 24 Jesus went with him, the whole crowd tagging along, pushing and jostling him. 25 A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years - 26 a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before - 27 had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. 28 She was thinking to herself, "If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well."29 The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with. 30 At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?" 31 His disciples said, "What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you, you're asking, 'Who touched me?' Dozens have touched you!" 32 But he went on asking, looking around to see who had done it. 33The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story. 34 Jesus said to her, "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague." 35 While he was still talking, some people came from the leader's house and told him, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?" 36 Jesus overheard what they were talking about and said to the leader, "Don't listen to them; just trust me." 37 He permitted no one to go in with him except Peter, James, and John. 38 They entered the leader's house and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and neighbors bringing in casseroles. 39 Jesus was abrupt: "Why all this busybody grief and gossip? This child isn't dead; she's sleeping." 40Provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn't know what he was talking about. 41 He clasped the girl's hand and said, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, get up." 42 At that, she was up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were all beside themselves with joy. 43 He gave them strict orders that no one was to know what had taken place in that room. Then he said, "Give her something to eat." (The Message)
What do you need from Jesus? What are you willing to do to get it? That could be the questions asked about the characters in this passage. The answer from Jairus is the life of his little daughter. The answer from the woman is healing from a disease that has plagued her for 12 years. The things they were willing to do was whatever it takes! For Jairus that meant falling to his knees to beg from Jesus; for the woman it meant risking the pushing and shoving of the crowd, just to touch Jesus' garment. The result was what they had wanted, but with the usual questions we might throw in: Why did it take so long? Had Jesus come sooner the results might have been different, or at least that is what Jairus could have claimed, for Jesus stopped to talk to the woman after the healing and while this was happening the news from Jairus' home was that his daughter had died.
The message from Jesus in verse 36, "Do not fear, only believe," from NRSV and this version, "Don't listen to them, just trust me." Do you have faith enough to not only believe but to ask in ways that show your complete dependence on Jesus? Or to press against the crowd to receive that which you need? Ours is a faith that comes to us by simply believing, but after we reach that point we exercise our faith to show others Whose we are and who we are. Can it be said of us that we are children of the Living God? Could it be said we have faith enough to ask even for seemingly impossible things? Our Savior still provides that which we need if we but ask and trust like Jesus said.
PRAYER: Loving God, grant to me and this person praying this as their own, the living faith to trust and believe in You and what You can do in our lives, especially with our needs. Bring healing to areas where this is needed, and new life where others have said there is death. We ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Even in Violent Storms
Good day dear friends.
Our text for today comes from Job 38: 1 And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said: 2 "Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you're talking about? 3 Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers. 4 Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! 5 Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? 6 How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone, 7 While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise? 34 "Can you get the attention of the clouds, and commission a shower of rain? 35 Can you take charge of the lightning bolts and have them report to you for orders? What Do You Have to Say for Yourself? 36 "Who do you think gave weather-wisdom to the ibis, and storm-savvy to the rooster? 37 Does anyone know enough to number all the clouds or tip over the rain barrels of heaven 38 When the earth is cracked and dry, the ground baked hard as a brick? 39 "Can you teach the lioness to stalk her prey and satisfy the appetite of her cubs 40 As they crouch in their den, waiting hungrily in their cave? 41 And who sets out food for the ravens when their young cry to God, fluttering about because they have no food? (The Message)
The Book of Job is an awesome book; so awesome that many of us fear to read it through in one sitting. It is a great drama of suffering, patience, and wisdom. Most of us have heard the expressions that have come from its pages, "She's got the patience of Job," and even, those of you outside of Texas may not understand, during the 2005 National Championship, with 26 seconds left and the University of Texas behind by five points, and on the USC's 8 yard line, Keith Jackson, the commentator for ABC Sports said, "I kinda feel like Job; I'm too old for this!" meaning the pressure of watching and commenting on a terrific game. And in the short passage from this great book comes a response from God to Job and Job's friends. In the honesty of the Bible, Job is told to curse God by his own wife and even his three so-called friends don't have the best advice to share with the suffering man, here God shows up in "the eye of a violent storm" and says, "Let's put this in perspective, (And incidentally, there is thunder and rain outside my window as I write!) and proceeds to describe the power that God has over all of nature. The questions God poses to Job are ones that every human can answer with no. We were not there at the creation of the earth. We don't know how the size of earth was determined, we saw none of the blueprints or measurements of the earth; and we certainly were not there when the foundations of the earth were poured and when the cornerstone was set. Nor can we command nature to rain or thunder or understand how the birds know when there is a storm coming or how food is provided for all animals, even in droughts.
God is God, and we need God. God deserves our praise. We may not understand all the workings of this great earth of ours nor can we ever control nature; but we take heart in knowing that God does, and we trust God. Whatever your life's situation now, God is with you and God is in control. The storms may rage, thunder and lightning may make their appearance, but even in the eye of the most violent storm, listen for God's voice in all of that.
PRAYER: Loving God, yesterday's text spoke of Your control in our battles and today's text speaks of Your presence in the midst of storms. You understand all things, while we try to make sense of things we may never understand, so hold our hands, embrace us when we need, and give us a deeper faith to trust You in all things. We pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Focus: Those churches offering Vacation Bible School, that this may plants seeds of faith in the hearts of youngsters. Thank God for those who volunteered and for pastors to share their love and wisdom with all involved in VBS.
Our text for today comes from Job 38: 1 And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said: 2 "Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you're talking about? 3 Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers. 4 Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! 5 Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? 6 How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone, 7 While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise? 34 "Can you get the attention of the clouds, and commission a shower of rain? 35 Can you take charge of the lightning bolts and have them report to you for orders? What Do You Have to Say for Yourself? 36 "Who do you think gave weather-wisdom to the ibis, and storm-savvy to the rooster? 37 Does anyone know enough to number all the clouds or tip over the rain barrels of heaven 38 When the earth is cracked and dry, the ground baked hard as a brick? 39 "Can you teach the lioness to stalk her prey and satisfy the appetite of her cubs 40 As they crouch in their den, waiting hungrily in their cave? 41 And who sets out food for the ravens when their young cry to God, fluttering about because they have no food? (The Message)
The Book of Job is an awesome book; so awesome that many of us fear to read it through in one sitting. It is a great drama of suffering, patience, and wisdom. Most of us have heard the expressions that have come from its pages, "She's got the patience of Job," and even, those of you outside of Texas may not understand, during the 2005 National Championship, with 26 seconds left and the University of Texas behind by five points, and on the USC's 8 yard line, Keith Jackson, the commentator for ABC Sports said, "I kinda feel like Job; I'm too old for this!" meaning the pressure of watching and commenting on a terrific game. And in the short passage from this great book comes a response from God to Job and Job's friends. In the honesty of the Bible, Job is told to curse God by his own wife and even his three so-called friends don't have the best advice to share with the suffering man, here God shows up in "the eye of a violent storm" and says, "Let's put this in perspective, (And incidentally, there is thunder and rain outside my window as I write!) and proceeds to describe the power that God has over all of nature. The questions God poses to Job are ones that every human can answer with no. We were not there at the creation of the earth. We don't know how the size of earth was determined, we saw none of the blueprints or measurements of the earth; and we certainly were not there when the foundations of the earth were poured and when the cornerstone was set. Nor can we command nature to rain or thunder or understand how the birds know when there is a storm coming or how food is provided for all animals, even in droughts.
God is God, and we need God. God deserves our praise. We may not understand all the workings of this great earth of ours nor can we ever control nature; but we take heart in knowing that God does, and we trust God. Whatever your life's situation now, God is with you and God is in control. The storms may rage, thunder and lightning may make their appearance, but even in the eye of the most violent storm, listen for God's voice in all of that.
PRAYER: Loving God, yesterday's text spoke of Your control in our battles and today's text speaks of Your presence in the midst of storms. You understand all things, while we try to make sense of things we may never understand, so hold our hands, embrace us when we need, and give us a deeper faith to trust You in all things. We pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Focus: Those churches offering Vacation Bible School, that this may plants seeds of faith in the hearts of youngsters. Thank God for those who volunteered and for pastors to share their love and wisdom with all involved in VBS.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Battle is the Lord's
Good day dear friends.
Our text for today comes from 1 Samuel 17: 1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle;4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." 10 And the Philistine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together." 11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. 32 David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." 33 Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." 37 David said, "The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you!" 38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. 41 The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." 45 But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand." 48 When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. (NRSV)
I remember being falsely accused of having stole my fifth grade teacher's pen. It happened because my aunt, my Dad's sister, had given me a nice pen. I suppose I can blame her for my love of pens. I had to stay after school and endure a long interrogation session with her. Years later I found out she was a Methodist, of course. I went home late and the next day my Dad fought my battle. A few years later in Houston I started making bad grades in a math class where the teacher was not explaining things . My Mom fought my battle for me. In today's passage that verse 47 jumped out at me and I have realized many times in my life and ministry, the Lord has fought many battles, because they were His battles. This is one of the most powerful stories we can teach others, especially our children and youth. It has the appeal of a great battle (great for little boys of all ages!), it is fought in armor (still the same group attracted to that !), and it has a giant versus a little boy. Lord forbid the day when our culture does not recognize the importance of just saying, "This is a 'David versus Goliath' situation." We know the story, but have we shared it? It's set to tell itself as we recount it. I remember seeing it on a felt board (a precursor to PowerPoint) and it was effective. The teacher placed the giant on the board and told a little about him, and then placed the little boy and shared a little about him, and then brought out the weapon, a slingshot! At the time of my hearing the story, that was THE weapon of choice for most of the boys in my neighborhood. Of course, our weapon was modern, for it used a huge rubber band; David's was more of an actual sling-propelled one, but they shared the same name and for all I knew at the time, it was the same thing! The torment and taunting of God's army ended when a little boy of faith dared challenge this ten foot tall giant and defeat him with just one smooth stone. The little boy gave credit to God and his faith in God allowed him to win this battle.
God's battles are fought and won by God. Our faith invites God in and allows us to use whatever "weapon" we need to defeat whatever "giant" we are facing. Many have been the times you and I have fretted and fought against giants relying only our own strength or our own weapons only to discover we were in deeper that we needed to be. Invite God in and by faith, allow God to fight your giants. The victory will be God's, and peace will be yours.
PRAYER: Amazing God, thank You for Your word. Thank You for the faith of David to fight his giant. In my life and in the life of this dear reader, we have our own giants to fight; may we let the battle be Yours. We pray that the victory be Yours so that peace and joy would be ours. Help us to share the story, for we are witnesses to what You have done, are doing, and will do. I pray in Jesus' powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from 1 Samuel 17: 1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle;4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." 10 And the Philistine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together." 11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. 32 David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." 33 Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." 37 David said, "The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you!" 38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. 41 The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." 45 But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand." 48 When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. (NRSV)
I remember being falsely accused of having stole my fifth grade teacher's pen. It happened because my aunt, my Dad's sister, had given me a nice pen. I suppose I can blame her for my love of pens. I had to stay after school and endure a long interrogation session with her. Years later I found out she was a Methodist, of course. I went home late and the next day my Dad fought my battle. A few years later in Houston I started making bad grades in a math class where the teacher was not explaining things . My Mom fought my battle for me. In today's passage that verse 47 jumped out at me and I have realized many times in my life and ministry, the Lord has fought many battles, because they were His battles. This is one of the most powerful stories we can teach others, especially our children and youth. It has the appeal of a great battle (great for little boys of all ages!), it is fought in armor (still the same group attracted to that !), and it has a giant versus a little boy. Lord forbid the day when our culture does not recognize the importance of just saying, "This is a 'David versus Goliath' situation." We know the story, but have we shared it? It's set to tell itself as we recount it. I remember seeing it on a felt board (a precursor to PowerPoint) and it was effective. The teacher placed the giant on the board and told a little about him, and then placed the little boy and shared a little about him, and then brought out the weapon, a slingshot! At the time of my hearing the story, that was THE weapon of choice for most of the boys in my neighborhood. Of course, our weapon was modern, for it used a huge rubber band; David's was more of an actual sling-propelled one, but they shared the same name and for all I knew at the time, it was the same thing! The torment and taunting of God's army ended when a little boy of faith dared challenge this ten foot tall giant and defeat him with just one smooth stone. The little boy gave credit to God and his faith in God allowed him to win this battle.
God's battles are fought and won by God. Our faith invites God in and allows us to use whatever "weapon" we need to defeat whatever "giant" we are facing. Many have been the times you and I have fretted and fought against giants relying only our own strength or our own weapons only to discover we were in deeper that we needed to be. Invite God in and by faith, allow God to fight your giants. The victory will be God's, and peace will be yours.
PRAYER: Amazing God, thank You for Your word. Thank You for the faith of David to fight his giant. In my life and in the life of this dear reader, we have our own giants to fight; may we let the battle be Yours. We pray that the victory be Yours so that peace and joy would be ours. Help us to share the story, for we are witnesses to what You have done, are doing, and will do. I pray in Jesus' powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Shh! We Don't Use That Word Here!
Good day dear friends.
Our text for today comes from 2 Corinthians 6: 1 As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, "At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you." See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 11 We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. 12 There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. 13 In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also. (NRSV)
We, as the church, tend to forget our task is salvation. I started to use The Message version for today's text, but verse two leaves out that important word. Salvation for many, is an antiquated word, left to other denominations to use, yet, it was and is, key to the work we are and should be about: Inviting people to confess their sins, repent of them, and entering into a new relationship with Jesus Christ. Salvation is being taken out of the hands of certain death into the arms of a loving God, Who in turn will use us to bring others into that same relationship. Jesus spoke of it in John 3 to Nicodemus and said we must be "born again" or "born from above," meaning that we are called to the spiritual things of life, not just the physical, visible ones. Many say this is why the Church is dying in some places, we've become all things except that to which we were called to be. Our operations and programs would just as easily work in a civic club or a country club in some cases. The real message has been either hidden or lost. We should exist to seek the lost, the last, and the least.
The work of Christ Jesus is not easy work. It is frustrating at times. It is drenched in tears at times. It means sometimes getting yelled at or ignored or rejected, for the sake of Christ. Those who seek to please God must forget about pleasing themselves or trying to be "people pleasers." There is no way to serve Jesus and anyone or anything else at the same time. To serve Christ Jesus means to have the biggest, most open heart you can hope to have; seeing all as brothers and sisters, as neighbors, as united together in the love and under the banner of He who died for us, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
May today's passage serve as encouragement for what we are called to do. May boldness take the place of cowardice or reluctance. May service take the place of selfishness, and may we seek to win as many as we can to the love of God.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for all You have shared and done for us. May today be the start of claiming as Paul, the task that is ours and serves to reach others. Grant us courage, wisdom and boldness; and above all a heart for others. We pray in Christ Jesus, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from 2 Corinthians 6: 1 As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, "At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you." See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 11 We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. 12 There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. 13 In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also. (NRSV)
We, as the church, tend to forget our task is salvation. I started to use The Message version for today's text, but verse two leaves out that important word. Salvation for many, is an antiquated word, left to other denominations to use, yet, it was and is, key to the work we are and should be about: Inviting people to confess their sins, repent of them, and entering into a new relationship with Jesus Christ. Salvation is being taken out of the hands of certain death into the arms of a loving God, Who in turn will use us to bring others into that same relationship. Jesus spoke of it in John 3 to Nicodemus and said we must be "born again" or "born from above," meaning that we are called to the spiritual things of life, not just the physical, visible ones. Many say this is why the Church is dying in some places, we've become all things except that to which we were called to be. Our operations and programs would just as easily work in a civic club or a country club in some cases. The real message has been either hidden or lost. We should exist to seek the lost, the last, and the least.
The work of Christ Jesus is not easy work. It is frustrating at times. It is drenched in tears at times. It means sometimes getting yelled at or ignored or rejected, for the sake of Christ. Those who seek to please God must forget about pleasing themselves or trying to be "people pleasers." There is no way to serve Jesus and anyone or anything else at the same time. To serve Christ Jesus means to have the biggest, most open heart you can hope to have; seeing all as brothers and sisters, as neighbors, as united together in the love and under the banner of He who died for us, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
May today's passage serve as encouragement for what we are called to do. May boldness take the place of cowardice or reluctance. May service take the place of selfishness, and may we seek to win as many as we can to the love of God.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for all You have shared and done for us. May today be the start of claiming as Paul, the task that is ours and serves to reach others. Grant us courage, wisdom and boldness; and above all a heart for others. We pray in Christ Jesus, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Shh! We Don't Use That Word Here!
Good day dear friends.
Our text for today comes from 2 Corinthians 6: 1 As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, "At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you." See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 11 We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. 12 There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. 13 In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also. (NRSV)
We, as the church, tend to forget our task is salvation. I started to use The Message version for today's text, but verse two leaves out that important word. Salvation for many, is an antiquated word, left to other denominations to use, yet, it was and is, key to the work we are and should be about: Inviting people to confess their sins, repent of them, and entering into a new relationship with Jesus Christ. Salvation is being taken out of the hands of certain death into the arms of a loving God, Who in turn will use us to bring others into that same relationship. Jesus spoke of it in John 3 to Nicodemus and said we must be "born again" or "born from above," meaning that we are called to the spiritual things of life, not just the physical, visible ones. Many say this is why the Church is dying in some places, we've become all things except that to which we were called to be. Our operations and programs would just as easily work in a civic club or a country club in some cases. The real message has been either hidden or lost. We should exist to seek the lost, the last, and the least.
The work of Christ Jesus is not easy work. It is frustrating at times. It is drenched in tears at times. It means sometimes getting yelled at or ignored or rejected, for the sake of Christ. Those who seek to please God must forget about pleasing themselves or trying to be "people pleasers." There is no way to serve Jesus and anyone or anything else at the same time. To serve Christ Jesus means to have the biggest, most open heart you can hope to have; seeing all as brothers and sisters, as neighbors, as united together in the love and under the banner of He who died for us, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
May today's passage serve as encouragement for what we are called to do. May boldness take the place of cowardice or reluctance. May service take the place of selfishness, and may we seek to win as many as we can to the love of God.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for all You have shared and done for us. May today be the start of claiming as Paul, the task that is ours and serves to reach others. Grant us courage, wisdom and boldness; and above all a heart for others. We pray in Christ Jesus, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from 2 Corinthians 6: 1 As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, "At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you." See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 11 We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. 12 There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. 13 In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also. (NRSV)
We, as the church, tend to forget our task is salvation. I started to use The Message version for today's text, but verse two leaves out that important word. Salvation for many, is an antiquated word, left to other denominations to use, yet, it was and is, key to the work we are and should be about: Inviting people to confess their sins, repent of them, and entering into a new relationship with Jesus Christ. Salvation is being taken out of the hands of certain death into the arms of a loving God, Who in turn will use us to bring others into that same relationship. Jesus spoke of it in John 3 to Nicodemus and said we must be "born again" or "born from above," meaning that we are called to the spiritual things of life, not just the physical, visible ones. Many say this is why the Church is dying in some places, we've become all things except that to which we were called to be. Our operations and programs would just as easily work in a civic club or a country club in some cases. The real message has been either hidden or lost. We should exist to seek the lost, the last, and the least.
The work of Christ Jesus is not easy work. It is frustrating at times. It is drenched in tears at times. It means sometimes getting yelled at or ignored or rejected, for the sake of Christ. Those who seek to please God must forget about pleasing themselves or trying to be "people pleasers." There is no way to serve Jesus and anyone or anything else at the same time. To serve Christ Jesus means to have the biggest, most open heart you can hope to have; seeing all as brothers and sisters, as neighbors, as united together in the love and under the banner of He who died for us, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
May today's passage serve as encouragement for what we are called to do. May boldness take the place of cowardice or reluctance. May service take the place of selfishness, and may we seek to win as many as we can to the love of God.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for all You have shared and done for us. May today be the start of claiming as Paul, the task that is ours and serves to reach others. Grant us courage, wisdom and boldness; and above all a heart for others. We pray in Christ Jesus, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Monday, June 18, 2012
Ah, The Storms Still Rage On!
Good day dear friends. A belated Happy Father's Day to all the Dads who read ConCafe/The University of The Way blog. I trust it was a blessed and restful weekend.
Our text for today comes from Mark 4:35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" 41 And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?" (RSV)
The last part of May I did something I thought I would never do, and that was to go on a cruise. I did it for a good reason, my wife and I had to spend our 34th Anniversary on the road during the episcopal interviews and though we had a great time, the wear and tear of these interviews on the both of us merited my doing something special for my wife. She had always wanted to go on one and when our daughter and her husband chose one for their honeymoon and three subsequent ones, I gave in. I have an uneasiness about the ocean. Let's say I respect it enough to stay off of it or go more than a few feet from its shores. And the idea of being captive, in a sense, made the thought of a cruise was foreign to me. I enjoy the ferry ride from Port Aransas to Aransas Pass; it is one of several great things about serving in this district and area of Texas, but I thought that ten minute trip was enough. Long story short, it was a great experience and I'm looking forward someday to my second cruise.
The people in the Bible have a tremendous respect and fear of the seas. The prophet Micah knew the depths of the ocean hides many things including sea creatures that they were not familiar with, but Micah says in 7:19: "You will cast al our sins into the depths of the sea." (The Good News about that is that in Revelation, John writes that "the sea was no more." (Rev. 21.1) Hmm. Ponder that in your heart. But today's text speaks of the fear that came into the disciples as this unexpected storm arose while they were in the boat with Jesus. The passage says the boat began to fill with water and they're screaming for their lives and Jesus is sound asleep on a cushion. They could stand it no longer and awoke Jesus and asked if He didn't care they were all perishing. Jesus calmed the storm with just His command. And they wondered who Jesus truly was.
The storms of our life continue to rage long after we've committed our lives to Jesus, as they will until He returns, but the difference should be that the storms no longer frighten us to the point of questioning where Jesus is or what Jesus is doing. We are able to sleep even in the midst of the storm, confident and calm that the One who calmed the seas can calm our fears, for Jesus has complete control in all things.
PRAYER: Loving God, though life's storms still rage around us, help us to know that we are in Your presence and under Your loving protection. Speak the words and the storms will calm, more importantly, speak the words and we will be calm and trusting as we should. Bless and protect those who read this prayer as their own in whatever storm they may be facing right now. 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 Mark 4:35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" 41 And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?" (RSV)
The last part of May I did something I thought I would never do, and that was to go on a cruise. I did it for a good reason, my wife and I had to spend our 34th Anniversary on the road during the episcopal interviews and though we had a great time, the wear and tear of these interviews on the both of us merited my doing something special for my wife. She had always wanted to go on one and when our daughter and her husband chose one for their honeymoon and three subsequent ones, I gave in. I have an uneasiness about the ocean. Let's say I respect it enough to stay off of it or go more than a few feet from its shores. And the idea of being captive, in a sense, made the thought of a cruise was foreign to me. I enjoy the ferry ride from Port Aransas to Aransas Pass; it is one of several great things about serving in this district and area of Texas, but I thought that ten minute trip was enough. Long story short, it was a great experience and I'm looking forward someday to my second cruise.
The people in the Bible have a tremendous respect and fear of the seas. The prophet Micah knew the depths of the ocean hides many things including sea creatures that they were not familiar with, but Micah says in 7:19: "You will cast al our sins into the depths of the sea." (The Good News about that is that in Revelation, John writes that "the sea was no more." (Rev. 21.1) Hmm. Ponder that in your heart. But today's text speaks of the fear that came into the disciples as this unexpected storm arose while they were in the boat with Jesus. The passage says the boat began to fill with water and they're screaming for their lives and Jesus is sound asleep on a cushion. They could stand it no longer and awoke Jesus and asked if He didn't care they were all perishing. Jesus calmed the storm with just His command. And they wondered who Jesus truly was.
The storms of our life continue to rage long after we've committed our lives to Jesus, as they will until He returns, but the difference should be that the storms no longer frighten us to the point of questioning where Jesus is or what Jesus is doing. We are able to sleep even in the midst of the storm, confident and calm that the One who calmed the seas can calm our fears, for Jesus has complete control in all things.
PRAYER: Loving God, though life's storms still rage around us, help us to know that we are in Your presence and under Your loving protection. Speak the words and the storms will calm, more importantly, speak the words and we will be calm and trusting as we should. Bless and protect those who read this prayer as their own in whatever storm they may be facing right now. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Trusting Enough to Ask!
Good day dear friends. A Prayer Update and Praise: The Rev. Virgilio Vasquez-Garza's eye pressure dropped to normal levels! Thank you for your prayers!
Today's Psalm is Psalm 20: 1 The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. (Selah) 4 May he grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill all your plans. 5 May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. 7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright. 9 Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call. (NSRV)
This was my grandfather's favorite psalm. Carlos Valverde came to faith late in life and he also learned to read late in life. Once he could read he started reading the Bible. I remember as a boy watching him hand his checkbook to the cashier to fill out the amount for his purchase and then seeing Popo make his X on the signature line. Later I remember hearing that he was attending classes to learn to read. He loves the Spanish version of this psalm especially verse 7: Estos confÃan en carros, y aquéllos en caballos: Mas nosotros del nombre de Jehová nuestro Dios tendremos memoria. In Spanish the word "carros" modernizes it a bit in that it can be the word for cars. This spoke to my grandpa because he had always been fond of cars and bought what I considered really cool cars during that time. Yet when he came to faith his love for God took the place of cars.
The psalmist knew of God's protective and responsive power and thus the awesomeness of his words in this psalm. The pesonal experiences with God allowed him to write these promises for us. Can we say that God no longer responds nor assists us when we ask? No! Ours is the victory when we trust enough to call on God.
PRAYER: Loving God, make ours the victory with a faith to trust you enough to call on You to bring us help when we need it. May our faith give us more love for you than in any earthly thing. May nothing stand in Your place; for Your place should be first in our hearts. In Jesus' precious and powerful name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Today's Psalm is Psalm 20: 1 The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. (Selah) 4 May he grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill all your plans. 5 May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. 7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright. 9 Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call. (NSRV)
This was my grandfather's favorite psalm. Carlos Valverde came to faith late in life and he also learned to read late in life. Once he could read he started reading the Bible. I remember as a boy watching him hand his checkbook to the cashier to fill out the amount for his purchase and then seeing Popo make his X on the signature line. Later I remember hearing that he was attending classes to learn to read. He loves the Spanish version of this psalm especially verse 7: Estos confÃan en carros, y aquéllos en caballos: Mas nosotros del nombre de Jehová nuestro Dios tendremos memoria. In Spanish the word "carros" modernizes it a bit in that it can be the word for cars. This spoke to my grandpa because he had always been fond of cars and bought what I considered really cool cars during that time. Yet when he came to faith his love for God took the place of cars.
The psalmist knew of God's protective and responsive power and thus the awesomeness of his words in this psalm. The pesonal experiences with God allowed him to write these promises for us. Can we say that God no longer responds nor assists us when we ask? No! Ours is the victory when we trust enough to call on God.
PRAYER: Loving God, make ours the victory with a faith to trust you enough to call on You to bring us help when we need it. May our faith give us more love for you than in any earthly thing. May nothing stand in Your place; for Your place should be first in our hearts. In Jesus' precious and powerful name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
How's Your Heart?
Good day dear friends. As we pray this morning, let us remember Rev. Virgilio Vasquez-Garza who has a follow-up eye doctor appointment after his surgical procedure on Monday.
Our text for today comes from 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13. Key Verse: 1 Sam. 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." (NRSV)
I do recommend that you spend time with God in reading the full text mentioned above and I will place it at the end of this devotional. The key verse has always spoken to me since I first read it and understood it. It comes in the midst of a difficult task for the old prophet Samuel. He had felt personal rejection by the people of Israel when they demanded a king instead of just a prophet/judge to rule over them. In spite of their warnings they still clamored for a king and when they got Saul they thought they would be just like every other nation, and they were. Saul failed them and he failed God. The task before Samuel now is to anoint a new king and it proves to be difficult; apart from the grieving for Saul, Samuel keeps thinking every brother of the future king is the king, until God shares the above verse; God sees our hearts and that's what matters most. We, on the other hand place too much value on our outward appearances and how we look or how we think people see us. Some of us lament that we are not taller or shorter, or thinner or even a big heavier (those are rare!); some change their noses through surgery or make other adjustments based on our perceived needs. What matters most to God is our heart.
I've often preached that the Word of God, the Bible, is a mirror of ourselves and through it we can see what is in our heart. I also believe the Bible has a checklist of sorts of what should be in our hearts with 1) Love of God, both received and returned to God; 2) Love of Self in a proper and caring way, not vain or selfish, 3) Love of neighbor, which means every other person on the face of the planet. With these three as a foundation of love we can build on to it to create the proper relationship with God and God's people.
How does your heart measure up? What changes does God have to make in it? What are you waiting for?
PRAYER: Like the Psalmist I pray, "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord," and place in it the right spirit towards You and Yours. May my heart be seen by You as a proper place in which to live. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
1 Samuel 15: 34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. 1 The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." 2 Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" 5 He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord." 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." 11 Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. (NRSV)
Our text for today comes from 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13. Key Verse: 1 Sam. 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." (NRSV)
I do recommend that you spend time with God in reading the full text mentioned above and I will place it at the end of this devotional. The key verse has always spoken to me since I first read it and understood it. It comes in the midst of a difficult task for the old prophet Samuel. He had felt personal rejection by the people of Israel when they demanded a king instead of just a prophet/judge to rule over them. In spite of their warnings they still clamored for a king and when they got Saul they thought they would be just like every other nation, and they were. Saul failed them and he failed God. The task before Samuel now is to anoint a new king and it proves to be difficult; apart from the grieving for Saul, Samuel keeps thinking every brother of the future king is the king, until God shares the above verse; God sees our hearts and that's what matters most. We, on the other hand place too much value on our outward appearances and how we look or how we think people see us. Some of us lament that we are not taller or shorter, or thinner or even a big heavier (those are rare!); some change their noses through surgery or make other adjustments based on our perceived needs. What matters most to God is our heart.
I've often preached that the Word of God, the Bible, is a mirror of ourselves and through it we can see what is in our heart. I also believe the Bible has a checklist of sorts of what should be in our hearts with 1) Love of God, both received and returned to God; 2) Love of Self in a proper and caring way, not vain or selfish, 3) Love of neighbor, which means every other person on the face of the planet. With these three as a foundation of love we can build on to it to create the proper relationship with God and God's people.
How does your heart measure up? What changes does God have to make in it? What are you waiting for?
PRAYER: Like the Psalmist I pray, "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord," and place in it the right spirit towards You and Yours. May my heart be seen by You as a proper place in which to live. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
1 Samuel 15: 34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. 1 The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." 2 Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" 5 He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord." 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." 11 Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. (NRSV)
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Confident Living!
Good day dear friends.
Our text for today comes from 2 Corinthians 5: 6 So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (NRSV)
Living with confidence is the only way to live. The choices away from confident living are those that fret, worry, struggle, stumble, cower, run, and hide. To live confidently, according to this passage, is to live in Christ. To live without Christ is to choose this other way to live, and that isn't much of a life. To receive Christ as our Lord and Savior means to surrender our lives completely to Him, and that is the beginning of the confident life. To reject Christ or to live a life based on our own thinking, without praying, without Bible study, without worshiping with other believers, is to take a different and rougher path through life. It's not a fun way to journey. Paul's encounter with Christ allowed him to see there would be a better way to live here on the earth because when the day came there would be a perfect life lived in the constant, eternal presence of Christ. Jesus presented Himself real to Paul, and Paul lived the rest of his earthly life desiring to be with Christ again. But this "meantime life" meant that his life was now new, completely new. The old things had passed away and the new things were spiritual and pleasing to God. Paul's old self was gone; his desire to kill Christians went away, and now Paul's desire was to make new Christians. What a change!
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for the newness of life that is ours through Jesus. I pray that we might truly be new creatures, turning over and leaving with You our old selves, taking on the life-affirming and life-giving ones that we need. May we be a witness to all as we live our lives, so that others may choose to become new in You. Help me to overcome the things that weigh me down or cause me to be less than confident. 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 2 Corinthians 5: 6 So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (NRSV)
Living with confidence is the only way to live. The choices away from confident living are those that fret, worry, struggle, stumble, cower, run, and hide. To live confidently, according to this passage, is to live in Christ. To live without Christ is to choose this other way to live, and that isn't much of a life. To receive Christ as our Lord and Savior means to surrender our lives completely to Him, and that is the beginning of the confident life. To reject Christ or to live a life based on our own thinking, without praying, without Bible study, without worshiping with other believers, is to take a different and rougher path through life. It's not a fun way to journey. Paul's encounter with Christ allowed him to see there would be a better way to live here on the earth because when the day came there would be a perfect life lived in the constant, eternal presence of Christ. Jesus presented Himself real to Paul, and Paul lived the rest of his earthly life desiring to be with Christ again. But this "meantime life" meant that his life was now new, completely new. The old things had passed away and the new things were spiritual and pleasing to God. Paul's old self was gone; his desire to kill Christians went away, and now Paul's desire was to make new Christians. What a change!
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for the newness of life that is ours through Jesus. I pray that we might truly be new creatures, turning over and leaving with You our old selves, taking on the life-affirming and life-giving ones that we need. May we be a witness to all as we live our lives, so that others may choose to become new in You. Help me to overcome the things that weigh me down or cause me to be less than confident. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Monday, June 11, 2012
How's Your Garden?
Good day dear friends. Please be in prayer for The Rev. Virgilio Vasquez-Garza, who undergoes eye surgery this morning in San Antonio. Pray that the operation go well and that his recovery is quick and complete. Rev. Vasquez Garza is the Assistant to the Episcopal Office. Pray that God's patience be with his wife, Acacia.
Our text for today comes from the Gospel of Mark 4: 26 He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." 30 He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. (NRSV)
I love time-lapse photography films. I love the one where a bean is placed in a cup, water and then right before our eyes we see a tiny sprout come out at first, then it becomes a fully-grown plant, all in a matter of seconds. Yes, the film or video of such events, records the events as they happened in a process, much like the actual growth of that plant, that I do not fully understand. Time-lapse photography places right into our hurry up mentality of today. Not so with the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells this story about our need to plant everywhere the good news of God's love and power to transform. The key is our willingness to go and just share as we should. Every effort to share this message, however small we may think it is, will yield the harvest that I believe is ready for the harvesting. We let our self-doubts hinder our work or we think we don't have the words or the ability or the strength to do anything. Jesus' message is our encouragement to truly go and do the work of God.
The kingdom of God is about reaching people and not worrying about whether we care for ourselves or not. Too many churches are filled with people who only care if their needs are being met and not about the countless people who are being lost. Those churches that close or are close to closing are those who never spread the "seed" of God's love and transforming power anywhere. They hoped that their children would automatically continue the "work" of the church (not God) and are surprised when some of their children get their lives transformed in other churches and start actively serving God beyond where they were raised. Parents have to share the seeds of faith with their children and should live a life that demonstrates a life that pleases God. The mustard seed is at your disposal and ready for planting in your garden; what are you going to do about it?
PRAYER: Loving God, I and those who make this prayer their own, pray for the faith and boldness to take even mustard seed steps in sharing and living the life of faith that Christ expects from me. Let it be scattered in all places so that with Your power and plan, many may come to know You. Forgive me the times I have cared only about myself and my needs, and allow me new opportunities to truly live a life that blesses You and Your kingdom. 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 the Gospel of Mark 4: 26 He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." 30 He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. (NRSV)
I love time-lapse photography films. I love the one where a bean is placed in a cup, water and then right before our eyes we see a tiny sprout come out at first, then it becomes a fully-grown plant, all in a matter of seconds. Yes, the film or video of such events, records the events as they happened in a process, much like the actual growth of that plant, that I do not fully understand. Time-lapse photography places right into our hurry up mentality of today. Not so with the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells this story about our need to plant everywhere the good news of God's love and power to transform. The key is our willingness to go and just share as we should. Every effort to share this message, however small we may think it is, will yield the harvest that I believe is ready for the harvesting. We let our self-doubts hinder our work or we think we don't have the words or the ability or the strength to do anything. Jesus' message is our encouragement to truly go and do the work of God.
The kingdom of God is about reaching people and not worrying about whether we care for ourselves or not. Too many churches are filled with people who only care if their needs are being met and not about the countless people who are being lost. Those churches that close or are close to closing are those who never spread the "seed" of God's love and transforming power anywhere. They hoped that their children would automatically continue the "work" of the church (not God) and are surprised when some of their children get their lives transformed in other churches and start actively serving God beyond where they were raised. Parents have to share the seeds of faith with their children and should live a life that demonstrates a life that pleases God. The mustard seed is at your disposal and ready for planting in your garden; what are you going to do about it?
PRAYER: Loving God, I and those who make this prayer their own, pray for the faith and boldness to take even mustard seed steps in sharing and living the life of faith that Christ expects from me. Let it be scattered in all places so that with Your power and plan, many may come to know You. Forgive me the times I have cared only about myself and my needs, and allow me new opportunities to truly live a life that blesses You and Your kingdom. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
Friday, June 08, 2012
Wait Upon the Lord!
Good day dear friends.
Our text for today comes from Psalm 130: 1 Help, God - the bottom has fallen out of my life! Master, hear my cry for help! 2 Listen hard! Open your ears! Listen to my cries for mercy. 3 If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? 4 As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped. 5 I pray to God - my life a prayer - and wait for what he'll say and do. 6 My life's on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning.7 O Israel, wait and watch for God - with God's arrival comes love, with God's arrival comes generous redemption. 8 No doubt about it - he'll redeem Israel, buy back Israel from captivity to sin. (The Message)
The Bible is an honest book. No person in it is perfect except Jesus. The Bible is our story. In fact, we can insert our name into every place where it says Israel or where the story being told is exactly as we have found life to be. So it is in this Psalm that we find that sometimes our lives face some difficulty or because of some bad decisions we realize our sinfulness is causing us pain; and we cry out, as we should, to God. The Psalmist knows God and knows the habits of God, and one of these is to forgive us for our sinfulness. At times it may seem like it takes God a little longer than we'd like to answer our prayers for relief and forgiveness, but the psalmist says, wait and watch till morning, God's love will arrive in the form of generous redemption. The reality is that that has arrived in the person of Jesus Whose love has delivered us, as the psalmist predicted "from captivity to sin."
We have no need to continue to be unhappy about our lives or staying in circumstances in which we find ourselves; God has the power and the desire to set us free. All we have to do is ask. And if we have to "wait till morning," so be it.
PRAYER; Loving God, thank You for Jesus and the redemption that has come through Him. May freedom from sin and its consequences be mine and all who ask for it; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Our text for today comes from Psalm 130: 1 Help, God - the bottom has fallen out of my life! Master, hear my cry for help! 2 Listen hard! Open your ears! Listen to my cries for mercy. 3 If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? 4 As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped. 5 I pray to God - my life a prayer - and wait for what he'll say and do. 6 My life's on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning.7 O Israel, wait and watch for God - with God's arrival comes love, with God's arrival comes generous redemption. 8 No doubt about it - he'll redeem Israel, buy back Israel from captivity to sin. (The Message)
The Bible is an honest book. No person in it is perfect except Jesus. The Bible is our story. In fact, we can insert our name into every place where it says Israel or where the story being told is exactly as we have found life to be. So it is in this Psalm that we find that sometimes our lives face some difficulty or because of some bad decisions we realize our sinfulness is causing us pain; and we cry out, as we should, to God. The Psalmist knows God and knows the habits of God, and one of these is to forgive us for our sinfulness. At times it may seem like it takes God a little longer than we'd like to answer our prayers for relief and forgiveness, but the psalmist says, wait and watch till morning, God's love will arrive in the form of generous redemption. The reality is that that has arrived in the person of Jesus Whose love has delivered us, as the psalmist predicted "from captivity to sin."
We have no need to continue to be unhappy about our lives or staying in circumstances in which we find ourselves; God has the power and the desire to set us free. All we have to do is ask. And if we have to "wait till morning," so be it.
PRAYER; Loving God, thank You for Jesus and the redemption that has come through Him. May freedom from sin and its consequences be mine and all who ask for it; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Thursday, June 07, 2012
It's Not My Fault!
Good day dear friends. A prayer update/prayer praise! Don Chapman who entered a local hospital with chest pains, underwent all the tests associated with blockage and none was found; doctors believe it was inflammation around the rib cage that caused his pain and Don was released to go home yesterday. Thank you for your prayers!
Our text for today comes from Genesis 3: 8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate." 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." (NRSV)
This story paints a picture of life before prayer. God walked the earth with this first couple and held conversations with them. They could speak their minds and hearts and God would listen. God had shared what was on God's heart and they, sadly, did not listen,but they could have. The couple chose instead to follow the lead of the tempter and they gave in to what comes natural to most humans, disobedience. This was called original sin; the bent we have to be disobedient towards the things of God. As a result they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and this opened their eyes or so they thought. Their first act was to judge that being naked was bad, which was a reflection against the litany of "God saw that it was good" we find in the first chapter of Genesis. Then their second decision was to hide from God which is where this passage begins. An Old Testament professor once asked a group he was addressed to portray Adam and Eve, God, and the serpent. He poised them in the front of the God and gave them their lines. He then asked, "What tone do you believe God used in asking, 'Where are you?'" The student read with anger, "WHERE ARE YOU?" The professor smiled and asked, where do we see that God was angry in this passage? The student tried again and this time, sounding like a concerned parents, asked gently but excitedly, "Where are you?"
The Blame Game began right then and there. We hid because we were naked, the man replies. "Who told you you were naked?" is asked but not expecting an answer, for God knew already what had happened thus the second immediate question, "Have you eaten from the treevof which I commanded you not to eat?" The man replies, that woman that YOU gave me, it's her fault! The woman replies, It wasn't my fault! The devil made me do it. (Thought "devil" does not appear there, it has in the years since!). And then God speaks to the serpent and established a less-than-pleasant relationship between the woman and the serpent, that some believe led all the way to the cross some many years later.
The lesson is simple. Walk with God and as you do, listen to what God says. Learn God's ways through faithful study and obedience to God's Word. And when you do make a mistake, take the responsibility for it and do not seek to blame others. God's love and patience for and with us, never ends. And if you do make a mistake or a wrong choice, don't try to hide from God; God still desires your relationship and we should not seek to break it for any reason.
PRAYER: Loving God, I pray with those who read this and make it their own, to be more faithful and responsible to You and Yours. Help me to walk and talk with You and help me to listen and obey. I pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PS Prayer please for annual conferences being held around the denomination. Ours begins today and we need God's blessing and presence.
Our text for today comes from Genesis 3: 8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate." 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." (NRSV)
This story paints a picture of life before prayer. God walked the earth with this first couple and held conversations with them. They could speak their minds and hearts and God would listen. God had shared what was on God's heart and they, sadly, did not listen,but they could have. The couple chose instead to follow the lead of the tempter and they gave in to what comes natural to most humans, disobedience. This was called original sin; the bent we have to be disobedient towards the things of God. As a result they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and this opened their eyes or so they thought. Their first act was to judge that being naked was bad, which was a reflection against the litany of "God saw that it was good" we find in the first chapter of Genesis. Then their second decision was to hide from God which is where this passage begins. An Old Testament professor once asked a group he was addressed to portray Adam and Eve, God, and the serpent. He poised them in the front of the God and gave them their lines. He then asked, "What tone do you believe God used in asking, 'Where are you?'" The student read with anger, "WHERE ARE YOU?" The professor smiled and asked, where do we see that God was angry in this passage? The student tried again and this time, sounding like a concerned parents, asked gently but excitedly, "Where are you?"
The Blame Game began right then and there. We hid because we were naked, the man replies. "Who told you you were naked?" is asked but not expecting an answer, for God knew already what had happened thus the second immediate question, "Have you eaten from the treevof which I commanded you not to eat?" The man replies, that woman that YOU gave me, it's her fault! The woman replies, It wasn't my fault! The devil made me do it. (Thought "devil" does not appear there, it has in the years since!). And then God speaks to the serpent and established a less-than-pleasant relationship between the woman and the serpent, that some believe led all the way to the cross some many years later.
The lesson is simple. Walk with God and as you do, listen to what God says. Learn God's ways through faithful study and obedience to God's Word. And when you do make a mistake, take the responsibility for it and do not seek to blame others. God's love and patience for and with us, never ends. And if you do make a mistake or a wrong choice, don't try to hide from God; God still desires your relationship and we should not seek to break it for any reason.
PRAYER: Loving God, I pray with those who read this and make it their own, to be more faithful and responsible to You and Yours. Help me to walk and talk with You and help me to listen and obey. I pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PS Prayer please for annual conferences being held around the denomination. Ours begins today and we need God's blessing and presence.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Just Like Everyone else!
Good day dear friends. Prayers continue for Don Chapman who this morning at 7 finds out what procedure/treatment he needs for his chest pains. Prayers also for Mrs. Carol Price, wife of retired pastor, Rev. Bob Price of San Antonio. She will be undergoing surgery.
Our text for today comes from 1 Samuel 8: 4-20 and 11:14-15: 4 Fed up, all the elders of Israel got together and confronted Samuel at Ramah. 5 They presented their case: "Look, you're an old man, and your sons aren't following in your footsteps. Here's what we want you to do: Appoint a king to rule us, just like everybody else." 6 When Samuel heard their demand - "Give us a king to rule us!" - he was crushed. How awful! Samuel prayed to God. 7 God answered Samuel, "Go ahead and do what they're asking. They are not rejecting you. They've rejected me as their King. 8 From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they've been behaving like this, leaving me for other gods. And now they're doing it to you. 9 So let them have their own way. But warn them of what they're in for. Tell them the way kings operate, just what they're likely to get from a king." 10 So Samuel told them, delivered God's warning to the people who were asking him to give them a king. 11 He said, "This is the way the kind of king you're talking about operates. He'll take your sons and make soldiers of them - chariotry, cavalry, infantry, 12 regimented in battalions and squadrons. He'll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. 13 He'll put your daughters to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. 14 He'll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends. 15 He'll tax your harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy. 16 Your prize workers and best animals he'll take for his own use. 17 He'll lay a tax on your flocks and you'll end up no better than slaves. 18 The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves. But don't expect God to answer." 19 But the people wouldn't listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We will have a king to rule us! 20 Then we'll be just like all the other nations. Our king will rule us and lead us and fight our battles." 11: 14 Come, let's go to Gilgal and there reconsecrate the kingship." 15 They all trooped out to Gilgal. Before God, they crowned Saul king at Gilgal. And there they worshiped, sacrificing peace offerings. Saul and all Israel celebrated magnificently. (The Message)
It's sad for ourselves when we make decisions based on whatever everyone else is doing. Growing up most of us we received instructions from our parents about how to make the best choices and what things we should avoid or not do; yet, we still chose based on what everybody else was doing. Such was the case with Israel. Ruled by God in a form of government known as theocracy, the judge chosen and called by God sat and spoke on God's behalf. God has said Israel should be a light to the other nations, but they chose instead to have a form of government like their neighbors with a king. The recent news has been from England celebrating silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth and I wondered why we still had monarchs in some governments even as figureheads. The judge/prophet at that time, Samuel, who had personally served God faithfully (except in the area of parenting) finds himself being removed from office and asked by God to list the things that the nation would have to give up and assume if they did go with a king. The first was to have a military conscription of both males and females (A "draft" like in the old days of the USA). The second would be taxation to fund this new form of government and with just those two things I think most reasonable people would say, "Okay, you've convinced me! Never mind, we'll do fine without a king!" But no, the cries grew louder and they wanted a king! They chose a tall, handsome man to lead them. It didn't matter at the time that this handsome king would not be much of a king.
Why do we still insist on our way versus what we know to be God's better way? Why, knowing the consequences of some of our decisions or choices do we still choose what is wrong or harmful for us? This story stands as that which should speak to us about listening and paying attention to God in our everyday life. Not all that appears sugarcoated is best for us. We need to stay connected with God.
PRAYER: May our choices and decisions be guided by You. We are tempted and attracted to things like everyone else, but help us to remember we as Christians are still called to be not only light, but salt for the earth. May it be so. We pray 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 1 Samuel 8: 4-20 and 11:14-15: 4 Fed up, all the elders of Israel got together and confronted Samuel at Ramah. 5 They presented their case: "Look, you're an old man, and your sons aren't following in your footsteps. Here's what we want you to do: Appoint a king to rule us, just like everybody else." 6 When Samuel heard their demand - "Give us a king to rule us!" - he was crushed. How awful! Samuel prayed to God. 7 God answered Samuel, "Go ahead and do what they're asking. They are not rejecting you. They've rejected me as their King. 8 From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they've been behaving like this, leaving me for other gods. And now they're doing it to you. 9 So let them have their own way. But warn them of what they're in for. Tell them the way kings operate, just what they're likely to get from a king." 10 So Samuel told them, delivered God's warning to the people who were asking him to give them a king. 11 He said, "This is the way the kind of king you're talking about operates. He'll take your sons and make soldiers of them - chariotry, cavalry, infantry, 12 regimented in battalions and squadrons. He'll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. 13 He'll put your daughters to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. 14 He'll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends. 15 He'll tax your harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy. 16 Your prize workers and best animals he'll take for his own use. 17 He'll lay a tax on your flocks and you'll end up no better than slaves. 18 The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves. But don't expect God to answer." 19 But the people wouldn't listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We will have a king to rule us! 20 Then we'll be just like all the other nations. Our king will rule us and lead us and fight our battles." 11: 14 Come, let's go to Gilgal and there reconsecrate the kingship." 15 They all trooped out to Gilgal. Before God, they crowned Saul king at Gilgal. And there they worshiped, sacrificing peace offerings. Saul and all Israel celebrated magnificently. (The Message)
It's sad for ourselves when we make decisions based on whatever everyone else is doing. Growing up most of us we received instructions from our parents about how to make the best choices and what things we should avoid or not do; yet, we still chose based on what everybody else was doing. Such was the case with Israel. Ruled by God in a form of government known as theocracy, the judge chosen and called by God sat and spoke on God's behalf. God has said Israel should be a light to the other nations, but they chose instead to have a form of government like their neighbors with a king. The recent news has been from England celebrating silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth and I wondered why we still had monarchs in some governments even as figureheads. The judge/prophet at that time, Samuel, who had personally served God faithfully (except in the area of parenting) finds himself being removed from office and asked by God to list the things that the nation would have to give up and assume if they did go with a king. The first was to have a military conscription of both males and females (A "draft" like in the old days of the USA). The second would be taxation to fund this new form of government and with just those two things I think most reasonable people would say, "Okay, you've convinced me! Never mind, we'll do fine without a king!" But no, the cries grew louder and they wanted a king! They chose a tall, handsome man to lead them. It didn't matter at the time that this handsome king would not be much of a king.
Why do we still insist on our way versus what we know to be God's better way? Why, knowing the consequences of some of our decisions or choices do we still choose what is wrong or harmful for us? This story stands as that which should speak to us about listening and paying attention to God in our everyday life. Not all that appears sugarcoated is best for us. We need to stay connected with God.
PRAYER: May our choices and decisions be guided by You. We are tempted and attracted to things like everyone else, but help us to remember we as Christians are still called to be not only light, but salt for the earth. May it be so. We pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Sharing and Shouting!
Good day dear friends. As we begin our morning devotional, please keep Mr. Don Chapman in your prayers. He is from here in Corpus Christi and was just admitted to ER with chest pains. Thank you.
Our text for today comes from 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1: 13We're not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, "I believed it, so I said it," we say what we believe. 14 And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. 15 Every detail works to your advantage and to God's glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise! 16 So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. 17 These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. 18 There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. 1 For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven - God-made, not handmade (The Message)
Pentecost is not a time to keep quiet about what God is doing, has done, or will do. Paul writes in the above text about the wonders of God even when it seems everything is falling apart. This can be applied to our bodies or even the Body of Christ (our church and our churches). What is needed is our willingness to share with others, as God's witnesses, about what God can do even in the midst of of what seems to be failure or death. The Resurrection power of God to work in Christ can and is at work in us and our ministries. Paul is sure that as we share with others, grace will abound and more people will come and as more people come the greater our praise. The key is not to give up. Inwardly we should be asking and aware of the new life that is being made in us. Our faith continues to be on the things we cannot see, for those things are eternal.
Let Pentecost be a time of sharing and shouting out what God is doing in you!
PRAYER: Loving God, renew me for Thy work. Renew my church that I and others in it may be sharing and shouting what You are doing, have done, and will do, in our lives and in our ministry together. Help me to reach others and to do the things that need to be done. Let my eyes be eyes of faith that I can see that what is not seen is eternal. Bless those who need this in their bodies; those with cancer, those with heart disease, and those near the point of leaving this life into Thy presence. Renew them and let them know that when this life ends, our bodies change from earth-made to God-made. I pray this and with those who make it their prayer, 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 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1: 13We're not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, "I believed it, so I said it," we say what we believe. 14 And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. 15 Every detail works to your advantage and to God's glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise! 16 So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. 17 These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. 18 There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. 1 For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven - God-made, not handmade (The Message)
Pentecost is not a time to keep quiet about what God is doing, has done, or will do. Paul writes in the above text about the wonders of God even when it seems everything is falling apart. This can be applied to our bodies or even the Body of Christ (our church and our churches). What is needed is our willingness to share with others, as God's witnesses, about what God can do even in the midst of of what seems to be failure or death. The Resurrection power of God to work in Christ can and is at work in us and our ministries. Paul is sure that as we share with others, grace will abound and more people will come and as more people come the greater our praise. The key is not to give up. Inwardly we should be asking and aware of the new life that is being made in us. Our faith continues to be on the things we cannot see, for those things are eternal.
Let Pentecost be a time of sharing and shouting out what God is doing in you!
PRAYER: Loving God, renew me for Thy work. Renew my church that I and others in it may be sharing and shouting what You are doing, have done, and will do, in our lives and in our ministry together. Help me to reach others and to do the things that need to be done. Let my eyes be eyes of faith that I can see that what is not seen is eternal. Bless those who need this in their bodies; those with cancer, those with heart disease, and those near the point of leaving this life into Thy presence. Renew them and let them know that when this life ends, our bodies change from earth-made to God-made. I pray this and with those who make it their prayer, in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
Monday, June 04, 2012
Pentecost Power, Crazy at Times!
Good morning dear friends. Nellie and I thank you for your prayers for our time off. It was a most relaxing and restful time, thanks to God. I trust you continued with faithful study and devotional time with God.
Here is our Gospel text for today and the one recommended for this coming Sunday: Mark 3: 20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 28 "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"— 30 for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." 31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." 33 And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." (NRSV)
We are in that part of the Christian year called Pentecost. It is a time to celebrate and remember and share with others the continuing work of God as done through God's Holy Spirit. It is an awesome work simplified to say God's Comforter or Counselor is in our midst. And this passage shared above deals with Jesus' view of the importance and sacredness of God's work among us: No one should slander the work of God repeatedly for it is a serious sin, viewed even as unforgiveable, for such is the importance and centrality of God's work through the Holy Spirit. In this passage it was the Holy Spirit that moved Jesus to perform the miracles of healing and unexplainable signs. The Holy Spirit even led Jesus to the choosing of the twelve who would minister alongside Him and then have responsibility for the continuation of God's work after His death. The Holy Spirit also led Jesus to make a declaration of the power of the Holy Spirit that demons and devils could be driven out, for such was the importance of the work of God, that not even the negative forces of evil should be present where God and God's people are gathered. Such work and teachings led people to think that Jesus may have gone past the limits of sanity and word got back to his mother, brothers and sisters, and these came to take Jesus home to allow Him to rest and come back to Himself. Jesus asked an important question of truth, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" (v. 33) and He replied, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." (v. 34). One version has Jesus saying, "Obedience is thicker than blood."
How is the Holy Spirit at work in your life? Are you listening and being guided by God through the Holy Spirit to do God's work in your life and in the realm of your influence? Can we ask the same about your church? Can faithfulness and fruitfulness be said to be characteristics of your church's ministry? I urged all of the churches in my district to find their comfort zone and to ask themselves, "What is it going to take on the part of God to get you to move beyond your comfort zone?" We exist not to care for our members, but to get our members to care for those who are not yet in a relationship with God. I urged churches (this means individual members as well!) to do three things: 1) Something uncomfortable. 2) Someting outrageous, and I would not define that for them, God would. 3) Something courageous. God's Holy Spirit is present and willing to help us do God's work in our midst.
PRAYER: Loving God, continue to work among us. May Your Holy Spirit make us uncomfortable and outrageous to do the things that we must do to win the lost. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PRAYER UPDATE: Many of you have been praying for "Uncle Dan" who is battling cancer and here is his most recent update: THANK YOU, JESUS! Lita and I just returned from our meeting with the surgeon, Dr. Jon Wee. He told us that the PET scan I had earlier in the morning showed that the cancer had not spread to any other organs, and that the area at the base of the esophagus is remarkably clear, as well. As a result my surgery has been scheduled for Friday, June 22 at 7:30 a.m. Thank you so much for your prayers! Blood Counts Much Better. Nothing Is Hidden. As I was strapped down on the platform for the PET scan, I was thinking how the scanner was piercing my body with the purpose of detecting something that if left untreated would bring death to my body. As I thought about this I could not help but think about how God's word has that same effect. The writer to the Hebrews describes it this way: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12-13). This is exactly what a PET scan is doing: penetrating, judging the cells, uncovering and laying bare, nothing is hidden. Is it any wonder then when confronted with the challenge to spend time with the Lord in His word that the response might be ignorance is bliss? But nothing could be more harmful to our very lives than to ignore that which not only reveals those things that bring death but also provides the very treatment that brings life. His word brings life, spend time in it!
Our hearts are filled and overflowing with thanksgiving and praise to our wonderful God. Your continuous flow of prayers, emails, cards, phone calls, passages from God's word all come at just the right time. Lita and I continue to experience the Lord's incredible peace as we continue, one day at a time, on the journey before us. Thank you for walking with us.
AMEN!
Here is our Gospel text for today and the one recommended for this coming Sunday: Mark 3: 20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 28 "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"— 30 for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." 31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." 33 And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." (NRSV)
We are in that part of the Christian year called Pentecost. It is a time to celebrate and remember and share with others the continuing work of God as done through God's Holy Spirit. It is an awesome work simplified to say God's Comforter or Counselor is in our midst. And this passage shared above deals with Jesus' view of the importance and sacredness of God's work among us: No one should slander the work of God repeatedly for it is a serious sin, viewed even as unforgiveable, for such is the importance and centrality of God's work through the Holy Spirit. In this passage it was the Holy Spirit that moved Jesus to perform the miracles of healing and unexplainable signs. The Holy Spirit even led Jesus to the choosing of the twelve who would minister alongside Him and then have responsibility for the continuation of God's work after His death. The Holy Spirit also led Jesus to make a declaration of the power of the Holy Spirit that demons and devils could be driven out, for such was the importance of the work of God, that not even the negative forces of evil should be present where God and God's people are gathered. Such work and teachings led people to think that Jesus may have gone past the limits of sanity and word got back to his mother, brothers and sisters, and these came to take Jesus home to allow Him to rest and come back to Himself. Jesus asked an important question of truth, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" (v. 33) and He replied, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." (v. 34). One version has Jesus saying, "Obedience is thicker than blood."
How is the Holy Spirit at work in your life? Are you listening and being guided by God through the Holy Spirit to do God's work in your life and in the realm of your influence? Can we ask the same about your church? Can faithfulness and fruitfulness be said to be characteristics of your church's ministry? I urged all of the churches in my district to find their comfort zone and to ask themselves, "What is it going to take on the part of God to get you to move beyond your comfort zone?" We exist not to care for our members, but to get our members to care for those who are not yet in a relationship with God. I urged churches (this means individual members as well!) to do three things: 1) Something uncomfortable. 2) Someting outrageous, and I would not define that for them, God would. 3) Something courageous. God's Holy Spirit is present and willing to help us do God's work in our midst.
PRAYER: Loving God, continue to work among us. May Your Holy Spirit make us uncomfortable and outrageous to do the things that we must do to win the lost. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PRAYER UPDATE: Many of you have been praying for "Uncle Dan" who is battling cancer and here is his most recent update: THANK YOU, JESUS! Lita and I just returned from our meeting with the surgeon, Dr. Jon Wee. He told us that the PET scan I had earlier in the morning showed that the cancer had not spread to any other organs, and that the area at the base of the esophagus is remarkably clear, as well. As a result my surgery has been scheduled for Friday, June 22 at 7:30 a.m. Thank you so much for your prayers! Blood Counts Much Better. Nothing Is Hidden. As I was strapped down on the platform for the PET scan, I was thinking how the scanner was piercing my body with the purpose of detecting something that if left untreated would bring death to my body. As I thought about this I could not help but think about how God's word has that same effect. The writer to the Hebrews describes it this way: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12-13). This is exactly what a PET scan is doing: penetrating, judging the cells, uncovering and laying bare, nothing is hidden. Is it any wonder then when confronted with the challenge to spend time with the Lord in His word that the response might be ignorance is bliss? But nothing could be more harmful to our very lives than to ignore that which not only reveals those things that bring death but also provides the very treatment that brings life. His word brings life, spend time in it!
Our hearts are filled and overflowing with thanksgiving and praise to our wonderful God. Your continuous flow of prayers, emails, cards, phone calls, passages from God's word all come at just the right time. Lita and I continue to experience the Lord's incredible peace as we continue, one day at a time, on the journey before us. Thank you for walking with us.
AMEN!
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