We Have a Savior!

Jesus Explained All Things

From Matthew 13:24-30; 36-40: He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' He answered, "An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.' " Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

Farmers know that when wheat is fully ripe it bows with the weight of the grain. Weeds do not. Growing side by side, yet one bows and the other does not. Jesus knew that; He understood the ancient methods of farming and uses that knowledge to share His understanding of how good and evil people are present in the world even today. Using this parable to demonstrate that, Jesus spoke of the good intentions of the sower and the evil intentions of the one who came at night to plant weeds. Those working the field asked the householder if they should not go and pull out the weeds before they got any bigger. The answer was no, let them grow side by side. The householder feared the yanking of weeds might destroy some of the good crop. It would be at harvest time when the separation would come; weeds here and wheat there. The weeds would be burned and the wheat would be enjoyed for what it produced. This parable makes sense to those of us who have wondered how in a world created by God for good we find so many who do not yet know God nor seek Him. How can one make sense of those who kill, steal, and destroy? How can one see or hear news reports of so much evil in the world and wonder why God allows this? This is what Jesus is trying to explain in the parable found in this passage. Good and evil will exist side by side until the end of the world. The parable follows the parable of the sower from last week, and it again stresses that God is at work through us and others, in trying to win those who are not yet His. Yet, we know there will be those who choose not to follow God and choose to please only themselves. That does not diminish our work of trying to reach everyone we can; the urgency is still ever before us to reach just one more. Jesus says we do have an enemy, but we also know that we have a Savior.

"We have a Savior" is good news to a world that seems lost at times. We have One who provides life in the midst of death. We have a Savior to pull us out from the depths of wrong to bring us to the side of what is right. We have a Savior to lead us when everyone else seems so lost. We have a Savior who makes room for those who desire to be on the side of God. We have a Savior is light to a world trying to make its way through darkness. Here's the deal; don't let the thought of "We have a Savior" stay "out there;" make Jesus your personal savior, and then you can also say, "I have a Savior."

PRAYER: Come, Jesus Christ, into my heart again today. I need a Savior; I need You. I need You to help me from being lost, from doing what I hate, from being led down wrong paths. Help me to walk right next to You to the path that leads to life to the fullest, blessed by You. This I pray in Your name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

The Power of God's Word

Great Passage and a Great Song

From the Psalmist 119: 105-112: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances. I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word. Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your ordinances. I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. Your decrees are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.

The song now stuck in my head is a nice one. Amy Grant singing, "Thy Word." It was inspired by this passage, and David's familiarity with the Word was what inspired him to write the passage. For those walking in darkness, a great fall can come, and worse, one could lose one's way forever. It is in knowing God's word that we receive that lamp our feet need to avoid stumbling and the light that guides our path. So in love was David with God's word that he says he made a deep commitment to study it and more importantly, to follow it. And a good thing he did, and that we do, for the very next word is one of his suffering. "Afflicted" is what David shares without revealed what it was, but we know that it was something that made him think he was losing life and so he adds, "Give me life, O Lord, according to your word." He and we should know this should come from God and even in the midst of any affliction we can start our songs and words of praise.

We were at a funeral recently where one of the scripture readers approached the lectern with his phone and confessed he could not read the type and he added, that thankfully someone had printed out the text for him to read in large print. A smart phone today can link us to a Bible immediately through the internet or one can download apps that contain the Bible. But what has happened to carrying Bibles? More importantly, what has happened to studying the Bible? To find the lamp and light we must study the Bible. No one can just hear a phone ring and know what the message is from the caller. Yes, we have the ability to modify ringtones and know who is calling, but we don't always know what they are calling about. In the same way, we have our Bibles close at hand, but what is God calling us to do? We will never find out if we don't pray and reflect, read and pray, and then just listen to what God may be asking of us. Life led by a Bible is a brightly lit path; we dim the light when we choose to ignore what God has asked and we choose to do what we want. You and I have been blessed by new insights into life when we've spent time reading God's word. You and I have been blessed by messages from those who prayerfully study the word and bring us messages in worship. I have been blessed by missionaries whose lives were changed by picking up a Bible for the very first time. I will never forget a missionary from India speaking to our ministerial alliance and his saying that he had come to faith because he picked up a Bible and for the first time in his life he held what he called, "A talking book!" We've heard those who have also said, "I tried to read the Bible, but it read me!"

Feeling alone or afraid? Let God bless you. Feeling like you're walking in the dark with no direction or purpose? Let God bless you. Read the Bible. Facing a problem that seems bigger than you? Let God, who is bigger than any problem, bless you. Read the Bible. Facing challenges or discouragement? Let the Author of life, joy, peace, and comfort speak to you as you open the blessing that is the word of God for our lives.

PRAYER: Loving God, as we face the coming of today and all that it contains, ready our hearts and spirits in the knowledge that we walk not alone, nor in darkness, when we first turn to You and trust You. Help us dust off our Bibles so that You can dust off our lives and spirits. Make us be light for others through Christ living in us; this we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

God Provides!

In All Things & In All Ways! (Isaiah 55:10-13)

From Isaiah 55: 10-13 come these words: For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

In all ways and in all things, God provides! Such was the faith of this prophet as he wrote these words in the passage above. He could see evidence of God's handiwork in nature and compared it to how God provides and brings forth harvest from His word. Rain and snow, while not very common around these parts lately, still comes from heaven, says the prophet, and in the same way they water the earth, so does God's word water those who are dry and thirsty. As the heavenly moisture provides the harvest which brings bread to those hungry, so does the word of God provide nourishment for the spirits of those who hunger for God's grace. Rainfall and snowfalls never return to God empty, neither does the sharing of God's word; there is a purpose God needs accomplished here on the earth and our willingness to share is part of that purpose. Those who accept to share, the prophet says, go out in joy and return home led in peace. As those who go forth to share God's word, nature joins in and the mountains and hills burst into song, and the trees of the field applaud the works of God. And instead of thorns, the nourishment God's word provides, will bring forth myrtle. All serving to glorify God as a memorial of His presence and power, and a sign that will never be removed. In all ways and in all things, God provides!

God awaits our response. Let us go forth to share as God has shared with us. In all ways and in all things, God provides!

PRAYER: Loving God, the emphasis this week has been on sowing seed; today's passage speaks of the way you work in the lives of those who say yes to sharing Your word. Count me in among those who have said yes and send me forth in joy and lead me back in peace. Let my ears be attuned to the praise and applause of nature, not for me, but for You and what You do. For in all things and in all ways, You do surely provide! Amen.

Not Guilty!

Romans 8: 1-11

From Paul's Letter to the Romans: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

"Not Guilty" are the words anyone who has a trial before a judge; From Paul's hand come those words to "those who are in Christ Jesus." This comes as Paul's way of explaining God's grace to believers. The Law had existed to point out sins and guide humanity towards faithfulness, and as Paul and many saw it, the law was basically about "sin and death," but in Jesus Christ, the law was fulfilled and life in the Spirit came to be the guide for us all. Through Jesus' example we are to live as people of the Spirit, setting our thoughts and actions of the things from above, not the things below. Paul knew that those who live guided only by the flesh will find themselves opposed to God and the things of God; those who seek to live by the Spirit find life and peace. And it comes natural to those who have invited God's Spirit to live in them.

My mornings usually start with a long prayer. In it I seek to worship and praise God, a time of confession and repentance, a time of thanksgiving, and a time of supplication, of praying for others. In that prayer I ask that I be emptied of me and filled with Him. I sometimes feel the need to invite Jesus into my heart again and again. I want my day to reflect my prayer; worship and praise, connected to God and guided by Him. I want my life to share with others life and peace as promised through this passage. I share this not because I'm perfect but because I am far from perfection; yet, as I said at my ordination, I strive towards it, with God's help.

PRAYER: Loving God, may I seek You in all things and in all ways. I invite Jesus and His Holy Spirit into my heart, mind, and body. May I live a life that invites others to come and experience the joy and peace that come from You. It is in Christ Jesus that I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Which Seed Are You?

Photo taken by Nellie Valverde, graphics made by Carli Valverde

Jesus Meant Us in This Parable

From Matthew 13: 1-9; 18-23: That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!" "Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

A NOTICE AND A WORD OF APPRECIATION. Dear friends, Just to thank you for being faithful readers of my devotional thoughts. I write this to personally reflect where I am and where I believe God wants me to be. Through the years, actually since 1999 when I started these, I have won and lost readers; to God be the glory! I am thankful to God if a single word can bring a blessing to your life. My notice is that starting on the 14, one week from today, ConCafe will be very sporadic as I begin a renewal leave. These are recommended for district superintendents and it is my turn to take this time off. I will still be engaged in a daily devotional, just not sharing it like before. I may send out some "Classic ConCafes" to continue blessing those of you who are blessed by these. I ask for your prayers as I seek to read and write while on this leave as well as take some time with my wife and with children and grandchildren. You are a blessing to me!

Jesus shares what I believe to most believers is a well known story. Set in His context and shared to illustrate the challenges of faith, Jesus talks about a sower, a person whose job it is to sow seeds to help prepare for a harvest. The sight of a sower was a common thing for Jesus' day and so He hooks His audience by sharing this story in this context. Probably in those listening to this story there were those who had sown seed in their lives or had relatives who had or still sowed seed for their living. This particular sower sowed everywhere he went, and that also may have caught the crowd's attention. "Why, everybody knows a sower goes into a prepared soil not just haphazardly throwing seed here and there!" There was a purpose to that as well.

But seed was thrown along a path, some rocky ground, thorns, and good soil. The path allowed for these seeds to become bird feed. Those along the rocky ground became sun scorched seeds. Those along the thorns became things for the thorns to choke. The good soil brought forth grain in varying measure.

Jesus explains the parable to the disciples. The seed is the "word of the kingdom." The teachings by Jesus were meant to bring about life, growth, and change in a person's life for the better. The types of settings that Jesus shared is the type of reactions that people have towards this precious word. Keep in mind that this sower sowed everywhere, not just good soil. The seeds along the path are those who have heard the word but do not understand it. They do not seek to find meaning or an explanation for that word and so they are snatched away by "the evil one." The rocky ground setting talks about those who hear and joyously receive the word of God, but never deepen their roots and when challenges or problems come along, they lose faith and they're lost as well. Those among the thorns are those who seek wealth or are easily distracted by the "cares of the world" are choked by those cares and lures, and they yield nothing. Are we among those?

The good soil are those who have heard, understood, and borne fruit for God's kingdom. The harvest varies, but it is still harvest. Are we among these?

Jesus spoke the truth and it is hard to imagine us being among the settings where there is no harvest, but we sometimes are. The good news is that we do not have to stay there! With God's help we can become those who bear fruit for God's kingdom in our midst.

Happy where you are? Or should we move?

PRAYER: Loving God, move me to change where I am towards becoming one who bears much fruit for You. Let us never be satisfied where we are when we know we have much to do and many to reach. This we pray in Christ Jesus our Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

A Fresh Start is Found in God

Giving Up Is Not an Option!

From Psalm 145:8-15 we find these words: God is all mercy and grace - not quick to anger, is rich in love. God is good to one and all; everything he does is suffused with grace. Creation and creatures applaud you, God; your holy people bless you. They talk about the glories of your rule, they exclaim over your splendor, Letting the world know of your power for good, the lavish splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal; you never get voted out of office. God always does what he says, and is gracious in everything he does. God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit. (The Message)

David writes a psalm of reflection on the goodness of God. In God he found forgiveness and grace; so do we. He understands God to be a God who is slow to anger, and extremely rich in love. He knew God to be good to one and all, sharing all things filled with grace. God is worshipped and applauded by all creation and all creatures; songs of God's glory, praises of God's splendor; telling all the world of God's power for good. God is an eternal king of love; God's kingdom will never end. And the best message in the text? God gives a helping hand to those who have seen better days and who have reached a point where they think they can give up. David says, and we should too, "Don't give up!"

With the resources of God behind us and in those who ask, giving up should never be an option. God is a God of forward and upward movement. We should lift our hands towards God when we're down, and God will lift us up. We should lift up our hearts when we feel down, and God's praise will lift our hearts. When our eyes are downcast, look upward and see the greatness of God, and you will be lifted up. In all things and in all ways; God is with us and will bless us.

PRAYER: Loving God, lift us up now. May this day prove to be a day of service to all, especially those who are down. Help us to exclaim Your goodness; we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Doing The Very Thing I Hate!

Image from angusday.org

Paul Shares His Struggles with Sin

From Romans 7: 15-25a: I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

We are all persons of good intentions. We make resolutions at New Year's, we "give up" things at Lent, we start diets, we buy expensive exercise equipment; all to find ourselves right back where we started. Paul is being honest with God and himself that he is the same way when it comes to saying no to sin. His first statement in this passage could have been penned by you and me. We often do the very thing we hate. We say the things we swore we would never say, we think the things we don't want to think; and we find we sometimes cannot explain our actions to those whom we love but hurt. Paul knew that sin left unattended in our spirits can cause us to sin more and more, leading us to become people of flesh, and not people of faith. We can become people of evil instead of eternity. Paul found himself sounding like David of the Psalms: "Who will reduce me from this body of death?" Paul knows the only answer is found in Jesus Christ so the says, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Thanks, indeed, for Him who bore our sins and paid the price for our liberty from sin. Daily we should commit ourselves to God's loving hands by confessing our sins and asking their removal and daily inviting Jesus into our hearts and lives so that we might indeed have a loving relationship with Him. For it is in Christ Jesus that we have the freedom for joyful and fruitful obedience. Praise be to God!

PRAYER: Loving God, help us as we walk to walk towards obedience and faithfulness. Free us from sin today and all days. Let our lives be an example of that which is possible in You. We pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Sight Unseen; Woah!

Image from http://www.sharonministries.org.za

Rebekah Meets Isaac; Talk About An Arranged Marriage

From Genesis 24: 42-48: (The entire recommended portion from Genesis includes verses 34-38; 42-49; and 58-67) "I came today to the spring, and said, "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, "Please give me a little water from your jar to drink," and who will say to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also"—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.' "Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, "Please let me drink.' She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, "Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her, "Whose daughter are you?' She said, "The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son.

I confess that I have not watched a single episode of The Bachelorette nor The Bachelor. I know that I may be lacking in cultural wisdom about those popular shows, but I know the premise enough to know that I would not want to watch it. And here I am reading about an arranged marriage, albeit by God, between a grieving young man and a bewildered but compliant young woman. The marriage was the desire of a very old man who had lost his wife, for his (only) son. Abraham came to a point in his life when he knew that his son Isaac, should marry. And he desired for his son a wife not from among the Canaanite women, but the women from Israel. While that may seem racist in this context it was done for religious purposes primarily; Abraham knew the religion of his new neighbors and he remembered his role in helping form this religion of Israel; a wife with little or no respect for Judaism would not help the cause. So he sends a servant to find a wife with instructions to know that God's angel would go before him, and the servant himself prayed when he reached the place where he knew the right wife would be found.

The prayer that this servant prayed included the way he would know if the right woman had come along. He would make a request of her and she would not only comply with it, she would go the extra step. And so it was that the young woman he met was Rebekah. He asked her for a drink of water and she gave it to him as well as giving water to his camels. This was the fulfilled request of that prayer. The servant knew then that God was with him and that this young woman was the woman for Isaac. I know this is foreign to most readers who are well versed in dating, courtship, engagement and marriage. It's all based on the notion of true love. The steps have changed and even become blurred, reflected even in the popular music of my day; from the singing of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to the rapid rise of "Let's Spend the Night Together," to whatever my grandkids are singing now. The cultural emphasis of this type of marriage was to find the person with which to have children and in which to find a helper/partner/companion for all of life's endeavors. The servant believed it was Rebekah. (Please read the send-off given to her by her family in verse 60!).

The story is about trusting and knowing that God is involved in every aspect of our lives if we so invite. God will and does come into our lives when invited and to guide and bless as we ask. Prayer was part of this story as was the faith that God had guided and answered the prayers of Abraham and this unnamed servant. (Eliezer is the believed name of this servant). And the passage fits into the Lectionary readings in stressing that in God we find rest for our souls. God's message through Jesus is true in this Old Testament story as it is today in our lives, if we come to Him, He will give us rest. As Rebekah shared her water and watered the camels, rest came to the soul of the servant. When Abraham and Isaac saw Rebekah coming towards them, rest came to their souls. If we seek the hand of God in our lives, we will see it and rest will come to our souls.

PRAYER: Loving God, I confess that sometimes I want to, but think I cannot see Your hand at work; but then in Your time, I see it and rest does come to my soul. In the hectic pace of life, grant to me the peace and pace I need to faithfully serve You. I know that true rest for my soul comes from my faithfulness to You. I pray this prayer of faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde