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Begin with Never-ending Joy!
From 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
As now who travels constantly, that first ten miles are the most difficult. I have a mental checklist of things that I should have packed, and then to help stress myself more, I ask if I left the stove on. Nellie, who travels with me, will help in this as well. Years ago, I printed out a literal checklist that I had on my dresser of absolute essential items that needed to accompany me on whatever trip I was taking. This journey of Advent, the writer of Thessalonians say, has its own checklist of those things that absolutely must travel with us for our own good.
The first is a joy that won't quit. I have joked with some of my pastors and said that I want to publish a coffee table book called "Faces in the Choir." With no particular church in mind, there have been some moments in worship that I, as a worshipper, have noticed that perhaps the preacher has not. Most in the choir kept a cherub's face, holy and blessed, thankful to be sitting where they're sitting. Some, and these are the ones I want in the picture, let's just say have other things on their mind, with joy being the farthest thing from their mind and heart. This holds true for those in the congregation as well; sometimes me too. Joy in the morning blesses us, and for this Advent to make it a part of a daily checklist, will bless us these days as we await the birth of Jesus and as we await the Lord's return. The second item is to "pray without ceasing." We need to stay connected with God. I preached bilingually at the district conference of El Valle District and God gave me the illustration for a church that does not pray, as being an aquarium filled with fish and no water. A person that does not pray is like a fish out of water, flopping around, fighting for breath that can only be found in the water. And a fish, like an aquarium, without water soon stinks. Pray without stopping! The third is that attitude of gratitude that runs through most of the Bible. We are recipients of God's grace and blessings. We should give thanks to God for everything; the good and the not-so-good. I asked one pastor struggling in his church if he ever said from the pulpit if he was thankful to be the pastor there. The answer was obvious. I replied, "From now on, starting with this Sunday, first thing you say from the pulpit is 'I am so thankful to be your pastor and to be in this church!' Now, you may not mean it, but you keep saying that and thinking that and before too long, you won't be lying about that anymore."
God's will is for our attitude to reflect all that was mentioned above; a joyful, prayerful, thankful life. This helps us in our worship life as we listen to sermons and read books of inspiration. We should seek to find and hold on to the good that is out there, and do our best, with God's help to stay away from every kind of evil around us. God will make us holy in every aspect of our lives, and our souls will be, as the writer says, "sound and blameless" when Christ comes again. God is faithful and will provide all these things. Our job is to ask and receive these things.
PRAYER: Awesome God, what a joy it is to be in prayer with You. Increase our joy, make us people of prayer, and grant to all of us an attitude of gratitude; for we know the better our attitude, the higher the altitude we can soar in life. Keep us sound and blameless, for we ask these things in Christ Jesus our Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Request: My Office Manager's daughter, Alison, undergoes a delicate surgery this morning in San Antonio. Please keep Alison, her husband, children Jenna and Asher, mom Sheila and dad, Don, in your prayers.
