Once Upon a Time, The Stories of Our Faith

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Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known,that our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their children;we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap. In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light. He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. He made streams come out of the rock,and caused waters to flow down like rivers.(Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16)

There are several stories I have told to my children and churches that I cherish because God provided and cared for me.  Two of them rank high in the memory banks of my heart and soul.  The first was as recently transplanted Kingsvillians, we found ourselves without food on a Friday night.  We lived in a fourplex type apartment, and of the only two families there, the mother and wife of the other family came to our door with a can of Spaghetti-O's, which was all she had, because she knew we were hungry.  The other was when I was completely broke, and also without anything to eat, and a classmate in seminary invited me to have lunch with him.  We dined on the only two eggs he had, and four pieces of bread and a little peanut butter that remained in his cupboard.  

What are your stories?  And have you shared them with your children and grandchildren in ways that show they too, should have faith in God?  The psalmist in the above psalm recalls the very time we studied yesterday in Exodus and how God provided water for His people.  It was an event so significant that all generations who study that Exodus passage or who sat at the feet of those who lived it, and in turned shared it with their children, that story will always be remembered.  "This is the way God acted in my life..."

The great thing is that God hasn't finished with you or me.  God is still at work.  We should be thanking and praise God again and again for all He has done for and in us.  Then as we make time to share, we tell our children and their children, "Once upon a time, God acted in a big way in my life.  And this is what God did."

PRAYER:  Loving God, we praise and thank You for the many stories each of us has to share with our little ones.  May the memories of Your love and blessing always stay fresh, so that more will come to learn and receive from You.  We pray this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Share and be a blessing that will stay in the heart and memory of someone today.

Eradio Valverde

Water is Precious and Necessary

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Directed by God, the whole company of Israel moved on by stages from the Wilderness of Sin. They set camp at Rephidim. And there wasn't a drop of water for the people to drink.  The people took Moses to task: "Give us water to drink." But Moses said, "Why pester me? Why are you testing God?"  But the people were thirsty for water there. They complained to Moses, "Why did you take us from Egypt and drag us out here with our children and animals to die of thirst?"  Moses cried out in prayer to God, "What can I do with these people? Any minute now they'll kill me!"  God said to Moses, "Go on out ahead of the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel. Take the staff you used to strike the Nile. And go.  I'm going to be present before you there on the rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock. Water will gush out of it and the people will drink."  He named the place Massah (Testing-Place) and Meribah (Quarreling) because of the quarreling of the Israelites and because of their testing of God when they said, "Is God here with us, or not?" (Exodus 17:1-7 The Message Version)

The photograph above is a day or two old.  It shows the situation in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit the island.  There is no electricity, nor water available to most on the island.  The situation is dire.  We should be in prayer, as well as sending what we can to relief efforts such as UMCOR (The United Methodist Committee on Relief) to help our brothers and sisters with their needs.  The photograph also goes with this morning's passage from Exodus.  Most days we take water for granted.  We get thirsty, we go to the faucet and pour ourselves a glass of water. We feel dirty, we can take a bath.  But when nature strikes and we have no access to water, it's a terrible feeling.  We have two dogs that sleep in the next room and they know when they don't have water and if they sense one of us up, they bark.  So, at 2:30 or so I hear one of them barking.  And sure enough, there was no water in their dispenser.  I filled it and they both drank to their content. Imagine the complaining Israelites reaching this point and realizing there wasn't a drop of water for the people to drink.  And, of course they asked Moses for water.  And Moses cried out to God.  God told Moses to take the staff that he had used to strike the Nile River and there God's presence allowed for water to miraculously appear and the people drank.

Water is precious and is a powerful symbol of God.  God's Spirit moved among the face of the water when creation occurred, water was used to baptize, water of the womb sustained us, and Jesus said He was the living water that would quench our thirst for all time.  And God provides water, and we should share it with those who have no water.

PRAYER:  Loving God, quench the thirst of my soul; help me to share living water and needed water with those in need.  Help us help those in areas affected by storms and earthquakes so that they too, may have water.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Savor the quenching qualities of water, and then share it with the thirsty.

Eradio Valverde

Are You Thinking Like Jesus?

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If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself,taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.And being found in human form,  he humbled himself  and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:1-13)

Some years ago, WWJD was very popular.  You saw it on bracelets, t-shirts, keychains; any number of things.  The initials stood for What Would Jesus Do?  It was meant to stimulate your thinking as you faced a question or decision; what would Jesus do if He were facing this?  Paul is thinking along the same lines.  He writes a very encouraging passage to the believers in the church of Philippi.  He urges thinking like one another to get along, but loving each other in the way Jesus loved them, trying to have the same mind as one another.  Paul said for church goers to put others ahead of themselves.  And then the clincher:  Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.  This is radical.  Not only WWJD, but HWJL?  How Would Jesus Live?  As you live your life, let every aspect of it be under the scrutiny of Jesus' eyes.  Let your speech, your interactions with others, the decisions and choices you make, be just like Jesus thought.  Jesus saw us as His beloved brothers and sisters, so should we see each other in the same way.  Jesus humbled himself in the form of a servant, so should we - even to the point of death, and even death on a cross.

Paul said, Jesus was given by God "the name that is above all names."  It is at the sounding of that name that "every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  And that becomes part of who we are, and a part of how we live.  Just last night on a social media app, I saw two examples of the power behind our Lord's name.  One was a man in another country, who was being assaulted and his attacker pointed a gun at his head, the man stretched out his hands and began to say the name of Jesus.  The gun misfired.  The man reloads and checks his gun, points it again, and it does not fire. Frustrated he takes a machine gun, fires in the air, and it fires perfectly, points it at the man and it does not fire.  He fires again in the air and the gun fired perfectly, and points it at the man, and again, nothing.  He runs away from the man. The second was a lady working in a store who is tending to a customer and a robber comes in and points a gun at her.  She simply says, "In the name of Jesus, leave my store," and repeats that enough that the man leaves.  The name of Jesus is a powerful name.  And that is the name of our Savior.

PRAYER:  Loving God, bless my life to the point that I can live the way that I should.  May my life be a reflection of Jesus.  Not only should I ask, what would Jesus do, but let me instead live like Jesus.  In His precious name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Live like Jesus!  Shock your family and friends!

Eradio Valverde

Are You In or Out?

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When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him. (Matthew 21:23-32)

"Give me $3 of Jesus on pump one."  That's what I thought I would call this devotional.  I heard it from someone a week or two ago, and it was based on how most of us respond to Jesus.  We want just enough Jesus to get us through the day or week.  To go beyond that would be too much commitment.  We want "in," but not all in.  Jesus would say if we're not all in, we're out.  To illustrate that further, the late Frederick Buechner, pastor, chaplain and writer wrote:  "IN THE SPRING of 1953, I had left my job at Lawrenceville to be a full-time writer in New York, and it was that fall, with my third novel failing to come to life for me, that in some sense my life itself started to come to life for me—the possibility, at least, of a life in Christ, with Christ, and, on some fine day conceivably, even a life for Christ, if I could ever find out what such a life involved, could find somewhere in myself courage enough, faith enough, craziness and grace enough, to undertake the living of it."  (Originally published in Now and Then).  Notice he says he could have a life IN Christ, or WITH Christ, or FOR Christ; and still admits that he didn't know "what such al life involved," but sought the courage, the faith "and craziness and grace to undertake the living of it."  He did become a very successful writer and serve Christ as a pastor.  

Jesus has the authority to call you and me into a life with Him.  He proved that to those who sought to kill Him in the above passage; but then speaks of the faithful life.  Two sons, asked by their father to do his work; one said no, then does the works anyway; the second says yes and never does it.  Yet, the work still awaits.  And asking for $3 of Jesus on pump one doesn't cut it.  We must be filled up to serve Him as He calls us to do.  We must be all in.  Jesus, when it comes to us, does not hold back.  He's ready to fill us with His grace and love to live the life that serves God.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, forgive me the times I take the "$3 of Jesus on pump one" attitude towards You.  As I read the Bible may I seek to be all in.  As I pray, let me be all in.  As I seek to speak about You, let me be all in.  There are already too many just doing the littlest possible; You have called me to be all in.  May it be so.  In Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Teach Your Little Ones About God!

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I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name for ever and ever. Every day I will bless you, and praise your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendour of your majesty,and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Psalm 145:1-8)

Are fidget spinners still the rage?  Do you even know what a fidget spinner is?  My question is how did so many kids, almost all at once, come to find about about this gadget invented by a mom who wanted her child to have something to occupy his time?  My grandson, Liam, owns about ten.  And when I'm with him, he can't pass up a display of those things without asking to buy yet another one!  I bought one at the Dollar General Store because I knew, thanks to Liam, that they were a dollar, and included it in a little gift bag for one of our children from church who had emergency surgery.  Sunday at church I asked how he liked the fidget spinner.  He stopped, and pulled it out of his pocket and said, "I like it!"  I would guess if our kids like something they're going to tell someone else about it.

The psalmist today touched my heart with something that's always on my heart; "One generation shall laud Your works to another..."  If we're not doing that, then the psalmist was wrong.  We who love the Lord must show our love for God in ways that teach our little ones.  This applies to our children, whatever their age, our grandchildren, and those little ones who look up to us.  We have to live our lives in ways that tell about God in fidget spinner ways that other little ones will ask, "Where did you get that?!  I want it too!"  If nothing else, tell your little ones what Jonah taught us yesterday:  God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, help me right now to think of ways to tell those little ones around me, just how much you love them.  Help me life be a walking billboard of Your love and grace, and may the message include how You are slow to anger and filled with never-ending love.  Bless and protect those whom I call my children; in Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Ask a child about his/her fidget spinner and then ask if they know God's love is like that spinner;  It never stops!

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Updates:  Eva Boscamp's surgery went well for her knee replacement and will stay in Seguin Hospital for her rehab, which is exactly where she wanted to stay.  Ann Keck went home after her surgery.  Please continue to pray for Doug Smith and Rev. Michael Dobbs in their treatments and healing.  Thank you!

I Knew It! God, You're Too Gracious & Loving!

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When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ And the Lord said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’ Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city. The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’ But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’ And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labour and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?’ (Jonah 3:10-4:11)

Why do we insist on getting our way?  Aren't we all guilty of that at one time or another?  Some more times than others.  Jonah was no different.  You know his story; called to preach, he says no and runs away.  He tries to hide from God, boards a ship, storm comes, he offers to be tossed overboard, gets swallowed by a great fish, and prays.  Jonah gets a second chance and he goes preaching the message of God, which said, "Repent and be saved."  But, in his heart, Jonah wanted the punishment of God to come down anyway.  The entire city of Nineveh repents, even the cows!  But, Jonah was not happy.  It seems almost silly to hear Jonah's words, "I knew it!  You are a gracious and merciful God; slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing."  Then, Jonah says, "And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better to die than to live."  Whoa!  Yesterday, we read something similar, but it was a voice who said  basically, "God, Your will be done.  If I keep living, I keep serving.  If I die, I win!"

Then Jonah falls in love.  With a bush.  The bush grew big enough to give Jonah shade.  Then a worm, sent by God as scripture says, attacked the bush and it dies.  Then the dialogue that follows between God and Jonah lets Jonah see the love that God has for all of His creation.  If we could but understand God's love, and apply it to our lives, we'd have a better understanding of the love and care we should have for each other, and we would be ready to say, "Your will be done.  Not mine."  C.S. Lewis wrote that hell is filled with people who throughout their lives here said, "My will be done."  Heaven is filled with those who knew to say, "Thy will be done."

PRAYER:  Loving God, grant us deeper understanding to accept and know Your will.  Help us to be people who love You and love Your people and Your creation.  Grant us patience and peace; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Smile as you see God's will be done in your life or in the lives of others!

Eradio Valverde

Live a Life That Becomes the Good News!

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For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well—since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1:21-30)

Most people I know would pay anything and go anywhere to stay alive.  Two weeks ago I had a procedure and as I checked in I was asked if I had an advanced directive.  I thought about D.N.R., Do Not Resuscitate, and said I did not.  I wanted to say, "This is minor, please keep me alive!"  But I prayed and said, "Lord, my life is always in Your hands..."  Paul did not have that problem.  He knew Jesus was real because he had seen Him, and heard Him, and knew his life was in Jesus' hands always as well."  But as he thinks about what Jesus revealed to him, including how he was to die, he writes to new believers and says, "If it were up to me, I'd rather be with Jesus; I've experienced glory in the presence and face of Jesus and that doesn't scare me, it attracts me!  And you know what, to live is to be Christ for you, and to die would be complete victory for me - I'll work hard alongside you as long as I can, and I will do whatever God wants me to do for you; to build you up, encourage you, and to make sure we do what God is expecting from me."

You and I have known Jesus through our worship, prayers, singing, and especially through our surrender to Him.  We have invited Him to be Lord and Savior of our lives, and though we can't see him like Paul did, yet; we know Him to be walking with us.  I once heard a preacher say, "Live a life that becomes the gospel."  Imagine living our lives in such a positive way that we radiate the contagious joy of Jesus to others?  We were called to be Good News to other people.  No negativity or earth-driven words or actions - just those that reflect the faith that we have in Jesus Christ.  We want people to come up to us and ask what it is about us that is so different from everyone else, and that they want that for themselves.  May it be so!

PRAYER:  Lord, forgive us for times we've thought more about this life than the life in abundance you've offered and given to us.  Help us be the role models that live the Good News.  May it be You that they see in us.  May our faces radiate joy and love in the way You have radiated that to us.  We pray this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Shine the light of Jesus on somebody today!

Eradio Valverde

The Great Reversal; All In! All the Same!

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"God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work.  "Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went. At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing? ' "They said, 'Because no one hired us.' "He told them to go to work in his vineyard. When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.'  "Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager,  'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.'  "He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?'  "Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first." (Matthew 20:1-16)

The things of God are awesome!  But only if we have a spiritual mind with which to understand those things. Many of us still function with a worldly perspective and that limits our understanding.  Thus, the parable Jesus tells to describe how the kingdom of God works.  This estate manager goes out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.  He offers them a dollar a day, and the workers agree to the salary.  After breakfast, he goes out and finds more workers and offers them the same amount.  And then right before supper, he goes and sees some workers who need a job, and so he hires them to work in his vineyard, again for the same salary.  At the end of the day, all line up to get their money and they all get what they had agreed on; one dollar.  Those who started first, thought they would get more since they spent more hours toiling in the vineyard; why would those who only worked an hour get the same salary?  The estate manager said, "Why do you think this is unfair?  I paid you what we agreed would be your salary.  Can't I do what I want with my own money?  You want to be stingy because I choose to be generous?"  And then what the Message version of the Bible calls, "The Great Reversal:  many of the first ending up last, and the last first."

Apply this story to modern life, and the hope of life eternal.  Many of us were born into Christian families, had a conversion experience with Jesus, live out our lives and when our day comes to die, we hope to enter into Heaven.  During our lives, those who did not have a relationship with Christ have come to faith, some in their teens, others in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 60s, 80s; and some right at the point of death, get offered that relationship with Christ, repent of their sins, invite Jesus in, and they die.  Who "deserves" Heaven?  All of those who had a relationship with Jesus.  It doesn't matter when they came in!  Such is the generosity of God in His love and mercy towards those who ask it.

Great will be the reward of those who are faithful and endure to the end; it matters not when you came in.  Rejoice that some have come in because of your work in bringing them in; rejoice more for those who came in by the grace of someone else's work.  

PRAYER:  LOVING GOD, grant me a spiritual heart and mind to understand and enjoy Your ways.  Help me to continue to invite others to join me in this walk with You so that when we end our days here, we can rejoice in the glory of eternity with You. This we pray in the strong name of He who told the parables, Jesus our Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Tell somebody about Glory today!

Eradio Valverde

The Power and Presence of God

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When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion. The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. Why is it, O sea, that you flee?  O Jordan, that you turn back? O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water. (Psalm 114)

It may have been in a movie or perhaps a television show, where some hunters were frustrated with people opposed to their hunting.  And one of the characters said, "If Walt Disney hadn't made animals talk, we wouldn't be in this mess."  Or something along those lines.  They were referring to Bambi, the animated story of a deer who loses his mother to hunters.  Yet, here is the psalmist animating creation in an interesting way.  As he remembers the Exodus, he illustrates the power and presence of God to make creation do things that it wouldn't normally do.  And such is the power of God, to bring change to the most vilest of people and make them civil, decent, and loving.  Look at the images that the psalmist has painted as doing what they normally do not do:  The sea looked and fled.  The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.  God was able to split the sea, as we read yesterday in Exodus, and the mountains in different scenes provided things they normally do not, all because of the presence of God.

God has that ability to bless us even when we think we're beyond or not worthy of blessing, in ways that we cannot explain, nor do we need to explain anything, just enjoy and give God all honor and praise.  It well may be that the sea that you think you can't cross will suddenly flee from you.  The mountain that is stopping your forward progress may skip alongside you and you begin again your journey towards where you need to be.  The rocks and flints that have been hurting your forward progress may soon be the soothing waters of healing your feet have needed.  Call on the power and presence of God into your life.

PRAYER:  Loving God of power and presence, come into my life and bless me.  Bless me in such a way that others will want to know more about You and what You can do for them; and then, let us all join together in blessing you with our obedience and service.  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Move a mountain today!

Eradio Valverde

God is Fighting for You!

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The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.’ So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. (Exodus 14:19-31)

This is one of the most awesome stories in the Old Testament.  Finally freed from slavery, the people of God flee Egypt and come to a large body of water.  It seems like there is no way out.  If they stand still, they will be captured.  If they run towards the Egyptian army, they will be killed.  Yet, they had signs that God was with them and going before them, and with them.  They had the angel of God in front, and the pillar of cloud also with them; signs that God is with us.  And while the signs were there the army could not touch them.  Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the waters split open, with a highway of dry land between the waters, on which the people could walk.  However long it took, the Jews were fine.  In came the enemy behind them, and then God allowed the waters to close over the Egyptians and they were no more.  Israel counted this as a "great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians."  And yet again, they came to believe in God and in God's servant, Moses.

I still chuckle at the discussions we had in OT class about the possible explanations for why this could have happened.  "Not really an ocean, more like a creek..."  or "It was the dry season and thus their ability to walk across this short body of water..."  Okay.  But here's how I see it.  We come up against closed doors all the time in our lives.  Or situations that seem un-winnable.  And as we pray we begin to see the answer to our prayers open those doors or to move the situation from an un-winnable position to a win-win opportunity.  I remember that in other places of the Bible, God declares that He fights for His own.  And I still believe God is fighting for us in whatever we find ourselves facing.  Illness?  Job stress?  Academic challenges and deadlines?  No matter the "army" that is chasing you, ask God to help you fight and win over it.  

PRAYER:  Loving God, I lift up *|FNAME|* and whatever army is after them.  I pray Your mighty hand give *|FNAME|* the victory and the peace to await that victory; in Jesus' mighty name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Be still and let God fight for you!

Eradio Valverde

Who Are We to Judge?

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Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgement on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgement on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God. For it is written,‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’  So then, each of us will be accountable to God. (Romans 14:1-12)

Aren't you glad you don't live in Paul's day, when people at church were ready to judge and criticize others?The Church in Rome was especially bad at that, because of the influence of other religions and the melding of some of those with so many beliefs, including Christian ones.  Some Christians held that it was sinful for the believer to eat meat offered as sacrifice to idols, as the meat once it was offered up, was taken to markets and sold.  Others said to worship God on any day other than Saturday the real Sabbath, they insisted, was wrong. Yet, believers said that Sunday was the Lord's Day for it was on a Sunday that He rose. Wait.  What's that you say?  We still judge and criticize others?  Sadly, yes.  But Paul gives us the truth; we live for Christ, and when we die, we die for Christ.  It will be Christ Who will decide and judge our actions and beliefs.  For now, it makes better sense to get along with each other, respecting differences in opinion, and seeking to continue to work at building up the kingdom of God.  For indeed, as Paul quotes, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God."

Seek to live honorably and lovingly even with those with whom you disagree.  Seek common ground and work to include all.  Set the standard for righteous living in your own life, and let others see the good in you.

PRAYER:  Loving God, help me to not judge and criticize.  Help me instead, live a life that builds up and blesses others.  Let me live lovingly with others as we work for the good of Jesus here on the earth.  In His name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Say a positive word to someone today.  Bless them!

Eradio Valverde

But Who's Counting?

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Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. ‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii;and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’ (Matthew 18:21-35)

Forgiveness.  The act of letting go a hurt or offense done against us.  It is a major step towards freedom and release.  For if you forgive someone you are free to move forward with your life without the constraints of anger, resentment, and bitterness.  It's not easy, and some people cannot forgive.  Some forgive, but don't forget, which begs the question if that is true forgiveness.  The Pharisees taught that three was the maximum times a Jew could forgive someone for a transgression against them.  And this was widely taught at the time, for it is Peter who believes that if he doubled the three times we are taught to forgive, and to add another one, for good measure, Jesus would be impressed.  He was not.  "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times."  Which for those days was a number beyond counting.  We don't keep track of the number.  Then Jesus taught the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.  A king decides that he should settle accounts with his slaves and in comes a man who owed the king 10,000 talents.  Some scholars believe the talent was comparable to a year's wages.  Let's say that's $40,000 for you; take 40,000 and multiply it by 10,000 and you have an idea of how much this person owed this king.  The king was within his rights to demand imprisonment for this man until his family could raise the money to pay him.  Remember this man owes like $400 million dollars to the king; where would the family of a slave find that much money?  And keep in mind that the king could sell the slave, along with the man's wife, and his children, and all his possessions.  It is a frightening thought!  The man falls to his knees and pleads, asking for patience, promising to pay it all back.  The king, moved by pity for the man forgives the debt.  In other words, he was free to go and live his life without the worry of that $400 million dollar debt.  But, the story takes an interesting turn, he encounters a fellow slave who owes him a hundred denarii, and he grabs him by the throat and demands payment.  The denarii is believed to be worth in today's dollars about $4.00, so this man owed him $400.00.  The fellow slave pleads for patience, and the first slave denies it and throws him and his family into prison.  Other slaves hear about this and report it back to the king, who calls the first slave in and says, "You wicked slave!  I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?"  And the man gets thrown into prison where he would be tortured until he could pay his entire debt to the king.  Jesus then says, "So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."  Ouch.

In the same way that God has forgiven us, we should forgive others.  We don't keep count, we keep forgiving and loving those who cause us harm.  It is a good lesson and one we should follow.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, help me to forgive in the same way You forgave me.  Help me to lose count and to keep my focus on loving others as You love me.  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Show someone mercy today.

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Request:  Today is the day we remember with sadness, 9/11.  Pray for peace.  Pray for the comfort of those who lost loved ones in those horrible attacks on our soil.  And forgive those who caused it.

Praise the Lord, Even on Your Couch!

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Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song,    his praise in the assembly of the faithful.  Let Israel be glad in its Maker;    let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.  Let them praise his name with dancing,    making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.  For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;    he adorns the humble with victory.  Let the faithful exult in glory;    let them sing for joy on their couches.  Let the high praises of God be in their throats    and two-edged swords in their hands,  to execute vengeance on the nations    and punishment on the peoples,  to bind their kings with fetters    and their nobles with chains of iron,  to execute on them the judgement decreed.    This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 149)

It's a mandate for creation to praise the Lord.  But the Lord and the psalmist would like for it to be a pleasure and a joy to praise the Lord.  Those in love with someone know to praise actions they take on our behalf; a husband should never take his wife for granted, nor should a wife take her husband for granted.  Everything done for us in love deserves a thank you and a praise.  How much more God and all that God does for us?  The psalmist loved God so much he praised him all the time; in worship with others, in private worship alone, with music, even sitting on his couch.  God takes pleasure in us and we should take pleasure in Him.

Take a moment to thank God right now and to later on just praise Him the best way you know how!

PRAYER:  We praise You, loving God, for all Your lovingkindness to us.  We entrust to You all our cares and worries and thank You for their outcomes.  Bless us and let us bless You and Yours; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Praise Him! Praise Him! All ye little children; God is love, God is love!

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Update:  Brenden's surgery went well and he went home yesterday morning!  Praise God and thank you for your prayers!

Is Your House Marked & Ready to Go?

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The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbour in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight.They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance. (Exodus 12:1-14)

There are certain days in the year when we decorate our houses.  Coming up soon will be a day when kids will knock on our doors and expect candy.  You know the day I'm talking about, and you know that some folks go all out in making their home creepy and scary.  We used to live across the street from a family that made their house look like a movie set, and one year the man went, in my opinion, a bit far with a chain saw that he used to scare kids.  Did I mention he was wearing a hockey mask?  Yes, very scary.  Very loud.  It seems that we skip the next special day, Thanksgiving, and go right to Christmas. You may have within your household discussions about when is the best time to decorate your home for our Savior's birth, but there are some that never take down their decorations.  Discuss amongst yourselves.

The "marking" I'm talking about follows the markings of this story.  Does your household, by its actions and interactions with others, especially neighbors give you away as a home of believers?  Are you hospitable, charitable, and friendly towards those who knock on your door?  I've shared with you that there is a difference between visitors and guests, and this holds true in our churches.  A visitor is an unexpected, unannounced person, who rings your doorbell, you hide, and whisper to your kids to be quiet so they'll go away.  A guest, on the other hand, is one you invite and eagerly look forward to having them come and see you.  You can't wait for them to be there.  How do you think the household of a believer should act?

The markings on the Jews' homes were sacred and very important.  It was the night of liberation and it came with a huge cost.  Whichever home was not marked with the blood of a sacrificial lamb the angel of death would enter and kill the firstborn of each home.  Those homes marked would be passed over (thus the name of that holiday until now, Passover).  The meal for Passover was a symbolic meal of remembrance and preparation.  They were to remember the bitterness of their days held against their will, and they were to eat in a way that said, "We're ready to leave," for indeed the doors opened and they were set free. In the same way, our homes should be ready to go and serve the Lord wherever it may be He asks.

PRAYER:  Lord, mark the doors of my home, and indeed the whole house, with markings of Your presence and love.  Help me and those who live with me to be ready to welcome, but also to go and do Your will.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Mark your house and yourself as one who loves the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Request:  For those people in the path of Hurricane Irma.  Also, for Brandon Mercer, a 13 yr old who had emergency surgery yesterday in Gonzales, Texas.  He is recovering in the hospital and should go home today.  Pray for one another, too!

I Owe You Love

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Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13:8-14) 

Two song titles in a row?  I did not know there was a song by the name of today's devotional until I searched for a graphic and found a song by the same title by Ronnie Miller.  I got the name from the first verse of today's passage (maybe Ronnie did too?).  The only indebtedness we should have is not with money, but with love for one another, and sometimes we come up short.  Paul says that by loving we have more than fulfilled the law, for the sins listed in the law come from a lack of love for neighbor.  Can you imagine going through today with that thought, and maybe even saying it to someone, "I owe you love!"?  Love, Paul says, means not doing wrong to our neighbor.  As we grow in our lives, we should grow more and more in love.  The late Rev. Dr. Charles Allen, longtime pastor of First United Methodist Church in Houston, used to say that life has a way of boiling away the layers of cover we place on ourselves and the older we get the more we reveal who we truly are.  And in the visits I have had to nursing homes, I have seen that is true.  Some of the people there are the bitterest, sour people you never hope to find, while others are so sweet you hate to leave their side.  If we set out to owe no one love because we're too busy giving it away, we will become more loving.  Each day bring us closer to the fullness of salvation, the full revelation of God's love and light, so the things of darkness will flee as we put on the armor of light.  We must put on Jesus; Jesus should be the face people see in us as we live our lives.

PRAYER:  Loving God, as I grow older, let me grow in love.  Time is too short to spend it angry or impatient with one another.  I seek only to be love incarnate with the face of Jesus to all whom I meet.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Put on Jesus and His armor of light for all to see today!

Eradio Valverde

We Can Work It Out

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‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ (Matthew 18:15-20)

Since 1964 I have liked the music of the Beatles.  And as a fan of theirs I have liked hearing stories about the history behind some of their songs.  The song that came to mind after reading this passage is the title of this morning's devotional.  Most of the Beatles' songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, friends since boyhood, they would compose songs either together or on their own, but would share credit for having written each song.  One day, Paul showed up with a song, as did John.  Paul's song started, "Try to see it my way, Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on?; While you see it your way, Run the risk of knowing that our love may soon be gone, We can work it out, We can work it out."  and John's song began:  "Life is very short, and there's no time Life is very short, and there's no time. For fussing and fighting, my friend. I have always thought that it's a crime, So, I will ask you once again."  Instead of proceeding with each song, the two agreed that John's part become the chorus and Paul's the main part of the song.  They lived what they had written.

Jesus speaks of the need for us to get along, but knew situations existed when we would have to work out the disagreements. And notice that Jesus speaks of these happening in the church.  He outlined a logical progression of steps with which we could work out an understanding.  We try with each other on our own; if that does not work out, invite an outside party to come along and help.  If that doesn't work, take it to the church and let the church decide, and if the church's involvement does not resolve the misunderstanding, and the one party refuses to agree, then a separation can occur.  Jesus then spoke about the spiritual power at our disposal; whatever we "bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth" the same thing in heaven.  Agreement is key, especially in prayer and the oft-quoted, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."  Jesus is key to all our relationships.

PRAYER:  Loving God, thank You for your wisdom and counsel.  We pray for Your church, especially those where there is disharmony or disagreement.  May Your peace be present now and forever.  Help us to invite Jesus into all our relationships, especially when we pray, as we do today in HIs precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Work it out!

Eradio Valverde