God's Comfort is Eternal (All Saints Day)

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Tomorrow is All Saint's Day, and most churches will have a memorial or act of remembrance for those who have died since last All Saint's Day.  Today is the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, so Happy Reformation Day to you all!  Here is the text for us as we prepare to remember those who have died:

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, singing,‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.' Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ (Revelation 7:9-17)

According to Paul, all who believe and serve the Lord Jesus Christ are saints.  This is a different understanding from our Catholic brothers and sisters, who believe that saints are those canonized by their Church and who have met the criteria, including two miracles.  We hold to the biblical definition, so if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are a saint!  Congratulations!  And, get to work!

Most television programs and current movies when addressing death will inevitably have one character who will say, "I don't believe in God."  In a current tv show, "The Good Doctor" a boy who resembled the dead brother of the lead character said, "I don't believe in Heaven because then I would be admitting that I believe in God.  I don't believe in God because God wouldn't allow death."  Thankfully, the plot of that show helped the boy to realize he was dying and he later said he did believe in God and in Heaven.  And this is the work we have before us; to share the faith in a God of Life, who does not end His work in our lives when we die. The above passage comes from the hand of one of the disciples, who was allowed to preview Heaven and to write all that he saw.  This passage is sometimes read at funerals for it speaks of what John saw:  In Heaven there was a great multitude from every nation.  That means the Gospel is shared properly will reach every nation.  We're almost there from what we know of what missionaries and evangelists have done.  It also means that those who have died in the faith are still alive and standing before God's throne and are dressed in white, holding palm branches in their hands, symbols of victories and celebrations (remember Palm Sunday?).  They also cry out in a loud voice, "Salvation belong to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb."  Salvation is also ours to share:  God desires a right relationship with all people (that's salvation) God will remove our sins, make us worthy, and grant to us eternal life.  They are sheltered.  They no longer hunger nor thirst.  Many a bedside I have been at that turned into a death bed, the very ill have said they were thirsty or hungry, but illness would not allow for them to partake of food or water.  Now, in Glory, they have both.  The sun will not strike them nor will scorching heat.  The lamb at the center of the throne is their shepherd and He will guide them to springs of water of life; all tears have been wiped away from their eyes.

Dear *|FNAME|*, you may have a heavy heart as you remember a loved one who has died recently.  This is a time for grieving, and we do it with the joy of the promises of God.  We will never forget loved ones; our house is always talking about our parents and grandparents, and other loved ones, and we do it with the certainty that they died in the faith and have all of the blessings and benefits promised in the above passage.  God's comfort is with us.  It is okay to cry and it is good actually for our bodies to cry.  But we look forward to the day when God will wipe away even our tears.

PRAYER:  Loving God of Life, speak to the broken hearted.  Grant to us all, the joy of Your salvation that we may rejoice in the knowledge that Your love and comfort never end.  Bless those who believe themselves to be inconsolable.  Strengthen them and hold them.  I pray a special prayer for *|FNAME|* and whatever is before on this day.  And we all pray in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Comfort one another today.

Eradio Valverde

The Truth Shall Make You Free!

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Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, “You will be made free”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:31-36)

Tomorrow, October 31, 2017, marks the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.  The gospel passage to mark this anniversary is the one above.  It's about truth and it's about being free.  It started in Germany by a monk named Martin Luther, whose quest for truth and honesty came when he was assigned to a school to teach Bible.  This came about because as a monk he was required to confess his sins every day.  Martin took hours in the confessional trying to cover all his bases; what sin, where, why; and this drove his brother monks crazy and they had him reassigned.  Martin Luther had never owned his own Bible and had to confess to himself that he needed to read it in order to teach it.  It was in the reading of the Bible that he did come to truth, and the truth, as Jesus said in the passage, set him free.  The Catholic church had been in the business of selling forgiveness of sins, and a variety of other misguided practices, and the more Martin read, the more he learned about what God requires through His word.

Growing up in Kingsville, at an early age I came to appreciate and love God and God's word.  I owned my own Bible and I took great pleasure in attending Sunday school.  I clearly remember the Monday at school after a great Sunday in church and I went up to some friends and wanted to discuss the stories we had learned.  I was saddened to hear that none of my friends, who were all Roman Catholic, owned their own Bible.  "Why?" I wanted to know.  "Well, the priest has one and he read it to us, but it's in Latin." was the reply I heard.  "What?" was my second question.  Vatican II came along in the late 50s and early 60s, and the formal meetings began in 1962, and one of the changes the church adopted was permission for their members to own their own Bibles.  Notice what Jesus says, true disciples are those who "continue in My word," and as a result, believers "know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  Most Protestant pastors would say, "Don't take my word for it, you have a Bible, look it up!"  Martin Luther did, and started this movement that led to the start of many of the denominations we call Protestants.  It was a Protest against ignorance and the slavery to practices that could not be questioned; the truth made us free.

PRAYER:  Loving God, in honor of this important day, may our commitment be to continue in Your Word like never before.  Help us all to set aside time to read and pray and understand Your teachings.  We want to know the truth about Your love and the salvation freedom that comes through Your Son, Jesus.  May it be son as we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Give a Bible to someone who doesn't have one.  Start with yourself.  

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Updates:  Pastor Matt Pennington is back from Korea and we could tell yesterday that he was richly and deeply blessed while there.  Larry Ehrig went home from the hospital on Saturday and is resting and recovering there.  We should continue to pray for Charlotte Wilson who is still at Nix Hospital in downtown San Antonio fighting infection on her wound from surgery.

Lord, Teach Us to Live Well!

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God, it seems you've been our home forever; long before the mountains were born, Long before you brought earth itself to birth, from "once upon a time" to "kingdom come" - you are God. So don't return us to mud, saying, "Back to where you came from!" Patience! You've got all the time in the world - whether a thousand years or a day, it's all the same to you.  Are we no more to you than a wispy dream, no more than a blade of grass That springs up gloriously with the rising sun and is cut down without a second thought?  Your anger is far and away too much for us; we're at the end of our rope.  You keep track of all our sins; every misdeed since we were children is entered in your books. All we can remember is that frown on your face. Is that all we're ever going to get? We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty), And what do we have to show for it? Trouble. Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard.  Who can make sense of such rage, such anger against the very ones who fear you?  Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well! Come back, God - how long do we have to wait? - and treat your servants with kindness for a change. Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we'll skip and dance all the day long.  Make up for the bad times with some good times; we've seen enough evil to last a lifetime. Let your servants see what you're best at - the ways you rule and bless your children. And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do! (Psalm 90:1-17)

Every week when it comes to the psalm for the week as recommended by the Lectionary, I like to read it in New Revised Standard Version as well as in The Message Version.  One is more true to the original text in a modern form of English, while The Message is an easier to understand paraphrase of the text.  Today I am using The Message, but I recommend when you have time to pull out your favorite version and read the first 17 verses of Psalm 90.  The Message flows and uses phrases and images that bring the text to life.  Of course, there are some passages that, in my opinion, miss the mark of the original, and so I stay away from them.  This psalm compliments the text from yesterday, where at age 120, Moses sees the Promised Land and then dies.  Some wonder about God's anger at that decision, and this psalm does the same thing, and calls out to God, beginning with a praise of thankfulness for all God is and provides, as well as the question about God's anger.  And some scholars believe that Moses wrote the psalm himself.  That would explain the questions and the viewpoint.

What it also says is that we won't always understand what God is up to in our lives.  For the ancient human, it was believed that every action here brought a response from God, and while committing all kinds of sins that would anger God, they might not understand why God was so angry.  It's like the small child.  One of our granddaughters can sense when Grandma is either sad or angry.  She will come up to her and ask, "Grandma, are you sad or mad?"  That breaks any anger that Grandma might have and she'll smile and say, "I'm not mad or sad."  Usually, our baby girl will say, "Okay."  Or, she might say, not believing the response, "Why are you mad?"  

The psalmist has the better approach, "Lord, Teach us to live well!"  If we set our very being in focus with God through prayer, worship, reading, studying, and listening to God, we learn the ways of God, and we can move forward without fear about the wrath of God.  It was John Wesley's standard entrance question to membership in the small groups that met around in England that ultimately became the United Methodist Church:  Are you willing to flee the coming wrath of God?  And another related question would be:  How is it with your soul?  One asks, "Do you think God's angry with you?"  and "What have you done to cause such anger?"  If we are in tune with God, we can as the writer says, "We'll skip and dance all the day long."

Take a moment of reflection in your life right now.  Are we where we know God would have us be?  Or, do we have some confessing and repenting to do?

PRAYER:  Awesome God.  our prayer is that You would teach us how to live.  Let this prayer, today's scripture, my personal reflection and daily tasks work together to teach me how to better please You.  Our goal is faithfulness and fruitfulness; and that will be our cause to skip and dance all day!  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Skip and dance a bit today because God loves you! Or, if you're like a long-time friend, the Rev. Bill Henderson, you can prance away the day!  (Inside joke to one who has traveled many a mile with me in ministry and has blessed me much!)

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Updates:  Our sister Ann Keck was released from the hospital in Gonzales and went to The Heights facility where she will recover for a few days.  Our sister Charlotte Wilson is again in Nix Hospital in San Antonio.  She suffered a fall and was taken back for recovery.  Brother John Lucas underwent hip surgery in Gonzales and is recovering there.  And our brother Larry Ehrig underwent surgery in San Antonio for his broken femur and is at Central Baptist Hospital.  Pray for these our loved ones that God restore them to healing and health.  And thank you for taking time to pray for them and for each other.

Days of Wandering End for the Leader, Moses

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Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, ‘This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, “I will give it to your descendants”; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.’ Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day.Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigour had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended. Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses. Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unequalled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:1-2)

Moses served, more or less faithfully, his appointment as pastor of First Church Gripers.  It was a difficult charge to be fair with Moses.  If you've read any of the Exodus story or heard sermons on it, it was a constant battle between these people, Moses, and God.  We cannot fault Moses' actions at times, but the time came when God acted and the above passage reflects that which took place.  There are many ways to assume the one action that Moses was guilty of that brought about his being able to see but not enter the Promised Land.  Many point to Moses' striking the rock for water, when God simply said to speak to it.  Many a person has been frustrated with people who should be cooperating, only to have them question or doubt decisions made by leadership; hitting rocks as a result seems innocent enough, but faithfulness and obedience was demanded by God.

One source I read this morning about this passage said several things that can be applied to this, starting with "no one is irreplaceable."  The writer believed Moses got too comfy in his leadership and started to lean more on himself than on God.  This is a foolish thing to do when working for God.  The writer also said "there is no freelancing when in a position of authority."  One must adhere to the scope and vision of the organization, and in this case, towards the end God was leading Israel.  As we read above, Joshua had been groomed by Moses and the leadership, as well as his involvement in the community, to become the leader needed to carry forward that which God wanted.  The people mourned Moses' death, but this is not the last appearance of this man in the Bible; at Jesus' transfiguration, Moses and Elijah make their appearance and are seen by Peter, James, and John.  And, in a real sense, Moses went on to his reward.  Though he may not have stepped foot on the promised land, Moses enters the heavenly realm.

As we reflect on our lives and where we find ourselves today; this much is true; we must stay connected with God.  Through our spiritual disciplines, especially prayer and worship, we still have much to do.  For those who have joined the church, vows of obedience were taken, and in the case of United Methodists, we have promised to serve the Lord  and His church through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.  Our faithfulness in trying to live out all five blesses God and God's work.  Our Promised Land is a better situation in which God is made real to all; life becomes more than existence, a life of abundance.

PRAYER:  Loving God, may I be more faithful in serving You.  Grant to me the strength, courage, and boldness to help bring about Your kingdom here on the earth.  Thank You for the witness of Moses and others who have served to inspire us to be more like You. It is in Christ Jesus that we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be someone's special blessing today!

Eradio Valverde

People Pleaser, or God Pleaser?

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You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully maltreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. (1 Thessalonians 2:1-8)

Imagine being in a building that is on fire and hearing someone say, "I don't mean to hurt your feelings, or inconvenience you, but though you are busy in conversation or other matters, I thought you might like to know that our building is on fire, and if it isn't too much to ask, please leave the building."  You're right, you won't hear that.  You'll hear a loud, sharp buzzer or someone yelling, "Fire!"  I remember one night staying in a hotel when the buzzer and red lights on each floor started flashing, and doors opening.  We didn't see smoke, and most very zombie-like filed out of their rooms, away from the elevators to the exit doors.  And we were on the sixth floor, the top floor of that particular hotel; it was a cold night, and off we followed the crowd to the outside until we got the all clear sign and we were able to return to our rooms.  Paul's message was more like, "Fire!"  He was spiritually on fire for Jesus, and wanted everyone to be.  In this passage he reminded the people in the church of Thessalonica that all he and his companions did was out of love for God, with the courage of God to share the Good News of God in spite of those who opposed them.  Paul wanted people to be right with God and urged all to convert.  Paul says, our ministry was in pleasing God not pleasing people.  You never heard a message of flattery or greed on our part, we came to save you.  In no way did we seek to please you in such a way that you would praise us.

Paul's ministry through urgent, was caring, thoughtful, and loving.  I love the image of a nurse that he uses, as an example of the care he wanted to share with each soul.  And that's the type of ministry you and I have been called to; sharing the urgency of getting right with God but in a manner that cares for one and other.  At no point can our decisions and actions be done only to please our audience, but to please and serve God who has sent us.  We give of God's love, but we also give of ourselves, so that others may see the power of God working to get us where we are; in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:  Loving God, grant us the courage and boldness of Paul to share the urgent message of salvation. Help us to lovingly care for those who have not yet heard nor received the Good News.  Give us the words and opportunities to share and care.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Get people ready for living a life of faith.

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Update:  Yesterday, our brother Larry Ehrig was awaiting a time for surgery.  I visited him early morning and by late afternoon we had not heard of a time set  yet.  I visited our sister, Ann Keck, who was in good spirits and according to her, better than she had been in some days.  So, please continue to pray for them and all on our prayer lists so that God may be gloried.

Passion, Prayer, & Intelligence

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When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’  Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ‘What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, “The Lord said to my Lord,‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’ ”? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’ No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22:34-46)

There is nothing quite like spending an hour with junior high students who want to be confirmed as members of the church.  I praise and thank God for those who are called to teach this age group as a profession.  It's an interesting age, and best I can remember, I went through it as well.  I do question, was I that way?  (Notice please that I did not use the word bad!).  I may have been, I just don't remember.  And then we have the model of Jesus as a 12 year old, sitting with the teachers and asking questions.  Now, not all the confirmands are alike.  They are all sweet in their own way, and they do want to learn about God and get closer to God, but they possess an energy that if harnessed, could power the South Texas energy grid.  But, the challenges of learning the faith and all that comes with it, would be difficult for anyone of any age.  In this passage, these men, for they were mostly men, were adolescents once.  They may have fidgeted a bit, they may have posed and postured, some may have never grown out of it, thus their position as Pharisees and Sadducees; but they, like Jesus, learned the commandments and the law as children, and youth.  The ones with the religious titles asked the first question to Jesus:  "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"  It was a Sunday school type question, meaning, if you attended SS on a regular basis, paid a little attention, and passed the quiz, you would know this.  Jesus knew it.  "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  The Message version says, "Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.'"

Passion.  Prayer.  Intelligence. These explain a bit more what the above version says of heart, soul, and mind.  If you have love and passion in your heart, the love that comes out is different from just loving or saying you love someone or something.  Recently, those in this area who love the Astros know all about passion.  Friday and Saturday nights were awesome nights for the fans of baseball in this area.  Some would have added prayer to the passion for the Astros, and that is acceptable, but Jesus is talking about being strongly connected to God through prayer.  It is the fuel of your soul to love God and to stay in touch with God.  And intelligence is that which fuels your mind's activity; if you love God, you will think about God often and in ways that boost your life.  Many are the ones who simply think or say, "God's got this," as they think and reflect and pray about challenges or obstacles that come their way.  Jesus knew the commandment, but more importantly, Jesus knew God.

The final question was put to the Pharisees and Sadducees by Jesus.  "What do you think of the Messiah?  Whose son is He?"  This was a question that they first answered with the name, "David."  Yet, Jesus asks a tougher question, How can David, who for many, was the greatest king and ruler, and out of whose house the  Messiah was expected, call a son of his, "Lord?"  No one could answer that question, and you will note that from that day on, no one dared asked Jesus any more questions.  Jesus bested them at their own game.  For the one who knows God, knows the best answer to most questions. 

PRAYER:  Loving God, I want  to know you with passion, prayer, and intelligence.  I seek to know You as I go through life.  Help me to share what I know with those who seek.  Bless those in need, and help us respond with whatever we can to those.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Ask questions that may bring the Answer to those still seeking.

Eradio Valverde

Prayers for Mr. Larry Ehrig of Gonzales, in San Antonio, facing surgery today.  Prayers for Ms. Ann Keck as well.

On Your Toes Everyone! God is Holy!

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God rules. On your toes, everybody! He rules from his angel throne - take notice! God looms majestic in Zion, He towers in splendor over all the big names.  Great and terrible your beauty: let everyone praise you! Holy. Yes, holy.  Strong King, lover of justice, You laid things out fair and square; You set down the foundations in Jacob, Foundation stones of just and right ways.  Honor God, our God; worship his rule! Holy. Yes, holy.  Moses and Aaron were his priests, Samuel among those who prayed to him. They prayed to God and he answered them; He spoke from the pillar of cloud. And they did what he said; they kept the law he gave them.  And then God, our God, answered them (But you were never soft on their sins).  Lift high God, our God; worship at his holy mountain. Holy. Yes, holy is God our God. (Psalm 99)

This October 31st, besides being Halloween, is the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation.  It was the day that a priest by the name of Martin Luther nailed to the door of the Wittenburg Church, his 95 Theses.  It was a "God-thing," led by the Holy Spirit for this monk to be assigned to teach Bible when he himself admitted he did not know the Bible.  That led him to study scripture and to become transformed by what he read.  He compared what the Bible said to what the Church was doing, and summed up his findings in those 95 theses.  Part of what he read has led many a person to revival and that is that God calls us to be holy.  Not holier than thou, that attitude that turns people off, but a call to live a life that blesses others because of the presence of Jesus' love and compassion in us that brings about thinking in others to change their lives as well.  

This morning I listened to a 7 minute presentation on the Reformation based on King Josiah.  I will add the link at the bottom so that when you have seven minutes to spare you might listen to Dr. Sandra Richter present a wonderful talk on what could happen today in your life and in the life of the church.  It goes back to what the psalmist is saying:  On your toes, everybody!  God rules, God is majestic, towers in splendor, God is beautiful, and God is worthy of everyone's praise!  We're called to honor God and to worship Him.  Lift God high because holy, yes holy is God our God.

Maybe I'm reading too much into "on your toes" but to me it says take action, and the best action is to be like God.

PRAYER:  Loving God, bring holiness to my life.  Let me seek to be salt and light, positive influence in the lives of my family, friends, co-workers, fellow Christians, so that true reformation and revival may happen in me.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Give up that which has given up on you long ago!

Eradio Valverde

God Knows Us by Name & Goes With Us

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Moses said to the Lord, ‘See, you have said to me, “Bring up this people”; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, “I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.” Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.’ He said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.’  The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.’ Moses said, ‘Show me your glory, I pray.’ And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, “The Lord”; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But’, he said, ‘you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.’ And the Lord continued, ‘See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.’ (Exodus 33:12-23)

There are times we don't want to be known or seen.  Nellie and I went to a megachurch in Corpus Christi some years ago and after parking in a huge lot, walking a long way, entered into a dark worship space that was like walking in late to a movie.  We slipped in and just as easily slipped out.  There was no greeting of our neighbor or passing the peace.  And, there are times we do want to be known and seen, especially when we feel we need God's blessing or help.  In a highly visible position such as Moses held, he wanted God to know him and be with him daily.  The stress and pressure of that awesome job of leading God's people away from slavery and into a new country, and a new relationship with God was at times more than he could stand.  Moses could, as can we, cry out to the Lord.  We can petition the Lord to be with us and help us with what we're facing, as did Moses.  It's clear that God cared for God had said to Moses and Moses repeats it here, "I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight."  And Moses asks that God go with them or else leave them right where they were.

In the same way, God knows us by name and by need.  We can talk with God and seek to listen to Him.  We can be honest with God and share with God our worries and troubles; God will respond and God will guide us.  As you go about your day today be honest with God and ask what it is you've been wanting to ask.  Ask to know not only God's favor, but God's glory as you seek answers to questions, and solutions to challenges. God is faithful and just.  You may just be totally amazed.

PRAYER:  Loving God, bless me with Your favor.  Bless me with signs of Your glory was I seek answers to what I need to do.  Guide me deeper into faithfulness.  This I ask in Christ Jesus my Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Take the step towards trusting God more to help you today!

Eradio Valverde

God Not Only Loves You, But Has His Hand on You for Something Special!

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I, Paul, together here with Silas and Timothy, send greetings to the church at Thessalonica, Christians assembled by God the Father and by the Master, Jesus Christ. God's amazing grace be with you! God's robust peace!  Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you're in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father.  It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special.  When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions. and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit! - taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.  Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master's Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don't even have to say anything anymore - you're the message!  People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom. (1 Thessalonians1:1-10 The Message)

One of the images suggested for this passage says, "Your Faith is Famous!"  And who wouldn't be famous in faith if they lived and worked as these brothers and sisters of the Church in Thessalonica.  They were known for their love and patience.  (Are we?)  Because their faith was solidly in Jesus Christ and they had seen and received the message of Good News not only preached, but received through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit put "steel in your convictions," and the people lived that way too.  The change was evident by all who knew and worked with these people. And so, it was evident also, that God loved them very much and had His hand on them for something special.

If our faith is solidly, like steel, set in our convictions for the work of the Lord, we too, can claim the promise Paul says of the Christians in Thessalonica:  God loves us very much, and has His hand on us for something special.

That something special may not seem big to you, but it could change the lives of those we touch.  How many people have decided against suicide because of a kind word shared with them?  How many people have decided to live more fully in the Gospel because someone took time to sit and listen and talk with them?  And speaking of those who labor among us; have you shown your appreciation for your pastor(s)?  The month of October has been set aside as Pastor Appreciation Month and it doesn't take much to say Thank You for Being My Pastor; a note, a card, a gift card, a small (or large) token of your appreciation goes a long way to those who labor alongside us for the sake of Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:  Loving God, we thank you for those whom You have loved and on whom You have placed Your loving hands.  Put Your hands on me and guide me to faithfulness.  This I pray in Christ Jesus my Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Show How God is using you to do something special.

Eradio Valverde

Render to Caesar

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Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:15-22)

No one maintained a better separation of church and state than the Jews, especially when it came to the Romans.  The Romans were Gentiles, they were seen as unclean and unfit to rule holy land, and they held Israel as an occupied land.  To top matters off, the Romans demanded a strict tax.  No one opposed the payment of taxes than the religious leaders of the Jews.  They saw the tax as a form of idol worship, for Caesar was seen as a god among his people, so to pay taxes to a god other than YHWH was considered a sin.  The Pharisees led the charge against payment of taxes, and the Herodians, though loyal to Herod and the rulers, were against Jesus, so these two groups conspired to trap Jesus.  Their question, framed first as a false compliment, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.  Tell us, the, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, nor not?"  Jesus saw through their malarky and malice and asks to see a coin used in payment for the tax, and this was the denarius.  Jesus asks, "Whose head is this, and whose title?"  The answered, "The emperor's."  I love the old King James reply,"Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."  This shut them up for a bit.

The question today goes deeper into our situation particularly in our country; where is our deepest loyalty?  To the USA or to God?  A lot of people see our country moving further into a nationalistic state, where our country can do no wrong, and leave God out of the equation.  Honestly, we have been this way since our country was established, and for years, sociologists and theologians talked about the civil religion of the United States, and how it fights Christianity for the place of true religion.  But let us go beyond religion to relationship; where does your loyalty lie?  I love the USA, but I love God more.  I seek to know how I can best be a good citizen while not sacrificing my stance as a good Christian.  When you and I are called to stand before God, the question will not be: Were you a good American, but where did your loyalty and demonstrated loyalty lie?  Were you Christ-like in your dealings with others, especially those downtrodden and neglected?  Remember a few chapters after this encounter, in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus spoke of the judging of nations, each individual will be asked how we lived our lives alongside those in need.  Jesus says the sheep will be allowed entrance into heaven:  “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Render therefore unto God, the things that are God's.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, forgive me for misplaced loyalties.  I seek to love and serve You above anything or anyone else.  Grant me wisdom to serve You and Yours.  Help me to bless those who are hungry, thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the prisoner, and the sick.  Let my life be a surrender to You in ways that glorify You.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be prepared to render unto God that which belongs to God.

Eradio Valverde

Confess and Refresh

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Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord, or declare all his praise? Happy are those who observe justice,who do righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord, when you show favour to your people;help me when you deliver them; that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in your heritage. Both we and our ancestors have sinned;we have committed iniquity,have done wickedly. They made a calf at Horeb and worshipped a cast image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Saviour,  who had done great things in Egypt,  wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. (Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23)

This is the Psalm that remembers the text from yesterday, Exodus 32:1-14.  It is a call to give thanks, to confess, and to be refreshed in the Lord.  It is a collective confession of the nation's sins, as well as personal sins; a remembrance of things that should not have been done, but still it gives thanks for God having changed His mind.

A dear friend from the Valley responded on Facebook to my post there with my ConCafe.  He remembered the calf as well, and he shared how the calf represented to him today, those things that can take the place of God.  It is quite a list, and one that does, as it should, step on our toes.  I would rather have stepped on toes than face an eternity without God.  What things take the place of God in your life?  Is it a sports team?  A diversion that you place ahead of worship?  Your family?  Anything, or anyone, that takes the place of God has become that golden calf in our lives and does not deserve to be there.  If you're honest and think and pray about it, nothing created can take the place of the Creator.  If you list all the great and awesome things that God has done in your life, anything else will pale in comparison.

Confess that God is Lord of your life.  And refresh in the knowledge that God blesses us with wonderful blessing.

PRAYER:  LOVING GOD, I confess that at time, golden calves have been on the throne of my heart.  I repent of those and ask that You take Your rightful place there.  Let me be refreshed in knowing that You have made all things new, including me.  Be glorified in this day, for it is Your day; here in my heart, in my family, and in Your church, for I ask these things in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Have a great day worshiping God.  Go to church even!

Eradio Valverde

God Changed His Mind

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When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ Aaron said to them, ‘Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mould, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.’ They rose early the next day, and offered burnt-offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel. The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.’ But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, ‘O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, “It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth”? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, “I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it for ever.” ’ And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people. (Exodus 32:1-14)

As a child we would drive down to the Rio Grande Valley quite often to visit my mother's sister in Mission, Texas.  The route would take us down to Edinburg, where we would turn off onto Hwy 107 which took us by Golden Jersey Creamery.  Their symbol was a golden calf sitting above their front entrance on a ledge.  I always thought it might possibly be the calf from this story.  Now it sits in the museum near that same site.  And it's a nice museum.  But it's not the same calf as the one Moses had to put up with.  And what a sad story.  Impatient led to distrust and to abandonment of faith on the part of the people of God.  Moses took too long, according to them, and so they chose to "make gods for us, who shall go before us."  Sad.  It tells a little about us even now.  We pray and we want answers immediately.  If God takes too long in answering, would we abandon our faith in Him?  I would pray not.  We know God's time is not our time.  God knows just when to answer and when to answer with a different result than what we asked for.  But, it should never lead us to abandon our faith; it should serve to strengthen us in knowing God is at work on our behalf and the results will be beyond what we expected once we have the faith to understand it.

The actions of Israel led God to tell Moses that He was through with them and would destroy all of them, except Moses.  Moses pleads with God and asks God to change His mind about this decision, reminding God of His promise with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.  Notice the last verse in this passage:  "And the Lord changed His mind about the disaster that He planned to bring on His people."  It shows the power of prayer on those who trust God and advocate on their behalf before the Lord.  It shows we should never stop praying nor asking for what we think might be best for us and others.  Who knows?  God may change His mind and show us mercy and grace (again).

PRAYER:  Loving God, thank You for the faith of Moses.  Increase our faith and our patience.  Grant us faith that helps us understand Your presence and power in our midst.  This we pray in Christ Jesus our Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  You might have to change YOUR mind today and show grace!

Eradio Valverde

God Knows Where You Are

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Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:1-9)

Last weekend in Dallas, we went to a Barnes and Nobles to find birthday gifts for our little ones.  The first one to get a gift was me as I walked into the store, on the right, on the bargain table was a book called, "When God Winks at You," for $7.98.  I picked it up and read the first few pages and decided it was a book that Nellie and I would read to each other right before bed.  Last night's little story blew us both away.  It goes with that which Paul writes above as encouragement to his fellow workers in God's ministry.  It was a story about a man who traveled the country in two buses with his family entertainment act.  They traveled about 50,000 miles per year going to churches, schools, most on the back roads of America.  On this day, Ken Gaub was feeling tired and confused about what he was doing.  They were on I-75 somewhere near Dayton, Ohio.  Like most of us, he wondered if he was in the right place, doing the right thing.  Both buses communicated with CB radios, and the drivers decided to pull off the Interstate and eat lunch.  Ken told the family he was going to stretch his legs by going on a walk.  He walked past a gas station and an empty phone booth.  Suddenly, it began to ring.  He stopped, looked around and the phone kept ringing.  He started to walk way.  He paused again and thought, "What if it's for the gas station attendant?  Maybe it's an emergency."  He stepped into the booth and said a reluctant hello.  The operator said, "I have a person to person call for Mr. Ken Gaub."  "What?" asked Ken, who looked around for Candid Camera crews that surely were hiding somewhere taping this.  They were trying to make him look silly.  "Calling Ken Gaub," said the operation.  "You're crazy," he said, once again doing a 360-degree look for a camera.  The operator was now less patient, "Is this Ken Gaub?"  "Yeeess..."  "I have a person to person call for you," sounding more like an impatient teacher scolding  child.  "I believe that's him," sad another voice on the phone - a woman's voice.  He thought that if it was a setup it was very clever.

The woman said, "Mr. Gaub, I saw you on a TV show, The 700 Club," she was very nervous, "I'm Millie.. I live in Harrisburg...and...I remembered your name and wrote it into a letter I was writing... a suicide note..."  The woman started to cry.  "You don't know me...but I'm desperate ... I remembered you... and a phone number came into my mind to call you.  Thank you so much for taking my call."  Ken knew this was no joke, and asked, "How did you get this number?"  "I don't know.  It just came into my mind, while I was writing.  Is this your office?  In California?"  "Ma'am, my office is in Yakima, Washington, but that's not where I am."  "Where are you?" she sniffled.  "Millie, you called me.  I'm in a phone booth at a gas station in Dayton!"  "What are you doing there?"  "Answering the phone," he said with a chuckle, beginning to enjoy the experience.  And for the next few minutes they talked, and Ken assured her that the Lord was watching over her, that her worries were only temporary, that turning to God was the only answer.  In Him, she would find peace.  They said goodbye and Ken sat on a stone wall by the gas station contemplating the power of the godwin that he and Millie had just experienced.  He wondered, was this a message of hope for her, or a message of hope for me?  And he made that his prayer to God.  Across the driveway he saw his wife and the others coming out of the diner.  Ken yelled to his wife, "Barb!  Hey! God knows where I am!"

And God knows where you are.  God never forgets you nor does God ever abandon you.  God will see you through all you are facing.

PRAYER:  Loving God, we may never understand Your ways, but we sure enjoy them especially when we can't explain them.  Bless this dear reader in an awesome way today that reminds him or her that You know where they are, and You're blessing them in a special way.  I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Don't look around for cameras, it's God who knows where you are!

Eradio Valverde

For Many are Called, Few are Chosen

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Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. ‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless.Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’(Matthew 22:1-14

Some years ago, an apple juice company ran a print ad that said, "Many are called, few are frozen."  It made me laugh and made me realize the impact that Scripture has on advertising.  This last verse of today's passage has our verse, "For many are called, but few are chosen."  The reference is the response people continue to show towards God and His gracious invitation to come and join the wedding feast.  The kingdom of God is for all who lovingly accept, enter, and do the work of God in reaching more.  Jesus' parable is about a king who throws a wedding banquet for invited folks.  They would not come.  The king sends servants to go and invite them with a sharing of the menu.  The invited made fun of the invitation and still would not come; in fact, some even seized the servants, treated them badly, and killed them.  The king sent his troops to murder those who had killed the servants.  Then the invitation was expanded to include all people, "invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet," and the servants even brought back "both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests."  Upon entering the king finds one not wearing the wedding garment, asks how he got in, and had him thrown out "into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then the title of this devotional:  "For many are called, but few are chosen."

The parable is a foretelling of what Jesus' mission would encompass.  He came first for the Jews, then for the non-Jews.  Earlier, God had sent prophets for the "invited," namely the Jews, and they were treated as the servants in the parable; ridiculed, mistreated, and killed.  Their judgment awaits.  Then the others, namely any who would accept, were sought, and these did accept and filled the wedding hall, as heaven will be one day.  There, judgment will occur, and those found not worthy, will be cast out as their punishment.  As our sheep friends above show, many through the ages have sought to define what the wedding garment is that those worthy are wearing.  Saint Augustine thought the wedding garment was charity, and Gregory the Great thought the wedding garment was love.  And some have thought the invited guest represented Satan and his desire to be in with all of God's people until the day he is thrown out into outer darkness for ever.  

Here are our questions:  Have we said yes to Jesus and no to our sin?  Have we asked to be forgiven and asked to be invited into God's kingdom?  And if so, have we sought to be people of love and good works to those who have not yet accepted?

PRAYER:  Loving God, please count me in among those who have said YES to You.  I ask again, forgiveness of my sins and I open the door of my heart to You.  Enter in and be my Savior, Lord, and King.  Clothe me with love and help me be one who does for others as Jesus taught.  This I ask in His name, Jesus my Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Show your love for Jesus today by doing something good for others.

Eradio Valverde

Words and Thoughts; Are They Enough?

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The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech,and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever;the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover by them is your servant warned;in keeping them there is great reward. But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless,  and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19)

The last sentence of this psalm has always intrigued and blessed me.  I was happy to hear an internet preacher say that his uncle, who was a preacher as well, would say this every Sunday before his sermon.  The nephew thought it was something written by the "higher-ups" who expected him to say it before the sermon.  It wasn't until the young man began to study the scriptures that he understood that it was from this psalm and the beauty and power behind it.  But, before we get to the end, let's start at the beginning; Nature is beautiful, and it is like a choir singing the praises of God and God's handiwork.  The words nature speaks come out each day, and at night, it is knowledge that the creation shares with all.  It is intended for those who know the Lord and seek to know Him better.  Today's Upper Room devotional is about a young woman caught up in her busyness and worries that one night her dad called her outside just to see the stars.  It was then she realized she needed to slow down and take a moment to admire the stars and all that God created. Their song is one she needed to hear; and it is the song we perhaps don't hear often enough.  The psalmist also takes time to speak of God's law and how perfect it is in reviving the soul, making all wiser in knowing it. Deep respect for God helps us understand their power and makes our lives better.  Remember yesterday's devotion and how the Ten Commandments were written to put us in a better relationship with God and with each other; that brings peace.

Then the closing request; Loving God, because of what I read in your Word and what I know to be Your law, help my mouth share out that which blesses others.  Let the thoughts deep within my heart be those of love for You and for all; for You are indeed, my steadfast rock and my everlasting redeemer.  I can think of no better way to start a sermon or a day.

PRAYER:  Loving God, as I go forth this day, bless me in ways that bless others, especially You.  Let me take in that which I have read in Your word, and let my thoughts and words be all about You and Your love for us.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Let your words bless someone today.  Build them up!

Eradio Valverde

The Big Ten Commandments

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Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and do all your work.Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.’ (Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9. 12-20)

This was humanity's connection point with holiness. The formation of a nation, a holy nation, was started by God's declaration about life and how we should live, if we want to be holy.  Moses received these on two tablets and they contain the basis of many of the laws of society throughout the world.  The basic instructions can be summed up in this way:  Get along with God.  Get along with others.  All will be well.

The first part shows that God is a jealous God.  God reminds us that it was His doing that the Jews were led out of Egypt as free men and women.  There were and are, no other gods.  Period.  And certainly, we shouldn't invent any to worship.  God is creator, created us to worship Him, and not creation itself.  Yes, there are many who still do, but it is our job to do what we can to help them see the reality of the one true God.

God's name is holy, as is God's very being.  We are to love, honor, and respect that name, and not throw it around in common or vulgar usage.  God's day is the sabbath, and it is meant to be a holy day.  

The second part shows how we are to deal with others.  And it starts at home; We are to honor our parents, and this commandment is the one with a promise attached to it, "so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."

We are to respect the sacredness of life, the sacredness of marriage, and respect of the things of others that are not ours.  We are not to take the things that belong to others and make them ours.  We should be forthright in our dealings with others, and not resort to false statements about others.  Though the things of others may seem attractive to us, we are not to desire them for ourselves.

The giving of the Ten Commandments was a dramatic event and one that brought fear to the people, to the point they did not want to hear directly from God, rather from Moses.  Moses replied that we should not be afraid, but to be respectful and honorable before the Lord.

We may have plagues or photos of these commandments in our homes, but pause to read them often and to be reminded that all is well when we put God and others in proper perspective.

PRAYER:  Thank You, loving Father, for these commandments.  Give us the love and respect we need to love You, fear You, and serve You.  Give us the same to treat others as we should treat ourselves.  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be the Big Ten to someone today, as you show how life can be best lived in following the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Credenzas, Credentials, or Christ?

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If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ,the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal;but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:4b-14)

Recent events have taught many, that what we once thought or valued as the most important in our lives, really doesn't.  For those who lost everything in the hurricanes or floods, the credenzas were not as important as the lives of their family.  For those tragic families whose loved ones were lost to the bullets of a madman, credentials mattered not.  Paul wrote the lines above as he knew his life was coming to an end.  He took certain pride in his pedigree as a Jew; circumcised on the eighth day according to the Law, just like Jesus; a rightful Hebrew of the tribe of Benjamin, an educated religious man (Pharisee-remember who hated Jesus more during His life?)  Zealous, hardworking, blameless under the strict definitions of the law - but all that mattered not once he found Jesus as His Lord and Savior.  All that he owned before Christ no longer mattered, for he had found the real thing of life and that is the life found in Jesus Christ.  From that first encounter with Jesus, Paul wanted to know Jesus more, and to learn more about the power of the resurrection, and even what it felt like to experience the same sufferings as Christ Jesus, with the hope that once he left this world he would be resurrected like Jesus into Heaven.

We may reach a point where we realize that what lies behind is no longer as important as what lies ahead.  Our goal should be to live a life filled with the abundance of all Christ promised to us.  We no longer just want to live, but thrive in this life.  Our goal should also include our telling others about Jesus until that point where we meet Jesus face-to-face in the hereafter.  Can you think of a better goal?

PRAYER:  Loving God, again we pray for Your comfort and peace to come to those grieving all that has happened during these days.  We ask not to understand, but to help others cope.  We ask for peace, the kind that only You can share.  And help us see clearly the goal that You have set before us in our life.  We want to be like Jesus, inviting others to join us, until that day we meet You face-to-face.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be someone's blessing today as you share your goals with them.

Eradio Valverde

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

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‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes”?  Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet. (Matthew 21:33-46)

In this parable, Jesus is speaking of His own life and purpose.  He shares how God sent prophets to share His word.  The prophets never held comfortable nor popular jobs, and as Jesus says, "the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another."  The prophets did as God asked, but the need remained for God's love and grace to be known.  Who do you think is the son sent to these tenants?  Jesus, of course.  Notice what Jesus says, and compare that to what indeed happened to Him:  "This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance."  What these tenants hoped was that they would get the son's inheritance, but instead they would be killed, and the vineyards leased to those who would produce the fruits God wants.  And Jesus further goes on to quote the passage of "the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."  Jesus further warns the Pharisees that the kingdom of God would be taken away from them and given to a people who would produce the fruits of the kingdom.

This has mostly happened.  The fruits being produced are from all corners of the world; the good news is attracting new believers each and every day.  The word of God is alive and powerful and active.  As we share it, those who need it, receive it, rejoice in it, and begin to live it.  If we are not careful, we may become like the religious people of Jesus' day who took it for granted that their relationship with God was secure and only did things against the kingdom of God.  We still have work to do; people to reach and help.  We must be alive, powerful, and active at all times, connected with God and open to God's leading.

PRAYER:  Living God, speak to our hearts and let us respond with joy that which is still left to be done.  We seek to build the Kingdom, not hurt it.  Help us and bless us so that we may be a blessing to others.  And, Lord, we pause to pray for the loved ones of those killed last night in Las Vegas.  It was a senseless act of violence that has left so many dead and so many injured.  We cannot make sense of it, but we pray that You would bring comfort.  We continue to pray for brothers and sisters still affected by the aftermath of hurricanes and earthquakes.  Bless them and help us respond to their needs.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Be a blessing to someone today.

Eradio Valverde