A New Year is Better Served by a New You!

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“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.” (Matthew 25: 37-40)

Dear Friend, ready or not, the year is over tonight at midnight!  2018 will be no more, and as the clock strikes midnight, and as the famous ball drops in New York City, delayed one hour for God's beloved in this time zone, it will be 2019.  And the text recommended to start the New Year is the one highlighted above and fully quoted below.  What came to my mind is that a New Year is best served by a New You and Me!  Regardless of what this New Year may bring, may it bring out in us true Christ-like love and compassion, service and witness.  Take a look around and you will see this world needs Jesus more than ever.

Jesus is the author of these words, and as we read them we can see His concern for all people.  The judgment will come, He says, and all nations will be gathered before him, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  And the basis of that judgment will be how we responded to basic human needs around us:  Hunger, thirst, hospitality, nakedness, sickness, and the jailed.  Did we help feed the hungry?  Did we help people quench their thirst?  Did we welcome the stranger?  Did we clothe the naked?  Did we care for the sick?  Did we visit the prisoner?  Jesus as God and man, knew the reality of life for all people and if you have ever felt or been in a situation like the ones He has described you know the hardships associated with each.  Most of us, thank God, have never been hungry for very long; we are a blessed nation and we can find food.  But in our communities, and you have to look hard, there are people who do not have enough to eat.  I recently saw a story of a little girl who stood or sat on her doorstep and waved to a police officer who walked by her home every day.  The one day he did not see her, he investigated, and discovered her on the floor almost dead from malnutrition.  She was starving.  She was in foster care with people who abused her and starved her.  The officer called for an ambulance and she was saved.  Now married and with children of her own, she tracked down where the police officer now works and flew down to thank him.  She knows that had he not done a thing, she would have died. 

The same is true for the other needs Jesus shared; if we have been there, we know how it is to suffer; and how wonderful it is to have someone come and share with us that which we needed.  The above quote from the passage is key:  Jesus, our king, will say to us, "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."

We who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, know Him to be our king as well.  And as servants of the Most High King, we have our orders before us.  As the year comes to a close, may the year close on the dark parts of our hearts and lives that has kept us from being truly who Jesus wants us to be.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank You for this year.  From the good we have been blessed, and from the not so good, we have learned.  May this year find me being a better person, a caring and loving person.  May I seek ways to serve You and Yours better.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  May this New Year's Eve find us being better!

Eradio Valverde

Reminder:  Friends, please don't forget about the tour to Greece, called In the Footsteps of Paul.  This adventure promises to bless our faith and our walk with Jesus.  If you'd like more information, please reply to this email, and I will get it to you soon.  

TODAY'S PASSAGE:  Matthew 25: 31-46: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “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.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

The Lord Caused all Joseph Did to Prosper

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 and his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hands. (Genesis 39:3 RSV) Complete text for today can be found below.

The saga of Joseph continues; the sins of the brothers brought Joseph great blessings and challenges.  

You will remember that Joseph was sold into slavery by his older brothers.  Tired of his dreams and the favoritism that Dad was showing him, they sold him as property to a caravan of people traveling to Egypt.  It just so happened that he was sold to the household of Potiphar, an Egyptian official.  Joseph quickly rose through the ranks from common slave to being the overseer of all of Potiphar's affairs.  The key verse for today's lesson is that the Lord was with Joseph, though a slave and far from home, a foreigner in a foreign land, "and that the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hands."  This prosperity even poured over into Potiphar's house.  The day came that Potiphar left everything in charge of Joseph.  The only decisions Potiphar had to make was what to eat each day.

The wife of his owner, one day noticed that Joseph was handsome and good-looking and she was determined to have him.  She did not hide her advances openly saying, "Lie with me."  Joseph, a righteous man, refused each invitation until the day came she knew they were alone in the house and she grabbed his garment, and he chose to flee without clothing rather than violate the trust that his master had in him.  She took that as a chance to say Joseph tried to violate her and her husband had Joseph locked up. You might have noticed that she made it a racial thing no less.  "This Hebrew servant, whom you brought among us, came in to me to insult me."  

Thankfully, he was placed in a special prison where the king's prisoners were kept, and again, the scripture says "but the Lord was with Jospeh and showed him steadfast love, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison."  And, as happened earlier in Potiphar's house, happened in the prison, because the Lord was with him, "and whatever he did, the Lord made prosper."

Great blessings come to those with whom the Lord finds favor.  I suspect Joseph was with the Lord as much as the Lord was with him.  His desire was to please the Lord and in so doing, great prosperity came to his life.  In the good and the not so good, Joseph was blessed.  Even, in the depths of a prison, God's favor found Joseph and blessed him.

The story does not end here.  Your story has not ended yet, either.  Seek the Lord and seek favor in God's eyes, and the next chapters may reflect great change and blessings in your life.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, as we close out the chapters of this year, I seek Your favor like never before.  I seek to be a righteous person, seeking to grow closer to You.  May the pages of this coming New Year reflect Your handwriting all over my life so that I may be a blessing to You and many.  This is my prayer in Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be all about God in the closing days of 2018 and on the opening pages of 2019!

Eradio Valverde

Genesis 39: Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Pot'i-phar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ish'maelites who had brought him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian,  and his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.  From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had, in house and field.  So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge; and having him he had no concern for anything but the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking.  And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and said, "Lie with me." But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Lo, having me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand;  he is not greater in this house than I am; nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife; how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"  And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie with her or to be with her. But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and got out of the house.  And when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and had fled out of the house,  she called to the men of her household and said to them, "See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice;  and when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me, and fled and got out of the house."  Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home,  and she told him the same story, saying, "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to insult me; but as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me, and fled out of the house." When his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, "This is the way your servant treated me," his anger was kindled. And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.  But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.  And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's care all the prisoners who were in the prison; and whatever was done there, he was the doer of it; the keeper of the prison paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph's care, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.

Be Good News Walking!

Image is photo of Adabelle Grace wearing her favorite Christmas gift (or so I want to think it is!). photo by grandpa.

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3: 12-17)

As I prayed this morning I said what I usually say, "Lord, anoint me with Your Spirit, so that I may receive, live, and be the Gospel," and I heard "Be Good News walking!"  Would that describe you, dear Friend?  And then I opened today's passage and there it was!  A description of what it means to be Good News Walking!

Through our relationship with Jesus Christ, God has chosen us and made us holy and beloved, but also wants us to dress or "clothe" ourselves with these blessings that will make us Good News Walking!  Look at that list:  compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Compassion people draw people to themselves for they treat others with deep understanding.  These past weeks you and I have probably been in stores or pharmacies where some were truly and wonderfully compassionate.  We enjoyed being in their presence.  Others, God bless them, just wanted 5 o'clock to roll around so they could check out (though by their manners they were already checked out!).  Kindness goes with compassion.  If we truly love God, and allow the love God places in our hearts, we will be kind to people.  Kindness means, "Here, I'll do this extra thing because I love the Lord and I love you."  The opposite of kind is usually mean; and we don't get drawn to mean people.  One child one time told us, "I like being in your house because everyone is nice, and I can be nice."  Nellie and I wondered what other homes were like; but nice homes are blessed with nice people, who seek to be kind.

Humility is a must for all walks of life.  To place oneself as a true servant of the Most High says that we recognize that God has first place in our lives and we must serve Him, and seek to serve others.  Humility is recognizing our imperfections and working hard to overcome them, calling attention to God and not to ourselves.  The humble person points upward with their actions and words.  The conceited point in only one direction, to themselves.  And usually most people will see right through them and recognize the deficiencies.  Meekness and patience also go hand in hand; meek means knowing when to hold our temper and when to use it.  Jesus, long the model of meekness, did demonstrate His anger at the money-changers in the Temple, while still staying in the true definition of meekness, thus His "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  Patience is knowing how to count to ten, when others are yelling, "ONE!"

"Bear with one another says a lot about how we should treat people.  The Good News Walkers are all about that; forgiveness is part of our name and our being.  And look at the crown piece of clothing that we must wear:  Love.  Love does, "bind everything together in perfect harmony."  And top that with peace in your heart and gratitude in your attitude. Fill up your spirit with God's word (as you're doing now) and show it, as you sing, pray, and worship God!  

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."  Amen.

PRAYER:  Lord, as one day soon we will write a resolution for the New Year, let me start today, resolving to do all of the above.  I want to be Good News walking!  I want people drawn to me for kindness and compassion, and love and welcome.  Fill my heart with Your love and let it overflow into those whose hearts need it the most.  I pray this in Christ Jesus my Lord and Savior, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be GOOD NEWS WALKING today in all ways!

Eradio Valverde

Feeling at Home in God's Work

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Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.  And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom;  and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,  but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances;  and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.  After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions;  and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.  And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously."  And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"  And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them.  And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.  And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2: 41-52 Revised Standard Version RSV)

May this devotional find you and yours well, dear Friend!  I pray the joy and wonder of Christmas is still present in your life and home!

Joy and wonder might be two words to describe Jesus' joy at being in the holy city of Jerusalem, and more especially in the Temple.  This was an annual tradition for Mary and Joseph, to join the pilgrims from their home to Jerusalem.  The joy began in the trip, with so many families walking together from their homes to Jerusalem, talk, news, food were commonly shared among all pilgrims.  Once there they celebrated the holy day of the Passover; a remembrance of God's mighty act in delivering the Jews from Egypt and the slavery they encountered there.  On this His twelfth birthday, Jesus had too much fun listening and talking to the teachers and so He lost track of time and His parents and all the pilgrims from Nazareth returned home.  I don't know about Joseph, but one of my least favorite things is having to return home once we have started a long journey, and I'm usually in a car!  These dear people were on foot!  Some have compared this to the classic movie Home Alone, where Kevin's parents leave the child all alone in home, where he has to defend the home against burglars.  In this case, Jesus was not left behind; He chose to stay, for He had much to learn and much to share.  It was Mary and Joseph who must have been besides themselves at having lost their son.  

Jesus was at home in God's house.  That was His answer to His mom and dad; "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"  Feeling at home is a sense one has when he or she knows that they are right where they need to be.  I felt this the on Christmas Eve.  This was the first time in 42 years that I had no responsibility in the worship service of one of the most important events of the Christian year. Yes, for seven of those years I was a district superintendent and I did have to be present and review and evaluate those pastors with whom I worshipped.  This time, I didn't have to write out any call to worship, responsive reading, prayer - nada!  I just had to be present to worship. And honestly, I could have stayed home! (But I can't do that!  I love being in worship!)  I do have to confess that I loved being next to my wife for this service.  But being in God's house makes me feel at home.  Greeting people is an "at home" experience for me.  Seeing the little ones who remember me and pointed at me, or came to hug me, another "at home" experience.  For Jesus, to hear the wisdom of the ages shared by these men of faith was an "at home" experience for Him.  Sad to think that perhaps some of the younger men in that room later schemed to have Him murdered.  But for now, Jesus was blessed by them, and I believe they were blessed by Him.

I pray that being in worship, reading this devotional, talking to people about God, all are "at home" experiences for you.  If not, it may be time for you to quit your wandering and come home to the Lord.  He is always ready to receive us with loving, open arms.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, let me, like Jesus, feel at home in the sacred things You share with me.  May I be like the child Jesus, filled with joy and wonder at reading and hearing Your precious word.  Bless my time with You so that I may bless others in sharing You with them.  This I pray in His holy name, Jesus my Lord and Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  The joy and wonder of Christmas can continue in you today!

Eradio Valverde

Christ Has Come! Light in the Darkness! Hope for the Hopeless!

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1: 1-5)

Merry Christmas!  We really cannot say that enough!  It is a season of great celebration of all God did for us in sending His only Son, Jesus.  

May all the blessings of the season continue in your life, your home, your family, your workplace, the places you play, as you travel, as your work and rest!

Shine the Light of Jesus in your life!

Eradio Valverde

Tonight's Gonna Be a Good, Good Night!

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While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2: 6-7)

Are you ready for Christmas, asked the pastor yesterday?  Are you ready, dear Friend?  He answered his own question, "Whether you're ready or not, it's coming!"  And, indeed, tonight is Christmas Eve!

Some years ago, we were awaiting the arrival of our oldest daughter's first child, who would be our third grandchild.  It was an exciting, anxious time!  Being a creature of habit, I start rituals.  When news came that we were going to be parents I played a song called "Dancing Days," and as Nellie and I prayed and anxiously awaited the time our grandson decided to make his appearance I heard the song from whom the title for today's devotional comes.  The song is "I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas and like the song predicted, Caleb Eradio Garcia made his appearance!  What joy was and is ours.  One can only imagine the joy, along with the fear on the part of Mary and Joseph.  One should not travel during their last trimester is usually the OB/GYN's advice, and here we have Mary and Joseph traveling by donkey to Bethlehem from Nazareth.  Not a short journey and certainly not an easy journey, but they were required by the Roman government to participate in a census.  Lodging was not available to them, and to a cave used as a stable they went, and when Jesus was born, His crib was a feeding trough. 

What a wonderful night that was for you and me.  Our Lord and Savior was born, and to verify this, God sent angels to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks in the region.  A heavenly vision would cause many to quake and tremble, and the standard biblical greeting from heavenly beings was shared, "Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people; to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."  BAM!!

The long-awaited Anointed One of God had arrived in humble circumstances; the One born to reconcile all people with their God.  Sin would be no more, and death had met its final defeat in the Son of God.  The implications and blessings are too numerous to list; suffice it to say, that was was a good, good night!

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank You for the good, good night that we celebrate tonight.  Born was our King, our Lord, our Savior.  Let me find ways to praise and worship You for that great gift.  May Your blessings be upon all who still must travel during today and these days.  May Your traveling mercies be with all.  May our time with family, loved ones and friends, be worshipful times.  Be glorified Lord Jesus in Whose name we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed Christmas!  May it be all about Jesus!  Find an occasion to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!  And find the gift that He wants from You!

Eradio Valverde

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2: 1-20 NRSV)

A Dreamer or a Schemer?

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Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream that I dreamed. There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, and bowed down to my sheaf.’ His brothers said to him, ‘Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?’ So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words. He had another dream, and told it to his brothers, saying, ‘Look, I have had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’ But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, ‘What kind of dream is this that you have had? Shall we indeed come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow to the ground before you?’ So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. (Genesis 37: 5-11)

I suppose little brothers or sisters can serve a purpose sometime in their life, don't you?  Friend, if you have little brothers or sisters, you might understand this story.

We met Joseph last Friday when we read about the Christmas lights coat his father gave to him.  The story gets better.  You read it above.  That little kid goes and dreams two dreams, in which, guess who is the star? Yep, Little Joe!  And amazing dreams they were, "For there we were, working in the field binding hay into sheaves and when suddenly, MY sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, and guess what they did?  They bowed down to my sheaf! (Can you hear the laughter in his voice?)"  It gets better; "I had another dream:  The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me!"  Dad or Mom might have said, "Let's get this boy to a therapist right away!"  Well, they all rebuked him for having these dreams.  And okay, Joe might not have been laughing when he told the dream; laughter was not really needed as the content of the dream was enough to anger his older brothers.  They were already jealous of him, and this added icing to that bitter cake that was already cooked.

Those of us who know the rest of the story know that this was God's way of preparing the boy for a difficult life that was coming his way.  It was already bad enough to be the 12th brother to eleven older brothers; now he was the star of these dreams which made them look bad.  God's plan was in motion to deliver all of the family from coming natural disasters and events, and God was going to use little Joseph as their deliverer.  They didn't know it yet, and Joseph didn't know how to interpret the dreams.  What we do read in the verses following the above ones, is that the brothers did an evil thing to Joseph and to their father.  Their first plan was to kill him and then blame the murder on wild animals, which was a plausible story.  It was Rueben, the oldest who said no to that plan.  He did agree to throw him into a pit in order to save him later.  When Joseph arrived to check on them as his father had asked, they stripped him of that robe they hated so much, and threw him into a pit.  Not exactly Leave It to Beaver TV is it?  This was real, evil human nature at work.  They sit down to eat while lil bro is in the pit with no water.  A caravan of Ismaelites is passing through and they decide they will sell their brother into slavery.  Sigh.  Twenty shekels of silver for a human life.  They go and show Dad the famous robe covered in animal blood that they blame on a wild animal that had devoured him. Interesting, how the real wild animals were they themselves.  They broke their dad's heart and the old man mourned for days.

We sometimes "kill" our siblings with words or thoughts.  The anger we may feel for them is taken out in bad thoughts or bad words said about or to them.  We also, sometimes "kill" brothers or sisters in the faith with the same actions and thoughts; all the while the real wild animal may be us.  We sell their worth for money, or laughter or seek popular opinion from others, knowing that the money or laughter has very little worth compared to the true value of a human being in God's eyes.  The moral of this story is to not be like the older brothers.  We have to trust God and God's big plan for our lives not knowing if they or we are in it at the present moment.  The day may come when our eyes are opened to the truth of what God was doing all along.  For now, we seek to love and get along the best we can, trusting and awaiting that day of revelation.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see how I truly am right now, but show me how best to love and live with those who make me uncomfortable.  Bless those who may have come into our minds as we read the above story; and bless us into being who you want us to be.  This we pray in faith and trust in You in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day and weekend in the Lord!  Give life to people today with your words and actions!

Eradio Valverde

Come Out of Misery into the Fullness of Life!

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Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth  before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!  Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves. Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. (Psalm 80: 1-7)

We as believers should be all about living and enjoying life to its fullest as Jesus Himself promised us in John 10:10; you and me, dear Friend are called to go just beyond existing.  There's more to life than the movements of daily routine!

Every Christmas, either Nellie or I will remember a Christmas filled with snow!  We were a young family, not yet blessed with all four of our wonderful daughters, but we had Nellie our oldest, and Saraí.  I had attended seminary in Denver for one year and had wonderful memories of that city and decided that we would drive up for the Christmas holidays and spend about a week there.  We arrived late in the evening and we went straight to Casa Bonita, a delightful restaurant known even on SouthPark for its entertainment atmosphere.  The girls loved it as did Mom and Dad.  We drove home, went to bed and awoke to find all the cars in the parking lot covered to the middle of their doors with snow!  A blizzard had come through Denver.  Thank God we were on the first floor of this motel and I was able to walk to a nearby grocery store where I bought nonperishable foods, coloring books, hot chocolate mix, crayons, and other things to entertain the girls and we had food on which to survive.  Later that day we took the girls out to experience the snow and they were delighted; and yes, disobeyed the command not to eat the snow.  While it was fun and beautiful, trudging through the snow was difficult.  Every step was a labored force against the snow.

Sometimes the pressures of life and the demands from work or health issues make us cry out like the psalmist in this psalm, "God, where are You?  Why are You not listening to me?  Why am I going through this?"  The psalmist on behalf of his people was crying that.  Life was one trudging step after another.  "Stir up your might and come to save us!" was his cry on behalf of his people.  "Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved."  And a list of complaints about those and those things who were making life difficult.  We have that same list sometimes.

Advent is a celebration of restoration that came from God through His Son, Jesus.  Out of the misery that we sometimes trudge, God brings us full restoration and salvation - victory!  And into the fullness of life and God's love we can walk!   Our victory is only a prayer away!

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, hear our pleas.  Some of us are going through difficult times.  Others of us are barely walking because of life; but hear us and restore us.  Make our steps move from trudging to waltzing in Christ Jesus' name we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Lift your voice to the Lord and then lift your feet in obedience to the blessings God is about to share with us!

Eradio Valverde

He Shall Be Our Peace!

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But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel. (Micah 5:2)

Does peace seem elusive to you these days?  Think you can find it at the mall or one of the many crowded stores, dear Friend?  Today's passage says we can find peace in He whose arrival we are preparing, Jesus the Lord.  And it matters not where He comes from, though God chose the least likely of places, one where city planners and city rulers would not have chosen; God chose the smallest clan of Judah, the one who was to rule over Israel; whose purpose would be the restoration of all people back to God, One who would feed the people "in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God." Those who believe in Him "shall live secure, for He is great to the ends of the earth." This is the message of Advent and Christmas:  Jesus is our peace.  And it matters not where we find ourselves, peace is within us.  It is what gets us through last-minute shopping, menu planning for the big day, travel arrangements for those coming or going to be with family and loved ones; Jesus is our peace.

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, but their word goes beyond just the absence of conflict, it speaks of the entire wellbeing of a person to whom you say shalom.  It is a true concern for the whole person.  In college there was a politician-in-the-making in one of our classmates, or at least that  is what we suspected, for this guy greeted everyone with the question, "How are you doing?" and before any of us could answer, he was gone!  There was no genuine concern for anyone in that question and certainly not in the actions after the question.  God is different from anyone like that; God truly cares for you and me.  God's ear is always ready to hear from us, especially when we feel we have no peace, or our wellbeing or welfare is far from where we would like it to be.  All we have to do is speak and God will listen.  All we have to do is ask for His peace, and God will grant it to us.

Stop now and either ask for peace, or thank God you already have peace.  And if it's not the absence of conflict or your complete wellbeing, share it with God and God will answer.  That's a great Advent message!

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, my prayer is that You would share Your shalom with this dear reader.  You better than anyone, know the needs, conflicts, anxiousness, worries that they carry.  Gently remove from their lives the stress and pressure they are under, and grant them your peace.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be a peace-maker today by sharing where you found your peace!

Eradio Valverde

To read the complete text for today click here:  http://bit.ly/2UWUCj1

Living Under God's Grace

 

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Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, “See, God, I have come to do your will, O God” (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).’  When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10: 5-10)

May God's favor speak to your heart and spirit today through His holy words, and the words of a servant, dear Friend.  I thank you for your prayers and I thank the Lord for His faithfulness in hearing and responding to all prayers.  Mrs. Cheryl Meadows underwent successful surgery and is recovering in the Gonzales Hospital according to her husband, Bill.  May we continue to lift up one another in prayer and love.

Many churches celebrate a Happy Birthday, Jesus program or study; this is to remind us that the whole reason for the season is His birth, but many focus solely on what is Santa going to bring ME?  This passage says, This is what God brought YOU.  Jesus brought about a new understanding of God's grace outside of the Law.  The law exists to define sin and to address the problem of sin and to prescribe ways in which to deal with our sins.  This meant the slaughter of animals and the burning of those in a way the removed the sins of the people.  Jesus came into the word as the Lamb of God, to take away our sin.  His death on Calvary was that which was the ultimate sacrifice.  Jesus came to do God's will, which was to bring grace into the picture.  It is through grace that we are saved and our sins forgiven because of Jesus Christ.  And that was "once for all."

I can think of no better gift that I would rather have, than the knowledge that God loves me enough to have sent His only Son to take away my sin.  What you and I should be thinking this Advent Season is what can we give to Him for all that He has given to me?

PRAYER:  Loving God, I thank You for the great gift of Jesus just for me during this special season.  I ask You forgive me of all my sins and make me worthy to live a life that invites others to do the same.  Bless my life and let me find ways to show my love to You in great and glorious ways.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Find that gift of yourself to bless God today!

Eradio Valverde

Advent: The Holy Spirit at Work!

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In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’ And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord,  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’(Luke 1: 39-55)

Happy Monday, dear Friend!  I pray that God's blessings be with you and yours as we wind down the season of Advent and go full force into the Christmas season.

This passage is filled with the grace and power of God's Holy Spirit.  It is a time of great awe and mystery for the players of this drama:  Mary, the young chosen mother of the Christ Child, Zechariah and Elizabeth, relatives of the young mother-to-be and expectant and bewildered parents as well; and God's Holy Spirit Who was moving and directing all of these scenes and events.  The drama in this passage begins with Mary rushing to see her relative Elizabeth whom she has found out is also pregnant with a child.  The news were startling given Elizabeth's age and history of not having had children yet.  As soon as Mary enters Elizabeth's home she greets her and upon hearing the greeting, the baby within Elizabeth leapt in her home. The movement of the baby's reaction as well as the filling of the Holy Spirit moved the old woman to exclaim, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!"  This was the work of the Holy Spirit.  He had been at work in Elizabeth's life all along, but this great event, the pregnancy and the promise of a child meant for service for God, was an incredible blessing for her and her husband.  For five months she had been in seclusion and Mary's first was itself a blessing and more so when the Spirit allowed the baby insider of her to react with joy.

Advent is all about God at work in our lives.  The third person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit and His job is to do God's bidding in our lives.  I compare it to being the divine music that drives the dance of faithfulness; evidence Zechariah's encounter with the angel, then the dance of an old pregnant woman, Elizabeth, and then the young mother, Mary.  Advent is a symphony at work for those who are in tune with God!  Hear it and respond with joy and trust.  We all hear His music differently, for we are all called to different dances; all are faithful and true, all seek to make great the Name of the Lord.  Witness the song of Mary called The Magnificat, from the Latin.  Her song is inspired by Samuel's mother's song in 1 Samuel when she also had news of her pregnancy.  Read the words again and see how God's own Spirit inspired her to praise the Lord and to speak words of faith and hope in God.  This, she sang, is the fulfillment of promises made long ago.

Dear friend, as you go about the busyness of this season, don't be so busy that you can't hear the music of God singing to your soul.  God will lead you to faithfulness and fruitfulness.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, may the choruses of Your divine music speak to my heart, mind, and spirit.  I want to be obedient to what I need to do.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and let my life dance and sing the praises for all to see and be blessed.  May my life be an invitation to others, to come to You.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  As the old spiritual says, "I'm dance when the Spirit says dance!"

Eradio Valverde

PRAYER REQUEST:  Please be in prayer for the family of Hal Wilson, husband of Charlotte Wilson.  He passed away this weekend.  Please pray for her and her family's comfort and joy.  And prayers for our pastor, Matt Pennington, who, along with Nellie and I, is battling a cold.  Not fun!  Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.  Why do we pray?  Because God answers prayer! 

Joseph and His Coat Made of Christmas Tree Lights: A Bible Story You Should Know

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Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves.But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. (Genesis 37: 2b-4)

Happy Friday, dear Friend! My prayers for a great day filled with God's presence and power for you and yours.  May all we do today glorify the Lord!

Okay, Joseph did not have a coat made of Christmas Tree lights, but having seen a pastor friend of mine wearing a complete suit with Christmas tree lights on the coat and the pants made me think about this story.  And in fairness to this pastor, he was wearing at a staff luncheon or something like that; to each their own, no?

We don't know exactly what kind of coat Joseph received from his dad, but it was the start of an incredible plan of God to save Joseph and his family, and honestly, the people of God.  Sometimes we don't understand why great plans start with great pain, but sometimes they do.  Joseph's dad was Jacob, and as was the custom in those days, the old man had more than one wife.  And if you're at all familiar with Jacob, you know he was a twin.  He had an interesting birth, was not the first-born, but tricked his father into giving him first-born rights and privileges, including the blessing of the first born.  Later, as he tried to marry the girl of his dreams, his father-in-law tricked him into marrying the older sister after having worked 7 years for her, and then another 7 for his true love.  In his old age, his love gave him this son that they named Joseph.  His name means "God will add."  And as the story unfolds, we see that indeed God added and added.

As I read that Joseph was 17 I tried to think back that far to remember what those years were like.  One could have had a carefree adolescence, or it could have been stressful.  Mine was too carefree.  I received my calling into ministry at that age, though God and I talked about that a lot.  God said go, and I said wait.  I had too many conditions I wanted met, and God would always say sure.  I was blessed in being the oldest of five; I could not imagine having older brothers, and older, wicked brothers that hated me and would go to any length to quiet me.  The coat was but the first of many insults perceived by the older brothers.  Most families try to be fair with all children, but to have a father give one special item to one child would certainly set the stage for a lifetime of distrust and anger, and in this case hatred.  Yet, in this case, Joseph stayed faithful to God and could sense that God was at work.  The lesson we hear over and over, we can get bitter, or we can get better.  We can say it's the worst day of our life and resent having had to live it, or we can say that we have learned a valuable lesson from it, take the good and try to forget the bad.  The believer does these things because of faith in a God that is always involved and whose bigger picture is way better than the small glimpses we receive.

The story will continue next week, but for now, whatever your situation or challenge, prayerfully reflect on what God may be doing in your life.  What's the big picture and what can God supply to you to allow you to endure each day?  If you're the recipient of the amazing coat, wear it proudly and trust the Lord. If you're the giver of special gifts, try to be fair and just.  If you're the older brother or sister, trust God to be at work and be ready to do your part.  Those connected to God end up being the key players in most situations.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, bless this dear reader in his/her life.  You know better than we what and why we are going through what we are going through.  Strengthen our faith and bless each step we take towards You.  May the calm of a bright big picture be ours today and all days.  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen! 

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!   Wear the coat of blessing that is the grace of the Lord that falls upon you each moment of each day!

Eradio Valverde

God is My Salvation!

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Surely God is my salvation;  I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; He has become my salvation.  With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say on that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known His deeds among the nations; proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 12: 2-6)

May this be a glorious day in the Lord for you, dear Friend!  May time spent with our God bless us and strengthen us, and be involved in our preparations of this Advent season!

Many people believe God is silent.  And these are usually the ones who don't pick up and read a Bible; the ones who don't go to regular worship opportunities, or who don't make time to study God's word in a small group or Sunday School.  And the main reason people believe God is silent is because those of us who know God and who regularly hear His word don't say a thing!  If you and me are not talking about God in our home, God is silent.  If we don't share God's word in our home with our children and/or grandchildren, God is silent. And in that silence is missed the glorious news that God is our salvation.  And right with it, that we trust God and that God keeps us from being afraid.  Just this morning as Carli and I were starting our run, we usually walk a bit as our warmup and then we start running.  Both of us wear ear buds to hear music and I left my music on and as the time for our run was fast approaching, Michael Jackson's Thriller came on. She heard it and I said, "Well, I'm not going to run with that on!"  She laughed and said, "It sounds creepy!"  Indeed, a run in pitch black darkness with Thriller may make me run faster but not the first thing I want to hear as this run is helping me to wake up!  I thought about being afraid and how we have gone through that with our children, and now our grandchildren.  Being afraid is a normal thing, but overcoming it is a challenge for some.  For those who believe in God's power it is our strength to overcome fear.

Salvation is one thing God does not want us to be silent about.  It is being rescued from our sin and the destruction sin brings; but it is also the process of saving us to a life lived to the fullest, or as some version of the Bible call it, abundance.  Saved from death to life to the fullest!  What a thing to keep silent about!  We should draw deep "from the wells of salvation," and we should not keep silent about calling on the Lord for help.  From silence we are called to singing, for God merits our praising Him all the time.  Make the Lord known throughout the earth.

PRAYER:  Loving God, as I pray I want to ask for the courage to make it known that I will no longer be silent when I should be sharing You and Your strength for all people.  May people see in me the fullness of life, the hope that is not easily removed, and the joy that comes from knowing You.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Make the Lord known today in all you say, think, and do!

Eradio Valverde

With or Without? Choose With!

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So sing, Daughter Zion! Raise the rafters, Israel! Daughter Jerusalem, be happy! celebrate!  God has reversed his judgments against you and sent your enemies off chasing their tails. From now on, God is Israel's king, in charge at the center. There's nothing to fear from evil ever again! God Is Present Among You Jerusalem will be told: "Don't be afraid. Dear Zion, don't despair. Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, he'll calm you with his love and delight you with his songs.  "The accumulated sorrows of your exile will dissipate. I, your God, will get rid of them for you. You've carried those burdens long enough.  At the same time, I'll get rid of all those who've made your life miserable. I'll heal the maimed; I'll bring home the homeless. In the very countries where they were hated they will be venerated.  On Judgment Day I'll bring you back home - a great family gathering! You'll be famous and honored all over the world. You'll see it with your own eyes - all those painful partings turned into reunions!" God's Promise. (Zephaniah 3: 14-20 The Message)

Good day to you dear one!  I pray the blessings of the Lord shower down on you and yours today.

Advent is as much looking to the future as well as taking stock in what God has already shared with us.  Such is the message of this prophet to the people of God.  In the midst of all they had suffered as a result of their unfaithfulness, they could not sing.  Sad indeed are those times in our lives when we cannot sing.  Think on those times when those around you sang only to have their words bring tears to your life.  Such was the despair of God's people.  So hear the first words from God to His people, "So sing, Daughter Zion!  Raise the rafters, Israel!  Daughter Jerusalem, be happy!  Celebrate!  Such is the coming turn of events that will turn crying into singing.  But, he adds that from the moment this message is heard and into the future, God is their king, who is with them in the center of all things.  Hear the message even for today, "There's nothing to fear from evil ever again!"  God is with you and God is removing evil from your midst!  God's love is present to calm you down, and if you listen closely there are songs to be heard speaking his message.  All your past sins will be removed as will your sorrows; those who caused all despair will be removed.  

Hear the message speaking of what Jesus brought on His first visit to the earth:  "I'll heal the maimed; I'll bring home the homeless.  On Judgment Day I'll bring you back home - a great family gathering!  You'll be famous and honored all over the world.  You'll see it with your own eyes - all those painful partings turned into reunions!'  God's promise."  This is life lived with God.  A life without God was what got Israel and Judah in trouble to begin with.  It might also be what got us in trouble; when we thought we knew more and didn't need God anymore.  Once we realized where we were versus where we could be, life changed for the better, and it still can.  Our choice should be to live with the knowledge and surety that God is with us.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, bless us and guide us towards a life in abundance, which begins with You walking with us and us trusting You.  Guide us away from thoughts that make us choose the wrong thing; for a life lived with You is the best!  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Live a life showing others that God is with you.

Eradio Valverde

Let Christ Display Worry From Your Life!

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Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!  Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!  Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.  Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4: 4-7 The Message)

I pray this is a wonderful day for you filled with joy and abundant blessings!

Has worry become a constant visitor to your life?  Can you remember your childhood when most of us lived life without a care in the world?  How in the world did we let worry come in?  We were not well off and we thought nothing of it.  Were my parents making the payments on time and in the full amount?  I don't know; that was not my area.  My area was to be outside most of the day.  My best friend was a boy from two door down named Alex.  He and I spent all day at the creek which in those days flowed with water.  We caught crawdads, tadpoles, skimmed rocks, talked about life and worried about not one thing.  The Lord blessed us in that we never saw any snakes or things that might harm us; one day a javelina chased us up a tree and we thought it was the funniest thing.  We waited until he walked away, we scampered down the tree and ran all the way home.  

Today's graphic shows the serious side of worry.  It can and sometimes does "pull us in different directions."  And that makes going forward and upward a bit difficult.  And how about the root word of worry?  "To strangle?"  Gulp.  It does do that if we're not careful.  And worry does affect our thinking (what can we think about if we're just thinking on the challenge or problem we have?).  And how can we not have a troubled tummy if we're just anxious about everything.  And that dizzy feeling we sometimes have, could be from worry.

And yet, here is Paul writing with faith and strong confidence:  "Celebrate God all day, every day, I mean, revel in Him!"  Yes.  If we think about the goodness, love, power, presence and joy of God, that leaves little room for worry to take root.  We can invite God to bring peace into our hearts and minds!  And our peaceful and joyful attitude towards life translates into how we view and interact with others; with peace!  "We're on the same side; let's work together!"  We cannot let divisions tear us apart.  This is Advent and so as Paul said, We need to help others (and us, of course) see that the Master is about two arrive.  "He could show up any minute!"  And what does Paul recommend, "Don't fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray."  Turn over all things to God.  Share everything with God!  Remember having a hard time sharing things with your Mom or Dad?  You worried about what they might say or how they might react, but once they knew, they took our side and we felt better that we were no longer alone in our battle or challenge?  In the same way, God does that too and with more power and authority!

So, as the scripture says, "settle down."  And I've always wondered why we tall our kids that when they were just learning to talk?  ha ha.  But they understood and so should we!  "It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."  

PRAYER:  Loving God, as this dear reader and I pray, displace the worry in our minds and hearts with the joy and peace of Your loving presence.  Defeat our enemies and make us more than conquerors through He who is Lord and Savior of my life.  And it's in His name, Jesus my Lord, that I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  And tell someone today, that you're on their side.  They may just need that strong message today!

Eradio Valverde

Here is chapter two of Mark from my YouTube channel.  Again, pray for those who view this that they may be blessed and may make a decision for Jesus.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tITlfIQ59l8

Advent Involves Accountability

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John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’ As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. (Luke 3: 7-18)

Happy Monday, yes Monday, dear Friend!  I pray that the joys of the weekend blessed you and the last of your weekend worries ended this morning at 12:01!  We should carry over only the positive and good, trusting God is handling the rest.

John the Baptist's Good News about Jesus involved some responsibility on our part as well.  John did not hold back anything and shared plainly and boldly that which God laid on his heart, and that included the attention-getting "brood of vipers" which some today would have taken as an insult and walked out.  After all, who wants to be included in a phrase that means "family of snakes"?  Poisonous snakes.  There is nothing positive about what John called all who gathered to be baptized; it was an honest indictment of past behavior and thoughts on the part of all who were present.  And he follows that by saying, "You can't hide by what your grandparents did!"  God's work continues and if necessary, God can raise up new workers from rocks.  Gulp. God is at work cutting down trees, dead, non-producing trees, and finding great uses for them as firewood!  Many realized that he was indeed talking about them and their sinfulness and once dead, they were to be the firewood of hell.  Yikes!  These cried out asking, "What then should we do? We don't want to be firewood here on in the 'other place.'!"  John then lays out the conditions for being saved:  Share with those who don't have basic items like coats.  At this writing here in our town, it is 35 degrees (F).  That's cold!  To open the back door to let out the dogs one can feel the bite of cold.  I give thanks to God that a small thrift and clothing store downtown Seguin has a coat rack with a sign that says, "Need a Coat?  Take One!  Have a Coat?  Leave One" and in this weather those who know about free coats can easily find one.  

John also said, "If you have food, share food."  Again, basic necessities; what do we gain by having a closet full of coats that we will never wear, or a pantry full of expiring food?  Sharing these items is to share life with those in need.  Even tax collectors heard John's urgency and asked, "What about us?"  John knew their practices and says, "Collect only the money due the government and you," for the usual, known practice was to double what the government wanted from each individual and then the tax collector could keep the rest.  Remember Zacchaeus?  He gave back a lot of money thanks to his wickedness before he met Jesus.  Soldiers, Roman soldiers no less, of Pax Romana fame, stepped up too and asked, "What about us?"  John said, "Do not extort money from anyone by threat or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."  Again, common practice was to abuse power at citizen's expense, and personally profit from that.  All of this made people watching question if John was the Messiah, the expected, anointed one of God.  As if he read their thoughts, John replied, "I am baptizing you with water; but the one coming after me is powerful, and He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire; I'm not worthy to untie his sandals; He is already at work, taking care of God's business including burning the unneeded weeds and chaff with unquenchable fire."  John also added the good news about what God is doing for those who seek to be made right with Him.

Many think Advent is only about getting the house and the tree and the presents ready for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  Advent is about taking personal inventory about where we stand in our walk with the Lord.  I like to ask during those times that I lead the pastoral prayer, "Do we find that we are closer to God today than we were yesterday?  If not, now is the time to get closer with hopes that tomorrow we will be even closer than we were today."  That's inventory.  That's reflection.  That's Advent prep.  Turn over to God that which God needs to remove right now; it'll be one less worry, one less burden to carry.  The next step is to enjoy the freedom that comes from a life lived in the Lord Jesus; life in abundance.  

PRAYER:  Loving Father, remove from me that which is listed above in John's words.  I want to be accountable to You in an honest way, and I trust that You will take from me that which has kept me from freely obeying you.  Open my heart and my closets and fridge, to share as I should.  Yes, even open my pocketbook and purse to give as I know that I should.  Let me be fair and righteous with all people; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Share a smile and share the rest God requires to bless others with life!

Eradio Valverde

Dear friends, my Bible study ministry online has started.  Please include that in your prayers.  I feel an urgency in sharing what little I know with those who may know nothing.  I started with the first Gospel written, the Gospel of Mark, and in less than 30 minutes we cover chapter one.  Chapter two takes only 17 minutes.  In under one hour, someone can learn about God's love through that small, but powerful, gospel.  The link to the first video is below.  View it, pray for those viewing it, and pass it on to those who might be blessed by it!  Thank you for your prayers and support of this ministry!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPf8umaNjh4&t=370s

Father & Mother of The Faith (Bible Stories You Should Know!)

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Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan. (Genesis 12: 1-5)

Happy Friday, dear Friend!  May this week have been a week of blessings and joys, and may the blessings continue into the weekend for you and yours; this is my prayer, amen.

I remember learning the physical song, "Father Abraham, " well into my ministry.  It is a fun song and teaches about the father of the faith, Father Abraham.  As we sang it with the motions that have become more difficult to do through the years, we also added appropriate lines to it.  It begins with "Father Abraham had many sons."  And we added, "And daughters, too!" which was shouted loudly, and continues, "Many sons had Father Abraham.  I am one of them.  And so are you, as we go marching on, right arm (Here begin the motions and one moves his/her right arm vigorously as the song goes into the left arm, right leg, left leg, move your head, turn around, and sit down!).  It's now more a precious memory than a desired song.  But I don't hear it sung very much lately.  Yes, I know, perhaps I should lead it.  

And I think it's a bit ironic that as I near the age of 75, my desire to move my arms and legs and head and turn around is not what it once was.  I'm thankful I can still do it, and I do my daily exercises so that when I do turn 75 if the Lord hasn't called me home yet, I do want to sing that song and others in praise to God! (Lord, hear my prayer and those reading this who also desire that! Amen!)  But the truth is, Abram is the father of the faith not because he sang this song; he probably would have been deeply hurt when this passage occurred to sing this song, for he and Sarai had yet to have any children.  And at age 75 they pretty much had given up hope for any.  But that is why he is the father of the faith, because he believed and he obeyed.  And Sarai too!  The call came from God to Abram with a difficult request, "Leave your country, your family, and your family home to a strong land that I will show you and give to you."  Where would you have said, "Not so fast, Lord!"?  There are many countries that I would welcome the chance in which to reside.  I have visited and felt strangely at home in Spain, and Mexico.  I have loved visiting England and would love to live there (if I could afford it, since London would be my city of choice and that's one of the most expensive cities in the world!); and I have desires to visit many other countries (My tour to Greece still has room!  Email me for details!).  But how many of you would leave the United States of America?  The second part is as difficult a thing to ask; how many would leave your family?  And harder still, how many of you would leave the family home?  I have lived in places, like the Rio Grande Valley, where most people are so content there, a move anywhere outside of the Valley is unthinkable.  And the same is true for almost all parts of Texas.  We as outsiders may not understand why West Texas people would not leave their towns for other places.  But Abram and Sarai said yes.  Their yes would come with a blessing, for God said they would become a great nation and their name would be known by all people; and off they went.  I have shared how as a district superintendent my first call to a pastor to request his move away from his church made we weep after I hung up, for I had been there and I knew the difficulty it is to explain the move to spouse, and harder yet for his children; then to find or buy boxes, make moving company arrangements, packing, unpacking.  Very difficult. Imagine a move in Abram and Sarai's day.

We learn from this story the importance of listening, responding and obeying whatever it is God may ask of us.  We may not have to move far, but we may be asked to walk across the room, which for some is very uncomfortable, even impossible.  We may be asked to give up our pew on Sunday because a new family has come in and helped themselves to OUR PEW!  Whatever it is that God asks, the best answer is yes, Lord.   And we should also follow it with,  "I trust You, Lord, and I will obey." This may or may not make your name great, but it will bless you and those around you.  A great journey and adventure begins with our first step in a direction we may not have traveled before.

PRAYER:  LOVING Father, for those who have blessed us by having said yes to You, we give you thanks.  For moves our parents and grandparents may have made to bless us, again, we thank You. For our pastors and their families who have moved to be with us, we thank You and ask Your blessings upon them; theirs is a difficult calling.  And for any moves or changes that You may be asking of us, help us to trust You enough to say yes.  It is in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Move your right or left arm in praise and service today; reach out to bless someone - heck, sing the song out loud in the post office!  (I'll come see you in jail!)

Eradio Valverde

Dad's Joy! Our Joy, Too!

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‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,  that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:68-79)

May this be a wonderful and blessed day for you, dear Friend!  May our time spent in prayer, reflection, and Bible study bless us to be a blessing.  That's my prayer and I pray it be yours too.

Many of us saw yesterday something that had never happened before in our nation; a president burying his father, also a president.  The two Adams, John and John Quincy, did not have that chance as the son, John Quincy did not find out about his father's death until he was already buried.  In turn, we can imagine and some may have remembered the joy of the elder Bush on the election of his son to the office of president.  Many a parent has had great joy in the accomplishments of their child(ren).  Can you imagine the joy of one whose son is born according to biblical prophecy?  Many a time the priest Zechariah had read that passage from his scriptures, where the prophet Malachi spoke of the coming messenger of the Lord, never thinking that it would be his son about whom this was written.  Yet, on that day inside the holy of holies, while serving his turn as priest, an angel came and spoke to him about his son.  Zechariah being old, did not believe it, and this passage is at the time of that boy's birth.  His joy allowed him to share these words that qualify as awesome and powerful as the psalms, thus it being the psalm lesson for this week.

A song blessing God, thanking God for God's faithfulness and redemption of His people.  For in the son's coming work, he would announce the arrival of God's messiah, whose job would be to save the world.  This salvation was not from political or military enemies, but those of sin and death, the result of disobedience and unfaithfulness towards the Lord.  This child would be the prophet, preparing the way of the Lord, and that way would include salvation and forgiveness.  From the work of this child and the child yet to be born at that time, would come light from Heaven "to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."  

This season of Advent reminds us of that light and hope that is ours.  It goes on to remind us that we are or can be free from sin and death; Christ came to free you and me from that deadly grip on our spirits, to free us to live a life of peace.  Think about peace for you today.  That means we can be lifted up and over the worries and anxieties we may have about what's ahead for us today.  These little or seemingly major distractions pale in the light of Christ's big picture for our lives.  Receive that hope and joy for your life today.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, as we pray, free us from what is troubling us right now.  Many feel anxious about gifts and travel arrangements and so many other things that keep us from the true hope and joy of this season.  Speak to the heart of this dear reader and bring peace.  And may that peace free us for joyful obedience to You; this we pray in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Claim the joy and peace that is yours in Christ Jesus!  And then share it with someone!

Eradio Valverde

Be sure to forward this devotional to those for whom you care about; pray that it bring a blessing to them.

God Is in The Details; Planning and Responding!

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See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. (Malachi 3: 1-4)

Dear Friend, today is our national day of mourning for the life of President George H.W. Bush, 41st President of The United States.  May our hearts be united in prayer for the comfort of his family and our nation and all, anywhere, who mourn this loss.  May we reflect on people who like President Bush, who seek to work together for the good of the nation.  May this be a time to see beyond our divisions and obstacles, to see a vision of greatness and goodness for all people here and everywhere.

This season of Advent makes us aware of just how awesome our God truly is.  This whole week of scripture passages has shown us just a glimpse of the mind of God and how everything worked together for our good. God visits the parents of John the Baptist, whom we recognize as God's messenger who prepared the way for Jesus, and today's passage is God visiting the last prophet of the Old Testament, who wrote about the coming days of God's might visit.  It is a sad thought to read that God is preparing to "come to His temple."  That indicates that God has been kept out of His own temple for various reasons.  The lives and actions of His people kept Him away from times of worship, for they were meaningless and served no purpose.  The live and actions of the leaders of God's people were pretty much setting the pace for the rest of the nation, and God chose to stay away.  The religious leaders' hearts were pretty much focused on their own, and not on God; not an invitation to God to come.  The temple really rocked when God was in it!  Sad to imagine a spiritually empty place of worship.  Yes, dear friends, we think of certain places of worship today; national news in recent days has been on violence that has occurred in them, not too many stories of the joyous kind that speak of love, compassion, mercy, and service.  Are we keeping God away?  Advent is the time to invite God back.

The return of God to the temple required a return of God's people to God.  Yet, it would not be easy.  God "is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap, " each cleansing in powerful and painful but thorough ways!  And guess who's in need of a bath?  Recently Nellie and I were talking with one of our daughters and she was laughingly sharing how when they would stay with their grandmother, they were not required to bathe on a daily basis and they loved that!  We chuckled but not as enthusiastically as she.  We thought of our own childhood and our thought was "Who has time to take a bath when you're having fun?"  A bath for many children indicates the fun is almost over the day, supper and bedtime are next.  The people of God were filthy in their thoughts, words, and actions.  Everything about them said, "Wash me!" written in dust (yes, I'm thinking cars and trucks, gulp, my own! that have this written on the back windshield.).  And God saying, through the prophet, "Oh, I'm coming and you will be bathed and made clean and presentable to me!"  We look much better as gold and silver than we do mud and slop.  We can then present ourselves as the living sacrifice the Lord requires.  This is pleasing and pleasant to the Lord then and now.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, forgive our childish ways.  Forgive those times we have been so absorbed in the filth of this life that the carnal side of it has led us away from you.  Please wash off the "Wash Me' sign our own guilt has written on our hearts and our eyes; make us presentable to You and presentable to Thy service.  You are in the details of all things, be in me as I want to be a significant detail to the work needed in my home, neighborhood, community, and world.  In the precious and powerful name of Jesus I pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Don't go around saying, "Hey, you have  Wash Me sign on your life!" Remember you had one until now! Live a life that says, "I'm clean thanks to God!"

I love you all!

Eradio Valverde

Praying for Completion

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I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1: 3-11)

May this be a tremendous Tuesday for you, dear Friend!  I pray wonderful blessings and outcomes in your life!  I thank God for you, your life, the blessing you are to me, and to so many.  May our prayer be that God would increase the influence we have on those who need to know Him more today and all days.

Yesterday I made and shared a video with you and with YouTube.  My prayer is that the video would remind us of the power there is in prayer.  We as a people of faith were once known for the prayers we lifted up and the answers to prayer that we would receive; but like many things, prayer got placed on a back burner or forgotten all together, neatly and conveniently hidden behind clever excuses. Time not spent in prayer opens time with our enemy, the enemy of God.  Time spent in prayer close that time off for the truly important to be in our lives.  Today's passage is part of a revelation to readers in a church that their founder was thinking and praying for them.  In these words, Paul shares how much he thinks and misses the people with whom he had shared Jesus and His words of life and salvation.  Paul understood that he just started a work that will not be complete until we see Jesus.  This is Advent work. This is preparation work.  This is work that requires the presence, power and peace of God's Holy Spirit.  It is an invitation for us to take our prayer time seriously.  It also adds to the list of people and problems for which we are praying; pray for those with whom you worship and work God's word.  Pray for the preparation work to be complete at the right time.  May the foundation of Jesus on which all believer's lives are based receive the sturdy and strong beams to hold us faith, hope, joy, and peace.  And may the covering be Christ's love.  Can you pray that for your loved ones?  Then, you certainly can and should pray that for the leaders and members of your local church.  

Paul wrote today's passage from the prison in which he was being kept. He had the time to pray and write and he took advantage of that time to bless those whom had blessed him and his work.  He closes today's passage by praying that love in his fellow believers would "overflow with the knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best."  How many people are praying for you with this same request?  I confess I need all of you to pray for me for the same request; that my daily chores and expectations just brim with love for all people and that same love would bless my heart and mind to know what is best for me and for those around me.  (think driving stress in the traffic in your area! Boy, do we need prayers!)  Pray that today be a day when you and I draw closer to being the person whom Paul says will "be pure and blameless."  I'm still a ways off; your prayers will help me be better today than I was yesterday, and tomorrow even better.  Let us take seriously the harvest of more righteous and blameless people that comes as we share the good news of Jesus' love.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, help me to make time to pray like I should.  May my prayers bless others as I remember them and their needs.  Help me to pray for my church, the leaders, and members, that they may truly grow in their love and wisdom for You and Yours. May I learn to better manage my time to be the servant you called me to be.  May our blessing be love to overflowing with wisdom and grace.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Share this devotional with someone who may need it!

Eradio Valverde

A book that blessed my life and ministry is The Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordero.  An ideal gift for someone who would like their faith increased!  Here is that link:  https://amzn.to/2E0JefN