Image from biblia.com
1 Why do you brag of evil, "Big Man"? God's mercy carries the day. 2 You scheme catastrophe; your tongue cuts razor-sharp, artisan in lies.3 You love evil more than good, you call black white. 4 You love malicious gossip, you foul-mouth. 5 God will tear you limb from limb, sweep you up and throw you out, Pull you up by the roots from the land of life. 6 Good people will watch and worship. They'll laugh in relief: 7 "Big Man bet on the wrong horse, trusted in big money, made his living from catastrophe." 8 And I'm an olive tree, growing green in God's house. I trusted in the generous mercy of God then and now. 9 I thank you always that you went into action. And I'll stay right here, your good name my hope, in company with your faithful friends. (Psalm 52 The Message)
Happy Thursday to you, dear Friend! I pray it is a great day filled with blessings and opportunities to spread God's love with those you meet. I don't have a report on Baby Sophia's surgery, but I'm trusting it went well. Pray anyway for her and her family. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
The messages this week have centered on people who have made a shift from others-centered to self-centered. Some may have never made the shift from self-centered outward. I know most babies learn the word "mine" quite quickly and some never let it go. I pray that's not true for you dear readers! Surrendering your life to Jesus was to make an investment in service. True love is charity in action, with an urgency that is never satisfied; have I done enough? God desired that from all of His people Israel, but depending on their prophets, kings, servants, etc., they followed the most attractive and renounced the most sacred. As the psalmist knew, the olive tree was a symbol of what Israel under God stood for; but instead of being an olive tree, they became like tumbleweeds; dry, unrooted, and easily blown here and there by the wind. An olive tree in the house of the Lord has life; a tumbleweed had a life and now is like the dead who cannot even rest in a grave. The illusion that attracted these was the idea of being like this version calls, "Big Man," when it was an illusion. There is nothing big in a selfish death. The olive tree dies to self and in Christ so that they can serve God.
Our call is to love good and to love God. With that love we also love the people of God and seek to do the best we can to serve them all.
PRAYER: Loving God, help and heal our hearts. May we be like the olive tree in Your house, where You provide the nutrients, shade and shelter and all needed to truly thrive. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share life with someone today with your kind words of life affirmation.
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
