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1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:1-9 NRSV)
May this be a tremendous Tuesday for you, dear Friend, and for all those whom you count as loved ones. I thank the Lord for you and your faithfulness in reading these words that I share as inspiration from God for us and our journey with Him. As we journey, prayer fuels our steps and as we add fuel to our lives, please share prayers for Mrs. Terry Hernandez of San Antonio. Terry was a mom to me during my MYF days when I would stay at her home where dear friends, Andy and Bobby lived. The days of hotel rooms for MYF meetings had not yet arrived; the Rio Grande Conference believed in housing out-of-town youth in homes. Terry is now in hospice care in San Antonio and needs our prayers. Please pray for Andrew and Robert and Becky, her children. May God's comfort be with her is my prayer. From FUMC-Gonzales we got this word; Amber Lassig who is having brain tumor surgery today. I have not yet heard how she is doing, but we trust the Lord that her recovery be comfortable and speedy. Please remember the rest of our loved ones whose names appeared in your church's prayer list. I also just received word that Mr. Arturo Molina, for whom we prayed yesterday, died last night, 01/12/2020. May God's comfort be with the family.
The scriptures have the Apostle Paul calling those who believe in Jesus as being saints. This designation is a binding title of honor and responsibility. As the name implies, those who believe in Jesus, live like Jesus. As we read the passage we read how Paul understood and lived out his calling as "an apostle of Christ Jesus." As we've discussed, a disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ, who studies all they can about Jesus and lives out that faith. An apostle is a disciple who goes and lives out the commands of Jesus; there's a difference. In truth, we should all be apostles, doing all we can to be better disciples, then going and applying all we learn to the process of making disciples.
Paul says those who know Jesus are also sanctified, or made more holy in our walk with Him. And as a result we share in a brotherhood and sisterhood of faith, being related to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and as such, we are saints. As saints, living sanctified lives, we receive from God His grace and peace.
Paul also was a man who always gave thanks in all things, for all things, especially for the way the saints whom he knew were active in sharing their faith and making the kingdom of God stronger. Paul knew that God made possible in the saints, a strong language and knowledge of every kind to better witness to the Lord and what He offers to all who seek Him. And Paul knew that blessing belongs to the saints for all time, until the end.
Ours is to remain faithful, dear friend. Praying, worshiping, studying, sharing, and going to do the work the Lord called us to do. To be a living example of Jesus, a faithful witness and a ready servant to the ones in need.
PRAYER: Loving Father, for all You have shared with us, we are thankful. As you work on us, make us stronger disciples, ready apostles and truly sanctified saints. The work awaits us and we want to be faithful. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Yes, you, are a saint!
Receive my blessings of peace and love,
Pastor Eradio
