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1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:1-11 NRSV)
Happy Wednesday, dear Friend! I pray this finds you well and enjoying the blessings of the Lord.
I was a safety patrol guard in fifth and sixth grade at Flato Elementary School in Kingsville, Texas. I had grown up watching a lot of war movies and war TV shows and on rainy days as I walked around in a yellow raincoat I imagined I was a naval officer on a stormy sea on a warship. And, to make things interesting, I was not really a fan of deep water. I married a woman who began to say she wanted to go on a cruise. When we lived in Corpus Christi, we started a tradition of driving onto Port Aransas and on the free ferry and on one of those occasions I said, "Babe, that was your cruise." She was not happy. Finally, one year I had to work during our Anniversary Day and I told her, "Honey, I owe you big time; whatever you want I will give it to you." Without batting an eye she said, "I want to go on a cruise." Thankfully, our daughter and our son-in-law had gone on a cruise for their honeymoon and when they heard of our upcoming cruise, decided to plan it for us. So, we set sail on a voyage that I thought I would hate. Once back, I was the one who didn't want to get off the boat!
I say all that to share one of my favorite stories of another cruise. It was a cruise of sadness and despair. It set sail from Georgia to London. And midway home, the ship encountered what had to have been a hurricane, and this during the days records were not kept of these storms that now are assigned names. The ship tossed and turned and one of the passengers thought for sure he was going to die. He sought a place down in the hold where he might die. Instead, he heard joyful singing and found it annoying that people could be celebrating certain death. He asked them what was going on, and they said they were joyful because they were gong to die. The leader of the group asked the gentleman to step outside. He asked the man pointblank if he knew who Jesus was. The man replied, "I know Him to be the Savior of the world." The leader then asked, "Do you not know Him to be Your Savior?" And the man had to reply he did not. His reply was that he knew of Jesus, but he did not know Jesus personally. The leader of the group was a German named John Spandenburg, a Moravian. And the gentleman in question was John Wesley, who was on his way back to England after his failed ministry attempt in Georgia. It would be at that lay-led Bible study on Romans that Wesley came to faith. The lay person leading the study was reading Martin Luther's commentary on Paul's letter to the Romans.
Luther was a scholar and wrote what many might call dry, scholarly tomes; and Wesley preached what some do call dry, scholarly tomes; yet these were words of power that blessed and converted many through the years into the Christian faith. His words influenced Wesley and he influenced many. I used to say at the charge conferences I led, "If you think about it; somebody told somebody, who told somebody, who told somebody, who told somebody, who told you! Whom have you told?" This passage contains the hope and the peace that so many people desire, especially during this pandemic. Many see this crisis as a time of suffering. Paul knows, from personal experience, that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us." Even though we were sinners that did not stop God from sending Christ to die for us, to save us. And this, dear friends, brought about our reconciliation with Him.
I really believe we are on the brink of a major revival thanks to the current situation and how many have been exposed to solid preaching and teaching from online preachers. We need to do our part by praying that God would use us and our witness to bless and grow the kingdom. Somebody has heard a little something and needs us to be the somebody to tell them. And once that somebody has it; that somebody will tell somebody, who will tell somebody, who will tell somebody who will bless the work of God.
PRAYER: Loving Father, as we pray we do so with hope that Your peace will be in more hearts than ever before. We pray that as a result of that peace, more will have hope and Your blessings will be freely shared with so many more people. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Be a somebody today!
Receive my blessings of peace and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
Here is a video on John Wesley's ministry that some say saved England from Civil War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwjdD_JbOok
