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Hear here the devotional: https://bit.ly/3dSvItN
1 The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3 He said, "My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said." 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes." 7 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. 9 They said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the tent." 10 Then one said, "I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?" 13 The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, "Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son." 15 But Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. He said, "Oh yes, you did laugh." 1 The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. 2 Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Now Sarah said, "God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me." 7 And she said, "Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." (Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7 NRSV)
Happy Wednesday, dear Friend! Prayer is the blanket that helps us sleep, while also being the charge we need to awaken to better serve the Lord; the key is to pray, pray, and then pray again. As we pray, please pray for the needs of your neighbor, both the next-door variety as well as the one who may live in areas you might not visit. Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.
Abe and Sarah were having a barbecue. Well, they were, as we say in Texas, "fixin' to," when some strangers show up. Again, being Texas, these three were immediately seen as guests and not visitors. They were welcomed and the BBQ started. Oh yes, some are wondering what the difference is between guests and visitors. Guests are the kind you clean your house before they arrive because you know they are coming, and you're ready for them. Visitors show up, ring your doorbell, which has become the universal alarm for all to run as quickly and as silently as they can so that the visitors don't know anyone is home and they leave as soon as possible. (Some churches are like that... or, so I've been told...) Now, this is strictly my point of view, but watch how this barbecue progresses. Abe tells Sarah to make flour tortillas. Not the "HoneyGoGet" style tortillas, but honey, mix the harina and make fresh tortillas. And, to keep the theme of fresh fresh, Abe has the ranch hand kill a young calf for the meat part of the BBQ. And, in keeping with being aware of other likes and dislikes, yogurt dip with chips and pretzel chips are served as appetizers while the meal is prepared. Then the business part of the visit began.
These men knew of the promises God had made to this couple when they were in their 70s. Do you remember? That both would be the parents of descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. That was twenty or so years ago, and Abe and Sarah had moved on and may not have given much thought to parenthood. But, one of the men, and scripture says it was the Lord, says that when he returns, Sarah would have a son. Sarah, who was within earshot of this conversation (by coincidence, of course!) hears this and laughs. "Me volunteer in the nursery to watch my own son?? Ha ha ha!" Of course, her being in earshot of this conversation also allowed her laugh to be heard by these men. Now Sarah is scared and denies she has laughed. I love the response, "Oh yes, you did laugh." Keep this in mind as you find out what her son was named. Yes, he was named, "She laughed."
God does some incredibly impossible things possible. God can take a shy, self-conscious chubby boy and make him a pastor. God can take the grim news of a medical exam only to have negative results baffle medical personnel. God can take the dire reality of scarcity and then fill the pantry with more than enough food. God can take our deepest fears and worries and turn them around into manageable realities. And God can take a 99 year old woman and make her the president of the M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers). God can take an AARP card carrying, retired barbecuing retiree and make him learn how to change diapers. And, in whatever way God chooses, God can change your situation and make it a brighter reality. It may not be exactly as you'd like, but you will realize that God is with you and is, indeed, blessing you.
The guests were sent by God, and we believe them to be angels and the Lord, and one of them, the Lord, shared such a powerful statement, "Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?" No, nothing is too wonderful for God to transform and make better, for it is God's will that gets done, not ours. And as Paul wrote so many years later, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28). God's promise was true. Abraham and Sarah would have a son, and this son would produce many offspring even to today in keeping and blessing the earth according to God's own word. My Ancestry.com DNA test shows me to be among that lineage, as it does Nellie, and maybe even yours if you've done that type of exam. God is awesome as are you. You have been created for a purpose and as a part of God's plan. You're free to follow your own desires if you want, but to trust and follow God will bless you in ways you did not expect. Now, please don't fret about having to change diapers if you're in your 90s, because if that does happen, God will equip you!
PRAYER; Awesome God, so many have been the times You have blessed us in ways that have left us speechless; allow us to have the words to say Thank You in ways that bless You and that bless Yours. Father, you know our situations and our challenges; into Your hands we turn these over, trusting Your will be done. For those things that keep us awake or makes us toss and turn, please help us know how to handle them. We thank You for your love and blessings. Help us be faithful and fruitful; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bless the Lord and share His goodness with someone today.
Receive my blessings of love and joy,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
