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1 Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got - Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation. 2 God's works are so great, worth A lifetime of study - endless enjoyment! 3 Splendor and beauty mark his craft; His generosity never gives out. 4 His miracles are his memorial - This God of Grace, this God of Love. 5 He gave food to those who fear him, He remembered to keep his ancient promise. 6 He proved to his people that he could do what he said: Hand them the nations on a platter - a gift! 7 He manufactures truth and justice; All his products are guaranteed to last - 8 Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof. All that he makes and does is honest and true: 9 He paid the ransom for his people, He ordered his Covenant kept forever. He's so personal and holy, worthy of our respect. 10 The good life begins in the fear of God - Do that and you'll know the blessing of God. His Hallelujah lasts forever! (Psalm 111 The Message Bible)
Happy Thursday ConCafe Family! I pray this finds you, dear Friend enjoying God's wonderful blessings of life and the fullness thereof; and using every opportunity you have to return thanks to Him! May those opportunities include time for prayer, praying for the sick, the lonely, the isolated, the marginalized, those cast out, those imprisoned, and those who have wandered far from the embrace of God. I just received word that a dear lady from San Marcos, Kathie Patterson, died Wednesday morning. Please pray for her husband, Larry, their family and friends in your prayers today. And, let us pray for one another, and for ourselves.
Monday, we studied about the man sitting in worship who had a demon accompanying him. The sarcastic could say, "Well, he did his part in inviting someone to church!" but we miss the point! We invite those who may have evil in them to come and get Jesus to remove it from them. I truly believe the Jesus-centered church of today is the place where such powerful and radical transformations can occur. Yet, I also wondered, how many of us truly give our 100% to the worship of God when we are either watching it online or there in person? This demon-possessed man obviously had wandered off-course and into the realm of evil and so much so, that evil came to reside in him! The psalmist in this psalm of his is talking about wholehearted worship as evidenced in verse one, "I give thanks to God with everything I've got" and he adds that happens "wherever good people gather, " meaning worship. The original word for thanks goes further than a "thank you," it literally means like shooting arrows, which I take to mean, we draw back the bow within our spirit and fire off with relief and satisfaction, the arrows of thankfulness. We can even imagine the arrows being filled with our love and thanks and we fire them to where God will receive them and be blessed by them. Imagine having that mindset every Sunday; "Lord, I am here ready to fire my arrows of thanks, as I hear and receive Your arrows of love and blessing for me!" The psalmist knew that God never runs out of good things with which to bless us, and we count miracles among those things with which God shares with us when needed. God provides our food, and even delivers to us as defeated foes, those things which sought to harm and destroy us. Compare this to what the demon-possessed man sought to do while in worship!
God is faithful, and we should seek to be faithful to Him. May we totally give ourselves to all things God so that God may be more powerful in our lives. May our devotion to Him be so close that evil cannot find any space or opening in which to come and kill, steal, and destroy us.
PRAYER: Loving God, may we be open to Thy leading, O Father. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage for victory in days like these! In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Seek to be one who shines the commitment to God all people need!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
