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Hear the Devotional here: https://bit.ly/3q8lhKX
1 "Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water! Are you penniless? Come anyway - buy and eat! Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money - everything's free! 2 Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy? Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest. 3 Pay attention, come close now, listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words. I'm making a lasting covenant commitment with you, the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love. 4 I set him up as a witness to the nations, made him a prince and leader of the nations, 5 And now I'm doing it to you: You'll summon nations you've never heard of, and nations who've never heard of you will come running to you Because of me, your God, because The Holy of Israel has honored you." 6 Seek God while he's here to be found, pray to him while he's close at hand. 7 Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to God, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness. 8 "I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work." God's Decree. 9 "For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. (Isaiah 55:1-9 The Message Bible)
Happy Wednesday to all of the ConCafe family and other readers! If you are in the Gonzales area today at noon, please join me for a free bowl of delicious hot soup, some dessert, a nice glass of water, and a brief study on one of the Psalms. This tiime spent with us will bless your Lenten journey. As pray may we pray from Mr. Earl Ray Floyd, uncle of Ms. Sherri Schellenberg, who's in the hospital in Austin. I had the opportunity to visit him and pray with him. He has been battling pancreatic cancer for over 20 months, and is in good spirits and we had a good visit. I met his wife, Sybil, niece Lisa, and two grandkids and one of their friends. Prayers for Baby Hudson who is not doing well. He is in Houston fighting for his life. Prayers for The Rev. Rick Hope, former pastor in Smiley, who entered into hospice care today. He has breathing issues and needs our prayers. Also, from reader Rhoda Alvarez of Virginia: " I also have a friend through hsing at MD Anderson now. She has had a bad recurrence of her cancer and it I think has moved to her bones. She is local to me. Terri is her name." And, also, "The other is for the Godfrey family. I teach their youngest daughter, Reese and already taught their oldest, Lexi. Dad has appendix cancer super rare and he has had 2 major surgeries in the last couple of years and other minor ones. He just had a minor surgery this week in Pittsburgh. They did the major surgery in the Fall. as a somewhat last ditch effort. I do think they have given him years, but things are still not going well. And his poor baby was having a tough day at school today. I just kept hugging her even while I taught. SWEET family.' Pray with faith, dear friends. Pray for one another, pray for yourselves, and continue to pray for world peace.
We here in Texas find ourselves in yet another drought. The ground is thirsty for water as are many wildlife creatures who depend on rain for water for their thirst. Farmers and ranchers are praying and asking the Lord to open the skies with water to supply their needs. And those of us who have ever had thirst, nothing else will suffice, just water. And while some may advocate Gatorade, I just thank God that drink came along before future generations of athletes had to endure the agony of handfuls of salt pills. And just like only water will quench our body's thirst, only the Living God can quench the thirst of a soul. The prophet is revealng the coming of the Lord in this passage with the promise of all that God can do for all people. Our God is the God of all people, who calls all people unto Himself. The invitation is what the prophet Isaiah shared, "All who are thristy, come to the water! Are you pennilessk? Come anyway - buy and eat! Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money - everything's free!" What an offer! Our God is He who offers "life-giving, life-nourishing words," and "A lasting covenant commitment with you, the same made with David;" providing "sure, solid, enduring love." And ours is the joy to call all nations to this banquet. And better yet, to live lives that demonstrate what it is to share and care for all people.
The Lenten journey started with many sacrificing extras and luxuries to help us focus more on our spiritual nourishment, and this passage reinforces that, as it points us back to God, whose invitation to come to drink, eat, and love in His presence. And what a difference it can make in the world when God believers like you and me, give of ourselves and what we have received, with all who are in need. The world may not be ready, but God is, and so should we be ready. The world hungers and thirsts for the things that really satisfy and those are the things that God offers. We talk of getting to Heaven when we die, but it's more important to bring Heaven here on earth, especially to those who hurt and who are thirsting for authentic love.
PRAYER: Loving God, may we truly bless the world with the things that You provide to satisfy. Open our eyes to the people who thirst for You, and hunger for Your love; and open my heart to freely share and give in the way You share and give me what I have needed; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Give of yourself today to glorify God.
Receive my blessings of hope and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
