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Hear the devotional here: https://anchor.fm/eradio-valverde/episodes/Final-Last-Words-e1pdm47

6 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.16 At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 NRSV)

A blessed and terrific Tuesday to you, dear Friend May the rich and unexpected blessings of the Lord fill you with joy and peace. I share a great update that our brother, Mr. Doug Copeland, is at home now from the hospital, recovering with his mother. Pray that his recovery is complete and prompt. I also spoke with The Rev. John Alsbrooks, and his surgical procedure went well and he awaits word from the lab as to what may is next. We pray that nothing be next in terms of results of this lab study, in the name of Jesus! Pray for one another. Pray for the needs of the world

We are reading the last words of the Apostle Paul as he is aware that he will suffer death at the hands of the Roman government because of his faith. He knew coming in that this would be his fate, along with all the additional suffering that would be his, and still he said yes to the Lord Jesus. And we know people that when they discover they must attend meetings of the church decide they've had enough of the Christian faith! Yet Paul knew what awaited him, and more importantly, Who awaited him. He had seen the Risen Christ, had his faith blessed by Him and so, death was a welcome thing in his life. He knew his life would not end with the swift sword of a Roman soldier. What would your final words be? Would you have a sense of satisfaction that you had been faithful and fruitful to the call of Jesus to be His disciple? Have you finished the race and kept the faith? Have you fought the good fight?

This passage brought to mind a meeting with a church member one day. She has asked to meet with me and she began by saying she never in her life thought she would lose her church to a Mexican. (Hint: Not a good way to start any meeting, or a day for that matter!) She said she had not yet heard any of my sermons but that her "sermons" were to stare at "the beautiful stain glass we have in our church." This gave her away. "And," she added, "sometimes I just sleep, and it's the most wonderful sleep." I interrupted her and had to ask, "Sister, are you saved? I mean, have you surrendered your heart to Jesus?" She was immediately insulted, "Why no one has ever dared to ask me that question before!" I said "I ask because I am your pastor, and one day I will stand next to you in the presence of God and I will have to answer what I shared with you to help you better live your life and serve God." At that point whe was not having any more of me, and stormed out of my office. I knew what was next and I was right. There was under my door the very next morning a copy of her letter to the Staff Parish Relations Committee that outlined our meeting and how disgusted she was with me and my question. I should have added I was praying the whole time asking God to give me a heart to love this woman, and reading the letter I intensified my prayer! It would be only a couple of Sundays later that she was the last person to walk through the line where I shook hands with people after worship. I began my prayer again. But to my shock and pleasant surprise, she hugged me tightly and said it was the most wonderful sermon she had ever heard! I wanted to ask what had happened to the real church member that had sat in my office not too many days before? She apologized and from that point on was always telling me how wonderfully I had preached. It wasn't me. It was God. God can and does do some amazing things. Paul knew that. You know that too.

For us, the race is still on. The fight is not over. Our faith is there to keep us and for us to keep it as well. What comes next Paul says is that when it is our time, we will receive a crown of righteousness, if we have "longed for His appearing." Paul then shares his sorrow that no one came to his defense at the first part of the trial he stood. Quite the opposite, those who may have said they were supporting him, ran! Paul did not hold this against them, because God stood by him and gave him strength as He has done for us. While we may not face "the lion's mouth," God is still with us as we may face the mouths of those who oppose us and our faith; and God rescues us every time! Our work is far from over and there is still much to do, so that all people may come to hear and know of God's love for them. God is with us and will give us the words to reach the world.

PRAYER: Awesome God, come to us when we need You and grant to us what we need to do the task You have entrusted to us; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Share Jesus!

Receive my blessings of joy and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.