Love All People

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1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity 3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all —this was attested at the right time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-7 NRSV).

When we said yes to Jesus we were saying yes to Jesus Himself and His entire worldview and mission. It was saying yes to an other person-centered love and care and a commitment to reaching the world with love and kindness. Anything less is not of God. We see with Jesus' eyes, not ours. What we may have learned from our parents that goes against this should be thrown out of our living and we try to become more like Jesus. And Jesus was all about serving God and God's people. We should have set about emptying our hearts of fear, ignorance, hatred, and indifference towards those whom we do not yet know and set about working way to better our world for each other. And as Paul stated in this opening of this passage, he reminds us that the only and best way to do these things is to pray and rely on the strength of God to help us do and be what God has asked.

Not programs, not politics, not protests, but prayer. This isn't because prayer is easier than action, but because prayer is the foundation that makes all other action meaningful and effective.

The scope of this prayer directive is breathtaking: "for everyone." Paul doesn't qualify this with "for everyone who agrees with us" or "for everyone who deserves it." He means everyone—the difficult people, the opponents, the strangers, the enemies. This kind of comprehensive prayer reflects the comprehensive love of God.

When we pray for "everyone," we begin to see the world through God's eyes—not as us versus them, but as beloved souls for whom Christ died.

"For kings and all who are in high positions." In Paul's time, this would have included Caesar—the emperor who claimed divinity, who persecuted Christians, who represented everything opposed to the gospel. Yet Paul instructs believers to pray for him and all who govern.

This challenges our natural instincts. We're quick to criticize leaders we disagree with, slow to pray for them. We're eager to point out their failures, reluctant to intercede for their success. But Paul calls us to something higher—to pray even for those whose policies we oppose, whose character we question, whose decisions we find troubling.

This doesn't mean we become passive or stop working for justice. It means we engage with the world from a foundation of prayer rather than a posture of mere opposition.

"So that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity." Paul's motivation isn't political quietism or comfortable withdrawal from society's challenges. He's describing the conditions that allow the gospel to flourish—stability that enables evangelism, peace that permits discipleship, order that supports community growth.

When we pray for leaders, we're not necessarily endorsing their policies—we're asking God to work through them (or despite them) to create conditions where people can encounter Christ, where families can thrive, where the church can fulfill its mission, and where justice can prevail.

This prayer is ultimately missional, focused on creating space for God's kingdom to advance and His people to flourish.

Paul grounds the call to universal prayer in the reality of Christ's universal sacrifice. Jesus didn't die only for some—He died for all. His mediation isn't limited to the deserving—it's available to everyone.

This truth should humble our prayers and expand our compassion. If Christ gave Himself as a ransom for the political leader we can't stand, shouldn't we at least give a few minutes in prayer for them? If Jesus intercedes for our enemies, can't we join Him in that work?

The cross levels all our categories and makes universal prayer not just possible but essential.

When we pray for everyone—including those we disagree with—we become living testimonies to the same truth. Our prayers witness to a God whose love transcends politics, whose grace overcomes hostility, whose mercy extends beyond our natural affections.

This kind of prayer becomes evangelistic, demonstrating the character of the God we serve.

Praying for everyone challenges us at multiple levels. It forces us to confront our prejudices, to examine our hearts, to acknowledge our own need for the grace we're asking God to show others. It's easier to pray for people we like than for people who frustrate us.

But this difficulty is also an opportunity for spiritual growth. When we pray for someone who irritates us, we often find our irritation softening. When we intercede for someone we disagree with, we begin to see them as God sees them—not as opponents but as image-bearers.

Comprehensive prayer doesn't make us naive about evil or passive about injustice, but it does make us more like Jesus.

The call to pray for everyone isn't just about formal prayer times—it's about cultivating a heart that naturally thinks in terms of blessing rather than cursing, intercession rather than criticism, hope rather than cynicism.

This might mean pausing to pray when you hear a news report that frustrates you, asking God's blessing on a leader whose policies you oppose, or interceding for the coworker who makes your life difficult. It means viewing every person you encounter as someone for whom Christ died and for whom you're called to pray.

PRAYER: God our Savior, thank You for Your heart that desires everyone to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth. Help us to pray with the same comprehensive love You show—for leaders and citizens, for friends and enemies, for those close to us and those far away. Transform our hearts through our prayers, and work through our intercession to create conditions where Your kingdom can flourish and all people can encounter Your grace. In Jesus' strong name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Choose one specific person in authority—whether political, workplace, or community leadership—whom you find difficult to appreciate, and commit to praying for them regularly this week, asking God to bless their life and work through them for the common good.

I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to me, and you matter to God!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

God's Hope and Our Folly

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1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. 4 Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the LORD. 5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. 7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (Psalm 14 NIV Bible)

Happy Thursday, dear Friend! May God lead us to a closer and deeper understanding of His love and plan for us as we spend time together with Him. May we continue to pray for brother Dieringer's son-in-law as he faces cancer treatments. Let us pray for Mr. Rafe Jackson and his wife, Pam, who cares and drives Rafe to Austin for this treatment. May God bring healing and peace to the Jackson family. Also, please pray for the family of The Rev. Bill Nogues and his wife, Lillian, both died in the last few days of a respiratory illness. Bill was an early leader of the Walk to Emmaus retreats in the Southwest Texas Conference of the UMC, and I was honored to have served alongside him in those days.

David has a name for those who do not believe in God, fools. He pulls no punches, and he's honest about his assessment about those who choose to not believe in God; fools. He also says they are corrupt and are vile people because of the deeds are vile. And then he groups with these fools, those who are not capable for doing good. And he further says that God may hold that same opinion about that group of people.

If you're like me, I was blessed to have been raised in a household where the reality of God was never doubted. I am thankful for that. Have I ever doubted? I have had my doubts about circumstances or events, but never about God not being real or ever present with me. Do I have a list of questions that I have for God? No, I'm not that well organized, nor has my faith wavered to the point where I still question or would question God. I'm more in the Paul camp where I see myself still marveling about God's love and grace towards me, me another one who could stand with the chiefs among sinners. But I would stand alongside those who would say that God is the source of hope.

We can believe in God intellectually while being practical atheists in our daily choices. We can affirm His existence on Sunday while ignoring His presence Monday through Saturday. The fool is anyone who compartmentalizes God out of the decisions that really matter—career, relationships, finances, priorities.

David's evaluation is devastatingly comprehensive: "They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good." This isn't hyperbole—it's reality. Left to ourselves, without God's transforming presence, we naturally drift toward selfishness, pride, and moral compromise.

"The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God." Picture this cosmic scene—God scanning the earth, searching for hearts that genuinely seek Him, minds that truly understand what life is about, lives that reflect His character.

What does He find? "All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." This isn't God being pessimistic—it's God being realistic. The human condition apart from divine grace is universally broken.

But notice something beautiful: God is looking. He's searching. He's hoping to find those who understand and seek Him. This isn't the distant observation of an indifferent deity—it's the loving gaze of a Father looking for His children to come home.

"Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord." David identifies a particular kind of foolishness—those who exploit the vulnerable while ignoring God. They "devour" God's people with the casual indifference of eating a meal.

This challenges us to examine our own hearts. Where might we be taking advantage of others' weakness or vulnerability? Where do we consume blessings without gratitude, enjoy privileges without responsibility, benefit from systems that harm others while never calling on the Lord for wisdom or justice?

The oppressor's greatest folly isn't their cruelty—it's their assumption that God isn't watching, that He doesn't care about the marginalized, that there will be no reckoning for injustice.

"You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge." Here's the psalm's first note of hope. While the powerful may oppress and the wealthy may exploit, God positions Himself as the defender of those who have nowhere else to turn.

This is both comfort and challenge. If you're among the vulnerable, the marginalized, the powerless, know that God sees your situation and offers Himself as your refuge. If you're among the privileged, the powerful, the comfortable, remember that God's heart beats for those you might overlook.

The Lord's commitment to justice isn't abstract theology—it's personal reality for those who cry out to Him from places of pain and powerlessness.

While Psalm 14's diagnosis is harsh, it contains a profound invitation. If we're all fools by nature, if we've all turned away, if none of us does good—then we're all equally in need of grace. The psalm levels the playing field: we're all broken, and we all need the same salvation.

This creates space for humility instead of judgment, for compassion instead of condemnation. When you recognize your own foolishness, you can extend grace to others caught in theirs. When you acknowledge your own tendency to live as if God doesn't matter, you can invite others into the life-changing reality of His presence.

The beautiful truth hidden in this psalm is that while we were not seeking God, He was seeking us. While we were turning away, He was drawing near. While we were doing wrong, He was planning our restoration. This is the gospel in miniature—God's relentless pursuit of those who don't naturally pursue Him.

If you've experienced God's transforming grace, you've become part of the answer to David's prayer. You're evidence that salvation has come, that restoration is possible, that there are indeed those who understand and seek God. Your life becomes a testimony that the universal diagnosis of foolishness doesn't have to be the final verdict.

PRAYER: Lord, we confess that we have all played the fool, living as if You don't matter, making decisions as if You're not watching, treating others as if You don't care about justice. Thank You that even while we were turning away from You, You were seeking us. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, and complete the restoration You've begun. Until that day, help us live as people who know that salvation has come out of Zion, who rejoice in what You've done, and who long for what You will do. In Your name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, examine one area of your life where you might be living as a "practical atheist"—making decisions as if God's presence and perspective don't matter. Ask Him to transform that area and to help you live with the consistent awareness that He sees, He cares, and He will ultimately set all things right.

I love you and I thank God for you,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Experts at Evil, but Klutzes at Good

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11 At that time, this people, yes, this very Jerusalem, will be told in plain words: "The northern hordes are sweeping in from the desert steppes - 12 a gale-force wind. I ordered this wind. I'm pronouncing my hurricane judgment on my people." Your Evil Life Is Piercing Your Heart. 22 "What fools my people are! They have no idea who I am. A company of half-wits, dopes and donkeys all! Experts at evil but klutzes at good." 23 I looked at the earth - it was back to pre-Genesis chaos and emptiness. I looked at the skies, and not a star to be seen. 24 I looked at the mountains - they were trembling like aspen leaves, And all the hills rocking back and forth in the wind. 25 I looked - what's this! Not a man or woman in sight, and not a bird to be seen in the skies. 26 I looked - this can't be! Every garden and orchard shriveled up. All the towns were ghost towns. And all this because of God, because of the blazing anger of God. 27 Yes, this is God's Word on the matter: "The whole country will be laid waste - still it won't be the end of the world. 28 The earth will mourn and the skies lament Because I've given my word and won't take it back. I've decided and won't change my mind." You're Not Going to Seduce Anyone. (Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 The Message Bible)

Happy and blessed Wednesday, Friend! May the blessings of the Lord Jesus be with you in amazing ways. Make people say you've made their Wednesday wonderful! You've made my days in healing wonderful by your prayers! Yesterday we moved the brace to 20º up from ten last week and zero since the day of my surgery. Next Tuesday we move to 30º, Lord willing. I ask prayers for The Rev. Virgilio Vasquez Garza who's in Spain visitng family and has contracted Covid. May the Lord bring healing to our brother and to all who are suffering this uptick of Covid cases. How may I pray for you today?

We've talked about the Apostle Paul claiming he was chief among sinners. This passage reminds us that among the nations, Israel at many points in her history was the chief among nations when it came to sinning. The story of Israel is easily my story and yours as well. We have our high points, when we're polishing apples to give to the teacher; later we're waiting in the principal's office to await punishment for our misdeeds. I've shared how I would start each school year with my Dad's "If you get punished at school, you'll get punished at home." Gulp! Isn't that against the Constitution? I remember being in first grade and our beloved teacher had to leave the room and she left a kid rumored to have been kept behind for two years, in charge meaning he would write our names on the board. I wondered if the extra two years in first grade helped him learn to write and spell correctly our names. Well, he spelled my name right on the board when he thought I was talking. Only problem was that I was not talking. I began to fear the coming punishment; surely a severe spanking by my first grade reacher, whom I loved and respected so much! How would I feel about her after she punished me, me, an innocent child, for those brief fleeting moments? She came back and ignored the list on the board. I was able to celebrate another perfect day of no swats or whatever punishments were the order of the day.

Jeremiah's words hit like a desert wind—hot, relentless, and impossible to ignore. God speaks through His prophet with brutal honesty about the spiritual condition of His people. They've become experts at doing wrong but completely clueless about doing right. They've mastered the art of selfishness but forgotten the basics of relationship with their Creator.

This isn't just ancient history—it's a mirror held up to our own times. We live in an age of incredible technological sophistication yet profound spiritual confusion. We can split atoms and map genomes, but we struggle with basic questions of meaning, purpose, and right living. We're clever enough to create complex problems but seem baffled by simple solutions of love, justice, and faithfulness.

What makes this passage so haunting is its vision of creation itself responding to human spiritual failure. "I looked at the earth—it was back to pre-Genesis chaos, an empty wasteland. I looked at the heavens, and hey, no light! I looked at the mountains—they were quaking like aspen leaves, And all the hills rocking back and forth!"

Jeremiah sees something we often miss: our spiritual choices don't happen in isolation. When we turn away from God, the very fabric of creation feels the impact. The earth itself mourns when God's people abandon their calling to be stewards and image-bearers.

This ancient vision feels remarkably contemporary. We live in an age when our moral failures are written across the landscape in climate change, environmental destruction, and ecological crisis. The prophet's words remind us that spiritual health and environmental health are deeply connected.

God's assessment through Jeremiah is harsh but not hopeless. "My people are fools—they don't know me from Adam." The word "fools" here isn't about intelligence—it's about spiritual understanding. A fool in biblical terms isn't someone who lacks brains but someone who lacks wisdom, who doesn't understand what life is really about.

This creates an invitation for honest self-examination. Where have we become experts at the wrong things? Where have we developed sophisticated skills for self-serving while remaining kindergarten-level in loving others? Where have we mastered the art of accumulation but failed basic courses in contentment and gratitude?

The good news hidden in this harsh diagnosis is that recognizing our condition is the first step toward healing. God doesn't speak this way because He's given up on us—He speaks this way because He wants to wake us up. Even in this dark passage, we hear the voice of a God who is still engaged, still caring, still speaking. His judgment isn't the silent treatment of an indifferent deity—it's the passionate response of a loving Father whose children are destroying themselves and their inheritance.

Buried in this passage is a profound challenge to our values and priorities. If we've become skilled at doing wrong but clueless about doing right, what would it look like to reverse that equation? What would it mean to become experts in love, justice, compassion, and faithfulness?

This isn't about becoming religious rule-followers. It's about rediscovering what it means to be truly human—people who reflect God's character in the world, who serve as bridges between heaven and earth, who help creation flourish rather than contributing to its groaning.

The path forward isn't through more sophisticated wrongdoing but through returning to the basic, beautiful calling of knowing God and making Him known through lives of integrity, mercy, and truth.

Jeremiah's vision of creation in chaos echoes the opening of Genesis, when the earth was "formless and void." But we know that story didn't end in darkness. God spoke, and there was light. God worked, and there was life. The same God who brought order from chaos the first time is still in the business of bringing beauty from brokenness.

Our world may be groaning, but it's groaning with birth pangs—anticipating something new, something better, something redeemed. And we get to be part of that story of renewal.

PRAYER: Lord, Your words through Jeremiah are hard to hear but necessary to face. Help us to see ourselves and our world honestly—where we've become experts at the wrong things and beginners at what matters most.

Forgive us for the ways our spiritual failures have contributed to creation's groaning. Help us understand that our relationship with You affects everything around us—our families, our communities, our world.

Give us the courage to change what can be changed and the wisdom to know how to live differently. Transform us from people who are skilled in selfishness to people who are experts in love. Teach us to do right with the same creativity and persistence we've shown in doing wrong. In Jesus' strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, honestly assess one area where you've become "skilled in doing wrong"—perhaps with your words, your priorities, or your relationships—and deliberately practice doing right in that same area. Consider how your spiritual choices might be impacting the people and environment around you, and make one concrete change that reflects better stewardship of God's creation.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Chief Among Sinners?

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12 I give praise to him who gave me power, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he took me to be true, making me his servant,13 Though I had said violent words against God, and done cruel acts, causing great trouble: but I was given mercy, because I did it without knowledge, not having faith; 14 And the grace of our Lord was very great, with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15 It is a true saying, in which all may put their faith, that Christ Jesus came into the world to give salvation to sinners, of whom I am the chief: 16 But for this reason I was given mercy, so that in me, the chief of sinners, Jesus Christ might make clear all his mercy, as an example to those who in the future would have faith in him to eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, ever-living, unseen, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. So be it. (1 Timothy 1:12-17 BBE)

There are many things we shall come to know when the time is right. The other day I mentioned Jesus' conversation with Saul of Tarsus and today I think about what Jesus wrote in the sand when men were ready to stone the woman caught in adultery. What did Jesus write? What words made the angry mob of men ready to stone this woman? Was it a single word or several or two, or several that connected with the heart of those men that made they drop their stones and walk away without "fulfilling the law." Was there another woman's name on the list that made one or more of those angry men blush with shame? Or did Jesus start a list with names that reminded the men of their sin?

There's the old story of little Johnny who accidentally killed his grandma's favorite goose. His older sister, Becky, saw the whole thing and told him so. Johnny saddened by this accidental killing asked her to please not tell their grandma. "It will cost you," she smugly replied. "What?" Johnny asked in tears. "You must do the dishes every time it is my turn." "Sure," said Johnny glad that he could keep hidden his sin from his dear grandmother. At the end of the week, having done twice the number of turns he normally took at washing the dishes, his grandmother asked, him what he had done that he was under Becky's control now. He sobbingly confessed his sin and the grandmother replied with love, that she knew but it was not a reason to be under the control of anyone, especially his sister. And her grace ended Becky's control over him.

Paul had his own list as he lists in verse 13, here in the NRSV: " I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence." But he was shown mercy each time, having acted out as a man without faith in Jesus; Jesus' grace was bigger than his sins. Paul's words here are breathtaking in their honesty and humility. This is the same Paul who planted churches across the known world, wrote much of the New Testament, and suffered beatings, imprisonment, and shipwreck for the gospel. Yet he doesn't call himself the greatest apostle or the most faithful servant. He calls himself "the foremost" of sinners—the chief, the worst, the most notorious.

This isn't false modesty or spiritual self-flagellation. Paul is making a profound theological point about the nature of grace. The very person who might seem most qualified to earn God's favor declares himself most unworthy of it. The man who accomplished more for the kingdom than perhaps anyone declares that mercy, not merit, is the foundation of his relationship with God.

Yet Christ didn't just forgive Paul—He appointed him to service. He didn't just pardon him—He empowered him. He didn't just save him—He made him an apostle. This is grace that doesn't just cover sin but transforms the sinner into a servant, the persecutor into a preacher, the enemy into an ambassador.

Paul's story reveals something stunning about how God works: He doesn't just recruit the naturally good or the already religious. He specializes in taking the most unlikely candidates and making them His most powerful witnesses.

"I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence." Paul doesn't minimize his past. He was actively working against God, hunting down Christians, breathing threats and murder against the church.

If you've ever thought you're too messed up for God, Paul's story is your invitation to think again. If Paul—who dragged Christians from their homes and watched Stephen die—can become an apostle, then your past doesn't determine your future. If God can use the chief of sinners to spread the gospel across the Roman Empire, He can use you too.

Paul's testimony shatters our categories of who's worthy and who's not. It demolishes the myth that God only uses the naturally good or the lifelong faithful. Instead, it reveals a God who delights in taking broken vessels and filling them with His glory, who loves to write straight with crooked lines.

Your failures don't disqualify you—they might actually be your greatest qualification for experiencing and sharing God's grace.

Paul's reflection on God's mercy naturally flows into worship: "To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." When you truly grasp what grace has done for you, worship becomes inevitable.

Paul piles up descriptive phrases—King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God—as if no single title could capture the majesty of the One who showed him mercy. This isn't casual appreciation; it's overwhelming gratitude that spills over into adoration.

The deeper our understanding of our own sinfulness, the higher our appreciation of God's grace. The more clearly we see what we deserved, the more amazed we become at what we received.

Paul's testimony challenges us to live with the same kind of radical humility and overwhelming gratitude. If Paul—the accomplished apostle—could call himself the chief of sinners, what does that say about our own need for grace? If Paul—with all his ministry success—could trace everything back to mercy, how much more should we?

This perspective transforms how we relate to others. When you truly believe you're the chief of sinners saved by grace, you can't look down on anyone else's sin. When you know you're an example of God's utmost patience, you become patient with others who are still on their journey toward Him.

Paul's story also encourages us to see our past differently. Your worst moments don't have to be your defining moments. Your greatest failures might become the foundation for your most powerful testimony. The places where you've experienced the most grace might be where you're most equipped to offer grace to others.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for Paul's honest testimony that reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of Your grace. Thank You that You didn't come to save the naturally good but sinners—of whom we all are foremost in our own understanding. Help us to have Paul's humility that sees our constant need for mercy, and Paul's gratitude that responds to grace with worship. When we're tempted to think our past disqualifies us from Your service, remind us that You specialize in using the most unlikely vessels for Your glory. To You, the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever, in Christ Jesus' strong name we pray, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, reflect honestly on your own story of grace—how has God shown "utmost patience" with you, and how might your testimony encourage someone else who feels beyond redemption? Consider sharing your story of God's transforming mercy with someone who needs to hear that no one is too far gone for His love.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Don't Stay Lost!

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1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. 8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:1-10)

Friend, don't stay lost or get left behind! I hope you're having a good day today and are seeking ways to deepen your faith and strengthening your walk with the Lord today!

I hope you don't tire of my personal stories; I am a man of a certain age and as an example of that affliction, the other day I was talking on the phone with an old friend and as we were wrapping up, one of us said, "One quick story before we hang up," and after the ten-minute story, the other of us said the same thing, "One quick story before we hang up," and another ten minutes of story-sharing; and after about 45 minutes of story after story, we finally hung up.

We were living in Kingsville, and my Dad's only sister and family had moved north to Victoria. They had a home on the outskirts of Victoria and she wrote my Dad inviting us to go and spend a Saturday with them. I was ten years old at the time and as the oldest I got to sit in the front seat with Mom and Dad. On this trip, Mom had brought my aunt's letter as she had drawn a map on how to get to her home from the highway from the south from Kingsville, Out of curiosity I pulled the letter down from the sun visor and read the map and memorized it. We arrived at their home and they had planned for us to go to the Victoria Zoo. That was a treat as Kingsville did not have a zoo, and we had a good time there. My aunt and uncle had four kids, we had five, so the trip to the zoo necessitated using both vehicles; the boys in one car, and the girls in the other. We had two girls, and three boys, and my aunt one boy and three girls; my aunt drove the girls and my Dad drove the boys. We had a blast seeing the animals in the small zoo. Being a working "man" at the time I had my own money. And as you exited the zoo, there was a snow cone stand. It was a typical hot Texas day and so a snow cone sounded just right. I took out my money and stood in line for the snow cone, not bothering to let any adult know of my plans. I ordered my snow cone and immediately started to savor its sweet, fruity taste. As I looked around I saw no one I knew. None of my cousins nor any of my siblings. Wait. I got left behind! But I wasn't lost.

I wish I could tell you that I ate my delicious snow cone calmly and without crying. So I won't. But I knew where I was and where I needed to go. Did I tell you the snow cone was delicious? It was but it was quickly gone. And on I walked. I knew the side streets and I knew exactly where I needed to be. Soon I was out of town and I could see my aunt's subdivision as I near the turn into it, I saw the two cars and my Mom jumping out of her car and running, crying, to get me and hug me. I was scolded but overall I felt the love of both parents for having been lost from them.

If you've ever felt lost, forgotten, or beyond redemption, these parables are Jesus' personal invitation to you. You're not too far gone. You're not too damaged. You're not too shameful. You are the one sheep worth leaving the ninety-nine to find. You are the precious coin worth turning the house upside down to recover.

God isn't waiting for you to find your way back to Him—He's already looking for you. He's not angry that you wandered off; He's determined to bring you home. The very fact that you feel the tug of His love, the stirring of spiritual hunger, the longing for something more—that's evidence that the Good Shepherd is already on your trail.

But Jesus isn't just speaking to the lost—He's also addressing the found, the religious, the ones who have been following the rules. The Pharisees represent those who have never strayed far from God, and their grumbling reveals a heart problem: they don't share God's joy over the lost being found.

If you've been a faithful follower for years, these parables challenge you to examine your heart. Do you celebrate when someone far from God comes to faith, or do you secretly resent the attention they receive? Do you welcome new believers with joy, or do you think they should have to earn their place like you did?

These parables reveal something profound about God's character: He is actively involved in seeking the lost. He doesn't sit in heaven waiting for sinners to get their act together and come crawling back. He pursues, searches, seeks until He finds.

This means that every person who feels far from God is actually being pursued by God. Every stirring of spiritual hunger, every moment of conviction, every longing for meaning and forgiveness—these are signs of the Good Shepherd's presence, drawing His sheep back to safety.

You might feel like you're the one seeking God, but the truth is, He was seeking you long before you knew you were lost. Your spiritual journey isn't about finding God—it's about being found by the God who never stopped looking for you.

Both parables end the same way: with celebration. The shepherd calls together his friends and neighbors. The woman gathers her friends. The implication is clear—when someone is found, it's too good to keep quiet. It demands to be shared, celebrated, proclaimed.

This is how we should respond when we witness God's rescuing work in people's lives. When someone comes to faith, when a prodigal returns, when a life is transformed by grace—these are moments that call for celebration, not judgment or skepticism.

The religious leaders grumbled about Jesus eating with sinners. Jesus responds by showing that heaven itself throws parties for these very people. The question is: will we join the celebration, or will we stay outside, grumbling about grace?

PRAYER: Good Shepherd, thank You for being the God who seeks rather than the God who simply waits. Thank You for coming after us when we wander, for pursuing us when we're lost, for carrying us home when we're found. Help us understand the depth of Your love—that we matter to You individually, specifically, irreplaceably. When we feel lost or forgotten, remind us that You are already looking for us. When we feel beyond redemption, show us that we are worth the search. Give us hearts that celebrate when the lost are found. Help us resist the older brother syndrome that resents grace given to others. Make us people who welcome sinners as You do, who rejoice over transformed lives as heaven does. Thank You that our worth isn't determined by how far we've wandered but by how much You love us. Help us live as people who have been found by the God who never gave up on us. In Jesus' strong name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, if you feel lost or distant from God, remember that He is actively seeking you—respond to His pursuit with openness and trust. If you feel secure in your faith, look for opportunities to celebrate God's work in someone else's life, especially someone who might be taking their first steps toward Him.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

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Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/4lRXoB7

View devo: https://bit.ly/3JRoQ4J

1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you. (Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 NIV)

Dear Friend, if you've never lived out of state, you owe it to yourself not to. Okay, I jest. I blame God, I mean, I thank God, for leading me out of Texas into the wilds of Colorado back in the day. Not black and white days but you could see them from there. The days then were so different from today. Not necessarily simple, but not yet complex. I had been hiding from God, thinking I was useless in His plan, but true to His nature I got a letter from my scholarship program in New York that I was still a Crusade Scholar in the United Methodist Church and could return to seminary if I wanted. I tossed that letter aside and the very next day, the next day! I get a letter from a seminary of the UMC kind, in Denver, saying they learned I still had a Crusade Scholarship and if I wanted to resume my seminary education I did not have to apply for admission, just call their number and I was in! Wait. What? This is God we're talking about; and I, of course, dialed the number and became immediately a student at Iliff School of Theology, and I resigned my high paying job at Southwestern Bell Telephone in Houston. God had been with me the whole time I was hiding and God knew my thoughts, doubts, fears, worries about me being a minister. And this came as an affirmation that said loudly, "I still believe in you; you can do it; just come back." Oh, David had it right when he wrote, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." I soon found myself in the Mile High City, enjoying nose bleed reminders that this South Texas boy was not made for high altitude cities. And when homesick for some Mexican food, I kid you not, I was sitting in a so-called Mexican restaurant watching in horror as the waitress brought me a bowl of Fritos and catsup. I'm not lying! Gulp. This was 1975 Denver. I've been back since and have been blessed to find that my people have found their way there and have changed the cuisine culture for the better.

In a world where we often feel anonymous, overlooked, or misunderstood, Psalm 139 offers us one of the most intimate portraits of God's relationship with us. David begins with a stunning declaration: "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me." This isn't the casual knowledge of an acquaintance or even the deep familiarity of a close friend. This is the complete, perfect knowledge of the One who made us.

God knows when you sit and when you rise. He perceives your thoughts from afar. He's familiar with all your ways. Before a word is on your tongue, He knows it completely. (Quit thinking that Santa Claus song! It's too early for Christmas!) This isn't surveillance—it's love so deep and personal that it encompasses every detail of your existence.

Sometimes this level of divine attention can feel overwhelming, even uncomfortable. We're used to hiding parts of ourselves, editing our image, presenting our best face to the world. But with God, there's no hiding, no pretending, no need to perform. He sees it all—and loves you anyway.

"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." David acknowledges that being fully known by God is beyond human comprehension. How can we wrap our minds around a love that knows our darkest thoughts and deepest fears yet never withdraws?

This complete knowledge might terrify us if we didn't understand the heart behind it. But this isn't the cold observation of a distant deity—it's the tender attention of a loving Father who delights in His children. Every detail He knows about you is held with care, not judgment.

Being fully known means you never have to wonder if God understands your struggles. He knows the weight you carry that others can't see. He knows the battles you fight in private. He knows the dreams that seem impossible and the fears that keep you awake at night. And in knowing all of this, He loves you completely.

The psalm shifts from God's knowledge of our present to His involvement in our past: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." The imagery is breathtaking—God as the master craftsman, carefully knitting together every fiber of your being, attending to every detail with the skill of the ultimate artisan.

You are not an accident, a mistake, or a random collection of atoms. You are a deliberate creation, crafted by the hands of the Almighty with intentionality and love. Every aspect of who you are—your personality, your gifts, your struggles, even your quirks—were woven together by God Himself. I believe you were made for a purpose, great or small, but important to God, so live up to it or work yourself up to it!.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." The word "fearfully" doesn't mean with fear, but with awe—you are awesomely made. You are a wonder, a marvel, a testament to God's incredible creativity and skill. When you look in the mirror, you're looking at one of God's masterpieces.

In a culture obsessed with self-improvement and comparison, this psalm offers a radical perspective. You don't need to become wonderful—you already are wonderful. You don't need to earn God's attention—you already have it completely. You don't need to make yourself loveable—you are already deeply loved.

This doesn't mean we become complacent or stop growing. Rather, it means we grow from a place of acceptance rather than desperation, from love rather than lack. When you know you're fearfully and wonderfully made, you're free to become who God created you to be without trying to become someone else.

The psalm challenges our tendency toward self-criticism and comparison. When you catch yourself focusing on your flaws, remember that you're critiquing God's handiwork. When you wish you were different, you're questioning the wisdom of the One who formed you with perfect intentionality.

"How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you." God's thoughts toward you are not occasional or fleeting—they are constant, precious, and countless.

Imagine trying to count the grains of sand on every beach, in every desert, on the ocean floor. It's impossible. That's how often God thinks about you. You are never far from His mind, never forgotten, never overlooked. Even when you sleep, His loving thoughts toward you continue.

This means that in your darkest moment, when you feel most alone, God is thinking about you. When you feel forgotten by the world, you are remembered by the One who matters most. When you question your worth, remember that you occupy the thoughts of the Creator of the universe.

Understanding God's intimate knowledge and love transforms how we live. When you know you're fearfully and wonderfully made, you stop apologizing for taking up space. When you understand that God's thoughts toward you outnumber the sand, you stop begging for His attention—you already have it.

This knowledge frees you to take risks, to be vulnerable, to step into the fullness of who God created you to be. You don't have to hide your authentic self or pretend to be someone you're not. The God who knows everything about you delights in who you are, not who you're trying to become.

You can rest in the security of being fully known and completely loved. You can find confidence not in your performance but in your position as God's beloved creation. You can face each day knowing that the One who formed you is with you, thinking about you, caring for you in ways too wonderful to fully comprehend.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for knowing me completely and loving me perfectly. Thank You for the incredible truth that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by Your own hands. Help me to see myself through Your eyes rather than through the lens of comparison or criticism. When I feel unknown or forgotten, remind me that Your thoughts toward me outnumber the grains of sand. When I question my worth or purpose, help me remember that You knit me together with perfect intentionality. Give me the confidence that comes from being fully known and completely loved. Help me live as someone who truly believes they are Your masterpiece. Free me from the need to earn Your love or prove my worth—I already have both in abundance. May the security of Your love transform how I see myself and how I relate to others. Thank You that when I awake each morning, I am still with You, held in Your loving thoughts and surrounded by Your presence. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: When negative self-talk arises, remind yourself that you're critiquing God's handiwork and choose instead to thank Him for the specific ways He has crafted you uniquely and purposefully.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

I Don't Need to Change!

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1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 "Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. 9 And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings. (Jeremiah 18:1-11 NRSV)

Nellie says when she was growing up her Daddy taught her a lot of things about reading, writing, math, and other school type things. So on her first day of first grade she came home and announced to her Dad and Mom that she no longer needed to go back! "I knew everything the teacher was trying to teach me! So, why do I need to go back?" I've heard older folks say the same things about other things; I don't think I can learn from anyone else; I know most things. I'm about to teach you what you need to know. And various forms of those thoughts and exchanges some pre-potter house people might say. It's the classic, "I don't need to change!" Interesting how so many hundreds of years later, a man, who from birth on, learned all he could about his faith and his religion and reached a point where he no longer wanted to know any more about anything. In fact, this man, while still a young man, had the Potter's House come to him.

The prophet Jeremiah is told by God to take a field trip. One of the joys of being in a church was when it was my turn to do Children's Sermon and I'd take the kids on "field trips." Thanks to the invention of wireless microphones this became a possibility and made parents squirm not knowing how their kids might behave or run off while on said field trip. But Jerry gets told by God to go on this field trip to the potter's house, and the kiddie sermon would be there. The lesson was simple but powerful. The vessels being made by the potter, if defective or spoiled, could be made new. The young man I mentioned above, when he witnessed the first murder of a Christian, loved what he saw, and so devoted his life from that moment on to bringing other Christians to judgment; so sure was he of this calling that he got the credentialing and permission slips signed, and off he went to arrest, harass, and trouble men, women, and children, who devoted themselves to Jesus. So, Saul of Tarsus plans a trip to Damascus and along comes the Potter Himself and bam, knocks him off his high horse onto the ground, blinds with a great light, and remolds him as the new vessel he was to become! He did not ask for this; God just came and said, "Hey, you, Saul; what's this all about? Why do you think you should be persecuting me?"

As Jeremiah watches the potter work, he witnesses something both beautiful and heartbreaking: a vessel being formed, marred, and then reformed. The clay doesn't cooperate. The pot becomes misshapen. But instead of discarding the flawed vessel, the potter presses it back into a lump and begins again, shaping it "as seemed good to him."

This simple scene becomes a window into the heart of God and His relationship with His people—and with us.

The image of God as potter reveals something profound about His character. Potters don't work in haste. They don't force the clay. They apply steady, patient pressure, working with the material's natural properties while guiding it toward their intended design.

Notice what the potter doesn't do when the vessel becomes spoiled: he doesn't throw it away in frustration. He doesn't replace it with different clay. Instead, he reworks it, patiently reshaping what seemed ruined into something new and beautiful.

This is our God—not the angry deity who discards us at the first sign of failure, but the patient craftsman who sees potential in our brokenness and possibility in our flaws. When we don't turn out as expected, when we resist His shaping, when we seem marred beyond repair, He doesn't give up on us.

But here's where the metaphor becomes both comforting and challenging. While God is the potter, we are not passive lumps of clay. The passage makes clear that our choices matter: "At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it."

We have the capacity to resist God's shaping hands or to yield to them. We can become hard and unmalleable, or we can remain soft and responsive to His touch. The clay that fights the potter's hands will crack and become unusable. The clay that trusts the potter's skill will become something beautiful.

The most hopeful part of this passage isn't just that God can work with flawed material—it's that He can start over. When the first attempt at the vessel fails, the potter doesn't see failure; he sees another opportunity. The same clay that was "spoiled" becomes the raw material for something new. This means your past mistakes, your broken dreams, your shattered relationships, your failed attempts at becoming who you thought you should be—none of these are the end of your story. In God's hands, every ending becomes a new beginning. Every breakdown becomes a chance for reconstruction.

God specializes in second chances, fresh starts, and new beginnings. The areas of your life that feel most damaged might be exactly where He wants to begin His most beautiful work.

"Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand." This is both an invitation and a challenge. It's an invitation to trust that God knows what He's doing, even when His shaping feels uncomfortable. It's a challenge to remain soft and moldable instead of hardening our hearts against His work.

Trusting God as the potter means believing several difficult truths: that He sees potential we can't see, that His timeline is perfect even when it feels too slow, that His methods are loving even when they feel painful, and that His final product will be more beautiful than anything we could have imagined.

Life often feels like being on a potter's wheel—spinning, disorienting, with pressure being applied from all sides. We wonder if we're being shaped or simply being made dizzy. We question whether the pressure we feel is destructive or constructive.

The potter's wheel passage reminds us that the spinning and the pressure have purpose. The potter's hands that seem to be applying uncomfortable force are actually guided by skill, experience, and vision. The process that feels chaotic from our perspective is actually carefully orchestrated from His.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for being the patient potter who doesn't discard us when we don't turn out as expected. Help us trust Your hands even when Your shaping feels uncomfortable or confusing. Forgive us for the times we've resisted Your work in our lives, hardening our hearts against Your loving pressure. Make us soft and responsive to Your touch. Help us remember that You see potential where we see only problems. When our lives feel broken or spoiled, remind us that You specialize in new beginnings. Give us faith to believe that You can take our failures, our disappointments, and our mistakes and reshape them into something beautiful and useful for Your kingdom. Help us rest in the knowledge that we are in Your skilled hands, and that whatever You're making of us will be exactly what You intended from the beginning. In Jesus' strong name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, identify one area of your life that feels "spoiled" or broken and consciously place it in God's hands as the potter. Instead of trying to fix it yourself or despairing over its current state, ask God to show you how He might want to reshape this area into something new and beautiful.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Transformation

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Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/3UVuMfn

View devo: https://bit.ly/4p1XFV3

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God 5 because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. 7 I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother. 8 For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9 yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10 I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. (Philemon 1-21 NRSV)

A most blessed Tuesdays to you, dear Friend; may this be a day of transformation in those areas where you know improvement may be necessary. Pray for your needs, for the needs of those who are on your church's prayer list and pray for this old man as tomorrow I may get the sutures out of my knee! I thank you for your prayers as I have been feeling them strongly! God is good, loving, and gracious.

The key for this week is transformation. The process of letting go and letting God come and change those areas in your life where you know you know you need improvements or adjustments to take place. As a true disciple of Jesus we are called to be in a daily process of improvement we can call growing in love or being made perfect in love. The notion is that today we should be more perfect in love than we were yesterday. Being a Christian, in theological terms means sanctification, a process; an ongoing day by day, step by step movement towards where we know God would have us be. We should never be content to being stuck to old habits or thinkings that hurt others and hurt God. I'm with the sheep in the graphic in the print version for today, where he says, "I just wish Paul had said, 'Phil, slavery is wrong.'" This is what this passage is all about. Philemon is a slave-owner. And he is a Christian. It might be considered okay for the time and place this was taking place. His slave, Onesimus, had run away and desired to be free. And in the process of running, ran into Paul and became a believer in Jesus. Paul was already in prison awaiting his fate and during this time Onesimus has become an assistant to Paul. And Paul, wishing to keep things legal and right, appeals to Onesi that he should return back to Phil, but Paul wants Phil to welcome him back not as a runaway slave but as a brother in Christ, Paul even offering to repay any wrongs this act of Onesi may have caused or cost Phil.

Paul's request seems impossible by worldly standards. He's asking Philemon to welcome back someone who wronged him—not just as a returning slave, but as a beloved brother. "Welcome him as you would welcome me." This isn't just forgiveness; it's complete restoration with full honor.

This challenges our natural instincts for justice and self-protection. When someone hurts us, we want them to pay. We want them to grovel, to earn their way back into our good graces. Paul asks Philemon to do something radical: treat Onesimus as if the wrong never happened, to receive him with the same warmth he would show to Paul himself.

The gospel doesn't just erase our debts—it elevates us to full family status. This is what Christ has done for us, and it's what we're called to do for others.

"So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account." Paul doesn't minimize Onesimus's wrong or ignore the financial loss Philemon may have suffered. Instead, he offers to personally cover any debt.

This is the gospel in miniature: Christ taking on our debt and offering us His righteousness. Paul embodies Christ's role as mediator, standing between the offended party and the offender, making reconciliation possible through his own sacrifice.

But notice Paul's confidence in the outcome: "I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say." He believes that grace will win, that the gospel will prove more powerful than resentment or social convention.

This letter challenges us to examine our own hearts and relationships. Who in your life needs to be received not just as they were, but as who they've become in Christ? What broken relationships in your sphere might be opportunities for the gospel to demonstrate its reconciling power?

The story also reminds us of our own position. We were all runaways from God, slaves to sin, deserving judgment. But Christ didn't just forgive our debt—He made us family. We who were once enemies are now beloved children, welcomed not grudgingly but joyfully into the Father's house.

Church legend says that Onesi became the Bishop of Ephesus, and later was martyred for his faith. It may mean that Philemon allowed Onei to return, and later leave, to become a respected leader of the faith in Ephesus. Transformation did come to both men, through Jesus. As it can for us.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for the story of Onesimus and Philemon, which mirrors our own story of redemption. Help us remember that we too were runaways who have been welcomed back not just as servants but as beloved children. Give us hearts like Paul's that believe in the power of grace to transform every relationship. When we've been wronged, help us see beyond the offense to the possibility of restoration. When we've been the ones who've caused harm, give us courage to return and make things right. Transform our understanding of forgiveness from mere pardon to full restoration. Help us welcome those who have hurt us with the same grace with which Christ has welcomed us. Show us how to be mediators of reconciliation in our own relationships and communities. This we pray in Jesus' strong name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Identify one broken or strained relationship in your life where you have the opportunity to extend Philemon-like grace. Consider how you might move beyond mere forgiveness to full restoration, welcoming that person not just back into your life but into a deeper, more grace-filled relationship than existed before.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

What's It Cost?

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Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/4lTw85u

View devo: https://bit.ly/4lOSB3r

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (Luke 14:25-33 NIV)

Happy and Wonderful Monday to you, Friend! How many ventures have you entered into without first checking all the details? Honestly, have you taken the time to read the CVS receipts, front and back? What about the mile-long details on your new smart phone, BEFORE clicking I AGREE and wink-wink the "I have read and accept.."?

Years ago, on a retreat sponsored by the Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, called the Walk to Emmaus, they showed a film at the very beginning about the Disciples after the Last Supper and the conversation people imagine could have taken place, and in one part, one of them says, "When this is over and we return home.." and he is interrupted by another disciple who says, "Wait, you don't understand do you? We're not going home. Our lives will never be the same again!" Did Simon Peter realize that when he said yes to Jesus, his life changed for good? His life as a fisherman was over. He would soon become the Vicar of Christ, and die in the same manner as his Lord, though he would choose to die upside down for he was not worthy to die in the same way as Jesus. They may not have taken seriously what Jesus said in verse 27; "And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Gulp. How many of us did not realize what we would be giving up when we signed up for an afterschool sports program? For six months or so, our lives belonged to our coaches.

We cannot say we were not warned, we were. I cannot say that I did not know that in giving up family and home, I would receive a hundred times more family and homes than what I left behind. There is no such thing as cheap grace; grace comes through costly discipleship. In 1937, Dietrich Bonhoffer wrote a book called The Cost of Discipleship. The book was in response to what was being preached and believed; a cheap grace meaning a grace without the cross, without discipleship, a grace without Jesus , living and incarnate in us; the true cost is to follow Jesus as a response to Him with our obedience and transformation. There are several movies on this man's life, who took his faith seriously that he believed that a man like Adolph Hitler needed to be stopped and took part in a failed assassination attempt on Hitler, and was hanged for his actions.

One of my mentors in ministry used to ask, Why do we have so many retreats and no advances or charges? He felt that retreating was to run away and we became good at that and we do not have enough, "CHARGE!" A great question to ponder and prayerfully consider. We talk so much about the cross but run with the first nail we see!

The real question Jesus is asking isn't "Can you afford to follow Me?" It's "Can you afford not to?" Yes, discipleship costs you your old way of life. But what was that life really worth? Yes, following Jesus might cost you some relationships. But what kind of relationships are they if they can't survive your commitment to Christ?

Jesus is inviting us to count a different kind of cost—the cost of not following Him. What does it cost to live for yourself instead of for Him? What does it cost to build your life on shifting sand instead of solid rock? What does it cost to invest in temporary things instead of eternal ones?

In a culture that often presents Christianity as an easy addition to an already full life, Jesus' words are jarring. He's not offering a spiritual upgrade or a religious accessory. He's offering a complete life transformation that demands everything and promises even more in return.

This passage isn't meant to discourage us—it's meant to prepare us. Jesus would rather have disciples who know what they're signing up for than converts who bail out at the first sign of difficulty. He's looking for people who will stay when the crowds leave, who will stand when others fall, who will follow when the path gets steep.

The beauty is that Jesus doesn't ask us to pay a price He hasn't already paid Himself. He gave up everything—including His life—for us. Now He's asking if we're willing to give up everything for Him.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your honesty about what it means to follow You. Help us not to be intimidated by the cost but to be motivated by the incredible worth of what You're offering in return. Give us wisdom to count the cost accurately—not just what we might lose by following You, but what we'll surely lose by not following You. Help us see that what You're asking us to give up are the very things that keep us from experiencing the abundant life You died to give us. Transform our hearts so that loving You more than anyone or anything else isn't a burden but a joy. Show us that true life is found not in clinging to our own plans but in surrendering to Yours. Give us the courage to be authentic disciples, not just casual admirers. In Your precious name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, honestly assess what following Jesus is currently costing you and what it might cost you in the future—relationships, ambitions, comfort, or control. Then consider what not following Him wholeheartedly has already cost you in terms of peace, purpose, and authentic life.

I love you and I thank God for you,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Broken Cisterns; What Are They Good For?

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Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/3JAg3El

View devo: https://bit.ly/45MiZF2

4 Hear God's Message, House of Jacob! Yes, you - House of Israel! 5 God's Message: "What did your ancestors find fault with in me that they drifted so far from me, Took up with Sir Windbag and turned into windbags themselves? 6 It never occurred to them to say, 'Where's God, the God who got us out of Egypt, Who took care of us through thick and thin, those rough-and-tumble wilderness years of parched deserts and death valleys, A land that no one who enters comes out of, a cruel, inhospitable land?' 7 "I brought you to a garden land where you could eat lush fruit. But you barged in and polluted my land, trashed and defiled my dear land. 8 The priests never thought to ask, 'Where's God?' The religion experts knew nothing of me. The rulers defied me. The prophets preached god Baal And chased empty god-dreams and silly god-schemes. 9 Because of all this, I'm bringing charges against you" - God's Decree - "charging you and your children and your grandchildren. 10 Look around. Have you ever seen anything quite like this? Sail to the western islands and look. Travel to the Kedar wilderness and look. Look closely. Has this ever happened before, 11 That a nation has traded in its gods for gods that aren't even close to gods? But my people have traded my Glory for empty god-dreams and silly god-schemes. 12 "Stand in shock, heavens, at what you see! Throw up your hands in disbelief - this can't be!" God's Decree. 13 "My people have committed a compound sin: they've walked out on me, the fountain Of fresh flowing waters, and then dug cisterns - cisterns that leak, cisterns that are no better than sieves. (Jeremiah 3:4-13 The Message Bible)

Jeremiah. One of the great prophets. He had a heart for God and for God's people; so much so that he wept a lot for his people. Known as the "weeping prophet," he was always a favorite on which my Mom called when one of us cried more than we should; "Are you Jeremiah, you cryer?" (Sounds better en español). But he also suffered personally for his message as he was beat, imprisoned, and even thrown into cisterns as punishment. He also inspired someone to write a song with his name in it, albeit a bullfrog. Okay, you have to be of a certain age to remember that song. But Jeremiah wrote some incredible words including a prayer I have been sayiing daily and often from the 17th chapter, verse 14: "Heal me and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved, for Thou art my praise." I pray that often each day in English and Spanish believing every word and trusting God completely for my healing.

In this passage for today, we read of the heartbreak that caused the prophet to weep. God's people, as we often do, sometimes think we know more than God, and find ourselves in messes so bad we don't have anywhere to go but up! Here in this Message Bible, the language gives away his frustration as we read in verse 5, "Took up with Sir Windbag and turned into windbags themselves?" That's usually where we find ourselves when we forget to ask, "Where's God, the God who got us our of Egypt, Who took care of us through thick and thin, those rough-and-tumble wilderness years of parched deserts and death valleys, a land thta on one who enters comes out of, a cruel, inhospitable land?" And that's the key of this entire passage, "Where is God?" When we find our bearings in God, we find the bearings we need for ourselves.

God identifies exactly what went wrong: "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

First, they abandoned the source of living water—God Himself, who never runs dry, never disappoints, never fails. Second, they frantically started digging their own wells, crafting their own solutions, building their own security systems. But here's the devastating truth: everything we build apart from God is fundamentally broken. It can't hold what we desperately need it to contain.

We dig cisterns of career success that leak when the economy shifts. We build containers of relationships that crack under pressure. We construct wells of material security that run dry when circumstances change. Meanwhile, the fountain of fresh, life-giving water remains available, flowing freely, waiting for us to return.

This isn't just ancient history—it's our story too. How often do we walk away from God not because He's failed us, but because we've gotten distracted? We start believing that other things can satisfy our deepest thirsts. We replace God "as the central focus of anyone's life and thought" with substitutes like "injustice, greed, lust for power."

The heartbreak in God's voice echoes through the centuries: "You were so devoted in your youth, so eager to please. What happened? When did My love stop being enough?"

Maybe we didn't consciously decide to abandon God. Maybe we just gradually shifted our attention, slowly redirected our hope, quietly placed our trust in things that seemed more tangible, more immediately rewarding. But the result is the same: we end up thirsty, holding empty buckets, wondering why life feels so dry.

The beauty of this passage lies not just in its diagnosis but in its implicit invitation. God isn't asking these questions because He's given up on His people—He's asking because He wants them back. The fountain is still flowing. The invitation to drink deeply is still extended.

God doesn't need our cisterns to be completely destroyed before we can return to Him. He simply needs us to recognize that they're broken, that they were never meant to be our primary source of satisfaction. The living water is still available, still fresh, still able to satisfy every thirst we've been trying to quench elsewhere.

PRAYER: Lord, You are the fountain of living water, and yet we confess we've been digging our own wells. Forgive us for the times we've walked away from Your unfailing love to chase after things that promised much but delivered little. Help us see the broken cisterns in our own lives—the places where we've tried to find security, identity, and satisfaction apart from You. Show us how empty these substitutes really are, not to shame us but to draw us back to the abundance that flows from Your heart. We're thirsty, Lord. We're tired of trying to make broken things work. Draw us back to the fresh, life-giving water that only You can provide. Remind us again of Your faithfulness in our past, and help us trust You with our future. Restore the joy of our relationship with You; in Jesus' strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. OUR CALL TO ACTION: What cisterns have you been digging? What sources of satisfaction have you been relying on that might be leaking or running dry? Instead of frantically trying to repair what's broken, consider returning to the fountain of living water. Spend time in prayer and Scripture, allowing God's presence to refresh your soul in ways that your substitutes never could.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Behave! The Rewards Are Outta This World!

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Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/4lMVNfS

View devo: https://bit.ly/3VlICYB

1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. 4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” 7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-15 NIV)

Happy Happy Happy Day, dear Friend! I pray God's smiling face be upon you, which I know it is - do you? The joy of the Lord is my strength! Is it yours? It can be! Every single word from God's word that you read provides you with a connection, if not the connection, to face the day, make your decisions, and to get that added boost to move forward and upward! These aches and pains will soon leave us; but the great things like joy, the smile of loved ones, the memories of those gone on before us; those cannot and will not be erased!

I love that God saw fit to add a BEHAVE section to His precious word. I know, it's a shame really that we should know and do better, but we don't. I'm the first to admit the mischievousness of my younger years still lingers, invited and otherwise, sometimes getting me into situations I didn't much anticipate. But it hit me that as we read the Bible and follow God's path along it, we have the Old Testament and all that it contains to prepare us for Jesus; boom, we come to the New Testament, and Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John say, "Tah dah, hereeeeee's Jesus!" And yes, Come, Lord Jesus! we say. Then Luke says, and here's how we responded in the book of Acts, and the rest of it says, behave! Yes, you read that right! Paul, called of God by Jesus Himself, has to write letters to folks who were NOT behaving! You would think the Here's Jesus part would have made all people say, "I know Jesus loves me and so I will live like Him! But, no; what do we read about in Paul's letters? Stop doing this, don't do that; behave!

And here we are, reading what may be Paul's letter to all the people who are Hebrew. And how does this passage start? "Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters." Okay, most brothers and sisters do love each other, but sometimes they don't. And sometimes they fight or argue. Paul continues, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Whoa, you forgot there's a supernatural component to our faith did you? You can't and shouldn't! Some people, Paul says, were so nice to some strangers that they were really being nice to angels!! Think about the "brownie points" those loving souls got on that day. And they did it not for the points, but because it was just a part of their nature to do good, like showing hospitality. What would today's modern Christians be doing? I won't answer that, but will sigh along with you.

This next part will sound like Paul's not only saying behave, but some would say, he's gone to meddlin'. Which is a Texas way of getting into businesses that are not ours. But, if I'm remembering correctly, he's merely reinforcing what Our Lord said in Matthew 25: "Remember those in person as if you were with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." And the list goes on as a summary of all Paul shared in his many letters to believers. Our discipleship is costly, requiring our obedience to God to bless all people.

When someone is forgotten by society, we remember them. When someone is oppressed, we feel their pain as if it were our own. This kind of love is costly—it disrupts our comfortable routines and forces us to care about problems we didn't create and can't easily solve.

The challenge extends to our marriages and relationships: "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure." In a culture that treats commitment as conditional and purity as outdated, following Christ means swimming against the current, choosing faithfulness even when it's difficult.

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" The writer connects contentment directly to God's faithfulness. When we're secure in His unchanging presence, we're free from the anxiety that drives endless accumulation.

This isn't about settling for less or lacking ambition. It's about finding your security in the right place. When you know that the God who owns everything will never abandon you, you can hold earthly possessions lightly. You can be generous because you're not afraid of running out. You can be content because your worth isn't measured by your wealth.

The passage culminates in a beautiful picture of worship: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

Real worship isn't confined to Sunday mornings. It's a lifestyle of praise and practical love. It's lips that speak God's goodness and hands that demonstrate it. The same Jesus who receives our songs of praise also delights in our acts of service.

Notice that both praise and generosity are called "sacrifices." They cost us something—our pride, our comfort, our resources. But these are the sacrifices that please God, not because He needs them but because they transform us into people who reflect His character.

Because Jesus never changes, we can live with confidence even in uncertain times. We can love boldly because His love for us never wavers. We can give generously because His provision never fails. We can extend hospitality because His welcome of us is permanent. We can speak truth because His Word endures forever.

This isn't about trying harder to be good Christians. It's about allowing the unchanging nature of Christ to work through our ever-changing lives, creating stability in chaos and hope in uncertainty.

PRAYER: Loving Father, thank You for Jesus, Who remains unchanging, ever loving and ever ready to forgive and to deploy us to do His work. We know there is much work still to be done and we willingly accept, with Your grace and peace to do what we need to do, to reach the world for Jesus. We want to, and with Your help, will behave! We love You, Loving Father; we pray in the Name above all Names, Jesus, our Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, choose one specific way to live out the unchanging love of Christ in your changing world. Perhaps it's reaching out to someone who feels forgotten, practicing radical hospitality by inviting someone new into your home, or finding a practical way to support those who are suffering.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

A Kingdom Meal

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1 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. 7 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9 and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, "Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, "Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." 12 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (Luke 14:1, 7-14 NRSV)

Happy Wednesday, dear Friend! Welcome back! And thank you for your kind and generous prayers for me. I saw Dr. Box this morning and my healing is on track! I had hoped the uncomfortable brace would come off, but it's the primary instrument of healing pre-therapy so I need to keep it on for about four weeks. It will be next week when the sutures come off and therapy will begin in about a month. I am so thankful for your prayers and thankful to God for His mercy and patience shared with me. I'm so thankful to my bride for her loving care and patience with me and her willingness to take up driving again to get me to the doctor's office! I love you, Nellie!

The Bible is an honest book. The Bible is a book of geography. The Bible is also a book about meals. The meals shared with us serve deep purposes; celebrations, remembrances, vision-setting, etc. etc. Some of the meals in the Bible mirror ours on earth, where someone invites another to eat, and in response they invite each other back, etc. In fact, the Bible closes with a celebration meal where all who lived and died in the Lord will rejoice in His presence as eternity opens and the earthly ends.

You and I have been blessed to have been seated at numerous meals where we were blessed by the company, the invitation, the actual food, and the honor of being in the company of those who hosted. I have sat with with a friend who shared his last two slices of whole wheat bread, the last tablespoon of natural peanut butter, and two eggs at a time when I had no food in my cupboards and believe me it was a banquet and a feast! I've also sat at tables where the price of the meal was $650 a plate, and I was the recipient of six free tickets so that Nellie and our girls could join us in an exclusive meal in Washington, D.C. I've also been told that it was time to eat and that I should leave. I have also been fed in homes where the family was sharing a part of what little they had for the rest of the month. As a pastor I have been seated at tables of honor and at tables near the kid's table.

Jesus notices at a meal to which He has been invited at the home of the leader of the Pharisees that on the Sabbath how the other guests acted when it was time to be seated. The other guests chose the places of honor, so He responded with a parable. It was about humility. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, 'Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would have to take the lowest place.'" Jesus teaches that if one starts with humility and willingly seats themselves at the lowest place so that the host may come and invite you to move up to the place of honor. The lesson Jesus says, "For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Boom!

But Jesus doesn't stop with personal humility. He pushes deeper, challenging the very motivation behind our generosity: "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid."

This hits uncomfortably close to home. How often do we give strategically? How frequently do our acts of kindness come with subtle strings attached—expecting gratitude, reciprocation, or at least recognition?

Jesus calls us to something revolutionary: generosity without guarantee of return. He challenges us to extend our table to "the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind"—those who cannot enhance our social status, advance our careers, or repay our kindness.

This is kingdom mathematics: when you give expecting nothing back, you receive everything that matters.

The beauty of Jesus' teaching is that it offers both immediate freedom and eternal reward. When we stop chasing human approval and start seeking God's approval, we discover a peace that the world's ladder-climbing can never provide. When we give without expecting return, we tap into the inexhaustible joy of participating in God's own generous nature.

But let's be honest—this is countercultural and challenging. Our society rewards self-promotion and strategic networking. We're told to "look out for number one" and "leverage our relationships." Jesus asks us to trust that God's way, though it appears foolish to the world, leads to true blessing.

The question isn't whether God's way works—it's whether we'll have the courage to try it. This passage confronts our tendency to treat relationships as transactions and generosity as investment. Jesus reveals that when we serve those who cannot serve us back, we discover the heart of God Himself. We find that the blessing isn't in what we receive but in becoming the kind of people who give freely.

This doesn't mean abandoning friendships or neglecting family. It means expanding our circle of care beyond those who can benefit us. It means looking for opportunities to serve without recognition, to give without reciprocation, to love without conditions.

PRAYER: Loving God, You always show us the better way; forgive us for thinking we know better or could do better. Grant us hearts to love others, even the ones no one else wants or even sees. Grant us your eyes to reach all; this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Instead of seeking the place of honor, intentionally choose to serve behind the scenes. Instead of only spending time with those who can benefit you, reach out to someone who cannot repay your kindness—perhaps through volunteering, visiting someone lonely, or simply showing unexpected generosity to a stranger. Notice how it feels to give without expecting anything in return, and discover for yourself the blessing Jesus promises to those who live by His radical love.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.