Hannah's Prayer of Praise!

Image from churchofgodcarmichal.org

Hannah prayed and said, "My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in my victory.  "There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.  Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.  The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength.Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.  The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts.  He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world.  "He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one prevail. The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed." (1 Samuel 2:1-10)

There is nothing so sweet as a prayer of giving thanks for an answered prayer.  Yes, all prayers are answered, but when they are answered in the marvelous way of God in keeping with what we need, that's Glory!  Happy Friday, dear Friend!  May all your prayers today be sweet in praising God and praying for one another.  

Hannah is the mother of the prophet Samuel.  Samuel was a boy given to Hannah after she prayed in such a way that Eli the prophet during his days, thought she was drunk.  Have you ever prayed in that way that your pastor thought you were drunk?  Let's not go there...  In those days, men who could afford them, could have two wives, and Hannah's husband, Elkanah, had a wife named Penninah and Hannah.  Penny had children with Elkie, but Hannah was considered barren. Penny also made nonstop fun of Hannah for her inability to give her husband a child.  This drove her to prayer (not drinking!)   Her "drunken" prayer is found in 1 Samuel 1:11; she asks for a son from the Lord and if He would grant her one, she would return him back to the Lord for service to God and His work.  She also promised that he would drink neither wine nor intoxicants (how's that for a "drunken" prayer?) and no razor shall touch his head.  This was the Nazarite vow that John the Baptist lived and Samson tried to live.  Well, her prayer was answered; God gave her a son.  And this was her prayer of thanksgiving.  

Her prayer begins with an exaltation of the Lord.  In her heart and in her life she had lifted up the Lord, and to the Lord she gives credit for her strength.  Now her voice could be used to praise God to God's glory and would also be used to quiet her critic's voice of ridicule.  She affirms there is no other God like our God, and our God is a Rock.  And to her detractors she says they would be better off praising God than attacking others (that works even today).  She also takes a turn like the writer of Ecclesiastes (Solomon) in the part of the prayer that says, "The Lord kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol (the grave) and raises up (a prophetic foretelling of Jesus' resurrection).  The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low, He also exults.  He raises up the poor from dust; He lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.  For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them He has set the world."

The prayer is a call for all to turn to God; for the wicked to turn to righteousness; and for the enemies of God to surrender and become followers of God.  She shares the belief we hold that "The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; He will give strength to His King, and exalt the power of His anointed."  Keep in mind this is the mother of Samuel who anointed Saul and David as kings of Israel. It was also Samuel who called on Israel to return to God many a time.  Ultimately, it was during his time as prophet that the people cried out to God asking to be like every other nation in having a human king instead of God as king.  Samuel saw and recorded the best and worst of Israel and its first kings.  He fulfilled his mother's prayers in serving God.

What do your prayers of thanksgiving look like?  A thankful heart wants to sing so I imagine we pray gratitude with a sing-song prayer; our hearts should sing the praises of an awesome God for all God has done for us.  We may even be called to pray a prophetic word to those around us about how we believe God is and will be involved in our lives and our situations.  A prayer of thanks blesses God.

PRAYER:  Holy Lord, be glorified in our lives today.  Make our hearts sing with gladness our praises to You for Your loving kindness in our lives.  We needed You and You responded.  Certain closed doors flung open and we entered into the joy of Your salvation.  Open doors leading to our destruction suddenly closed and we were spared; for all of this, thank You!  Lord, during this month, we thank You for our pastors and what they do on our behalf.  Bless and protect them and their families; make easy their load, impart to them wisdom and may we be receptive to their teaching and leadership.  All this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  This being Pastor Appreciation Month, show some love for your pastor(s)!  

Eradio Valverde

Who Are We That God Cares For Us?

Image from reverendally.org

O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.  Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;  what are human beings that you are mindful of them,  mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.  O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8)

Good day dear Friend!  Praying God's mercies upon all of us, along with God's rich blessings.  Greetings to you all from Corpus Christi, where Nellie and I spent the night.  In a few moments we leave for Falfurrias, Nellie's birthplace and the town where her cousin Rebecca Garza Perez will be buried.  I ask prayers for the Garza Perez family.  Rebecca was the last of the sisters; two brothers remain.  May God's comfort be with them is our prayer.  I ask for prayers for Mr. Dick Goss, who underwent successful hand surgery yesterday in San Antonio.  His hand will be evaluated tomorrow as to what next steps may be needed if any.  Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.  

This psalm is among the most loved of all psalms, perhaps second or third behind Psalm 23 and 121.  It is a reflective prayer psalm as David pauses, perhaps at night, to reflect on God, God's creation, himself, and all those whom he loves.  As always, David begins with praise and worship in his prayers as should we.  Notice that David has never lost his awe and wonder for all that God has done in us and in the things around us.  David thanks God for babies and infants and how even in their gurgles and babbling, speak their praises to God; and all of these working to silence those who oppose God and who are counted as enemies of God and us.  David, like most of us, is intrigued at the heavens during the night; their vastness reminds him of our almost insignificance; yet he declares, "what are (we) that You are mindful of us, mortals that You care for us?"  Is is a good question and one that provides the structure of our worship life:  God is God, and we're not!  But, we matter to God and we have importance and significance to Him.  All that we have, has come from the loving hands of God, and we praise Him and worship Him.

The majesty of God becomes greater in our lives when we assume an attitude of gratitude.  Awe and wonder is ours when we can pause and truly see all things as God sees them, as David saw them, and how our children and little ones may see them.  We are a blessed people.  Share the blessings!

PRAYER: Awesome God, great indeed are Thy works throughout all creation.  Thank You for including us in that which truly matters to us.  Lift the spirits of those who are down this morning; be even with those who think they don't need You.  Grant us an attitude of gratitude in all things.  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Share a blessing with someone today in God's name!

Eradio Valverde

This at Last!

Image from alutheransayswhat.wordpress.com

Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’ So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.’ Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:18-24)

Wonderful Wednesdays are those rooted in the Lord!  Happy Wednesday, dear friend! My prayer is that this finds you well and enjoying the blessings of the Lord, and that you find more as you study His word and pray with me and all the readers of ConCafe.  

Funny things happen as you walk down hallways!  This past Sunday I was making my way from my office to the sanctuary and I passed one of our adult Sunday school room.  It's a class for young marrieds and people with young children, and I hear, "Reverend, please come in here!"  I did and I had a chance to talk about Genesis and the creation stories.  The question was about finding spouses for Cain and Abel.  Ancient scholars used to debate the marriage of the two boys with "old world monkeys."  I simply said that the excitement for God having created all things comes in two different and separate stories.  Genesis 1:26-27 tells of God saying, "Let us make humankind in our image...So God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them."  Later, another contributor, also inspired by God shares the above passage, which I take to mean a closer look, a personal look at our Creator God; one who likes to get His fingernails dirty and who kisses the breath of life into His creation (which is why the above photo of dirt in a heart shape is there!), who declares His desire that "It is not good that at the man should be alone."  Having already made the man, called Adam (ish), he creates all creatures and bring those to the man to see what he would name them.  And the man named all things, but in the parade of beasts he did not find one that would be "suitable" or "helper" or "companion."  Then the divine sleep falls upon the man, and God performs surgery, removing a rib from the man and out of that rib forming woman.  This causes great excitement and the man waxes poetically, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman (ishah), for out of Man this one was taken."  Ish and Ishah; Adam and Eve.  And the declaration from God:  "Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh."

Monday's gospel text dealt with the Pharisees' question about divorce and Jesus' response was based on this Old Testament foundation.  All Jews knew this passage and based their lives on it, and marriages happened as a result of faith in this, and they still do.  And Jesus stressed the seriousness of marriage with the discussion on divorce being based on man's hardness of heart and remarriage for the wrong reasons was considered adultery.  And, further, as children were brought to Jesus, He spoke on the care and attention all children deserve and receive when they are brought before the Lord.  One reader responded to Monday's devotional with a personal story of how her mother-in-law, the mother of seven, had "the talk" with all of the future in-laws; "“We don’t have divorces in this family. Now is the time to back out if you don’t want to be married.” She added, "All seven couples are still married."

I personally believe God is involved in our lives if we invite Him.  God knows and cares for us and our situations and challenges, more often than not, doing unexplainable, marvelous things, if we let Him.  For the married, it is God's assistance in difficult to see beyond spats towards the bigger picture of an eternity spent together in love.  I have shared how touching it has been for me in over forty years of ministry to be at those bedsides where spouses hold hands and love each other until the end of life here on the earth.  

Whatever your situation; whatever your need, God is as close as a prayer. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, bless this dear reader.  Father, you better than us, know what we face and what we fear.  Help our unbelief and replenish our faith.  Open doors that seem closed to us; close the ones that are open, but leading us away from You.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be a great witness to the Lord by loving those around you, especially the ones you live with!

Eradio Valverde Great Bible Resource for deepening your faith.

Children Matter to God!

Image from First United Methodist Gonzales, TX, photo by Eradio Valverde

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.  Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere, ‘What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them? You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor,  subjecting all things under their feet.’ Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’ (Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12)

May this be a Terrific Tuesday, dear Friend!  I pray God's rich and powerful blessings upon you and yours.  As we pray today, please remember these individuals and families;  Martha Jo Whitt, underwent successful knee replacement surgery.  I visited her as she was having supper and she had already gotten up twice with no effort nor pain.  Pray she continue to heal comfortably.  Prayers for the family of Rebecca Garza Esquivel, of Falfurrias, TX. who dies yesterday morning.  She is Nellie's first cousin.  Nellie was born in Falfurrias and upon leaving the hospital spent her first days on the ranch owned by Rebecca's mom and dad, Nellie's aunt and uncle.  May God comfort the family is our prayer.  Nellie and I will travel down to the funeral. Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.

The above photograph was taken this past Sunday.  God has richly blessed our congregation with a great group of children.  Pastor Matt is leading them during children's sermon and the kids had a ball.  Today's passage underscores Monday's gospel lesson about the love and care that God has for children.  Yesterday, as Jesus spoke about marriage and its seriousness before God, children tried to come and see Jesus and the always protective disciples tried to send the kids away; Jesus stopped them and spoke of the importance of children in God's kingdom.  Today's passage shows the importance of Jesus as God's Son, and us, as God's children, for whom He came.  And towards the end of the passage Jesus calls us brothers and sisters as we call him our Savior.

The scope of God's interaction and work among His people changed through the years as the passage says; God spoke through prophets then through a Son; whom we know to be the heir of all things, and through Whom He also created all things.  Jesus is the reflection of God's glory and, I love this, "The exact imprint of God's very being."  A mentor of mine in ministry when he baptized infants would hold the baby and look intently at it and would say, "This baby looks a little like Dad, and looks a little like Mom; but this baby looks more like God, in whose image he was made."  That touched my heart as to the importance of us never forgetting that you and I are made in God's image.  Too easily, we let political divisions, or other barriers or qualifiers erase that from our minds;  Jesus would call us to rise above that, to loving one another in spite of who we're voting for, or the accent we may have in our speech, or the other countless things that can so easily divide.  In God's math, we are to be specialists in multiplication as in "Be fruitful and multiply!" meaning the work of our churches; not to be ruthless dividers.  All children, whether they are ours or not, look to us and learn from us.  May the learn the lesson of love and harmony from us, as is the plan and purpose of God for our lives.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, thank You for being our heavenly Father.  We ask you forgive us for so easily forgetting how fragile life can be especially for those just starting their journeys here on the earth.  May we be shining examples of those who know and love You and because of that, love one another.  In Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be a child of love today; the kind that smiles at everyone!  Be a blessing!

Eradio Valverde

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The Leading Cause of Divorce is Marriage

Image from agnusday.org

Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’ Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’  People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. (Mark 10:2-16)

Happy Monday, said very few people ever!  But it can be with God in the forefront of all we say, think, and do today and it will bless us the rest of the week!  I pray this finds you, dear one, doing well; blessed, renewed and refreshed by the weekend.  Nellie and I were awesomely blessed by a church family reunion as we call our 5th Sunday luncheon; we received so many nice wishes, cards, and gifts.  I thank Pastor Matt Pennington for leading the charge and gifting me some really nice pens.  It helps to train up the young!  I also can't begin to list all who shared with us their love, but I will single out Dr. Commie Hisey and his lovely wife, Donna, for sharing with many church members ConCafe cups!  Nellie and I were among the first to get those and we were so blessed.  Not only are they loyal readers of this devotional, they also want to support this ministry and to God be the glory!  Thank you, Donna and Commie!  We were so blessed in worship as we saw Emily Currie present and back to her awesome self.  I shared that Glory as it is found in the closing part (Doxology) of the Lord's Prayer, refers to the unexplainable, too wonderful-just-enjoy blessings that indicate the awesome, loving presence of God.  The church prayed for Emily in worship last Sunday, and I had the privilege of visiting and praying with her after worship last week, and one week later, in spite of doctors thinking she was going to be in for a long time, she was in church!  To God be the glory!  I love to quote my sister, Rev. Harlene Sadler who in her last church would ask the congregation, "Church; why do we pray?"  And the church answers back, "Because God answers prayer!"  Indeed.  

Okay, the title for todays' devotional may have you thinking; it's a deep philosophical quote from a comedian whose name I have long forgotten; but I should add that Marriage is the leading cause of some of the most wonderful, unexplainable blessings that one can list under Glory; love and finding the right one with whom to share and receive it.  The birth of children.  The marriage of children, the arrival of grandchildren, etc.  But, it leads us to a serious topic for Jesus; divorce. The Pharisees thought the trap was set and that Jesus would fall right into it.  "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"  Jesus, the Master of all things, knew the history behind divorce in His culture.  For many years, a man, tired of his wife, could take all her belongings and place them outside to their dwelling place.  This became an accepted sign that the marriage was over.  The woman, however, never really truly understood if indeed the marriage was over, and if so, why?  It was during Moses' time as leader of the Exodus crowd, that some approached him and asked about this practice.  Imagine being on this long journey in the wilderness; one day when you come back from drawing water there are your things outside your tent.  "Huh?  Why?"  Moses decided it was time for divorce to be a legal matter with the husband writing out a certificate of dismissal and thus divorcing his wife.  Jesus knew this and uses this to answer the Pharisees, but He also adds, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you."  Then reminds them, "But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female," and then quotes the Genesis passage, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."  Then the line from the traditional marriage ceremony, "Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder."  Then Jesus addressed the truth behind many divorces, the desiring of a new partner usually for the wrong reasons; "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marriages another, she commits adultery."  The sheep in the above cartoon, from the website www.angusday.org address this well:  "Jesus is being so rigid!" says one, the other answers, "Divorce isn't God's will for our lives.  Nor are lots of other things that happen among us."  The adultery component of Jesus' answer stresses that; God desires 1) our marriages to be based on love and trust in God and each other.  2)  Marriage should be an eternal commitment for both husband and wife, thus the vows including "for better, for worse; richer or poorer; in sickness and in health."  Yet, we realize sometimes divorce is the only option for some couples.  After prayer, counseling, and more prayer, some couples do divorce.  This is not an easy decision nor is it necessarily an easy decision for either partner and especially their children.  

Jesus takes advantage of the presence of children to talk about them; and I believe as a dramatic reinforcement of the seriousness of marriage and the consequences that follow divorce. Children will always belong to the Kingdom of God; and nothing nor no one should hinder their participation and entrance to that Kingdom.  Adults should never forget they were once children, and they should lovingly bless children, even to the point of embracing the awe and wonder of a child when it comes to the things of God.  That again, dear friends, is Glory.  The one who loses all awe and wonder towards God becomes a sadder person and may quickly lose all hope.  Love and pray for all whom you know who have gone through the heartbreak of divorce, praying especially hard for the children.

May our prayer and our commitment be to our relationships.  For those who are married, you know that marriage is an enterprise that requires full participation; give and take, forgiving and forgetting; all pulling together in the same direction towards the goal of pleasing and serving God.  

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, bless all who read this devotional.  Help us to be the partners to the ones Whom You have shared with us; bless and strengthen all marriages.  Bless all members and children of marriages.  We pray a special prayer for the children of divorce; bless and protect them, granting them wisdom beyond their years to see above to what can truly be in their lives and loves.  Bless and protect those who have made the difficult decision to divorce.  And, loving God, protect those in abusive relationships.  This we all pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Live and Love as Christ Himself is with you, living in and loving, you!

Eradio Valverde

The Prayer of Jonah

Image from shreveministries.org

He prayed: "In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to God. He answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried, 'Help!' You heard my cry. You threw me into ocean's depths, into a watery grave, With ocean waves, ocean breakers crashing over me.  I said, 'I've been thrown away, thrown out, out of your sight. I'll never again lay eyes on your Holy Temple.'  Ocean gripped me by the throat. The ancient Abyss grabbed me and held tight. My head was all tangled in seaweed  at the bottom of the sea where the mountains take root. I was as far down as a body can go, and the gates were slamming shut behind me forever - Yet you pulled me up from that grave alive, O God, my God!  When my life was slipping away, I remembered God, And my prayer got through to you, made it all the way to your Holy Temple.  Those who worship hollow gods, god-frauds, walk away from their only true love.  But I'm worshiping you, God, calling out in thanksgiving! And I'll do what I promised I'd do! Salvation belongs to God!" (Jonah 2:2-9 The Message)

Happy Friday!  Make it a great day, dear friend!

Three days in the belly of the whale is pretty much like being in the grave for three days; or a hospital bed or angry at your spouse, or frustrated with your boss or employees.  Jonah took advantage of those days to reflect, think, pray, maybe use some un-Jewish words; but at the end of the adventure that I'm sure he told his grandkids, he prayed this powerful prayer.  This is a modern version of the prayer found in older versions of the Bible, but its point is still there: God can save us, and does, when we cry out to Him.  And as a response, we should live a life that gives thanks every day for what God took us from and to.

Let's look at the prayer in closer detail.  Jonah says that he was "In trouble, deep trouble," and rather than thinking he could find answers with any number of other distractions or pick-me-ups, he prayed to the Lord God.  And God answered him.  "From the belly of the grave I cried, 'Help!'  You heard my cry."  Jonah knew that God was with him when the whale got close to the shore and vomits him onto the shore.  Using great descriptions of the sea and all that is found in it, Jonah recalls the certainty of death coming to him, yet, God spared his life.  Then, a call to those who do seek answers in the wrong places, "walk away from 'hollow gods, god-frauds;' and find answers in the Lord.

Jonah's attitude changed from one of fear and certainty of death, to a knowledge that God was with him, and leading him to a life of worship and praise.  He also resolves to live a life of thanksgiving, and commitment; vowing to pay and do all he had vowed to do.  Then his cry is "Salvation belong to God!"

What grave has a hold on you?  Is it resentment or anger? Doubt and confusion?  Sadness and despair?  Know this; there is no grave strong enough, deep enough, or scary enough that can keep you imprisoned for long; once you cry out to the Lord, He will answer and out of that grave you will come!  Do you believe this?

PRAYER:  Awesome God; You have the power to break the chains of sin and the graves that come with sin.  Bless this dear reader and me, seek You always, but especially when we find ourselves in the bounds and chains of sin.  Lift us from whatever grave we find ourselves to the place of praise.  Make my life be one of thanksgiving and praise, and may all hear me when I say that in You we find salvation!  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Live a life that others want to copy!

Eradio Valverde

Sharing in the Work of God

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The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.’ Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, ‘Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child”, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, “Give us meat to eat!” I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me.If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favour in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.’ So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their place there with you. So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them!’ But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’ (Numbers 11: 4-6, 10-16, 24-29)

Happy Wednesday!  May mid-week excitement be yours as you start today, dear Friend!  My prayer is for the day to be filled with joys and blessings, and as we receive them, let us share them with others.  Be especially on the lookout for those who might show signs of sadness or despair; offer a word of encouragement and hope.  I thank you for praying for Kenneth Leonhardt, whose surgery went very well yesterday.  He is home and restricted from doing too much; pray for him as he is a very active person and recovery will involve down time and quiet time.  Pray for this old man, as I prepare to preach both services in Gonzales on the finale of the Lord's Prayer.  If you're in the area, stop in and hear!  Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

The Bible contains true stories that sometimes become our stories.  Can you name a household where there has not been some complaining?  Can you name a workplace where a coworker has not complained about something?  Can you name a church where everyone is happy and no one complains about a thing?  Well, you begin to understand the pastoral leadership of Moses.  His church was not happy.  Though they were free from the bondage of slavery, they kept looking back and wishing they were there instead of here.  The delicate bread offered to them by God was not what they wanted any longer.  They were so fed up of quail they didn't even mention it.  They sound like most of us when we are on a diet or exercise regime!  And, having to hear that gets to be a bit tedious even for a saintly man like Moses.  Moses would go directly to God and share their complaints with God, but this time he shares some of his own.  Even asking that God go ahead and just take him home right then and there.  God would not hear that, instead God asks Moses to bring 70 of the true elders; servants and officers among the people, and have them come to the tent where I will deal with them.  Once gathered, God took some of the Spirit that was in Moses and shared it with those 70; and once they had this, they began to prophesy, that is, to share God's word among each other and all who would hear them.  And that was the only time they had this gift.  But, as it always happens, two of the elders missed the meeting, they still received the spirit, and shared God's word among the people and not in the tent.  The sixty-eight spoke to each other the truth about the situation and they understood the big picture that God shared with them; these two shared it with those in the camp.  Yet, leave it to Joshua, not yet an elder, nevertheless a servant, to get upset about what those two were doing; "Moses!  Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!"  (Can't you hear that yell?  Just like, "Mom!  Dad!  My little brother is not behaving!  Come spank them!  Or, put them in time out!!")

Moses responds just like Jesus did in Monday's gospel lesson.  "Would that all of the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His spirit on them!"  The disciples had complained to Jesus that someone not from their ranks was doing their work in driving out demons.  And Moses' response is that it would be so nice to have others doing and sharing in the work of the Lord.  Imagine a family where all share in all the household tasks.  Imagine a work place where all the workers do what is expected of them.  Imagine a church where all want to share in God's work, telling and teaching others about the Lord...

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, pour out Your Spirit again; let it fall afresh on me to guide me and strengthen me to be the servant You have called me to be.  Let me stop waiting on others to do what I can easily do.  And let me share positive, encouraging words when those are me are just complaining.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' powerful name, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be part of the solution today!  Smile and say something nice!

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Draw Near to God, and God will Draw Near to You!

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Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covetsomething and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 3:13 - 4:3, 7-8a)

Happy Tuesday to you, dear Friend!  My prayer is that this be a day filled with God-opportunities to better your life and help better the life of someone near to you.  I thank you for your prayers yesterday for Martha Jo Whitt, whose surgery was postponed until next Monday.  Today, Mr. Kenneth Leonhardt undergoes surgery in San Antonio; pray for a successful surgery.  We celebrate that Emily Currie returned home from ICU two days earlier than expected!  That's an answered prayer!  Also, pray for Daryl and Betsy Pieprzica-Boudreaux, who lost their baby girl Adalita.  May the Lord comfort and strengthen them is our prayer. Betsy is a friend of Mrs. Kathy Lester from FUMC Gonzales.  Pray for each other; pray for yourselves!

The television show of the 70's was Dallas.  The first script was based on Cain and Abel and mushroomed into what this very passage from James warns against!  The writers may have used this passage and said, "If the Bible says not to do this, then J.R. do exactly that!"  Kids, if you don't remember this tv show ask grandma and grandpa.  The show was very crucial to our marriage.  Nellie and I were newlyweds and we moved to an area near the opening scenes of the show and whenever Nellie had to return home from some place I would say, "Remember the two bank towers.  We live near there."  Actually, I said it in español.  And what got me thinking about the show was the recent Texas Monthly is about the 40th anniversary of the show.  Everything about the show was wrong. Dallas was not a cattle nor oil city; it was insurance.  And most people in Dallas at that time did not wear cowboy boots and hats; both of those scenarios were straight from Houston.  The tv show changed all that.  

The passage might also seem like the script some people, ourselves included at times, try to live by, and I'm not talking necessarily about the good parts.  Our human nature is geared to self-preservation and sometimes we will do almost anything to protect ourselves and to provide for our families.  A pastor on Sunday talked about his infant son who found his way to the chocolate chips momma had been saving for cookies.  The pastor found his son's face covered in gooey chocolate and he asked him if he had eaten any of the chips, and the baby replied, No!  The pastor told the congregation that neither he nor his wife taught that baby how to lie, but it was in there as part of his/our nature.  Friends, the Bible exists to allow God to lift us up out of the pits we sometimes dig or wallow in; God's grace is sufficient, God's power is strong enough to lift us way out of that pit of death and place us right on the path that leads to life in abundance.  

The closing part of the passage is so true, "You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get your pleasures."  The remedy?  "Submit yourselves there to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. (Here's something along what we said yesterday:) Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts..."  It's a matter of choice and we should choose God-things over our own selfish things.  To be unable to decide is the very last word of today's passage, double-minded.  Our single focus should be on the Lord and His will; everything else will fall into place.

PRAYER:  Loving God, work in my life to make me the person I was called to be.  Bless me into focusing solely on You and Your will for me.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Choose life today!  Abundant life!

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Master Your Mind & You'll Master Your Life

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John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.  ‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. ‘For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’ (Mark 9:38-50)

Good Monday to you, dear Friend!  I pray you had a wonderful weekend and you have been renewed, refreshed, and recharged for this week.  I also pray that time spent with God through this devotional would speak to your heart and spirit.  As we pray, please pray for Ms. Martha Jo Witt, having knee replacement surgery this morning here in Seguin.  Prayers for 4 year old Emily Currie, who is in ICU here in Seguin as well.  Prayers for Rev. Virgilio Vasquez Garza undergoing another eye surgery in San Antonio.  Prayer for Mr. Bob Clark who was in ER after church yesterday.  Pray for one another and pray for yourselves!

Today's passage comes from the Gospel of Mark.  It is a quiet time in Capernaum between Jesus and His disciples.  As they are discussing things, John asks about a man, not a disciple, who was casting out demons in Jesus' name.  As the cartoon for this morning shows, it was not about their credentials, for the disciples were a jealous group; Jesus says that whoever uses His name for good is an ally not an enemy.  And further stresses that even small acts of love and generosity done in His name count for good in the Kingdom of God.  The Message versions says, "God will take notice."  And then the topic switches to the area of temptation.  Pastor Matt yesterday preached a marvelous sermon on that part of the Lord's Prayer where we say, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."  Jesus here stresses the importance of mastering our minds.  He begins with the hand.  "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut if off."  This was figurative language.  Jesus does not want us to cut off our hands; He wants us to master our mind.  The desire may be to take something that is not yours; it is not the hand thinking on its own, "Hmm, this looks good; I'll take it and make it mine!"  It's your mind telling your hand to take it.  Master your mind to respect the property of others.  The same with the eye.  The eye may see something, and the thought processes within our mind may give us a perspective that is not holy or healthy.  Jesus said, "And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out."  Again, it is our ability to center our focus on the divine and the holy and thus bless our lives by thinking holy thoughts and living holy lives.  And this is followed up with Jesus' warning about hell; "where the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched."  And in a passing reference to a longer discourse in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about salt and the role salt played in ovens in His day.  Not only did salt give flavor to food, it was used to line the ovens as insulation spreading more evenly the heat needed to bake and cook things.  The call is for us to be the positive flavor in life as well as insulation against evil in the lives of others.  The last use of salt was for persevering things; we are called to preserve the holy and righteousness of God.

What we feed our mind usually determines the kind of mind we will have.  A steady, long diet of Facebook or Instagram or any number of addictive sites on our phones, tablets or computers will not usually serve a good purpose.  Many are comparing their lives to others as they see their friends on Instagram and so feel less than their friends and start going to great lengths to better themselves or their families just to compete.  A great video on RightNow Media (that our church made available to our members and your church can as well!) is about a woman whose best friend always have the best pictures of her family together, sharing meals, having great fun in their back yard, etc.  And the video then shows the behind the scenes reality of that "perfect family."  The photos do not share the gripes and comments about having to pose for the family picture and while the delicious, several course meal is being served, everyone is saying, "We'd rather have pizza!" which is why the first woman was sad because she and her family were having pizza.

Strive to occupy your time and mind in the things of God.  Seek to better your spirit and your life will be so much better blessed.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, bless my life with balance.  I seek to be the person You would have me be.  I thank You for what I have, especially loved ones and family; let me enjoy them and be a blessing to them.  Guide me to maturity in You and towards a healthy and blessed mind that blesses my life and those around me.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the lord!  For every minutes you spend on your phone reading FB or what have you, spend equal time in God's word or listening to Christian music!  You'll be amazed at the blessings!

Eradio Valverde

The Isaiah Prayer (Prayers from The Bible)

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In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ (Isaiah 6:1-8)

Happy Friday, dear Friend!  I pray the Lord richly bless you and yours on this final work day of the week or day off, or just another day; make it a special day by praying for the needs in your church's bulletin's prayer list.  If you don't have one, one will be made available this Sunday in your church!  (How's that for a gentle reminder to be in worship this weekend? ;))

This passage teaches a lot about prayer.  For the last few Fridays we have been examining prayers from the Bible and how they can bless our own prayer life.  This one is awesome as it shows the intent of prayer:  We are to go right before the throne of God as we share with God our adoration, our confession, our thankfulness, and our supplications.  Those are the basic components of a good prayer:  A.C.T.S. is one way to remember that.  The adoration part is our personal worship as we seek to lift God's name high in our lives and in the lives of those around us.  As the prophet Isaiah prayed during a most difficult time in his life and the life of the nation, he was ushered into God's presence.  He saw the Lord!  We should see Jesus as we pray in His name.  Which is why I believe Jesus asked that we find a place where we could pray.  The model Jesus gave us was that He always found a secluded spot where He could be alone in His time of prayer.  We should do that as often as we can.

The worship of God in Isaiah' prayer allowed him to hear a worship song, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory."  Amen. Our prayer can include our singing praises to God, declaring as the prophet did, that God is all around us and great is His glory.  Taking time to pray will expose us to that glory.

Isaiah took this time of prayer to confess.  "Woe is me!  I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"  Wow.  Now, that's a confession!  We too, should confess our sins to the Lord in our prayers.  What is awesome that during this very prayer, an angel, a "seraph" cleansed the prophet of his sins, as God does when we confess to Him.

Isaiah's thanksgiving and supplication merged into one in the powerful part of the closing of this prayer time.  God asks, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"  And Isaiah said, as many of us have said to Him, "Here am I; send me!"

When Isaiah said amen, God revealed to him all that needed to be done, as usually happens to us when we pray with expectant and worshipful hearts; God will say, "Now my child, this is what you need to do for me..." and our response should be, "With Thy help, O Lord," and then we go to be faithful and fruitful.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, lead me into Your presence as I pray now and later today.  Open my eyes to see Your glory all around me.  Hear my private confession of my sins; remove them and make me clean.  Receive my thankfulness for all You have provided for me.  And remember those for whom I am praying; bring comfort to the hurting, healing to the sick, hope to the hopeless, and strength to the weak.  Use me and my hands, legs, and arms to bless You and this I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be an answered prayer for someone today!

Eradio Valverde Prayers for me as I prepare to preach on the 30th of this month on the closing part of the Lord's prayer.  This Sunday, Pastor Matt Pennington brings us to the rest of Jesus' prayer, so pray for him.  This all happens at First UMC in Gonzales, Texas.  Pray for your pastor (s) and your church!  Pray for one another, and certainly pray for yourself!

God is My Helper!

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Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. For the insolent have risen against me the ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them. But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. He will repay my enemies for their evil.  In your faithfulness, put an end to them. With a freewill-offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. (Psalm 54)

Gracious and tremendous Thursday blessings to you, dear Friend!  May this be a day of amazement and wonder of how awesome you find God to be in your life.  May it be God's hands you see helping and blessing you as you seek to bless God and God's people today.  I ask you please add to your prayers, the family of Mr. Salomon Marroquin, who died yesterday.  Solomon was a dear, sweet man, who was very active in my church El Mesias UMC in Mission, Texas.  He was indeed a Renaissance man; he had been in some Hollywood movies, helped bring a book to life as a movie set in the Valley; wrote a book about the life of Sgt. Freddy Gonzalez, a Vietnam hero who died saving his troops; and served as the Office Manager for Congressman Kika de La Garza, longtime congressman from Mission, Texas.  I shared with my class, how Mr. Marroquin was the true power of the congressman in our area.  With his stage and movie experiences, he had made several beautiful sets for our Christmas play, and it was he who made "Roman," the Roman solider whose armor was used in many a sermon.  I thank God for his life and ask God's comfort be with Blanca, his wife, and Melinda his daughter.  Thank you for your prayers.  Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.

Imagine having to hide from your enemy.  An enemy with a mighty army and with a strong desire to kill you!  Such was the motivation behind David's writing this psalm.  He was trying to save his life by hiding from King Saul.  Saul wanted his son to be king, and he himself was not ready to leave his throne as King of Israel; but God had made it clear that his ruling days were over, and that David was the anointed king and replacement for him.  Saul's only thought was to change the course of his history by killing David.  

The words are those of one truly seek to be kept alive; and David knew that only in God could he trust.  He prays and asks that the words of his prayer be that which bring his protection.  David knew that the main reason Saul was losing his throne was because God no longer occupied a place in Saul's heart; but David proclaims as should we, "God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life."  Such a great faith in God is what we need and we need to share with all who will listen that God has blessed us and we would not be where we are today had it not been for God being our strong helper and upholder of our lives.  God blesses us and takes care of those who seek harm against us.  We can join David's song as we too sing, "God has delivered me from every trouble and my eye has looked in triumph on those who came against me."

We may not have true, physical enemies, but even if we did, God is still our helper.  If our enemy is fear, God can defeat fear with trust and hope.  If our enemy is illness, we can cry out to God, for God is not only our helper, but also our healer.  If our enemy is this or that, God is the counter to whatever is afflicting us.  Many a day we have found a coin on the ground and the first thing that either Nellie or I say, is what is written on American currency, "In God We Trust."  And we say it loud and claim that penny as a blessing.

Is God your trust?

PRAYER:  Loving Father, in You we find our hope and joy.  Even in the face of many enemies, we find help in You.  Lord, what a wonderful word is upholder; be our upholder of my life.  Pick me up when I am down, and gently place me where I need to be when I find myself not where it is that You would want me.  Let me be a blessing to all through You.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Maybe you can be an upholder for someone today and then point to God and say, "He's the one upholding you!"

Eradio Valverde

Committed to God at Any Cost

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It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their evil deeds. But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. And I did not know it was against me that they devised schemes, saying, ‘Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!’ But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause. (Jeremiah 11:18-20)

Wonderful Wednesday to you, dear Friend! As you spend time in prayer, please lift up the Alexander family as their baby daughter, Embree, died yesterday morning. May God's comfort be with Coach Kyle and his wife, Caitrin. As always, please pray for one another, even those you don't know personally - God knows them and God understands their need better than us; pray also for your needs. Prayer is a gift that is best used!

The Old Testament prophets wrote and experienced things that perhaps they knew it was about them, but sensed that it may have been bigger than them, and in their quest to be faithful to God, they wrote and lived what God expected. This passage goes hand in hand with all the scriptures tied to the gospel lesson, that Jesus came for a purpose to this world and the final purpose was to suffer death for our sake. The reaction the prophet Jeremiah had to his ministry by scoffers was noted above. Those who cared not about God and only themselves, saw the best way to shut him up was to have him killed. Sound familiar to Jesus? Of course it does. God gave Jeremiah the ability to sense that he was up against evil men who did evil deeds. And his reaction was to be "like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter." He had to confess he did not know at first that it was he who was to be sacrificed in his detractor's saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!" We still know the name of Jeremiah. The name of his enemies have become like dust, blown away by the wind.

Jesus remains committed to you and your life. He loved you so much He died for you, and greater still He sent His Holy Spirit to be with you to guide and comfort you. What do we offer in return for that? Are we committed to God at any cost like Jeremiah and Jesus? Or, are we ready to run from trouble when we hear of it? I believe our call is to remain faithful and fruitful to all that God may have in store for us. If it involves some trouble or suffering, it's not for all eternity, for God has a way to lift us up and away from that and to restore us. That is the beauty of our faith!

PRAYER: Loving Father, bless this dear reader in whatever stage of life they may find themselves. Your love, comfort, and strength are needed, and You graciously provide it, do so again and again according to our needs. Strengthen our commitment to You, for we want to be faithful and fruitful in all things. And this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show your commitment to God in ways that bless Him today!

Eradio Valverde

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Draw Near to God, Flee from the Devil

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Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covetsomething and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 3: 13 - 4:3, 7-8a)

Happy and Blessed Tuesday, Friend!  This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! What a wonderful verse to get our day full charged and ready to do God's will!

If I had to choose just a verse or two of this passage, it would be 7-8, or the very last two; but to do justice to the passage recommended for this coming Sunday as the Epistle reading (Letters), let's see what it says.  At first reading I thought back to my 7th grade year.  It started quite dramatic.  I was living in Kingsville and I came down with pneumonia.  In those ancient days that required a lengthy hospital stay and I was sent to a hospital in Corpus Christi.  I spent two weeks there and I missed the beginning of my junior high school experience!  I knew that since I had been in band since 5th grade, and I had the same band director in elementary school as I would in junior high, I had to try out.  Not only would I have to try out and be assigned a "chair," I would have to learn how to march; which in South Texas is very important part of being in band.  One does not join the band to simply sit and play; we entertain half-time shows with our marching skill and precision.  And one does not learn to march from a hospital bed.  When the ordeal of blood draws and constant injections and breathing exercises, I was sent home.  I went to school about a week or two late.  My agreement with the band director had been that if I gave up playing the cornet, and took up the baritone, I would be allowed to be in the band.  So, I was in.  But since I had missed marching practice, I would have to sit in the bleachers while my band marched.  I was the third chair.  Don't get excited, there were only three baritone players.  Joaquin, a 9th grader was first chair and he was awesome.  Some red-headed Chicano kid was second-chair and he was the epitome of an angry runner-up.  He despised me for having come into his band without trying out.  And he would taunt me daily; "Oh, you're Mr. B's favorite, better watch out Joaquin, you're on your way out, wonder boy here is going to take your place."  Sigh.  Joaquin was the living version of a calm and peaceful young man, truly one who showed "by (his) good life that (his) works were done with gentleness born of wisdom."  Red was the next verse incarnate; "Bitter envy and selfish ambition."  I was trying to be more like Joaquin; I liked making friends not picking fights.

I left not long afterwards to Houston. I never learned how to march, but I was in a junior high band that played in the Astrodome the very year it opened!  Our debut was the night of what was for a long time, the longest game on record; 24 or 25 innings, Astros versus the New York Mets.  The catcher for the Mets that night would later become a church member of mine and still a dear friend, Mr. Jerry Grote, who inspired the spring camp that 1969 would be their year, and it was; World Series Champs!  Jerry is another verse one person.

The passage ends with some powerful words that we can apply to our lives.  First, rid ourselves of the bitter envy and selfish ambitions we might have; nothing is truly gained from living that sort of a life.  We are called to rise above that, to be peaceful, gentle, merciful souls, full of fruits or evidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God that produces a rich harvest of good and righteousness in our midst.  And if we feel we don't have it, we ask for it, and God will give it to us.  And the clincher: Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from us.  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to us.  Cleanse your hands (actions), purify your hearts, and solely think on God and God's righteousness and we will be just fine.  The Message version says, "Yell a loud no to the devil and he will run.  Whisper a quiet yes and God will come closer to us."  Amen.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, we are in Your hands.  We need You.  We need You to mold us and make us to be like You.  We want to be gentle and wise; we want bitter envy and selfish ambitions to be driven out of us. We want this prayer to be todays' invitation for You to draw near to us; and while we're at it, let me say NO to he who seeks to derail my life; Devil, you have no business in my life or in the life of my loved ones, so get!  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Live a life that says Yes to God and No to you-know-who.

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Requests:  Please pray for David Bivins’ dad Jerry.  Jerry fell and is at the hospital where they’re running some tests.  Please pray for healing and that he is able to regain his strength. Please pray for Gonzales High School Coach Kyle Alexander, his wife Caitrin and their daughter Embree who is still on hospice and getting close to her home in Heaven. Please pray for Stanley Hahn, Jr. who will be starting chemo and radiation this week for tongue cancer. For the family of Ben Del Pozo, who died yesterday after 37 years as a quadriplegic.  He saw his son married in his hospital room the day prior to his death.  Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

Be Servant of All

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They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.  Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’ (Mark 9:30-39)

It's Monday and work week begins for most of us, dear Friend!  Ready or not, work awaits.  May the joy of the Lord be our strength as we seek to serve and work for Him!  May our time spent in prayer and study bless us to be a blessing to others.

The time Jesus spent teaching the disciples at times seemed like it wasn't working or sinking in.  Jesus sought to have time alone with them so they could fully understand the serious and very sacred nature of their calling.  And the "heavy stuff" dealt with His death and resurrection.  Evidence the silence when Jesus asked them what they were talking about as they walked through Galilee and arrived in Capernaum.  They never said, but Jesus knew; they were talking about who among them was the greatest.  Imagine Jesus' heart!  Here He is talking about the greatest sacrifice the world would ever know and they want to know who among them was the greatest.  Really, they were talking about seating arrangements in the hall of government; remember even the mother of two of them got involved pleading for Jesus to make her boys sit on His right and one on the left?  They would realize later that just being in Jesus' company was the greatest blessing they could ask for.  They were eyewitnesses to the greatest miracles, listeners to the greatest sermons, and recipients of the greatest love they had ever known - yet, they wanted more for themselves.  Sound like us sometimes, does it not?  Jesus then reveals the plan:  The first will be last, and the last will be first.  "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant to all."  Then to illustrate His point, Jesus takes a little child and says, "Whoever welcomes one such child in My name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the One who sent me."  BOOM!

The children of that time were really not significant beyond their homes.  These twelve men who had probably left their children home with their mothers to follow Jesus at times seem too caught up with trying to make sense of everything to notice and interact with kids; now Jesus is embracing one and telling them to welcome children in His name; and to do that means that they have welcomed the One (God) who sent Jesus!

Jesus wants us all to be servants of all.  That means putting the interest and wellbeing of others way ahead of our own.  Instead of being concerned about seating arrangements and where we will sit, Jesus wants us involved in the serving; the kind that asks, "Have you been served?  Have you received some food?  Can I bring you anything else?"  That is discipleship.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, sometimes, like Peter, Andrew, James, and John and all the rest, I get it so wrong.  I put myself ahead of others, worried about where I will sit and be served.  I understand now it is about making sure others have a place to sit; that they feel welcome, and that their needs are addressed.  Forgive me those times, and grant me wisdom to serve.  And forbid that I should be to busy to notice and welcome children.  This I pray in Thy name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day!  Put on an apron and serve someone!

Eradio Valverde

A Prayer for Revival & Renewal

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God, I've heard what our ancestors say about you, and I'm stopped in my tracks, down on my knees. Do among us what you did among them. Work among us as you worked among them. And as you bring judgment, as you surely must, remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2 The Message)

Happy and Blessed Friday, dear Friend!  I pray God's mercy be upon us as we wind down the work week and prepare to have time to relax, refresh, and renew ourselves.  And that comes through prayer.  I ask that we pray for those in the paths of storms.  May God bless and protect all who are in harm's way.

Many have been the time we have longed for the "good ole days" when it comes to the Church.  Many of us of a certain age remember full houses on Sunday morning, our Sunday school classrooms were brimming with kids, and we wonder just what has happened?  Some churches are full, thank God; but the average church is not.  Maybe that's what's wrong?  Being average?  I have reached the point that I pray not for a full house, but for my heart to be full of love and joy for God has, is, and will do, in me, you, and His Church.  I truly believe we serve a God of revival and renewal.  Just like our lawn went from a nice shade of dry brown, the recent rains have once again reminded me that grass should be green!  

Can you imagine what Habakkuk was praying for? It was many years ago, in this very town, on the steps of the church during a youth retreat, a young Rev. Rudolfo Barrera was assigned to the high school class to do a presentation on this book.  I remember he said, "The best way to remember the name of this book is to think, 'Have a Coke!'"  And that stayed with me to this day.  The summary of this book; "It was sinfulness as usual." The people of God were oppressing the poor, offering up worship and sacrifices to idols,  ignoring God's law --  "just another night in the big city."  The first two chapters of this tiny book are a dialog between the prophet and God.  By the time we get to chapter three, the prophet is praying this simple but necessary prayer:  Lord, as I've heard about what You did among my ancestors, I stop in my tracks and kneel before You.  Would you do again what you did with my great, great-grandparents?  Would you bless us, like they were blessed?  Would you forgive us, like your forgave them?  Would healing and wholeness be possible among such a sinful people?  And when we reach the point of departure from this life, would You welcome us in to Your presence with mercy?

The cry is for revival and renewal.  The desire is to know God better in a way that restores Him to His right place in our lives and in our society.  And if only one person lifts up this prayer, will God listen?  The answer is yes, certainly so.  And if you, dear reader, would pray a prayer along these lines, would it bless more than us?  Again, yes.  As long as there are people praying for one another, God is certainly at work among us.  If our prayer is for revival, God will revive us; and if our prayer is for renewal, then yes, God will bring a newness to our faith.  That is hope.  That is our hope.  That is our active, living faith, seeking to know and to get others to know the God that loves us.  And as long as we continue to pray in such a way, that hope will grow and the blessings will be seen.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, shower us with Your Spirit in ways that bring us renewed hope, and stronger faith.  We pray for these to be "The good ole days."  Help us to love one another, to work with one another, and to bring more into the fold as Your sheep.  This we pray in faith in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be a beacon of hope to someone today!

Eradio Valverde

PS  Some time ago we studied Those Who Said Yes to Jesus and a lot of what I shared was inspired and blessed by a book called, "The Master's Men" by William Barclay.  It's a powerful little book and you can get a copy by clicking on this link.   THE MASTERS MEN

Put On Your Praise Attitude! Now!

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The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me.Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19)

Happy Thursday to you dear Friend!  I pray this finds you well and ready to praise the Lord!  For some reason, this psalm just touched me the right way.  I grabbed from it a new understanding that I hadn't before; but that's the Bible for you!  You can read a passage that you read some time ago, and new and wonderful things will jump out at you and you end up saying, "Wow!"  Let's get into that WOW of God right now!  As you pray this morning, pray for the needs of the people in the wake of hurricanes and storms.  May God's protection be with them all.  We pray that the power of the hurricanes diminish before hitting land and that damage be minimal and the loss of life not happen at all.  Thank you for your prayers for Mrs. Joyce Harris, her surgery went well and she should be in the hospital until Saturday.  Ms. Jo Ann Keck will be leaving her rehab facility tomorrow, Lord willing.  The graveside for Ms. Emily Neuse was a sad occasion, but a blessing to the family.  Thank you for sharing your prayers with others.  Pray for one another and pray for yourselves.

There is a young man on YouTube who travels the world for food.  He is sponsored by many viewers and supports his young family of his wife and son, by writing e-books on the places he's visited and enjoyed.  What sells him on the videos is his wow of food.  His facial expressions as he takes the first bite of what usually appears as fantastic food; almost a trademark move on his part, and then his first word of that bite, if he really loves the food is, "Wow!"  I had not noticed that until yesterday when Nellie walked in and he was enjoying some Mexican food in Los Angeles, and she says, "Wow" as he said it as well.  It made me laugh, but realized, that's how that boy does it.  He knows how to capture your attention and then the punctuation point is his Wow!  

The Bible says in the Psalms, "Taste and see that the Lord is good!"  That should give us a clue that there is wow to be found in the words of God.  This psalm begins with the psalmist's wow of creation.  I just walked out with our daughter as she drove off to work and I stared at the clouds and know that all of that wow is the work of God.  The psalmist tries to explain his wow in God's wow, by saying there is speech and knowledge and then "there is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."  If we listen, if we observe, we will be wowed by what God does every single moment in His creation.   The psalmist compares the sun to a bridegroom on his honeymoon; a strong man rejuvenated by his love for his bride, able and willing to run its course throughout the day.  This beauty of creation along with the word of God together serve a wonderful purpose; to bless us into blessing others, while our being obedient to God and God's expectations of us.  This leads to a time of confession and renewal and a wonderful prayer for each day; "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

PRAYER:  Loving Father, bring back the wow I may have lost because of the busyness that I sometimes hide in.  Let me hear beyond the noise of life the true words of full life in the wind, the songs of the birds, the moving of the clouds and the warmth of the sun.  Let me be renewed and refreshed in the reading of Your precious word and the prayers of life that I lift up to You.  And I ask that indeed, may my mouth speak words acceptable to You; may my heart bring forth thoughts of joyful life; for You are indeed the rock which holds me steady and through You I have received redemption.  In Christ Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Shine the brightness of the Son in your smile today!

Eradio Valverde

Seek Wisdom from the Lord

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Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices. For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.’ (Proverbs 1:20-33)

A good and wonderful Wednesday to you, dear Friend!  May our time in the Lord bring us the wisdom we need to face each day's opportunities and blessings.  May our wisdom expand our knowledge and our boundaries to seek to serve the Lord in new and wondrous ways.  As we pray, pray for wisdom, for it is found in the Lord God.  As we pray, let us pray for the family of Emily Neuse, who passed away in her sleep two nights ago.  May God's comfort be with her family.  Prayers for Ms. Joyce Harris who undergoes back surgery this morning in San Antonio.  May the surgery bring her healing and relief from pain is our prayer. And for Ms. Jo Ann Keck, who underwent surgery and is now in rehabilitation at The Heights facility in Gonzales.

If we are to believe our eyes, wisdom comes from a small screen that almost everyone seems to be glued to these days.  At least, that's the appearance we seem to give others as we constantly check our phones.  "Is there a new text?"  "Has someone responded to my post?"  Yes, some do check for prayer concerns and updates; but imagine if we were to spend as much time with our Bibles as we do our phones how much wiser we would be?  Yes, all who read this are reading it from a screen, but read the opening verses of today's passage again.  Wisdom desires to be found!  And as Solomon writes this, he makes wisdom take female form.  "She raises her voice" in the city squares.  "At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks..."  And her message is the same:  Take me and be wise or ignore me and be foolish. She has much to teach us; while scoffers are content with what they know yet are shocked when their folly brings them failure and despair.  Now is the time to seek wisdom while we still can; the day may soon come when wisdom will not be found.  In all of this, the fear of the Lord should be our desire; to love God in a respectful and awesome way, learning from Him all that we need to be better people.

Please don't get me wrong, we do need our phones but interesting to note that one verse that says, "Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices."  Devices is an interesting, timeless word.  Perhaps today is a good day to look around, listen to people, re-read the passage for today and to make our prayer be, "Lord, grant me Your wisdom so that I may be who You want me to be."

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of wisdom.  It comes from You and I seek to have it.  Let me seek more wisdom in Your word and in my prayers as I listen to You after I say amen.  There is much to learn and in that will come the answers that I seek and the service that I should share.  I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Put down the device long enough to be wise!

Eradio Valverde