Your assignment.

“What, after all, is Apollos?  And what is Paul?  Only servants, through whom you came to believe as the Lord has assigned to each his task.” 1 Corinthians 3:5

There are some in our world that insist that a person who is committed to Christ will become a Pastor and do work in a Church or in a Christian organization and somehow their work is more holy than work that is accomplished in the business sector, or in a public school or in a home; we don’t know our course.  I recall a quote from Mark Twain that was filled with some wit and wisdom and seemed something good to share today; “There are two really important days in your life; the day you were born and the day you find out what for.”  Christ came to give each of His children a different ‘calling’ in their everyday lives.  We are called to bring Christ into the darkness of this fallen world in our own places of business, in our schools, in our neighborhoods and even within our homes.

Each of the children in the attached photo who attend Bon Berger Lutherienne in Caredeux have different talents and are being touched and prepared by our Heavenly Father to do His work and bring the Good News of His Son to the lost who will come into their lives along their journey.  Some of these children may become Pastors, some teachers, some mechanics, some gardeners and some office workers; they and you and I are all doing what He has brought us here to do for Him.

There are young children, retired adults, pastors, teachers, doctors, plumbers, architects, office workers and families supporting Trinity HOPE feeding programs; supporting at different levels, but continually supporting to complete His work in the lives of these children in Haiti.  Hymn No. 496 from the Lutheran Hymnal ‘"Hark! The Voice of Jesus Crying" which was written by Daniel March will close this devotion.

“Hark the voice of Jesus crying, “Who will go and work today?  Fields are white and harvests waiting, who will bear the sheave away?"  Loud and long the Master calleth, rich reward He offers thee; who will answer, gladly saying, "Here am I, send me, send me"?  If you cannot speak like angels, if you cannot preach like Paul, you can tell the love of Jesus, you can say He died for all.  If you cannot rouse the wicked with the Judgement's dread alarms, you can lead the little children to the Savior's waiting arms.  If you cannot be a watchman, standing high on Zion's wall, pointing out the path to heaven, offering life and peace to all, with your prayers and with your bounties you can do what God demands; you can be like faithful Aaron, holding up the prophet's hands.  Let none hear you idly saying, "There is nothing I can do," while the souls of men are dying and the Master calls for you.  Take the task He gives you gladly, let His work your pleasure be; answer quickly when He calleth, "Here am I, send me, send me!"

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

Taste and see.

“If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.” Ecclesiastes 10:10

The dictionary has the following definitions for the word ‘success’; “achievement of intention: the achievement of something planned or attempted.  Attainment of fame, wealth, or power.  Something that turns out well: something that turns out as planned or intended.”  The Haitian word for ‘success’ is siksè.  How do you define success?

If you turn on the television very early in the morning you are bound to find several infomercials promoting products that will give you success.  Go to the dentist office and you can open a magazine that will have an article on how to find success.  What brings success?

Wisdom brings about success; good wisdom comes from God.  The plates filled with food at the school in Bois Marchand did not come about by accident.  Volunteers with Trinity HOPE sought out wisdom from our Heavenly Father so that the feeding of children attending 241 Christian schools in Haiti might be successful.  We are still seeking His guidance seeking ways to raise the bar of excellence and lower the prices of the meals.

There are other feeding programs in Haiti that have not succeeded and I can only imagine that they were planned by men and not from God.  When plans are from the pride of men and not from our Heavenly Father, they will in time fail.  Chuck Swindoll recently wrote that “Wisdom may not give us great popularity and wealth and it may not mean that we will be the most respected in our field or that we will have the most significant voice in the company, but ultimately, as God gauges it, we will be successful.”  Start your plans by seeking His wisdom and give thanks while you enjoy your successful endeavor.  I close today with the words from the song ‘Taste and see’ that was written by Lowell Alexander.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; you've tried everything that you thought you could; taste and see that His love is real.  Open up right now and let your heart be filled with peace overflowing, joy everlasting.  Love so amazing taste life so exciting, hope so inviting.  All who are crying to be free; taste and see, taste and see, taste and see.  Taste and see that His Word is true.  You've been hurt before but He won't lie to you.  Taste and see never thirst again; every broken heart Jesus Christ will mend.  You'll never know ‘til you try, you'll never live ‘till you die to yourself and find for yourself that He's good.  You'll never see with your eyes until your heart realizes that He is all that you need; taste and See.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

Seize the moment.

“Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62

Have you ever procrastinated?  Do you have any tendencies to put off doing stuff today and fully intend to do it tomorrow?  Whatever you’re going to do, do it now.  Don’t say, “Next year I’m going to make a fresh start” or “Next month I’m going to make some changes” or “Tomorrow, I’m going to make that a priority.”  It’s now or never.  Seize the moment!  Every day, we have opportunities for a fresh start, but we don’t take advantage of them. Why?  We procrastinate.

Procrastination is a strange phenomenon. You think it will make your life easier when it actually does just the opposite.  It’s a stress generator!  When you know the right thing to do, today is the time to do it.  Don’t assume you can wait for tomorrow.  Tomorrow may not be on your calendar.  The Bible warns over and over about presuming upon tomorrow.  I’m not guaranteed a tomorrow, and neither are you.  Jesus tells us that we can’t put God’s kingdom off until tomorrow.  Seize the moment today.  We have no guarantee that we will live to see tomorrow.  Whatever you’re going to do, you better do it now.  Is Jesus inviting you to seize the moment today?

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

Your gifts.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

I am amazed at how the multitude of volunteers with Trinity HOPE can accomplish so much when they work together to bring a hot, nutritious, noon meal to over 52,000 Haitian children daily…while Haiti and our country are both facing some really nasty and formidable challenges.  When we all use our abilities, here in the US and also in Haiti to help each other, God is glorified.  God wired you to make a special contribution during your time here on this side of Heaven.  He didn’t give you talents and abilities for your benefit alone.  They are for the benefit of other people, and, in turn, other people’s talents are for your benefit...and His Glory.

Everybody has different talents.  You have talents too.  How are you using them to bless others?  If you’re not, when are you going to start?  When you don’t use the talent God gave you, other people get cheated.  But when you use your talent and abilities to serve others, they’re blessed, and God is glorified.  Our days are numbered, another week has past and a new one has begun.  Where can your time, talents and treasured be used this week to bring Him all the Glory?

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

Draw us nearer.

“Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name.” Psalm 30:4

Last Sunday, Pastor David McBurney encouraged my congregation to draw nearer to Christ…just believe.  That point has been on my mind all week as there have been times and areas in my life when my closeness with Christ has been a mile apart; and past history was being repeated as I was guilty of going in the wrong direction.  Father, we come before You today and acknowledge that it is Your holiness that draws us to You.  And it is that lack of holiness in ourselves that brings from within us such a hunger to know You better and be much closer to You.  We affirm with the Apostle Paul, that our determined purpose is that we may know Jesus…much better; that we may progressively become more intimately acquainted with Him.  Oh, Lord, that is what we want and more important, that is what we need.  We live in a sinful, fallen world that is adrift, out of control and broken, there is something about Your character that draws us closer, warms the coldness of our hearts and thankfully breaks our stubborn wills.  And we stand before You, our holy God, acknowledging that You are pristine, free of corruption, without a hint of sin or transgression.  We've never known a Father like You, as good as our earthly fathers may have been.  We've never known one so full of compassion and grace and love and mercy.  Introduce us again to that day.  Remind us of it again and again, especially when we fail and see ourselves so unworthy after what path we have chosen to follow in this fallen world.  Remind us that none of that blocks us from Your wondrous forgiveness.  Thank You Father.  In the name of Jesus, Your Son and our Savior, we pray. Amen.

Is everything in order?

“He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’” Luke 12:17

In this parable Jesus tells of a rich man who just had way too much.  His crops were so abundant that he didn’t have enough storage bins to hold all of the grain; a good problem to have.  My crop yields were good this year but thankfully, my grain was transported to the grain elevator for storage; no worries.  And being a Seward County farm owner, I will never admit that my crops were over abundant as I don’t want my property taxes to keep rising.  This man in the passage from Luke, thought that best way for him to alleviate this problem would be to build more barns and storage bins; tomorrow.  He took care of his earthly problems but didn’t consider his Spiritual problems as the Lord came to take him home.

Is your life in order?  How have the pages of your legacy been unfolded?  There are over 52,000 children enjoying a Trinity HOPE school feeding program in Haiti today, and the number of children waiting to receive this blessing is to date unknown.  These five girls from Bon Barger in Caredeux are extremely happy as they have received this blessing; their meals cost a donor like you and me a dollar and a quarter. 

Like the rich man in the parable, we don’t know when the Lord will call us home.  As we look around us for opportunities to use our talents, treasures and lives we turn to Him, the Lord of the harvest and seek His directions.  I close today with the words to the hymn ‘Almighty Father, Heaven and Earth’ that was written by Edward A. Dayman in 1867.

“Almighty Father, heaven and earth with lavish wealth before Thee bow; those treasures owe to Thee their birth, Creator, Ruler, Giver, Thou.  The wealth of earth, of sky, of sea, the gold, the silver, sparkling gem, the waving corn, the bending tree, are Thine; to us Thou lendest them.  To Thee, as early morning's dew, our praises, alms, and prayer shall rise as rose, when joyous earth was new, faith's patriarchal sacrifice.  We, Lord, would lay, at Thy behest the costliest offerings on Thy shrine; but when we give, and give our best, we give Thee only what is Thine.  O Father, whence all blessings come; O Son, Dispenser of God's store; O Spirit, bear our offerings home: Lord, make them Thine forevermore.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

You are in my prayers.

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

“You are in my prayers.”  Has somebody told you that recently?  I wrote it recently in a sympathy card.  It doesn’t matter to me if one person, three people or a congregation is praying for me; it is still a comforting and a rich blessing.  The young boy in the attached photo attends the school at Bois Marchand and he prays for you; his school gives thanks in prayer for you.

Our Lord Jesus is present when His people gather together to pray.  The common table prayer and fellowship is so important to their spiritual lives.  When this young child prays before going to sleep on his mat on the floor, his relationship with our Heavenly Father is precious.  When you and I pray for the children attending Christian schools in Haiti our common requests to feed these sheep is heard, daily.  The hymn ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’ was written by Joseph Scriven in 1865 and his words seemed like a very good match for this devotion.

“What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!  What a privilege to carry ev'rything to God in prayer!  Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry ev'rything to God in prayer!  Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?  We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer.  Can we find a Friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?  Jesus knows our ev'ry weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.  Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?  Precious Savior, still our Refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer.  Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?  Take it to the Lord in prayer; in His arms He'll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

On this side...

"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" Matthew 6:33

In all that we do on this side of Heaven, we should always first seek His direction for our plans.  North American mission teams should not build Churches on ground that is not already owned by the congregation; the local congregation should purchase the land first and then construct the foundation before a mission team leaves North America.  North American mission teams should not test God when there are many threats of being kidnapped confronting them; God closed the door, wait until another day.

These children attending school at Merrotte were not blessed with a Trinity HOPE feeding program until the Arcahaie District President, the school principal, teachers and parents fully understood what was expected of them to make the program work.  The prayers of those attending this school were not answered overnight; it came about in His time and in His way.

Too often we imagine that we are the ones in control and that generally provides satan with an opportunity to stir up a mess.  It can be a humbling experience to call upon Him when we have move forward relying upon our own wisdom and abilities.  Trinity HOPE is now feeding over 52,000 children in Haiti daily in 241 schools; this didn’t happen overnight.  He continues to bless this program.  I recently heard the hymn ‘Seek where ye may to find a way’ that was written by Georg Weissel in 1623 and I thought that its words are a fitting way to close this devotion.

“Seek where ye may to find a way that leads to your salvation; my heart is stilled, on Christ I build, He is the one Foundation.  His Word is sure, His works endure; He doth o'erthrow my every foe; through Him I more than conquer.  Seek whom ye may to be your stay; none can redeem his brother.  All helpers failed, this Man prevailed, the God-man, and none other.  Our Servant-Lord did help afford; we're justified, for He hath died, the Guiltless for the guilty.  Seek Him alone, Who did atone, Who did your souls deliver; yea, seek Him first, all ye who thirst for grace that faileth never.  In every need Seek Him indeed; to every heart He will impart His blessings without measure.  My heart's Delight, My Crown most bright, Thou, Jesus, art forever.  Nor wealth nor pride nor aught beside our bond of love shall sever.  Thou art my Lord; Thy precious Word shall be my guide, whate'er betide.  Oh, teach me, Lord, to trust Thee!  Hide not from me, I ask of Thee, Thy gracious face and favor.  Though floods of woe should o'er me flow, my faith shall never waver.  From pain and grief grant sweet relief; for tears I weep, Lord, let me reap Thy heavenly joy and glory.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

12 smiles.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1

What comes to your mind when you think about the love that our Heavenly Father has lavished upon us?  The twelve smiles in the attached photo bring a smile to my face as I got to hug each one of them after I took the photo; and all the other kids attending school at Caredeux as well.  The world does not understand the reason for their smiles as these children live in a Third World country.

They know Jesus.  I smile when I think about being so blessed that I can buy lunch for these twelve kids for about three dollars.  As John Hall used to always say, “ain’t God good?”  The hymn ‘Hail, Thou source of every blessing’ was written in 1810 by Basil Wood and seems to express the joy we have when we fully realize all that is lavished upon our lives each day.
“Hail, Thou Source of every blessing, Sovereign Father of mankind!  Gentiles now, Thy grace possessing, in Thy courts admission find.  Grateful now we fall before Thee, in Thy Church obtain a place, now by faith behold Thy glory, praise Thy truth, adore Thy grace.  Once far off, but now invited, we approach Thy sacred throne; in Thy covenant united, reconciled, redeemed, made one.  Now revealed to Eastern sages, see the Star of Mercy shine; mystery hid in former ages, mystery great of love divine.  Hail, Thou all-inviting Savior!  Gentiles now their offerings bring; in Thy temples seek Thy favor, Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.  May we, body, soul, and spirit, live devoted to Thy praise, glorious realms of bliss inherit, grateful anthems ever raise!”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay

Living by faith.

“All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.” Hebrews 11:13

What a beautiful statement regarding all those saints who fell asleep before the coming of our Lord Jesus.  It really doesn't matter how they died, where they died or when they died but the most important thing that they had in common is that they all "were still living by faith when they died."  Our Heavenly Father wants you, me, these children from Haiti and all people on this earth to be living by faith when we breathe our last.  He sent His only Son to come into this world to seek and save the lost.

Believers in Christ should not die while parked in their recliner watching the news channel or basking in the glow of their earthly accomplishments; but rather firmly holding on to their faith in our risen Savior.  The followers of Christ in Hebrews 11 understood that it is as precious to die by faith as it is to live by faith.  These children living in Haiti are learning more about their Savior every day and are enjoying their daily meal.  For many of them, their ancestors practiced vodou and probably denied Christ and did not receive the same promises of Eternal Glory in Heaven as these young saints are waiting for in the coming days.  These young children are confident of their acceptance by God, daily enjoying the rays of His love and resting in His faithfulness to the very end.  I close today with the words to the hymn ‘Savior of the nations, come’ that was written by Martin Luther in 1524.

“Savior of the nations, come, virgin's Son, make here Thy home!  Marvel now, O heaven and earth, that the Lord chose such a birth.  Not by human flesh and blood, by the Spirit of our God, was the Word of God made flesh; woman's Offspring, pure and fresh.  Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child of the Virgin undefiled!  Though by all the world disowned, still to be in heaven enthroned.  From the Father forth He came and returneth to the same, captive leading death and hell; high the song of triumph swell!  Thou, the Father's only Son, hast o'er sin the victory won.  Boundless shall Thy kingdom be; when shall we its glories see?  Brightly doth Thy manger shine, glorious is its light divine.  Let not sin o'ercloud this light; ever be our faith thus bright.  Praise to God the Father sing, praise to God the Son, our King, praise to God the Spirit be ever and eternally.”

Heavenly Father, thank you for the blessing of waking up this morning.  I dedicate this day and week to You, and ask You to protect my heart and mind.  Please help me rise above the negativity, hardness, division and anger that seems to be spreading everywhere.  Please help me to learn not to dwell on upsetting things, but on things that are right, pure and true so that I can have Your peace.  Please grant me Your wisdom, so I can respond like Jesus in all that I face.  May my words and interactions this week be a blessing to others and glorify You.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen.

May God be with you…Jay