International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 1/20/23 Joel Griffith 1/20/23

Ever seen a missionary?

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong; that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.” Romans 1:8-13

Have you ever met a missionary? The apostle Paul was a missionary. The dictionary states that a ‘missionary’ is someone who leaves their home and goes to live, work and witness in another location. It doesn’t mention anything about them sharing the Holy Gospel or healing a disease, helping them build a school or putting a meal on their table at lunch time.
I hope that you have had an opportunity to meet a missionary and that they have been a blessing to you and your earthly journey. The three children in the attached photo are missionaries from the Lutheran School located in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. They are young but with your help, they will be very wonderful missionaries to their neighbors who have not yet heard the saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Their colorful wrist bands tell the story of creation, baptism, death, resurrection and salvation; the saving message is easy to understand in ways that can only be told by a child to another child or their parents or grandparents. These three would probably have been favorites of the Apostle Paul; they are favorites of mine because they will be spreading the Gospel message to the lost throughout Haiti in the coming decades.

Thank you for supporting missionary preparation through Trinity HOPE; it only takes a quarter to provide a hot lunch for one of these Kingdom builders. Consider for a moment that one small quarter could be all that it takes to keep one precious life out of satan’s grips. One small coin in the right place could win a soul for Christ; that is a God thing and we just can’t begin to fully understand or appreciate the slogan, “ain’t God good?”
Now, may God go before you to guide you...may His hands be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you. And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you today and every moment along your journey until you reach Paradise. Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/19/23 Joel Griffith 1/19/23

A shining light.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14

To my way of thinking, there are a select group of people that really enjoy being in the spotlights of this fallen world; they truly thrive on the applause and adulations from this world. Conversely, there are another group that would rather work behind the spotlight, giving anonymously, serving quietly and living in the shadow of the spotlight. Their work is important but they would not choose to build their ‘town’ on a hill so that all could see where they are located. There are times that I don’t want my ‘location’ to be shown to all apps on my iphone. God has thankfully created each of us so very differently.

This small child attending the Lutheran school at Pont Quenepe is a lot like us, a ‘Gospel light’ in this world. She like you and I were placed on this earth to serve the One who came to be the ‘Light to the Gentiles’. Our Savior came so that we would not live in the darkness of this world. Jesus Christ came to encourage us to share our ‘light’, His light, with those still living in darkness.

If you enjoy working in the trenches of this world and out of the spotlight and you find yourself being applauded for your service, don’t be dismayed, the adulations are for Him who sent you. Give thanks for His nudging you to send this small child to do His work in Haiti.

Now, may God go before you to guide you...may His hands be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you. And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you today and every moment along your journey until you reach Paradise. Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/18/23 Joel Griffith 1/18/23

Get some rest.

“Work and get everything done during six days each week, but the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the Lord your God.” Exodus 20:9-10 (NCV)

In the Bible, a day of rest is called Sabbath. It’s when you take a day off from work; not just from your job but from any kind of work. God didn’t make the Sabbath for his benefit. He made it for yours: “The Sabbath was made to benefit man, and not man to benefit the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27 TLB). God made the Sabbath so you wouldn’t get burned out. But many people ignore their need for the Sabbath. When you ignore God’s laws, who gets hurt? Not God. Ignoring your need for rest only leaves you exhausted and overwhelmed. Taking a Sabbath may be particularly difficult if you’re an entrepreneur, self-employed, or work remotely. If you don’t schedule a Sabbath for yourself, you’ll never take a break.

No matter your work situation if you are gainfully employed, it doesn’t matter what day of the week you take your Sabbath. It’s just important that you do take one! Just like you schedule everything else during your week, you need to schedule your Sabbath. What should you do on a Sabbath?

Take some time to rest your body. I read recently that during the French Revolution, government leaders abolished Sunday as a day of rest but later restored it because the health of the nation had collapsed. Depending on your work ethic, you might think, “But I feel guilty when I relax.” Follow Jesus’ example. He didn’t feel guilty for taking a Sabbath day; He made the Sabbath a priority. Recharge your emotions. You can recharge your emotions through the words of Psalm 46:10 “Be still”; quietness, solitude, recreation that rejuvenates you, or spending time with people.

Refocus your Spirit. On the Sabbath, worship puts your life into perspective. This includes both worship at church and time alone with God. If you start obeying God’s command to observe the Sabbath, what will happen? You will actually end up with more time. Proverbs 14:30 says, “A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life; jealousy rots it away” (TLB). Remember, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. You don’t even have to prove your worth to God, because you are already infinitely valuable to him. You can and need to take a Sabbath because you can rest in God’s goodness and love for you.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/17/23 Joel Griffith 1/17/23

Napping.

“It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest.” Psalm 127:2 (TLB)

When you were, or possibly now are, at the peak of your work output, how many hours are you working daily. Back in the day, there were times when it was normal to work 12-15 hours daily and add a couple of hours before and after that period of being on the clock. At the end of those stressful times that I welcomed to get back to 8 hours a day and rid myself of the endless exhaustion.

I retired twelve years ago from the State of Nebraska and now, boy do I love a good nap; in a chair, on the couch, my bed or even the floor. God reminded me of a time, back in the day, when I took a mat to my kindergarten class and took a nap after lunch. God has taught me some things about balance; which I’ve had to learn over and over again since the past 65 years in kindergarten. Here’s what I learned; resistance to rest is immaturity. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is the church nor anything else that is worthwhile.

The above Bible passage says “It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest.” I don’t think that God wants you to accomplish everything all at once. He wants you to learn to pace yourself as he uses the circumstances of your life to help you mature little by little. While God is growing your career, he’s growing you. While God is growing your children, he’s growing you. For you to grow, you have to learn to rest in God’s goodness.

Some people think God only smiles on them when they’re working, praying, or doing “spiritual” things. But God also smiles on you when you rest. If you’re a parent, and you’ve ever gone in your kids’ room and checked on them at night; you know the joy it gives you just to watch them sleep. Your heavenly Father enjoys watching you sleep and rest. He created you to need rest. Even God rested! Are you busier than God?

Why did our Triune God create this planet and universe for 6 days and then rest and relax on the seventh day? It’s not because he was tired, because God doesn’t get tired. He was modeling what he wants you to do. Stop work and relax, keep a Sabbath, and rest in God’s goodness.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/16/23 Joel Griffith 1/16/23

How should we give?

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

I read a devotion recently that had a story that I thought would be worth sharing. The story began shortly after World War II came to a close and Europe had begun to pick up the broken pieces and began planning to rebuild. Much of the Europe had been ravaged by war and was in ruins. Perhaps the saddest sight of all was that of little orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities. It reminded me of hungry children in Haiti, Ukraine and sadly…our Southern border.

The story continued to tell about an American soldier who was making his way back to the barracks in London. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little child with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside, the baker was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out, and walked quietly over to where the little child was standing. Through the steamed-up window, the child could see the mouth-watering morsels being pulled from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan as he watched the baker place them onto the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully. The soldier's heart went out to the nameless orphan as he stood beside him. "Son...would you like some of those?" The boy was startled, "Oh, yeah I would!" The American stepped inside and bought a dozen, put them in a bag, and walked back to where the boy was standing in the foggy cold of the London morning. The soldier smiled, held out the bag, and said simply: "Here you are." As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. He looked back and heard the child ask quietly: "Mister…are you God?"

I’ve been writing devotions for Trinity HOPE for over 15 years and have been prayerfully encouraging you to pray for Haitian children, their school feeding programs and join me in being a donor if the Spirit moves you. In the above scripture God tells us He "loves a cheerful giver" and He promises us that the one "who is generous will be blessed" in Proverbs 22:9. My North American friend…let's believe Him!

Deep down inside most Christians in the U.S. that I know, is a deep-seated desire to release instead of keep; to give instead of grab. Now, may God go before you to guide you...may His hands be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you. And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you today and every moment along your journey until you reach Paradise. Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/14/23 Joel Griffith 1/14/23

Your hour glass.

“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:11-14

How many more grains of sand are remaining in the hour glass of your life? Have you put your will in a place where your family will find it? Have you assigned a POA? Have you shared your faith story with that stubborn next door neighbor? “Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” is probably another way of saying that the end of your journey is a lot closer right now than when you were Baptized. What kind of legacy are you leaving for your family, what kind of footprint will you leave?

What is your greatest desire for your children and grandchildren? What is your hope for the coming generations of your lineage; have you taken steps to finish well? Has your time been spent sharing the Gospel within your family, within your city, within your State or been focusing on one of the ends of this earth?

Has it been your hope and desire that your children and grandchildren will grow up and become men and women of compassion, honesty, morality, responsibility, selflessness, loyalty, discipline and sacrifice? Your hope should be that they will become men and women of faith, trusting in Jesus Christ as their Savior seeking to follow Him as the Master of their lives each and every day. While we cannot make this decision for others, we can lead by example, showing them the way by being an example of Christ’s love and power to transform every life that is submitted to Him.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/13/23 Joel Griffith 1/13/23

Follow Me.

“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” John 1:43

This passage from the Gospel of John has always fascinated me and again drew me deeper into these words when it appeared in a morning devotion. A couple of things grab at my question button; Jesus finding, Jesus saying ‘follow me’ and then our own free will. Jesus found Philip, found you, found me and found this child in Haiti. Our Savior who later called Himself the ‘Good Shepherd’ came to earth to look for the lost sheep like you and me; came to seek and save the lost. It should make each of us feel really special that the Son of God came to earth and looked for us and after a period of time found us.

We didn’t go looking for Him; we cannot on our own do that as too often we don’t know where to look. Too often our ‘free will’ points us into directions away from Him and into places that are deeper and darker where we can hide from Him.
Why do you suppose Philip dropped what he was doing and went with Jesus when told to ‘follow me’? Perhaps he had nothing better to do but probably because he realized Who this was Who had found him, at that point along his journey. Philip had heard about the coming of the Messiah and was waiting and what a ‘God moment’ in his life to have the Savior find him.
Jesus found us and is calling us to ‘follow’. You, me and this child from Haiti have been found and told to ‘follow Christ’ and become shepherds and seek and save the lost. Don’t let your free will tell you that your life is not capable of seeking lost souls or bringing them to Christ. He is with you and the Holy Spirit is nudging you to draw closer to Him today.
And finally, there is that point in your journey when Jesus will call you home. Your free will card will do you no good on that day. He found you, He called you and He will take you home one day where you, this child from Haiti and me will sit at the feet of the Good Shepherd and bask in His glory. Now, may God go before you to guide you...may His hands be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you. And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you today and every moment along your journey until you reach Paradise. Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/12/23 Joel Griffith 1/12/23

The earthquake.

"Because I live, you also will live." John 14:19

At 4:45 PM on January 12, 2010 a strong earthquake struck below the mountains on the Southern claw of Haiti; bringing large spread destruction from Port-au-Prince (PAP) miles west to the city of Leogand. There were an estimated 350,000 lives lost and thousands more injured and the majority of the survivors were left homeless. A person from my home congregation in Nebraska asked me "What do people do at such time when they don't have Jesus?" We have peace as we know that we are saved because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross; but what about the lost that died clinging to the lies of the vodou priest.

Following the quake, many Christians in the U.S. were glued to the internet and CNN watching video streaming from PAP showing the desperation as search efforts were undertaken to recues the living and later recover the dead. What did the unbelievers do without a Savior to help them? Haiti claims to be over 80% Christian but you need to factor in that an estimated 65% of the county still actively practices vodou. You cannot serve the Lord and the devil too.
In the days following the quake, stories and video began to make the news of Haitian Christians singing hymns of thanksgiving to their Triune God and praying out loud in the dark streets in the evenings. Faith, their faith, was alive in the camps where they had found refuge. Their strong, steadfast faith was encouraging others to give thanks for their life as they had more work to accomplish for their Heavenly Father.

The vodou priests had no reply for the strong earthquake; the power of the Triune God silenced their efforts to bring people to continue to fear their evil spirits. Their ‘religion’ could only bring additional fear, pain, suffering and could not bring any comfort for the vodou followers; all the priests could do was to watch as their followers limped through this tragedy. Our Triune God has done so much for His children as they grieve, give thanks, survive and as they rebuild.

There are clear differences between Christianity and vodou; we clearly see and understand that we need a Savior and the vodou followers need another daily ‘miracle’ from the vodou priest; for a price. We need a Savior who will rescue us from our pains and problems; who will forgive us for our sins. In the Person of Jesus, our loving Father has given us such a Savior. In Jesus we have forgiveness of our sins and the promise that there is a world where there are no tragedies like Haiti has seen; we have a mansion prepared for us in Heaven. This message is being taught to the children attending the 268 Christian schools in Haiti with school feeding programs. Your prayers and generous donations to Trinity HOPE are helping these children to take the message to the lost throughout the neighborhoods in Haiti.

Today, let it be our prayer that the people of Haiti may be brought to this Savior who can help them in this life and bring them to the next; you know the place where there is no darkness and no tears.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/11/23 Joel Griffith 1/11/23

The perfect gift.

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” Galatians 4:4-5

How much thought filled planning went into your Christmas shopping last year? Did you give much thought when picking out a special gift for a family member? How important was it for you to get that ‘special gift’ for your child, spouse, parent or sibling and be blessed to see them light up as they removed the wrapping paper to reveal a gift that brought about a huge smile and loud “WOW”, you shouldn’t have! My grandson gave me a hug as this year I gave him a card with cash.

Consider the gift that our Heavenly Father sent us. It only needed to be given once as it keeps on giving throughout the ages. Our Heavenly Father waited until history reached the proper moment in time and then sent Jesus. The timing was perfect; the Roman rule, Jewish ordination, passable roads, freedom, a degree of safety and a common trading language. He sent his Son to be a woman's son. From Heaven He sent His Son to earth to be the Savior of the world. He did it so all of the inhabitants of His world could be called His children. He gave the perfect gift of all time; for all time.

Thank you for sharing your gift of support for these children attending Christian schools in Haiti; enabling and preparing them to share the Gift of salvation with those still living in bondage to the vodou priests of Haiti. Now, may God go before you to guide you...may His hands be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you. And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you today and every moment along your journey until you reach Paradise. Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/10/23 Joel Griffith 1/10/23

How many...

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:10-12

The last eight words of the above verses “grant me a willing spirit to sustain me” are words that should be in our daily prayers. A ‘willing spirit’ needs to drive me along my journey in this fallen world where we are often being told these days to mind your own business; don’t get involved.

How many hurting people did your Heavenly Father place along your journey yesterday? How many hurting lives brushed up against you at work? How many lonely souls sat next to you at the doctor office? How many broken relationships went past your grocery cart? How many visitors sat in your pew at Church on Sunday? How many lives searching for a Savior did you share the Gospel with yesterday?

This little boy from Cap Haitian who is carrying a chair on his head touched my life on the day this picture was taken and today as well; he knows Jesus and lives in a neighborhood where many do not. A willing spirit continues to move me to help him share the message with the people along his journey. May a ‘willing spirit’ move you as well to finish well in the remainder of your days. Now, may God go before you to guide you...may His hands be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you. And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you today and every moment along your journey until you reach Paradise. Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay