The harvest.

“Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.  “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field?  Where then did the weeds come from?’  “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.  “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’  “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest.  At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”  Matthew 13:24-30

Last weekend, I read in The Pantagraph that the corn harvest in Central Illinois was going well.  The yields were looking good.  God gave us much needed rain at just the right time.  Imagine that.  Ain’t God good?  It is also amazing some years, to see what natural herbivories, weeds and weather can do to a harvest; their affect can be very detrimental to the final yield.  What may be affecting your yield as you do work in His mission field?

The boy in the attached photo attends the Lutheran school at Bois Marchand and he is a worker in the mission fields of Haiti.  The weeds in his life are poverty, lack of water, disease, gangs and the lies of the vodou priest who lives just down the road from his house.  Your donation helped to plant good seeds in this school and your daily support from prayers continues to bind the weeds in his life and also help in doing His work; you also are receiving blessings from our Heavenly Father.  The hymn ‘Jesus priceless treasure’ was written by Johann Franck in 1655 and its timeless words seem an appropriate way to close this message.

“Jesus, priceless Treasure, fount of purest pleasure, truest Friend to me.  Ah, how long in anguish shall my spirit languish, yearning, Lord, for Thee?  Thou art mine, O Lamb divine!  I will suffer naught to hide Thee, naught I ask beside Thee.  In Thine arms I rest me; foes who would molest me cannot reach me here.  Though the earth be shaking, every heart be quaking, Jesus calms my fear.  Lightnings flash and thunders crash; yet, though sin and hell assail me, Jesus will not fail me.  Satan, I defy thee; death, I now decry thee; fear, I bid thee cease.  World, thou shalt not harm me nor thy threats alarm me while I sing of peace.  God's great power guards every hour; earth and all its depths adore Him, silent bow before Him.  Hence, all earthly treasure!  Jesus is my pleasure, Jesus is my choice.  Hence, all empty glory!  Naught to me thy story told with tempting voice.  Pain or loss, or shame or cross, shall not from my Savior move me since He deigns to love me.  Evil world, I leave thee; Thou canst not deceive me, Thine appeal is vain.  Sin that once did blind me, get thee far behind me, come not forth again.  Past thy hour, O pride and power; sinful life, thy bonds I sever, leave thee now forever.  Hence, all fear and sadness!  For the Lord of gladness, Jesus, enters in.  Those who love the Father, though the storms may gather, still have peace within.  Yea, whate'er I here must bear, Thou art still my purest Pleasure, Jesus, priceless Treasure!”

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

Sowing seeds.

“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:23

The parable of the sower is so familiar and it should reach out to each of us as we consider how we are daily being prepared and used by our Heavenly Father to reap a larger harvest in the mission fields of this world.  For those of us who are Trinity HOPE donors it is hard not to identify with the increase of seeds being sowed in the good soil when considering the growth of lives being touched throughout the mission fields in Haiti.

The school in the attached photo is Tarrasse which is located in the Artibonite District, a few miles east of Gonaives and located near a canal.  From this humble beginning 46 children were fed a meal of rice and beans in 1999, and the seeds were sown.  Today over 60,000 children in 277 schools with Trinity HOPE feeding programs are being prepared to increase the numbers in the harvest fields of Haiti.

If you, your family or your Bible study group is interested in joining us to increase the numbers of souls working in the mission fields of Haiti, please prayerfully consider sending your gifts to help us start another Tarrasse.  A man named William Williams wrote the song ‘Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah’ in 1745 and his words close this message.

“Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land.  I am weak but Thou art mighty; hold me with Thy powerful hand.  Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.  Open now the crystal fountain whence the healing stream doth flow; let the fiery, cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through.  Strong Deliverer be Thou still my Strength and Shield.  When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside; death of death and hell's Destruction, land me safe on Canaan's side.  Songs of praises I will ever give to Thee.”

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

Be the very last?

“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:35

Jesus said if you want to be first, the gold medal winner, you first need to be last; ouch.  I read a quote last week that parallels this thought; “Sometimes the majority only means that all the fools are on the same side.”  As a North American, the words of Christ to the twelve found in this verse from Mark may be difficult to accept as our culture impresses upon us the ‘need to be first’ and have everybody else in last place.  You need to sit in the last place on the bench and be a servant to all.  The dictionary defines the word ‘servant’ as follows; “one that serves others; a public servant; especially one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer.”  The word is ‘Middle English’ and its first known use was in the 13th century.

This word ‘servant’ has been in my thoughts a lot since the horrible earthquake that rocked Haiti on January 12, 2010, while I was watching and reading about service organizations and mission societies ‘rush’ to Haiti to provide assistance.  Too often it seems that their initial focus was to provide well-meaning aid with a true ‘servant’ attitude and after seeing what other groups were doing next to their ‘space’ they wanted the world to know that they were ‘first’ and the rest of this world needed to look at them and see what they had done.  The servant attitude had been replaced with a self-serving attitude.

The children in the attached photo attend the Lutheran school at Bas De Sceaut, which is in the Artibonite District.  This small class is a few of the 40 children who are fed daily in this school.  These young servants are happy servants, going to school in this wooden structure with a dirt floor, no glass in the windows and a piece of canvas for a door.  They now have a wood door and wood shutters on their window. 

They are learning the true meaning of Mark 9:35 and are receiving their only real meal of the day at this location.  Too often, we get our priorities twisted around and fail to see what is really important in this lifetime of ours and theirs.  Put down the wall that this world has placed around you, lower your guard and seek to follow the model of service that Christ has given you.  Martin Luther wrote the hymn ‘Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord’ a long time ago but his words are a wonderful way to close today’s message.

“Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord!  Be all Thy graces now out poured on each believer's mind and heart; Thy fervent love to them impart.  Lord, by the brightness of Thy light, Thou in the faith dost men unite of every land and every tongue; this to Thy praise, O Lord, our God, be sung.  Hallelujah! Hallelujah!  Thou holy Light, Guide Divine, oh, cause the Word of Life to shine!  Teach us to know our God aright and call Him Father with delight. from every error keep us free; let none but Christ our Master be that we in living faith abide, in Him, our Lord, with all our might confide.  Hallelujah! Hallelujah!  Thou holy Fire, Comfort true, grant us the will Thy work to do and in Thy service to abide; let trials turn us not aside.  Lord, by Thy power prepare each heart and to our weakness strength impart that bravely here we may contend, through life and death to Thee, our Lord, ascend.  Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

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

Being fed HIS Word...daily.

“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.”  Psalm 119:15

While living in Haiti, many were the times that I was alone and if someone was near we didn’t share a common language or similar culture; there were many times when solitude was better than fellowship and when silence was wiser than speech.

I firmly believe that each of us would be better Christians if we spent a little more time being alone, waiting on God and finding spiritual strength for service to Him by meditating on His Word.  We should first consider the things of God because only then will we get real nutrition from them.

Consider these children in Cap Haitian, preparing to eat their daily meal; simply taking food into their mouths does not nourish their bodies, for it is the full process of digestion that supplies nutrients to muscles, nerves and bones.  And it is through spiritual "digestion" that outward food is brought into our inner life.  Our souls are not nourished merely by listening for a while to this and that, and later to another portion of His Word.  Hearing, reading, examining, and learning all requires inward digestion to complete their usefulness, and that inner digesting of the truth takes place primarily by meditating on it; dwelling upon His Word.  We all need to be fed on His Word and His food daily.  Isaac Watts wrote the hymn ‘Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways’ in 1719 and it seems a fitting way to close this message.

“Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways to keep His statutes still!  Oh, that my God would grant me grace to know and do His will!  Order my footsteps by Thy Word and make my heart sincere; let sin have no dominion, Lord, but keep my conscience clear.  Assist my soul, too apt to stray, a stricter watch to keep; and should I e'er forget Thy way, restore Thy wandering sheep.  Make me to walk in Thy commands, 'Tis a delightful road, nor let my head or heart or hands offend against my God.”

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

Bring them to ME.

“People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.  When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”  Mark 10:13-16

It is difficult to visit Trinity HOPE school feeding programs in Haiti and not remember this passage in the tenth chapter of Mark when looking at little children, like this young girl from Ouanaminthe.  There shouldn’t be a difference between this child and the young children who attend Christ Schools in Lincoln or Trinity Lutheran School in Bloomington; Jesus would have taken each of them into His arms and blessed them.  The children in Nebraska, Illinois and Haiti are all being prepared to go and share the message of salvation with those who will come along their life’s journey.  The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to each of them and to us.

The main difference between this child and us is the food.  Most of the children in the U.S. are fed at home and at school.  The vast majority of the children attending the Lutheran school in Ouanaminthe don’t get food at home and rely upon the meal at school for their daily manna; thank you for helping to provide for them.  Benjamin Schmolck wrote the hymn ‘Dearest Jesus, we are here’ in 1704 and it will close today’s message.

“Dearest Jesus, we are here, gladly Thy command obeying; with this child we now draw near in accord with Thine own saying that to Thee it shall be given as a child and heir of heaven.  Yea, Thy word is clear and plain, and we would obey it duly: "He who is not born again, heart and life renewing truly, born of water and the Spirit, can My kingdom not inherit.  Therefore hasten we to Thee, in our arms this infant bearing; let us here Thy glory see let this child, Thy mercy sharing, in Thine arms be shielded ever, Thine on earth and Thine forever.  Gracious Head, Thy member own; Shepherd, take Thy lamb and feed it; Prince of Peace, make here Thy throne; Way of Life, to heaven lead it; Precious Vine, let nothing sever from Thy side this branch forever.  Now into Thy heart we pour prayers that from our hearts proceeded.  Our petitions heavenward soar; may our warm desires be heeded!  Write the name we now have given, write it in the book of heaven.”

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

Am I humble?

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”   Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean.  And you are clean, though not every one of you.”  For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.Cross references:

A.John 13:7 : ver 12

B.John 13:10 : Jn 15:3

C.John 13:10 : ver 18

D.John 13:11 : S Mt 10:4

” John 13:9-11

How often have we been given an opportunity to be humble?  That is a tough lesson as this world tells us just the opposite; everything should be about me.  The letters ‘IAM’ in our time mean ‘It’s all about ME’ and you can see this same condition in the Pharisees that were confronted by Jesus throughout His ministry.

Being willing to receive, submit to others and serve others takes more grace on our part than giving to others.  Our reluctance to be on the receiving end exposed our pride in our being in charge of things; this sinful world tells us “it is all about us and not about our Triune God”.  Pride can be an ugly thing and if you have been insulated from it just open your ears to a concert of ‘look what we did’ or ‘look at what I am doing’ messages coming from various organizations.  It should never be about us, but always about what He has done through us.  When we boast about how many children Trinity HOPE is feeding we should always begin with what our Triune God is accomplishing in Haiti through our time, treasures and talents.

When Christ went about washing the disciple’s feet He removed His outer tunic and with a towel, pitcher, and pan in hand He proceeded to teach another lesson to the twelve.  The response from Peter was “no, not my feet, but my head and hands too.”  Peter was capable of washing himself and didn’t need Jesus to do that for him.  God’s children in Haiti are being fed through people like you who are serving through their donations.  Learning that these children are praying for you and I daily is humbling and sometimes we may wonder why in the world would this child be praying for me.  They give thanks to God for you and your gift every day.

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

Who are you with?

“When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’  For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:11-13

These days, are you careful who you eat with?  We have probably eased up a bit since the pandemic.  We are probably careful not to be seen in public sharing a meal with a person who happens to have their photograph on a wanted poster down at the Post Office.  There are some people that I try to avoid at mealtime because they chew with their mouths open and make irritating noises that attract attention from nearby diners.

Jesus is in the business of seeking the lost and bringing them the gift of Life that can only be found in Him.  He would not hesitate to sit at a table across from a person who would chew their food with their mouths wide open, if they needed to hear the message of salvation.

Take a close look at some of the twenty-eight children who attend the Good Samaritan Lutheran school in Les Cayes, would you consider sharing a meal with any of them?   Statistics in Haiti lead us to believe that more than half of these children come from homes where vodou is still being practiced. 

All of the children in this school and all the 270 schools in Haiti where there are Trinity HOPE feeding programs are being fed a meal and are given the news of a loving Savior; Jesus Christ who has prepared a place for each of them in Heaven.  The hymn ‘The Savior calls; let every ear’ was written by Anne Steele in 1760 and its message will close this message.

“The Savior calls; let every ear attend the heavenly sound.  Ye doubting souls, dismiss your fear; hope smiles reviving round.  For every thirsty, Ionging heart here streams of bounty flow and life and health and bliss impart to banish mortal woe.  Here springs of sacred pleasures rise to ease your every pain; immortal fountain, full supplies!  Nor shall you thirst in vain.  Ye sinners, come, 'tis Mercy's voice; the gracious call obey; mercy invites to heavenly joys, and can you yet delay?  Dear Savior, draw reluctant hearts; to Thee let sinners fly and take the bliss Thy love imparts and drink and never die.”

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

Let me be Thine forever.

“Seek good, not evil, that you may live.  Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say He is.  Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.  Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.” Amos 5:14-15

I re-read a book recently by Chuck Colson and he wrote about his time spent in prison after Water Gate and said ‘bless you prison, for it was there that I learned to see justice in the way that Amos and Micah and Jeremiah saw it.’  There have been many times that I have thought the time I spent in Haiti, as it was such a blessing to have gone through many hardships that molded me into seeing the lives of their children, and the importance of their lives in the way I should view them.

When you look at this young child who attends the Lutheran school at Bois Marchand guarding his plate of rice and beans you may focus on that food, his face and the empty spoon that is preparing to plunge into the meal for his day.  You don’t see the uneven dirt floor in their school.  You don’t realize that on this day it was over 100 degrees at 11:30 in the morning.  You don’t know that there is not electricity or a well at this school.  You cannot know how far the cooks had to carry their buckets of water so they could prepare the meal today over an open fire.  You don’t know where he lives in Gonaives; how challenging it was for him to walk to school.  So many things you cannot appreciate about this photo without having been there, lived there and walked in his shoes.

See good, not evil.  Stay in His Word and not in the lies of this world.  Thank you for helping to feed this child…His child.  The original hymn ‘Let me be Thine forever’ was written by Nikolaus Sclnecker in 1572 and stanza 2 and 3 were added in 1688 by an unknown author and today’s message will close with this hymn.

“Let me be Thine forever, Thou faithful God and Lord; let me forsake Thee never nor wander from Thy Word.  Lord, do not let me waver, but give me steadfastness, and for such grace forever Thy holy name I'll bless.  Lord Jesus, my Salvation, my Light, my Life divine, my only Consolation; Oh, make me wholly Thine!  For Thou hast dearly bought me with blood and bitter pain.  Let me, since Thou hast sought me, eternal life obtain.  And Thou, O Holy Spirit, my Comforter and Guide, grant that in Jesus' merit I always may confide, Him to the end confessing Whom I have known by faith.  Give me Thy constant blessing and grant a Christian death.”

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

Facing challenges.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-11

There were numerous times when my mother would provide me with calming words before I was about to begin one of this world’s trials; she prepared me with a fundamental foundation so that I would ultimately find some positive value in having gone through this experience.  When she was 37, her faith had brought her through the sudden death of her husband and then raising two children and the load of grief that we must have placed upon her plate during our teenage years.

Being calm when facing life’s challenges is of God as we are confident in His Word as we endure painful trials that will produce maturity which leads to reflect our love of our Heavenly Father.  I read this quote on Saturday that seemed teach a valuable lesson and fit this devotion; “Learn from the mistakes of others as you can't live long enough to make them all yourself.”  While looking for a photo for this devotion the attached caught my eye.  I don’t recall where I took this but given the date, the desks, the color of the children’s uniforms and the fact that these children are praying for their daily meal it must be in the Artibonite District. 

Perhaps not knowing where makes it that much more special as when I write a check to Trinity HOPE this month as I generally don’t know which children will be receiving a meal because of my donation; it doesn’t matter because they are all His children.  They are all facing challenges and that plate of food on their desk is from Him and provides a sense of calmness in a country where there is so little hope these days.  In 1846 a hymn titled ‘I heard the voice of Jesus say’ was written by Horatius Bonar and the words provide a calming effect for the trials of this day.

“I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Come unto Me and rest; lay down, thou weary one, lay down, thy head upon My breast."  I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad; I found in Him a resting-place, and He has made me glad.  I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Behold, I freely give the living water; thirsty one, stoop down and drink and live."  I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream.  My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.  I heard the voice of Jesus say, "I am this dark world's Light.  Look unto Me; thy morn shall rise and all thy day be bright."  I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun; and in that Light of Life I'll walk till traveling days are done.” 

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

Knowing Jesus.

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” Philippians 3:8

I read a quote this week from John Timmer that read “You can learn about God with your mind or through your life’s experiences.  God prefers the latter.  He wants us to know Him experientially, to engage Him with our whole lives.”  I also read a quote on this topic that a friend sent me this week; ”Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger.”

I recall from the Lutheran Confirmation classes that we cannot know Jesus through another person's acquaintance with him; my faith in Jesus cannot save my children.  It must be their own personal faith.  Our faith in the 150 children who attend this Bon Berger Lutheran school at Moron cannot save them; cannot save one of these lives.  They, like us must know him on our own.

The Holy Spirit comes to us through the Word and reveals our Salvation found only through Jesus Christ.  God has called each of us here and in this school in Haiti to go and share this ‘knowledge’ of Salvation with the lost.  This knowledge of Christ Jesus will elevate us and them above all trials, and doubts, and sorrows; and it will prepare each of us for the immortality of being with our Savior enjoying His eternal joy.

Thank you for continuing to help prepare them for this journey in Haiti, with the gifts that you have sent to provide them with a feeding program while they too are prepared through Lutheran Pastors and teachers in Moron.  In 1832 James Montgomery wrote the words for the hymn ‘Pour out Thy Spirit from on High’ and they will close this devotion.

“Pour out Thy Spirit from on high, Lord, Thine assembled servants bless; graces and gifts to each supply and clothe Thy priests with righteousness.  Before Thine altar when we stand to teach the truth as taught by Thee, Savior, like stars in Thy right hand the angels of Thy churches be.  Wisdom and zeal and faith impart, firmness with meekness, from above, to bear Thy people on our heart and love the souls whom Thou dost love.  To watch and pray and never faint by day and night strict guard to keep, to warn the sinner, cheer the saint, nourish Thy lambs, and feed Thy sheep.  Then, when our work is finished here, we may in hope our charge resign. when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, O God, may they and we be Thine!” 

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