International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 11/14/24 Joel Griffith 11/14/24

What should I do?

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

In the parable Jesus tells of a rich man who had 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 my grain was transported to the grain elevator for storage. This man 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 65,000 children enjoying a 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 Berger in Caredeux are extremely happy as they have received this blessing; their meals cost a donor about two dollars.

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

Joel Griffith 11/13/24 Joel Griffith 11/13/24

Where two or more are gathered...

“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? It doesn’t matter to me if one person, three people or a congregation is praying for me; it is still a comforting and 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 prayer and fellowship is so important to their spiritual lives. When this young child prays before going to sleep on the 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.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 11/12/24 Joel Griffith 11/12/24

Seek His directions.

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

In all that we do on this side of Paradise, 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.

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. Currently, Trinity HOPE is feeding over 65,000 children in Haiti daily in 255 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.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 11/11/24 Joel Griffith 11/11/24

I AM God.

“Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases him.” Psalm 115:2-3

When the gangs began to bring chaos into the streets of Haiti, one of the most troubling thoughts that perplexed me were the supplies of food stored at Trinity HOPE schools in Haiti. Many of the storage sites that I saw were not totally secure by my standards. This is Haiti. If I could kick down their door then I knew that a few gang members to do that too. God watches over those supplies.

A few weeks ago, I heard that a small group of gang members, possibly 4 or 5 went to one of the schools in Port-au-Prince with a Trinity HOPE feeding program and gathered up as many boxes and bags of food in mid-morning and headed out into the street. Their guns were hanging from their arms and their hands were holding onto their stolen supplies when a crowd from the neighborhood over powered them, killed them and returned the food to the school where many of their children attended. God was watching over those parents and those supplies. The Haitian police came and gathered the guns and the bodies and left. These same gang members had killed police, raped women, chased people from their home and stolen everything they could during their short reign of terror.

I struggle with this report as we are taught not to kill. The chaos in Haiti really needs to end. If the gang members will not put down their arms and repent of their crimes and face justice…then God’s people will rise up. God is watching over every life in every neighborhood where gang driven chaos is still tormenting His children. God is watching and does as He wishes.

It is difficult to make some sense of what is happening in Haiti today. If I could figure it out, I'd qualify as His adviser, and the Scripture makes it clear that He doesn't need my short-sighted, insignificant counsel. He’s on top of this problem. He is taking care of it in His time and in His way. I’ve been told that one of the marks of spiritual maturity is the quiet confidence that God is in control, without the need to understand why He does what He does. God has this in His hands.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 11/9/24 Joel Griffith 11/9/24

Now that's love.

“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 have hugged each one of them; each one of His children attending school at Caredeux. 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 under five dollars. As John Hall used to 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!”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 11/8/24 Joel Griffith 11/8/24

Not important?

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Ephesians 4:11-12

The learned in this fallen world will tell you that this little girl at the Bon Berger Lutheran School in Caredeux is not really that important as she is too small and lives in a Third World Country; the thinking of our sinful world is wrong. She is being brought up with the knowledge that she has a Savior who loves her and has conquered death and the devil; she will learn that the Holy Spirit has much more power than the evil spirits from the vodou priest. She is being fed daily in the Trinity HOPE school feeding program and will grow up to be a strong witness of Christ, equipped to do His service. Samuel J. Stone wrote the words to the hymn ‘The Church’s one Foundation’ in 1866 and these words seem to be a fitting way to close this devotion.

“The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord; she is His new creation by water and the Word. From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died. Elect from every nation, yet one o'er all the earth, her charter of salvation one Lord, one faith, one birth. one holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food, and to one hope she presses, with every grace endued. The Church shall never perish! Her dear Lord, to defend, to guide, sustain, and cherish, is with her to the end. Though there be those that hate her. False sons within her pale, against both foe and traitor she ever shall prevail. Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping; their cry goes up, "How long?" And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song. Mid toil and tribulation and tumult of her war she waits the consummation of peace forevermore, til with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest and the great Church victorious shall be the Church at rest.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 11/7/24 Joel Griffith 11/7/24

Be kind and compassionate.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate are two qualities that seem to be in short supply these days. These are two words that would serve us well in this time of post-election blues. When our world tells us to look up to our sports stars, movie stars, political commentators and musicians it becomes more evident that we are holding up the wrong people to idolize as the world tells us that if we are kind and compassionate instead of mean and always being number one than we are weak and not strong.

To forgive as God forgave us requires great courage and great strength; this fallen world tells us otherwise. The attached photo of a young girl at Labodrie seems to scream out the words ‘kind and compassionate’ when you look into her eyes. Serving His children in Haiti is a humbling experience and the fruits of your labor and their labor will bring more children and adults into the Kingdom. The hymn ‘All Depends on Our Possessing’ was written by an unknown author in Germany in 1673 and then translated by Catherine Winkworth in 1858 and words seemed like a fitting way to close this devotion.

“All depends on our possessing God's abundant grace and blessing, though all earthly wealth depart. He who trusts with faith unshaken in His God is not forsaken and e'er keeps a dauntless heart. He who hitherto hath fed me and to many joys hath led me, is and ever shall be mine. He who did so gently school me, He who still doth guide and rule me, will remain my Help divine. Many spend their lives in fretting over trifles and in getting things that have no solid ground. I shall strive to win a treasure that will bring me lasting pleasure and that now is seldom found. When with sorrow I am stricken, hope my heart anew will quicken, all my longing shall be stilled. To His loving-kindness tender soul and body I surrender; for in Him alone I build. Well He knows what best to grant me; all the longing hopes that haunt me, joy and sorrow, have their day. I shall doubt His wisdom never, as God wills, so be it ever, I to Him commit my way. If on earth my days He lengthen, He my weary soul will stengthen; all my trust in Him I place. Earthly wealth is not abiding, like a stream away is gliding; safe I anchor in His grace.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 11/6/24 Joel Griffith 11/6/24

What did you expect?

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.” Haggai 1:9

Back in the day, when living in Petionville and was visiting the Lutheran schools and congregations in the nine Districts in Haiti, I was frequently asked by the District Presidents to give a message on Sunday morning to their congregation on the topic of tithing; not a great way to make friends but a wonderful way to plant seeds and share in the joy of tithing and the realized blessings that always came following.

In one of my former congregations there was a man who always seemed to be angry at the world, angry at our country, angry at Christians, angry at God and the only time I ever saw him smile was when he stated that he had never given one dime to a congregation. He didn’t understand that what he was withholding from God was preventing him from enjoying a fuller relationship with our Heavenly Father and more abundant blessings.

The attached photo was taken at Bon Berger on a Sunday morning; this was my home congregation while living in Haiti. The average person in Haiti has an annual income of roughly $450 and I would try to sit in the rear of the Church on Sunday, not because that is how I was brought up as a Lutheran, but I was curious to see what their offering plate looked like when it reached the last pew.

These people who had literally nothing to live on placed a few coins into the plate and to them, it must have been like you or I placing $2,500 in our offering plate. Our Heavenly Father's sovereign ways can cause our endeavors to succeed beyond our wildest dreams or they can defeat our plans to our own dismay and leave us looking for somebody to blame.

With a simple touch of His hand, God can steer our vessel into a profitable channel or He can allow it to run aground in poverty and bankruptcy. The Scriptures teach us that the Lord enriches the generous but leaves the miserly to discover that withholding their money only leads to poverty.

Over the years, the offering plate at Bon Berger got fuller and fuller and even had paper money becoming more prominent than coins; the congregation was being blessed. To the man that I spoke of earlier there is a verse in Matthew that says “Selfishness will always look first to its own home, but godliness will seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness." May your tithing be a joy and not a hindrance as you return a portion of your daily blessings to the One who originally gave it to you. William How wrote ‘We give Thee but Thine Own’ in 1854 and its words seemed like an appropriate way to close this devotion.

“We give Thee but Thine own, whate'er the gift may be; all that we have is Thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from Thee. May we Thy bounties thus as stewards true receive and gladly, as Thou blessest us, to Thee our first-fruits give! Oh, hearts are bruised and dead, and homes are bare and cold, and lambs for whom the Shepherd bled are straying from the fold. To comfort and to bless, to find a balm for woe, to tend the lone and fatherless, is angels' work below. The captive to release, to God the lost to bring, to teach the way of life and peace, it is a Christlike thing. And we believe Thy Word, though dim our faith may be: whate'er for Thine we do, O Lord, we do it unto Thee.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 11/5/24 Joel Griffith 11/5/24

Election Day famine.

“I will turn your religious festivals into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day. “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land; not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” Amos 8:10-12

Today is Election Day in my country; even though many of you may have already cast your vote. I read an article recently that indicated that the UN was hopeful that Haiti could resume holding elections sometime in 2026. As I daily read news from the U.S. and Haiti, it seems that both of our countries, and many others around the world are experiencing a famine. Not the kind with images of cows with their hide draped over their ribs or humans with bloated stomachs and skin that stretches tight across hollow faces. The kind of famine that I sense is different but equally as tragic; spiritual famine. Amos wrote about it in the above verses. The famine that he wrote about wasn't about a lack of churches, Christian schools or Seminaries. He is telling us of a famine of hearing and reading the words of the LORD.

What is needed to eliminate this famine in our fallen world is a substantive intake of spiritual food every day. We need to come to His table and receive the life-transforming and nutritious truths from the Word of God. When you were doing your homework on the candidates in this election cycle, did you investigate to find a candidate who did not have tendencies leading to a spiritual famine? Stay in the Word, pray and seek God’s favor.

Heavenly Father, be with us and our nation on this election day and throughout the election process. Guide our actions, that good and faithful leaders may be raised up to serve our nation and communities justly. Protect our communities from acts of violence. Provide peace of mind to all who are anxious. Bring comfort to all who are stressed and hope to those who are fearful. Grant that your Holy and life-giving Spirit may move every human heart to be kind; that the barriers dividing our nation may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatred cease. Help us to put our trust in you and give us wisdom, strength, and courage to be living examples of your love, today and every day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 11/4/24 Joel Griffith 11/4/24

Where are we going?

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

There are two important things on my calendar this week. Today is the day Trinity HOPE donors, workers and Haitian school kids set aside for a day of prayer for school feeding programs in Christian schools throughout Haiti. And tomorrow is Election Day here in the U.S. The question “Where are we going?” can be applicable to both days. Will all 255 schools with Trinity HOPE feeding programs be open this month? After the election, what direction will our country be going? God knows.

Last week, I read a familiar story that I’d heard before in a morning devotion and I thought that it would be good to share it today. The story is about Thomas Henry Huxley, a devoted follower of Charles Darwin. Following a series of public assaults against truths Christians held sacred, Huxley was in a hurry to catch his train to the next city. He took one of Dublin's famous horse-drawn taxis and settled back with his eyes closed to rest for a few minutes. He assumed the driver had been told the destination by the hotel doorman, so all he said to the driver was, “Hurry, I'm almost late. Drive fast!” The horses lurched forward and galloped across Dublin at a vigorous pace. Before long Huxley glanced out the little window and frowned as he realized they were going west, away from the sun, not toward it. Leaning forward, the scholar shouted to the driver, “Do you know where you are going?” Without looking back, the driver yelled back, “No, your honor! But I'm driving very fast!”

At times, it seems like we too, are moving too fast. The gang violence in Haiti has been operating on a wide highway and been going very fast. They certainly not seeking or following any directions from our Heavenly Father. We stand by, watch, pray and wait for our Lord to bring about His judgment to the gangs in Haiti. We pray that families can bury their loved ones, return to their homes and see children returning to school and resume eating that hot lunch.

For the past several months we have been inundated with political ads proclaiming how great one candidate is and how terrible their opponent seems to be. We give thanks for the freedom to vote and also that our Heavenly Father will bring forward candidates who seek our Triune God’s directions and favor. A candidate who will take the narrow and more difficult to navigate road, that leads to life. A narrow road requires a much slower and more careful pace. Leaders in our country need to seek wisdom from our Heavenly Father and draw us closer to Christ and bring other countries to recognize and follow the road on which we are traveling. It seems that many candidates and leaders are unaware of their destination. Through His Word and His Son, God looks from heaven and shouts to all of us below; “do you know where you are going?” Yes Lord, we are taking the narrow road. I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Jesus, Savior, pilot me.’ That were written by Edward Hopper in 1871.

“Jesus, Savior, pilot me, over life's tempestuous sea. Unknown waves before me roll, hiding rocks and treach'rous shoal. Chart and compass come from Thee; Jesus, Savior, pilot me! As a mother stills her child, Thou canst hush the ocean wild; boist'rous waves obey Thy will when Thou say'st to them, "Be still!" Wondrous Sov'reign of the sea, Jesus, Savior, pilot me! When at last I near the shore, and the fearful breakers roar. 'Twixt me and the peaceful rest; then, while leaning on Thy breast, may I hear Thee say to me; “Fear not, I will pilot thee!"

May God be with you,

Jay