“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
Ash Wednesday is upon us and it reminds me that Easter is fast approaching; it causes me to think about the death and resurrection of Jesus. The real purpose of His life was to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, for the sins of mankind. Jesus became sin for us so that we could be forgiven and found sparkling clean in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. Jesus knew His purpose on this earth and he predicted when and how it would happen in Matthew 26:2.
Do you know your purpose as your journey continues? Luther would probably say our purpose is to love and joyfully serve the Triune God. If you have read Rick Warren’s ‘Purpose Driven Life’ book, you may have a more laid out course that you feel matches your God given talents. The verses in Hebrew 12 encourages us to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the perfecter of our faith; Jesus looked beyond the cross and focused on the joy that would be for us.
The attached photo is pure joy. This girl in Cap Haitian is holding tightly on to a plate of happiness, you can tell that in her smile and the look of her eyes. The Bible teaches that there is great joy in heaven whenever a sinner repents and my human mind thinks that there is also a great shout of joy when they over 33,500 children in Haiti with a plate of food that will bring energy to their life as they go out into their neighborhoods sharing the Gospel message of their Savior who died and rose on Easter Sunday.
What is your purpose; what is her purpose? Our awesome Triune God gives us many opportunities to share the news of His only Son, our Savior with the lost in this world. We have been daily given an opportunity to share of our abundance with a generation of believers in Haiti who will in turn bring the Cross to the lost. Your purpose and her purpose can be one in the same; that is a God thing. Thank you for your continued support of these Trinity/HOPE feeding programs.
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