People Matter Daily Devotional: September 30

A Word From God’s Word
Dull their understanding, close their ears and shut their eyes. I don’t want them to see or to hear or to understand, or to turn to me to heal them.

Isaiah 6:10 (TLB)

A Word From Kelsey Trautwein
Various distractions keep you captive in your spiritual life: technology, stress, school, work, sports, and relationships, to name a few. You can spend time reading the Bible and praying, but if you do not fully submit every aspect of your life to God, your Spiritual life will never reach full potential. In fact, God told Isaiah he would not allow Israel to understand Him as long as they allowed themselves to be captive to secular things. He literally said, “I don’t want them to see or to hear or to understand.” (Isaiah 6:10) God refuses to reveal himself to us when we allow ourselves to be captive to the world we live in.

God loves us too much to give up on us. God will put us through situation after situation until we finally realize we are captive by sin and have the sincere desire to change our ways. Unfortunately, it often takes many hardships for us to learn our lesson. Isaiah asked God “Lord, how long will it be before they are ready to listen” and He replied, “Not until their cities are destroyed—without a person left—and the whole country is an utter wasteland and they are all taken away as slaves to other countries far away, and all the land of Israel lies deserted!” (Isaiah 6:11-12) Fortunately, for us, God is never far away. Jeremiah 29:13-14 says “you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, ‘declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.” What is keeping you captive from fully seeking God today?

Kelsey Trautwein served on the High School Mission Team this past summer as well as a Crew Leader for VBS. She is a student at Williamsville North High School.

A Word With God
Lord, give me the sincere desire to turn away from my captivity and the faith to know You will lead me back to Your righteous path. Amen.

People Matter: Communities

This week Pastor Chuck explored how communities matter to God. It’s a continuation of our People Matter series. It started with individuals, moved on to families, and will end next week with nations. Be sure to read the daily devotions around the theme communities matter as well.

Interested in going deeper with the sermon? Here are some questions to reflect on this week:

1. Is there someone around me in my community who needs to be set free from fear by Jesus?
2. How might Jesus use me to help physically, relationally or spiritually blind people in my community?
3. How can I serve the hurting in my community?

Let us know your joys and struggles in response to the sermon in the comments below.

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People Matter Daily Devotional: September 29

A Word From God’s Word
He said, “Go and tell people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding: Be ever seeing, but never perceiving.”

Isaiah 6:9 (NIV)

A Word From Dick McKie
This verse is Isaiah speaking of his frustration on his inability to make some people listen, much less understand. I spent some time thinking back in my life to times that I was told but did not understand. It took me some period of time before an early recollection came to mind. It actually came to me as I was sitting barefoot the other night and I looked down at the top of my food and saw an old scar.

One day as a young teenager I thought I was pretty smart, especially when it came to listening to my parents. I was flipping a pair of sharp scissors in the air and catching them. I might mention, I was sitting barefoot on a chair in our living room which had new carpet. My mother upon seeing the activity told me to stop being a showoff and put them away. My response was something like, don’t worry I know what I am doing. At which point I dropped them, stuck them through my foot and bled on the new carpet. You can imagine the frustration and anger that my mother felt was similar to Isaiah’s feelings.

Isaiah talked to the people but was angered by the people who continued to rebel and refused to listen. In our current world, even some of us who come to church, might be accused of not listening. Only God knows whether we hear and understand. The consequences of being a person who has heard the word, but not listened is much more severe than piercing one’s foot with scissors, bleeding on a new carpet, and getting thoroughly yelled at by his mother.

The reality is God’s offer of salvation is made to each of us; he is an equal opportunity employer. However, if we choose not to receive him into our heart, and repent, the result is eternity in Hell. Not a joke, not to be taken lightly. We as chosen people have been given a gift that is beyond belief. We just have to accept the Holy Spirit into our lives. I would like each of you to say this prayer today before you turn off the light to sleep.

Dick McKie is the Director of Serve Ministries.

A Word With God
Dear Jesus, thank You for the sacrifice You made on our behalf, we don’t deserve it. Please grant me the peace that can only be received by accepting You into my life. Also, give me eyes to see opportunities to share Your love with others, whether they are family, friends or strangers. Give me the words to speak of Your Love and Grace to others so they can join me in everlasting life with You in Heaven. Please let Your light shine through me so that anyone who knows me wants to know the joy that I have. Amen.

People Matter Daily Devotional: September 28

A Word From God’s Word
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings; with two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’ ”

Isaiah 6:1-6 (ESV)

A Word From Debbie Ferrante
King Uzziah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord… He set himself to seek God and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper…his fame spread even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong.” 2 Chronicles 26:4-5, 8

Isaiah grew up in Judah under this powerful king and how highly he must have thought of this great leader. The people lived in tranquility as the king was able to fight and win many battles. Interestingly, not until this earthly idol died did Isaiah see the Lord.

Do our earthly idols prevent us from seeing the glory of God and the power He has for us in our own lives? How easy it is to look to our earthly leaders (our presidents, governors, spiritual leaders) or even ourselves for deliverance from our plights and the plights of our nation. “If only we could put someone into office who would…” Each new president elected brings hope to some and causes others to cringe with fear based on our expectations of their agendas. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me.” Matthew 28:18 Let us look to the author and perfecter of life and salvation to show us the powerless state we are in by ourselves, take away our guilt and send us out to accomplish His Kingdom work. “Here am I! Send me.”

“True: thou art darkness, I thy Light: My ray, Thy Mists and hellish fogs shall pierce. With Me, black soul, with me converse; I make the foul December flowery May. Turn thou thy night to me; I’ll turn thy night to day.” (The Devine Lover by Phineas Fletcher 1582 – 1650)

Debbie Ferrante is the Team Leader for Prayer Ministry, and a First Trinity Preschool Teacher.

A Word With God
Dear Jesus, I understand that I am powerless to change my own life. Please, by Your Holy Spirit change me. Amen.

People Matter Daily Devotional: September 27

A Word From God’s Word
Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His word.

John 4:39-41 (NASB)

A Word From Pastor Chuck
When I read this account, I am reminded of the story of Pastor Izidor. He arrived in Les Cayes, Haiti on October 11, 1992. All he had with him was a bicycle, his wife, and a great faith that God had called him to reach the people of Les Cayes.

Within ten years, he had started 75 churches, 54 schools, and “The Children of Israel Orphanage.” The first school he started had over 1400 students during the day and offered adult classes in the evening.

Pastor Izidor wasn’t a man of great physical stature or a man of great wealth. He was just an ordinary man with a great faith in an even greater God. Pastor Izidor changed his community and he changed Haiti, not by his own power, but by the power of God’s living word. He knew his community mattered to God. And He made a difference.

The point is that one person can make a difference in their community when they understand the people of their community matter to God.

You and I are just ordinary people. But we serve an extraordinary God. We serve a God who loves the people of western New York. They matter to Him. And God has placed us here for a reason. We can make a difference. We can transform our community, one life at a time, through the power of God’s living word. All God asks of us is to tell people about our Savior, Jesus.

We don’t have to be theologians. We don’t have to be great public speakers. We don’t even have to be perfect. The woman at the well certainly wasn’t perfect, but people listened to her because they wanted to know God. We simply tell people what we know, and we know Jesus. We just tell them the difference He has made in our life. Jesus will take care of the rest, just like He did in Samaria.

Rev. Chuck Whited is the Pastor at First Trinity.

A Word With God
Gracious Father, we want our lives to count. We want to make a difference in our community because we know the people of Western New York matter to You. Work in our heart so that we see people as You see them. Help us to love them as You love them. Then give us faith and courage to tell them about Your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

People Matter Daily Devotional: September 26

A Word From God’s Word
Just then, His disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn’t believe He was talking with that kind of a woman. No one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it. The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion, she left her water pot. Back in the village, she told the people, “Come, see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?” And they went out to see for themselves.

John 4:27-30 (The Message)

A Word From Tracy Bramwell
I see myself in this Bible story in several places. Back in junior high & high school, I wanted to be popular. If that is normal or human nature, then the Samaritan woman might have also longed to fit in. She assumes this Jewish man will look down on her as Samaritans were half-breeds not liked by the Jews and, in that culture, women were inferior to men and considered property. Yet Jesus chose to reveal himself to this woman. He cares about this community outcast with the sullied reputation.

Then Jesus’ friends show up. Any hopes the woman might have that they would be different were soon dashed. They reacted as I would have too. The NIV translation says they didn’t say these phrases out loud: “What do you want?” and “Why, Jesus, are you talking to her?” The Samaritan woman got the message and knew she wasn’t going to make more friends. But her encounter with Jesus was not diminished by the snobbish reaction of the disciples. She went home and talked to her neighbors.

In her village, she must have had some respect or been known for her honesty. Her community listened to her and went to check out her proposal. Someone who met Jesus (someone with a sordid past) had a huge impact on her community.

Things I learn from this passage:

• Don’t judge a situation or person by what it looks like from my limited, human perspective.
• Listen to people’s stories about their encounters with Jesus.
• If Jesus can love and care for the social outcast, so can I.

Tracy Bramwell is the VBS Director.

A Word With God
Dear Jesus, thank You for Your precious word, the Bible. Help me to love and care for the social outcasts, especially when my peers make that difficult. Help me make Western New York a caring community. Help me to bring others to You, like the Samaritan woman did in her village. Amen.

People Matter Daily Devotional: September 25

A Word From God’s Word
The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!” He said, “Go call your husband and then come back.” “I have no husband,” she said. “That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.”

“Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?” “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.

“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”

The woman said, “I don’t know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.” “I am he,” said Jesus. “You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.”

John 4:15-26 (The Message)

A Word From Sue Steege
I so love the story of the woman at the well in Samaria. In that encounter, Jesus shows that people matter to God because He’s even having a conversation with this woman (it was unheard of in Jesus’ day for men and women to talk in public—let alone a “loose” woman). It goes further than that, though. He also tells her the truth. She tries to turn the conversation into a religious argument, but Jesus simply says, “I am the Savior you’ve been looking for all your life.” She was changed forever. And it was contagious. Many came to know Jesus because if He could change her, there was hope for anyone.

I think about the people who live immediately around us at First Trinity. The people in our workplaces, on our street, at the Boulevard Mall, at Wegman’s or Tops or UB or the bank or the dentist’s office…all around us. Many of them have no idea who Jesus really is. In fact, many of them see churches and Jesus as cause for a religious argument, rather than a source of truth and refreshment. I am praying that today, we will have the courage to be the kind of person Jesus can use to help the people around us see that He is what they have been thirsting for all their lives.

Sue Steege is the Director of Transformation Ministries.

A Word With God
Jesus, I give my life to You today. Please change me from the inside out and help me be Your light to a world that is thirsting for You. Amen.

People Matter Daily Devotional: September 24

A Word From God’s Word
Jesus realized that the Pharisees were keeping count of the baptisms that he and John performed (although his disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead, turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people.

So Jesus left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee. To get there, he had to pass through Samaria. He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon. A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)

The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)

Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”

The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?”

Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

John 4:1-14 (The Message)

A Word From Bruce Stone
Ten year olds didn’t carry fancy water bottles when I was a kid. I grew up in a small Midwestern town and often rode my bike about 3 miles to my Grandfather’s farm. On the way, there was an artesian spring along the road side. Someone, probably a farmer, had driven a 4 inch wide pipe into the ground and that made for a perfect drinking fountain. Unlike the water on Grandpa’s farm it had no iron taste. It ran day and night with fresh, cool, clear sweet water that bubbled 3 inches above the pipe.

In this passage, Jesus passed through a Samaritan community as he traveled to Galilee Around noontime, he stopped at Jacob’s well and asked a local women for a drink. The woman was surprised that a Jew would give her the time of day. Jesus did a lot more than say hello, he told her that if she really knew him and who he was, she would be asking him for Living Water! Jesus wasted little time with small talk and told her his gift would be an artesian spring, gushing with the living water of life that will never end!

That passage reminds me how I told friends, neighbors, and anyone that would listen about the spring with sweet water. I’d say, “Go down to Winter Ave. and head east. Just past the railroad tracks and before you get to the old wooden bridge, look on your left. You can’t miss it. Drink as much as you want. It’s free!”

Today, Jesus asks me to tell others about the eternal life giving fountain he provides. The directions are clear. He is the way. I know God wants me to see the thirsty folks in my community and to point them to the Living Water. Will I show the way to someone in my neighborhood like the child I was? Or, will I be too shy, too afraid, and too worldly?

Jesus quenches our thirst to be right with God. Drink as much as you want. It’s free!

Bruce Stone is the Stewardship Chairman and assistant kitchen cook.

A Word With God
Dear Jesus, thank You for the living water that You so freely give to me today. Help me to open my heart and drink fully. Amen.

People Matter Daily Devotional: September 23

A Word From God’s Word
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men. 2 Corinthians 3:1-2 (NASB)

A Word From Karen Cassidy
When was the last time you asked for a letter of recommendation? It’s a scary proposition choosing someone to write a recommendation. You’ve got to pick someone who REALLY likes you, otherwise you worry, “What’s he going to say about me?”

What’s even more sobering is the realization that God chose people who love Him (YOU AND ME!) to write His recommendation. In Second Corinthians, Paul tells believers, “You are a letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men.” Sounds suspiciously like a letter of recommendation for Christ! My heart is a letter; my life an open book, a novel that reveals to the community what God is like, and whether God thinks they matter or not. What message am I giving them?

I’m not alone feeling uncomfortable inviting people to church, or witnessing in the community, but make no mistake, even a lack of witness sends a message about the importance of a relationship with God. After all, the Bible doesn’t say you might be a letter, it says you ARE a letter, so even now, this very moment, someone in WNY is “reading” my “letter”. (Ouch!)

This humbling prospect brings repentance and gratitude for the Holy Spirit’s guidance as I ask,

• What “letter of recommendation” has the community been reading in my heart, and seeing in my actions?
• How can I be a “letter” that reflects an awesome God, His amazing love, and the freedom found in His forgiveness?
• How can I be a “letter” that tells my community – “You matter to me. You matter to God.”
• If my heart is full of love, God’s love, where can I let my love spill out in WNY?

May God give you power to be the “letter” He wants you to be.

Karen Cassidy is the Fine Arts Coordinator/Drama Team Leader.

A Word With God
Dear Father in Heaven, write me as the letter You want me to be for this community. Amen.

People Matter Daily Devotional: September 22

A Word From God’s Word
Does it sound like we’re patting ourselves on the back, insisting on our credentials, asserting our authority? Well we’re not. Neither do we need letters of endorsement, either to you or from you. You yourselves are all the endorsement we need. 2 Corinthians 3:1-2 (The Message)

A Word From Christine Hartnett
I walk by the building every day, every day I feel pulled to go inside, but the fear that I am not worthy, keeps me away. For when I walk in, I’m afraid that I’ll see all of these “happy” people with their lives all “put together”, their problems all solved and the answers to life’s questions seeming so simple. Then there is me: struggling to find my way in a life that is dark, complicated and lonely. I am drawn to walk through the doors of the church, but fear pulls me away!

One day, the desire to open the door is greater than my fear. I open the door only to be filled with an overwhelming sense of warmth, peace and comfort that does not come from the people, but from something much more powerful: it is the presence of God.

Often as Christians, we can appear to others to have all the answers, the perfect life. It is easy to forget that the peace and joy we feel, does not come from us, but from our faith in Christ Jesus. It is Christ living in us and working through us that provides us the peace, joy and comfort that people see. Our hope and prayer is that First Trinity can be a place where Christ dwells in and works through its people; a place where people feel the warmth and comfort of Christ as they walk in the door.

Christine Hartnett is a Kingdom Quest Leader.

A Word With God
Dear Jesus—today I ask that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit and that You use my life to spread Your Word. Amen.