“I delight to do your will, O my God;
    your law is within my heart.” – Psalm 40:8

I read a scripture like the one above and I immediately think, “Is that a fact?” Do we really get all amped up about doing God’s will? Then, just in case there is any uncertainty regarding what God’s will may be, the writer points out that “[God’s] law is within my heart.”

That’s when I like to use the Bible to inform itself. If we say we want God’s law to be written on our hearts, then we need to make sure we are always soaking ourselves in scripture. God’s word happens to include a lot of stories detailing how important it is to God that we follow Jesus when it comes to taking care of people who need a little help.

“Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food…” Matthew 25:34-35

So Friday evening close to 400 people flooded the CLC at Wake Forest Presbyterian Church for the purpose of delighting to do God’s will. The occasion was the first annual dinner and auction benefiting the work of Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry, one of the many mission initiatives supported by our church.

The ministry serves around 750 families a month around Wake Forest, distributing approximately 350,000 pounds of food annually. The extent of the need may be surprising, but it’s less of a surprise when we consider how easily a family can slip from plenty to the perils of food insecurity. A lost job, exorbitant medical bills, a sudden expense, credit challenges. It can happen in a heartbeat and it can happen to any one of us.

A family doesn’t have to be homeless to be hungry. And – equally important to understand – a family, or a church, doesn’t have to be rich to help. Coming to the aid of people dealing with food insecurity is one of the simplest, most straightforward mission opportunities we have in this community.

So take a look at these pictures of several hundred people reaching out in Christ’s love… and now imagine yourself doing all you can to follow the simple, straightforward instructions of Jesus.

Peace, and more peace – Derek