Your labor in the Lord is not futile norwasted. 1 Corinthians 15:58 Holy Bible Amplified Version
Are you serving the Lord yet not seeing any results?
Take heart.
Seeds do not bear fruit over night but some grow quick while others take longer to bear fruit. Joseph son of Jehovah T
hey say that when we get to Heaven one of the greatest surprises will be the people around us that we served and then moved on. We do not believe we gave them a lasting affect but afterwards they blossomed into beautiful children of Jehovah.
I know, when I was a teacher there would be many months with no visible change in my children. I would call out to the Lord and ask Him why I was wasting my time here suffering these hardships for nothing. Then one day some of them would come up to me like children on Christmas morning and share with me that they had given their hearts and lives to Jesus. Because we were in a communist country and there was no Bibles readily available would ask me if I had one which I gladly obliged. I cannot tell you how my heart danced with ecstasy in pure joy.
Any time spent serving the Lord is never wasted time. Joseph son of Jehovah
You may not see the results in your lifetime but take heart. Some of the seeds you have sown will blossom into Heavenly children of Jehovah.
Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Emunah (God is faithful) for being faithful to my request for the honour of planting the seeds of a Heavenly crop, even if I do not see the harvest during my lifetime. I exalt You in the name of the greatest sower Jesus Christ. Amen.
May the gentle assurance of Jesus’ sweet love encompass you today and every day.
For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again Proverbs 24:16 Holy Bible Amplified Version
I do not care how long you have been a member of the Family of Jehovah, I do not care how strong your trust in Jehovah is we all fall down.
That is when the wicked one will come and mock you and tell you Jehovah is angry with you and you are not fit to be a member of His divine family. Do not believe him.
When we sincerely repent ( which means we admit what we did, admit it was wrong, apologize for it and stop doing it ) then we are forgiven.
I think an important note about repentance is for parents to set the example and repent to their young children ( and old ones of course) when we mess up. It teaches them integrity which will carry them through life and they will respect you for it.
This process is carried through out our life here on this planet until Jehovah takes us to our Heavenly home.
We will stumble and crawl our way to Heaven, not strut Joseph son of Jehovah
Do not be arrogant and foolishly believe yourself above this because that is when you are easy prey for satan.
Therefore let the one who thinks he stands firm [immune to temptation, being overconfident and self-righteous], take care that he does not fall [into sin and condemnation]. 1 Corinthians 10:12 Holy Bible Amplified Version
I know in my early walk with Christ there were times when I was absurd and believed I was strong and oh how hard was the fall and how deep them shame. Thankfully there was repentance on my behalf.
Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Hoshe’ah – ( The Lord Saves ) for graciously saving me and lifting me out of the dung pit we all fall into on occasion in our walk to our Heavenly home. I praise You in the name of He who lifted Peter out of the waves that were enveloping Him Jesus Christ. Amen
May the gentle assurance of Jesus’ sweet love encompass you today and every day.
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. Revelation 2:17 New International Version
When researching for a recent article I discovered our last name is in reference to the clan we are born into ( that is what your family name is).
Since becoming a Christian we belong to Jehovahs family it is only right we call ourselves of the family of Jehovah.
My parents gave me the name of Joseph. Unbeknownst to them Joseph means Jehovah will increase. Boy has He ever. He has blessed me with increasing intimacy with Him, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He has blessed with with increased wisdom. He has increased me with service unto Him. I believe Jehovah directed them to give me that name. As such the first name shall remain.
Therefore my new name is Joseph son of Jehovah ( when we become Christians we are a child of Jehovah, this is my God given name).
And you know what? It feels natural to say : my name is Joseph son of Jehovah
But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name John 1:12 The Holy Bible Amplified Version What is your God given name?
Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Abba (God our Father) for the supreme blessing of being a member of Your holy family and with the wonderful name You have lovingly provided me with. I thank You in the name of He who has the most beautiful name Jesus Christ. Amen.
May the gentle assurance of Jesus’ sweet love encompass you today and every day.
Your way [of escape for Your people] was through the sea, And Your paths through the great waters, And Your footprints were not traceable. Psalm 77:19 Holy Bible Amplified Version
There have been many times during my trials and tribulation, sorrows and snares in life that I cried out unto Jehovah to come and rescue me but believed He had deserted me. In reflection it was revealed that He is always there.
Do you think it is just a coincidence that that man or woman came into your life at just the right moment when you needed help but there was none forth coming?
When it seems as of you are walking through the desert with no job prospect do you think it is coincidence that that employment offer came along?
For me many times it was tiny ads in the newspaper that jumped out at me and would not let go until I took action on them. It always resulted in amazing accomplishments in my life. It helped me find employment, it helped me find good Christian councilors, it guided me to schools that Jehovah wanted me to attend to learn a skill that would be used in service unto Him later on. This is just but one example of Him being there without me even knowing it at the time.
There is no such thing as coincidence in the Christian walk. Joseph son of Jehovah
So, no matter what ordeal you are experiencing now and it seems as if Jehovah has deserted you take comfort child of Jehovah He is always there.
Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Immanuel (God is with us) for the blessing of always being with me through the numerous trials and tribulations, sorrows and snare, victories and love You graciously bless me with each and every day. I thank you in the name of He who walked amongst us Jesus Christ. Amen.
May the gentle assurance of Jesus’ sweet love encompass you today and every day.
The whole congregation of the Israelites [grew discontented and] murmured and rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,and the Israelites said to them, Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger.” (To understand Israel’s rebellious behavior, it is important to grasp the contrast between life in Egypt and nomadic life in the wilderness. Despite the hardships of slavery survival was not an issue in Egypt, where they were guaranteed food and other necessities. But the desert wilderness was hostile and unforgiving, and survival was an art. Desert nomads needed to understand the wilderness in order to stay alive; they had to learn, among other things, how to protect themselves from the weather, where to find water and pasture, and how to find and prepare scarce food, or live primarily from what their livestock could provide them. So the Israelites viewed every new problem they faced as life-threatening. Instead of looking back and taking comfort from God’s earlier miracles, they doubted God’s ability and willingness to help them. Their fears and doubts subsequently came to be expressed as irrational anger toward Moses. ) Exodus 16:2-3 Holy Bible Amplified Version
How many of us ask Jehovah for something but are never satisfied?
We ask for a job but when we get one we do not like the work because it is too hard or it is too boring.
We ask for a place to live but it is too far from the bus stop or grocery store or park.
We ask for direction in life but it is not where we want to go.
We desire good Christian friends but can always find fault with them.
I think the real reason we are discontented is because of greed. We want the best and nothing less is good enough for us.
Jehovah blesses with what we need not always with what we want. Joseph son of Jehovah
That is the ultimate insult of ungratefulness and a huge slap in the face to our loving generous Father in Heaven. More so for those of us that have walked with Christ for any length of time and so can reflect back at His previous provisions for us. Peevish discontented minds will find fault with that which has no fault in it but that it is too good for them.
Those that might be very happy often make themselves very miserable by their discontents. Matthew Henry
Prayer: Please Jehovah Heseh (God is love) bless me to always have a grateful heart towards you and those around me for all the wonderful blessings You and those around me share with me every day. I ask this in the name of the greatest blessing of which I am eternally grateful for Jesus Christ. Amen.
May the gentle assurance of Jesus’ sweet love encompass you today and every day.
But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name John 1:12 The Holy Bible Amplified Version
Do you adhere to Christ?
To adhere to means to maintain loyalty and to bind oneself to observance ( adhere to the rules)
Are you loyal unto Christ?
Do you place your allegiance unto Him above your family, career and or possessions? Yes there are rules when you are a child of Jehovah (mainly Gods Law which states we are to do unto others as we would like them to do to us and to not do to others as we do not want them to do to us). Do you do to others as you would like them to do to you? That means to be respectful and to help others when you see they need help ( That does not mean to support those who refuse to take responsibility for their actions and refuse to help themselves. We “ owe “ them nothing ). Do you not do unto others as you do not want them to do to you ( that means no bullying or gossiping, backstabbing or cheating ) ? Do you trust Christ? Do you trust Christ with your finances? When He directs you to give of your finances even though it will hurt do you obey Him? Do you trust Him in your relationships? So say you meet someone you like but He sees what they are really like and directs you to end the relationship, do you trust Him to obey?
Do you rely upon Christ?
Do you daily rely upon Christ for guidance? So say you want a job and a good one is offered to you but you feel Christ saying no, will you walk away from it? Do you rely upon Christ in your interpersonal relationships? So say someone has done you wrong, do you rely upon Christ to give you the power to forgive them? If the abuse is habitual and Christ directs you to walk away from the relationship ( even if it is family ) will you walk away from them? Do you rely upon Him to find the proper spouse for you ( instead of the on line dating service where people can be as phony as a three dollar bill ) And, if He direct you to remain single will you rely upon Him to fill the void a spouse can fill?
Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Ezer (The LORD our Helper) for helping me adhere to Your righteous Holy manner in my behaviour in my relationship to You. I exalt You in the name of He whose total manner emulated His complete adherence unto You Jesus Christ. Amen
May the gentle assurance of Jesus’ sweet love encompass you today and every day.
Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people hate you, and exclude you [from their fellowship], and insult you, and scorn your name as evil because of [your association with] the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for their fathers used to treat the prophets in the same way. Luke 6:22-23 The Holy Bible Amplified Version
Since becoming a Christian do you find many in your family actually hate you?
I have, it is common. Most of them will not even talk with me anymore and cannot stand to be around me. I am not a Bible thumper and shove the Bible in their faces. Yes I will correct them when they try to get me to participate in their wickedness with Bible verses and explain to them what it means. I do not condemn them, I leave that up to the Holy Spirit. I just explain to them why I will not walk that walk with them when they are selfish, self centered, conniving, and gossiping. They walk in the world and when they see me walk in righteousness they hate me because my walk convicts them of their wickedness.
The same is said with those with whom I chummed around with. They will make spiteful remarks towards me and look for any little thing to criticize me and be judgmental towards me. They will cruelly mock ( make fun of me ) me.
As they did to Christ so too will they do unto those that belong to Christ. Joseph son of Jehovah
The thing is though that since walking in Christ there is a whole lot less stress and emptiness in my life. It is filled with Divine love, joy and peace, which is something sorely lacking in their lives. A prophet is, in its simplest form, one who speaks the Word of God to the world around them.
Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Machsi ( Lord my Refuge ) for blessing me with a Holy Tabernacle to take refuge in while the wicked ones are assaulting me because of my walk with You. I extol Thee in the name of He who was constantly attacked during His walk here on earth Jesus Christ. Amen.
May the gentle assurance of Jesus’ sweet love encompass you today and every day.
