How to Make it Special

 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10, The Holy Bible, New International Version

Do you give to the Lord with a joyous heart, or, do you give niggardly?

Niggardly: giving or sharing as little as possible Webster’s Dictionary

For me, I love to give with a joyous heart. A heart of gratitude to my loving creator for all the wonderful gifts He has so graciously given me. Not just material things like a place to live, but also insights into how truly awesome He is, how ingenious He is, how loving and caring He is. When I meditate on these things my heart cannot but help but give joyously to our wonderful God.

Think of how much you would pay to go to the best university in the world?

That is where you are when you read and digest the great wisdom in the Bible.

Then think of how much you give back to the great I Am?

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 The Holy Bible, New International Version

Think of all the wonderful gifts He so hospitably gives us?

Mull over the beautiful sunrise, the wonderful fragrance of flowers, and the sweet serenade of the tiny song birds. While delighting in these special treasures, why not take this time to talk with Him as well.

What better time or place?

These are all amazing gifts He freely shares with us if we take the time to enjoy them. Our reciprocation should therefore be one of joyous returning to the marvelous Immanuel (God who walks amongst us) whether the commitment is financial or elegantly serving in a volunteer capacity.

When we give appreciatively to the magnificent God we are exhibiting our gratitude towards Him the way He intended it to be and the way that brings a smile to His beautiful face. There is joyous celebration with angels singing when you share in this manner.

The Holy Spirit is the secret of the power in my life All I have to do is surrender my life to Him. Kathryn Kuhlman

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Jireh ( God provides ) for blessing me with an abundance of both physical and spiritual security (not overabundance but enough to live comfortably). Thank you my Beloved for blessing me with numerous opportunities to share this wealth with those who are in need and are appreciative of the gifts given to them through Your grace. I praise You in the name of He who is Your greatest gift to me Jesus Christ. Amen

May the sunshine of Jesus’ sweet love fill your heart today and every day. Joseph a son of Jehovah 

Photo and article @ Joseph a son of Jehovah 2020

Why do You Give?

Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. 2 Corinthians 8:12 The Holy Bible, The New Living Translation

We are bombarded with feel good stories on the TV news of giving to help the poor, giving to help those with sicknesses and disease.   

BUT, what is at the heart of the giver?                            

Do they genuinely give because of their concern or do they give to feel good and to be prideful on social media look at me, look at me. Or to brag to friends, family and co-workers? Do they participate to be a part of the crowd or because they are peer pressured to give?                         

Yes the Lord loves a cheerful giver BUT, we must first take it to Him in prayer where to give, how much to give and when to give. Then, we will be giving to please the Lord which is the only reason any Christian should give.                             

Give joyfully and thankfully to the Lord in abundance as a sacrifice of love and appreciation as He has given in abundance sometimes with great cost (like the cross) to you.   

Why do you give? 

Just as I have one hand open to receive my Beloved Jehovahs blessings, my other hand is open to sharing them with those in need. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Jireh (God supplies) for blessing me with numerous opportunities to share with those in need. I praise You in the name of He who gave His blood for my salvation Jesus Christ. Amen

May your house be filled with joy in the morning and sweet dreams at night. May it be a home where love has come to live. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Photo and article @ Joseph a son of Jehovah 2019

My Gimme List.

It seems like the majority of folks today are like spoiled babies always crying gimme, gimme, gimme. It does not matter if the are young or old, man or woman (and as much as the lie berals like to pollute Gods design, that is the only two sexes there is naturally). It does not matter if the are rich or poor or what ethnically they are.

Yet, in this deafening screeching is the sound of silence of gratitude and service.

What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? Psalm 116:12 Holy Bible New Living Translation

Here is my gimme list

Please my Love gimme a grateful heart to thank you for all of your blessing both great and small every day.

Please my Love gimme eyes to see the subtle blessing You abundantly shower upon me every day so I can praise You more and more every day.

Please my Love, bless me with a heart that expands its love for You more and more every day.

Please my Love, gimme a mind and body that is submissive to Your will in my life every day.

Please my Love, gimme a forgiving heart to those who have offended me just as You forgive me when I repent.

Please my Love, open my eyes unto the needy not the lazy and ungrateful but rather those who are in genuine need and are appreciative of the help given.

Please my Love guide me where to invest Your tenth of my salary to You where it will do the most good for Your kingdom.

All of these are a gift of thanksgiving for my salvation and adoption into my Loving Heavenly Fathers family.

I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving Psalm 116:17 Holy Bible New Living Translation

Can you think of any other gimmes that should be on this list?

A Christian always has two open hands. One to receive the blessing of our Beloved Poppa in Heaven and the other to share those gifts with others. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Prayer: Please Jehovah Abba (God our Poppa) guide me to give back unto You as You have abundantly give unto me. I know I can never even match You much less surpass You but I would sure like to try. I sincerely ask this in the name of He who gave me the greatest blessing of all, an open door directly to You, Jesus Christ. Amen

May you be blessed with abundant joy in your heart filled with love and your life overflowing with laughter every day this year.

It is Indeed the Coldest and Darkest

 

Just Before. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. Matthew 14:25 The Holy Bible New International Version

Being an avid outdoors man all my life I can certainly attest to the fact that it is indeed the coldest and darkest just before dawn.

From decades of experience it seems to me like Jesus always comes to us in our trials and tribulations, sorrows and danger when it is its most intense.

I think the reason for that is most of us chose to face our giants alone being independent.

It is only as they get progressively worse and all else fails that we go to Christ.

One of the benefits of this is our great and deep appreciation for His rescue.

Unfortunately for us the lesson of depending upon Him for salvation must be repeated numerous times before we accept the fact that it is unto Christ that we must always go whenever any trouble comes our way.

Finally learning that lesson and going to Christ first has prevented my storms from becoming full blown destructive typhoons.

Just remember Jesus has been there, Jesus cares. He is always willing to help but we must first call out to Him and then obey His instruction for us. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested. Hebrews 2:18 The Holy Bible, New Living Translation

Jesus’ love is the bright healing light that evaporates that darkness of sorrow, worry, pain, loneliness and fear. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah ‘Ori (the Lord is my Light) Psalm 27:1 for blessing me with being the beacon of love, strength and assurance during my darkest hours. I praise You in the name of He who is the light of the world Jesus Christ. Amen

May the sunshine of Jesus’ sweet love fill your heart today and every day. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Photo and article @ Joseph a son of Jehovah 2019

Have You Ever Worked For

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Colossians 3:23Holy Bible, New Living Translation Version

Have you ever worked for the nit pickers before?

Nit picker are those that no matter how good your work is they can always find something wrong with it. They take all the steam out of your desire to excel at what you are doing. This is a real tragedy when the nit pickers are parents.

It takes a lot of work and therapy to get over their poison they inject into their childrens impressionable minds.

Teachers can have the same short term affect.

When I do work I like to step back and ask my Heavenly Father if He is pleased with what has been done.

Most times He is and there is a warm feeling of satisfaction flowing through me.

When He isn’t there is no scolding. He just redirects my effort and then I step back and marvel at what we have accomplished and gratefully thank Him. There has been numerous times when He guides me to do something that I have no desire to do but do it with great gusto to please Him, which gives immeasurable pleasure to me.                                   

Most times when the project is completed I see what He was doing and the finished project looks fantastic even though it looked stupid and was laughed at by others or looked ugly but was beautiful when completed.

Sometimes we will not see the purpose of His task until we enter our Heavenly home. That is okay though because we take satisfaction in knowing what we did pleased our Heavenly King in the here and now.

Work for Jehovah, not man. It is appreciated so much more. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Helech ‘Olam (The Lord our King Forever) for the esteem of being Your humble, obedient, loyal servant. It is the greatest delight that can be offered to me. I exalt You in the name of the King of Kings Jesus Christ. Amen

May you be blessed with the gift of love, the gift of peace, the gift of joy. May you be blessed with numerous opportunities to share these gifts with others today.  

 

You Must Clothe Yourselves With

  Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 Holy Bible, New Living Translation

There is too little of tender hearted mercy today. Tender hearted mercy means that our hearts ache when we see someone in need. We make a commitment to help them where they cannot help themselves (do not mistake that for refuse to help themselves. If drug addicts refuse to take the steps necessary to destroy the habit all you help is nothing more than a crutch to them which does not help them). This is not a one day event or token kindness like giving to the food bank (although there is nothing wrong with that) but rather a long term commitment.

So if there is a youngster that is having problems in life us older generation should come along side of them and offer them our experiences, both good and bad (yes it is good for the younger generation to hear of our failures to help them see that we were just like them).

We must exhibit kindness, especially to the elder generation. If a senior needs someone to cut their grass or shovel the snow from their driveway we are to offer to help them (be careful not to be abused though. Just because they are seniors does not mean they cannot be manipulative, indeed most seniors I know are very manipulative.

That is why it is so important to pray to Jehovah to guide you to where your help is appreciated).

We must be there to strengthen the weak when temptation comes a knocking at their door. We have all opened that door when we should not have from time to time so we know what they are going through.

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these. Lloyd Shearer

Prayer: Please Jehovah Heseh (God is love) bless this child of Yours to emulate Your love with all those I encounter today so as to be a light to guide them to the most incredible love affair there ever can be or will. I humbly request this in the name of He who showed His supreme love for me on the cross Jesus Christ. Amen

May the light of Christs love shine brightly in your heart today and every day

Love Always Involves

Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord 2 Corinthians 5:11 New Living Translation Bible

Yes, as Christians we have a responsibility unto Jesus. He is our King and we are to serve Him.

Fearful in this context means being respectful. That means we are not to go before the King (in other words we are not to choose the type of service we offer to Christ but must be obedient unto His calling in life). We are not to sit on our hands and do nothing either. When the King calls we are to take responsibility and move where, when and how He asks us to. We are to take responsibility and do the work He has assigned for us to do.

I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good. Psalm 54:6 New Living Translation Bible

Yes, as Christians we are to give sacrifices unto Jehovah. That pleases Him.

No these sacrifices are not animals nor humans.

These are sacrifices of love, joy and gratitude.

Because Jehovah has blessed us we are to share the blessing with others and not hoard it. Our offering of the one tenth of everything is a sacrifice to Jehovah. That means not just money but if growing a garden the first one tenth is to be given to Jehovah. May I suggest you talk with a local church to share with the working poor, or the elderly that are on limited pensions or those that are sick or hurt and cannot work.

After seeing the lazy ungrateful welfare bums that go to food banks and soup kitchens I refuse to donate to them. That is a waste.

Sacrifice on tenth of your time. Again, go to a church and ask where they need help. It may be cutting the lawn or visiting someone in the hospital or seniors home.

“Love always involves responsibility, and love always involves sacrifice. And we do not really love Christ unless we are prepared to face His task and to take up His Cross.” — William Barclay

Prayer: It is an honour Jesus Hamelech ( Jesus my Lord King ) to suffer my Beloved King for You as You have suffered for me. It brings greater appreciation for the sacrifice You made for me. I extol You in Your magnificent loving name. Amen

May you be blessed with the gift of love, the gift of peace, the gift of joy. May you be blessed with numerous opportunities to share these gifts with others today.