What Will Happen To

 The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can expect only judgment. Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you! Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring. Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind. The fool will be a servant to the wise. The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends. If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners? Proverbs 11:23-31 Holy Bible New Living Translation

One day while volunteering with a Christian organization delivering furniture to the needy we delivered furniture to welfare bums. They were so lazy they refused to even carry the free blankets used to keep them warm. They were ungrateful.

But, you know what else they were?

Very sad and ashamed .

It was because they knew their lifestyle was wrong not because of us.

We were respectful and friendly with them.

Listening to them talk amongst themselves we hear them constantly brag about themselves while drinking and smoking cigarettes. This is vanity and it comes from a selfish heart. But the sad thing is that:

When you surround yourself with yourself you end up with nobody but yourself. That is a very lonely place to be. Joseph a son of Jehovah

They were living a destructive lifestyle and it was only destroying themselves.

For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. 2 Corinthians 5:10 Holy Bible New Living Translation

Later we did deliver furniture to low income folks who were very grateful so it more than evened out for being a rewarding day knowing that we helped the truly needy. And, because we are Christians and those we helped were not, we gave glory to Jesus and by His grace used this as a conutit to guide them to Him.

And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. Hebrews 13:16 Holy Bible New Living Translation

There is a difference between those in need and those who are too lazy to support themselves. Supporting the later is a waste of the resources Jehovah has given you to help those who are truly in need. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Prayer: Please Elohim Ozer Li (Psalms 54:4 GOD My Helper ) bless me with helping me discern the difference between those that need help and those that are parasites upon society. The one my heart dance with joy for the opportunity to help. The other is a waste of time, energy and resources. I humbly request this in the name of He who only gave salvation to those who were willing to become His servants and work for His kingdoms interest Jesus Christ. Amen

Whatever is beautiful, whatever is meaningful, whatever brings you joy, may you be blessed with an abundance of it this every day this year. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Article and photo @ Joseph a son of Jehovah 2020

We are Still Stewards

 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. Genesis 2:15 Holy Bible, New Living Translation

Now, even though we are not in the Garden of Eden we are still stewards of Jehovahs creation.

One day early this spring while riding my bicycle down a country road the Lord guided my attention to how filthy the side of the road was and reminded me that as a Christian I am a caretaker of Jehovahs creation. He inspired me to go midweek with some garbage bags and start to clean up all the rubbish on the side of the road. It was incredible the amount that was collected in a short distance. I made a commitment to return one day a week and continue down the road until it was all cleaned up.

“You must not defile the land where you live, for I live there myself. I am the Lord, who lives among the people of Israel.” Numbers 35:34 Holy Bible, New Living Translation

After about a month, it rained out on the scheduled clean up day. A couple of days later when riding down the road to get some supplies for our garden the Lord directed my attention to the side of the road. It was spotless. That means someone or group noticed the work done, how it looked good and how bad the uncleaned part looked. They took the initiative and cleaned it up.

Many times we can lead by example in life with out even realizing it. Joseph a son of Jehovah

You yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Titus 2:7 Holy Bible, New Living Translation

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Bore (Isaiah 40:28) The LORD Creator for blessing me with helpers to restore some of Your creation to the beauty You created to be. I exalt You in the name of He who will restore all of creation to its original beauty upon His victorious return Jesus Christ. Amen

May Gods sunshine always bless you with brightening your day with His love, joy and peace. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Photo and article @ Joseph a son of Jehovah 2020

There are Two Important Steps in this Verse

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided. Proverbs 16: 6 Holy Bible New Living Translation

There are two important steps in this verse.

The first part is that through our love for Jehovah we feel shame for our sin so we repent of it. Jehovah for His part then forgives us of that sin.

“The truth is, living in agreement with God will bring His conviction when we are disobedient. Conviction may feel like a negative thing, but it’s just as much a part of God as His smile. He is committed to making our lives work in Him, and He will use the strength and power of His conviction to let us know when we are outside His will. It may feel bad, but conviction is God at work in us.” — David Edwards

The second part is when we are obedient unto the Holy Spirits guidance He directs us away from places and things that would tempt us to sin. It does not mean we will be protected from evil because it is all around us and sometimes strikes us personally.

Prayer: Thank you Jesus Rohi ( Jesus is our Divine Shepherd )- Psalm 23 for blessing me with Your gracious forgiveness when I mess up and honestly repent. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to guide me along the road to Heaven You have chosen for me to take and for helping me to stay upon said road. I praise You in Your wise name. 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

Not Good Enoughs.

Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men Colossians 3:23 The Holy Bible, Amplified Version

Have you ever worked for the “not good enoughs”?

These are ungrateful folks that no matter how hard you try it is never good enough for them. I used to be a people pleaser. It was not that their praise was needed for my ego but that there was a genuine desire to make others happy. It was and still is devastating to try your best only to experience their gratitude by slowly slicing it apart as with a knife with their complaints on how it is not good enough.

Now, that I am a more mature Christian, I seek Jesus’ pleasure not mans. He does not make a big deal out of it but there is a gentle loving feeling in the heart when He softly whispers:” Well done My good and faithful servant.” That is more rewarding than anyone else could say or do.

Work for Christ nor man. He is much easier to work for and much more appreciative. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Prayer: Thank you Jesus Hamelech ( Jesus my Lord King ) – Psalm 98:6 for blessing me with the honour of being Your obedient servant. I am filled with such wonderful joy when You esteem my dedication unto You in daily service to the King I adore. I thank you in Your majestic name. Amen

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

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.  

 

He Made You Something Special

 

For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]. Ephesians 2:10 Holy Bible, Amplified Version

Have you ever looked at the life of the majority of movie stars, musicians and TV stars? How many of them are all messed up on drugs and booze? How many of them are involved with sexual promiscuity? How many of their lives are all messed up? How many of them change partners more than you change the tires on your car? Have you noticed how shallow and self centred they are? Then why in the world would desire to emulate them?

The same can be said about the majority of the most popular kids in school when we see them later in life. Most have squandered their lives away on booze, drugs and failed marriages. Being older, it still amazes me when I see this.

Jehovah does not make junk. He made you something special and when you accept Christ as your Savior, He moulds you into an even more beautiful child of God. This is a lifetime endeavor. The longer we walk with Jesus and look back at how far the Holy Spirit has taken us and changed us, it is awesome and amazing.

We forfeit three fourths of ourselves to be like other people. Arthur Schopenhauer

 

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Bara (The Lord Creator) for the patience, skill and endurance to continuously mould this difficult lump of clay into a beautiful Heavenly child of Yours. I long to see Your reflection in my daily life become more and more inlaid in my character. I praise You in the name of the most beautiful of all Jesus Christ. Amen

May Gods sunshine always bless you with brightening your day with His love, joy and peace. Joseph a son of Jehovah

They are Neither Right or Good.

 For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Ephesians 2:10 The Holy Bible Amplified Version

I have witnessed many who take on tasks in the belief that they are doing Gods work so they will receive Gods blessings. That that is a form of bribery. They may be doing good in the community but of course their endeavors mean nothing to Jehovah.

The Christian motto is:Not my will but Your will be done my Beloved. Joseph a son of Jehovah

An obedient son or daughter of Jehovah seeks His will not their own. When we make this commitment He will guide us where we are best suited to meet His needs in His way.

When we fulfill His direction this is pleasing in Jehovahs eyes.

Before you make any plans to service Christ, take it to the King (Jesus) first. Then, wait for His direction.

Be patient.

Moses had to wait forty years. Paul had to wait three.

While you are waiting He is preparing you for meaningful service unto Him. He is also preparing the place of service for you to go to and the proper time.

“Christ is our justification, from which follows that our good works, if they are of Christ, are good; but if ours, they are neither right or good.” ―Ulrich Zwingli

Prayer:Thank you Jesus Christ Helech ‘Olam (The Lord our King Forever) for blessing me with guidance in the when, how and where to serve You in the manner in which You know is best suited for this servant to serve You. I praise You in You majestic name. Amen

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

Non-serving Does Not Belong to Us.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do Ephesians 2:10 New International Version

There is no such thing.

There is no such thing as a non-serving Christian.

Yes we have been saved by grace alone with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

That does not mean we can accept Christ and sit on our hands waiting for Him to take us to Heaven.

Once we become a member of Jehovah’s family He has His set chores for us to do. These are chores that are specially prepared just for us in our service to Christ.

Do not forget that if Jesus is our king then we are His servants.

What does a servant do?

They serve.

It need not be anything spectacular like missionary work. Whatever you do, when you do it for the glory of Christ, you are fulfilling your duties as His servant.

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Jireh (God our provider) for the numerous opportunities You so graciously provide me with to serve You both great and small every day. I give thanks in the name of Your wonderful child who served You so admirably when we walked amongst us Jesus Christ. Amen.

May the sweet sunshine of Jesus’ precious love bless you today and every day.

Gratitude is Not Only

Know and fully recognize with gratitude that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]. Psalm 100:3” Holy Bible, Amplified Version

Gratitude is described as acknowledgement of having received something good from another.

Yes we are to know that Jehovah made us and not being insulting idiots and believe that we are descended from monkeys. We are to recognize which means we are to have a clear understanding that we are a Divine creation.

To me that fills me with gratitude and meaning.

After all, how many folks go around and wonder why they are here?

I know why I am here. I was created to be blessed with a Divine loving relationship with our Heavenly Father. I am His and He is mine.

In gratitude I am obedient unto His direction in my life. This gives me Divine purpose.

Again, how many folks wonder what their purpose in life is.

I know mine.

It is to serve an amazing King.

For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]. Ephesians 2:8-10 Holy Bible, Amplified Version

This leads me to a virtuous life.

Virtue means a conduct that conforms to an accepted standard of right and wrong.

Whose standard of what is right or wrong will you trust, Jehovahs or the worlds? Look around at the world and see if you want to live that type of life, I certainly do not.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” — Cicero

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Bara (The Lord Creator) for creating in my life a heart dedicated to nurturing a loving obedient live dedicated to You. I love You and praise You in the name of my Beloved brother in Your Heavenly family Jesus Christ. Amen

May the gentle assurance of Jesus’ sweet love encompass you today and every day.

Must Mean Everything to Us.

Therefore I urge you,brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.Romans 12:1 Holy  Bible Amplified Version

Most western Christians have it backwards. They falsely believe that Jesus is here to serve them. They only call on Him when they want something from Him whether it is to solve a problem or whether it is because they want something from Him. When He blesses them with their request they are rude and ungrateful and do not even thank Him.

That is not the Christian life.

The Christian live is to dedicate ones self to Christ in serving Him. His will is to always supersede theirs. We are to lay our desires upon the alter and to completely surrender to their will in their lives. After all we were created to do specific works He has prepared for us to do.

For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]. Ephesians 2:10 Holy  Bible Amplified Version

The Christian motto is to be: Christ first, others second, self last. Joseph a son of Jehovah

When others see our sacrificial works they will become intrigued and ask us why  we live such a life. This will be our greatest testimony and evangelism of all. We are to be a living testimony for Him.

Do not tell me of your Christ, show me Him in your life. Joseph a son of Jehovah

“Christianity must mean everything to us before it can mean anything to others.” — Donald Soper              

Prayer: Thank you Jesus Christ Helech ‘Olam (The Lord our King Forever) my eternal King for the supreme privilege of being Your humble servant. I praise You in Your magnificent name. Amen

May the gentle assurance of Jesus’ sweet love encompass you today and every day.