Joseph's Storehouse is blessed with large truck loads of food each month to be a blessing to many in the community.
Cars begin lining up early before our gates open at 8:30 on giveaway day, which last until 11:30. There is plenty of food for everyone who comes during those times.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ What is involved in a person’s personal ambition? It is a strong desire to do or achieve something in someone’s life. It is deeply personal and is usually influenced by an individuals’ beliefs, values, and experiences. Here are some perspectives that people often consider when thinking about their ambition in life: it is to find meaning or purpose, have personal growth or fulfillment, connection and relationships, happiness, and well-being or legacy and impact. These perspectives may include pursuing one’s passion, becoming the best version of oneself, building and nurturing relationships, taking care of one’s physical and mental health, or creating something enduring or inspiring others. Ultimately, one’s ambition of life may evolve over time as an individual grows and changes.
Jesus himself had a personal ambition for His life. The world would have had Him come as a conquering King. One who would overthrow the Roman government. One who would have delivered the Jewish people from their oppression and persecution. Jesus’ ambition was different from the world’s view for Him. His life was to have meaning and purpose by doing the will of His Father. His life was to fulfill the law and the prophets. He came to build a connection and relationship with the human race. His existence was one that brought joy to the world. His life left a legacy and impact that has affected the life of man on Earth like none before or ever will. But He had one secret ambition. An ambition that was misunderstood by His family, His closest followers, and His devoted friends. It was one that would not be fully understood or realized until after His ultimate sacrifice for us all. It would ultimately be His claim to fame to all mankind for eternity. Mark 10:45b says, “the Son of Man came…to give His life a ransom for many.” Nobody knew it but His secret ambition was to give His life away. It was His secret ambition, His sacrifice that gives us eternal life and allows us to have a personal relationship with Him. ~ God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” Psalm 5:30The day before Billy Graham was scheduled to be interviewed on The Today Show, his director of public relations, Larry Ross, requested a private room for Graham to pray in before the interview. But when Mr. Graham arrived at the studio, his assistant informed Ross that Mr. Graham wouldn’t need the room after all. He said, “Mr. Graham started praying when he got up this morning, he prayed while eating breakfast, he prayed on the way over in the car, and he’ll probably be praying all the way through the interview.” Ross later said, “That was a great lesson for me to learn as a young man.”
Prayerfulness is not an event; it is a way of being in relationship with God. This kind of intimate relationship is developed when God’s people view prayerfulness as a way of life. The Psalms encourage us to begin each day by lifting our voice to the Lord (Psalm 5:3); fill our day with conversations with God (Psalm 55:17); and to face accusations and slander by giving ourselves totally to prayer (Psalm 109:4). We develop prayer as a way of life because we desire to be with God (Psalm 42:1-4; 84:1-2; and 130:5-6). Prayer is our way of connecting with God in all life’s circumstances. God is always listening! (from a devotional by Marvin Williams)
Let’s remember that talking with the Father should be as easy as discussing what’s for dinner with our spouse. God is listening and waiting because He wants to have an intimate personal relationship with us all. ~ God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you -- unless, of course -- you fail the test?” (1 Cor. 13:5). I have often heard that the hardest test that any of us will ever take is a “self-examination”. We, like the church at Corinth, are challenged by the Apostle Paul to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. This test is so important for us as Christ followers as we witness the direction of our society and culture in these last days. The test of “self-examination” requires us to answer questions of ourselves that make us uncomfortable to confront.
Pastor and author Rick Renner has posed several probing questions for us to consider in this test. We must open our hearts, be honest, talk with ourselves and God as we consider our answers: 1. What do you do with your time? (Do you make time with God in prayer and Bible study a priority?) 2. What do you do to serve others? (Do you serve God in a practical way in the church or a ministry?) 3. When you pray, what do you pray about? (Do you pray for yourself only, or for the needs and dreams of others?) 4. What personal sacrifices do you make to serve the Lord? (Do you give up something to walk in obedience to God or to serve others and to make a difference in someone else’s life?) 5. What do your spending habits reveal about you? (Do you spend money on your interests, personal possessions, and other non-essentials, and then compare it to the amount of money you invest in the Gospel?) 6. What does your lifestyle reveal about your priorities? (Does your daily lifestyle reveal what you love and that you are consumed with your own needs and offer no service or help to anyone else?).
As we may agonize over but honestly answer these questions, it will hopefully expose those areas in our lives and thinking that need to be changed. By doing so, when all truth is exposed, we will be able to stand before the Father joyfully and confidently knowing that we were found in the faith. ~ God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
From John’s Gospel: “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (3:3); “Truly I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life.” (5:24a); “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.” (6:35); “The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” (6:63); “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (8:12); “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (8:31b-32); “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (10:10); “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.” (11:25-26); “A new command I give you; ‘Love one another’. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will know that you are My disciples if you love one another.” (13:34-35); “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (14:6); “If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth.” (14:15-16); “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (16:33b); “'It is finished.' And with that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (19:30b): “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you... and I will come again and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also.” (14:1-3). ~ God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ “But one thing I do; forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead.” Philippians 3:13. The world will tell you that the dominating influence in your life is your past. If you came from a difficult home life, that would determine the direction of your life. If your culture was treated unfairly, that will dictate the condition of your life today. If you were hurt or abused or if your youth was spent in rebellion, the remainder of your life will be spent struggling with your past. The world is preoccupied with the past because it faces an uncertain future. Christians on the other hand, live in freedom because Christ has overcome our past. The “old things” have been done away with and the “new things” have come (2 Cor. 5:17). God has so totally forgiven the Christian’s sin that He chooses not to remember it (Isa. 43:25). Christians do not forget the past, but we are not controlled or motivated by it. The Christian looks to the future with hope.
The people of the world focus on what they are overcoming. Christians focus on what they are becoming. Christians know that the Holy Spirit is conforming them into the image of Christ. Christians know that ultimately, they will stand before Christ to give an account of their actions and will spend eternity in the presence of God. Christians know that eventually every injustice will be addressed and every hurt comforted. They know that Satan, and death itself, will finally be brought to an end. The Christian’s future is so full and rich and exciting that it supersedes whatever happened in the past.
If you are preoccupied with your past, ask God to open your eyes to the incredible future that awaits you and begin, like Paul, to PRESS ON to what is ahead! ~ God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all. (Excerpts taken from a devotional by Henry Blackaby).
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ Jesus said in John 14:12, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father.” It’s logically impossible to suggest anyone could do something beyond what Jesus accomplished. He is the one who turned water into wine, raised the dead, healed the sick, walked on water, and turned a little boy’s lunch into a feast for thousands. And these are only a FEW of His accomplishments while He was here on this Earth! How can anyone do “greater works” than He did? Let us approach the question from a different perspective. It is not possible to exceed the “quality or significance” of His works, but it is and has been to exceed the “quantity or scope” of His works.
Jesus’ earthly ministry only lasted three and a half years. He had limited ability in His human form to help and minister to others. He walked with the disciples and helped them in their time of need. Jesus knew that by going to the Father, the Father would send them another Helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with them forever (John 14:16). This would allow “greater works” by the power of the Holy Spirit working through not only the disciples but also through anyone who put their faith in Jesus. That includes you and me as Christ followers. Greater communication and travel technology allows us to reach almost anywhere with the gospel. One Christian website can reach more people in a year than was the known population of the Roman Empire in Jesus’ day. Churches and television ministries reach countries around the world with the good news every day. Missionaries today can serve the farthest reaches of the globe with the saving knowledge of Christ. Christian ministries are helping with medical support and food for the hungry wherever there is a need. All these are the continued “greater works” of Christ. The ministry of Joseph’s Storehouse has the honor to be part of this “greater works.” Jesus fed thousands while here on earth, but Joseph’s Storehouse has had the privilege of feeding tens of thousands for His glory! Because of your prayers, support, and financial contributions, you have been part of His “greater works” as well. ~ God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
God commanded many different sacrifices in the Old Testament. All the sacrifices in the Old
Testament were opportunities for God’s people to look forward in faith to the coming of His
Son to be their Savior. All the blood that was shed in the Old Testament times was meant to
foreshadow the blood that Christ would shed upon the cross. Without the shedding of blood,
Christ’s blood, there would be no final and complete forgiveness of sins.
Something special would happen in the days known as Yom Kippur or “Day of Atonement.” It
was a season marked by intense reflection and repentance. The High Priest was instructed to
choose two (2) goats that would be selected and presented before the Lord. The casting of lots
would determine each one’s fate. One would be designated “for the Lord” and sacrificed as a
blood offering. The high priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, bringing with
him blood to make atonement for the people. With the other goat, the Scapegoat, the high
priest would lay his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the
people, and in this way put all their sins on the goat. Then the scapegoat would be carried
away into uninhabited land in the wilderness not to be heard from again. The goat would
perish to its death in the barren hills outside of Jerusalem along with the transgressions of the
people.
“And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” Isaiah 53:6b.
Jesus is both goats to accomplish our Day of Atonement. The ceremony has come to its reality
and fulfillment in Christ. Both goats represented the work that Christ would do; the goat
designated “for the Lord” and the goat designated “Scapegoat” are to be found in Jesus Christ.
Christ performed both tasks: the offering of sin, and the carrying away of sin. Out of great love
for us all, Jesus made himself a willing offering and carried away all our sin. “And their sins and
iniquities will I remember no more,” Hebrews 10:17. God’s blessings, protection, and favor to
all this Easter season.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ How many people at some point in time have set their sights on becoming like one of their
heroes or idols? Whether it is to be the next Peyton Manning, Dolly Parton or maybe Elon
Musk, they begin to study their habits and character traits to determine what made them
successful. They must also realize that part of their makeup is one of natural ability or gift. This
information will help those individuals to plan for how much more time and effort they need to
apply as they strive to be more like those that they have come to respect or admire so much.
Christ followers are challenged to do the same as we strive to be more like our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. He should be the one we need to emulate. We find Jesus’ habits and character
traits as we spend time studying and meditating on God’s Word. Mark 5:16 says of Jesus, “Yet
he often withdrew to quiet places and prayed.” If Jesus needed to withdraw to a quiet place,
how much more should we? In this fast paced world, it takes a concentrated effort on our part
to disengage from the challenges of life and seek out a place to be quiet. If Jesus needed to
pray to His Heavenly Father, how much more do we? His practice was always one of petitions
as well as one of listening. We all would do good to learn from His example. Luke 2 says His
parents found Him in the Temple listening to the teachers and asking questions. If Jesus
needed to go the place of worship and listen to the teachers, how much more should we? It
needs to be our regular practice to attend worship services and receive from our teachers the
inspired Word. All through the Gospels, we see where the perfect man Jesus extended love,
compassion, mercy, grace, and forgiveness to those He encountered. If He, being perfect,
made this His habit and character, how much more should do so being as imperfect as we are?
May we as Christ followers desire and commit to do more to be like Jesus so that He may be
glorified. God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ “Forgetting what is behind...” Phil 3:13b. There are times in all our lives that we all have failed, missed the mark, stumbled, struggled, offended, or hurt someone. It is easy for us to be weighed down and hindered by what we may have done in the past. I have often heard that the greatest tool of the devil is to remind us of our past. (But we can remind him of his future!) Thankfully, we serve a God who faithfully forgives and chooses to forget our past if we sincerely repent. This allows each one of us to look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life in Him.
As we enter a new year, a concentrated forward focus is the best way for us to minimize the past’s impact on our present lives. The rearview mirrors in our cars are but a small reflection of what is behind us. But as we look forward, we have a large clear windshield that allows us to see what is ahead and what we can expect. The expectation of the Christian’s future is so full and rich of possibilities that it supersedes whatever has happened in the past. But to make that become a reality, we must set our minds and spirits on what God has planned for us. Phil 3:13b-14 continues with, “and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” This should be our focus not only for now but also for eternity. The “goal” and the “prize” are the same but at different times. Both are for us to become more Christlike. The “goal” is to run our race in this life purposely to be more like Christ each day. The “prize” is to be ultimately like Christ when God calls us heavenward. For now, and as we prepare for eternity, our forward focus should be to make the changes in our lives that will make us to be more like Him. As it has often been said, “More of Him and less of me.” By concentrating daily on our relationship with Him, we can look forward to what He will help us become. ~ God’s blessings, protection and favor to all.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ Because God’s children are human beings - flesh and blood - the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying (from Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT)).
Hebrews 2:14-15 connects the beginning and the end of Jesus’ earthly life, and in so doing, makes clear why He came. It is a step-by-step Christian view of Christmas. In sending Christ to earth, God has the salvation of His “children” in view. God’s design was to offer Christ to the world and effect the salvation of His children. Jesus was God but took on flesh and blood and clothed His deity with humanity. He became man while remaining fully God. The reason Jesus became man was to die. He could not die for sinners as God, but as a man He could. Therefore, He had to be born human. In dying, Christ made the devil ineffectual. This means that Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God. We must realize that Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. With Jesus’ death, God has taken that weapon away from the devil. Satan cannot make a case for our death penalty because the Judge has acquitted us by the death of His own Son. We are now free from the fear of death because God has justified us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. If we do not need to fear our last and greatest fear, which is death, then we do not need to fear ANYTHING! We can be free: free for joy and free for others. What a great Christmas present from God to us, and from us to the world (a paraphrase from John Piper).
On behalf of Joseph’s Storehouse volunteers, staff, Community Advisory Council, and Board of Directors, we want to wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christ-centered Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.~ God’s blessings, protection and favor to all.
