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 ~ In Greek and Roman times if a package was to be dispatched to another location, it first went through a series of investigations to make sure the contents were not flawed, broken, or shattered. The sender would examine every single piece of the contents to make sure each one was whole and intact. If everything was whole and intact, the sender would pour hot wax on the crease of the package and then carefully push the insignia of the owner into the wax, signifying that all the contents were in perfect order. The insignia on the package was important for several reasons. It was the insignia of the owner of the package. No one would dare break into the sealed package to disturb the contents. The insignia or “seal” was the guarantee that the package would be delivered to its final destination unharmed. It was like the highest security that someone could place on a package. The insignia or “seal” also guaranteed that everything in the package was in order – nothing broken, inferior, or shattered. Everything was whole and complete.
The “seal” was called a sphragidzo – the exact same word used in Ephesians 1:13b-14a, “Having believed, you were marked in Him with a “seal”, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” This tells us that when we believed and were born again, God examined us to make sure we were made completely new and whole, and He found no flaws, no defects, and no shattered places. God saw that we were truly a product of Christ’s own making and were complete in Him. In fact, we were so complete that, figuratively speaking, Christ poured His “wax” onto our hearts and spirits. He then pressed the insignia of the Holy Spirit into us, giving guaranteed proof through the Spirit’s indwelling presence that we belong to God, and we will make it to our ultimate destination – Heaven! (from a word study by Rick Renner). We all have had our struggles, disappointments, and failures along the way, but the Holy Spirit is guaranteed proof that we will eventually make it to our heavenly home, whole and complete. ~ God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ THE STORY OF FREEDOM - In 1941, as Hitler’s reign was expanding across Europe, novelist John Steinbeck was asked to help with the war effort. He wasn’t asked to fight or visit troops on the front line but to write a story. The result was "The Moon Is Down", a novel about a peaceful land that gets invaded by an evil regime. Printed on underground presses and secretly distributed throughout occupied countries, the novel sent the message: "The Allies are coming!" And by imitating the novel’s characters, readers could help secure their freedom. Through "The Moon Is Down", Steinbeck brought good news to people under Nazi rule that their liberation and freedom was near.
Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind has existed in a world that has been invaded by an evil regime. Satan and his evil forces have occupied what was once the perfect environment that God created. But God has sent the entire human race a story of redemption through men and women inspired by His Holy Spirit. The story was written by 40 different authors over 1,500 years in what we know as The Word of God. From beginning to end, it is a story about God’s love for all humanity and His redemptive plan of reconciliation through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus, as the main character in this incredible story, gives each one of us a guide and a pattern to how we should live our lives. By doing so, it helps us overcome the struggles of life that we all face. This is good news to everyone who chooses to follow after and imitate His perfect example. This story has spread throughout the world bringing freedom and peace to whomever accepts it. It is our responsibility as Christ-followers to see that this wonderful message continues to reach those around us. By sharing God’s love, forgiveness, and redemptive plan to those who choose to embrace it, it is the power to set the captives free. “Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed” ~ John 8:36. God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ The Bible tells us that God is our peace, and we can know the peace of God. This is good news, as finding peace is one of our deepest needs. In John 14:24-31, v. 27 Jesus tells us “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you.” If we don’t have the peace Jesus promised, this passage offers three (3) possible explanations:
1) We lose our peace when circumstances are unchangeable. Much of life is beyond our control. We can only control our responses and our decisions, but we can’t control the grand narrative of our lives. When this reality sets in, we become frustrated and lose our peace of mind.
2) We lose our peace when people are unchangeable. The quickest way to lose our peace is to try to change somebody else. Most people are just not going to change the way you want them to be. Even when we know it won’t work, we still try to do it! And it keeps us from being peaceful.
3) We lose our peace when problems are unexplainable. We know life isn’t fair. Things don’t always turn out right. And when we don’t know why, we get anxious, nervous, and stressed. (paraphrased from devotional on the “Glorify” app)
How do we get God’s peace in our lives? Answers lie in the promises in God’s Word. Philippians 4:6-7 gives us five (5) distinct ways we can know God’s peace:
1) Pray about everything. We need to trust in God’s guidance as we present our request to Him.
2) Always be thankful. We need to express our gratitude to God as we reflect and recognize the good in our lives.
3) Keep our minds fixed on God. We must focus on God’s promises and trust in His control over our circumstances.
4) We must remember that God is good. Acknowledge God’s goodness and trust in His faithfulness.
5) Cast off worry. Make a willful choice to put our cares on God and let go of worries to find peace. These virtues, incorporated into our daily lives, allow us to grow a deeper sense of peace that brings us reassurance and comfort. ~ God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ The natural order of creation is GROWTH. Seeds grow into plants, calves into cows, acorns into oaks, minnows into fish, and infants into adults. This is the normal process of creation as God intended. When something doesn’t grow, it causes concern that something abnormal is happening. Growth is God’s expectation for us as Christ-followers in our spiritual life. 1 Peter 2:2 states, “Like newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, so that we may grow up into the fulness of our salvation.” The same Word that causes us to be born again is the same Word that causes us to grow up spiritually. Unfortunately, if we do not have a steady diet of God’s Word, we become spiritually malnourished, and growth is stunted. We must desire the nourishment of the Word as a babe desires its milk. You don’t have to command a baby to eat; they know when they are hungry, and you will know it! Babies do not try to consume a large meal on Sunday for it to last them a week. They eat regularly for day-to-day nourishment.
Christ-followers need day-to-day spiritual nourishment. It is not helpful for us to try to consume God’s Word on Sunday morning and expect it to satisfy our spiritual hunger all week. Healthy spiritual growth happens as we have a steady diet and application of God’s Word daily. We must be careful as well to not let other resources or man’s opinion be a substitute for His Word. Just as in the natural order of creation, when we are not growing up spiritually, it is cause for concern that something abnormal is happening. We should all take a moment to assess our spiritual growth. Is it increasing? Is it declining? Has it plateaued? We can ask God to show us areas of our lives in which we can focus on for growth in the future. For it is His desire for us to continue growing up in our spiritual walk to become more like Him. As Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." ~ God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK ~ Resurrection. What do you think of when you hear that word? Most people think of the past. Or of a stone rolled away. An empty tomb. And a risen Lord!
Praise God, Jesus is alive today! But He is not the only one who has been resurrected. We, as Christ followers, were spiritually resurrected the day we made Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives. That day, we passed from death to eternal life. The glory of the Lord came into our very being and it consumed the old, sinful man/woman that we were. Our old self spiritually died and a new creature in Christ was born. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone be in Christ, they are a new creature: old things are passed away; and behold, all things are become new.”
As we enter this resurrection Easter season, let us look at ourselves as alive, filled with the life of Christ; filled with His power and His Spirit. This enables us to have victory over the earthly things we wrestle with every day. Sin, sickness, loss, lack, and failure, just to name a few. We are to become His representatives in everything we do while we live on this earth. The resurrection of Christ Jesus has given us His Name, His Spirit, and the Power of His Word to live this life for His glory. Because of His resurrection, there will be a day when these earthly bodies will be raised and glorified and we will live with Him forever! Praise God, Jesus is alive today, and so are we! ~ God’s blessings, protection, and favor to all.
