The Payoff

“The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did.” Genesis  39:2-3 NIV

We know the story of how Joseph was sold into slavery because of his brothers’ jealousy. His story serves as a profound example of how diligence leads to success. Despite his hardships, his efforts were rewarded with FAVOR. The Lord was with him. That’s foundational support, and stability.

What’s the payoff you ask?  When we maintain a strong work ethic it can lead to unexpected blessings. It’s a reminder to us that our commitment and hard work can create opportunities and bring positive change in our lives. Success often follows those who are determined. Again, it’s all about our foundation.

This brings me to the Story of The Three Little Pigs. I know we all know this cute story. This Nursery Rhyme dates back to 1840’s. My favorite version of this rhyme was released by Warner Bros Pictures on January 5, 1957, as part of the Looney Tunes Series called Three Little Bops. If you haven’t seen this version, I suggest you go to YouTube and look at it. They have it broken down into three parts or a short version. Either way you will get a good laugh and maybe even a bob of the head.

The Plot is in the style of twelve-bar blues. During a gig at the house of straw, the Big Bad Wolf shows up to demonstrates that he was friendly and wanted to sit in with the band. Well, when he got to playing, he was awful, and they throw him out. Insulted, the Wolf retaliated by using his trumpet to blow down the House of Straw, forcing the pigs to go to the Dew Drop Inn, also known as the House of Sticks. Things were going great in there, until the Wolf arrives with more bad trumpet playing the audience called for him to be thrown out again. Well, that Wolf blew the Sticks down with no problem. This time the Pigs had a sure thing with the House of Bricks and a sign on the door that said, “No Wolves Allowed!” That wolf tries to ram the door down with a log with no success, the trumpet failed to blow the bricks down, and he even tried disguising himself coming in and still got thrown out. This time the pigs shut and lock the door to ensure he could not get in.

Furious, he said if he can’t get in, he will blow it up. He lights the TNT, but since he is so close to the door, one of the pigs were able to blow it out. So, he went further and further back.  Well, he got so far back that when he was running to put the dynamite by the door he got blown up. He didn’t go to heaven, it was the other place, and he was able to play that trumpet then. One of the pigs said, “you got to get hot to play real cool. They let his ghost stay in the band.  So, the pigs renamed the band, The Three Little Bops Plus One.

The moral lesson learned from “The Three Little Pigs” no matter what version you like is that hard work and dedication pay off. It’s important to take your time and do it right. Foundations are important when it comes to how we can stand. That Solid foundation is Jesus Christ.

I am not certain what your goals or plans are friends, but I do want to encourage you to put your best forward and trust God in all you do. AMEN.

Remember friends, we are each other’s keeper and the only time we should be looking down on someone is when we are helping them up.