True Peace

 

Psalm 4 is a plea for deliverance.

The Psalmist ends in recognizing that real peace and safety reside in God.

Psalm 4:8 (NRSVue) - I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

In John 14, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit.

Jesus also promises true peace.

John 14:27 (NRSVue) - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

The world in which we live is turbulent.

Prices remain high.

World leaders clash over threats of tariffs and reprisals.

The nation is divided along political lines.

People, especially the young, take to social media and vent their frustrations.

Nations are engaged in armed conflict.

The list goes on.

But those who have faith understand that the Lord is a source of peace even amid turmoil.

And we, in turn, can help others find that same peace through our words and actions.

We can lead those we encounter to the source of true peace.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, March 21, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, March 28, 2025

Speak Up

 

In Isaiah 49, the prophet speaks of the return of the people.

When this happens, the people will be certain of one thing.

Isaiah 49:23b (NRSVue) - Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

In Luke’s gospel, we are reminded to express our confession.

We are also reminded that we will be given help in choosing the right words.

Luke 12:11-12 (NRSVue) - When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you will answer or what you are to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”

True, we are flawed human beings.

We also endeavor to hide our flaws and our anxieties.

But we take comfort that when we confess our faith, we do not do so alone.

And it is crucial for us to recognize this.

Matthew 10:32-33 (NRSVue) - “Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, March 7, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, March 14, 2025

Word!

 

Jeremiah 23 warns about false prophets.

False prophets cannot be trusted,

But one thing that can be trusted is the word of the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:29 (NRSVue) - Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul writes about the rest that God has promised.

He also reminds his readers about the nature of the word of the Lord.

Hebrews 4:12 (NRSVue) - Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

These are more than just words of wisdom from centuries past.

These reminders are just as profound and just as true for us today.

And they will remain so for generations yet to come.

The word of the Lord remains solid.

It is still active and sharp.

It still has the power to penetrate our souls.

While this is true for the Bible, it is also true of Christ.

Christ is the Word made flesh who dwelt among us.

John 1:1-5 (NRSVue) - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

May we take the lessons of both the Bible and Christ into hour hearts.

May we reflect upon them daily,

And may we be willing to share them with those we encounter.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, February 21, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, February 28, 2025

Light and Love

 

Psalm 119 glorifies God’s laws.

In verse 37, the Psalmist recognizes that the temporary vanities of the world distract us from the eternal.

Psalm 119:37 (NRSVue) - Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; be gracious to me according to your word.

Luke 11 begins with The Lord’s Prayer.

But Christ goes on to remind us that the eye is the lamp of the body.

Luke 11:34 (NRSVue) - Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but if it is unhealthy, your body is full of darkness.

This is a reminder that we must turn from the temporary, worldly vanities that distract us from the eternal.

We must turn our attention to where it belongs.

In other words, we must focus our attention to Whom it belongs!

And as we do, we also realize the responsibility laid before us.

We are to live our lives following the example of the life Christ lived.

We must love God and our fellow man.

And that kind of love is worth more than all the vanities of the world combined.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, February 7, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, February 14, 2025

The Divine Shepherd

 

Psalm 23:2-3 (NRSVue) - He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Recently, I attended the funeral service of a family member.

The message at the service was one of hope.

This brought Psalm 23 to mind where the Psalmist writes of the Divine Shepherd.

Verse two and three were good reminders for me.

There are times I do not wish to rest, but the Shepherd makes me.

There are times when I desire excitement, but the Shepherd guides me to stillness.

There are times when I feel overwhelmed, but the Shepherd restores both mind and body.

And there are times I want to go my own way, but the Shepherd puts me on the right path.

In 1 Peter, we are told of Christ’s suffering and the reason for it.

1 Peter 2:25 (NRSVue) - For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

When we go astray, the Divine Shepherd guides us to the place He desires for us.

There, we can find true happiness.

There, we can find true tranquility.

I wrote my first devotional fifteen years ago.

In it, I wrote that being called a sheep is not necessarily a compliment.

Sheep are stubborn and willful at times,

That is why we need a Divine Shepherd to guard our souls and our lives, 

Once we allow the Divine Shepherd to guide us, our lives are forever transformed.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, January 17, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, January 24, 2025

New Year; New Covenant

 

Genesis 15:1 (NKJV) - After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

Genesis 15 is about God’s covenant with Abram, whom God later renamed Abraham.

God spoke to Abram in a vision,

Although a vision, Abram did not discount the encounter, nor did he discount God’s promise.

Paul, in his letter to the Hebrews, wrote of Abraham’s certainty in that covenant.

Hebrews 6:15 (NRSVue) - And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.

Today, we live in a New Covenant,

And just as Abraham trusted God’s promise, we also can trust God’s covenant with us,

As we prepare to embark on a New Year, let us bear God’s promise in mind.

God’s promise is genuine.

And, like Abraham, we can trust God in our own journeys,

In our individual stories, we will experience chapters of joy.

We will also experience chapters of pain, sorrow, and even loss.

But we must never allow the unpleasant chapters to fill us with doubt.

That is when we must keep our eyes fixed upon God and cling to His promise,

We must stand firm in our faith.

Like Abraham, we must patiently endure.

Like Abraham, we will obtain the promise.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, January 3, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, January 10, 2025

A Strong Foundation

 

Isaiah 26:4 (NRSVue) - Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock.

Isaiah 26 is Judah’s Song of Victory.

But contained within this song is a potent reminder.

True faith must be built on a solid foundation.

And that foundation is the Lord.

In Luke 6, Christ compares two foundations.

One foundation is weak.

The other foundation is strong.

Those who hear the words of Christ and do them, build on a solid foundation.

Luke 6:47-48 (NRSVue) - I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built.

This is important to remember, especially during the Christmas season.

We seek stability, but what the world offers is shallow,

We misplace our faith in the material or the promises of others.

Christ came into this world to overcome it,

That includes the world’s instabilities.

We must place our faith where it belongs.

We can listen to the words of Christ.

As importantly, we should act on those words.

When we do, the foundation upon which we build our lives will be a strong one.

Our faith will be unshakeable.

I am reminded of the lyrics:

    The Church's one foundation

    Is Jesus Christ her Lord

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, December 20, 2024.

I will be back here on Friday, December 27, 2024