Blessed Are the Peacemakers

 

In Genesis 13, Lot and Abram separate.

But strife arose between Abram’s herders and the herders of Lot.

Abram chose the role of peacemaker.

Genesis 13:8 (NRSVue) - Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me and between your herders and my herders, for we are kindred.

In Ephesians 4, Paul wrote about the importance of unity.

Ephesians 4:3 (NRSVue) – making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace:

The world in which we live is full of strife.

There is international conflict.

In some cities, rioters have taken to the streets.

In America, we have a nation that is divided.

If ever there was a need for peacemakers, surely that time is now.

Despite boil overs on the surface, deep down everyone longs for tranquility and peace.

Will every human being agree on absolutely every point?

Certainly not.

But only by striving for peace and unity can we extinguish the flames of animosity,

We can learn once again that we can disagree without becoming disagreeable.

Abram understood this.

Paul understood this.

Most importantly, Christ preached this.

And His words echo down the centuries to those of us alive today.

The question remains: Will we listen to those words and live by them?

Matthew 5:9 (NRSVue) - Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, November 6, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, November 13, 2026

What Makes a Church Beautiful?

 

In Haggai 2, the prophet spoke of the house of the Lord.

Both Solomon’s and Herod’s temples were attractive structures.

But it is the Lord’s presence that makes any church beautiful.

Haggai 2:9 (NRSVue) - The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.”

As if to illustrate this, Jesus entered the temple in Mark 11 and drove out the moneychangers.

They had transformed the house of God into a place to do business.

Jesus used this to teach a powerful lesson.

Mark 11:17a (NRSVue) – He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?

I consider myself blessed in that I still attend the same church I did as a boy.

I also am blessed because I can feel God’s presence there.

It is a house for prayers.

It is a house for praise.

If it were not, then it would just be a building, and I would be wasting my time.

Do you have a church that you attend?

If so, I pray that it is all these things.

If you do not attend church, I implore you to find one.

Just remember that no earthly church is perfect.

Not even mine.

That is because every earthly church is made up of imperfect people.

But despite our imperfections, if the church we attend is a house for prayers and praise, then rest assured that the Lord is there.

And it is His presence that makes it beautiful.

And as for the prosperity of which Haggai spoke, he did not mean money.

A church that truly worships the Lord prospers in faith, hope, and love.

This is especially true as love should guide our every thought and action when we are not in church.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NRSVue) - And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, November 6, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, November 13, 2026

The Best Advocate

Isaiah 57 begins with Israel’s idolatry.

The chapter concludes with God’s mercy and grace.

God will not stay angry, and He will not hold a grudge.

Isaiah 57:16a (NRSVue) - For I will not continually accuse, nor will I always be angry,

In the second chapter of 1 John, we learn that we have an advocate.

1 John 2:1 (NRSVue) – My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,

As Christians, we should not intentionally sin.

As human beings, we are prone to sin even when it is unintentional.

That is why it is comforting to have an advocate.

According to Merriam-Webster, an advocate is a person who publicly supports a cause or represents another person in a legal setting.

The Apostles’ Creed tells us that Jesus “is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.”

It is comforting to know that when we mess up, Christ is our advocate to The Father.

This is further proof of God’s mercy and grace.

He gave us The Son to intercede on our behalf.

And it is also proof that we should forgive others.

Jesus teaches us this in the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6:12 (NRSVue) - And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, October 2, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, October 9, 2026

 

God of Abundance

 

Jeremiah 31 discusses the return of the exiles.

This will be a joyful return.

The words are from the Lord but are spoken through the prophet.

The people will be grateful to the Lord, and His bounty will satisfy them.

Jeremiah 31:14b (NRSVue) - and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he acknowledges their support.

Paul also reminds them that their every need will be satisfied.

Philippians 4:19 (NRSVue) – And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

God’s blessings are indeed bountiful to the faithful.

It is important to note that God satisfies every need, not every greed.

God knows what we need even before we think to ask.

When we needed salvation, God held nothing back.

He satisfied that need in the only way possible.

God satisfied that need through Jesus Christ.

Sadly, some must hit rock bottom before turning to God.

When they do, God is there for them.

When God is all one has left, one realizes that He is Whom they needed all along.

Some might still ask if God knows what each individual needs.

Jesus answers the question this way.

Matthew 10:29-31 (NRSVue) - Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, September 18, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, September 25, 2026

Deliver Us from the Evil One

 

Psalm 91 is a prayer for protection.

In fact, it goes by another name, “The Soldier’s Psalm.”

(I encourage you to research that title)

In verse 14, the psalmist seeks God’s protection.

He also acknowledges the reason for that protection.

Psalm 91:14 (NIV) - “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

In John 17, Jesus prays for his disciples.

In verse 15, Jesus prays for their protection.

John 17:15 (NRSVue) – I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.

Notice that Jesus does not ask God to take them out of the world.

He does not ask God to protect them from evil,

Jesus asks God to protect them from the source of that evil.

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray.

Some translations end verse 13 with “deliver us from evil.”

Other translations add one word.

Matthew 6:13 (NIV) - And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

To be honest, the world is a frightening place.

Just reading the headlines is often enough to make one afraid.

But the solution is not to lock ourselves away from evil.

It is in acknowledging who is the source of all evil.

It is then trusting that God is with us and never leaves us.

Therein lies the beauty in loving God and trusting Him.

It also lies in the fact that God loves us.

The evil one will still try to attack us.

There is no getting around that as that is his nature.

Job is a perfect example of that fact.

But thanks to God’s love for us through Christ, we never face him alone.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, September 4, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, September 11, 2026

The Words and the Examples

Psalm 143 is a prayer for deliverance.

In it, the Psalmist prayed for guidance.

Psalm 143:8b (NRSVue) - Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

In John 6, Jesus speaks the words of eternal life.

Many who heard these words turned away, leaving only the twelve behind.

Jesus asked if they wished to turn away as well.

Peter’s response was profound yet simple.

John 6:68-69 (NRSVue) – Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.

Our response should echo Peter’s.

It should be just as simple.

It should be equally profound.

Scripture teaches us through its words.

Through those within, it also teaches us by example.

Thanks to Christ, we share with God our hopes and concerns.

We should also admit to Him those occasions when we fall short of the mark.

This is called confession and it is something we should do.

Personally, I have given this much thought.

When we confess our sins, we are not revealing something unknown to God.

God is omniscient, so He is aware of our sins.

In confession, we are verbally admitting these shortcomings to ourselves.

And with the same breath, we can also ask for His help.

God is aware of our successes.

He is also aware of our failures.

Frequent communication with God should be part of our daily walk.

It deepens our relationship with Him as children of God.

Through scripture, we have both words and examples to guide us.

And the best source we have for both is Jesus Christ!

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, August 21, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, August 28, 2026

... And Nothing but the Truth

 

Psalm 12 is a plea for help.

In it, the Psalmist testifies that the Lord’s promises are pure and therefore true.

Psalm 12:6 (NRSVue) - The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

In John 18, Jesus is brought before Pilate.

Here, Jesus explains truth.

John 18:37 (NRSVue) – Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

In our modern era, truth has been relativized.

Some even claim that what is true for one individual may not be true for another.

Frankly, this is one of the most dangerous lies we can espouse.

A statement or belief is either true, or it is not.

Even sincerity cannot alter truth.

Take, for example, a glass filled with an odorless, colorless, tasteless liquid.

A person might sincerely believe the liquid was water and drink it.

If it were poison, the consumer would die no matter how sincere his belief.

This is the nature of truth.

Some would prefer the comfort of a lie to the sometimes-harsh reality of truth.

In John 14, Jesus explains his role regarding truth to Thomas.

John 14:6 (NRSVue) - Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

The modern world has made our job of sharing the truth with others more difficult.

But that does not alter the responsibility we have.

Sharing the truth is essential both for the speaker and the listener.

But before we speak, we must love the listener.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, August 1, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, August 8, 2026