For Our Benefit

 

Genesis 24 relates the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah.

Abraham was old.

He made a servant take an oath to find Isaac a wife,

The servant found one in Rebekah.

But when it was time to leave, Rebekah’s family wanted her to stay for several days.

The servant sent by Abraham refused.

Genesis 24:56 (NRSVue) - But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has made my journey successful; let me go that I may go to my master.”

Rebekah’s family did not want her to leave.

But it was to their advantage that she did.

In John 16, Jesus discusses the role of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus reminds his followers that He must leave.

He explains that it is to their advantage that He depart.

Only in this way could they receive the Holy Spirit.

John 16:7 (NRSVue) - Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you.

The Holy Spirit remains the most mysterious aspect of the Triune God.

God, The Father, creates.

Jesus, The Son, redeems.

The Holy Spirit works to make us holy.

It is hard for us to fully understand and appreciate the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

But Jesus promised the presence of the Holy Spirit is necessary for us.

May we set aside the noise and distractions in our lives.

In doing so, we are enabled to tune into the Spirit’s guidance,

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

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

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

What Tomorrow Brings

 

Psalm 84 is about the joy of worship in the Temple.

The psalmist opens by remarking on its beauty.

Psalm 84:1 (NRSVue) - How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!

In John 14, Jesus tells His followers that He is the way to the Father.

Jesus reminds them of the Father’s house.

It is a house that has room for many.

Christ reminded His followers that He would prepare a place for them.

John 14:2 (NRSVue) - In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

That means He has prepared a place for us as well.

Days ago, we celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord.

In His Resurrection we have hope!

We know that death has been conquered!

2 Timothy 1:10 (NRSVue) - but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

We need not live in fear.

We know what tomorrow brings.

We know a dwelling place awaits us.

And we know it will be beautiful.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, April 3, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, April 10, 2026

Rise!

 

Psalm 9 is about God’s justice and power.

In verse 19, the psalmist calls upon the Lord to prevail against mortal men,

Psalm 9:19a (NRSVue) - Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail;

In Mark 9, Jesus foretells His death and resurrection.

Mark 9:31 (NRSVue) - for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.”

The day would come for His crucifixion,

Upon His death, undoubtedly there were some mortals who thought they prevailed.

They certainly thought death prevailed.

But the resurrection of Jesus proved them wrong on both counts.

The miracle of the resurrection proved that neither mortals nor even death itself can prevail.

For our part, we should be forever grateful for His sacrifice.

It was a sacrifice not made in vain.

For on the third day, the Lord did rise!

And our response of gratitude should be rooted in faith, hope, and love.

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, April 3, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, April 10, 2026

Oh, Brother!

 

Luke 15 contains three parables.

One is about the lost sheep.

The second is about the lost coin.

The third is about the lost son.

The three parables teach about the lost.

They also teach about repentance and the joy in recovering the lost.

But there is one part of the parable of the lost son that always makes me pause and think.

It concerns the son that did not leave and his reaction to his brother’s return.

Luke 15:28-30 (NRSVue) - Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!

This brother was angry.

He felt it necessary to remind his father of his service.

He accused his brother of wasting his inheritance on prostitutes.

Scripture states his spending was reckless but says nothing about prostitutes.

This was an assumption.

He also accuses his father of favoritism.

He basically asks, “What have you done for me lately.”

In this parable. Jesus is comparing the son that stayed home to the Pharisees.

Yet how many of us can identify with the son who stayed home?

How many of us can relate to “What have you done for me lately?”

This part of the parable reminds me to be grateful and not vindictive.

In short, I should not expect to be rewarded now for doing what I am supposed to do.

Matthew 6:2-4 (NRSVue) - “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, March 20, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, March 27, 2026

New Creations

 

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NRSVue) - Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43 is about restoration.

The prophet states that we should not focus on the things of old.

Rather, we are to consider the new.

Paul wrote about restoration in his second letter to Corinth.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NRSVue) - So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!

As we continue our journey through Lent, let us remember that we have been reconciled with God.

Moreover, it is Christ that made us right with God.

And as a result, we are new creations.

We are different from what we were before.

Christ leads us forward.

He guides us.

He rekindles our passion to worship and serve.

We are new creations in the body of believers known as The Church.

As new creations within The Church, we can introduce others to Christ.

After all, they long to leave the past behind and start anew.

As new creations, we owe them the opportunity to experience the same.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

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

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

Love

 

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

Paul wrote these words centuries ago.

Faith is wonderful.

And who among us does not wish to have hope.

Nevertheless, love is the greatest of the three.

While there are distinct kinds of love, the English language offers us one single word.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, people are searching for the right way to express their affection.

Paul expressed that love is greater than faith and hope.

Yet Jesus spoke about the greatest love of all.

John 15:13 (NRSVue) - No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

As we enter the season of Lent, we are reminded that Christ had the greatest love of all.

And we, His friends, are beneficiaries of that love.

It is difficult to find that perfect gift for that perfect someone for Valentine’s Day.

No matter how perfect our choice is, it will pale in comparison to that greatest love of all.

Despite this, scripture makes one thing abundantly clear,

1 John 4:19 (NRSVue) - We love because he first loved us.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, February 20, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, February 27, 2026

In Sadness and in Consolation

 

Jeremiah 31 speaks about the return of the exiles.

Scripture specifies that it will be a joyous return.

Jeremiah 31:13b (NRSVue) - I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow.

Paul opens his second letter to Corinth with a greeting.

Immediately afterward, Paul writes about affliction and God’s role.

God is with us in our tribulation.

Equally, God is there in our consolation.

2 Corinthians 1:7 (NRSVue) - Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.

God is compassionate.

He turns our sorrow and mourning into joy.

Yes, God accompanies us in our sadness.

We should also recognize that God will be with us in what lies beyond.

God will be there in our consolation.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, January 23, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, February 6, 2026