Nobody likes unpleasant surprises.
I had one the other day.
I decided that I was in need of a haircut and beard trim so I did what I always do.
I drove down to the establishment that has been doing this for me for years.
I was surprised to discover that they had gone out of business.
I was disappointed because I knew every stylist there and each one knew exactly how I liked my hair cut.
I would walk in and place my name on the waiting list.
I would then receive a greeting from each stylist.
"Hi, Jim!"
"How are you, Jim?"
"It’s good to see you, Jim!"
I would then return each greeting, pick up a magazine and patiently await my turn.
When my turn would come, a stylist would cheerfully escort me to his or her chair.
I would then sit down and be asked the one question that I could always count on.
"The usual, Jim?"
I would say yes and a short time later I would receive my customary haircut.
On those rare occasions when a new stylist was about to cut my hair, one of the others that knew me would tell them just how to give me "the usual".
Now, things were different.
I had to find a new place with a new group of people.
I had to introduce myself and explain how I wanted my hair cut.
In time, I will develop a relationship with these people.
In time, they will learn what "the usual" is.
They, too, may close up shop one day and I will have to start the process all over again.
That made me think about my relationship with God.
While it is true that my relationship with Him grows closer each day, the fact remains that He always knew me.
In fact, He knows me better than I know myself.
He explained this to the prophet Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 1:4-5 (NET) - The LORD said to me, "Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations."
Best of all, I know I will always be able to count on Him.
He will always be there for me.
Isaiah 33:6 (NET) - He is your constant source of stability; He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; He gives all to those who fear Him.
I don’t need to make an appointment with Him first.
I don’t even need to put my name on a waiting list.
Thanks to Jesus, I can go to Him with anything at any time.
Even "the usual".
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NET) - Always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 7, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, December 14, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Better Way
The other day, I was speaking with a friend who attended a high school in a different area.
We found ourselves reminiscing about those days.
He told me a story about someone with whom he went to school.
It seems that his English class was assigned a book report.
When the assignment was due, one of his classmates simply copied down the summary from the inside flap of the book’s jacket and turned that in.
I broke out into laughter.
I laughed because I remembered a time when one of my classmates had done the exact same thing.
We both laughed at that and we concluded that this is probably a common occurrence in many high schools.
What is really amusing is that there is probably not one single teacher who would fall for such an attempt.
There are a number of possible reasons as to why a student would try something like this.
I suspect that one of the most common reasons involves taking what seems like the easier path.
Rather than read the book and write their own report, some would opt not to read the book and simply rely on the work someone else had already done.
In the Sunday School class that I teach, we are currently studying Pilgrim’s Progress.
In it, there is a part of that book that cautions us about trying to take an easier path.
At one point in this narrative the main character named Christian had just spoken to Evangelist who put him on the straight, narrow and only path that leads to heaven.
Shortly afterward, Christian encountered another character aptly named Worldly Wiseman.
This man told Christian that the way in which he traveled was filled with difficulty.
He then falsely convinced Christian that he knew of a much easier way.
Christian decided to ignore the truthful instruction of Evangelist and followed the path that Worldly Wiseman recommended.
In almost no time, Christian realized that this "easier path" does not lead to heaven.
This path led ultimately to death.
Fortunately for Christian, Evangelist found him, corrected him and guided him back to the one true path that led to heaven.
Christian followed that path to heaven even though he encountered difficulties along the way.
That is the way it is in reality, as well.
Christians will encounter difficulties in this world.
When we do, it is certainly not because He does not love us.
It is in times of difficulty that we learn to rely less on ourselves and more on Him.
It is through enduring and overcoming difficulty that we are refined.
There are some that teach that when you become a Christian, all your problems will be solved and that nothing but prosperity will come your way.
I could not disagree more.
I have known many faithful Christians that were anything but financially prosperous.
And, speaking for myself, I can assure that my life became far more complicated when I dedicated my life to Him.
That said, Jesus was clear about this.
Mark 8:34 (NET) - Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them. "If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me."
Life may not be free from difficulty when you decide to follow Jesus, but there is one thing of which I can assure you.
Life is far better with Him than without Him.
This is especially true when you encounter difficulty.
It is then that you realize that you do not bear it alone.
You realize that He is right there with you every step of the way.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 23, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, November 30, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
We found ourselves reminiscing about those days.
He told me a story about someone with whom he went to school.
It seems that his English class was assigned a book report.
When the assignment was due, one of his classmates simply copied down the summary from the inside flap of the book’s jacket and turned that in.
I broke out into laughter.
I laughed because I remembered a time when one of my classmates had done the exact same thing.
We both laughed at that and we concluded that this is probably a common occurrence in many high schools.
What is really amusing is that there is probably not one single teacher who would fall for such an attempt.
There are a number of possible reasons as to why a student would try something like this.
I suspect that one of the most common reasons involves taking what seems like the easier path.
Rather than read the book and write their own report, some would opt not to read the book and simply rely on the work someone else had already done.
In the Sunday School class that I teach, we are currently studying Pilgrim’s Progress.
In it, there is a part of that book that cautions us about trying to take an easier path.
At one point in this narrative the main character named Christian had just spoken to Evangelist who put him on the straight, narrow and only path that leads to heaven.
Shortly afterward, Christian encountered another character aptly named Worldly Wiseman.
This man told Christian that the way in which he traveled was filled with difficulty.
He then falsely convinced Christian that he knew of a much easier way.
Christian decided to ignore the truthful instruction of Evangelist and followed the path that Worldly Wiseman recommended.
In almost no time, Christian realized that this "easier path" does not lead to heaven.
This path led ultimately to death.
Fortunately for Christian, Evangelist found him, corrected him and guided him back to the one true path that led to heaven.
Christian followed that path to heaven even though he encountered difficulties along the way.
That is the way it is in reality, as well.
Christians will encounter difficulties in this world.
When we do, it is certainly not because He does not love us.
It is in times of difficulty that we learn to rely less on ourselves and more on Him.
It is through enduring and overcoming difficulty that we are refined.
There are some that teach that when you become a Christian, all your problems will be solved and that nothing but prosperity will come your way.
I could not disagree more.
I have known many faithful Christians that were anything but financially prosperous.
And, speaking for myself, I can assure that my life became far more complicated when I dedicated my life to Him.
That said, Jesus was clear about this.
Mark 8:34 (NET) - Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them. "If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me."
Life may not be free from difficulty when you decide to follow Jesus, but there is one thing of which I can assure you.
Life is far better with Him than without Him.
This is especially true when you encounter difficulty.
It is then that you realize that you do not bear it alone.
You realize that He is right there with you every step of the way.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 23, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, November 30, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)