We are told not to fear.
We are told never to worry.
Philippians 4:6 (NET) - Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.
I am finding this passage of scripture a wonderful source of strength right now.
As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I find that some things in my life could radically change by things completely outside my realm of control.
While the outcome is anything but certain to me, I will not fear nor will I be anxious.
As a Christian, I know that God is in complete control and His will shall prevail.
If these changes take place, there are at least three possible outcomes.
Things can be better than they were before.
Things can stay more or less the same.
Finally, there is the very real possibility that I could be presented with a whole new set of problems and challenges with which to contend.
No matter which of these outcomes materialize, I know that I will not face it alone.
God will continue to be with me as He is now.
Although I am not apprehensive, I will hope for the best and plan for the worst.
After all, effective planning and stewardship go hand in hand.
Scripture reminds me to pray, but even in this I must exercise good judgment.
God is not there merely to grant me wishes.
I must pray for His will to be done and for helping me to accept and effectively deal with the outcome.
People, as a rule, do not like change.
We prefer our lives to be more or less predictable.
Yet there will be times when turbulence upsets our predictable lives.
It is during those times that we must truly rely on God rather than our own sense of self reliance and self worth.
That is when real change takes place because that is when we change.
As I face this unknown, others will be counting on me.
The people at the church I attend, the students in my Sunday School class and my coworkers will continue to count on me during this phase.
As a believer, God helps me to direct their attentions toward Him by how I choose to respond.
Proverbs 27:17 (NET) - As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens his friend.
I can remind them of His presence during periods of uncertainty.
I can also remind them that if God chooses to close one avenue, He will open another.
Having faith does not mean that life ceases to be challenging.
Having faith means knowing to Whom to turn when challenges come.
It also means being a source of strength to those around you by putting their needs ahead of your own.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 6, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, December 13, 2013.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Relationships
What is being a Christian all about?
It’s about relationships.
It’s about having a relationship with God.
But, there’s a wrinkle.
God is perfect, Holy and righteous.
We are not.
Even if I had the capacity to review every day of my life and single out what I considered to be my very best day, a closer examination would reveal that somewhere during the course of that day, I came up short.
Likely more than once.
Maybe I said or did something I should not have.
Perhaps I neglected to say or do something I should have.
So, how do we as fallible human beings have a relationship with God?
We do so by having a relationship with Jesus.
We have that relationship with Jesus by realizing that we have a desperate all consuming need for salvation.
We have that relationship when we recognize that He came and dwelt among us for a time.
He did so and experienced many of the same things that you and I experience.
Pain, loneliness, hunger, cold, the hatred of others toward Him and so forth.
He experienced all these things and so much more but there is one huge difference.
Jesus never committed a single sin.
That is why He was the perfect atonement for our sin.
Jesus bridges the gap that would otherwise separate us from God.
Then there is the relationship we have with the Holy Spirit.
This is perhaps the most mysterious and least understood relationship we have due to the nature of the Holy Spirit.
So, how does one know that he has a relationship with the third person of the Trinity?
I confess that when it comes to this relationship it is of such a nature that it is hard for me to put into words.
I can give you examples of what the Holy Spirit does in our lives.
He convicts us of our sin and leads us to recognize Jesus as our Savior.
He then assures us of that salvation.
He helps us recognize and understand the truth.
He transforms our lives in unique and surprising ways.
If someone had described my life today to me years ago, I would simply not have believed them.
But these changes were not my idea nor were they part of any planning on my part.
They occurred because of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Finally, there is one other set of relationships.
The relationships we have with others.
Jesus referred to these others as "our neighbor".
Being human, we quickly find that these prove to be the most challenging of all.
We are to love our neighbor even when our neighbor refuses to love us in return.
We are to forgive our neighbor even when they are unaware that they have wronged us.
We are to forgive them, even if they refuse to forgive us.
We are not to pass judgment on them even if they choose to judge us.
Sound difficult?
In a way, it is.
But as we establish and then improve upon these relationships, our lives become the richer for them.
Before closing, I want you to think about what you consider your most worthwhile accomplishment in life.
Now ask yourself the following question.
Do you consider it worthwhile because it was easy or because it was difficult?
Until we meet again.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 15, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, November 22, 2013.
It’s about relationships.
It’s about having a relationship with God.
But, there’s a wrinkle.
God is perfect, Holy and righteous.
We are not.
Even if I had the capacity to review every day of my life and single out what I considered to be my very best day, a closer examination would reveal that somewhere during the course of that day, I came up short.
Likely more than once.
Maybe I said or did something I should not have.
Perhaps I neglected to say or do something I should have.
So, how do we as fallible human beings have a relationship with God?
We do so by having a relationship with Jesus.
We have that relationship with Jesus by realizing that we have a desperate all consuming need for salvation.
We have that relationship when we recognize that He came and dwelt among us for a time.
He did so and experienced many of the same things that you and I experience.
Pain, loneliness, hunger, cold, the hatred of others toward Him and so forth.
He experienced all these things and so much more but there is one huge difference.
Jesus never committed a single sin.
That is why He was the perfect atonement for our sin.
Jesus bridges the gap that would otherwise separate us from God.
Then there is the relationship we have with the Holy Spirit.
This is perhaps the most mysterious and least understood relationship we have due to the nature of the Holy Spirit.
So, how does one know that he has a relationship with the third person of the Trinity?
I confess that when it comes to this relationship it is of such a nature that it is hard for me to put into words.
I can give you examples of what the Holy Spirit does in our lives.
He convicts us of our sin and leads us to recognize Jesus as our Savior.
He then assures us of that salvation.
He helps us recognize and understand the truth.
He transforms our lives in unique and surprising ways.
If someone had described my life today to me years ago, I would simply not have believed them.
But these changes were not my idea nor were they part of any planning on my part.
They occurred because of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Finally, there is one other set of relationships.
The relationships we have with others.
Jesus referred to these others as "our neighbor".
Being human, we quickly find that these prove to be the most challenging of all.
We are to love our neighbor even when our neighbor refuses to love us in return.
We are to forgive our neighbor even when they are unaware that they have wronged us.
We are to forgive them, even if they refuse to forgive us.
We are not to pass judgment on them even if they choose to judge us.
Sound difficult?
In a way, it is.
But as we establish and then improve upon these relationships, our lives become the richer for them.
Before closing, I want you to think about what you consider your most worthwhile accomplishment in life.
Now ask yourself the following question.
Do you consider it worthwhile because it was easy or because it was difficult?
Until we meet again.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 15, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, November 22, 2013.
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