What Does It Take?

Four good friends of mine have passed away in recent weeks.

I miss them but I also treasure the memories I have of them.

I also know they were Christians.

This brings to mind a question.

What does it take to make one a Christian?

Do I know my friends were Christians because they attended my church?

Three of them did so attendance at my church is not what made them Christians.

The fourth attended another church.

So does attendance at any church make one a Christian?

Not necessarily.

Simply occupying a seat in a certain type of building does not necessarily make one a Christian,

What about Bible study?

Does reading the Bible guarantee the reader is a Christian?

Again, the answer is not necessarily.

A scholar can read and even memorize vast portions of scripture without being a Christian.

What about participation in sacraments?

Again the answer is not necessarily.

People can go through the motions without their hearts being in it.

Don’t get me wrong.

Church attendance is a wonderful.

So is Bible study and participation in the sacraments.

But what truly makes a person a Christian is the relationship he or she has with God, the Father.

That relationship is made possible through Jesus, the Son, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Think of it this way.

Let’s say there is a pilot who is a Christian.

One day while flying out over the ocean his plane encounters mechanical problems.

He is forced to land in the ocean and then swims safely to an uninhabited island nearby.

He does not have his Bible.

There is no church on the island and consequently no access to sacraments.

Does the man pilot remain a Christian without access to these things?

Of course, because he still has what it takes - a relationship with God.

The thief on the cross gives us an even better example.

Even in his final moments, he turned to the only One who could truly make a difference.

He turned to Jesus.

Luke 23:42-43 (NET) - Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

One final thought.

I am certain each of my friends had this relationship because they demonstrated it in their lives.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 2, 2016.

I will be back here on Friday, September 9, 2016

Earth Shattering

We think of diamonds as valuable.

When an expert cuts and polishes the stone he increases both its beauty and its value.

A diamond is also the hardest substance on earth.

Because they are so hard, other diamonds are required for cutting and polishing.

Even with the proper tools and materials, an expert hand and a trained eye are still required.

One incorrect blow and the diamond could shatter.

As we look around, it does not require much effort to see signs of shattering in the nation and the world.

A review of recent political conventions reveals division within each political party.

A review of the national headlines reveals division within communities and races.

A review of international headlines reveals division between nations and cultures.

Each example of division we see is but a symptom of a far bigger problem.

Each example of division we see is like a crack or fissure in the world.

Left unchecked, the cracks and fissures only multiply rendering the world less and less stable.

Eventually, one misplaced blow could cause reality as we know it to simply shatter.

Patching individual cracks and fissures helps, but this does not solve the bigger problem.

We need to do more than treat the symptoms.

We need to treat the disease itself.

We are trying to do things our way rather than His way.

We put God on the back burner or on a shelf.

We might even tell ourselves we will get back to Him when time permits.

That is what the people in Haggai’s day did.

The picture God painted for them is remarkably like our own.

Haggai 1:5-6 (NET) - Here then is what the Lord who rules over all says: ‘Think carefully about what you are doing. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but are never filled. You drink, but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.

God not only deserves to be first in our lives; He demands it.

Haggai 2:15-17 (NET) - Now therefore reflect carefully on the recent past, before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. From that time when one came expecting a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures from it, there were only twenty. I struck all the products of your labor with blight, disease, and hail, and yet you brought nothing to me,’ says the Lord.

Time remains.

Let us do what is wise and put God first.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 19, 2016.

I will be back here on Friday, August 26, 2016