The Gift of Hope

As I write this, Christmas is but a few days away.

Over the years the celebration of Christmas has grown.

This is particularly true from a secular point of view.

At times it appears that the secular celebration of Christmas has overtaken the spiritual.

I plan to celebrate Christmas with church services and gatherings with family and friends.

We observe Christmas as a time when God became man and dwelt among us.

In the rather short time Jesus walked among us He did many things.

He healed the sick.

He raised the dead.

He did many other things as well.

We call these things signs and miracles.

They say to the world that Jesus is exactly who He is; the Son of God.

Christmas is a celebration of the beginning of that journey.

While celebrations like Christmas grow in popularity others see a decline.

This is especially true when it comes to Easter which is only weeks away.

I think it is safe to say that far more people celebrate Christmas than observe Easter.

This is unfortunate.

We must never forget that His earthly journey had an end as well as a beginning.

It was a journey that led to a cross and an empty tomb beyond it.

That first Christmas, God gave man a very special gift

He gave us His Son.

At the end of that journey, God gave man another gift.

He gave us the gift of hope.

1 Peter 1:3-6 (NET) - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials.

I hope you are able to celebrate Christmas with church and family and friends.

I also hope you can stick around for the rest of the story.

For therein lies real hope for us all.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 5, 2018.

I will be back here on Friday, January 12, 2018

Two Little Girls in the Snow

This is not the devotional I originally planned to post today.

Even at my age, God still finds ways to both surprise and inspire me.

Thursday evening found me at my church along with a number of my friends.

We were all busy working away getting things ready for Christmas.

As we were finishing up, someone noticed that it was actually snowing outside.

Of course, we all stepped outside to take a look.

You see, it rarely snows where I live and to have snow this early in the season is rare indeed.

We went back inside and finished what we had to do.

When it came time to leave, a few of us just stood out in the cold and admired the snow.

I carefully drove home trying not to let the weather distract me.

As I got ready to turn into my drive, I noticed two little girls running around.

They were paying more attention to the snow than to my car, so I entered my drive slowly.

Their mother called them over to her allowing me to safely park my car.

In no time, the two girls returned to their celebration of the snow.

I took a moment to speak to their mother.

As we spoke, I considered what God showed me.

He showed me the white snow, the watchful eye of a loving parent and the pure joy found only in children.

He was also reminding me of the words of the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 1:18 (NET) - Come, let’s consider your options,” says the Lord. “Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool.

As we get deeper into the Christmas season I am reminded of the fulfilment of this prophecy.

God is our loving Father who calls us to Him to keep us safe from the world.

As we celebrate the birth of His Son, we should remember that it is Jesus who cleanses us from our sin.

Christ was the perfect sacrifice – the Lamb without blemish and without spot.

We no longer have to be stained like scarlet.

We can be made as white as snow.

Perhaps we can also take a lesson from these two little girls and their excitement.

Perhaps we should allow ourselves to get more excited about our salvation.

Perhaps that would make us more eager to share the Good News with others.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 15, 2017.

I will be back here on Friday, December 22, 2017