Lifting Our Souls

 

1 Timothy 6:6-7 (KJV) - But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Paul leaves instructions in his first letter to Timothy.

He also gives Timothy a good reminder in verses six and seven.

Paul states that we both enter and leave this world with nothing.

Of course, this is in terms of material assets.

That said, there is the possibility of gain.

That gain can be found in contented godliness.

The Psalmist also recognizes this.

Psalm 143:8b (KJV) - cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Godliness means hearing God, acknowledging God, and living the way God wants.

The Psalmist also lifts up his soul to God.

But what is the soul?

The soul is both the eternal and the immaterial part of our being.

It continues even after the physical body it occupies dies.

As the Psalmist lifts up his soul to God, he offers it to Him.

In other words, he worships with all that he is.

As we continue our journey through Lent, we recall not only how Christ died, but also how He lived.

Christ lived in complete obedience to His Father’s will.

As His journey to the cross drew near, Jesus prayed.

Luke 21: 41-42 (KJV) - And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Jesus understood the humiliation and pain that lay before Him.

Despite this, He would endure it all in obedience to the Father.

He then literally lifted up His soul to God.

John 19:30 (KJV) - When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Jesus followed God’s will fully all the way to its completion.

Three days later, his followers would find an empty tomb.

As a result, we have hope.

A hope that is just as real and just as eternal as the soul.

We come with nothing, and we leave with nothing.

But while we are here, we should strive to live in godliness and lift our souls to God.

We should lift them in praise, in service, and in love.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 1, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, April 8, 2022

Solid Footing

 

1 Samuel 2:2 (NET) - No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one other than you! There is no rock like our God!

In this verse, Samuel praises God.

He declares that God is both unique and truly Holy.

He then compares God to a rock.

What the prophet is really saying is that God is stable and dependable.

We like to think that the ground upon which we physically stand is solid and firm.

But, thanks to the internet, we can see footage of sinkholes suddenly appearing.

Pedestrians, cars and even buildings suddenly disappear.

I remember when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980.

In video captured just prior to the eruption, a landslide was captured.

This landslide of rock and ice was perhaps the largest ever recorded.

The speed at which it descended was more than 100 miles per hour.

Granted these instances are not commonplace, but they do illustrate one thing.

Even the firmness of the ground upon which we stand is not guaranteed.

Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians talks about what is solid and dependable.

The firmest of foundations is Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:11 (NET) - For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Christ is the cornerstone of the Church.

He is the foundation God provided upon which we confidently build our faith.

And it was that same Christ who cautions us to rely on His teachings.

Matthew 7:26-27 (NET) - Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!

As humans, we like to think that the foundation we base our lives upon is solid.

But a change in circumstances can ultimately prove that we have built upon sand.

As we continue our journey through Lent, we follow Christ’s journey.

That journey led to a cross.

But it was a journey undertaken with a love that was perfect.

It is by that love that we were granted grace.

Only in Christ can we find solid footing.

No matter what happens, that foundation will always remain solid.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 18, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, March 25, 2022