A Temporary Journey

Psalm 39:4 (NRSVue) - “Lord, let me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.

Psalm 39 is a prayer.

It is a prayer for mercy and forgiveness.

The Psalmist prays to be reminded that we are here temporarily.

He prays, “let me know how fleeting my life is.”

Paul understood that, in the grand scheme of things, we live for a brief time.

But he also knew that physical death is not the end.

Death is a transition.

Paul explained this to those living in Corinth in his second letter.

2 Corinthians 5:1 (NRSVue) - For we know that, if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Believers understand that our citizenship is in heaven.

But we sometimes lose sight of this.

This is easily done when we become distracted.

It is easily done when circumstances seem to be against us.

In the grand scheme of things, our lives are indeed fleeting.

Each of us journeys through this world for a time known only by God.

We are born.

We live.

And yes, we die.

But despite that, we still have hope.

Through the resurrection power proven by Christ, we will have a new body.

We will have a new life.

Best of all, we will have a home.

Like citizens who have traveled abroad, we will wander no more.

We will go to the home planned for us from the very beginning.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 5, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, May 12, 2023

Being Still

 

Exodus 14:14 (NRSVue) - The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.

Moses led God’s people out of Egypt to the sea.

As Pharoah’s chariots approached, the people were certain the end was near.

The end was near, but not in the way they expected.

Moses told them God would fight for them.

All they had to do was keep still.

The people obeyed, and God did fight for them.

In the end, their pursuers drowned.

Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, shared a similar sentiment.

In the fifteenth chapter, Paul writes about the resurrection of Christ.

He then discusses the resurrection of the dead.

Paul then discusses the resurrection body.

Paul knew this concept caused people a great deal of confusion.

He understood that we, as creatures of flesh and blood, could not possibly enter the kingdom of heaven.

A transformation is required.

That transformation is only made possible through Jesus.

God will grant us this victory.

All we need to do is to keep still.

1 Corinthians 15:57 (NRSVue) - But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Keeping still in today’s world is perhaps harder than it ever was.

We are bombarded by distractions throughout our busy day.

Then come the days when the distractions seem impossible to overcome.

Perhaps we have lost our job.

Perhaps we have received sad news.

Perhaps we have been injured in an accident.

Perhaps a loved one has died.

Perhaps a natural disasters or a conflict has turned our predictable world upside down.

It is during such times, even though it seems difficult or impossible, that we remain still.

That means trusting God completely.

The Psalmist understood this as well.

Psalm 46:10 (NRSVue) - “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth.”

Keep still and let the Lord fight for you.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 21, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, April 28, 2023