Love

 

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NRSVue) - And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.

Paul wrote these words centuries ago.

Faith is wonderful.

And who among us does not wish to have hope.

Nevertheless, love is the greatest of the three.

While there are distinct kinds of love, the English language offers us one single word.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, people are searching for the right way to express their affection.

Paul expressed that love is greater than faith and hope.

Yet Jesus spoke about the greatest love of all.

John 15:13 (NRSVue) - No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

As we enter the season of Lent, we are reminded that Christ had the greatest love of all.

And we, His friends, are beneficiaries of that love.

It is difficult to find that perfect gift for that perfect someone for Valentine’s Day.

No matter how perfect our choice is, it will pale in comparison to that greatest love of all.

Despite this, scripture makes one thing abundantly clear,

1 John 4:19 (NRSVue) - We love because he first loved us.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, February 20, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, February 27, 2026

In Sadness and in Consolation

 

Jeremiah 31 speaks about the return of the exiles.

Scripture specifies that it will be a joyous return.

Jeremiah 31:13b (NRSVue) - I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow.

Paul opens his second letter to Corinth with a greeting.

Immediately afterward, Paul writes about affliction and God’s role.

God is with us in our tribulation.

Equally, God is there in our consolation.

2 Corinthians 1:7 (NRSVue) - Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.

God is compassionate.

He turns our sorrow and mourning into joy.

Yes, God accompanies us in our sadness.

We should also recognize that God will be with us in what lies beyond.

God will be there in our consolation.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, January 23, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, February 6, 2026

Whatever the Storm

 

Psalm 89:9 (NRSVue) - You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.

I do not live near the sea.

But this verse reminded me of a painting I saw as a child.

It was a seascape that depicted a storm.

The dark and ominous clouds made a perfect contrast to the lightning.

Huge waves formed by the turbulent wends were depicted in the background.

As they made their way to shore, they grew.

In the foreground, they crashed mightily upon the rocky shore.

This painting frightened me as a child.

Just thinking about it still makes me feel uneasy.

Just one gallon of water weighs more than 8 pounds (almost 4 kg).

As such, a large wave wields considerable power,

In Matthew 8, Jesus and His disciples travel by boat.

Jesus falls asleep.

A storm arises and the waves send water into the boat.

The disciples grow afraid.

In desperation, they wake Jesus!

Matthew 8:26 (NRSVue) - And [Jesus] said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a dead calm.

These are excellent reminders for us.

Life often becomes turbulent.

Adverse circumstances in life arise and multiply.

We might even feel like they are going to overwhelm us.

We can almost hear Christ say to us: “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”

Christ has the power to conquer any storm, even those unrelated to the weather.

Christ was in the boat with His disciples when the storm came upon them.

He is also with us when adverse circumstances assail us.

He has the power to calm these storms as well.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, January 16, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, January 23, 2026