Praising God More

 

Psalm 73 is a prayer for protection.

The psalmist also acknowledges the need to praise God.

Psalm 71:23 (NRSVue) - My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have rescued.

Luke 1 talks about the birth of John the Baptist.

It also discusses John’s father, Zechariah.

Before John was born, an angel visited Zechariah while he was performing his priestly duties.

The angel told Zechariah that his wife would bare a son and that he was to be called John.

Zechariah found this hard to believe, so he asked for a sign.

The angel said that Zechariah would be unable to speak until these events occurred.

Zechariah was immediately muted.

Eight days after his wife had given birth, it was time to name the child.

Tradition held that the child was to be named after his father,

Elizabeth, the baby’s mother, said his name was to be John.

Those in attendance tried to dissuade her.

Zechariah, still mute, acted.

Luke 1:63-64 (NRSVue) - He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God.

The moment Zechariah was able to speak; he began praising God.

We also should praise God regularly.

We often fail to live up to that obligation.

Yet God is loving and merciful.

Even in times of weakness, we can turn to God.

With His help, we can give God the praise He deserves.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, July 3, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, July 10, 2026

Productive Work

 

Work is a big part of our lives.

It should be.

God intends that we, who are made in His image, should engage in productive work.

Even before God created Eve, He gave Adam a job.

Genesis 2:15 (NRSVue) - The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.

Isaiah touched on the productive aspect of work in speaking of God’s calling.

Isaiah 49:4 (NRSVue) - But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord and my reward with my God.”

For our work to be productive, it must fall in line with the Lord’s will.

When Jesus called his first disciples, they were not scholars.

They were laborers.

Simon was a fisherman.

Jesus boarded his boat and asked Simon to take the boat away from shore.

Once adrift, Jesus told Simon to drop his nets.

Jesus knew Simon had not caught anything the night before.

Doing more work was probably the last thing Simon had on his mind that day.

But Simon obeyed the Lord’s instructions.

Luke 5:5 (NRSVue) - Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.”

Simon’s obedience was rewarded.

His nets were full to the point of bursting.

The Lord still intends for us to engage in productive work.

And this work is not limited to our professions.

There is also the work we do for our families and our churches.

To keep these in balance, we need His help to keep Him in all parts of our lives.

Colossians 3:23-24 (NRSVue) – Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, June 19, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, June 26, 2026