Relationships

What is being a Christian all about?

It’s about relationships.

It’s about having a relationship with God.

But, there’s a wrinkle.

God is perfect, Holy and righteous.

We are not.

Even if I had the capacity to review every day of my life and single out what I considered to be my very best day, a closer examination would reveal that somewhere during the course of that day, I came up short.

Likely more than once.

Maybe I said or did something I should not have.

Perhaps I neglected to say or do something I should have.

So, how do we as fallible human beings have a relationship with God?

We do so by having a relationship with Jesus.

We have that relationship with Jesus by realizing that we have a desperate all consuming need for salvation.

We have that relationship when we recognize that He came and dwelt among us for a time.

He did so and experienced many of the same things that you and I experience.

Pain, loneliness, hunger, cold, the hatred of others toward Him and so forth.

He experienced all these things and so much more but there is one huge difference.

Jesus never committed a single sin.

That is why He was the perfect atonement for our sin.

Jesus bridges the gap that would otherwise separate us from God.

Then there is the relationship we have with the Holy Spirit.

This is perhaps the most mysterious and least understood relationship we have due to the nature of the Holy Spirit.

So, how does one know that he has a relationship with the third person of the Trinity?

I confess that when it comes to this relationship it is of such a nature that it is hard for me to put into words.

I can give you examples of what the Holy Spirit does in our lives.

He convicts us of our sin and leads us to recognize Jesus as our Savior.

He then assures us of that salvation.

He helps us recognize and understand the truth.

He transforms our lives in unique and surprising ways.

If someone had described my life today to me years ago, I would simply not have believed them.

But these changes were not my idea nor were they part of any planning on my part.

They occurred because of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, there is one other set of relationships.

The relationships we have with others.

Jesus referred to these others as "our neighbor".

Being human, we quickly find that these prove to be the most challenging of all.

We are to love our neighbor even when our neighbor refuses to love us in return.

We are to forgive our neighbor even when they are unaware that they have wronged us.

We are to forgive them, even if they refuse to forgive us.

We are not to pass judgment on them even if they choose to judge us.

Sound difficult?

In a way, it is.

But as we establish and then improve upon these relationships, our lives become the richer for them.

Before closing, I want you to think about what you consider your most worthwhile accomplishment in life.

Now ask yourself the following question.

Do you consider it worthwhile because it was easy or because it was difficult?

Until we meet again.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The  Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 15, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, November 22, 2013.

At the King's Table

(Author’s Note: I have personally learned a great deal from allegories through the years, and often use them when teaching my Sunday school class. As part of my journey through Lent, I felt moved to put one down in writing.)


As you walk into the great dining hall you are amazed.

The magnificent hall seems to go on forever.

For all you know it might, for you cannot see the end of it.

The table is equally spectacular.

It, too, seems to go on forever.

The end of it, like the hall, simply disappears from view.

"There is an empty seat over here," you hear someone say.

You look upon the speaker, one of a vast multitude seated at the table, as they point out an empty chair next to them.

You walk over, thank them, and take your seat.

You look up and down the table and spot some very familiar faces, but you seem to know everyone you can see somehow.

Before you can ask yourself how it is that you know everyone here, a plate is set before you.

You are amazed by the meal placed before you.

Others are already enjoying their meal.

The meal in front of you looks so inviting that you simply must taste it.

This is without doubt the best meal you have ever had.

In time, you and the others finish and you are overwhelmed by a new sensation.

Complete and total satisfaction.

Never before have you ever felt this satisfied.

As you are about to discuss this with the one who offered you your seat, you notice someone come into the hall.

As he nears, you realize two things.

First, this man is the head waiter.

Second, he carries with him the bill for the entire meal.

This is something you certainly had not counted on.

The waiter is getting uncomfortably close to you.

Discomfort turns to something akin to panic when he stops at your seat and places the bill alongside your now empty plate.

What to do?

You certainly could not afford such a meal for yourself. let alone everyone else in the great hall.

Soon, it appears that all eyes are on you.

As you try to think of a way to explain your inability to pay you realize that it is not you they are looking at.

They are looking behind you.

You turn in your seat and look up into the kindest face you have ever seen.

The individual with the kind face looks at you knowingly and smiles.

He reaches for the bill and that is when you see the nail scarred hand.

As He picks up the bill, you turn to face Him again.

You want to say something, but mere words are not enough.

He places His other hand reassuringly on your shoulder.

It, like the other, is nail scarred.

He smiles and says, "It’s okay. You see, My Father wanted Me to pay for everyone that you see here. That means He wanted me to pay for you too."

Words cannot express the gratitude you feel to this man with the kind face, the warm smile, and the nail scarred hands,

The seeds of this allegory were planted years ago when I read of David’s act of kindness to a crippled Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 9:13 (NET) - Mephibosheth was living in Jerusalem, for he was a regular guest at the king’s table. But both his feet were crippled.

David performed this act of kindness for the sake of Mephibosheth’s father, Jonathan.

Mephibosheth was crippled by a fall as a child, yet David made sure he had a place at the king’s table.

We are crippled from a different kind of fall.

One that goes back to Eden.

As we continue on our journey through Lent, let us be mindful of the kindness Jesus showed us as He obeyed His Father’s will to the cross and beyond.

We cannot earn salvation.

Neither do we deserve it.

Someone had to pay the price we could never hope to pay.

As the hymn reminds us, "Jesus Paid It All!"


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 1, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, March 8, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.

The Better Way

The other day, I was speaking with a friend who attended a high school in a different area.


We found ourselves reminiscing about those days.

He told me a story about someone with whom he went to school.

It seems that his English class was assigned a book report.

When the assignment was due, one of his classmates simply copied down the summary from the inside flap of the book’s jacket and turned that in.

I broke out into laughter.

I laughed because I remembered a time when one of my classmates had done the exact same thing.

We both laughed at that and we concluded that this is probably a common occurrence in many high schools.

What is really amusing is that there is probably not one single teacher who would fall for such an attempt.

There are a number of possible reasons as to why a student would try something like this.

I suspect that one of the most common reasons involves taking what seems like the easier path.

Rather than read the book and write their own report, some would opt not to read the book and simply rely on the work someone else had already done.

In the Sunday School class that I teach, we are currently studying Pilgrim’s Progress.

In it, there is a part of that book that cautions us about trying to take an easier path.

At one point in this narrative the main character named Christian had just spoken to Evangelist who put him on the straight, narrow and only path that leads to heaven.

Shortly afterward, Christian encountered another character aptly named Worldly Wiseman.

This man told Christian that the way in which he traveled was filled with difficulty.

He then falsely convinced Christian that he knew of a much easier way.

Christian decided to ignore the truthful instruction of Evangelist and followed the path that Worldly Wiseman recommended.

In almost no time, Christian realized that this "easier path" does not lead to heaven.

This path led ultimately to death.

Fortunately for Christian, Evangelist found him, corrected him and guided him back to the one true path that led to heaven.

Christian followed that path to heaven even though he encountered difficulties along the way.

That is the way it is in reality, as well.

Christians will encounter difficulties in this world.

When we do, it is certainly not because He does not love us.

It is in times of difficulty that we learn to rely less on ourselves and more on Him.

It is through enduring and overcoming difficulty that we are refined.

There are some that teach that when you become a Christian, all your problems will be solved and that nothing but prosperity will come your way.

I could not disagree more.

I have known many faithful Christians that were anything but financially prosperous.

And, speaking for myself, I can assure that my life became far more complicated when I dedicated my life to Him.

That said, Jesus was clear about this.

Mark 8:34 (NET) - Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them. "If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me."

Life may not be free from difficulty when you decide to follow Jesus, but there is one thing of which I can assure you.

Life is far better with Him than without Him.

This is especially true when you encounter difficulty.

It is then that you realize that you do not bear it alone.

You realize that He is right there with you every step of the way.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 23, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, November 30, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.

The Hardest Person to Forgive

I have written on the topic of forgiveness before and how it is something with which people, including Christians, struggle.

This is true when it comes to forgiving others.

This time I would like to address our need to forgive the one who is often times our harshest critic, namely, us.

We have a tendency to be harder on ourselves than anyone else.

We recall our past mistakes, our past shortcomings and our past failures.

We then tend to replay them in our minds over and over again.

We may even find it difficult to sleep sometimes when our thoughts become occupied with the past.

The sad part is that this is completely unnecessary.

While we cannot undo the things we have done wrong, we can be forgiven them.

How?

We can start by confessing our sins to Him.

He knows them already, but this is for our benefit.

1 John 1:8-9 (NET) - If we say that we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.

Next, we forgive others.

Matthew 6:12-13 (NET) - For if you forgive others their sins, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you.

Many people find this part difficult.

Most worthwhile things in life tend to be difficult in the beginning.

Just remember that it is never too late and we don’t have to do this alone.

As long as we draw breath, there is hope.

Even the thief, while hanging on a cross, found hope when he turned to Jesus.

Luke 23:42-43 (NET) = Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise."

With forgiveness comes the removal of guilt.

Psalm 103:12 (NET) - As far as the eastern horizon is from the west, so He removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.

The last time I checked, that was pretty far.

Remember, the past is just that.

Once you place your faith in Jesus, you are no longer the person you were.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NET) - So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: what is old has passed away - look, what is new has come!

With His help, we can let go of the past and the feelings of guilt to which we cling.

We can let go of that which robs us of the present and acts as a barrier to what is a brighter future.

We can then live the kind of life that He intends us to live.

John 10:10 (NET) - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so they may have life and may have it abundantly.

Guilt is like an anchor that holds the ship of our lives in place.

He can do more than help us pull up the anchor.

He can cut the line and set us completely free.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, October 5, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, October 12, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.