Faith Lives on in Others

Deuteronomy 32:7 (NRSVue) - Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.

Moses recited these and other words to the people.

He did this just before his death was foretold.

What strikes me now is the part about asking the elders to explain.

They say that with age comes wisdom.

That is not always the case.

But elders within the church take on a unique responsibility.

Along with the pastor, they are leaders within the church.

And not everyone is cut out for that responsibility.

Paul had a unique perspective when it came to elders.

He passed this along in his second letter to Timothy.

2 Timothy 1:5 (NRSVue) - I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.

Paul recognized Timothy’s faith,

He also understood the source of that faith.

He acknowledged the contributions of Timothy’s mother and grandmother.

This resonates within me.

Like Timothy, Godly grandmothers and a Godly mother played significant roles in my faith.

The faith of Timothy’s grandmother and mother lived on in him.

And so, the faith of my grandmothers and my mother lives on in me.

God generously gives us elders, grandparents, and parents.

He does so that they can build a foundation of faith within us.

We learn not only from their words, but from their example.

Although I instruct adults, I see children in church every Sunday.

I also know that children instinctively watch adults.

I understand that a careless word or action on my part could be harmful.

That is why I pray to be a good example for them.

I was blessed by those who contributed to my spiritual life when I was young.

Now it is my turn to do the same, be it directly or indirectly.

With God’s help, perhaps some of my faith will live on in others.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, November 17, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, November 24, 2023

From Roots to Fruits

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NRSVue) - Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

In this chapter, the prophet discussed Judah’s sin and punishment.

He also described those who trust God.

He compares them to a tree planted by water.

When the rain does not fall, the tree remains strong.

It can do so because its roots have access to the water nearby.

It also bears fruit.

Christians also bear fruit.

These are the fruits of the Spirit.

They are evidence of faith to those around them.

But what are the fruits of the Spirit?

Paul discussed this in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NRSVue) - By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

The triune God makes all this possible.

The Father creates.

The Son redeems.

The Holy Spirit makes holy.

The moment we accept Christ as Savior, our roots begin to run deep.

These roots preserve us even in times of difficulty.

We also begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit.

Others bear witness to our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

There is no better way to introduce others to the triune God.

Then they can experience all these things for themselves.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, November 3, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, November 10, 2023

The Call of Discipleship

 

Jeremiah 7:23 (NIV) - but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.

The prophet warned the people against worshipping false gods.

False gods are worthless.

The worship of false God’s invites the Lord’s wrath.

Beyond this, false gods can do absolutely nothing for the worshipper.

But confusion was not confined to Old Testament Times.

The eighth chapter of John provides a good illustration of this.

The chapter begins with the scribes and Pharisees bringing a woman to Jesus.

They claim to have caught her in an act of adultery.

They then try to put Jesus on the spot by reminding Him that the law condemned her to be stoned.

Admittedly, my first question is: “Why did they bring her only?”

Surely it takes two to commit adultery.

But that aside, they wanted to trap Jesus to charge him.

But Jesus did something unexpected.

He bent down and began writing on the ground.

Scripture does not tell us what Jesus wrote, but it obviously had a tremendous impact on those present.

As he wrote, they departed; first one then another.

Finally only Jesus and the woman remained.

There was no one left to condemn her.

Jesus did not condemn her, but He did tell her to depart and sin no more.

Jesus was there for the woman.

Likewise, He is there for us.

The chapter goes on to remind us that Jesus is the light of the world.

It even reminds us that Jesus was aware of the fate that awaited Him.

Finally, it reminds us of who His disciples are.

John 8:31 (NRSVue) - Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples,

People still worship false gods.

Some may not even be aware that they are doing so.

This is a pity as false gods can do nothing for us.

Jesus still does.

And once we come to terms with that, our discipleship begins.

But as Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, there is a cost to discipleship.

Matthew 16:24 (NRSVue) - Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Discipleship is a privilege.

Discipleship is a call.

The question is: Are we ready to listen?

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, October 20, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, October 27, 2023

Compassion for the Ungrateful

Hosea 11:8-9 (NRSVue) - How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim, for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.

In Hosea, the prophet speaks about two things.

First, he speaks about the people’s lack of gratitude.

Immediately thereafter, he speaks about God’s compassion.

The people worshipped idols and made sacrifices to them.

Fortunately for the people, God was compassionate.

Broadly speaking, are we any better today than God’s people were back then?

Don’t we worship idols?

Don’t we put things and people above God?

Fortunately for us, God is still compassionate.

To prove this, He sent Christ into the world to take our sins upon Himself.

The triune God did this in order that we might be saved.

Christ understood that this was the task set before Him.

His words reflect this.

John 12:47 (NRSVue) - I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world but to save the world.

When it comes down to it, we should not put possessions and people above God.

After all, we were created in His image.

But God’s gift of grace is for everyone.

On our best day, we are incapable of saving anyone.

We cannot even save ourselves.

We, like those who came before us, often lack proper gratitude,

But God remains compassionate.

We still belong to Him, even when we sometimes lose sight of that.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, October 6, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, October 13, 2023