Our Divine Advocate

 

In Isaiah 59, the prophet speaks of sin.

He also states that all sin is known to God.

Isaiah 59:12-13 (NRSVue) - For our transgressions before you are many, and our sins testify against us. Our transgressions indeed are with us, and we know our iniquities: transgressing and denying the Lord and turning away from following our God, talking oppression and revolt, conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart.

The author of 1 John also speaks of sin.

He also reminds us that we have an advocate.

He reminds us that we should not commit sin.

But when we do, Christ intercedes on our behalf.

1 John 2:1 (NRSVue) - My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,

In legal terms, an advocate is someone who pleads the cause of another.

Christ pleads our cause.

That is one reason confession is so important.

When we confess, God already knows our transgression.

We are not telling God what He does not know.

In confessing, we admit to ourselves that we were wrong.

God heals and forgives through Christ because of His great and abiding love for us.

When Christ was crucified, he was mocked by those in attendance.

Christ was their advocate when He asked The Father to forgive them.

If Christ was able to forgive so much, why are we hesitant in forgiving so little of others?

After all, Christ is their advocate too.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, August 4, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, August 11, 2025

True Peace

 

Psalm 4 is a plea for deliverance.

The Psalmist ends in recognizing that real peace and safety reside in God.

Psalm 4:8 (NRSVue) - I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

In John 14, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit.

Jesus also promises true peace.

John 14:27 (NRSVue) - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

The world in which we live is turbulent.

Prices remain high.

World leaders clash over threats of tariffs and reprisals.

The nation is divided along political lines.

People, especially the young, take to social media and vent their frustrations.

Nations are engaged in armed conflict.

The list goes on.

But those who have faith understand that the Lord is a source of peace even amid turmoil.

And we, in turn, can help others find that same peace through our words and actions.

We can lead those we encounter to the source of true peace.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, March 21, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, March 28, 2025

Speak Up

 

In Isaiah 49, the prophet speaks of the return of the people.

When this happens, the people will be certain of one thing.

Isaiah 49:23b (NRSVue) - Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

In Luke’s gospel, we are reminded to express our confession.

We are also reminded that we will be given help in choosing the right words.

Luke 12:11-12 (NRSVue) - When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you will answer or what you are to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”

True, we are flawed human beings.

We also endeavor to hide our flaws and our anxieties.

But we take comfort that when we confess our faith, we do not do so alone.

And it is crucial for us to recognize this.

Matthew 10:32-33 (NRSVue) - “Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, March 7, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, March 14, 2025

In Harmony

 

Job 21:22 (NET) - Can anyone teach God knowledge, since he judges those that are on high?

The book of Job can be puzzling.

It can and does raise several questions.

Why believe in God if there is no reward?

Why do good people suffer?

Why do the unjust get rewarded?

Job, in his misery and pain, began to question his faith and his very existence.

Even those closest to him were of no help.

Job’s wife suggested he “curse God and die.”

His friends were no better.

They inferred that Job must have been punished for his sin.

Job responded to one friend with the question: “Can anyone teach God knowledge, since he judges those that are on high?”

Job realized that man cannot fully understand the triune God.

In the end, Job repented.

Although we cannot fully understand the triune God, we can glimpse certain aspects.

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, grasped the harmony between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:16 (NET) - Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.

The Father creates.

The Son redeems.

The Holy Spirit makes holy.

These aspects of God work together in harmony with each other.

Although beyond our complete understanding, God demonstrates this to us.

We should therefore work in harmony with each other.

Considering today’s headlines, the world could certainly benefit from our working harmoniously with one another.

True, we cannot fully understand God, but we can learn from our glimpses of Him.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 20, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, August 27, 2021

Discipline

 

Proverbs 3:11 (NET) - My child, do not despise discipline from the Lord, and do not loathe his rebuke.

Children do not like to be disciplined.

As adults, we like it even less.

But discipline becomes necessary when we stop seeking wisdom.

It becomes necessary when we stray from the Lord.

The fact that this verse begins with “my child” speaks volumes.

When we are disciplined, we often act like children.

In fact, our initial response to discipline is often additional rebellion.

We may even view this as undue and unjust punishment.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The book of James reminds us of this.

James 3:17 (NET) - But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical.

When God disciplines us, His motive is pure.

It is not derived from anger.

It is neither undue nor unjust.

It is simply a means of bringing us back to Him.

It is a means of bringing us to confession… both to ourselves as well as to God.

Granted, this is often not easy.

Then again, most worthwhile things in life rarely are.

On the bright side, we do not have to do this on our own.

We must first listen to His call to us and respond to it.

We must recognize our need for humility.

This leads us to confession and actual change.

Then we can walk harmoniously with God once again.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 6, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, August 13, 2021

The Root of the Problem

On Saturday, I was saddened to learn of another mass shooting.

This one occurred in the state in which I live.

Then, less than 24 hours later, another occurred in a different state.

These tragedies are bad enough in and of themselves.

Yet in no time the media and people in general began promoting their own theories about what exactly is to blame.

Many pointed to violent video games and social media as the root cause.

On August 1, 1966 the first mass shooting in America took place.

This was decades before the advent of either video games or social media.

Others point to guns as the cause.

We must remember that others in the recent past have chosen explosives to kill their victims.

In fact, another nation with strict gun control laws has seen a record rise in the number of stabbings,

In my assessment, these killings are but symptoms.

Symptoms of a very serious disease that, left untreated, will only grow worse with time.

The problem, as I see it is two-fold.

Broadly speaking, we have grown distant from God.

Also, broadly speaking, we have forgotten how to love our neighbor.

So much so, that some have even grown to hate those that are not like them.

The question then becomes: What can we do about all this?

Well, when a sports team struggles, the coach often turns to the basics and the fundamentals.

Are there fundamentals to which we can turn?

Certainly!

Genesis tells us we are all made in God’s image.

Jesus tells us to love God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

There was a song we all used to sing as children.

Jesus loves the little children

All the children of the world

Red and yellow. black and white

They are precious in His sight

Jesus loves the little children of the world

This is an excellent reminder even for adults.

Jesus extends His love to us regardless of our outer appearance.

That love is not limited by geography.

That love continues even when we grow up.

Ending the cycle of senseless violence is possible.

But it will only be possible if we are willing to go to the root cause.

We must draw near to God once more and sincerely ask His forgiveness.

We must learn to love our neighbors (all of them) as ourselves.

C. S. Lewis put it this way - “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.’”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 16, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, August 23, 2019

Rings a Bell

Church bells have been in use for centuries.

There are primarily used to signal worshipers that the service is about to begin.

Some churches, including my own, also ring the church bell at the conclusion of the service.

Some churches ring their bell three times a day as a reminder to their members to recite prayer.

Church bells are even rung in celebration at Thanksgiving or at weddings.

In fact, many wedding and anniversary cards have pictures of church bells on them.

When rung in celebration, the sound of the church bell adds to the joy of the occasion.

Psalm 98:4 (KJV) - Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

I have been called upon to ring my church’s bell both before and after worship.

When rung in a certain way, the bell produces a loud and joyful sound just as described by the Psalmist.

I believe this helps prepare the believer’s heart for worship.

In the same way, that joyful sound it creates at the end of the service also serves a purpose.

I believe it helps prepare the believer to take what was shared during the worship service out into the world.

The sound the bell makes is not always a joyful one though.

In Great Britain during World War II the church bells were silenced.

They were only to be rung as a warning of a pending enemy attack.

There is another time when the sound of the church bell is not a joyous one.

I know this from experience as I have also been called upon to ring the church’s bell at funeral services.

In fact, I was called upon to do just that on Saturday.

Whenever I am called upon to do this, I take the responsibility very seriously.

I see the church bell is a musical instrument that is capable of producing only one note.

Whenever I ring the bell at a funeral service, I try to ring it slowly, regularly and somberly.

I do this out of respect.

I also do it for one more reason.

It is possible that someone attending the funeral service has not yet made himself right with the Lord.

If such is the case, they need to do so while they still have time.

Psalm 144:4 (KJV) – Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

Just as the bells were rung as a warning in times of war, perhaps the slow, regular and somber tone of the church bell will serve as a reminder.

A reminder that our time on earth is limited.

Although limited, it is never too late to get right with God through Jesus Christ.

For as long as we draw breath there is hope.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 3, 2015.

I’ll be back here on Friday, April 10, 2015

There Is Hope for Everyone

There once was a boy who dearly loved his mother.

His mother was diagnosed with a terrible disease when he was ten years old.

The boy prayed to God for his mother to be healed.

She was not.

The boy's mother died and as a result he blamed God for her death.

That blame then grew into a genuine disbelief in God.

By age thirteen he became quite "worldly" and declared that he was no longer a Christian.

In the plainest of terms, he had given up on God..

By age fifteen, he began to hate the school he was enrolled in and begged his father to take him out of it.

Although he had an aptitude for literature his lack of ability in mathematics caused him to fail in school.

When war broke out, he was recruited into the army and found himself on the front lines on his nineteenth birthday.

After the war, he returned to school and resumed his education.

At age thirty-one, he fell on his knees and confessed that "God is God' and became a theist.

Although he believed in God, he still did not believe that Jesus was who He claimed to be.

Two years later, at age thirty-three he went on a thirty mile motorcycle trip to the zoo with his brother.

He later said that when the trip began, he still did not acknowledge that Jesus was the Son of God.

By the time they arrived, he did.

The man about whom I write is C. S. Lewis.

He was known as one of the most famous defenders of Christianity in the twentieth century.

As a boy, Lewis had given up on God.

God never gave up on Lewis.

Throughout the remainder of his life, Lewis composed a large body of work which not only defended the Christian faith but explained with complete and flawless logic why it is the only faith that makes  sense.

In recent years his Chronicles of Narnia series have been made into full length motion pictures.

Among his works was a series of radio lectures which he broadcast on BBC Radio during World War II.

These were eventually compiled into one book entitled Mere Christianity.

We are now studying that book in the adult Sunday school class I am privileged to teach.

Lewis died on November 22, 1963.

That was the same day President John Kennedy was assassinated.

News of the assassination greatly diminished the newsworthiness of the passing of C. S. Lewis.

Considering the life of C. S. Lewis leads me to remember another life that was changed permanently.

Paul, who penned the letters that make up such a large part of our New Testament, found his life forever changed.

Be it a road to Damascus or a road that leads to an English zoo, lives can be completely changed at the time of God's choosing.

For as long as we draw breath, there remains hope for meaningful and eternal change.

That means that there is hope for everyone.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The  Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 18, 2014.
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 25, 2014

Condition Is Not Everything

There are some fairly interesting television programs on the stations I watch most often.

Many have to do with artifacts of historical note.

One of the things these programs often focus on is value.

When it comes to the value of artifacts, their condition plays a key role.

Experts have even come up with standards for grading their condition.

The better the condition, the more the artifact is worth.

When it comes to determining the value of individuals, people tend to take a similar approach.

So much so that we generally allow our first impressions to determine how or even if we will associate with others.

In Luke 15, Jesus speaks of a man with two sons.

The younger son asks his father for his portion of the estate.

This son then leaves home and proceeds to squander his share of the wealth.

Once spent, a famine strikes the land and the son finds himself in need.

He then takes a job in the land feeding another man's pigs.

Soon, he comes to his senses and decides to return to his father and beg him for a job.

His only desire is to be accepted as a hire hand.

Luke 15:21 (NET) – Then his son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to to be called your son.”

His father reacted in a way that must have taken him by surprise.

He had his servants bring the best robe to clothe him.

He put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

The fattened calf was slaughtered and a celebration took place.

The son returned to his father, humbled himself before him and confessed the error of his ways and found his condition to be much improved.

While the conditions of artifacts cannot improve. God can dramatically improve the spiritual condition of anyone that genuinely comes to Him.

Jesus said so.

Luke 15:7 (NET) – I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine people who have no need to repent.

Humans tend to focus on present condition.

God sees the potential.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 7, 2014.

Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!

I’ll be back here on Friday, March 14, 2014.