No Plan B

We had a rather important meeting scheduled recently.

Moments before the meeting started, we had an equipment failure.

I quickly came up with a different option.

This was my Plan B.

One thing experience has taught me is preparedness.

I immediately formulated a third plan in case my second plan failed.

A short time later, it did.

I had to put my third plan into motion.

Having done that, I immediately formulated a fourth plan, just in case.

Fortunately, I did not have to put that fourth plan into action.

As human beings, we make both plans and backup plans.

Fortunately for us, God has a plan and He has no need of a backup plan.

Each of us is a part of His plan.

When God told Isaiah of his future as a prophet, Isaiah resisted.

God reminded Isaiah of His plan.

Jeremiah 1:5 (NET) - “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”.

Jesus Christ Himself was part of the plan from the very beginning.

John1:1-3 (NET) - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

Even our salvation itself was part of the plan from the very beginning.

Ephesians 1:4 (NET) - For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love.

We are not here by accident or coincidence.

Each of us is a part of God’s plan.

A plan that has always been in place and cannot fail.

God requires no “Plan B”.

That is something we can all rely upon.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 20, 2018.

I will be back here on Friday, July 27, 2018

A Heritage of Faith

I am a very fortunate man.

My parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts were people of faith.

Each of them helped instill a foundation of faith in me which I continue to build upon.

Although almost all of them are gone, I continue to thank God for every one of them.

I am also interested in history especially the history of those with whom I share a connection.

Some were people from my family’s history.

Some were people from my church’s history.

Some were people native to the lands from where my family originated.

One of the things they had in common was faith in the Lord.

Many of them willingly risked much in order to preserve their faith.

Many were persecuted for their faith.

A few even willingly sacrificed their very lives for their faith.

As I learn more about these individuals and their stories two things happen.

Their stories become a part of me and I want to share their stories with others who share a similar heritage,

I share these accounts with members of my family and members of my church.

I may even share their experiences as an example for the students in the Sunday school class I teach.

As time has gone by I have found that others also have an interest in these accounts.

This makes sense because faith is an important part of the heritage with which we have been entrusted,

These accounts need to be shared,

Sharing these accounts gives us a better perspective on our own faith.

It also helps us to develop stronger bonds with each other.

It also helps us to be more grateful.

Isaiah 38:19 (NET) – The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks, as I do today. A father tells his sons about your faithfulness.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 4, 2015.

I’ll be back here on Friday, September 11, 2015

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.

Happy Trails

One of the unexpected consequences I have encountered in writing on a weekly basis is that sometimes I learn something new about myself.

This is one of those times.

I am a big fan of the Western genre.

I am particularly fond of old Westerns.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know very well that these are works of fiction.

I also know that not everyone appreciates them to the same degree as I do.

Westerns, especially the old ones, tend to subscribe to the same predictable formula.

In the old Westerns, the villain was usually a man of wealth who wanted more than he already had.

He often employed hired guns to help him acquire even more often at the expense of the innocent.

The hero, on the other hand, was quite different.

He wore a white hat so that he was easily recognizable.

He was a man of pristine character who never did anything wrong.

And just when all seemed lost, the hero would ride in and set everything right.

Once this was accomplished, the hero would ride off into the sunset and the story would end just the way I knew it would from the outset.

There is a phrase about "art imitating life" and after thinking about it, I have discovered more than a few parallels to my faith that helps me understand just why I enjoy the old Westerns so much.

The real "villain" we face in this world is Satan who has much at his disposal.

So much, that he even tempted Jesus with it.

Matthew 4:9 (NET) - Again, the devil took him to a high place and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur. And he said to Him, "I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me."

Greed is a motivating factor for evil in the old Westerns.

Greed continues to play a major role in the ills of the world.

Scripture warns us of its dangers.

1 Timothy 6:10 (NET) - For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.

Scripture also warns us of the "hired guns" we will face.

Ephesians 6:12 (NET) - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

What about "the hero" who wears the "white hat"?

Scripture tells us that Jesus, our deliverer, also wore white clothing.

He did so at the Transfiguration.

Matthew 17:2 (NET) - And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.

Jesus, unlike even the best of human beings, truly was of pristine character.

Hebrews 4:15 (NET) - For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.

And just when all seemed lost for a fallen world, Jesus came and set things right as only He could.

1 John 4:10 (NET) - In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

And after He put things right, He "rode off into the sunset" figuratively speaking, of course.

Mark 16:19 (NET) - After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

So that there is absolutely no misunderstanding, I want to make things absolutely clear.

I know that what God reveals in scripture is factual and my faith rests solidly on these great truths.

I would do nothing to demean or belittle it.

I also know that the old Westerns are fictional stories and nothing more.

But after thinking about this, I now have a better understanding into why I enjoy the old Westerns as much as I do.

I now have a much better insight into my own character.

So, in the words of Roy Rogers, "Happy trails to you, ‘til we meet again."


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, October 19, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, October 26, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.

Change

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NET) - For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth;


Someone wiser than me once said that the only constant in the world Is change.

There definitely is a great deal of truth in that statement.

Over the course of the last few months, I have seen a building in various stages of demolition.

My father once ran his business from this building,

He passed away several decades ago at a rather young age.

He learned television and radio repair through a combination of a correspondence school and on the job training working for a gentleman who was experienced in this line of work in a city about forty miles away.

Eventually, my father knew enough to go into business for himself but needed a location within our town.

Money was a problem for him early on, but he had a friend.

This friend rented a part of the building he used for his own business to my father at a price that was more than reasonable.

Mother also helped Father by keeping the books and keeping track of his appointments.

My father began experiencing health problems and this friend of the family always kept the rent at a price my father could afford.

Eventually, my father’s health deteriorated to the point where he was no longer able to do this sort of work.

He no longer needed to rent this workspace from this family friend.

Shortly after that my father passed away.

Ecclesiastes 3:2 (NET) - A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;

Mother and I continued to be friends with this kind man for decades.

Eventually, his health began to deteriorate as well.

He passed away a just few years before my mother did.

Over the course of the last several years, the building fell into disrepair.

Then, several months ago, demolition of the structure began.

Ecclesiastes 3:3 (NET) - A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

I would drive by from time to time to just to check on the progress of this project.

Each time I would think back on old times and enjoy good memories I made with my parents in that building and the good memories I had of this friend of the family.

You see, our relationship changed as well as I grew up.

Each of us shared a fondness for crossword puzzles and coffee.

We spent more than a few hours sharing both when my schedule would allow,

Although it was hard to say goodbye, I am very happy to have counted this special man among my friends.

I am also very happy to know that he has a place in heaven,

Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NET) - A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

So, time has moved on.

There is now an empty lot where the building once stood.

My parents have gone to be with the Lord.

So has this very special friend.

Even my fondness for crossword puzzles diminished with his passing.

Time can change a great many things, but some things remain unchanged.

My memories of my family, this man’s kindness and the friendship we developed will stay with me always.



Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 6, 2012.

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

I’ll be back here on Friday, July 13, 2012.

Schedule subject to change.

Christian Diplomacy

Technology is a marvelous thing.

It has allowed me to connect with an ever widening array of people from different parts of the world.

One of its benefits that I have enjoyed the most is connecting with people who have the same interests that I have.

In fact, I have made many friends who enjoy the same hobby that I enjoy.

Most of them I will never have the pleasure of meeting face to face in this world.

One of the things I never hide in my interactions is the fact that I am a Christian.

My faith is an important part of who I am and I certainly do not mind sharing that fact with anyone.

In fact, I share both this blog and another to which I contribute on various social media.

I invite my connections to read them.

I do not know how many or how few actually take the time to do so.

I am aware that, among those who do not profess to be Christians, relatively few will take the time to read them.

The next logical question is: Why do it in the first place?

My answer would have to be twofold.

First - I felt His leading me to do it and that in and of itself is sufficient.

Second - If the total effort makes a difference in just one person’s life, it will have all been completely worth it.

That said, a new friend recently posted something online about two new "Christian" acquaintances he made.

I was one and the other was kept anonymous.

The comments about me were very complimentary and I will not share them here so as not to appear conceited.

The comments about the other were far from complimentary.

It made me wonder, "How can two Christians who worship the same Christ be seen by the same individual in such a different light?"

Based on the comment I suspect it is in our approach.

As for my approach, I remind myself of what the Bible has to say about me.

Romans 3:23 (NET) - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

The last time I checked, I am still very much a part of all.

I also recognize that I am a work in progress and will continue to be one as long as I draw breath.

Luke 6:41 (NET) - Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?

I must recognize that I am not perfect but am in the process of being perfected.

Jesus reminds us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and warns us not to pass judgment on others.

We are citizens of Heaven.

Philippians 3:20 (NET) - But our citizenship is in Heaven - and we also await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If Christians are citizens of Heaven, it then follows that we are to be His ambassadors here in this world.

We are not to claim diplomatic immunity in our day to day affairs.

Rather, we are to use the gifts God has so generously given us in order to make a difference.

By and large that means making a difference one person at a time.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 20,, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, January 27, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.

Really Celebrating Christmas

John 14:6 (NET) - Jesus replied, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

The Christmas Program our church presented was a resounding success.

I am not just saying that because I was in it.

My performance, if one were to venture to call it that, was hardly a performance.

Anna, an extremely talented lady in my church family, writes the Christmas Program for us every year.

Her theme this year was "What Christmas Is" as opposed to what it is not.

Each scene opened with what Christmas "is not", be it expensive gifts or fancy meals or other such things that are really not necessary to truly celebrate Christmas.

My role was to let each scene develop and then enter stage left and more or less set the record straight.

As I was portraying myself delivering dialog that I personally agreed with, I could hardly consider that acting.

To quote my last line...

"Christmas is the Holy celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and we should include our Savior in our celebration. And He loves even the simplest expression of our love and commitment."

Thank you, Anna.

I could not have written it any better than that.

We tend to get so carried away with our celebrations that we tend to let the preparations crowd out the real reason for celebrating in the first place. Namely, Jesus Himself.

John 1:12-13 (NET) - But to all who have received Him - those who believe in His Name - He has given the right to become God’s children - children not born by human desire, or a husband’s decision, but by God.

Jesus is God’s gift of mercy to us.

We celebrate the birth of Jesus because we would be totally lost without Him.

We can include a variety of activities in our celebrations, even church Christmas programs, as long as those activities do not distract us from the real reason for celebration.

Bearing that in mind, I wish you and yours a merry and blessed Christmas which includes our Savior!


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 23,, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, December 30, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.

So Many to Feed

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote about the many miracles of Jesus.

Yet, of all the miracles of Jesus, only one appears in each of these four books.

That miracle is the feeding of the five thousand with a two fish and five loaves of bread.

Matthew’s account takes place in Chapter 14.

Mark’s account takes place in Chapter 6.

Luke documents this miracle in Chapter 9.

John relates this in Chapter 6.

In each account, Jesus takes the five loaves and the two fish and gives thanks for them. Then has his disciples distribute them among this vast crowd.

After everyone had eaten and was satisfied, the leftovers were collected and filled twelve baskets.

I have always found it fascinating that this is the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in each of the four gospels.

Not even the raising of Lazarus from the dead was documented in this way.

I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the fact that He led each of these authors to include this miracle in their individual account is sufficient for me.

I cannot help but feel that each man was also sufficiently impressed as well.

Who wouldn’t be?

Think about it from their perspective when it happened.

You and the His other disciples are with Jesus surrounded by a throng of humanity.

Jesus takes pity on them and then looks directly at you and says, "You feed them."

You take inventory of your supplies. Five small loaves and two meager fish.

How in the world can you make these few items feed so many.

The answer is obvious. You can’t.

You can’t, but Jesus can!

Matthew 14:18 (NET) - "Bring them here to Me," he replied.

So you do.

Then you watch to see what happens.

Matthew 14:19 (NET) - Then He instructed the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. He gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Although some two thousand years have passed between that miracle and today, many more still hunger not only physically but spiritually as well.


SO MANY need to be fed.

"But what can I do," you think to yourself.

You can almost hear the echo of His reply, "Bring them here to Me."

That is the task at hand.

Bring them to Jesus.

With His help, nothing is impossible.

Philippians 4:13 (NET) - I am able to do all things through the One who strengthens me.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 19, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, August 26, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.

Freshly Baked Bread

I am really glad my mother told me the things that she did. Whenever I am lucky enough to get a quiet moment, I fondly think of her and the memories she shared.

Mother came from a large family and she often talked about the amount of bread my grandmother baked to keep that family going strong.

Whenever I think of that I can almost smell the aroma of freshly baked bread.

There is simply no other smell like it. It is perhaps my favorite aroma in the world.

There is a restaurant near my place of business that serves excellent coffee. They also have their own bakery. Many times I have walked in intending to buy just a cup of coffee. More often than not I end up leaving with the coffee... and a loaf of freshly baked bread.

The thought of fresh bread with its wonderful aroma always leads me to think of bread’s role in the Bible and the references Jesus made to it.

In fact, the word bread appears over 300 times in the King James Version.

The first time bread is mentioned in the New Testament is during the temptation of Jesus.

Matthew 4:3 (KJV) - And when the tempter came to him, he said, "If thou be the Son of God, command these stones be made bread."

Jesus, of course, had a response.

Matthew 4:4 (KJV) - But He answered and said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God."

Jesus also understood our physical needs as well. This is made evident when he taught us how to pray what has come to be known as the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6:11 (KJV) - Give us this day our daily bread.

Also in the book of Matthew is the account of the Lord’s Supper in which bread plays a very important role.

Matthew 26:26 (KJV) - And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat. This is my body.

Along with this verse, there is another in which Jesus refers to himself as "the bread of life".

John 6:35 (KJV) - And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

I love that reference.

Just as the smell of bread always make me hungry, the thought of Jesus being the bread of life makes me hunger for both Jesus and the eternal life he offers.

The smell of baking bread doesn't just effect me. It has a similar impact on those around me.

I cannot keep that aroma to myself.

In a similar way, I should share Jesus with every one I meet. That is another thing my grandmother did.

Baking bread to feed her large family was far from the only thing she did well.

She also knew how to share the "bread of life" with everyone even if she just met them.

I adore the way she did it.

She would walk right up to them and ask, "Do you know my Jesus?"

I love those words, "my Jesus".

Those two words let everyone know that she had a deep and personal relationship with her savior and that they could have that kind of relationship with Him as well.

I cannot bake bread like my grandmother did.

But I can share the "bread of life" exactly like she did.

So I ask, "Do you know my Jesus?"


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, June 10, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, June 17, 2011.
(Schedule subject to change)

Curtain Call

As we near Easter, I was struck by a particular passage from the book of Matthew.

Matthew 27:50-52 (NET) - Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up His Spirit. Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split apart. And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died were raised.

There are three events that took place upon the death of Jesus that were spectacular in nature, but one struck me as being the most spectacular of the three.

It wasn’t the opening of the tombs and the raising of the saints, although this was a remarkable event.

It wasn’t the shaking of the earth and the splitting apart of the rocks. Earthquakes in and of themselves can be remarkable but the timing of this particular earthquake is nothing short of amazing.

As remarkable as these two events were, I find the tearing of the temple curtain to be the most remarkable of all.

The curtain was a separator. It is what separated God from the people and the people from God.

God is both perfectly Holy and perfectly righteous.

People are neither.

There was no way that a fallen human being could be in the direct presence of God,

The existence of the curtain precedes the temple as it was part of the tabernacle design which God commanded Moses to follow.

Exodus 26:33 (NET) - You are to hang this curtain under the clasps and bring the ark of the testimony in there behind the curtain. The curtain will make a division for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.

Only the high priest was allowed to go behind the curtain centuries after the purpose of the curtain was defined by God.

Hebrews 9:7 (NET) - But only the high priest enters once a year into the inner tent, and not without the blood that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

Luke 1:8-10 (NET) - Now while Zechariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the holy place of the Lord and burn incense. Now the whole crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.

It is clear that the temple curtain played a significant role. Its purpose was not merely decorative but served to keep separate a Holy God from a fallen people.

Please notice that the passage of scripture I opened with contains the words "Just then".

The very moment Jesus died... He died for us.

At that very moment the curtain, which separated us from God, was torn in two from top to bottom.

It was a barrier no more.

Mankind was no longer separated from God because of the price Jesus paid on the cross.

God’s gracious and merciful gift of salvation was made possible not because of anything we had done.

It was made possible through Jesus.

Why not express your gratitude to them both right now.

After all... there is absolutely nothing standing in your way.


Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, May 6, 2011.

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

I’ll be back here on Friday, May 13, 2011.

On the Face of It

Some people are really good with names and faces.

I, unfortunately, am not one of those people.

Try as I might, it takes me a while to associate new names with new faces.

A few years ago I had an encounter with an older gentleman who was good with names and faces. Really good.

A new store had opened up along my daily commute about fifteen miles from where I live,

I stopped there on my way home one evening to pick up a few items and to check out then new store.

I said hello to the greeter on duty as he handed me my shopping cart and then proceeded to do my shopping.

I did not purchase very much so I determined there was no need for me to take my shopping cart outside.

I would simply leave the cart with the greeter on my way out.

As I prepared to exit the store, I noticed that the greeter I originally encountered was no longer on duty and another had taken his place.

I removed my bags and handed the now empty cart to the greeter and said, "Thank you. See you next time."

I was about half way to the door when the man said rather loudly, "Hey!"

I stopped and turned to face him.

He said, "You’re a Pokorny. Aren’t you?"

"Yes," I replied as I wondered how it was that he knew my last name.

He then named my parents and asked if he was correct.

I told him that he was indeed correct.

He then identified me by my first name and asked that was correct.

I replied that he was and asked how it was that he knew this about me.

He told me that he used to live in the town I still call home.

He then told me the year that he moved away and that he remembered my parents and me.

I was amazed.

This man had not seen me in decades!

The last time he saw me was when I was a child less than ten years of age.

Suddenly, decades later, he spotted a middle aged man with a full beard among a crowd of people filing out past him and was able to make a connection between the man I am today with the child that I once was!

We talked for a few more minutes about how much time had gone by and how much things have changed.

That incident still amazes me to this day.

As impressive as this man’s ability was, there is one whose ability surpasses even this.

Jeremiah 1:4-5 (NET) - The LORD said to me, "Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations."

Luke 12: 6-7 (NET) - Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. In fact, even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are more valuable than many sparrows.


There are about six billion of us currently alive.

Billions have preceded us.

An untold number are yet to come.

Yet God knows each of us individually.

Now that’s impressive!

Why not take a moment now and get to know Him better.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, March 18, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, March 25, 2011.