For His Name's Sake

 

Psalm 23:2-3 (KJV) - He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Psalm 23 is among the most memorized passages of Scripture.

Many people have taken comfort in its words throughout the years.

Perhaps that is why it is so often recited in times of loss.

But these words do more than provide comfort.

They are a reminder that the Lord really is our shepherd.

Verses two and three remind us of what our shepherd does for us,

He makes us do things we would not normally do of our own accord, such as rest.

He leads us where He knows we need to be.

He also restores our souls which is something only He can do.

And He leads us on paths we would not otherwise take.

The Psalmist clearly understood our need for a shepherd.

Jesus did as well.

John 10:27-28 (KJV) - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Jesus speaks and we listen.

Where Jesus leads, we follow.

Jesus gives what we cannot obtain on our own – eternal life.

That is why Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves.

He knows what we need rather than what we want.

As we continue our journey through Lent, let us also be mindful of the shepherd’s duty.

John 10:11 (KJV) - I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

This bears careful consideration especially now.

Jesus proved beyond doubt that he is the Good Shepherd.

He willingly laid down his life for us.

We are His and no individual or power can ever change that.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 15, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, April 22, 2022

Lifting Our Souls

 

1 Timothy 6:6-7 (KJV) - But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Paul leaves instructions in his first letter to Timothy.

He also gives Timothy a good reminder in verses six and seven.

Paul states that we both enter and leave this world with nothing.

Of course, this is in terms of material assets.

That said, there is the possibility of gain.

That gain can be found in contented godliness.

The Psalmist also recognizes this.

Psalm 143:8b (KJV) - cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Godliness means hearing God, acknowledging God, and living the way God wants.

The Psalmist also lifts up his soul to God.

But what is the soul?

The soul is both the eternal and the immaterial part of our being.

It continues even after the physical body it occupies dies.

As the Psalmist lifts up his soul to God, he offers it to Him.

In other words, he worships with all that he is.

As we continue our journey through Lent, we recall not only how Christ died, but also how He lived.

Christ lived in complete obedience to His Father’s will.

As His journey to the cross drew near, Jesus prayed.

Luke 21: 41-42 (KJV) - And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Jesus understood the humiliation and pain that lay before Him.

Despite this, He would endure it all in obedience to the Father.

He then literally lifted up His soul to God.

John 19:30 (KJV) - When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Jesus followed God’s will fully all the way to its completion.

Three days later, his followers would find an empty tomb.

As a result, we have hope.

A hope that is just as real and just as eternal as the soul.

We come with nothing, and we leave with nothing.

But while we are here, we should strive to live in godliness and lift our souls to God.

We should lift them in praise, in service, and in love.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 1, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, April 8, 2022

Solid Footing

 

1 Samuel 2:2 (NET) - No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one other than you! There is no rock like our God!

In this verse, Samuel praises God.

He declares that God is both unique and truly Holy.

He then compares God to a rock.

What the prophet is really saying is that God is stable and dependable.

We like to think that the ground upon which we physically stand is solid and firm.

But, thanks to the internet, we can see footage of sinkholes suddenly appearing.

Pedestrians, cars and even buildings suddenly disappear.

I remember when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980.

In video captured just prior to the eruption, a landslide was captured.

This landslide of rock and ice was perhaps the largest ever recorded.

The speed at which it descended was more than 100 miles per hour.

Granted these instances are not commonplace, but they do illustrate one thing.

Even the firmness of the ground upon which we stand is not guaranteed.

Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians talks about what is solid and dependable.

The firmest of foundations is Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:11 (NET) - For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Christ is the cornerstone of the Church.

He is the foundation God provided upon which we confidently build our faith.

And it was that same Christ who cautions us to rely on His teachings.

Matthew 7:26-27 (NET) - Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!

As humans, we like to think that the foundation we base our lives upon is solid.

But a change in circumstances can ultimately prove that we have built upon sand.

As we continue our journey through Lent, we follow Christ’s journey.

That journey led to a cross.

But it was a journey undertaken with a love that was perfect.

It is by that love that we were granted grace.

Only in Christ can we find solid footing.

No matter what happens, that foundation will always remain solid.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 18, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, March 25, 2022

Rooted in Love

 

Psalm 119:6 (NET) - Then I would not be ashamed, if I were focused on all your commands.

The Psalmist declares his desire to remained focused on God’s commands.

But this desire is not rooted in legality.

Rather, it is a desire to live the way God wants all of us to live.

That means building and strengthening our relationships.

As the created of God, we need to have a strong relationship with Him.

But it does not stop there.

We also need to build and foster relationships with others.

For they, like us, were created in God’s image.

And God loves others as much as He loves us.

Jesus echoed the Psalmist’s sentiments.

Christ desired to do God’s will.

John 4:34 (NET) - Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his work.

Once, a Pharisee tried to trap Jesus.

The Pharisee asked Him which of the commandments was most important.

The Pharisee must have been surprised when Jesus gave him a twofold answer.

Matthew 22:37-40 (NET) - Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Jesus innately understood that by keeping these two commandments, we would be keeping them all.

That is because they are rooted in our relationships with God and others.

Both the Psalmist and Jesus desired to live according to God’s will.

That should be our desire as well.

In God’s word, He tries to teach us a love for Him that is open and honest.

God also wants us to love our neighbor.

This means respecting them even when we disagree with them.

The Holy Spirit can help us do that.

God made us in His image.

Therefore, God can teach us to love as He loves.

And Christ, by example, can teach us what love really looks like.

That is why it is essential for us to focus on His commands.

After all, they are rooted in love.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 4, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, March 11, 2022