The Gift of Peace

 

John 14:27 (NET) - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage.

As I write these words, I prepare my heart for Christmas.

Although this is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, my thoughts turn to His gift of peace.

As we near the close of 2020, I realize how much the world needs to experience peace.

For human beings, peace does not come easily.

We find there is so much for us to worry about.

Many of us have lost loved ones to the pandemic.

Many of us have learned of loved ones who have contracted the virus.

Many of us have lost our jobs.

The list goes on.

Although true peace is a very real thing, many of us find it elusive.

Some even think true peace is impossible to achieve.

True peace can be found, but it can only be found in Jesus Himself.

The prophet Isaiah referred to Jesus as “The Prince of Peace” in his prophecy.

Isaiah 9:6 (NET) - For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called Wonderful Adviser, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Achieving peace simply requires us to look for it.

But we must look in the right place to find it.

We must look to Jesus to find true and lasting peace.

Having faith does not mean the adverse circumstances in our lives will vanish overnight.

Having faith better enables us to deal with them.

My Christmas prayer is that we can find true and lasting peace.

Find it where it can only be found - in Jesus

Once found, we must in turn share it with others.

What a remarkable gift to give at Christmas!

Christmas Blessings!

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 1, 2021.

I’ll be back here on Friday, January 8, 2020

 

Doing It All

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

Despite the pandemic, December finds me extremely busy.

The Sunday School class I teach is gearing back up.

Work has me very busy, or as my father would say: “snowed under”.

More and more people are counting on my support.

We are now well into the season of Advent and Christmas will be here very soon.

That is why I love this verse from Philippians.

I’ve often referred to it as my “go to” verse.

No matter how many things pile up on my plate, this verse is a great reminder.

It reminds me not to count on my own strength, but to rely on His.

This is what helps me cope when things start to pile up.

Sometimes, we think we just don’t have room on our plates for one more thing.

That is when God does the unexpected.

He doesn’t remove things from our plate.

Instead, He just gives us a bigger plate.

Which, if you think about it, is not completely surprising.

God frequently does the unexpected.

He did that 2,000 years ago when He sent us His Son.

He came not as a general of political ruler in the presence of the powerful.

Christ came to us as an infant; born to obedient parents and announced to humble shepherds.

Christ reminded us we could not serve two masters.

If we did, we would love one and hate the other.

That is why we should do everything as as we would for God,

When we keep God first, He helps us prioritize "all things" that we do.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 18, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, December 25, 2020

The Blessing of Friendship

 Thanksgiving Day had me reflecting on all the ways God has blessed me in my lifetime.

 Every blessing from Him I thought of, without exception, had something else in common.

 God used people in His blessing.

 As a child, God used my parents to bless me.

 When I attended school, God used teachers to bless me.

 At church, He used pastors and Sunday School teachers to bless me.

 In my professional life, He used my colleagues to bless me.

 To develop my character, He blessed me with wonderful role models.

 To uplift me, He blessed me with a wonderful church family

 To love me, He blessed me with many loving uncles, aunts and cousins,

 Then there is perhaps my favorite blessing of all.

 God has blessed me with friends.

 I say this is among my favorite blessings for several reasons.

 Many of my friends I can trace back to the groups I mentioned before.

 For example, I consider my colleagues my friends.

 I also count members of my church family as friends.

 Even some of my role models became my friends and that is a very special feeling indeed,

 Now, through technology and social media, the number of friends God blesses me with continues to grow.

 I consider these friends special too.

 Some I see on a regular basis.

 Some I see only occasionally.

 Some I will never meet face to face in this world.

 Whatever the frequency, each friendship is one to treasure.

 Then, there is the most special blessing of all friendships.

 John 15:13-15 (NIV) – No one has greater love than this – that one lays down His life for His friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I have heard from My Father.

 I would not trade this special blessing for anything.

 This blessing has no bounds.

 Best of all, Jesus offers this blessing to everyone.

 Before Thanksgiving Day fades into memory, take a moment to reflect.

 Reflect on the blessings of friendship.

 Then, reflect on the very best friendship of all.

 Reflect on the friend who laid down His life for you… for us…. for everyone!

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 4, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, December 11, 2020