Personal Humility and Gratitude

 

In Isaiah, the prophet offers praise for deliverance.

He begins by acknowledging the wonderful things God has done.

Isaiah 25:1 (NRSVue) - Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul calls upon his readers to persevere.

Hebrews 10:23 (NRSVue) - Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.

These are excellent reminders for me as I write this on Thanksgiving Day,

Overall, it has been a successful year for me.

But with success, it is all too easy to take all the credit.

It is easy to overlook the role God has played.

But I must never forget two important things.

All good things come from God, including success.

I also must remember that God planned this all along.

God is ever faithful.

Also, when things were not going so well, God was still there for me.

He never stopped loving me.

He always encouraged me.

He used the trying times to draw me closer to Him.

So, I have much to be thankful for.

But gratitude in and of itself is insufficient.

In reflection, I realize that something will be required of me.

Where I am on my journey is simply part of His bigger plan.

Admittedly, I do not fully comprehend that plan yet.

But I know He will reveal it to me according to His timing, not mine.

For the moment, I will acknowledge that my success this year comes directly from God.

I will also acknowledge that this is part of His plan rather than my effort.

I will also recognize His continual fidelity and His love.

Therefore, I approach God in humility and gratitude.

James 1:17 (NRSVue) - Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, December 5, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, December 12, 2025

Security Is Found in Service

 

Proverbs 3 discusses true security.

It reminds us of many things we are not supposed to do.

It also contains a very subtle reminder of how we are to live.

Proverbs 3:34b (NRSVue) - but to the humble he shows favor.

In contrast, Luke 22 discusses some critical moments in the life of Jesus.

It talks about the plot to kill Jesus.

It talks about preparation for Passover.

It even discusses the Lord’s Supper.

But despite these major events, a dispute arises among His followers.

Although this is a critical juncture, they argue about which among them is the greatest.

Jesus sets the record straight,

Luke 22:24-26 (NRSVue) - A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. But he said to them, “The kings of the gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather, the greatest among you must become like the youngest and the leader like one who serves.

In hindsight, it is easy for us to be critical of them.

But are we any better?

Have we humbled ourselves before God?

Have we humbled ourselves in service to our neighbor?

As we continue our journey through Lent, may we ask ourselves these questions.

And may we have the courage to answer them honestly.

Even at this critical stage of Luke’s gospel, Christ demonstrated his compassion.

May we follow that example as we serve both God and our fellow man.

And may God find both our words and our actions pleasing.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

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

I will be back here on Friday, April 15, 2025

To Rule or to Serve

Judges 8:23 (NRSVue) - Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”

Gideon was a judge and a man of war.

But before he was either, he was a farmer who hid from the Midianites.

Although Gideon’s faith was small, God used him.

God used Gideon and a small army of 300 to defeat the Midianites.

What we learn from God is twofold.

God can and does use those whom He chooses.

God also takes what is initially a small faith and turns it into a bigger one.

After the victory, the Israelites wanted Gideon to rule over them.

Most would be tempted to have both rule and authority.

Gideon declined both.

Centuries later, Christ dwelt among us.

He also spoke of the importance of humility and service.

He spoke of this when he denounced the Scribes and the Pharisees.

Matthew 23:11 (NRSVue) - The greatest among you will be your servant.

But Christ did more than speak about service.

He demonstrated this as well.

In John 13, Christ washes the feet of his disciples.

John 13:13-15 (NRSVue) - You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.

In fact, His entire life upon earth was an example of what it means to serve.

Christ reached out to the sick, the outcast, and the downtrodden.

In fact, He served all mankind in the most selfless act of all.

He willingly laid down His life in order that we may live.

So, like Gideon, may we resist the temptations of power and rule.

And, like Christ, may we welcome the opportunities to serve which surround us daily.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 1, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, September 8, 2023

He Is Waiting

 

Psalm 51:17 (NET) - The sacrifice God desires is a humble spirit—O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject.

God is both just and forgiving.

But the Psalmist reminds us that God requires two things from us first.

One of these is humility.

But what exactly is humility?

In basic terms it means recognizing that the world does not revolve around us.

Our individual importance is less than what we would care to admit.

We are certainly not more important than God.

Nor are we more important than those God places in our path.

The other thing God requires for forgiveness is repentance.

God does not just want to hear the words.

God wants to feel how deeply we regret our transgression.

Jesus explains this in his parable about the prodigal son.

In it, a young man demands his share of the inheritance before his father dies.

He then squanders his new riches.

Reduced to poverty, he takes a job feeding another man’s pigs.

He finds himself desiring the food on which the pigs were feeding.

The son returns home and begs his father’s forgiveness.

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 be called your son.

How beautifully Jesus illustrates both humility and repentance in these words.

In the parable, the father then showers his son with affection.

Jesus reminds us that God is waiting for us.

He is waiting for us to approach in humility and repentance.

God desires to both welcome us back and shower His affection and mercy upon us.

God is omniscient, so He already knows our misdeeds.

He just wants us to admit them to Him.

Perhaps He wants us to admit them to ourselves in the process.

We stumble daily.

Even in our broken state, He is waiting to welcome us back.

He is waiting to show us both His compassion and His forgiveness.

For this we should be grateful.

We should also be willing to forgive others as well.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 19, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, November 26, 2021