Liberating Peace

 

This will be a slight departure from my customary offering style.

This is a follow up to my post from the other site to which I contribute (listed at bottom).

Like the other, it is about peace.

Mainly, it is about how liberating peace with others is.

Faith and experience have taught me that having peace with others can happen in three ways.

First, there is being at peace with those who are at peace with us.

Second, there is being at peace with those who absolutely refuse to be at peace with us.

Finally, there is being at peace with those who will not even acknowledge their need for peace with us.

The first is easy.

The other two can be challenging.

The common denominator in all three cases is our having peace with all three.

Paul understood this.

Romans 12:18 (NRSVue) - If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

We should be at peace with all.

And our peace with others depends on our choice, not theirs.

Having mutual peace with another is easy.

Having peace with someone who refuses to have peace with us is difficult.

Having peace with someone who will not acknowledge their need for peace with us is also challenging.

Yet being at peace with all three truly liberates us.

I compare our lack of peace to an anchor.

Our lack of peace with another holds the ship of our lives in place and prevents us from moving forward.

Pulling up that anchor and carrying it with us is not enough.

It will only tie us down again in the future.

Having real peace with others means cutting the chain.

It leaves the anchor behind and, once abandoned, it will never hinder us again.

God does not merely want us to survive.

God wants us to thrive.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NRSVue) - By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

For us to truly thrive, God wants us to have peace with Him and with others; even with those who will not have peace with us.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, June 4, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, June 12, 2026

Where to Turn

 

Sunday is Mother’s Day.

My mother passed away about two decades ago.

So, it is only natural that I think about her.

When I think of her, I also remember a passage of scripture she loved.

Matthew 11:28 (NRSVue) - “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

She loved this verse because her life was difficult.

She knew that she could not carry her burdens alone.

So, she brought her burdens to the Lord.

The psalmist understood this.

Psalm 68:19a (NRSVue) - Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up

Throughout her life, my mother counted on the Lord to bear her up,

He did just that.

And now, in His presence, He grants her rest.

The Lord lifts us up when we are weary.

Through His love, He makes our burdens lighter.

My mother trusted in His grace, His mercy, and His love.

That is what gave her hope.

She knew she could not rely on her own strength,

She also knew that she could rely on the Lord.

Another passage she treasured bears this out.

Psalm 121:1-2 (NRSVue) - I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

My mother has gone to be with the Lord.

But the example she set lives on in me.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, May 15, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, May 22, 2026

Covenant Thanks

 

Jeremiah 32:40 (NRSVue) - I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never to draw back from doing good to them, and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they may not turn from me.

God reassured Jeramiah.

God promised Jeremiah that the people would return.

God would also make a covenant with them.

God said, “They shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

God has also made a covenant with us.

Theologians have called this the “New Covenant.”

This New Covenant with us is made possible through Christ.

1 John 4:9 (NRSVue) - God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.

Being part of that covenant is wonderful.

But we have our part to play as well.

We should strive to live in harmony with God.

As importantly, we should strive to live in harmony with our fellow man.

And that means living in harmony with the world in which we live.

God will not break His covenant with us.

He proved this when He sent His son into our world.

Christ guaranteed that covenant with His life and His death.

So, we should remain faithful to that covenant as well.

Today, we celebrate Thanksgiving.

And the New Covenant is something for which we should all give thanks.

Will we always be faithful?

As flawed human beings, the honest answer is “no.”

But when we confess our shortcomings. God is ready to forgive us.

And that is yet another reason for us to give thanks.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, December 1, 2023.

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

Faith Lives on in Others

Deuteronomy 32:7 (NRSVue) - Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.

Moses recited these and other words to the people.

He did this just before his death was foretold.

What strikes me now is the part about asking the elders to explain.

They say that with age comes wisdom.

That is not always the case.

But elders within the church take on a unique responsibility.

Along with the pastor, they are leaders within the church.

And not everyone is cut out for that responsibility.

Paul had a unique perspective when it came to elders.

He passed this along in his second letter to Timothy.

2 Timothy 1:5 (NRSVue) - I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.

Paul recognized Timothy’s faith,

He also understood the source of that faith.

He acknowledged the contributions of Timothy’s mother and grandmother.

This resonates within me.

Like Timothy, Godly grandmothers and a Godly mother played significant roles in my faith.

The faith of Timothy’s grandmother and mother lived on in him.

And so, the faith of my grandmothers and my mother lives on in me.

God generously gives us elders, grandparents, and parents.

He does so that they can build a foundation of faith within us.

We learn not only from their words, but from their example.

Although I instruct adults, I see children in church every Sunday.

I also know that children instinctively watch adults.

I understand that a careless word or action on my part could be harmful.

That is why I pray to be a good example for them.

I was blessed by those who contributed to my spiritual life when I was young.

Now it is my turn to do the same, be it directly or indirectly.

With God’s help, perhaps some of my faith will live on in others.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, November 17, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, November 24, 2023