Don't Give Up

Everyone gets tired.

Even people who serve the Lord.

In fact, burnout is a problem pastors face.

Even those of us who serve the Lord in other ways can find ourselves running on fumes.

Let’s face it, serving the Lord can sometimes feel overwhelming.

Fortunately, scripture helps remind us not to give up.

Jesus reminds us we must push forward.

Luke 9:62 (NET) - Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Paul reminds us in one of his letters that we must press onward.

He even tells us what we can expect if we do.

Galatians 6:9 (NET) - So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.

Paul has another reminder for us,

Philippians 3:14 (NET) - with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Perhaps Paul’s best advice comes in the next chapter.

In it, he reminds us that we are not in it alone.

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

I lovingly refer to this as my “go to” verse whenever I find myself struggling.

Paul also puts it another way.

Colossians 1:29 (NET) - Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.

Yes, serving the Lord can be difficult at times.

But we must never give up or give in!

We must persevere!

We must remember the Lord is with us.

If we do, in the end we can say what Paul said.

2 Timothy 4:7 (NET) - I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith!

Then the Lord may have something to say to us.

Jesus gave us a foretaste of it in one of His parables.

Matthew 25:21 (NIV) - “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 7, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, June 14, 2019

Opportunities

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NET) - And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

These words from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians are among my favorite in all of scripture.

I think every Christian would agree that faith is a wonderful thing.

And, who among us does not like to have hope.

But Paul reminds us love is even greater than faith or hope.

All three of these things involve relationships.

The first two, faith and hope, mainly involve our relationship with God.

Love, on the other hand, is not so limited.

While it is an integral part of our relationship with God it is also important to our relationship with others.

Jesus reminded us of this.

John 15:12 (NET) - My commandment is this—to love one another just as I have loved you.

The words we speak can demonstrate our love for God and others.

More importantly, our actions also demonstrate our love.

That’s where opportunities come in.

The dictionary defines opportunity as: a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.

One kind of opportunity is the kind we create ourselves.

The other is the kind that presents itself to us.

These can be difficult for us to recognize with all the distractions the world offers us.

That is why it is important that we remain open and receptive to God’s leading,

When we do, something remarkable happens.

Our response to these opportunities is a great way to demonstrate our love for God and others as well.

We demonstrate our love for God and others at the same time.

Paul understood this and pointed this out in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 6:10 (NET) - So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.

As Easter draws ever nearer, let us remember how God demonstrated his love for us through Christ.

Let us remember that Jesus willingly laid down his life for us because He loves us.

John 15:13 (NET) - No one has greater love than this—that one lays down his life for his friends.

Opportunities still arise.

Let us be open to them.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 5, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, April 12, 2019

Priorities in a Hectic World

Matthew 6:33 (NET) - But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Now that Fall has arrived where I live more than the weather has changed.

My drive home often takes place at dusk.

It seems that drivers want to go faster and take more risks once the sun has gone down.

Part of it must be psychological.

Perhaps the oncoming darkness reminds drivers that there are few hours left in the day.

As a result, they rush about in an attempt to get things done.

Yet when it comes to spiritual matters, broadly speaking, I think many of us lack a similar sense of urgency.

To be honest, not one of us knows how much time we have remaining to us.

Some of us may have years or even decades.

Others have mere days or perhaps hours.

Yet we seem to rush about placing more emphasis on the here and the now rather than the eternal.

We stay busy but accomplish little.

We are bombarded with information, but do we really learn?

Scripture reminds us to seek the Kingdom of God first.

We tend to lose sight of this in a world that gets more hectic with each passing day

So, pause.

Take a breath.

Reassess your priorities.

God not only wants to be first in our lives, he expects this.

When we place God first, a wonderful thing happens,

He helps us prioritize everything else!

Luke 12:34 (NET) - For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, October 5, 2018.

I will be back here on Friday, October 12, 2018

Finishing the Race

Revelation 21:4 (NET) - He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist anymore—or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.

I have been a fan of auto racing for a very long time.

As with every sport, sometimes a story emerges that transcends the sport itself.

Weeks ago, one emerged that resonated within me and with fans all across America.

It was a story about an 11-year old boy diagnosed with leukemia.

This young man’s name was Caleb Hammond and he was a bigger fan than I could ever hope to be.

With treatments proving ineffective, it was decided that he would leave the hospital and live out his remaining days at home.

But Caleb did far more than that.

In August, Caleb was invited to Southern Iowa Speedway.

There, he learned that he would get to live his dream.

He would be able to race his own car on the track.

Later, he was able to take a ride in a Ferrari on a racetrack.

Shortly thereafter, the news broke that Caleb wanted racing stickers to adorn his coffin.

The racing community responded.

Drivers and teams sent boxes full of stickers to help fulfill Caleb’s final wish.

Caleb left this earthly life days ago.

With racing this week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, several drivers honored Caleb with “Team Caleb” stickers on their cars.

When weather postponed the race until after Caleb’s death, the Speedway honored his memory with a moment of silence.

There are those who will say that Caleb lost his battle.

I prefer to think that he won it.

Death is an eventuality that all must face in the end.

I pray that when my time comes, I can face it with the courage of this 11-year old.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NET) - I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith! Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day—and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on his appearing.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 21, 2018.

I will be back here on Friday, September 28, 2018

Listening Versus Hearing

The account of Samuel in the third chapter of 1 Samuel is one I always love to revisit.

In this chapter, the Lord calls out to the young Samuel.

Samuel hears the call but mistakes it for that of his master Eli.

Samuel runs to Eli and says, “Here I am, for you called me.”

Eli tells Samuel that he did not call him and then tells him to go back and lie down.

Eli does.

A second time, the Lord calls out to Samuel.

Samuel returns to Eli and says, “Here I am, for you called me.”

Again, Eli tells Samuel that he did not call him and instructs him to go back and lie down.

Again, Samuel does as he is told,

A third time the Lord calls out to Samuel.

Samuel gets up a third time and goes to Eli and exclaims, “Here I am for you called me!”

I find it interesting that scripture includes an exclamation point at the end of Samuel’s third statement to Eli.

Apparently, Samuel was quite emphatic about his belief that Eli had called him and he obviously wanted to make his feelings known.

At this, Eli realizes that Someone has indeed been calling Samuel and that Someone was none other than the Lord Himself.

Eli tells Samuel to go back and lie down again.

He adds that the next time Samuel hears the call he should say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Samuel returned as he was told.

Then, something remarkable happened.

1 Samuel 3:10 (NET) – Then the LORD came and stood nearby, calling as He had previously done, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied, “Speak, for your servant is listening!”

The Lord then revealed to Samuel what He intended to do.

The Lord called out to Samuel in an audible voice three times and each time Samuel mistook the call for someone else.

The young Samuel heard, but was he really listening?

The Lord still communicates to us but often in more subtle ways.

So subtle, in fact, that we may easily mistake the call ourselves.

Eli told Samuel to reply, “Speak, for your servant is listening,”

Perhaps the best place for us to begin is to put aside the things which distract us.

Then we can truly listen.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 16, 2014.

I’ll be back here on Friday, January 23, 2014

Preparing for Advent

The dictionary defines the word advent as “the arrival of a notable person, thing or event.”

Advent has its roots in the Latin word adventus which means “coming”.

The Season of Advent in the Christian calendar includes the four Sundays preceding Christmas and this Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent.

Though we celebrate the earthly birth of Christ on December 25, Advent marks the time in which we prepare our hearts for that day.

As there are four Sundays in Advent prior to Christmas, I thought I would select four passages of Scripture to help me in preparing my heart.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah’s words preceded Christ by centuries.

This reminds me that God’s promise is true and that He provided for our salvation through Christ who came to live among us.

Luke 1:31 (KJV) - And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name, JESUS.

These were the angel’s words to Mary.

God sent the angel to Mary to tell her that she would bear the Son who saves mankind.

He even told her the name chosen for Him, Jesus.

Matthew 2:2 (KJV) - Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

This reminds me that men anticipated His arrival and understood the appropriate response was to seek Him out and worship Him.

Matthew 3:17 (KJV) - And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

This reminds me that God Himself told the world that this was indeed His Son and that He loved Him.

These are the verses that I have chosen for myself for this Season of Advent to help me prepare my heart to celebrate His birth.

They will serve to remind me that His coming into the world was foretold by the prophets and ordained by God.

They will remind me to seek Him out and worship Him.

They will remind me that there can be absolutely no doubt as to who Jesus is.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The  Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 5, 2014.

I’ll be back here on Friday, December 12, 2014

Ready... Set...

The second week in September always finds me in a contemplative mind set.

This is the week during which Mother and I used to celebrate her birthday.

It is also the week that marks the anniversary of the September 11th attacks on America.

This year my contemplation turns to readiness.

In particular, one’s spiritual readiness.

The readiness to close one’s eyes in this world and open them in the next.

Mother and I had a wonderful relationship and I am indebted to her for a great many things.

Of course, I am indebted to her for bringing me into this world, for raising me and for loving me.

Beyond this, I am indebted to her for establishing a foundation of faith within me.

A foundation on which I continue to build upon today with confidence.

When I was a child, she taught me with kind and loving words.

In her later years, her arthritis became ever more debilitating and our roles reversed themselves.

She began to depend on me more and more.

It was then that she taught me by example.

As time went by, she was able to do less and less because the physical pain she endured grew more and more.

In spite of that, her love of the Lord and her trust in Him grew deeper with each passing day.

Even though she left world quite suddenly, I know that she was prepared spiritually.

As I thought on these things, my thoughts turned to those who lost their lives in the September 11th attacks eleven years ago,

All were simply pursuing their daily routines.

Suddenly, in a heartbeat, everything changed.

Some died instantly.

Some moments later.

Others, while attempting rescue.

I cannot help but wonder...

Of the many that lost their lives on what began as just an otherwise bright, sunny, routine day in September, how many were not spiritually ready?

How many had not yet come to know Jesus as their savior?

After you ponder that, take a moment to ask yourself a very important question.

"If my time on earth ran out today, would I be ready to close my eyes in this world and open them in the next?"

If your answer to that question is anything but "Yes", there is still hope.

That hope is in Jesus Christ.

John 3:16-17 (KJV) - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Neither Mother nor I expected her last day on earth to be just that.

But, as believers, we both knew her last day on earth would not be her last day.

We knew this because of Jesus Christ and the faith we have in Him.



Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 21, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, September 28, 2012.

Schedule subject to change.