First Love

 

Psalm 79:9 (NET) - Help us, O God, our deliverer! For the sake of your glorious reputation, rescue us. Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation.

The Psalmist speaks volumes in this one verse alone.

He recognizes God as the deliverer and rescuer.

He also recognizes God as the forgiver of sins.

But why would God forgive and rescue sinners? 

The answer is, of course, because God loves us.

We, in return, should love God.

But God’s love is the first and greatest love of all.

We find proof of this in the book of 1 John.

1 John 4:10 (NET) - In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

We may love God.

But we must remember that God loved us first.

God even loved us when we were at our worst.

God loved us when we were still mired in our sin.

In fact, He loved us so very much that he sacrificed His only Son to deliver us.

That is the greatest love of all.

God gave His all to demonstrate His love for us.

It is an unconditional love.

Therefore, we should love God in return.

As importantly, we must love others as well.

We must love them unconditionally.

We must love them even when they are at their worst.

We must be willing to say we love them.

We must also be willing to demonstrate our love for them.

After all, that is the way God first loved us.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 16, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, July 23, 2021

Rest and Deliverance

Matthew 11:28 (NET) - Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

This verse from Matthew was one of my mother’s favorites.

I cannot count the number of times I heard her recite it.

My mother faced a great deal of adversity in her lifetime.

No doubt that is why she so often turned to this verse.

She understood that when the storms of life gathered, she could call upon the Lord.

She could rely upon His strength rather than her own.

She could find rest within the turmoil.

The prophet Isaiah understood this as well.

He knew that he could count on God’s strength and protection.

He knew that God would deliver him out of every storm.

Isaiah 12:3 (NET) - Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of deliverance.

Each of us has experienced various trials in our lifetime.

Each of us knows what it is like to seek safety and protection.

Each of us desires rest when the storms of life assail us.

True rest and true deliverance can be found.

But they can only be found when we look in the right place.

True rest and true deliverance can only be found in the Lord.

But what then?

Is it enough to merely enjoy the comfort and rest the Lord provides?

No.

Once rested and reassured we have a responsibility.

We must go back out into the world and do His will.

In a world where storms abound, we must tell others where true rest can be found.

More importantly, we must demonstrate this in our actions.

Demonstrating the peace and deliverance we enjoy speaks volumes.

It guides those who are weary to true rest.

It guides them to the Lord.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 2, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, July 9, 2021

 

Priceless Peace

 

Isaiah 60:17 (NIV) - Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler.

The prophet Isaiah describes the glory of Zion.

In examining these words, it is easy to focus on precious metals like gold and silver.

It is equally easy to overlook the qualities of peace and well-being.

Yet peace and well-being are as precious as gold and silver.

In fact, they are even more precious.

This is contrary to the ways of the world.

The world views peace as a sign of weakness.

Those who serve as peacemakers are also looked upon as weak.

But appearances are often deceiving.

Those who act as peacemakers have a tremendous internal strength.

It is a strength not of their own making, but of God.

Paul understood this.

He discusses this in his letter to the Romans.

Romans 14:17 (NIV) - For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

Desires for gold and silver are earthly matters.

Paul states that even eating and drinking are as well.

Peace, on the other hand, is of the kingdom of God.

It is also something we should practice while on earth.

The world practically shouts that peace, kindness and love are weaknesses.

It teaches that these weaknesses are easily exploited.

But God, in His infinite wisdom, assures us that these are strengths.

In fact, Jesus taught the importance of these qualities by example.

We should, therefore, put these into practice daily just as He taught.

Remember His words in the Beatitudes.

Matthew 5:9 (NIV) - Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 18, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, June 25, 2021

 

Teach Us Again

Psalm 86:5 (NET) - Certainly, O Lord, you are kind and forgiving, and show great faithfulness to all who cry out to you.

Once again, the Psalmist sings of the Lord’s kindness and willingness to forgive.

He sings of the Lord’s faithfulness to those who call upon Him.

Although these words were written centuries ago, the Lord still forgives.

The Lord is still just as faithful.

All that we need to do to receive this forgiveness is to ask for it.

That means coming to Him in prayer.

But doesn’t the Lord know everything already?

Being omniscient, isn’t He aware of all our troubles?

So, why is coming to Him in prayer necessary?

The Lord does indeed know everything!

The Lord is aware of all our troubles.

In fact, He is more aware of them than we are.

Prayer is necessary because it strengthens our relationship with Him.

As we pray, we remind ourselves that we have shortcomings to address.

The disciples of Jesus understood that prayer was important.

So, they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.

Luke 11:1 (NET) - Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Jesus did so.

In fact, His response to them has become known as “The Lord’s Prayer”.

This prayer recognizes God’s sovereignty.

It recognizes the fact that the will of God shall prevail. 

It humbly asks God to supply our daily needs.

It asks God to forgive our sins.

It also reminds us that we are to forgive others as well.

Yes, God knows everything about us and our lives.

Even so, we must go to Him in prayer.

“The Lord’s Prayer” is an excellent way to renew our relationship with Him.

We can freely ask for forgiveness.

We should also be willing to forgive others.

Like the disciples, we can ask Him to “teach us to pray”.

We should then call upon Him daily.

We can even ask for the courage to do so.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 4, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, June 11, 2021

Prayers of Protection

 

Psalm 91:1-2 (NET) - As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the Most High, and resides in the protective shadow of the Sovereign One — I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust—

Once again, the Psalmist writes of the Lord’s protective nature.

He refers to His “protective shadow”.

He refers to Him as his “shelter”.

Equally important, he refers to his “trust” in the Lord.

Throughout history, predators have sought to exploit the weak.

But those who are weak can call upon the Lord.

They can find refuge in His “protective shadow”.

They can find “shelter” in the Lord.

Most importantly, they can place their “trust” in Him.

Those of us who are more fortunate have an obligation.

We are obligated to pray for these victims as well.

1 John 5:14 (NET) - And this is the confidence that we have before him: that whenever we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

This verse does not imply that God will grant us everything we ask for.

It does assure us that He will hear us when our request is “according to His will”.

So, pray for the weak.

Pray for the exploited.

Pray for their safety and their refuge.

Pray that God will grant them courage.

Pray that they will find shelter in the Lord.

This is in accordance with the Lord’s will… and He will hear us.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 21, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, May 28, 2021

 

Radiance, Not Regret

 

Psalm 34:5 (NET) - Look to him and be radiant; do not let your faces be ashamed.

The word radiant means “shining or glowing brightly”.

In the words of the Psalmist, that is how we are meant to be.

But the Psalmist also advises us not to be ashamed.

We are not to show guilt or embarrassment for our past actions or associations.

Each of us, myself included, has a past.

We each have a past full of regrets.

We have endured times of suffering.

We may perhaps be enduring it now.

How, we may ask, is it possible to be radiant and unashamed?

The Psalmist gives us the answer right up front.

We are to look to Him.

But what does that really mean?

Paul sheds some light on this in his letter to the Romans.

Romans 12:12 (NET) - Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.

Suffering will pass; therefore, it must be endured.

We must look to God which means we must be persistent in prayer.

We are assured there is hope and we can rejoice in that hope.

In times of suffering, guilt and regret it is all too easy to turn away from God.

But in such times, we must do the opposite.

We must look to Him.

As we look to Him, we see His light.

We begin to live in that light.

Moreover, our faces reflect His light and our faces become radiant.

As they become radiant, they are incapable of displaying shame.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 7, 2021.

I will be back here on Friday, May 14, 2021