Light and Love

 

Psalm 119 glorifies God’s laws.

In verse 37, the Psalmist recognizes that the temporary vanities of the world distract us from the eternal.

Psalm 119:37 (NRSVue) - Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; be gracious to me according to your word.

Luke 11 begins with The Lord’s Prayer.

But Christ goes on to remind us that the eye is the lamp of the body.

Luke 11:34 (NRSVue) - Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but if it is unhealthy, your body is full of darkness.

This is a reminder that we must turn from the temporary, worldly vanities that distract us from the eternal.

We must turn our attention to where it belongs.

In other words, we must focus our attention to Whom it belongs!

And as we do, we also realize the responsibility laid before us.

We are to live our lives following the example of the life Christ lived.

We must love God and our fellow man.

And that kind of love is worth more than all the vanities of the world combined.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

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

I will be back here on Friday, February 14, 2025

The Divine Shepherd

 

Psalm 23:2-3 (NRSVue) - He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Recently, I attended the funeral service of a family member.

The message at the service was one of hope.

This brought Psalm 23 to mind where the Psalmist writes of the Divine Shepherd.

Verse two and three were good reminders for me.

There are times I do not wish to rest, but the Shepherd makes me.

There are times when I desire excitement, but the Shepherd guides me to stillness.

There are times when I feel overwhelmed, but the Shepherd restores both mind and body.

And there are times I want to go my own way, but the Shepherd puts me on the right path.

In 1 Peter, we are told of Christ’s suffering and the reason for it.

1 Peter 2:25 (NRSVue) - For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

When we go astray, the Divine Shepherd guides us to the place He desires for us.

There, we can find true happiness.

There, we can find true tranquility.

I wrote my first devotional fifteen years ago.

In it, I wrote that being called a sheep is not necessarily a compliment.

Sheep are stubborn and willful at times,

That is why we need a Divine Shepherd to guard our souls and our lives, 

Once we allow the Divine Shepherd to guide us, our lives are forever transformed.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, January 17, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, January 24, 2025

Between God and Humanity

 

1 Chronicles 29:11 (NET) - O Lord, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You, Lord, have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler of all.

Here, David praised the Lord and recognized His sovereignty.

Although David wished to build the Lord’s Temple, God chose Solomon for the task.

The people gave generously for this purpose.

But David continued by acknowledging that all wealth belongs to God.

As such, God is deserving of both thanks and praise.

1 Chronicles 29:12-13 (NET) - You are the source of wealth and honor; you rule over all. You possess strength and might to magnify and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your majestic name!

Like those of long ago, we too should give God our thanks and praise.

And our thanks should be deeper and our praise even greater.

That is because God has given us something even more valuable than wealth.

Despite our flaws and our sin, God gave us His Son.

A Son who does for us that which we cannot do for ourselves.

Christ makes us right with God.

Paul discusses this in his first letter to Timothy.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NET) - For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time.

Christ came to dwell among us. 

He also paid the ultimate price for us, and it is that sacrifice that makes us right with God.

Moreover, Christ continues to intercede for us, 

We should be grateful and praise God for creating us and the world in which we live.

But in His infinite wisdom, God also gave us His Son to make us right with Him.

He did this because He knew we could not accomplish this on our own.

He did this because He loves us.

We, in turn, should share this love with others.

They, like us, are creations of God.

And Christ intercedes for them as well.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 3, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, June 10, 2022

Answering the Call

 

I am in the process of preparing a weeklong study for an adult class.

Its focus will be the life and faith of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian when the Nazi regime rose to power.

He found himself opposed both to the regime and its leader.

He took this position as a Christian and made some exceedingly difficult moral decisions along the way.

Living abroad in safety, he chose to return to Germany.

Upon learning of the regime’s atrocities, he willingly took on a more active role to oppose it.

Eventually, he and his fellow conspirators were imprisoned.

Although in prison, he continued to share his faith with others.

This included his guards as well as fellow prisoners.

Writing to his family from prison, he shared his reading of scripture.

“I am reading the Bible straight through from cover to cover and I have just got as far as Job, which I am particularly fond of. I read the Psalms every day as I have for years. I know them and love them more than any other book.”

Bonhoeffer, like Job, faced adversity.

And, like Job, he struggled to find answers to morally tough questions.

Bonhoeffer would eventually be executed by the regime he opposed.

This happened mere weeks before the war’s end.

In the end, Bonhoeffer faced his execution in peace.

Facing the gallows of Flossenburg prison he said, “This is the end. For me the beginning of life.”

The book of Hebrews reminds us that God equips us to do his will.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (NET) - Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Through his faith, Bonhoeffer lived his life in accordance with the will of God.

He approached the end of his earthly journey with serenity.

Bonhoeffer understood that death was not the end, but rather a new beginning.

A new beginning made possible by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

In this life, we too will face adversity and challenging questions.

Through it all, God equips us to do His will on our journeys of faith.

These journeys begin with putting the needs of others before our own desires.

In short, this means loving and serving them.

And it is Christ within us that makes this possible.

1 John 4:19 (NET) - We love because he loved us first.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 20, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, May 27, 2022

The Living Water

 

The Psalmist prays in chapter 143.

He begins by asking the Lord to hear his prayer.

He admits that no one is innocent before the Lord.

He laments that his enemies pursue him.

He confesses that his strength is depleted.

Through it all, he remembers what the Lord has done.

So, he seeks the Lord in a remarkable way.

Psalm 143:6 (NET) - I spread my hands out to you in prayer; my soul thirsts for you in a parched land.

In life, we too will find our souls thirsting for the Lord.

Fortunately for us, Christ is the Living Water.

And we may partake of the Living Water at no cost.

Scripture assures us of this.

Revelation 22:17b (NET) - And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants it take the water of life free of charge.

Christ is the Living Water, and He makes Himself available to all.

And once our parched souls are refreshed, we find ourselves equipped.

We are equipped to extend His love into the world around us.

Once watered, our souls experience growth.

They rediscover the importance of community.

They serve the missions on which they are sent.

Someone wiser than me once said that God does not call the equipped, He equips those He calls.

So, first partake freely of the Living Water.

Then, carry this wisdom into a thirsty world.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 6, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, May 13, 2022

For His Name's Sake

 

Psalm 23:2-3 (KJV) - He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Psalm 23 is among the most memorized passages of Scripture.

Many people have taken comfort in its words throughout the years.

Perhaps that is why it is so often recited in times of loss.

But these words do more than provide comfort.

They are a reminder that the Lord really is our shepherd.

Verses two and three remind us of what our shepherd does for us,

He makes us do things we would not normally do of our own accord, such as rest.

He leads us where He knows we need to be.

He also restores our souls which is something only He can do.

And He leads us on paths we would not otherwise take.

The Psalmist clearly understood our need for a shepherd.

Jesus did as well.

John 10:27-28 (KJV) - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Jesus speaks and we listen.

Where Jesus leads, we follow.

Jesus gives what we cannot obtain on our own – eternal life.

That is why Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves.

He knows what we need rather than what we want.

As we continue our journey through Lent, let us also be mindful of the shepherd’s duty.

John 10:11 (KJV) - I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

This bears careful consideration especially now.

Jesus proved beyond doubt that he is the Good Shepherd.

He willingly laid down his life for us.

We are His and no individual or power can ever change that.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 15, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, April 22, 2022

Upsets

One thing you can always count on in the playoffs or a tournament are upsets.

Experts will look at a supposed mismatch and call one “the favorite”.

The other side given little hope of victory is referred to as “the underdog”.

Still, every now and then, the underdog winds up the victor.

Upsets are not confined to the world of sports.

The Bible reminds us time and again that the favorite does not always come out on top.

Probably the best example of this involves David and Goliath.

David was a young shepherd whereas Goliath was a giant of man and an experienced soldier.

In the moments leading up to their battle, no one standing by would have given David a chance.

What about Samson?

Samson once took on a Philistine army by himself armed with a jawbone.

No one would have given Samson a chance.

Both David and Samson emerged the victors because each had an advantage their opposition did not.

David and Samson each had God on their side.

Perhaps my favorite example from scripture involves a man named Gideon.

For years, the lives of the people of Israel were made miserable by the Midianites.

One day, God chose a man by the name of Gideon.

Gideon put together his own army to fight that of the Midianites.

32,000 men were assembled for this purpose.

But God told Gideon this was too many.

The number was reduced to ten thousand.

Again, God told Gideon this was too many.

Finally, the number of men under Gideon’s command was reduced to 300.

A small force would now take on an entire army.

An observer would not have given Gideon and his men a chance.

Yet God gave Gideon and his men the victory.

What stands out to me is that God reduced the number of Gideon’s men not once, but twice.

In today’s world we tend to associate size with success.

Bur God can do incredible things with small numbers.

He can do so with small groups of believers.

He can do so with individuals.

Judges 7:2 (NET) - The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’

1 Samuel 17:45-47 (NET) - But David replied to the Philistine, “You are coming against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied! This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand! I will strike you down and cut off your head. This day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land. Then all the land will realize that Israel has a God and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves! For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will deliver you into our hand.”

Upsets in life still happen.

We just need to remember Who grants victory.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 18, 2019.

I will be back here on Friday, January 25, 2019

The Voice

There is a popular television show called “The Voice”.

Talented vocalists compete with each other to see who sings the best.

A voice is a powerful thing, but it is not confined to singing.

Just the other day I was in the supermarket.

I was approaching the end of an aisle when I heard someone around the corner speaking.

That voice belonged to someone I knew from my youth.

Even before I saw her, I knew that the voice I heard had to belong to her.

I turned the corner and we saw each other face to face.

I was correct.

Several decades have elapsed since we last saw each other.

We have both changed.

The change in me was more dramatic as I now wear a full beard which seems to be turning grayer daily.

She appeared a bit startled until I spoke.

Once she heard my voice she knew who I was.

We spent several minutes reminiscing.

We then went our separate ways once again.

Had neither of us not spoken, it is very possible that we might have missed each other completely.

The voice is a powerful thing.

Jesus makes this clear about His voice.

John 10:27 (NET) - My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

We hear His call and obey. 

Although He speaks to us, He does not always do so in the same way.

For example, God spoke to Moses through a burning bush.

He spoke to Elijah in quite a different way when He found him hiding in a cave.

God asked Elijah to leave the cave and stand on the mountain.

There Elijah was subjected to high winds, landslides, an earthquake and fire.

Yet God did not speak through any of these things.

God’s voice came in a completely different way.

1 Kings 19 17 (NET) - After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper.

God spoke to Elijah in a whisper.

How will we experience His voice?

It might come as a shout.

It could come as a whisper.

That is why listening is so important.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 19, 2017.

I will be back here on Friday, May 26, 2017

I Shall Not Want

Psalm 23 (KJV) - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Many people are familiar with Psalm 23.

We find it a tremendous source of comfort especially in times of loss.

It is perhaps the most memorized chapter in all of scripture.

I am particularly taken with the opening verse.

It sets the tone for the remainder of the Psalm.

It also helps put both our hearts and our minds in a proper state.

This helps us get the most from the verses which follows.

Beyond this, the words in that opening verse stand very well on their own.

They perfectly describe two key attributes of the life of the Christian.

“The Lord is my shepherd” reminds us that we are his sheep,

We rely on Him completely.

He provides for us, protects us, leads us and does many other things for us.

“I shall not want” reminds us if we have the Lord as our shepherd we are content.

Even history bears this out.

In Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis said, “All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”

Searching for something other than God to make us content is fruitless.

It is not only fruitless, but foolish.

The Psalmist reminds of this too.

Psalm 14:1 (KJV) - The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 5, 2016.

I’ll be back here on Friday, August 12, 2016

Still Waters

I learned something new the other day.

I learned that sheep will not drink from running water.

This immediately brought to mind Psalm 23.

Especially the second verse.

Psalm 23:2 (KJV) - He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

Most people consider Psalm 23 to be simply a passage that provides comfort and a sense of peace.

It also provides a tremendous amount of truth.

Verse one sets the tone.

Psalm 23:1 (KJV) - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The Lord is the shepherd and as such He knows exactly what His sheep need.

Notice that He makes us lie down.

Left to our own devices we constantly find ways of staying busy.

The Lord knows we need rest as well so He makes us do just that.

A good shepherd also knows that his sheep will not drink from running water.

The Lord, being our shepherd, leads us beside still waters.

If we partake of this water, we will never thirst again.

John 4:14 (KJV) - But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

There is more.

Psalm 23:3 (KJV) - He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

The Lord restores our souls and leads us into righteousness not only for our sake, but also because this is who Hs is.

This is what He does.

There is still more.

Psalm 23:4 (KJV) - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Even the thought of death cannot frighten us, for we do not travel the path alone.

Psalm 23:6 (KJV) - Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The shepherd assures us that death is not the end, but merely a transition.

Psalm 23 provides us with comfort.

It also provides us with a tremendous amount of truth.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 20, 2015.

I’ll be back here on Friday, November 27, 2015

Don’t Let Being a Sheep Get Your Goat

Scripture: Matthew 25: 31-33
But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.

My friend Joan once began a devotional in which she pointed out that being compared with sheep isn’t necessarily a compliment based on her experience with sheep. She did point out that sheep are in need of a shepherd.

As she gave this devotional, I thought about this passage of scripture of scripture from the book of Matthew. That also put me in mind of an experience I had regarding a goat.

Several years ago, my boss threw a party at his ranch near Dimebox. He took some of us on the grand tour of his property. It was while on this tour that I came across a beautiful group of horses accompanied by a not so beautiful goat.

While this group of animals grazed I had to ask, “So, what’s up with the goat?” My boss responded, “He must think that he’s a horse because he follows them around all day long.”

As if to prove the point, the horses moved a little deeper into the pasture to graze and sure enough… the goat moved right along with them.

I think that’s the way it is a lot of people, some Christians included.

They will go through this world mistakenly thinking they are sheep. It is only when the sheep and goats are separated will they find out they are goats.

Then, it will be too late. Imagine how devastating that would be!

If you ask people if they believe they are going to heaven, more often than not you will get an answer beginning with “I think so”, or “I hope so.”

Follow that up with another question… “WHY?”

You will often get answers beginning with “I.”
“I try to do the right things.”
“I try to be a good person.”
“I don’t hate anyone.”

Paul is very clear on this subject in Romans 5:8

But God commandeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Goats can take a huge step toward becoming sheep when their answer to “WHY?” begins with the word “He.”
“He died for my sins.”
“He paid the price I could not pay.”
“He loved me that much.”

On the surface, being compared to sheep may not seem very complimentary…

…but it sure beats being a goat!

God Bless You,
The Other Brother Jim