Speak Up

 

In Isaiah 49, the prophet speaks of the return of the people.

When this happens, the people will be certain of one thing.

Isaiah 49:23b (NRSVue) - Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

In Luke’s gospel, we are reminded to express our confession.

We are also reminded that we will be given help in choosing the right words.

Luke 12:11-12 (NRSVue) - When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you will answer or what you are to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”

True, we are flawed human beings.

We also endeavor to hide our flaws and our anxieties.

But we take comfort that when we confess our faith, we do not do so alone.

And it is crucial for us to recognize this.

Matthew 10:32-33 (NRSVue) - “Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

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

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

Word!

 

Jeremiah 23 warns about false prophets.

False prophets cannot be trusted,

But one thing that can be trusted is the word of the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:29 (NRSVue) - Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul writes about the rest that God has promised.

He also reminds his readers about the nature of the word of the Lord.

Hebrews 4:12 (NRSVue) - Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

These are more than just words of wisdom from centuries past.

These reminders are just as profound and just as true for us today.

And they will remain so for generations yet to come.

The word of the Lord remains solid.

It is still active and sharp.

It still has the power to penetrate our souls.

While this is true for the Bible, it is also true of Christ.

Christ is the Word made flesh who dwelt among us.

John 1:1-5 (NRSVue) - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

May we take the lessons of both the Bible and Christ into hour hearts.

May we reflect upon them daily,

And may we be willing to share them with those we encounter.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, February 21, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, February 28, 2025

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

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