Love Continues

Philippians 4:7 (NET) - He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.

I have attended many funeral services over the last year and a half.

As I write these words, I am about to attend yet another.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, discusses Christian practices.

But these practices are not related to rites and rituals.

Rather, Paul’s words refer to our relationship with God.

They should also be reflective of our relationships with one another.

As I think about those who have passed, I am struck by the impact of their lives upon my own.

It also makes me think about the impact their lives had on others.

Prior to verse seven, Paul reminds us to give both praise and thanks in every situation.

This includes times of personal loss.

For it is in such times that we can give thanks for the influence our loved ones had.

Paul also reminds us that we can find comfort in God.

We can find safety and peace beneath His wings.

Paul also discusses this in his first letter to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NET) - And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Even when we experience loss, God grants us true peace in Jesus.

It is the kind of peace that cannot be completely understood.

As we journey through this world, we will have to say goodbye to those we love.

But no matter how many of His faithful depart, God makes certain we never run out.

God raises up others to continue His ministry of reaching out to others in love.

God will continue placing others in our lives to share His love and to be examples for us.

Hopefully, we will allow God to do the same with our lives.

Once we do, we become part of this wonderful legacy of faith, service, and love.

One thing more.

This path of ministry requires no special training or certification.

The only requisite is love.

And thanks to God and His departed servants, we know what that love looks like.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, February 18, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, February 25, 2022

Correction Signifies Love

 

Jeremiah 10:24 (NET) - Correct us, Lord, but only in due measure. Do not punish us in anger or you will reduce us to nothing.

The prophet remembers God’s command concerning idols.

It is true that the Lord detests idols.

It is also true that idols are created by man and are completely worthless.

The prophet recognizes God’s complete sovereignty.

He also understands that those who worship idols are foolish.

Therefore, he prays for God’s judgment.

The prophet does not pray for destruction, but rather for correction.

For destruction comes from anger and rage.

By contrast, correction comes from love.

Paul touches on this in his first letter to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NET) - For God did not destine us for wrath but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here, Paul emphasizes that God did not create us merely to punish or destroy us.

Rather, God created us because of His love for us.

That is why He sent His son into the world to save us.

Christ willingly paid the price not one of us could pay.

But that does not mean we will be free from God’s correction.

A human parent corrects their child when that child goes astray.

A good parent does not administer this correction out of anger or rage.

Instead, they do so because they love the child and only want what is best for him.

God corrects us in the same way.

He corrects us because He loves us.

Yes, we are made in God’s image.

But whenever we seek to please ourselves rather than God we stray away from Him.

When that happens, we can and should expect God’s correction.

In fact, it would benefit us to pray for it.

For it is through God’s loving correction that we can walk with Him once again.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, February 4, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, February 11, 2022

A Unity of Believers

Psalm 70:4 (NET) - May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you. May those who love to experience your deliverance say continually, “May God be praised!”

The Psalmist writes of the hope and happiness of those who seek God.

He also writes of those who have experienced His deliverance.

But things like hope, happiness and deliverance are not restricted to individuals.

Neither is the praising of God.

Paul reminds us of this in his letter to the Romans.

Romans 15:5-6 (NET) - Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Each of us is on a journey.

Somewhere along that journey, we will experience deliverance.

As a result, we will experience both a unique and true happiness.

In the end, these are but part of a greater whole.

As Paul writes, these give us unity with one another in accordance with Jesus Christ.

And, just like the Psalmist, Paul reminds us that we should glorify God.

We are individuals.

We each have formed our own ideas and opinions.

Therefore, it is likely that we will disagree about a great many things.

But, despite all our differences, one truth stands out.

We are all united in Christ.

Each of us is part of the Church, 

Paul discusses this in the same letter.

Romans 12:4-5 (NET) - For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.

So, let us belong to one another.

Let us each serve according to our gifts.

Let us focus on He who unites us rather than that which divides us.

Above all, let us continually praise and glorify God.

I leave you with this quote from The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart originally written in 1623 by John Amos Comenius:

“Farewell, dear Christian, and may the leader of light, the Holy Spirit, show you better than I can both the vanity of the world and the glory, happiness and joy of the elect whose hearts are united with God.”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 21, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, January 28, 2022