I love the wisdom that is found in the Old Testament.
In 2 Kings chapter 5 we read the account of Naaman who commanded the Syrian army and was held in high regard by his master.
Naaman developed a skin disease.
A servant told her mistress that if Naaman were in the presence of the prophet in Samaria he could be cured.
Naaman, upon hearing this tells the Syrian king who tells him to go and he will send a letter to the king of Israel.
Naaman departs taking with him a reward for the prophet whom he expects to cure him.
The king of Israel receives the letter and becomes upset.
After all, he knows that he cannot cure diseases.
He concludes that the letter is the prelude to a conflict between the two nations.
The prophet Elisha learns that the king is upset and requests that Naaman be sent to him.
Naaman arrives at Elisha’s home and stands in the doorway.
2 Kings 5:10 (NET) - Elisha sent out a messenger who told him, "Go wash seven times in the Jordan; your skin will be restored and you will be healed."
This time, Naaman becomes upset.
After all, Elisha never even came out to even meet him or called upon God or anything else, for that matter.
All he did was to send word to him by way of a messenger to wash in the Jordan seven times.
Naaman began to go away angry.
Now here is where great wisdom comes into play.
2 Kings 5:13 (NET) - His servants approached and said to him, "O master, if the prophet had told you to do some difficult task, you would have been willing to do it. It seems you should be happy that he simply said, ‘Wash and be healed.’"
Naaman then did as Elisha instructed him through the messenger.
He simply washed seven times in the Jordan… and was healed.
When it comes to salvation many often have incorrect preconceived notions.
Some assume that salvation for them is completely out of reach.
Some assume that salvation is too difficult to obtain because they have not done enough to earn it.
The reality is quite different.
Salvation is neither out of reach nor difficult to obtain.
Salvation does not have to be earned because it cannot be earned.
You see, someone has already paid in full for salvation at a tremendous price.
It is now a gift that only needs to be accepted.
John 14:6 (NET) - Jesus replied, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to he Father except through me."
Romans 10:9 (NET) - ... because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
When you Look at the price He paid, you will see that what He requires is simple by comparison.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 8, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, June 15, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Letting Go of the Wheel
Proverbs 19:21 (NET) - There are many plans in a person’s mind, but it is the counsel of the LORD which will stand.
I am a guy.
As such, I enjoy watching sports on television,
I especially enjoy watching motor sports.
(Author’s Note: You are going to have to trust me. There is a purpose here,)
One of the great features in auto racing at the top levels is that sometimes a select group of drivers have cameras in their cars.
Danica Patrick often has a camera in her car.
Once, during a race, Danica got caught up in an accident that sent her car out of control.
Her car was heading toward the inside wall and try as she might, she could do nothing to prevent the collision that was to follow.
Moments before impact, Danica removed both hands from the steering wheel and raised them up to helmet level.
Due to the customized racing seat built just for her coupled with the restraining devices employed, she was only able to move slightly forward upon impact, but I’m sure it was not a pleasant experience hitting that wall.
Danica received some undue criticism from some fans who did not realize that releasing the steering wheel before impact was a planned maneuver and not a reaction to fear.
In fact, the very next week I witnessed Jimmie Johnson, a five time Cup Series champion execute a similar move under very similar circumstances.
There are times when even a seasoned professional driver knows he is going to hit the wall.
By taking his hands off the steering wheel, he avoids sending massive shock wave up his arms and thereby avoids injuring his arms unnecessarily.
Life can present us with unpleasant and even painful circumstances we cannot avoid.
We have a choice.
We can try to go it alone and try to maintain sole control of our lives by hanging on tightly to the wheel.
Or, we can take the other option.
We can let go of the steering wheel of our lives and turn control over to God.
We may not be able to avoid the circumstances, but we can get through them with far less pain and far less anxiety if we recognize that God is not only in control of the circumstances but our lives as well.
When we do, a remarkable thing happens.
We wonder why we fought so hard for control all along.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 18, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, May 25, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
I am a guy.
As such, I enjoy watching sports on television,
I especially enjoy watching motor sports.
(Author’s Note: You are going to have to trust me. There is a purpose here,)
One of the great features in auto racing at the top levels is that sometimes a select group of drivers have cameras in their cars.
Danica Patrick often has a camera in her car.
Once, during a race, Danica got caught up in an accident that sent her car out of control.
Her car was heading toward the inside wall and try as she might, she could do nothing to prevent the collision that was to follow.
Moments before impact, Danica removed both hands from the steering wheel and raised them up to helmet level.
Due to the customized racing seat built just for her coupled with the restraining devices employed, she was only able to move slightly forward upon impact, but I’m sure it was not a pleasant experience hitting that wall.
Danica received some undue criticism from some fans who did not realize that releasing the steering wheel before impact was a planned maneuver and not a reaction to fear.
In fact, the very next week I witnessed Jimmie Johnson, a five time Cup Series champion execute a similar move under very similar circumstances.
There are times when even a seasoned professional driver knows he is going to hit the wall.
By taking his hands off the steering wheel, he avoids sending massive shock wave up his arms and thereby avoids injuring his arms unnecessarily.
Life can present us with unpleasant and even painful circumstances we cannot avoid.
We have a choice.
We can try to go it alone and try to maintain sole control of our lives by hanging on tightly to the wheel.
Or, we can take the other option.
We can let go of the steering wheel of our lives and turn control over to God.
We may not be able to avoid the circumstances, but we can get through them with far less pain and far less anxiety if we recognize that God is not only in control of the circumstances but our lives as well.
When we do, a remarkable thing happens.
We wonder why we fought so hard for control all along.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 18, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, May 25, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
What's in a Title?
Titles.
Many of us have them.
They say something about who we are and what we do.
Many years ago I encountered a professional title I had never seen before and have not seen since.
That title was Secondary Assistant to the Deputy Administrator.
I still have to wonder just what it is this person does.
A few years ago, the company I work for decided to give me a title,
My responsibilities did not change,
I could not increase the amount of effort I was able to apply to my job.
The only thing this title was able to do was to summarize in a few words what my responsibilities were to people with whom we did business.
Centuries before Jesus was born, Isaiah provided a few titles for Jesus that would give people a glimpse into the nature and character of the Messiah who was to come.
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 Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah then elaborates.
Isaiah 9:7 (KJV) - Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Unlike Isaiah’s contemporaries, we have the luxury of history on our side.
Scripture tells us that Jesus had many other titles as well.
Titles like Son of Man, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
It is fitting that Jesus be known by many titles,
Jesus accomplished much.
Jesus is so much.
Mere human words cannot adequately summarize all that He continues to be.
There is one more title Jesus had that I find particularly pleasing.
That title... is Friend.
John 15:13-14 (KJV) - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 4, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, May 11, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Many of us have them.
They say something about who we are and what we do.
Many years ago I encountered a professional title I had never seen before and have not seen since.
That title was Secondary Assistant to the Deputy Administrator.
I still have to wonder just what it is this person does.
A few years ago, the company I work for decided to give me a title,
My responsibilities did not change,
I could not increase the amount of effort I was able to apply to my job.
The only thing this title was able to do was to summarize in a few words what my responsibilities were to people with whom we did business.
Centuries before Jesus was born, Isaiah provided a few titles for Jesus that would give people a glimpse into the nature and character of the Messiah who was to come.
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 Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah then elaborates.
Isaiah 9:7 (KJV) - Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Unlike Isaiah’s contemporaries, we have the luxury of history on our side.
Scripture tells us that Jesus had many other titles as well.
Titles like Son of Man, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
It is fitting that Jesus be known by many titles,
Jesus accomplished much.
Jesus is so much.
Mere human words cannot adequately summarize all that He continues to be.
There is one more title Jesus had that I find particularly pleasing.
That title... is Friend.
John 15:13-14 (KJV) - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 4, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, May 11, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
A Church for Roman Soldiers?
Last Sunday was Easter.
To my surprise, there was a great deal of television programming of a religious nature.
Even the channels I count on for documentaries seemed to follow suit.
Many I had seen before.
Some I had not.
Among those I had not seen before was one that I found one particularly interesting.
This one centered around an underground Christian church.
This church was underground both figuratively and physically.
This place of worship was in the back of a cave and was used by Christians perhaps in the first century not long after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The inscriptions carved into the walls and rocks made it quite apparent that Christians used this cave as a place of worship during a time period when the persecution of Christians was rampant.
Yet there was something else remarkable about this place of worship.
You see, the inscriptions also lead archeologists to believe that a particular group of people worshipped Christ in this cave.
Roman soldiers.
History makes it plain that Christians were indeed persecuted by Roman soldiers in the first century of the church.
Yet here was a place where some Roman soldiers actually gathered together in order to worship Jesus.
Even the maker of this documentary seemed to find this difficult to believe, but I do not.
It is not just because an educated archeologist proposed this.
It is not just because of the inscriptions found in the cave.
It is not just because a cave would serve to hide they themselves from persecution.
I also believe this because of Scripture.
In Luke 7, Jesus is requested to heal the slave of a centurion.
This same centurion was highly regarded by the elders.
As Jesus neared the home, the centurion sent friends to meet Jesus and deliver a message.
Luke 7:7-8 (NET) - "That is why I did not presume to come to you. Instead, say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it."
Verse 9 tells us that Jesus was amazed by his faith.
At the crucifixion of Jesus, there was another centurion present who witnessed the events that transpired on that day.
He also saw Jesus die.
Notice the centurion’s reaction to what he witnessed.
Mark 15:39 (NET) - Now when the centurion, who stood in front of Him, saw how He died, he said, "Truly this man was God’s Son!"
Even though persecution of Christians in the first century by Roman soldiers is a historical fact, both Scripture and archeological evidence indicate that some of them had their lives turned around in a remarkable way and became believers in Christ.
Persecution is not confined to the past.
Many Christians around the world are persecuted for their faith today.
We are to pray for them,
We should also pray for those that persecute them.
After all, those that don’t know Christ are those with the deepest need.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 20, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 27, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
To my surprise, there was a great deal of television programming of a religious nature.
Even the channels I count on for documentaries seemed to follow suit.
Many I had seen before.
Some I had not.
Among those I had not seen before was one that I found one particularly interesting.
This one centered around an underground Christian church.
This church was underground both figuratively and physically.
This place of worship was in the back of a cave and was used by Christians perhaps in the first century not long after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The inscriptions carved into the walls and rocks made it quite apparent that Christians used this cave as a place of worship during a time period when the persecution of Christians was rampant.
Yet there was something else remarkable about this place of worship.
You see, the inscriptions also lead archeologists to believe that a particular group of people worshipped Christ in this cave.
Roman soldiers.
History makes it plain that Christians were indeed persecuted by Roman soldiers in the first century of the church.
Yet here was a place where some Roman soldiers actually gathered together in order to worship Jesus.
Even the maker of this documentary seemed to find this difficult to believe, but I do not.
It is not just because an educated archeologist proposed this.
It is not just because of the inscriptions found in the cave.
It is not just because a cave would serve to hide they themselves from persecution.
I also believe this because of Scripture.
In Luke 7, Jesus is requested to heal the slave of a centurion.
This same centurion was highly regarded by the elders.
As Jesus neared the home, the centurion sent friends to meet Jesus and deliver a message.
Luke 7:7-8 (NET) - "That is why I did not presume to come to you. Instead, say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it."
Verse 9 tells us that Jesus was amazed by his faith.
At the crucifixion of Jesus, there was another centurion present who witnessed the events that transpired on that day.
He also saw Jesus die.
Notice the centurion’s reaction to what he witnessed.
Mark 15:39 (NET) - Now when the centurion, who stood in front of Him, saw how He died, he said, "Truly this man was God’s Son!"
Even though persecution of Christians in the first century by Roman soldiers is a historical fact, both Scripture and archeological evidence indicate that some of them had their lives turned around in a remarkable way and became believers in Christ.
Persecution is not confined to the past.
Many Christians around the world are persecuted for their faith today.
We are to pray for them,
We should also pray for those that persecute them.
After all, those that don’t know Christ are those with the deepest need.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 20, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 27, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
A Small Detour
Where can we read about the power of Jesus?
Where can we learn of His humble beginning on Earth?
Where can we read of how He was despised and rejected by people?
Where can we learn about His suffering and how we, as people, misunderstood that this was necessary?
Where can we learn that He was taking the punishment for us; because of our sinful nature?
Where can we learn that He was forced to endure so much because we strayed?
Where can we read that He bore all this in silence?
Where can we be informed that He went through a sham of a trial?
Where can we be told that He was buried in a rich man’s tomb?
Where can we be informed that He enjoys everlasting life since restitution is paid?
Where can read that many will be acquitted of their sins because of His sacrifice?
Where can we be told that victory is His because He willingly submitted to death for our sake?
If you answered the Gospels, you would be correct.
Yet there is another place where you can find the answer to every single one of my questions.
That place is Isaiah Chapter 53.
What makes this truly remarkable is that these words were recorded centuries before the events actually took place.
What is more they took place exactly the way they were recorded.
That is what makes this prophecy.
Jesus fulfilled that prophecy down to the smallest detail.
As we approach Easter, I invite you to read Isaiah 53.
Reflect on how Jesus fulfilled this prophecy.
Once you have done so, take time to thank Him.
After all, He did this for us.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 6, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 13, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Where can we learn of His humble beginning on Earth?
Where can we read of how He was despised and rejected by people?
Where can we learn about His suffering and how we, as people, misunderstood that this was necessary?
Where can we learn that He was taking the punishment for us; because of our sinful nature?
Where can we learn that He was forced to endure so much because we strayed?
Where can we read that He bore all this in silence?
Where can we be informed that He went through a sham of a trial?
Where can we be told that He was buried in a rich man’s tomb?
Where can we be informed that He enjoys everlasting life since restitution is paid?
Where can read that many will be acquitted of their sins because of His sacrifice?
Where can we be told that victory is His because He willingly submitted to death for our sake?
If you answered the Gospels, you would be correct.
Yet there is another place where you can find the answer to every single one of my questions.
That place is Isaiah Chapter 53.
What makes this truly remarkable is that these words were recorded centuries before the events actually took place.
What is more they took place exactly the way they were recorded.
That is what makes this prophecy.
Jesus fulfilled that prophecy down to the smallest detail.
As we approach Easter, I invite you to read Isaiah 53.
Reflect on how Jesus fulfilled this prophecy.
Once you have done so, take time to thank Him.
After all, He did this for us.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 6, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 13, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Reflection on Forgiveness
As the season of Lent continues my thoughts inevitably turn to the Passion.
Christ endured great humiliation, tremendous pain and even physical death at the hands of people.
Years ago, a fellow student, with whom I attended Sunday School, asked me whom I thought was responsible for the death of Jesus.
I asked him to expand on his question.
He did so by asking me if I thought it was Judas, the teachers of the law, the soldiers, or someone else.
I asked him if he wanted to know what I really thought.
He said that he did.
I said that I thought I was, and that I thought that he was too.
Indeed every human being, alive or dead, was responsible for all that Jesus had to endure.
I say this because every human being is a sinner.
Romans 3:23 (NET) - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Jesus lived a perfect life and became the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
John 1:29 (NET) - On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
Yet, in doing so, He endured much.
He was abandoned by His followers.
False witnesses told lies about him.
He was mocked.
He was beaten.
He was spit upon.
He was forced to wear a crown of thorns.
He was forced to carry His cross.
He was nailed to it.
Yes, Jesus endured much.
Yet when He looked upon his tormentors, He responded in a way that only He could.
He forgave them.
Moreover, He asked the Father to forgive them.
Luke 23:34 (ASV) - And Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what that they do. And parting His garments among them, they cast lots.
Jesus forgave them.
He forgave me.
He forgave my fellow student.
He forgave everyone.
As I continue my journey through Lent, I am reminded that as a Christian, I am called upon to forgive as well.
If Jesus could forgive so very much, shouldn't I be able to forgive so very little by comparison?
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 6, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, March 30, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Christ endured great humiliation, tremendous pain and even physical death at the hands of people.
Years ago, a fellow student, with whom I attended Sunday School, asked me whom I thought was responsible for the death of Jesus.
I asked him to expand on his question.
He did so by asking me if I thought it was Judas, the teachers of the law, the soldiers, or someone else.
I asked him if he wanted to know what I really thought.
He said that he did.
I said that I thought I was, and that I thought that he was too.
Indeed every human being, alive or dead, was responsible for all that Jesus had to endure.
I say this because every human being is a sinner.
Romans 3:23 (NET) - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Jesus lived a perfect life and became the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
John 1:29 (NET) - On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
Yet, in doing so, He endured much.
He was abandoned by His followers.
False witnesses told lies about him.
He was mocked.
He was beaten.
He was spit upon.
He was forced to wear a crown of thorns.
He was forced to carry His cross.
He was nailed to it.
Yes, Jesus endured much.
Yet when He looked upon his tormentors, He responded in a way that only He could.
He forgave them.
Moreover, He asked the Father to forgive them.
Luke 23:34 (ASV) - And Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what that they do. And parting His garments among them, they cast lots.
Jesus forgave them.
He forgave me.
He forgave my fellow student.
He forgave everyone.
As I continue my journey through Lent, I am reminded that as a Christian, I am called upon to forgive as well.
If Jesus could forgive so very much, shouldn't I be able to forgive so very little by comparison?
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 6, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, March 30, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Look Again
Exodus 3:4-5 (NET) - When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." God said, "Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
What an incredible way God revealed His presence to Moses.
Imagine God speaking audibly to you from a burning bush and then warning you not to come any closer.
Such a display would certainly make a lasting impression.
God also chose an impressive display to make himself known to his chosen people.
Exodus 19:17-18 (NET) - Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the LORD descended on it in fire, and its smoke rose up like the smoke of a great furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
Imagine that powerful display as your introduction to God.
That would also leave quite a memorable impression.
Does God always make His presence known in displays that overwhelm the senses?
Not always.
Elijah, who was hiding in a cave, experienced God’s presence in a completely different way.
1 Kings 19:11 (NET) - The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Look the LORD is ready to pass by," A very powerful wind went before the LORD, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
Imagine yourself in Elijah’s place.
You experience not just wind but a wind powerful enough to dig into the very mountain itself.
Then come the landslides where perhaps tons of material mere feet away suddenly break loose and accelerate down the mountain and disappear from view.
After that there is an earthquake that completely shakes what remains of the mountain.
Almost surprisingly, God was not present in any of these.
1 Kings 19:12 (NET) - After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper.
Elijah then experienced fire on top of all the other events he witnessed.
Yet, God was not in the fire either.
There was one more experience in store for Elijah after the fire.
It was nothing at all like anything he had experienced thus far.
By comparison, it may have seemed like almost nothing.
It was a barely audible soft whisper.
But, there was something remarkable about it.
God was in that whisper.
1 Kings 19:13 (NET) - When Elijah heard it. He covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. All of a sudden a voice asked him, "Why are you here, Elijah?"
God can make His presence known to us in ways that to us are powerful.
God can also make His presence known to us in ways that are quite subtle by comparison.
Even in something as subtle as a whisper.
Do you sense God at work in your life?
If not, consider changing your perspective.
Think about the subtle ways God may be at work in your life.
You might be surprised by what you see.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 16, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, March 23, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
What an incredible way God revealed His presence to Moses.
Imagine God speaking audibly to you from a burning bush and then warning you not to come any closer.
Such a display would certainly make a lasting impression.
God also chose an impressive display to make himself known to his chosen people.
Exodus 19:17-18 (NET) - Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the LORD descended on it in fire, and its smoke rose up like the smoke of a great furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
Imagine that powerful display as your introduction to God.
That would also leave quite a memorable impression.
Does God always make His presence known in displays that overwhelm the senses?
Not always.
Elijah, who was hiding in a cave, experienced God’s presence in a completely different way.
1 Kings 19:11 (NET) - The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Look the LORD is ready to pass by," A very powerful wind went before the LORD, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
Imagine yourself in Elijah’s place.
You experience not just wind but a wind powerful enough to dig into the very mountain itself.
Then come the landslides where perhaps tons of material mere feet away suddenly break loose and accelerate down the mountain and disappear from view.
After that there is an earthquake that completely shakes what remains of the mountain.
Almost surprisingly, God was not present in any of these.
1 Kings 19:12 (NET) - After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper.
Elijah then experienced fire on top of all the other events he witnessed.
Yet, God was not in the fire either.
There was one more experience in store for Elijah after the fire.
It was nothing at all like anything he had experienced thus far.
By comparison, it may have seemed like almost nothing.
It was a barely audible soft whisper.
But, there was something remarkable about it.
God was in that whisper.
1 Kings 19:13 (NET) - When Elijah heard it. He covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. All of a sudden a voice asked him, "Why are you here, Elijah?"
God can make His presence known to us in ways that to us are powerful.
God can also make His presence known to us in ways that are quite subtle by comparison.
Even in something as subtle as a whisper.
Do you sense God at work in your life?
If not, consider changing your perspective.
Think about the subtle ways God may be at work in your life.
You might be surprised by what you see.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 16, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, March 23, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
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