A Window on the World

Self isolation and working from home are still in effect.

I recently rearranged things in my home office so I could sit closer to the window.

There is a great deal to be said for natural light.

Spiritually speaking, this move also provided some additional benefits.

The sounds that come through the window bring their own rewards.

For instance, there is a songbird that frequently visits a tree just outside my window.

The melody it provides puts me in mind of scripture.

Matthew 6:26 (NET) - Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are?

In times like these. it is good to be reminded that we are valued.

This tiny winged miracle is certainly not the only reminder I receive from God.

As we are in the season of Spring, the sound of the gusting wind also serves as a reminder.

John 3:7-8 (NET) - Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’ The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Then, there is the occasional sound of children.

My neighbor has two little girls.

Their mother has apologized to me more than once for the noise they sometimes make.

Such apologies are never necessary.

The sound of children’s laughter and play reminds me that they are happy and healthy.

It also reminds me of my Savior’s words and His love for children.

Matthew 19:14 (NET) - But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Children are special to the Lord; therefore, they are special to me.

Yes, I am glad that I rearranged things.

The sounds I am exposed to are excellent reminders in this new state of normal.

Even the natural light plays its role.

While it is both lovely and inviting, its beauty pales in comparison to the light of Jesus.

John 8:12 (NET) - Then Jesus spoke out again, “I am the light of the world! The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

We continue to live and work in new ways.

Things will improve as time goes by.

Yet the reminders of the Lord’s great love continue to surround us.

We just need to remain open to them.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 15, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, May 22, 2020

The Little Things

I participated in a video chat the other day.

It was an informal session that allowed a few of us to stay connected during this pandemic.

A friend who participated shared an experience she had in the supermarket.

She picked up the last bag of flour on the shelf and placed it in her cart.

As she moved down that aisle another customer entered it.

This shopper was looking for flour as well, but the shelf was now barren.

My friend still had a bit of flour at home.

She offered the bag she selected to the other shopper.

The other shopper accepted it gratefully as they had none at home.

After sharing this experience, my friend added that this was “just a little thing”.

I pondered my friend’s words and actions as the chat continued.

My thoughts first turned to the account of Elijah and the widow from 1 Kings 17.

During a drought, Elijah encountered a widow gathering sticks and asked her for a drink of water.

As she left to get it, Elijah asked her for bread as well.

The widow replied that all she has left was a little flour and a little oil.

She added that she was out gathering sticks in order to make one final meal for her and her son.

Elijah instructed the woman to prepare him a small cake first,

Afterward, she could prepare something for herself and her son.

The woman did so and something amazing happened.

1 Kings 17:15-16 (NET) - She went and did as Elijah told her; there was always enough food for Elijah and for her and her family. The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, in keeping with the Lord’s message that he had spoken through Elijah.

I also thought about the time Jesus fed 5,000 with a boy’s lunch.

This is the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in all four Gospels.

Jesus had the crowd sit down,

He took the small barley loaves and the two fish.

He then gave thanks to God and began distributing the food.

Everyone ate until they had their fill.

John 6:12-13 (NET) - When they were all satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves left over by the people who had eaten.

As I considered this, the video chat began winding down.

Just before it ended, I referred to my friend’s experience in the supermarket.

I stated that we should all be doing the “little things” especially at times like this.

God can take the “little things” we do and multiply them in ways we cannot even imagine.

Not one of us can do everything, but each of us can do something!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 1, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, May 8, 2020

What's Good About It?

What can possibly be “good” about Good Friday?

Not only did Jesus die on this day, He endured so very much along the way.

He was abandoned by those closest to Him.

He was beaten and made to wear a crown of thorns.

He was mocked.

He was made to carry His own cross.

He was then crucified – the most painful and cruel form of execution ever devised.

So what can possibly be “good” about Good Friday.

To begin with, He did this willingly for the entire world.

This was foretold centuries before.

Isaiah 53:3-5 (NET) - He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been healed.

Jesus endured all of this for us.

Yet upon His death He knew He had fully accomplished the Father’s will

John 19:30 (NET) - When he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Then, at the exact moment Jesus died… God did something incredible.

Matthew 27:51a (NET) - Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom.

The physical barrier that separated sinful man from a perfectly Holy God was no more.

What a beautiful gesture on God’s part!

Of course, all this was but a prelude of what was to come.

On the third day, His tomb was found empty.

Luke 24:2-3 (NET) - They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

These things are what make this week the most important week in the calendar to Christians.

This year we will not be able to gather due to the pandemic.

But that in no shape, way or form diminishes the significance of what Jesus did!

Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be!

Jesus did exactly what He came to do!

Yet still we might wonder “what’s good about Good Friday?”

We might even wonder why God would allow a pandemic that would keep us from gathering at such an important time.

In the following days, may we find comfort in the book of Romans.

Romans 8:28-29 (NET) - And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 17, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, April 24, 2020

Constants and Changes - Part 2

Those of you who follow my regular offerings here may notice this one is in a different format. This is intentional because of all that is going on around us. This piece is a continuation of my offering last week which can be accessed via the link at the bottom of the page,

COVID-19 continues to change our routines and even more changes are in store. As we try our best to cope, even more questions arise.

8. What is the Church? For many of us, our local churches play a significant role in our lives. By necessity, temporary suspensions of worship services including Sunday school, Bible studies, and outreaches are now a necessity. I will honestly say that this has impacted my life more than any other change. But there are two things we can immediately learn from this. First, the church is NOT the building. Second, the church is NOT simply a small group of people who gather on Sunday because they worship in the same way. The church is the entire body of believers worldwide with Christ as its head. The church is very much alive, and it is my prayer that it may blossom as never before when the current threat of COVID-19 subsides.

Ephesians 2:19-20 (NET) - So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

9. Has the Mission of the Church Changed? No. The mission of the church has not changed. The Great Commission remains unaltered. The world was in desperate need of hope before COVID-19 became a part of our vocabulary. That need is even more desperate now.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NET) - Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

10. Can We Pursue the Great Commission Right Now? Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is a resounding “YES!” Congregations and individuals are meeting this challenge by spreading the word in new and creative ways. They are becoming more technologically adept. Pastors are delivering messages online. Individuals are turning to things like social media to share their faith with others. God is there to help us in these endeavors if we but turn to Him for guidance.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NET) - Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.

11. What is Important? The importance of prayer cannot be overstated. This was true before COVID-19. It is true now. It will continue to be so as long as we dwell upon God’s earth.

Ephesians 6:18 (NET) - With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints.

12. Can Any Good Come of This? YES! This answer should come as no surprise. But perhaps a reminder would be in order.

Romans 8:28 (NET) - And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,

13. Is How We LIVE Important? The way we choose to live can speak volumes to those who do not know Christ or need to know Him better. A student of mine once stated: “We may be the closest thing to a Bible a person might encounter”. This is especially true as people choose to live in fear. Our love for God and for our fellow man should be plainly obvious to everyone right now. Especially those whose lives are governed by fear and suspicion. While others “look out for number one”, we should look up to God and out for our fellow man.

Matthew 5: 14-16 (NET) -  You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

14. Socially Distant? One of the consequences of COVID-19 is that we adopt “Social Distancing” to help reduce the spread of the virus. While we must (for now) adopt this for the good of all, my greatest concern is that it may have unintended consequences. Broadly speaking, we have already become socially distant from those less fortunate. Moreover, we have all witnessed how people immediately turn to their phones and devices rather than engage with those around them. Once the threat of COVID-19 subsides it might become even more tempting for us to remain socially distant. My prayer is that this period of isolation will make us hunger for more social interaction rather than less. Living in isolation is not what we were designed for.

John 10:10 (NET) - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

Our lives have changed in some radical ways. Certainly the most in living memory. This will pass! Things will get better! But until they do, let us remember how Jesus wants us to LIVE!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 3, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, April 10, 2020

Looking Forward

I recently watched a rather interesting television program.

It was about a man who found himself moving backward in time.

When the man woke up each morning, he discovered that he had moved backward another day in time.

After several such mornings, he learned that he would be able to prevent a personal tragedy.

He also learned that by doing so, he would reveal a crime he had committed earlier.

He then realized that he would have to pay for that crime once he put things right.

Granted, this is fiction.

But it caused me to recall a conversation with a friend whom I love like a brother.

We were discussing faith and ministries and how personally rewarding they were.

I was relatively new to one such ministry at the time.

My friend posed the question: “Don’t you wish you had started sooner?”

The obvious answer is of course, yes.

But unlike the man in the story, I cannot go back in time and do that.

The journey toward Easter reminds me I never have to look back.

None of us do.

Here is what the Old Testament prophet Isaiah said…

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NET) - “Don’t remember these earlier events; don’t recall these former events. Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the wilderness and paths in the wastelands.

I like the way Paul put it in his letter to the Philippians…

Philippians 3:13-14 (NET) - Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

But no one put it better than Jesus.

Luke 9:62 (NET) - Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

There is no need for us to dwell on our past.

There is no need to be haunted by missed opportunities.

Not when we have so glorious a future thanks to Jesus.

Even this Holiest of seasons reminds of this.

True, we think of Jesus and all He endured for us.

But the journey did not end at a cross.

Not when there is a vacated tomb beyond it.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 20, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, March 27, 2020

In His Steps

Easter is rapidly approaching.

I recall a pastor once referring to Easter and Christmas as the annual pilgrimages.

This was his humorous way of stating that you would see some people in church on these days only.

This got me thinking about pilgrimages.

Each year, many people travel to the Holy Land as a way of feeling closer to Jesus.

Many, in fact, do so around Easter in order to retrace the steps Jesus took on the way to the cross.

Matthew 23:33 (NET) - They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”)

I can understand the desire to feel closer to Jesus.

And, if people have both the means and the desire to make this trip, I would not stand in their way.

But the fact is that we do not have to travel to the Holy Land to follow His steps.

Jesus taught by example.

He reached out to others.

Sometimes He did so to large groups of people.

Sometimes He reached out to small numbers.

Quite often He simply reached out to individuals.

We each have within us the power to do the same.

We can volunteer our time to various causes.

We can help those less fortunate than ourselves.

We can even begin by simply talking to people.

That’s what Jesus did for the woman at the well.

When she came to the well, Jesus began by asking her for water.

This surprised the woman.

John 4:9 (NET) So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you—a Jew—ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)

The conversation they had changed the woman’s life forever.

As a Christian, I know that Jesus will return some day.

When Jesus returns all will be put right.

But until that day arrives, there is plenty of work for us in the here and now.

Work to make lives better.

We can even do so one person at a time.

What better way to begin than by talking to others like Jesus did?

Even those who might appear to have little in common with us.

In these ways, we can all follow His steps without even travelling abroad.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 6, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, March 13, 2020

Choose Not to Remember

I like questions.

In most cases they remind me how much I do not know

As such they force me to dig deeper into God’s word.

I recently had such a question posed to me.

Does God forgive and forget?

After considering the question carefully, I had to turn this into two questions.

Does God forgive?

Scripture makes it very plain that God does indeed forgive.

Daniel 9:9 (NET) - Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.

There are other examples from the Old Testament.

Micah 7:18 (NET) - Who is a God like you? Who forgives sin and pardons the rebellion of those who remain among his people? Who does not stay angry forever, but delights in showing loyal love?

I think my favorite examples come from the Psalmist and Isaiah.

Psalm 103:12 (NET) - As far as the eastern horizon is from the west, so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.

Isaiah 1:18 (NET) - Come, let’s consider your options,” says the Lord. “Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool.

Forgiveness is possible through His Son.

Ephesians 1:7-8 (NET) - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.

All of which is well and good.

But, what about the second part of the question?

Does God forget?

God is omniscient.

God is all knowing.

To me, forgetting is a human weakness.

We can forget everything from appointments to birthdays and anniversaries.

We even forget the promises we make.

That is why I have a difficult time saying that God could forget.

Fortunately, Scripture provides the better alternative.

Isaiah 43:25 (NET) - I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I do not remember.

It is the best of everything.

God forgives and chooses not to remember our sins anymore.

He chooses never to hold our past against us.

Shouldn’t we try to do the same with others.

Colossians 3:13 (NET) - bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, February 21, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, February 28, 2020