Rings a Bell

Church bells have been in use for centuries.

There are primarily used to signal worshipers that the service is about to begin.

Some churches, including my own, also ring the church bell at the conclusion of the service.

Some churches ring their bell three times a day as a reminder to their members to recite prayer.

Church bells are even rung in celebration at Thanksgiving or at weddings.

In fact, many wedding and anniversary cards have pictures of church bells on them.

When rung in celebration, the sound of the church bell adds to the joy of the occasion.

Psalm 98:4 (KJV) - Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

I have been called upon to ring my church’s bell both before and after worship.

When rung in a certain way, the bell produces a loud and joyful sound just as described by the Psalmist.

I believe this helps prepare the believer’s heart for worship.

In the same way, that joyful sound it creates at the end of the service also serves a purpose.

I believe it helps prepare the believer to take what was shared during the worship service out into the world.

The sound the bell makes is not always a joyful one though.

In Great Britain during World War II the church bells were silenced.

They were only to be rung as a warning of a pending enemy attack.

There is another time when the sound of the church bell is not a joyous one.

I know this from experience as I have also been called upon to ring the church’s bell at funeral services.

In fact, I was called upon to do just that on Saturday.

Whenever I am called upon to do this, I take the responsibility very seriously.

I see the church bell is a musical instrument that is capable of producing only one note.

Whenever I ring the bell at a funeral service, I try to ring it slowly, regularly and somberly.

I do this out of respect.

I also do it for one more reason.

It is possible that someone attending the funeral service has not yet made himself right with the Lord.

If such is the case, they need to do so while they still have time.

Psalm 144:4 (KJV) – Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

Just as the bells were rung as a warning in times of war, perhaps the slow, regular and somber tone of the church bell will serve as a reminder.

A reminder that our time on earth is limited.

Although limited, it is never too late to get right with God through Jesus Christ.

For as long as we draw breath there is hope.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 3, 2015.

I’ll be back here on Friday, April 10, 2015

Too Beautiful to Believe

Sometimes even an ordinary thing can lead to an amazing realization.

I had such an experience this week and it involved social media and a simple picture of a horse.

While browsing I noticed that someone had shared a picture of a horse.

This was not your ordinary horse but one of a specific breed.

I know the breed as Gypsy Vanner but other names also apply.

These are draught horses so they have excellent muscle tone.

They also have long manes and long hair (feathering) around their hooves.

They look nice standing still, but when they run they really are sight to see.

This particular photo was of a running Gypsy Vanner.

With its long mane and feathering flowing in the breeze it was extremely beautiful.

The photo was so beautiful that some people could not believe their eyes.

They thought the photo had been retouched or doctored in some way.

No horse, they thought, could possibly be this beautiful.

They simply could not accept the reality as truth.

Thinking about this led me to realize something amazing.

We are rapidly approaching Easter.

This account of the Lord’s great love for us has a special beauty all its own.

God loved us so much that He sent His only Son into the world to save us.

Jesus loved us and willingly endured many things for us.

He loved us so much that He did everything the Father willed.

This meant enduring a violent and painful death for us.

On the third day, He arose.

When the women arrived at the tomb, they discovered that the stone had been rolled away.

When they entered, they encountered a man dressed in white.

Mark 16:6 (NET) – But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been raised! He is not here. Look, there is the place where they laid him.”

Jesus was who He said He was.

Jesus did all that was required.

He did this for us even though we did nothing to earn it.

We certainly did not deserve it.

Look!

The tomb lies empty!

It does not get any more beautiful than that.

Perhaps that is why some people need a little help believing it.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

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

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

The Grand Illusion

People, as a rule, are stubborn.

I should know, because I am a person and I tend to be stubborn.

When it comes to life, we like to believe that we are in control.

But this belief is merely a self-imposed illusion.

The proof lies in the outcome of the plans that we make.

Sometimes, things work out the way we plan.

Often times, they do not.

That is some pretty compelling evidence.

If we were in complete control of our lives, shouldn’t everything work out the way we plan?

If we are not in control, then that leaves us with two possibilities.

Either no one is in control or someone else is.

If no one is in control then the entire system should break down.

Granted, the world has its share of problems.

There are wars, poverty, disease, ignorance and a host of other problems.

Despite all of these things, life goes on.

That leaves us with one option.

Someone is in control.

That raises the question of exactly who is in control.

There is only one possible answer.

God is in control.

Even the community of science gives us some glimpses of that.

The speed of light is a constant.

The acceleration due to gravity is another.

The list goes on.

As I said at the outset, I am stubborn.

Even as a Christian, I liked to think I was in control of my life.

Eventually, I learned to let go of the wheel.

Once I did that two things happened.

First, I discovered that I was actually able to enjoy the ride even more.

Second, I asked myself why I had not let go sooner.

Proverbs 19:21 (NET) – There are many plans in a person’s mind, but it is the counsel of the LORD which will stand.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 6, 2015.

I’ll be back here on Friday, March 13, 2014

Love

Valentine’s Day is soon to be upon us.

The moment Christmas was over stores committed aisles of shelves to this holiday.

The assortment of gifts includes candy, cards, flowers and jewelry.

I will not even hazard a guess as to how much money will be spent on this holiday.

Do not get me wrong.

I firmly believe that if you love someone you should demonstrate it.

I am also of the opinion that if you truly love someone, you should demonstrate it every day.

Love should not be measured by how much money we choose to spend on Valentine’s Day.

The English language further complicates things because there are different kinds of love; yet we only one word for it.

Perhaps that is why there are so many Valentine’s cards available.

Ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime, it is a challenge to find a card that expresses the kind of love we have for someone.

I wonder how we have taken something as basic and essential as love and turned it into something complicated.

When it comes to our love for others, there is no better guide than 1 Corinthians 13.

The opening verse sets the tone for the entire chapter.

1 Corinthians 13:1 (NET) – If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

The last verse sums matters up quite nicely.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NET) – And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Paul reminds us that love is even greater than faith.

When Jesus was asked which commandment was the most important, He gave a two part answer,

Mark 12:30-31 (NET) – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

What about God’s love for us?

John 3:16-17 (NET) – For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son , so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

Do you want to feel even more loved?

What about the love of Jesus?

John 15:13-14 (NET) – No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Perhaps it is time we look at love in an uncomplicated way again.

Perhaps we need to remind ourselves through the words of a song we were taught as children.

Its meaning has not changed even though we have.

I am sure you remember the words.

Jesus loves me. This I know

For the Bible tells me so.

With LOVE,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

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

I’ll be back here on Friday, February 27, 2014

Diamonds in the Rough

Diamonds are formed by a combination of intense heat and pressure.

Along with its rarity, a diamond’s cut, when made by an expert cutter, increases its value tremendously.

Before the expert makes his first cut, he will study the diamond, look inside it, and determine exactly where he will make his cuts.

In essence, what he is doing is determining what part of the diamond will stay and what parts will not.

After the cuts are made the facets of the stone that remain are polished and the diamond’s true inner value can finally be seen.

Something remarkably similar takes place in people.

While we can easily underestimate the value of a person, God sees the true value hidden within.

When God sent Samuel to anoint a son of Jesse as king, Samuel noticed Eliab and was certain that God would choose him.

But God did not choose Eliab.

God reminded Samuel, “People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,”

God sees the internal beauty then transforms lives.

He expertly chips away any excesses that interfere with the relationship between Himself and the believer.

He does away with self-destructive behaviors.

He removes bad habits.

He discards old prejudices.

As the excesses are removed, God polishes the believer.

The life of the believer is thus transformed into something completely unrecognizable from what it was before.

Scripture reminds us that nothing is impossible for God.

We must therefore never, under any circumstances, say that someone is beyond hope,

To do so discourages them.

Not only that, it also attempts to place limits on God who has none.

Isaiah 64:8 (NET) – Yet, LORD, You are our Father. We are the clay and You are the potter; we are all the product of Your labor.

It is important to remember that all believers were at one time diamonds in the rough.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, February 6, 2015.

I’ll be back here on Friday, February 13, 2014

Listening Versus Hearing

The account of Samuel in the third chapter of 1 Samuel is one I always love to revisit.

In this chapter, the Lord calls out to the young Samuel.

Samuel hears the call but mistakes it for that of his master Eli.

Samuel runs to Eli and says, “Here I am, for you called me.”

Eli tells Samuel that he did not call him and then tells him to go back and lie down.

Eli does.

A second time, the Lord calls out to Samuel.

Samuel returns to Eli and says, “Here I am, for you called me.”

Again, Eli tells Samuel that he did not call him and instructs him to go back and lie down.

Again, Samuel does as he is told,

A third time the Lord calls out to Samuel.

Samuel gets up a third time and goes to Eli and exclaims, “Here I am for you called me!”

I find it interesting that scripture includes an exclamation point at the end of Samuel’s third statement to Eli.

Apparently, Samuel was quite emphatic about his belief that Eli had called him and he obviously wanted to make his feelings known.

At this, Eli realizes that Someone has indeed been calling Samuel and that Someone was none other than the Lord Himself.

Eli tells Samuel to go back and lie down again.

He adds that the next time Samuel hears the call he should say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Samuel returned as he was told.

Then, something remarkable happened.

1 Samuel 3:10 (NET) – Then the LORD came and stood nearby, calling as He had previously done, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied, “Speak, for your servant is listening!”

The Lord then revealed to Samuel what He intended to do.

The Lord called out to Samuel in an audible voice three times and each time Samuel mistook the call for someone else.

The young Samuel heard, but was he really listening?

The Lord still communicates to us but often in more subtle ways.

So subtle, in fact, that we may easily mistake the call ourselves.

Eli told Samuel to reply, “Speak, for your servant is listening,”

Perhaps the best place for us to begin is to put aside the things which distract us.

Then we can truly listen.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 16, 2014.

I’ll be back here on Friday, January 23, 2014

Don’t Limit Christmas to One Day

I chose to write this the very moment that Christmas Eve turned into Christmas Day.

While Christmas is always special, I feel especially blessed this Christmas.

God continues to surround me with wonderful people who both love me and encourage me.

Some of these people I see daily in the workplace.

Some I see weekly in the Sunday school class I teach and the church in which I worship.

With the assistance of technology and social media I am surrounded by still more.

Many of these people I will never be fortunate enough to meet face to face in this world.

It is both comforting and amazing to think that I will be able to do so in the next.

It is comforting in the sense that heaven is a reality in which no one will be a stranger.

It is amazing in the sense this is only possible because of the One whose birth we celebrate at this time of year.

This sense of amazement is multiplied when one really contemplates the significance of that birth.

That is one of the things that truly separates Christianity from all other religions.

Christianity is not about how a fallen man attempts to reach up to God.

Christianity is about how God reached down to a fallen man through Jesus Christ.

It is about how God planned for our salvation from the very beginning.

The Son of God had to be born into this fallen world.

He then had to live among us.

He had to be subjected to hunger, thirst and temptation.

He had to be subjected to ridicule and rejection.

He had to be subjected to abandonment, torture and, yes, even death.

Yet never once did He sin.

Always, He forgave.

During His time among us, He taught us how to live.

He taught that it was important that we have a good relationship with God.

He also emphasized that it was important for us to have a good relationship with others.

In the coming days, we will take down all of the decorations we put up for Christmas.

We will pack them into boxes and relegate them to attics and storage rooms to lie all but forgotten for another year.

Please, let us not do that with Jesus.

Let us continue to celebrate all that He continues to be each and every day of the year.

Let us do that as we reach out to a world that chooses to live in darkness rather than step into His light.

Let us forge now the relationships that will last throughout eternity.

John 3:17 (NET) – For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 2, 2014.

I’ll be back here on Friday, January 9, 2014