The Prodigal's Brother

Most, if not all of us, are familiar with the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

This parable can be found in Matthew 15 beginning in verse 11.

In it, the younger of two sons asks his father for his share of the inheritance.

The father (though still living) complies and the son takes his newfound wealth and moves to a distant country.

In no time at all, the young man spends all he inherited.

A short time later, the country falls victim to famine.

Hungry and broke, he hires himself out to a citizen of that country.

This citizen gives the young man the job of feeding his pigs.

The young man is so desperate, he even desires to eat the pods he is feeding the pigs.

In no time, the young man comes to his senses.

He decides to return home, confess his errors to his father and ask to be hired on as a hand.

When the father sees his son returning in the distance, he feels compassion and joy.

He runs out to meet his son, throws his arms around him and kisses him.

Matthew 15:21 (NIV) - The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

The father calls to his servants and asks them to bring his son a fine robe, a ring and sandals.

He then orders that the fatted calf be slaughtered for a celebration.

Matthew 15:24 (NIV) - For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

The man’s other son hears the noise of celebration.

He calls a servant and asks what all the commotion is about.

The servant tells him of his brother’s return and all his father is doing to celebrate it.

The brother grows angry and refuses to go.

His father goes out to him and pleads with him.

But this merely fuels the brother’s anger.

Matthew 15:29-30 (NIV) - But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

The father then explains his actions.

Matthew 15:31-32 (NIV) - “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

One lesson we can take from this is that God will welcome back the truly repentant… no matter their past.

Yet how many Christians in today’s world find themselves siding with the angry brother?

Perhaps even defending his “right” to be angry.

That is something we should not do.

Worshipping God in what we say and do is something we should do, but it does not entitle us to anything “extra”.

It certainly does not entitle us to judge others.

And if someone with a repentant heart returns to God, we should not become angry at God’s joy.

After all, God was just as happy when we came to our senses as well.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 6, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, September 13, 2019

The Root of the Problem

On Saturday, I was saddened to learn of another mass shooting.

This one occurred in the state in which I live.

Then, less than 24 hours later, another occurred in a different state.

These tragedies are bad enough in and of themselves.

Yet in no time the media and people in general began promoting their own theories about what exactly is to blame.

Many pointed to violent video games and social media as the root cause.

On August 1, 1966 the first mass shooting in America took place.

This was decades before the advent of either video games or social media.

Others point to guns as the cause.

We must remember that others in the recent past have chosen explosives to kill their victims.

In fact, another nation with strict gun control laws has seen a record rise in the number of stabbings,

In my assessment, these killings are but symptoms.

Symptoms of a very serious disease that, left untreated, will only grow worse with time.

The problem, as I see it is two-fold.

Broadly speaking, we have grown distant from God.

Also, broadly speaking, we have forgotten how to love our neighbor.

So much so, that some have even grown to hate those that are not like them.

The question then becomes: What can we do about all this?

Well, when a sports team struggles, the coach often turns to the basics and the fundamentals.

Are there fundamentals to which we can turn?

Certainly!

Genesis tells us we are all made in God’s image.

Jesus tells us to love God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

There was a song we all used to sing as children.

Jesus loves the little children

All the children of the world

Red and yellow. black and white

They are precious in His sight

Jesus loves the little children of the world

This is an excellent reminder even for adults.

Jesus extends His love to us regardless of our outer appearance.

That love is not limited by geography.

That love continues even when we grow up.

Ending the cycle of senseless violence is possible.

But it will only be possible if we are willing to go to the root cause.

We must draw near to God once more and sincerely ask His forgiveness.

We must learn to love our neighbors (all of them) as ourselves.

C. S. Lewis put it this way - “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.’”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 16, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, August 23, 2019

The Seduction of Pride

I was recently asked to be one of several speakers at an upcoming event.

I agreed for two reasons.

First, I am familiar with the topic that interests the group.

Second, I was recommended to them by a close friend.

As the event was still weeks away, I turned my attention back to more pressing matters.

A few days later, the group requested my “bio” for the event.

Frankly, I never like submitting these.

Although organizers need them, I dislike them for two reasons.

In the first place, I do not like talking about myself.

In the second, it is easy to allow pride to take over.

Once pride takes over, we can easily overstate our importance.

Before I began, I thought about the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.

Jesus relates this parable in Luke 18.

He told it to some people who were convinced they were more righteous than others.

Luke 18:10-12 (NET) - “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’

I was very glad I recalled this parable before I wrote my “bio” as it reminded me how not go about it.

The second part of this parable also proved very helpful.

Luke 18:13 (NET) - The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!’

Keeping these verses in mind, I wrote my “bio”, keeping it to just a few simple lines and submitted it to the organizers.

I am glad that I took this approach.

Luke 18:14 (NET) - I tell you that this man went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Pride, especially in one’s self, is extremely seductive.

It is easy to see why the ancients considered it one of the deadly sins.

It is so seductive that it can easily lead us to sin in other ways.

Most importantly, pride shifts our focus.

We shift our focus onto ourselves and away from God who rightfully deserves it.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 2, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, August 9, 2019

Proof

The 50^th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing continues to be on my mind.

This is due in part because it is hard for me to believe 50 years of my life have elapsed since then.

But, there is more to it than that.

There are people who still refuse to believe this event took place.

Theories abound as to how this was all some elaborate hoax.

Although there is definite proof, some will never believe that man set foot on the moon in July 1969.

Faith is a bit like that.

Try as we might to share the Good News, some people will absolutely refuse to believe it is true.

Yet the evidence is all around us.

Romans 1:20 (NET) - For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.

Christ gave his disciples specific instructions on what they were to do.

This is known as “The Great Commission” and can be found in the gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 26:18-20 (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.”

Those instructions were not just for a handful of men who lived a long time ago.

They are for all believers for all time.

I once met and listened to a man who had a doctorate in theology.

He spoke about some of the most common questions he had been asked over the years.

One such question: How many people have you saved?

His reply: None. I am not Jesus!

Another question was: When were you saved?

His reply: At midday on a Friday about 2,000 years ago.

Faith is a matter of belief.

For those who find it, no amount of proof is necessary.

For those who do not, no amount of proof will ever be enough.

If that is the case, why should we take part in “The Great Commission” today?

I think the answer is a very simple one.

Because Jesus told us to do so.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 19, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, July 26, 2019

Give Him Your Mind

Since childhood, people have told me many times that God wants our hearts.

I will not dispute that.

But the truth is, God wants more than that.

In simplest terms, God wants all of us.

That means he wants our minds as well.

Here, we certainly must be careful.

Scripture offers both praises and warnings about wisdom.

The warnings, however, also tend to be about the dangers of pride.

We must never for a moment think we are wiser than God.

All told, God gave us a heart.

He expects us to use it.

He also gave us a mind.

He expects us to use that as well!

In our daily affairs we should use our intellect as well as our heart.

This applies to our relationship with God.

It also applies to our relationship with our fellow man.

Jesus alluded to this in his two-fold answer to an expert in religious law.

This man asked Jesus which of the commandments was the greatest.

Matthew 22:37-40 (NET) - Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Christ tells us plainly that our minds play a role in loving God.

He also understood that if we kept these two commandments, we would in effect keep them all.

There is one more verse I wish to share with you.

It comes from the parable of the talents.

Luke 12:48 (NET) - But the one who did not know his master’s will and did things worthy of punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.

Give God your heart.

Make certain you give Him your mind as well.

C. S. Lewis said, "He [Christ] told us to be not only 'as harmless as doves,' but also 'as wise as serpents.' He wants a child's heart, but a grown-up's head.”

John Amos Comenius put it this way: “The mind is a great gift from God and to use it properly can be nothing less than an act of worship.”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 5, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, July 12, 2019

Just Two Words

Loss.

We have all experienced the loss of a loved one.

Often the pain we experience is compounded.

Perhaps this is due to the circumstances surrounding the loss.

Perhaps this is due to the age of the person.

Perhaps this is due to the number of recent losses we have experienced.

Perhaps this is due to the sheer number of tragedies a family has already experienced.

It is no secret that scripture is a tremendous source of comfort in times of loss.

There are verses about Jesus having conquered death.

There are verses about His going to prepare a place for us.

There are verses about the wiping away of every tear.

There are verses about the resurrection.

There are verses about eternal life.

Verses upon verses in scripture are there ready to provide comfort.

That said, is it okay for us to cry when a loved one has died?

Jesus demonstrated that it is okay to shed tears.

In fact, Jesus shed tears after his friend Lazarus died.

He traveled to Bethany and met with his sisters, Mary and Martha.

When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb several days.

Mourners were present.

Some of the words spoken to Jesus could be considered harsh.

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead with a spoken word.

But before all this, Jesus did something quite profound.

The moment is captured for us in the shortest verse in scripture.

That verse contains just two words.

But these words speak volumes.

John 11:35 (KJV) - Jesus wept.

Christ shed tears for his friend.

His tears were genuine.

If Christ shed genuine tears, we may also do likewise when we lose someone special.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 21, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, June 28, 2019

Don't Give Up

Everyone gets tired.

Even people who serve the Lord.

In fact, burnout is a problem pastors face.

Even those of us who serve the Lord in other ways can find ourselves running on fumes.

Let’s face it, serving the Lord can sometimes feel overwhelming.

Fortunately, scripture helps remind us not to give up.

Jesus reminds us we must push forward.

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.”

Paul reminds us in one of his letters that we must press onward.

He even tells us what we can expect if we do.

Galatians 6:9 (NET) - So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.

Paul has another reminder for us,

Philippians 3:14 (NET) - with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Perhaps Paul’s best advice comes in the next chapter.

In it, he reminds us that we are not in it alone.

Philippians 4:13 (NET) - I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.

I lovingly refer to this as my “go to” verse whenever I find myself struggling.

Paul also puts it another way.

Colossians 1:29 (NET) - Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.

Yes, serving the Lord can be difficult at times.

But we must never give up or give in!

We must persevere!

We must remember the Lord is with us.

If we do, in the end we can say what Paul said.

2 Timothy 4:7 (NET) - I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith!

Then the Lord may have something to say to us.

Jesus gave us a foretaste of it in one of His parables.

Matthew 25:21 (NIV) - “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 7, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, June 14, 2019