Living Our Faith

I pass several churches along my commute.

From time to time I see drivers breaking traffic laws as they enter or leave their parking lots.

I realize not every driver entering or leaving those lots attends those churches, but stay with me.

Along my commute I also encounter many drivers violating the established traffic laws.

Some of these same drivers have Christian bumper stickers or decals on their cars.

Inconsistent behavior is not merely confined to the roads.

I was in the store the other day.

I was awaiting my turn in the checkout line just like everyone else.

Someone in line was complaining quite loudly about what they considered poor service.

They even spoke harshly about the cashier.

Unfortunately, the person complaining was wearing a T-shirt promoting the church they attended.

Not one of us is perfect.

That includes me.

Yet when we go to the effort to make others aware of our faith, others will watch us more closely.

Some like nothing better than to see us slip up simply to further justify their lack of faith.

Making others aware of our faith is a good thing.

We can certainly do that with tangible things like T-shirts and bumper stickers.

We also need to make certain our behavior reflects our faith as well.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NET) - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 23, 2016.

I’ll be back here on Friday, October 7, 2016

Out of the Box

There are a number of television programs that feature old objects.

In some of them, people want to sell their old items.

In others, people just want to know their true value.

One thing is certain, an object’s condition certainly impacts its value.

As a rule, the better condition an object is in, the more the object is worth.

Some items are sold in boxes.

The box can add a lot to an item’s value.

In some cases, people not only have the box, they have never even opened it.

This adds even more to the object’s value.

Our faith is nothing at all like that.

When we each discover our personal faith, it is like receiving something brand new from God in an unopened box.

It is valuable, but unlike material objects, faith gains in value when it is put to use.

The more we use it, the more valuable it becomes.

By the time we reach the end of our earthly journey it will not be like it was when we first discovered it.

It is certain to pick up a few scratches and dings along the way.

For example, we are to love our neighbor even when that neighbor will not love us in return.

We are to spend time and resources on those in need rather than ourselves.

We are to do the right thing even when it would be far easier not to.

These things and others will leave their marks and might even change the shape of our faith.

It’s funny, but those who appraise objects will point out its scratches and dings.

They sometimes refer to these things as the object’s “character”.

It is no coincidence that a person’s faith and character go hand in hand.

Faith is a wonderful gift from God.

Go ahead.

Take it out of the box and put it to use.

Do not be afraid of the scratches and dings.

You will only increase its value.

James 2:17 (NET) - So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 9, 2016.

I’ll be back here on Friday, September 16, 2016