Strength Through Love

In Psalm 118, the Psalmist declared that the Lord’s loyal love endures.

He went on to declare that in his distress, he cried out to the Lord.

Even when things seemed darkest, the Lord came through.

The Lord provided and gave him the strength to keep moving.

Psalm 118:14 (NET) - The Lord gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer.”

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, encouraged the strong to help the week.

Paul also encouraged mutual acceptance between Jews and Gentiles.

Paul then stressed the fact that the Gentiles have received hope.

Romans 15:13 (NET) - Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Like the Psalmist, we too will encounter challenging times.

But we will find the strength to move forward.

But this strength is not of our own design or our own making.

It is the strength we receive from the God who delivers.

God remains the God of salvation.

He is the God who gives us the strength to believe.

He is the God who gives us the strength to move forward out of darkness and despair.

He is the God whom we need to share with others.

For they, like us, require that same strength.

They, like us, need hope.

Just as in Paul’s day, those who have been granted strength should help the weak.

The Lord’s loyal love still endures, and He bestows His love to us so that we may share it with others.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 23, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, October 7, 2022

It's a God Thing

I borrowed this title from my pastor because the inspiration for this offering came in a unique way.

Among my duties, I prepare a slideshow for our worship service.

I include the various scripture readings in their entirety to benefit those in attendance.

This also benefits those online who worship with us.

I also teach a Sunday school class for adults.

I try to challenge my students and promote discussion.

Proverbs 27:17 (GNT) - People learn from one another, just as iron sharpens iron.

In my class we are studying a work from 1623 entitled The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart by Comenius.

We are now into the second part of the allegory in which the pilgrim has looked inward into his heart.

It is there that he encountered the risen Christ.

One of the things we read as a class was this passage: "While among the great and the rulers of human society, thou hast seen how readily men strive to reach the highest places and to rule over the others. But thou, my son, shalt, as long as thou livest, ever seek the lowest place, and desire to obey, rather than to command.”

This was reflected in our Gospel lesson from Luke.

Jesus was dining at the home of a Pharisee.

People were watching Jesus, but Jesus was watching them as well.

Luke 14:7a (GNT) - Jesus noticed how some of the guests were choosing the best places,

Another passage we studied in class was: “thy ethics will be love of me, which will give thee all instructions concerning thy conduct both towards me and towards thy fellow-creatures.”

This was also reflected in our Epistle lesson from Hebrews 13.

Hebrews 13:1 (GNT) - Keep on loving one another as Christians.

After the worship service, I shared with my pastor how the scripture readings reinforced our study.

He smiled and replied, “It’s a God thing.”

Those without faith would say that this is simply coincidence.

But those with faith realize that there is no coincidence.

Scripture tells us that God knows the number of hairs on our head.

It also tells us that He knows every sparrow that falls to the ground.

As humans, we more readily notice God at work in massive things.

But, if we really pay attention, we can catch glimpses of God at work in smaller things.

We then become more attuned to his direct involvement in our lives.

For God is more than just a casual observer.

God is engaged in everything.

Romans 8:28 (GNT) - We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

I pray that we all experience more “It’s a God thing” moments.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 9, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, September 16, 2022