The Easy Way or the Hard Way

2 Samuel 23:3-4 (NRSVue)- The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: “One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.”

These verses are from the last words of David.

But David, like all human beings, was fallible,

He, like us, made mistakes.

But in the end, David was a man after God’s own heart.

That is why God placed him on the throne.

Christ also left us words of wisdom concerning His own rule.

Matthew 11:29 (NRSVue) - Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

How often do we find ourselves struggling?

And how many of those struggles arise when we try to rely on our own strength?

And being fallible human beings, like David, do we learn anything from experience?

We would do well to learn from the words of Christ.

We should avoid the temptation of going it alone.

We should stop relying on our own strength.

Instead, we should turn to Christ and rely on His strength.

Paul reminds us of this as well.

Philippians 4:13 (NRSVue) - I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Remember, Christ is always available to us.

He can guide us, teach us, and give us rest.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 8, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, September 15, 2023

Truth and Love

Psalm 119:165 (NRSVue) - Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.

For as long as man has walked the Earth, there has been conflict.

God created the first human beings.

But in the first generation born to these human beings, conflict arose.

Time progressed.

Man’s sinful nature did not.

The result: almost an entire generation was wiped out in a cataclysmic flood sent by God.

Only Noah and his family were spared.

Even today, man’s sinful nature dominates the headlines.

We have now regressed to the point in which merely disagreeing with someone causes conflict.

Disagreement has now become personal rather than a simple exchange of ideas.

This leaves us with a choice.

On one hand, we can keep silent just to avoid conflict.

On the other hand, we can speak the truth and risk confrontation.

Scripture is clear which alternative we are to choose.

Colossians 3:16 (NRSVue) - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

But we must stick to facts rather than personal opinions.

For example, I can state that the weather is hot.

Someone from a colder climate would probably agree.

Someone from a more tropical climate might not.

Using a standard prevents an emotional response.

I can use a thermometer.

If I then say that it is 100 degrees, this eliminates the need for emotional opinion.

So, we can still obey Scripture and speak the truth. 

The Psalmist assures us of this.

But even Christians disagree from time to time and topic to topic.

That said, Scripture never permits us to become disagreeable in the process.

We can count on God to teach us the truth through His word.

That truth sustains us throughout our days.

But we must love the truth (and others) enough to share it.

But we must do so in a loving way.

The same loving way that was demonstrated by Christ.

In today’s world, we dare not keep silent out of fear of conflict.

The truth must be told.

Truth must prevail.

But it should prevail alongside kindness and gentleness, in other words, love.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 28, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, September 1, 2023

The Tasks at Hand

Philippians 4:13 (NRSVue) - I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Perhaps a good way to begin this devotional is by stating that it is good to be back.

I received notice that crews were going to level my building.

I had two weeks to pack all my belongings.

I then spent a week living in hotels while one crew did the leveling and another replaced the flooring.

I am now back home but I am still living out of boxes.

The verse I opened with from Philippians came through for me once again.

Living alone, all the manual labor was up to me.

With each box I packed, I thanked God that I was still able to do this at my age.

While it is tempting to state that I did this alone, that would not be entirely true.

To be truthful, I felt God’s presence every step of the way.

With His help, I finished packing in time.

With His help, I was able to make certain that prior commitments were kept.

I also took the opportunity to downsize a bit and reorganize.

Yes, I did thank God that at my age I am still capable.

I am also grateful for His Word.

Now that the most difficult physical tasks are behind me, I recall another powerful verse.

Luke 12:48b (NRSVue) - From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.

I do not know how much time God has planned for me on this Earth,

Nor do I know how long I will be physically capable of such work.

But I do know that there is plenty of other work that needs to be done.

Many are oppressed.

Many are wrongfully accused.

Many seek justice.

Many live in darkness.

So obviously, there is no shortage of work to be done.

No single human being can be expected to do absolutely everything.

But each human being, regardless of condition, can do something.

And, as Paul said to the Philippians, we can do all He requires of us when we rely on His strength.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 14, 2023.

I will be back here on Friday, August 21, 2023