Ready? Go!

The end times have both fascinated and frightened people for centuries.

As a boy, I listened to a televangelist’s sermon on the topic.

Frankly, his message frightened me for a long time.

In the second chapter of Joel, the prophet’s message can be alarming.

Joel 2:1b (NRSVue) - …for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near

This prophet lived well over 2,000 years ago.

In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks about the need for watchfulness.

Matthew 24:44 (NRSVue) - Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

These words were spoken some 2,000 years ago.

And yet, the world is still here.

The point being, the end times should not frighten us.

We are not meant to live in fear.

But we should be ready.

That means accepting the living Christ as your personal savior.

The end will come when God wills it.

And we should not be tempted to hurry it or postpone it.

In the meantime, we are to love God.

We are to love our neighbor.

Once we live as God intends us to live, we are ready.

And once we are ready, fear no longer has any control over us.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, August 28, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, September 4, 2026

Seeing Others Through God's Eyes

Psalm 100 is a psalm of thanksgiving.

In verse 3, the psalmist acknowledges that the Lord made us.

Psalm 100:3 (NRSVue) - Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

In Acts 11, Peter reports to the church in Jerusalem.

There, the people criticize Peter for associating with the gentiles.

Peter gives them a full account beginning with his vision.

He then tells them of how he responded to the Spirit’s leading,

He also tells them how he was to make no distinction between Jew and gentile.

Their response is remarkable.

Acts 11:18 (NRSVue) - When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

God created all of us.

He gave life to each one of us,

God knows each of us as individuals and God offers His grace to all,

If we could but learn to see others as God sees them.

God can help us do that,

Once we do, we can overcome our petty disagreements and personal prejudices,

Then, we can truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ as God desires for us.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, August 14, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, August 21, 2026