Away From Home

Psalm 119:19 (NET) - I am a resident foreigner in this land. Do not hide your commands from me.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven.

Those words have always stuck with me.

I was reminded of the truth in them when I read the Psalmist’s words.

But the second part of the Psalmist’s words made me think.

We each reside in a land and are expected to obey the laws of that land.

But, as our citizenship is in heaven, we need to obey its commands as well.

As citizens of heaven, we are, in a sense, ambassadors for the time being.

We should therefore choose both our words and our actions wisely.

Paul echoes this in his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 5:15-16 (NET) - Therefore consider carefully how you live—not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Paul’s words are just as sound today.

In less than two weeks, Christmas Day will be upon us.

What better time is there to let our words and actions speak for themselves.

Where there is impatience, we should practice patience.

Where there is greed, we should practice generosity.

Where there is need, we should practice charity.

Where there is anger and hatred, we must practice love.

Christmas reminds us that no one was more generous than God.

We celebrate the day when God gave us the best gift we could ever have received.

Through Jesus we were given mercy and forgiveness.

We have been shown the true meaning of love.

So, for the time being, we are ambassadors in this world.

But to be effective ambassadors, we must be kind to others.

We must be willing to forgive them for any wrongs.

We must also be willing to love even those who are the least lovable.

For it is the least lovable who need love the most.

And we must do these things without condition.

We must do them without expecting anything in return.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 24, 2021.

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

Changes and Constants

Those of you who follow my regular offerings will notice this one is in a different format. This is intentional because of all that is going on around us. It is my hope that you will read it anyway.

Our routines have been turned upside down and it is very probable that even more changes are in store. The question then arises: What should we be doing during this period of change?

1.      Do Not Fear. It is important that we do not fear. There are dozens upon dozens of verses reminding us not to fear.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NET) - Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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2.      Love Your Children. This should be obvious, and it seems simple. It should be easier with schools closed and parents working from home. Just remember that children learn from our actions and not just our words. If we show fear, they will naturally pick up on this and it will become their response to the situation as well. Remind your children that you love them! Remind them that God loves them!

Proverbs 22:6 (NET) - Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

3.      Do Not Hoard. We’ve all seen the news items where people have run to the stores and purchased so much more than they needed. People have been injured and even fights have broken out over the simplest of items. Remember those whose lives are already difficult like the elderly and handicapped who may have difficulty just getting to the store. Imagine being in their place and not being able to get what you need most because others chose to panic buy.

Proverbs 3:27 (NET) - Do not withhold good from those who need it, when you have the ability to help.

4.      Be Patient and Kind. Until our lives return to normal, we will still have to do things like wait in line or have the store clerk tell us they are momentarily out of an item. When these and other events like them occur we must continue to love our neighbor as Christ commands us. Yes, this even applies to those who may decide to treat us unkindly.

Colossians 3:12-13 (NET) - Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.

5.      More Changes. As much as our routines have changed, we could be in store for additional changes and the sooner we get accustomed to that idea the better. But there are some constants we will always be able to rely upon.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NET) - Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!

6.      Rely Upon God. Things will get better, but we must rely upon God rather than ourselves until they do!

Isaiah 41:10 (NET) -  Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! I strengthen you— yes, I help you— yes, I uphold you with my victorious right hand

7.      Jesus Christ Never Changes. No matter how much things change, there is one glorious constant we can always count on. Jesus Christ never changes!

Hebrews 13:8 (NET) - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!

Yes, our lives have changed in some radical ways. Perhaps there are more changes to come. But through it all we can rely upon Christ who never changes. We can rely upon His word. We can rely upon His promise. Things will get better, but until they do, let us remember how He told us to live!

Blessings Always,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 27, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, April 3, 2020

Love Never Dies

I have been working at the same place for almost three decades.

Recently, I began going through some personal items as I simply cannot keep everything.

It wasn’t easy going through years and years of memories and deciding which to keep.

It was more difficult determining which I would take home.

It was most difficult deciding which I would have to throw away.

While going through these memories I had quite a surprise

Among the things I found was a Christmas card.

It was from my mother and it was dated just a few months after I started this job.

My mother passed away over a decade ago and we were extremely close.

It was an emotional experience for me just recognizing her handwriting.

Before signing the card, she wrote a blessing for me.

She prayed that God would keep his eye on me,

She also prayed I would do well at this job and that I would be happy doing it.

Even though my mother departed this earth many years ago, I once again felt her love as I read her words.

I am glad I kept this card, because both her words and her love still stand the test of time.

That is the way it is with scripture as well.

The words God inspired men to write in the Old Testament stand the test of time.

So do the words written about Jesus in the New Testament.

Through these words, I feel the love the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have for me.

Through these words, I feel the love they have for others.

That makes me want to love others too.

Psalm 136:26 (NET) - Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his loyal love endures!

John 15:9 (NET) - Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love.

1 Corinthians 12:7 (NET) - To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all.

Love never dies.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 22, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, April 5, 2019

Love Without Limit

The Christmas season is now upon us.

The signs are everywhere.

There are Christmas songs on the radio.

Christmas trees are everywhere.

At night, the soft glow of Christmas lights cast their light into the winter darkness.

Even reluctant actors like me are preparing to appear in Christmas programs.

One nearby church will do their annual live nativity scene.

I find myself grateful for the season.

I am also grateful for currently teaching about heaven and hope.

Christmas is a celebration of the time the Lord took our human form and dwelt among us.

He was born in the humblest of circumstances.

But that is only the beginning of the story.

The course I teach reminds me that His life with us was full of service and love.

His earthly journey would ultimately lead Him to a cross and to an empty tomb beyond it.

                                                                                                                          

Therein lies real hope for us all.

I reminded my students that Jesus took this journey to obey His Father’s will.

He also took it to save a fallen mankind that could never save itself.

He did this out of love.

It is a love for everyone which includes you and me.

It is a remarkable love that has no limit.

It is never diminished by the vast numbers of people He loves.

A number that grows larger with each passing generation.

Upon sharing these thoughts with my students, one of them shared the feeding of the 5,000.

The time Jesus took a very small amount of food and fed a vast multitude until each had their fill.

When that meal was over, leftovers were collected.

The love Jesus has for us is a great deal like that.

In truth, I consider this contribution by my student to be a blessing to everyone in the room.

I find myself especially blessed.

I share that blessing with you.

As Christmas day draws nearer, we will hear more songs and see more decorations.

We may see Christmas programs or attend nativity scenes.

I hope that we will also set aside some time to be still and really feel the love Jesus has for us.

A love that is without limit.

1 John 4:10-11 (NET) - In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God so loved us, then we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:19 (NET) - We love because he loved us first.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 14, 2018.

I’ll be back here on Friday, December 21, 2018

Christmas, Tradition and Love

One of the things I enjoy about Christmas is tradition.

The church I attend has several traditions.

Some of these traditions go back many years.

For example, a traditional gift among people who share my heritage is “The Christmas Sack”.

This is a simple brown paper bag containing an apple, an orange and a few pieces of candy.

My parents always gave me this gift every Christmas when I was a boy.

I am not certain how many generations back this tradition goes.

My church continues this tradition as well.

Every year my church puts on a Christmas Program.

A few nights before the program, a few of us will meet at the church and prepare many sacks.

When the Christmas Program ends, everyone in attendance gets one and so the tradition continues.

Another tradition I enjoy takes place at our worship service every Christmas Eve.

Prior to the start of the service we place a rocking chair in our sanctuary.

At some point during the worship service our pastor will sit in that chair.

The children in attendance will then come forward and sit on the floor around the pastor.

He will then read to them about the very first Christmas from the gospel of Luke.

Another tradition we have is quite new.

Empty boxes are provided to all members at the start of Advent.

Members place a non-perishable food item in their box each day during the season of Advent.

By the time Christmas arrives, all the boxes have been filled with food.

The filled boxes are gathered, and the food is donated to the local food bank to help the less fortunate.

These are but some of our traditions.

No doubt, you have traditions of your own.

Traditions play an important role in helping us observe Christmas.

It is important that our hearts are in the right place as we take part in them.

Simply going through the motions is not enough.

Everything we do should be rooted in faith, hope and love.

After all, it is God’s love for us that is at the very heart of Christmas.

Christmas is not a celebration of how we reach up to God.

Christmas is a celebration of how God reached down to us.

It is a celebration of how God reached down to a disobedient and fallen world that could not save itself.

It is a celebration of how God reaches down in the most remarkable and unexpected of ways.

Luke 2:11 (NET) - Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.

I wish you all a happy and blessed Christmas!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 22, 2017.

I’ll be back here on Friday, January 5, 2018

Giving Them My Best

I think everyone gets busier the closer we get to Christmas.

I certainly do.

One of the things that makes me busier is our annual Christmas Program.

The last few of these have seen me become an active participant.

There are lines to learn.

There are rehearsals.

As always, there are also the general preparations.

To be honest, I really don’t mind the extra work this creates for me.

This is certainly an opportunity for me to thank God for sending His Son into the world.

Christmas marks the beginning of Christ’s journey among us.

A journey that began in a stable,

A journey that ended at the cross.

Taking part in the Christmas Program helps drive that home for me.

I pray it does for others as well.

One of the additional benefits I receive from this is having the opportunity to work directly with our youth.

Most of the time I work with people my own age – the “not so young” people.

Of course, I do things indirectly that benefit our youth serving on various committees.

One of the things I hear quite frequently is: “These young people are our future.”

Granted, there is a fair amount of truth in that.

God has blessed me with a somewhat unique set of circumstances.

Circumstances that allow me to be perhaps a bit more objective.

These young people have a future of their own.

Some will go to college.

Some will get jobs and move to another city.

Some will become part of a new church family when they get married.

My responsibility, from a purely objective standpoint, is clear.

I need to give our young people the best I have within me spiritually.

That applies to whatever committee on which I serve.

It also applies to working directly with them in a Christmas Program.

No matter how busy I get, serving them means serving God.

Proverbs 22:6 (NET) - Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

No matter where their future takes them, I want them to have the best preparation we can provide.

That means giving them the best I can provide.

God will take care of the rest.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 8, 2017.

I’ll be back here on Friday, December 15, 2017

What to Do

Many people suffer from stress around Christmas.

Speaking from personal experience, I can see why.

It seems like everyone gets busier around Christmas.

Being a Christian certainly helps us cope. 

As we continue our journey through the season of Advent, I thought I might share a few things that some might be helpful in coping with holiday stress.

Above all, keep the focus where it belongs.

Christmas is about Jesus.

It is not about us.

Tasks and activities that bring Him glory should be given top priority.

Christmas is also an excellent time to love others.

Helping those less fortunate is important.

Christmas is also an excellent time to bring others to Him.

Just about everything else comes next.

Before embarking on a task, check your motivation.

Ask yourself why you are doing it.

Answering this question honestly will be very helpful.

Scripture is also an excellent guide.

It reminds us that the more we are blessed, the more is expected of us.

It also reminds us that whatever we do, we do not do alone.

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

Another thing I have learned is that sometimes we must say “No” to the requests of others.

It doesn’t mean we don’t love them; it simply means “no”.

Finally, a truly amazing thing happens when we put the Lord first.

He helps us prioritize everything else.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

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

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

Call Me Wilson

The Lord has surprised me many times and in many ways this year.

The season of Advent was to be no exception.

A few weeks ago I was asked to participate in our Christmas program.

I normally work with adults so when I was offered this chance to work with our young people, I jumped at the opportunity.

The days leading up to Christmas tend to get busy enough.

Participating in the Christmas program meant I was going to get even busier.

There would be lines to learn and rehearsals to attend.

Working alongside our young people would be worth the extra effort.

I was asked to portray a wise man in the neighborhood named Wilson to whom the children would come to for wisdom and advice concerning Christmas.

At our rehearsal, I was delighted to see how many adults gave of their time to work with our youth.

Parents, grandparents and Sunday school teachers patiently helped out.

There were even some young adults who volunteered their time and talents as well.

I recalled that it was not very long ago when they were the ones on stage.

Now, they felt the Lord moving them to lend a hand in this effort.

I appeared in scenes with three groups of young people.

As we went over our lines, I recalled watching them grow up.

I also thought about how they will become outstanding adults in the years to come.

The program took place on the Sunday in Advent on which we reflect on hope.

How fitting this was.

As we gave our performance, I realized that one of the ways God provides us with hope is through young people.

Their energy and optimism is contagious.

They not only learn from us, but God can teach us through them if we remain open to the possibility.

This makes perfect sense as we are all God’s children.

When the program ended I felt a bit sad, but God knew just how to cheer me up.

As I prepared to leave, many of your young people went out of their way to tell me, “Goodbye, Wilson!”

Matthew 18:10 (NET) - See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

I wish you a blessed Christmas!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 25, 2015.

I’ll be back here on Friday, January 1, 2016

Wising Up

Matthew 2:2 (KJV) - Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

This is one of the four verses I selected to focus on during the Season of Advent.

I selected this particular verse because it would remind of two things.

First, it would remind me that men anticipated the arrival of Jesus.

Second, it would remind me that their response was to seek Him out and worship Him.

When I selected this verse as one to focus on in the days leading up to Christmas, I did not realize that it would bring with it a third reminder.

That happened when I received an email from a new friend.

As I read that email, I remembered that the words in Matthew 2:2 were spoken by the Wise Men.

Notice that scripture does not refer to them as the Intelligent Men.

There is good reason for that as there is a big difference between being intelligent and being wise.

Intelligence is the ability to acquire knowledge.

Wisdom is the sound application of knowledge,

For example, intelligence allows one to learn a song.

Wisdom tells one to sing it for His glory.

Intelligence allows one to memorize passages of scripture.

Wisdom tells one to put into practice what scripture teaches.

Intelligence allows us to learn the Ten Commandments.

Wisdom tells us that they are about the relationships we are to maintain with God and our fellow man.

Intelligence tells us that we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25^th.

Wisdom tells us we celebrate His birth because Jesus changed everything and we should celebrate Him every day of the year.

Intelligence allows us to understand that there has to be something greater than ourselves.

Wisdom tells us that no one can do what Jesus did for us.

Intelligence allows us to sharpen our skills.

Wisdom occurs when we use those skills to bring others to Jesus.

Matthew 2:11 (KJV) - And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

When the wise men came to worship Jesus they brought Him precious gifts.

We can bring Him precious gifts as well.

We can use the gifts He has generously given us to bring those who are lost and in need of salvation to Him.

As we continue our journey through Advent, that would be a very wise thing for us to do.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Reflections on Christmas

In less than one week we will celebrate Christmas Day.

It has been said that the day Jesus was born forever changed the world.

Looking back, the change must have been so great that mankind made His life the most historic point of reference.

Historians now divide the time between the periods BC and AD.

Centuries before His birth the prophets foretold of His arrival.

When He arrived, those prophecies were fulfilled but certainly not in the way many had imagined it would.

His place of birth was not a palace but rather a stable.

His earthly parents were not people of wealth and power but rather those of faith.

The news of His birth was not announced to society's elite but rather to humble shepherds out in the field.

This was indeed a day that changed world.

Or was it?

Roughly 2,000 years have come and gone since that day and the world still experiences the same problems today as it did then.

Problems like war, poverty, famine and ignorance still exist.

To the unbeliever, this is justification for a lack of faith.

The believer, however, realizes that we still live in a fallen world whose inhabitants still desperately need a Savior.

The believer also knows that this fallen world has such a Savior in Jesus.

John 3:16 (NET) – For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

This is the key.

God loves the world He created..

God loves every person He created in His images and His likeness.

Since we lacked the ability to save ourselves, God loves us enough to give His one and only Son in order that we be saved.

Yet, there is a provision. In order to be saved we must believe in Him.

Therefore, it is not the world that was changed by the birth of Jesus,

Rather, it is the lives of those that believe that are changed and changed in incredible ways.

But what of problems like war, poverty, famine and ignorance?

While it is true that these and other conditions still exist, these are now opportunities for the faithful to serve.

Opportunities that will continue to exist until He returns.

Opportunities to reach out, to help and to spread the Good News.

Matthew 9:37-38 (NET) – Then he said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

One day, the world itself will change.

Revelation 21:1 (NET) – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more.

What a sight that will be to behold.

Still, there is no sight more beautiful than a life forever changed.

A life that has changed in the only possible way.

A life that has experienced true belief in Jesus.

Christmas is so much more than a celebration of the birth of a child born in humble surroundings.

It is even more than a way in which we reach out to God.

It is a celebration of how God reached down to us to satisfy our greatest need.

Therefore we celebrate not only the birth of Jesus; we also celebrate His life among us and all that He continues to be!

Christmas Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Where was God?

Tragedy.

It strikes without warning.

It strikes even the young.

Last week it did both in America at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

One moment children were exactly where they were supposed to be while doing exactly what they were supposed to be doing.

In the next moment twenty of them along with several adults were dead.

So was the gunman that ended their lives.

It does not make sense.

The days leading up to Christmas are supposed to be days filled with joy, aren‘t they?

Now, a community begins coping with a tremendous loss.

A nation begins asking difficult questions.

As if this were not sad enough, sadder still is the fact that those without faith will use this to excuse their unbelief.

"If God exists," they reason, "why would He let innocent children die?"

It is time to wake up.

Believers and unbelievers alike must understand that evil exists in this world.

There simply is no way to sugar coat this.

1 Peter 5:8 (NET) - Be sober and alert. Your enemy, the devil, like a roaring lion is on the prowl looking for someone to devour.

We may never know what the gunman’s personal motives were.

We do know that Satan can convince almost anyone of anything.

John 8:44 (NET) - You people are from your father, the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of all lies.

In fact, that is the one thing he will do that God will never do.

God will not lie.

Titus 1:2 (NET) - in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began.

But what of the tragedy?

Doesn’t God care?

Is God just a casual observer?

On the contrary, God cares very much and He does more than merely observe.

The life of Joseph provides us with an excellent example of his involvement when evil strikes.

Joseph’s brothers allowed jealousy to cloud their sense of family and their sense of right and wrong.

In the beginning, they actually plotted to kill their own brother.

They threw him into a pit.

Then, they sold him into slavery which took him to Egypt.

There, Joseph refused the advances of his master’s wife and ended up in prison as a result of her lies.

There, he was even forgotten by a prisoner whom he had helped.

Frankly speaking, a lot of bad things happened to Joseph.

Yet God was with Joseph every step of the way.

With God’s help, Joseph attained the position of prime minister and his efforts saved the lives of many during a terrible famine.

This included the lives of the very brothers who sold him into slavery in the first place.

Joseph was keenly aware of God’s presence and the active role God played when evil befell him.

Genesis 50:20 (NET) - As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so He could preserve the lives of many people as you see this day.

God can and does use the results of evil for good.

He did this with Joseph.

I am confident that He will do so with this tragedy as well.

At this point parents are dealing with the pain that comes with the death of a child.

I cannot even begin to imagine what that must feel like.

God knows.

He knows only too well.

After all, He watched His Only Son die a painful and humiliating death on a cross.

A Son who willingly died for you and me and the victims in Newtown, Connecticut.

So, what do we do now?

How do we move forward and make a nation, indeed the world, a better place?

We do what Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, did.

We pray.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NET) - If My people, who belong to Me, humble themselves, seek to please me, and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

As for the children, I close with the words spoken by Jesus Himself.

Luke 16:18 (NET) - But Jesus called for the children saying, "Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Perfect Peace

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." ~ Isaiah 26:3

Of all things needed and craved by mankind, none is so vital as peace: peace without, and peace within.

Because by nature we are selfish and aggressive creatures, peace among nations and neighbors is tragically elusive and, historically, seemingly impossible but for short periods and in scattered places. All too often rulers use their powers to wage war on other countries and upon their own peoples, and even the best democratic governments are incapable of preventing the mini-wars individuals make upon each other every day. Endless conflict and suffering seem to be the natural lot of human beings almost everywhere.

Peace within ourselves is even more precious than peace in the world, because it transcends the world. One can feel desperate and hopeless even when conditions about us are peaceful.  But thanks to the blessed assurance that we have from our Savior, we can be at peace within even when the world around us is rent with conflict. Through repentance, faith, and embrace of His sacrifice on the Cross, His righteousness is ours. We needn't groan and fall under the weight of our sins, no matter how heavy they are; they are laid at Jesus' feet, and in His infinite love are swept away. Because we know that in Him death is swallowed up in victory, we know that we likewise shall be victorious in the end, and fear not what men can do to us.

The prophet Isaiah warned that "[m]any days and years shall ye be troubled," and that the world would become as a wilderness,

. . .Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places . . . (Isaiah 32:10, 15-18)

This is the promise of Christmas, when Jesus came down from Heaven to dwell among us and proclaim the Good News of salvation, to take the weight of our sin upon Himself, and to establish the never-ending Kingdom of Righteousness that leads all sincere believers to that inner "peace of God, which passeth all understanding . . ." (Philippians 4:7). We pray unceasingly that that peace spread among all men and women, and for the day when this world is finally and fully transformed into the quiet and beautiful Garden that our Lord always meant it to be.

May the Peace of Christ be with you and your loved ones this Christmas and every day of your life!

 Tom Fleming

Songs of Praises