Focus

We tend to think of the New Year as a time for a clean slate.

We make resolutions and all too quickly abandon them.

Some of this can be attributed to our human nature.

Some can also be attributed to our focus.

Asking what we should do for ourselves is one thing.

Asking God what He desires of us and our service to others is another.

The opening of the very first Psalm provides us with some valuable insight.

Psalm 1:1-3 (NET) - How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of scoffers! Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the LORD’s commands; he meditates on his commands day and night. He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he attempts.

Notice the Psalmist’s words that “it yields its fruit at the proper time”.

This reminds us that it even when our focus is on His will we might not necessarily see results right away.

This is something we struggle with as impatient human beings.

Examine those who followed Jesus throughout His life.

They eventually became powerful witnesses.

But this did not happen right away.

The opening of the book of Acts reminds us of what transpired between the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension.

Over the course of forty days, Jesus appeared to the apostles many times.

He offered them proof that He had conquered death.

He gave them very specific instructions.

He also promised them what was still to come.

Acts 1:4-5 (NET) - While he was with them, he declared, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The apostles then asked if this was the time that God would restore the kingdom to Israel.

Jesus reminded them that timing rested solely in God’s hands.

He also told them of what was to be theirs.

Acts 1:8 (NET) - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”

Jesus then ascended into Heaven.

Those who followed Jesus went into hiding after his crucifixion.

They feared for their very lives.

Once Jesus ascended into Heaven, they found themselves alone once more.

But now they had a new promise.

A promise that was dependent on God’s timing instead of their own.

This was realized on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon each one.

Only then would they become powerful witnesses.

If you have made a resolution and failed to keep it, don’t feel bad.

Focus on God and trust in His timing.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 13, 2017.

I’ll be back here on Friday, January 20, 2016

A Future Filled With Hope

It happened between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

I went to the store to stock up on necessities.

As soon as I entered the store I saw a child.

She looked so cute seated in the shopping cart.

I could not help but smile.

When she saw me, she waved to me the way children do and said in a loud voice, “Hi!”

This startled her parents who had not noticed me yet.

I was waving back to her in the same way when they noticed me.

We shared a laugh before I resumed my shopping.

I encountered them several more times in the store and each time this scene replayed itself.

As I left the store I thought about this child and the life that she had so recently begun to explore.

Hers was a relatively new book with many chapters waiting to be written.

With New Year’s Day approaching, I thought about the many who would use the day to seek out new beginnings.

Resolutions would be made with the best of intentions.

The number kept would be an entirely different matter.

Many resolutions would fall by the wayside within days of being made.

Such is the nature of human weakness.

Are new beginnings even possible?

Is it possible to start anew with a clean slate?

Scripture assures us that is!

Isaiah 43:35 (NET) – I. I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for My sake; your sins I do not remember.

Hebrews 8:12 (NET) – “For I will be merciful towards their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.”

Any past, no matter how stained, can be overcome.

We cannot do this on our own.

We need help.

We have to admit that to ourselves and also to God.

With His help, we can put the past forever behind us and live out the kind of life He has planned for us.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NET) – “For I know what I have planned for you,” says the LORD. “I have plans to prosper you not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Focus on Being Ready

The year 2012 is upon us.

I plan  to celebrate several milestones this year. One of those milestones is this very devotional which happens to be my 100th weekly message since January 2010.

There is another event which will take place this year that has captivated the imaginations of a great many people.

2012 also happens to be the year that the Mayan calendar comes to an end.

Some take this to be a sign of the end of the world.

Some of the television networks I normally count on for "historical" documentaries have begun the new year with a lineup of programming forecasting nothing but gloom and doom for 2012.

Personally, I do not worry about the Mayan calendar running out for a number of reasons which I will not devote any time to in this devotional.

As far as the documentaries I have seen thus far that discuss the end of the world, well I do not put a great deal of stock in them.

They mostly try to capitalize on people’s fear in order to garner bigger ratings and they are largely based on speculation.

Personally, I suspect that there are a great many people that are apprehensive about the end of the world as we know it.

Many of them will even cite scripture, albeit erroneously, in order to lend substance to their fears and the fears of others.

Just last year, a religious leader made the news with his prediction of the day in which the world would end in 2011.

Many of his followers sold all their possessions and awaited the hour.

When the hour came and then went without incident, a supposed miscalculation was to blame.

To be honest, this is not the first time someone has erroneously tried to determine when the end would come and it will certainly not be the last.

The simple truth is that only God knows when this will occur.

Mark 13:32-33 (NET) - But as for the day or hour no one knows it - neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son - except the Father. Watch out! Stay alert! For you do not know when the time will come.

It bothers me when somebody makes a prediction as to the exact date on which the end will come.

I find any such predictions more than a bit presumptuous because the individual making that exact prediction is implying that he has some special insight that even Jesus does not have.

The end could occur this year, or the next or even beyond.

The simple truth is that we as human beings have no way of knowing.

That is why we experience so much fear and apprehension,

After all, it is a natural, human reaction to fear the unknown.

Yet those fears can be put to rest,

The question really should not revolve around when will the end come.

The better question to ask is: If the end were to happen soon, would I be ready?

Exactly how can one be ready?

The very best place to begin is to make absolutely certain that you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and then seek to do His will every day.

Jesus was asked what commandment was the most important.

He answered that we were to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

If we let our days revolve around these things, we will be ready and then the end will take care of itself... whenever it happens to arrive.


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