Learn to Be Wise

My class is currently studying a Christian allegory from the 1600’s.

It was written by a theologian who was also an educator.

He began one of his books for education with the phrase: “Come, boy, learn to be wise.”

I think that is brilliant.

The author chose the word wise instead of intelligent.

Although many use the words interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing.

Intelligence is the ability to acquire new knowledge.

Wisdom takes the acquired knowledge and puts it to discerned use.

As an example, intelligence tells me my car can go extremely fast.

Wisdom tells me I should obey the speed limit.

The world has produced many that could be called intelligent.

But not all those labeled intelligent have wisdom.

Scripture has a great deal to say when it comes to wisdom.

Wisdom can be found in the Old Testament.

Proverbs 2:6 (NET) - For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

Notice that the word wisdom is used rather than intelligence.

Proverbs 16:16 (NET) - How much better it is to acquire wisdom than gold; to acquire understanding is more desirable than silver.

The New Testament also speaks to the importance of wisdom.

More importantly, it tells how to acquire it.

James 1:5 (NET) - But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.

Jesus speaks on the importance of wisdom.

Matthew 7:24 (NET) - Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.

When it comes to wisdom, my favorite example from scripture is found in Matthew 2.

Matthew talks about the “wise men” who came to worship Jesus.

He does not call them the “intelligent men”.

I am certain that there were others who saw the star and recognized it as significant.

They were intelligent.

But these men acted on it.

They sought Jesus out to worship him.

That was a very wise thing to do.

The truly wise still seek Jesus today.

Let us learn to be wise!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 24, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, February 7, 2020

Rules, Rules, Rules

We live in a complex and often confusing world.

To be honest, we are responsible for a good deal of the complexity and confusion.

In fact, we have made things so complex and confusing that we have devised systems of rules.

We have rules on what is considered appropriate behavior.

We have rules about what is considered ethical.

We have rules on how we are to interact socially.

Many of these are written down in one form or another.

Some are only implied.

The question is: Do we need all these rules in the first place?

For example, recent headlines point out inappropriate contact between people in sports and entertainment.

Sadly, this type of behavior has been going on unchecked for decades.

What was once accepted as a “part of the business” is just now being revealed for what it is.

Hasn’t this been wrong all along?

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NET) - Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin a person commits is outside of the body”—but the immoral person sins against his own body.

When it comes to ethical behavior, there seems to be no end to the list of rules.

People in business must often take refresher courses on what constitutes ethical behavior.

But what does ethics really boil down to?

Philippians 4:8-9 (NET) - Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

When it comes to interacting socially there are still more rules.

When meeting rulers and dignitaries we are supposed to say and do certain things to acknowledge their position of authority.

In business, we tend to treat the CEO far better than we do the janitor.

Matthew 20:25-28 (NET) - But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As human beings, we really tend to overcomplicate things.

As a result, we find ourselves making rule after rule after rule.

When Jesus came into the world, He did his utmost to simplify things for us.

Once, an expert in the law posed a question to Jesus.

He asked which commandment was the most important.

Jesus gave him a two-fold answer.

Mark 12:30-31 (NET) - Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Jesus knew that if we obeyed these two commandments we would be obeying all the others.

We would not need even one of the rules we have written or implied since.

Jesus cited two commandments.

It really does not get any simpler than that.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 9, 2018.

I’ll be back here on Friday, March 16, 2018

In the Small Things

There are a great many things going on in the world right now.

The leader of one nation is developing both nuclear weapons and ways to deliver them.

Leaders of other nations challenge with harsh rhetoric of their own.

Still other nations claim sanctions must and will be invoked.

That’s not all.

There have been multiple hurricanes in existence at the same time.

These have resulted in the loss of life, injury and the destruction of property.

Flooding has occurred in different hemispheres.

Meanwhile other areas suffered a combination of drought and wildfire.

Still another area experienced a very strong earthquake.

Many people are claiming that this is God’s way of trying to get our attention.

Others are stating that this is God’s way of inflicting punishment.

These claims might even come from people in prominent places.

We really must be careful when we try to use disasters, manmade or otherwise, to interpret God’s intent.

In the ninth chapter of John, the disciples encountered a blind man.

They asked Jesus whose sin caused the man to be blind - his own or his parents?

The reply Jesus gave must have come as quite a surprise to them.

John 9:3 (NET) - Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him.

Jesus then cured the man of his blindness.

Jesus even spoke to his disciples about things such as earthquakes and wars.

Mark 13:7-8 (NET) - When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. These are but the beginning of birth pains.

Then there was the time Elijah hid in a cave.

The LORD asked Elijah to exit the cave and stand on the mountain.

Elijah was subjected to the spectacular.

First there was a powerful wind and landslides.

Next there was an earthquake.

After that came a raging fire,

Elijah determined that the LORD was not in any of these.

1 Kings 19:12 (NET) - After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper.

The LORD revealed himself to Elijah in a whisper.

As human beings, it is easy for us to assume that God only reveals himself in big ways like hurricanes, floods, fires and earthquakes.

God often surprises us.

God quite often reveals himself in the most unexpected ways.

He came to Elijah in a whisper.

He came to us as a child in a manger.

By focusing on only the very large, we could very easily overlook Him in the small.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

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

I’ll be back here on Friday, October 6, 2017

Who Is Jesus?

That is a good question.

Who is Jesus?

His followers called Him Rabbi.

Those who sought His knowledge and wisdom called Him a teacher.

Those who were sick called Him a healer.

Some called Him the Nazarene.

Some called him the Son of David.

Some referred to Him as the King of the Jews.

His critics referred to Him as one who “incites the people”.

The prophet Isaiah referred to Him as Emmanuel.

Jesus has been called many things by many people.

Even today, some try to minimize Jesus and say He was a good man with good ideas.

In Mark 8, Jesus asked His disciples a question.

Mark 8:27 (KJV) - And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

They responded.

Mark 8:28 (KJV) - And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

Jesus then posed the question to them.

Mark 8:29 (KJV) - And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus responded to Peter.

Matthew 16:17 (KJV) - And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

There are two things that strike me here.

First, both questions put forward by Jesus end with the words “I am”.

These words remind us of His divinity.

John 8:58 (KJV) - Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Second, Jesus reminds Peter that it was the Father who revealed to him that He was the Christ.

Centuries have gone by and Jesus is still many things to many people.

What about us?

Who do we say that Jesus is?

It is easy for us to get distracted in today’s world.

Perhaps we should set aside those distractions so that the Father might fully reveal Jesus to us.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 28, 2017.

I’ll be back here on Friday, May 5, 2017

Having Enough Light

I once heard a funny story that stuck with me.

A woman comes home and finds her husband in the living room on his hands and knees.

She asks him what he is dong.

He tells her that he is looking for a coin that he lost in the basement.

A bit confused, she asks why he is looking in the living room.

He replies, “Because the light is better.”

In Chapter 8 of the book of John. Jesus refers to Himself as “the light of the world”.

John 8:12 (NET) - Then Jesus spoke out again, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

As we continue our journey through the season of Lent, the importance of that verse struck me.

If we wish to find what we truly need in this world we require a good source of light.

The darker the environment, the more difficult it is to see that which we are looking for.

Throughout our lives we pursue different things.

A career, a place to live, a spouse and children are just a few of the things we search for in life.

Jesus is the “light of the world” and He indeed helps us to find these things.

As the light of the world, He also helps us see one other very important thing – our motivation.

We strive to achieve much in this world, but we should always be aware of what is motivating us in the pursuit.

We need to examine our motivation in every decision we make.

God expects to be first in our lives.

Everything we do should be with Him in mind.

When we put God first, He helps us prioritize everything else.

The light of Jesus us helps us clearly see where our motivation lies.

If our motivation is pure, He helps us see that.

If not, He helps us see that as well,

When we rely on Jesus, He provides the light by which we see the truth.

Unlike the man in the story, He also helps us look in the right place.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 25, 2016.

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

When a Believer Says No

Even believers feel overwhelmed from time to time.

Speaking from personal experience, I can assure you this believer does.

Although something I never enjoy, I sometimes have to give people an answer they will not like.

No.

At church I serve on a committee on which I feel led to serve.

Every now and then someone who means well will ask me to serve on a board or another committee.

When I explain to them that the committee I am in is where I belong, they typically suggest I serve on both.

No.

By trying to do both I feel I would be stretching myself too thin.

I would not be able to serve either body to the best of my ability.

There are also times I have to say no to family.

Recently a family member planned a very special occasion for a particular day.

While the timing may have been great for some, it could not have been worse for me.

Along with career, I had just gotten through a series of medical examinations.

One of the ministries to which I am committed also required my attention that very same day.

I would have loved to spend time with family and joined in their celebration.

After taking all things into consideration, I had to say no.

Things like this brought back memories of days when I took care of my mother.

Although she was mentally sharp, she suffered from debilitating arthritis.

I loved her with all my heart.

Every time she wanted to go somewhere or do something I had to assess the situation first.

Because I loved her there were times that I had to say no.

As we continue our journey through Lent, my thoughts turned to Jesus.

I recalled the times when the human side of Him felt overwhelmed and even He had to withdraw to a quiet place.

Luke 5:15-16 (NET) - But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds were gathering together to hear him and to be healed of their illnesses. Yet Jesus himself frequently withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.

Does this mean that Jesus stopped loving people?

Hardly.

If Jesus, who also had a divine nature, found it necessary to withdraw to a quiet place from time to time, what does that say for us?

Although we do not enjoy doing so, sometimes a believer has to say no.

There are times when we must withdraw to a quiet place.

The answer “No” does not mean that we have stopped loving others.

It simply means no.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 11, 2016.

I’ll be back here on Friday, March 18, 2016

Unplanted Seeds

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.

When it comes to children and smart phones, I have mixed feelings.

To be honest, it bothers me when I see children spending time with their phones instead of interacting with each other.

I will admit that part of that is due to my age, but deep down I feel that interaction between people should not take a backseat to interaction with a device.

At the risk of sounding judgmental, I have discovered something that bothers me even more: parents who interact with their phones rather than their children.

In one day alone, I witnessed three separate events that caused me concern.

The first incident occurred as I sat in waiting area.

A young mother came in with her child in a carrier.

The moment she sat down to wait, she immediately got out her phone.

She became engrossed with it and never interacted with her infant child while I was there.

The child never took her eyes off her mother.

I pitied this child.

These formative years are critical and the stimulation of the mind is crucial.

Later that day, I stopped at a restaurant for lunch.

As I enjoyed my coffee, a man and his young daughter sat down at the next table.

The moment the father placed their order, he got out his phone and became engrossed with it.

The young girl just looked at her father as he stared into his phone.

Eventually boredom set in and she began to sing a little song.

She began singing quietly at first but sang louder with every word.

Suddenly she realized how loudly she was singing,

She became self-conscious and abruptly stopped.

She looked around to see if anyone had noticed.

We made eye contact and I offered her a smile.

She gave me hers in return.

Eventually I finished my coffee and returned to my car.

As I prepared to leave, the door of the restaurant opened and out came a man with his very young son.

The man held bags of food in one hand and was pressing his phone to his ear with the other.

As soon as they walked out the door, the boy bolted and ran across the parking lot.

I cringed as a car entered the lot.

Fortunately, the driver was able to stop in time.

I am now more concerned for today’s children than ever before.

I pray for them.

Scripture reminds us that it is important to train children.

It also reminds us that the seeds we plant today will bear fruit tomorrow.

If that is the case, what does it have to say about the seeds we fail to plant?

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Stop Your Striving

Psalm 46:10 (NET) – He says, “Stop your striving and recognize that I am God! I will be exalted over the nations! I will be exalted over the earth!”

The account of Joseph in the book of Genesis is fascinating.

It documents Joseph’s journey from a youth to becoming the second most powerful man in the land.

Once he had that authority, Joseph saved the land and its people from a terrible famine.

Yet Joseph’s journey was not an easy one and it took a considerable amount of time.

Joseph’s journey began when his own brothers hated him out of jealousy.

They threw him into a pit and conspired to kill him.

God intervened and Joseph was sold to a caravan.

Eventually this caravan made its way into Egypt and Joseph was sold into slavery.

An Egyptian official named Potiphar purchased Joseph.

God was with Joseph and Potiphar’s household prospered through him.

Just when things seemed to be going well for Joseph, Potiphar’s wife found herself attracted to Joseph.

She made advances to Joseph.

Joseph rejected these advances.

This infuriated Potiphar’s wife who falsely accused him of attacking her.

As a result, Joseph was thrown into prison.

Yet even in prison God was with Joseph.

While imprisoned, Joseph correctly interpreted the dreams of two men who once served Pharaoh.

The man who once served as baker was executed, just as Joseph interpreted.

The man who once served as his wine steward returned to his post, again, just as Joseph interpreted.

Joseph asked the latter to remember him when he returned to serve Pharaoh.

The man, however, forgot all about Joseph.

Joseph remained in prison until Pharaoh was troubled by dreams which none of his advisers could interpret.

At this, the wine steward remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him.

Joseph was removed from prison and brought before Pharaoh.

He correctly interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and Pharaoh made Joseph the second most powerful man in all the land.

God continued to be with Joseph in this role and the decisions Joseph made saved the lives of many people including the brothers who once thought about killing him.

Joseph’s journey was long and filled with difficulty.

Yet God was with Joseph each and every step of the way.

God is with us on our journey as well.

Our journey may seem long and difficult, but that is not an indication that God is either absent or does not care.

God cares and is using our circumstances to prepare us for what He has in store for us.

We must trust God’s time table rather than our own.

We must be patient.

Perhaps patience is one of the things God is trying to teach us along the way.

Isn’t it time we stop striving on our own and truly recognizing that He is God?

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Faith Is Not Complicated

What is faith?

Faith and trust go hand in hand.

Faith is belief without reservation.

Faith is belief without the need for additional analysis.

When I sit down in a chair, I do not analyze it first to determine if it will support me.

I do not consider its age, its materials or its quality of construction.

I simply sit in the chair fully trusting it to support me.

When I drive across a bridge I do not perform any complex mathematics.

I do not consider the design or the engineering that went into its construction.

I do not estimate the weight of my vehicle and multiply that weight by the number of vehicles that happen to be on it.

I simply drive across it fully trusting it to be able to support whatever load it happens to bear.

In that sense, faith and trust are remarkably similar.

Once when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came asking for his help.

He told Jesus about his servant who was paralyzed and in anguish.

Jesus offered to go to the servant and heal him.

The centurion replied that he was unworthy to have Jesus come to his home and added the following.

Matthew 8:9 (NET) - “For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one 'Go' and he goes, and to another 'Come' and he comes, and to my slave 'Do this' and he does it.

Scripture tells us that Jesus was amazed.

Matthew 8:10 (NET) – When Jesus heard this He was amazed and said to those that followed Him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel!”

The centurion did not ask Jesus to go to the servant.

He did not ask Jesus to lay His hands upon the servant.

He simply believed that Jesus had the authority to do it from where He was.

With that, the servant was healed.

Matthew 8:13 (NET) – Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; just as you believed, it will be done for you.” And the servant was healed at that hour.

Scripture tells us many things about Jesus.

We do not need to analyze them.

All we need do is believe.

Romans 10:9 (NET) – because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Things often become complicated when we choose to make them that way.

There is no need to make faith complicated.

Trust is a great place to start,

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

A Slippery Slope

The book of Exodus describes for us that body of law that is best known as “The Ten Commandments”.

Each commandment is about relationships.

Some are about our relationship with God.

The rest are about our relationship with others.

Although I have read these commandments a number of times over the years, my thoughts lately seem to keep turning to one in particular.

Exodus 20:17 (NET) - "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet you neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor."


I think there are two reasons why my thoughts keep turning to this one in particular.

First, failure to keep this commandment can cause us to break additional commandments that damage relationships with others..

For example, a man who covets his neighbor's possession could be more easily tempted to steal that possession.

Second, a breach of this commandment can seriously damage our relationship with God.

God expects to have top priority in our lives.

In coveting something so badly, a man can displace God from His rightful place and give that which is coveted priority instead.

When that happens, a man is guilty of committing idolatry.

If you think about it, covetousness is what led to the Fall in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:4-5 (NET) - The serpent said to the woman, "Surely you will not die, for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be open and you will be like divine beings who know good and evil."


Eve and consequently Adam desired to be like God.

God is the creator and man is but the created.

It was this unnatural desire of being like God that caused their expulsion from Eden.

By acting on this impulse, the relationship between mankind and God was forever changed.

Things are certainly not any easier today.

Think about how much of the world's economy is based on the act of coveting.

What would happen to the economy if people stopped desiring more extravagant possessions than their neighbor has?

Almost every television commercial and printed advertisement is aimed at this particular human weakness that has been present in every generation.

Even some of the television programs themselves now serve as case studies in greed.

It may not be easy to avoid covetousness, but there is someone we can turn to to help us overcome it.

Hebrews 2:18 (NET) - For since He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted.


That is a promise we can count on.

We cannot escape temptation completely.

Such is the nature of both man and the world we live in.

Yet with His help we can overcome it.


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

The State of the Church

(Author's note: I struggled with this post more than any other I have written to date. I will not devote any space as to what inspired and motivated me to write this, but I trust that it was genuine. It certainly raised my concern for the church as a whole and I came to some inescapable conclusions. ~ JP)

Church, frankly speaking, no longer plays the pivotal role in the lives of people that it once did.

As time goes by both church and the worship experience get pushed further into the background as lives get busier and other things compete for our attention.

Part of the problem is external.

When I was young school activities and organized community sporting events were never scheduled on Sunday let alone during the same hours that worship services were taking place.

Today, parents are forced to make a choice.

As more and more of these events take place on Sunday, the church experience is given an ever diminishing priority.

The problem is further compounded by the internal choices some churches continue to make.

Some dilute the message in order to make it more palatable.

Some choose not to display crosses or other religious symbols because they do not wish to make people feel uncomfortable.

Their end goal thus becomes one of delivering a message that merely makes members feel good about themselves and presents God as having few if any expectations of them.

As these churches grow larger, the message becomes even more watered down and expectations decrease.

As such, the cycle becomes more dangerous and more difficult to correct.

I personally know of one person who joined such a church.

What was his motivation? Sadly, he felt joining this particular church would be a good way for him to make new business contacts.

As these types of churches gain in popularity one would be hard pressed to find any real and meaningful differences between them.

Beyond this there are those outside the church who openly attack it.

For some of them, merely tearing the church down is not enough.

What they desire above all else is to see it fall.

Still others see church as an obstacle.

To them it is something that stands in the way of getting what the world has to offer.

Church requires time, money, effort and a host of other resources they do not wish to relinquish.

If you have read this far you are probably saying to yourself that this does not sound very uplifting.

You are correct. So far, it is not.

As difficult as this is, I am concerned that something is looming on the horizon.

I do not know what it is nor do I wish to indulge in speculation.

One thing of which I am certain is that when it happens we will receive very little warning if any.

Furthermore, any man made warning signals currently in place may prove to be of little value.

I am reminded of a warning from the book of Revelation that I find rather ominous.

Revelation 3:15-16 (NKJV) - I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,I will vomit you out of My mouth.

There is still a chance.

This warning is also accompanied by words of hope for the faithful.

Revelation 3:20 (NKJV) - Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

In the final analysis the choices are ours to make and there still remains time for us to make the right ones.


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

Misjudgment

Scripture provides us with a very clear warning about judgment.

Luke 6:37 (NET) - "Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven."


If asked why we are not to judge, my answer would be twofold.

First, and most obviously, we are told not to judge and this, in and of itself, is sufficient.

It is the Lord’s place to judge, not ours.

But, if pressed for a secondary reason, I would offer that as human beings we have the all too human capacity to be wrong.

A coworker, for example, would likely base his or her judgment by what transpires in the workplace.

Likewise, a teacher would be prone to base his or her judgment by what goes on during the school day.

Even a fellow church member would likely base his or her judgment on the few hours per week of contact they have with a another member.

These are but a few examples and I could cite many more.

Without constant contact with another person, we really have only a glimpse at best of who that person really is or what is going on in their lives.

Scripture also provides us with some examples of people that were misjudged.

Often, they were misjudged because they were not like what people anticipated.

John the Baptist provided us with an excellent example of that.

Matthew 3:4 (NET) - Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.


John the Baptist played a pivotal role in scripture preparing the way for Jesus.

Yet because of his outward appearance he was easily misjudged by others.

Scripture even reminds us that some of its greatest men were capable of incorrect assumptions.

This was true of Samuel.

Samuel was sent by God to Jesse to anoint God’s chosen leader to replace Saul.

Jesse and his sons were consecrated.

When Samuel saw Eliab he was certain that Eliab was God’s chosen.

Samuel was incorrect.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NET) - But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."


If it was possible for a man like Samuel to be incorrect in his assessment, what does that say for us?

It is clear that it is the Lord’s place to judge.

This is true because He alone is Lord.

It is also true because He sees what you and I cannot possibly see.

He sees what is in the heart.


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

Turning Point

When I was a young man, I had a job that I enjoyed working with people that I liked.

There is an old saying that states that ignorance is bliss.

I was happy but only because I was ignorant of changes that would soon turn that part of my world upside down in the span of one day.

One Friday morning, I was approached by two managers.

They informed me that the company had promised a shipment to a customer that day.

They added that when the product reached my department for inspection we were to do whatever was necessary in order to make sure that product shipped that day.

While this might prove difficult I could not assure them of the likelihood of success until I had more information.

I needed to know how much product there was, when I could expect it and who the customer was.

There were over one hundred units and I could expect them by the middle of the afternoon.

This was going to be challenging.

Then they told me who the customer was and that made a challenging task impossible.

This customer was associated with a governmental agency and both demanded that every dimension on every part be measured for compliance and safety.

Even if I put every inspector on this task, there was simply no way we could both measure and record everything and certify that the inspection had been performed to their specifications.

It was obvious that they were not happy with my stance and they strongly suggested that I think it over before the parts made their way to me.

They walked away.

The moment they departed, the people in my department asked what was going on, so I filled them in.

They asked the question I anticipated, "What are we going to do?"

I told them that we were simply going to do our jobs to the best of our ability.

We were going to comply with the customer’s and agency’s demands unless they provided us with a waiver.

That afternoon the parts made it to our area and the two managers accompanied them.

I asked them if it were possible to request the waivers we needed.

They informed me that waivers would not be requested.

I told them that this was regrettable.

I turned to the staff and reminded them that we knew what the requirements were.

I divided the parts equally between us and we began working.

We were going to give it our best effort but ultimately we knew that we would not be able to keep this deadline.

The two managers watched us work for a few minutes and left so that they could talk in private.

About an hour later, I was summoned to one of their offices.

He reminded me that he had personally promised this shipment.

I then reminded him that he knew their requirements and therefore should either have not made the promise or requested waivers.

He told me that he expected me to look the other way.

He added that the next time, my job might depend on it.

What he was in essence telling me was that I would have to be willing to be dishonest.

This would mean being dishonest with myself as well as with a customer.

I informed him that I was not willing to compromise my integrity.

2 Chronicles 19:9 (NET) - He commanded them: "Carry out your duties with respect for the LORD, with honesty, and with pure motives."

I knew that my future with that company could never again be what I had hoped it could be and immediately began looking for a new job.

With God's help, I found one.

For what it’s worth, I have been at my current firm in excess of twenty years and that would not have happened had I compromised what I knew to be correct.

As I prepared to leave that company, I sensed that the people in my department were genuinely sad to see me leave.

I wished them all well and I still think of them often.

I suspect at least some of them were eventually asked to compromise what they knew to be right.

Although difficult, I hope they made they made the right choice.


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

3 Questions to Determine If You're a Workaholic

Many times, while trying to achieve things that God has for our lives, we end up overworking. While this may seem like the correct and responsible thing to do, it truly is not the way God intends for us to live our lives. We need to have goal based ethics guiding us while striving for the goals, so that we don't become workaholics.
If you find yourself acting like a workaholic, it means that your heart is not completely in the right place. Something is off balance and it’s not good for you.

Jesus talked about this as running after the cares of this world. They can steal the seed of God’s Word from our hearts.

Let’s take a look at this verse:

The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word, but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ~ Mark 4:18-19

So you see… we can be running after money and thinking all is well, but completely missing the mark. We can be completely overlooking God’s true goals for our lives.

The world's way of doing things is placing people's value in how much money they make. The richer they are the more "so called" value they must have right?

Wrong.

Jesus said:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matthew 6:19- 21

Here are 3 questions to ask yourself so that you can determine if your life is out of balance and if you’re acting like a workaholic:

1 - Do you have time to be with God and develop your relationship with Him?

No matter how much biblical knowledge you have, if you don’t take the time to pray, read scripture and listen to Him guiding your steps, you will find yourself going the wrong way. Talking to God should be done on a daily basis. This Christian prayer journal template can help you get started in your devotional time. Practice the presence of God.. don't worry about religiosity. You can also separate a weekly time to spend many hours at once with Him, just praising him and feeling His presence.

2 - Have you found yourself not able to relax?

It’s possible that even if you have some free time, you’re so wound up from all of the stress that you simply don’t feel restored. Does your mind keep going and going even after you’ve stopped working? Do you find it difficult to let things go and just enjoy the moment? If so, then these are clear signs that you’re a workaholic. Instead of loading a huge amount of responsibilities on yourself, decide what is a balanced amount and trust God to take care of the rest for you. This article on how to find inner peace will help you in that process.

3 - Do you find yourself falling into sin all the time?

One of the biggest problems with being a workaholic is that the focus is so big after money and solving things to “succeed” that the person ends up not even having the strength to withstand temptation. Things somehow become justifiable if for some odd reason it would get in the way of achieving the “money or success goal”. It’s a dangerous place to be and without your heart being aligned to God’s will, it’s very easy to find yourself in a sinful life, rationalizing it all. If you’re at that place right now, you don’t need to stay there. The notion that you have to kill yourself working is not in Scripture. It’s a lie that the devil created to fool you so you won’t have time to be with God and live out His purpose for you. Trusting God when troubles arise instead of thinking that your own strength will solve it all is essential for a peaceful life.

So make the decision today to re-evaluate your lifestyle, your goals and how you will achieve them. You will fulfill all things while experiencing a lot more joy.

Blessings always,

Eren Mckay

What to Do?

Almost a year ago, I was approached and asked to take a leadership position.

After much consideration and prayer, I accepted.

One thing that bothered me then still bothers me today.

How can one be discerning without becoming judgmental?

On one hand scripture tells us to be discerning.

Hebrews 5:14 (NET) - But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil.

On the other hand, Jesus reminds us not to judge.

Matthew 7:1-2 (NET) - "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive."

This is something I have thought about for a very long time.

It has been the focus of some lively debates I have had with Christian friends from all over.

There has to be a line somewhere between discernment and judgment.

This line is not always to see from a human perspective.

Very seldom is one side of the line black and the other white.

Too often one side of the line is gray while the other side appears equally gray, again, from a human perspective.

This can be particularly troublesome when one is in a position of leadership.

At what point does one cross the line and go from being discerning to becoming judgmental.

There are two passages of scripture I have found to be a tremendous source of guidance.

One comes courtesy of Paul.

1 Corinthians 13:2 (NET) - And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Regardless of the situation, I must proceed with love in my heart.

The second passage comes from Jesus in the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John.

In this passage, the Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus and tell him that she has been caught committing adultery,

They remind Jesus that the law of Moses demands that she be stoned to death.

What was His response?

John 8:7 (NET) - When they persisted in asking Him, He stood straight up and replied, "Whoever among you is guiltless may be the first to throw a stone at her."

One by one, her accusers walked away until only she and Jesus remained.

John 8:10-11 (NET) - Jesus stood straight up and said to her, "Woman, Where are they? Did no one condemn you?" She replied, "No one Lord." And Jesus said. "I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."

Those last sentences of Jesus speak volumes to me.

By telling her not to sin anymore he acknowledges her guilt.

His preceding statement emphasizes the fact that He did not condemn her.

Jesus put her on the right path, but He did so in a very kind and very loving way.

That is the kind of love Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians.

Christian love can keep me from crossing the line from discernment into judgment even if I cannot readily identify where that line is.

That is the kind of love scripture dictates we should have for each other.

Jesus showed that kind of love to the woman.

He showed that kind of love to us as well.

By the way...

There is one more verse that I bear in mind.

I have found this passage to be a good reminder in almost every situation.

Romans 3:23 (NET) - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

The last time I checked, "I" am still very much a part of "all".


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