A Return to Wisdom

 Proverbs is indeed a book of wisdom.

 Although written centuries ago, Proverbs 15 still provides wisdom for the modern age.

 Proverbs 15:1 (NRSVue) - A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

 Paul, in his second letter to Timothy offers encouragement and sound advice.

 And though centuries old, Paul’s words provide wisdom for the modern era as well.

 2 Timothy 1:13– (NRSVue) - Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

 Today’s headlines literally scream conflict.

 There is conflict in our streets and on our college campuses.

 There is conflict between our leaders.

 There is even conflict between nations.

 If ever there was a time for wisdom that stands the test of time, surely that time is now,

 I pray that God would grant people, leaders, and nations the wisdom to respond to hostility with soft answers.

 I pray that people, leaders, and nations will return to sound teaching.

 I pray that people, leaders, and nations will remember the importance of faith.

 Speaking for myself, I am under no obligation to agree with everyone.

 I am not told to either condone or adopt their practices.

 But Christ makes it clear that I am obligated to love my neighbors even when I disagree with them.

 Mark 12:31a (NRSVue) - The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

  

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, June 13, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, June 20, 2025

Again I Will Say, Rejoice

 Psalm 5 is about trusting God.

 In verse 11, the psalmist discusses how those who trust God can rejoice.

 Psalm 5:11 (NRSVue) - But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.

Acts 5, tells of the persecution of the apostles.

After healing many they were arrested.

Freed by an angel of the Lord, they went on with their teaching.

Arrested once more, they were asked about their disobedience.

They responded by saying they obeyed God rather than human authority.

The council was enraged.

But a Pharisee named Gamaliel interceded,

They were flogged and released,

They rejoiced at their persecution.

Acts 5:41-42– (NRSVue) - As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.

Rejoicing in persecution is a sign of faith.

To rejoice in the face of difficulty demonstrates to others the nature of true faith.

Such a demonstration benefits those in our families.

It benefits those whom we encounter regularly.

It especially benefits those who have yet to find a personal relationship with the Lord.

It can lead them from wonder to a genuine rejoicing of their own.

Philippians 4:4-5 (NRSVue) - Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, June 13, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, June 20, 2025

Where Treasure Is Found

 Psalm 119 is about the glories of God’s laws.

 With 176 verses, the psalmist had a great deal to say.

 This time around, it was verse 162 thar caught my attention.

 Psalm 119:162 (NRSVue) - I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.

 Here, to “find great spoil” equates with finding great treasure.

 And we should consider God’s word to be a great treasure.

 Matthew 13 contains several parables of Jesus.

 One concerns the Kingdom of Heaven.

 As Jesus began this parable, He compared it to a treasure,

Matthew 13:44 – (NRSVue) - The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The list of treasures God bestows is extensive.

Scripture certainly is among them.

And, when the time comes, we will learn firsthand how great a treasure the Kingdom of Heaven is.

But a treasure we can enjoy right now is doing the work of the Kingdom.

There are so many who go through life looking for material wealth and possessions.

Some even succeed.

But these gains do not last.

Unless they are reached before the end, they will find their search and their labor has been in vain.

Others go through life seeking happiness.

They do not realize that true happiness cannot be found in the world.

From that perspective alone, the work of the Kingdom is both vital and rewarding.

Such work is also a treasure.

Jesus even told the disciples as much.

Matthew 9:37-38 (NRSVue) - Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, May 23, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, June 6, 2025

Forgive Us Our Debt

In Psalm 116, the Psalmist gives thanks for a recovery from illness.

Psalm 116:1 (NRSVue) - I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications.

But illness if not the only time we should earnestly seek God.

In Matthew 18, Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant.

In the first part of the parable, a master called together his servants who were in his debt.

One who was severely in debt, begged for mercy.

Matthew 18:26-27– (NRSVue) - So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.

We are burdened by sin.

Like the slave in the parable, we earnestly seek God’s salvation.

Like the Psalmist, we offer our supplication to God.

God healed the Psalmist.

And like the servant in debt, God forgives us.

Although we do not deserve it, God delivers us from our sin.

God grants us the healing salvation we desperately need through Christ.

And we would do well to remember just how great a debt we are forgiven.

We should also forgive others for their debts.

Matthew 6:12 (NRSVue) - And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, May 9, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, May 16, 2025

Intelligence, Wisdom, and Pride

In Jeremiah 8, the prophet speaks on the perverse nature of the nation.

He speaks of those who consider themselves wise.

In truth, they are not.

They have manipulated the Word to suit their own desires.

Jeremiah 8:9 (NRSVue) - The wise shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what wisdom is in them?

In Paul’s first letter to Corinth, he writes of the cross and the wisdom of God.

Just as in Jeremiah’s time, there were those in Paul’s time who deemed themselves wise.

They relied on their own intelligence and neglected the wisdom that comes from God.

1 Corinthians 1:20 – (NRSVue) - Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

What about us in the modern world?

Perhaps we are intelligent.

But the words intelligent and wise do not mean the same thing.

Intelligence describes the capacity to gain new knowledge.

True wisdom comes from God and can be gleaned from his Word.

Those who are granted wisdom by God seek to use that wisdom properly.

That means applying it in a way that aligns with God’s will.

A big part of wisdom involves time.

It means listening for God to call us to a purpose and then pursuing that call.

But the moment we seek to do things our way rather than His, we become unwise.

And that is one of the reasons that Scripture repeatedly warns us about pride.

We must not allow the arrogance of our intelligence to take over from the wisdom God gives us.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, April 25, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, May 2, 2025

With All Due Respect

Habakkuk 2 ends with warnings to the wicked.

The final verse is more than just a warning, it is a command.

It commands all to give God the respect He deserves.

More importantly, it is the respect He expects.

Habakkuk 2:20 (NRSVue) - But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him!

In Mark 11, we see a side of Jesus we do not normally see.

When Jesus enters His Father’s house, he sees the money changers and becomes indignant.

In fact, in His righteous anger, Jesus drives them out.

Mark 11:17 – (NRSVue) - He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

One of the duties I have accepted in my church is to act as the audio/visual coordinator.

Along with monitoring the sound board, I also broadcast our service.

My duties include arriving early, setting up equipment, and testing each component to make certain everything is ready to go.

But beyond the duties, I want to make certain that the work I do is not a distraction.

My goal is to enhance the experience for everyone.

If I ever feel my duties have become a distraction, I will resign.

One of the very first things I do when I step into God’s house is offer a prayer.

I thank God for the abilities He has generously bestowed upon me.

I also pray that my every action in the performance of my duties will be accepted as a form of worship.

In this way, I hope to give God His expected reverence and awe. 

I pray that I will be open to His guidance in making decisions that bring honor to Him. 

I pray for a desire to give God my absolute best in His house of worship.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, March 28, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, April 4, 2025

New Creations

Isaiah 62 is about vindication and salvation.

It also speaks of a new name - a new creation.

Isaiah 62:2b (NRSVue) - and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul writes about reconciliation.

He also touches on a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – (NRSVue) - So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!

But what does it mean to be a new creation?

In basic terms, the moment we establish a relationship with Christ, we become a new creation.

We are different from the way we were before.

We start to see things in a new way.

We begin to understand things that mystified us before.

We are given a new and fresh start.

Moreover, God grants us courage to make this new beginning count!

As we proceed on our journey through Lent, we see the cross before us.

But as new creations, we also see the empty tomb that lies beyond it!

Colossians 3:9-11 (NRSVue) - Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, enslaved and free, but Christ is all and in all!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, March 28, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, April 4, 2025

Living Instead of Surviving

In Isaiah 46, the prophet reminds the people that God is unique in the universe.

No one compares to Him.

Isaiah 46:9 (NRSVue) - remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me,

At the beginning of Revelation, John concludes his introduction.

Revelation 1:8 – (NRSVue) - I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Aside from God, everyone and everything is finite.

We are born, we live, and we die.

Even the churches of Earth are finite.

God existed long before human beings were created.

God existed long before the first church buildings were constructed.

Our lives, in fact, all recorded history pales in comparison to Eternal God.

Our lives on earth are certainly brief by comparison,

But God gives each of us this moment in time to flourish.

How much time each of us has here is not important.

What we do with the time God grants us is.

And we really do not begin to truly live until we fix our gaze upon the Eternal God.

When we seek to please God our lives flourish,

We cease surviving.

We begin living,

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, March 14, 2025.

I will be back here on Friday, March 21, 2025

Attacks on Christianity?

Jeremiah 1:19 (NRSVue) - They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.”

This verse is part of God’s call and commission of Jeremiah.

God reminds the prophet that people will oppose him.

God also promises never to abandon Jeremiah.

In John 17, Jesus prays for His disciples.

Jesus prays for them and not the world.

John 17:9 (NRSVue) - I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.

I find it amazing that these verses were on my mind at this time.

This was at the same time of the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics,

Many people, especially Christians, were outraged by the spectacle,

Both Christians and political pundits were quick to refer to the ceremonies as an attack on Christianity.

Many Christians took this personally.

But when you think about it, is this really an attack on Christians?

If anything, it was an attack on Christ, not an attack on Christians.

As Christians, we would do well to remember the words of Christ.

We would do especially well to remember His words from the Sermon on the Mount.

When Christ spoke to His followers and others, He was telling them (and us) how to live.

His words indicated He wants us to live a life of discipline.

Christ instructed us to love.

This means loving our enemies,

It means loving those who disagree with us.

His words should instruct us to live a life of love instead of a life of retribution.

Will we take those words to heart?

Or will we instead feel personally threatened and attacked by those who mock Christ.

We know we belong to Christ.

We know we are precious to Him.

And we are assured that Christ is always with us.

And, hard though it may be to believe, Christ loves those who are still lost,

Instead of feeling threatened by the lost, we should demonstrate the love Christ commands of us.

Love, not retribution, is the key to reaching those who are still lost.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, August 9, 2024.

I will be back here on Friday, August 16, 2024

First and Last

Isaiah 41:4 (NRSVue) - Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, am first and will be with the last.

In this chapter, Isaiah assures the people of God’s help.

Speaking for the Lord. Isaiah reminds the people that God was the first and he will be the last.

After the opening of Revelation 1, John shares a vision of Christ.

John states that the moment he saw Christ, he fell at His feet.

But Christ offers words of comfort and encouragement.

Christ reminds John that, as part of the Trinity, He was first, and He will be the last.

Revelation 1:17b-18 (NRSVue) - “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last and the Living One. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever, and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.

In the simplest of terms, being both first and last means being eternal.

Our lives on earth, by comparison, are fleeting at best.

Even the lifespans of those who live beyond 100 years are here for but a fraction of eternity.

The Triune God is eternal.

We are not.

The Triune God is constant.

We are not,

The Triune God is always there for us.

He is there for us even though we are not always there for Him.

But even then, God is ready to welcome us back.

I have one final thought.

Not one of us knows how much time we will have on this earth.

But how much or how little is not important.

What is important is how we choose to use the time given to us.

May we use that time wisely and strengthen our relationship with God.

May we also use that time to build and strengthen our relationships with others.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, July 26, 2024.

I will be back here on Friday, August 2, 2024