Practicing Patience

The Book of Proverbs is rich with wisdom.

One such nugget concerns controlling one’s temper.

Proverbs 16:32 (NRSVue) - One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.

Revelation 14 contains the message of the three angels.

Verse 12 touches on the endurance of the saints.

And controlling one’s temper requires endurance.

Revelation 14:12 (NRSVue) - Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus.

In today’s world, people lose their tempers all too quickly.

Discussions are quickly replaced by arguments.

Road rage grows more commonplace.

News stories abound concerning lost tempers and their consequences.

Pride and impatience play their roles in our world.

That is why we need to rely on God’s strength rather than our own.

We should pray for self-control and patience.

With God’s help, our interactions with others can be rooted in love, not anger.

We should be patient with our fellow man.

After all, God is patient with us.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, September 25, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, October 2, 2026

Creation Continues; Does Our Gratitude?

Isaiah 48 discusses God as the Creator and the Redeemer.

Through the prophet, God tells the people about new things they knew nothing about.

Isaiah 48:6b (NRSVue) - …From this time forward I tell you new things, hidden things that you have not known.

In Acts 17, Paul is in Athens.

He tells the people there about the Resurrection.

This was new to them.

Some found this too difficult to comprehend.

Still others wanted to know more.

Acts 17:32 (NRSVue) - When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed, but others said, “We will hear you again about this.”

In our modern and hectic world, it is altogether too easy to take things for granted.

God continues to create new wonders for us to appreciate.

Bombarded by distractions, do we really take the time to see them?

If we do, do we appreciate them?

And if we do, are we too busy to give thanks?

From a personal perspective, God creates for us a new life through Christ.

For this alone, our joy should be boundless.

And that joy should only be exceeded by our gratitude.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, September 11, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, September 18, 2026

Created for a Purpose

In Isaiah 29, the prophet uses the analogy of the potter and the clay.

Put another way, the potter is the creator, and the clay becomes what the potter makes of it.

In the same sense, God is our Creator, and we are His creation.

God creates us to serve His purpose, and we, the created, should not question God’s intent.

Isaiah 29:16 (NRSVue) - You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay? Shall the thing made say of its maker, “He did not make me,” or the thing formed say of the one who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reminds his audience of this fact.

But Paul expands on this.

Ephesians 2:10 (NRSVue) - For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.

God is the Creator.

We are the creation.

And we are created “in Christ” to do good works.

Moreover, these works were planned for us before we were created.

Let us return to the potter and clay analogy for a moment.

The potter decides what he will make of the clay beforehand.

Perhaps it will be a vase.

Perhaps it will be a bowl.

Perhaps it will be something entirely different.

The potter decides and the clay responds to his touch.

Likewise, we respond to His touch through the Holy Spirit.

We can then fulfill the need for which we were created.

We can then lead those in our midst out of the darkness and into the light.

Then, they too may see that they were created for His purpose.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, March 13, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, March 20, 2026

Just Enough

The message I heard on Sunday centered on the manna and quail in Exodus.

One part of this chapter resonated within me.

Exodus 16:15 (NRSVue) - When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.

This ended the reading.

But it made me realize that people, me included, can misunderstand God’s provision.

We may see it, but we do not always understand it.

I then thought about the verses that follow and another struck a chord within me.

Exodus 16:16 (NRSVue) - This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

The people were instructed to take as much as they needed, not as much as they wanted.

Some did not heed these instructions and the extra they took went bad.

This angered Moses.

God still provides.

Yet human beings often mistake this providence and apply terms like ‘luck’ or ‘chance.’

And even when we do recognize God’s role as provider, we are tempted to take more than what we need.

We might even be upset that the provision was not enough to suit us.

As a provider, God knows our needs.

He will give us enough to meet those needs.

And our response should be one of gratitude.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, February 27, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, March 6, 2026

Gratitude and Joy

Psalm 92 is a Psalm of Thanksgiving.

The Psalmist writes that joy should accompany gratitude.

Psalm 92:4 (NRSVue) - For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

In Acts 3, Peter heals a lame beggar.

The beggar’s gratitude was also accompanied by joy.

Acts 3:8 (NRSVue) - Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

Our gratitude and praise should also be accompanied by joy.

God expects our praise.

Got expects our gratitude.

God also expects our joy.

Scripture bears this out.

Philippians 4:4 (NRSVue) - Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, February 13, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, February 20, 2026

More Stones to Gather

A new year is upon us.

In reflection, my thoughts turned to a sermon offered by a young man.

Joshua 4 was the inspiration for his message.

Joshua 4:4-7 (GNT) - Then Joshua called the twelve men he had chosen, and he told them, “Go into the Jordan ahead of the Covenant Box of the Lord your God. Each one of you take a stone on your shoulder, one for each of the tribes of Israel. These stones will remind the people of what the Lord has done. In the future, when your children ask what these stones mean to you, you will tell them that the water of the Jordan stopped flowing when the Lord's Covenant Box crossed the river. These stones will always remind the people of Israel of what happened here.”

Joshua led his people across the Jordan river.

When the ark of the covenant reached the halfway point, the river was held back.

The people then crossed on dry ground.

Joshua then commanded that stones be gathered and a monument be raised with them.

This monument would serve as a reminder of what took place.

At the conclusion of his sermon, the young man drove his point home.

Throughout our lives, we encounter challenges.

This is true even of Christians.

And when those challenges seem to get the best of us, we should look back on our lives.

We should look back on the stones we gathered to remind us that God was with us.

I had a chance to visit with the young man afterward.

I thanked him for his message.

I also told him that it reminded me that my work is not yet finished.

I still have time to figuratively gather stones in whatever time God sees fit to give me.

Reflecting on the past two decades, I can see that my life has changed significantly.

In fact, this ministry is now entering its 17^th year.

I began a new and personally rewarding career three years ago.

There are other “stones” too numerous to mention.

But one thing is abundantly clear.

I did not accomplish these things alone.

Philippians 4:13 (GNT) - I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, January 9, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, January 14, 2026

Wants, Needs, and Gratitude

Exodus 23:25a (NET) - You must serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water,

This portion of scripture caught my attention.

It caught my attention for three reasons.

First, it reminded me that the blessing was for necessities and not luxuries.

Second, this seems to reverse the punishment that befell Adam due to his disobedience (Genesis 3). 

Third, was its preceding verse which lends it context.

Exodus 23:24 (NET) - You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones to pieces.

I suddenly recalled a party I once attended.

This celebration was held in the stately home of its obviously wealthy hosts.

Suffice it to say, I felt more than a little out of place.

I was admiring a painting when two people walked up beside me.

One said to the other, “You know, if I had all this, I would finally be happy.”

I concluded that this was a classic example of self-deception.

For true happiness cannot be found in material things.

True happiness can only be found in union with Christ.

This is the same Christ who reminds us not to worry.

We certainly do not need to worry about extravagances.

But Christ tells us we need not even worry about necessities.

Matthew 6:31 (NET) - So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’

Many, especially those still caught up in worldly things, find this difficult.

Those who believe understand that God is the provider.

They rely upon God for their physical as well as their spiritual needs.

This remains true even during challenging times and difficult circumstances.

For it is during such times that God’s provision for us makes itself truly evident.

That is why Paul reminds us to be always thankful, no matter the circumstances.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NET) - in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 24, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, July 1, 2022