Closing the Distance

Sometimes disobedience is intentional.

Sometimes it is not.

Disobedience, whether intentional or not, puts distance between ourselves and God.

In the book of Acts we learn of a magician named Elymas who intentionally tried to turn the proconsul from his faith.

There would be consequences for this disobedience.

Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, told Elymas that he would pay a terrible price.

Acts 13:11 (NET) - Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, unable to see the sun for a time!” Immediately mistiness and darkness came over him, and he went around seeking people to lead him by the hand.

When the proconsul saw this, he believed.

In fact, he was astounded.

Acts 13:12 (NE) - Then when the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was greatly astounded at the teaching about the Lord.

Sometimes disobedience in unintentional.

That does not mean there are no consequences,

When David and those with him decided to move the ark, they knew they were never to touch it.

The oxen pulling the cart stumbled.

A man named Uzzah simply reached out his hand to steady it.

1 Chronicles 13:10 (NET) - The LORD was so furious with Uzzah, he killed him, because he reached out his hand and touched the ark. He died right there before God.

It appears that Uzzah did not intentionally disobey God.

Even so, there were consequences for Uzzah.

David’s reaction was quite different from that of the proconsul.

David became angry with the Lord.

He was also afraid of Him.

He decided not to move the ark but instead leave it at the home of Obed-Edom,

1 Chronicles 13:14 (NET) - The ark of God remained in Obed-Edom’s house for three months; the LORD blessed Obed-Edom’s family and everything that belonged to him.

Obed-Edom must have obeyed God’s instructions.

God not only wants our obedience, He expects it.

Every disobedience, whether intentional or not, puts distance between us and God.

That is why confession is so important.

That is also why are fortunate to have a mediator between ourselves and God.

There is no better mediator to whom we can turn than Jesus.

He can mediate every disobedience of ours, even the unintentional ones.

He closes the distance we create between ourselves and God.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 27, 2017.

I’ll be back here on Friday, February 3, 2016

Break the Cycle

Persecution is alive and well.

Today's headlines bear that out.

It has existed almost since the dawn of humanity.

It began with the very first generation of humans born to Adam and Eve.

The result of that persecution was that Cain murdered his brother Abel.

Persecution, however, sprang into the world as a result of envy and hatred.

Cain envied his brother's relationship with God and then hated him for it.

God gave Cain sufficient warning.

Genesis 4:7 (NET) - “Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.”

Cain was so blinded by his hatred that he ignored God's warning.

Sin desired to dominate Cain and he failed to subdue it.

Cain then murdered his brother Abel and was punished by God.

That was just the beginning.

One only has to look at history to see the results of persecution through the ages.

Literal millions have died as the result of persecution.

Millions more have been maimed and disfigured.

And still, persecution arises out of hatred.

Why does hatred continue to have such a strangle hold on mankind?

Personally, I think much of today's hatred has its root in fear.

One group hates another because, deep down, they fear the differences between them.

Perhaps it is because they are of different races or different religions or different political ideologies.

If left unchecked, sin uses that fear to dominate mankind.

Fear crouches at the door just as God warned.

Once inside that door, it quickly festers into hatred.

Once this happens, can persecution be far behind?

As a Christian, this forces me to ask the question, “What can we do?”

We can break the cycle but first we have to be willing do what many, even the best among us, struggle to do.

We can forgive and pray for those who hate.

We must heed the warning God gave Cain and not allow sin to dominate us.

We must do what Jesus instructed us to do even if we initially find it difficult or distasteful.

Luke 6:27-28 (NET) - “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Isn't it time to break the cycle of fear, hatred and persecution?

Remove any and all fear and hatred from your heart and allow His peace which exceeds all understanding to enter.

Pray for those that persecute.

Pray for those that know only hatred.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Resolutions and Change

We are now a few days into the New Year.

With a new year comes the hope of a new beginning.

A chance to start fresh with a clean slate.

That is why many people make resolutions every New Year.

By now a good many of these resolutions have already been abandoned.

In the days that follow many more will also fall by the wayside.

Personally, I have reached that stage in my life where I no longer make resolutions when new years roll around.

Wanting to make improvements in the quality of one's life is not a bad thing.

Experience has taught me that regardless of how noble my intention is, my human nature prevails in the long run and I end up back where I started.

Yet resolutions are about changes for the better and even I enjoy the benefits of such changes.

Looking back over the course of my lifetime I can identify major changes.

Many have occurred in the last decade.

My life has changed for the better in different areas and in different ways.

But how is this even possible when I have already admitted that I am not good at self improvement?

There is but one answer.

I'm not the one responsible for the changes.

God is.

He can do things in my life that I cannot imagine doing for myself..

He sees in me what I cannot see in myself.

Though I am not worthy, He blesses me.

When I am not easy to love, He loves me anyway.

Best of all, though I could never earn eternal life, He sent His only Son to save me.

That is His most precious blessing of all.

The best part is that He offers these things and more to everyone.

With God, there is no past that cannot be overcome.

There is no sin which cannot be forgiven.

There is a way that the slate can be truly wiped clean and a new and wonderful life story written.

If you have truly accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you already understand this.

If you have not done so yet, it is not too late.

True and lasting change for the better is obtainable.

Matthew 19:25-26 (NET) – The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans but for God all things are possible.”

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

Don't Get Burned

I've long thought that one of the most striking passages in the New Testament is Hebrews 12:29: "For our God is a consuming fire."  Such compelling images this brings to mind!  What does it mean?  Does the passage refer to the "fire" of a zealous servant of God, or the fire of His judgment?  Some of both, perhaps, but examination of the context suggests that it's probably more of the latter.

Let's see the passage in context:

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28, 29)

The writer here quotes Moses' admonition to his people in Deuteronomy 4:

Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.
For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
When thou . . . shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger: . . . ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.  (Deuteronomy 4:23-26)

How, then, to avoid that "consuming fire"?

But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.  (Deuteronomy 4:29-31)

The lesson seems quite clear: If we turn away from God to worship other things--ourselves, our selfish needs and desires--and pursue evil, God's guidance and protection will not be with us, and we will ultimately suffer destruction and death from the forces of this world. But if we seek God diligently and obey His voice, serving Him "acceptably with reverence and godly fear," in the words of Hebrews, the Lord will not forsake us in the hour of tribulation, but preserve us in His unmovable kingdom.  That this critically important lesson from the Old Testament is repeated in the New puts to rest any idea that our salvation through Christ releases us from the moral obligations of the Law, as some kind of license to sin. While God is very merciful and loving, he will not overlook willful disobedience, but will bring to destruction those who despise His commandments.

So, let us do as Hebrews enjoins and "have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." Let us do His will faithfully and humbly, honoring Him by obeying His commandments and serving others before ourselves. Then, the "fire" that consumes us will be that of God's love and of true zeal in His service!

Tom Fleming
Songs of Praises

Tough Love

If you're a parent, you know that one of the most important lessons you can teach your children is the "law of consequences": if you choose to misbehave you're going to suffer the natural and ordained consequences of your acts. Learning what are the consequences of making certain choices, and acting accordingly, is fundamental to "growing up." Notwithstanding all the guidance provided by parents, teachers, and scripture, it's still largely a trial and error process--we end up learning  "the hard way"!

That process doesn't end the moment we become legal adults. Indeed, it's pretty clear when you think about it that the lion's share of misfortune we see around us results from bad choices made by "grownups," and that we ourselves are the authors of most of our own suffering. We succumb to temptation, abuse our minds and bodies, lie or cheat to serve selfish ends, bicker with or hurt others, and generally ignore or flout the Commandments God gave us as a pathway to safety and happiness in this life. And what usually results?  Broken relationships, ill health, legal and financial trouble, loneliness, disappointment, bitterness, despair. Often people in such circumstances disclaim any responsibility and blame or deny God--"It isn't fair!  I'm not that bad!"

What they fail to recognize is that natural consequences are God's wise way of making us appreciate our sins and of guiding us away from them.  In King James parlance, it's to "chasten": to correct by punishment or reproof; take to task; restrain or subdue; to rid of excess and refine or purify. Sinfulness makes us blind; God's correction opens our eyes and moves us to act in safer, better, more rewarding ways--ways that lead us, in due time, into His eternal company. The Lord's chastening, like any devoted parent's, is proof of His love: "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." (Proverbs 3:11,12)  In times of trouble we may be tempted to believe the lie that God would not allow us to suffer so if He really loved us. But does a good parent shelter his or her children from the consequences of their own acts, just so they won't be disturbed?  It's precisely because God loves us that He allows us to experience the trials that bring knowledge, improve our character, and draw us closer to Him.

Moreover, if we respond positively to the Lord's correction, he will not afflict us endlessly, but comfort and reassure: "For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole." (Job 5:18; see also Lamentations 3:31-33)  The whole lesson is so aptly set forth in Paul's letter to the Hebrews:

My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? . . . Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.  (Hebrews 12:5-11)

Thus, the trials we endure as a result of our own choices are meant to make us better, holier people. Let us not rail against God, but admit our shortcomings and pray for strength to overcome them. We should reflect honestly on our conduct in times of trouble, seeking the lessons we need to learn to move on and upward. And we should always be thankful for that Tough Love we get from our loving Lord.

Tom Fleming

Songs of Praises

Remember, Repent, Reform

O God, thou knowest my foolishness;
and my sins are not hid from thee. ~ Psalms 69:5

This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture--not because it expresses a happy thought, but because it's so true, and something I need to repeat every day in prayer.

Of course, it's necessary and right for a believer to daily remember the countless blessings he or she receives at God's hand, and to give thanks and praise for them. We are so grateful to have His guidance and comfort in our lives!  But sometimes this sense of well-being can lead to complacency, pride, and even arrogance. Seeing the spiritual, moral, and temporal travail of so many around us, we may start to feel as though we are impervious to troubles, that Satan can't touch us, and that we are and always will be superior to those others who haven't gotten, as we have, "right with God."  Our prayers may start to sound like those of the Pharisee: "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican" (Luke 18:11) -- and less like those of the publican, who, "standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."  (Luke 18:13)

The publican, who was the one who went away justified (Luke 18:14), had it right. As conscious as we should be of our blessings and of the things that are right in our lives, we should be at least as mindful of our sins and shortcomings, and truly sorry for them. We should always remember that the good things come only through the Lord's grace and forgiveness, and that they are not "earned" in the conventional sense by anything we have done. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We need to confess this in humble and contrite prayer ever day, begging God for the wisdom, patience, and strength to do better. Repentance also needs to include a firm resolve to live in a more righteous and Christ-like way, and real action on our part to carry out that promise. And all this should be capped off with an ever-present thankfulness to our Lord for His great mercy, without which we would be irretrievably lost.

So, pay attention every day to the "three Rs": Remember (our sins), Repent (sorrow and confession), and Reform (actually change conduct). In doing so we should never fall into the self-righteous arrogance of the distinguished Pharisee, but walk away justified, like the "lowly" publican--and happy in Christ's embrace!

Tom Fleming

Songs of Praises

Come Out of Hiding

"O God, thou knowest my foolishness;
and my sins are not hid from thee." ~ Psalm 69:5

So confessed King David. Whenever I have something to repent of, this passage leaps to my mind. I am often appalled at my own behavior, though usually too late, after it's been exposed or I'm afraid that it will be.  Why do I continue in my foolish ways, and to sin, knowing that the Lord is well aware of what I'm doing even if no one else is?

We may hide or fail to confess our sins in order to escape the shame and potential punishment naturally attending them, although God intended those very consequences to discourage bad behavior. Worse, we may hide or avoid confessing our sins so that no one interferes in our wrongdoing and we can continue to have whatever satisfaction it brings ("Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." Proverbs 9:17).  Nevertheless, by concealing or ignoring our sinful ways we only dig the pit we're in ever deeper, adding to our suffering and the distance between us and God, and making it that much harder to repent, reform, and restore our relationship with Him and with others whom we may have wronged. We forget (because we want to) that "nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be made known and come abroad.” (Luke 8:17)

How much better it is to admit that we have gone astray, to repent with a sincere and contrite heart, and to beg God in all humility for forgiveness!  "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). Repentance must be accompanied by a firm resolution not to repeat the sin--praying to God for the strength to follow through on the promise--and by confession and restitution to anyone whom our sins have injured. Only then will we be truly free of guilt and shame, our iniquity having been paid for and washed away by the blood of our Savior.

Sin is like a wound of the soul--and like a wound of the flesh, it can't heal as long as we keep it hidden and festering; it must first be exposed to light and air, and cleansed. If you would be cleansed and healed, come out of hiding. Hold nothing back. Shed the filthy rags of sin and leave them at the Cross--this day, this hour!

Tom Fleming

Songs of Praises