Water of Life

It rained where I live about a week ago,.

There is a left hand turn in the road where we set out our garbage for pickup. That curve in the road is not level.

Whenever it rains, the water travels downhill until it reaches the curb by that turn where it can travel no farther.

There, the water collects and a variety of small animals take advantage of this bounty while it lasts.

This pool of water does not last very long though.

The summer heat causes the water to evaporate.

Birds and other small animals drink their portion as well.

As I took out the garbage the other morning I noticed that all that remained of the earlier rainfall was a very small puddle.

On this particular morning, the puddle was being guarded by a single bird whose instincts motivated it to drive away any other birds that wanted to drink from this rapidly dwindling supply.

As I was not in a particular hurry at the time, I decided to watch this drama as it unfolded.

A group of much smaller birds had gathered nearby intending to get a drink.

The larger bird stood next to the puddle guarding it.

Suddenly, the group of smaller birds instinctively put their plan into action.

One of their group approached the puddle which prompted the larger bird to chase it away.

Once both had taken flight, the birds that remained quickly assaulted the puddle and began to drink.

When the larger bird returned to defend its puddle, the smaller birds retreated to their safe distance.

There they were joined by their comrade who had just been driven away only a moment before.

Then, another member of this tiny raiding party made his approach knowing that he too would soon be driven away.

As soon as the larger bird drove away this new invader, the clever band of raiders moved in and began to drink again.

Time and again, I watched this process repeat itself.

The small birds each took their turn luring the larger one away leaving the water unguarded.

I concluded that the larger bird really accomplished nothing.

He merely expended energy in a futile attempt to protect what he intended to keep for himself.

In fact, he was so busy defending it, that I never actually saw him take so much as a single drink during this time.

The smaller birds seemed to have an unquenchable thirst as they continued to drink. 

I finished my chore and left because I knew that eventually there would be no water left in this spot at all.

As I reflected on what I had witnessed, I was reminded of the account of Jesus and the woman at the well.

In this account, Jesus explained to the woman the difference between ordinary water and the living water that He offered.

John 4:13-14 (NET) - Jesus replied, "Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the water that I give will never be thirsty again, but the water I give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life."

What a difference there is between ordinary water and the living water Jesus offers.

The living water that He offers us is plentiful and will never decrease in volume no matter how many partake of it.

Those that have partaken of His generous gift of living water are not to guard it and keep it for themselves.

In fact, He encourages believers to invite others to come to Him to come and drink of it as well.


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

In Charge of More

This week, our church hosted another successful Vacation Bible School.

I am so grateful to God for my church family.

A great deal of effort goes into this ministry. I do not use the word work here because many do not consider what they do as work.

Preparations begin months in advance but the end result is a very successful ministry and community outreach.

Although children and their walk with God is the focal point of Bible School, we also provide an adult class every evening,

I felt both happy and privileged to teach two of those adult classes.

My second class posed a particularly interesting challenge as I had to discuss the first six chapters of Nehemiah in about one hour.

The point we were stressing that particular night was that "Prayer helps us stand strong!"

Thinking back on the number of times I have read Nehemiah, I was always impressed with Nehemiah’s personal growth and the number of skills that God bestowed upon him as he rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem.

From my professional life, I often thought that Nehemiah would have had an incredible resume.

When it came time to teach this class, I set up an easel with a large pad and wrote on the top line "Resume of Nehemiah."

I told my class that as we went through the first six chapters we would look for the specific skill sets God gave Nehemiah and we would build his resume as we went along.

I began with the last verse of Nehemiah chapter one which stated that he was "wine steward for the emperor". As we are to do our jobs as if we were doing them for God, we made that our first item.

We then went back to the beginning of Nehemiah and began to read.

We read that Nehemiah mourned, fasted and prayed so we added these three items next.

I asked the class to notice how specific Nehemiah’s prayer was.

Nehemiah requested letters from the emperor granting him safe passage and building materials, so we added "administration".

Upon arrival, Nehemiah surveyed the damage to the wall so we next added "damage assessment".

Next he rallied the people for the work at hand, so we added "management and motivation".

The third chapter detailed the various groups that worked on the wall and the sections each was responsible for rebuilding. So we added "project management" and "human resources".

Enemies then threatened to attack those working on the wall, and Nehemiah responded by having the people prepared for battle even while work on the wall continued. So, we added "military general" to the list.

Many had to borrow from the few that could lend just to buy grain and pay taxes.

Nehemiah grew angry at the interest the lenders were imposing on their own people.

He told them that what they were doing was enslaving their brothers and sisters and he strongly reminded them that this was wrong. They immediately agreed to stop this practice, so we added "spiritual advisor" to the list.

Nehemiah was then made "governor" so we added that to the list and learned that he did not demand from the people that which former governors still expected out of his respect for God.

Nehemiah’s enemies continued to conspire against him and even some of his own prophets were influenced by those enemies.

Throughout this monumental task, Nehemiah remained faithful and he prayed often.

In fifty two days, the wall was completed.

I reminded my students that Nehemiah’s prayers helped him stand strong and we should always be mindful that "Prayer helps us stand strong!"

Before I dismissed the class, I read the parable of the talents.


In it a man went on a journey and entrusted his slaves to his property.

Matthew 25:15 (NET) - To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

The first two put their master’s money to work and earned him more but the third buried his one talent in the ground .

The third was rebuked by his master and had his talent given to the first slave who had earned him the most.

The other two were each praised by their master.

Matthew 25:21 (NET) - His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

I pointed to the resume we created and reminded my students that as Nehemiah continued to be faithful, God had indeed put him in charge of many things!

He does the same with us today.

I also cannot help but notice that parable used ‘talent’ for the currency.

God gives each of us ‘talents’ of a different nature.

He gives these to us in order that we bring glory to Him.

If we are faithful with what He gives us, He will give us even more with which to bring him even more glory!



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

Set Sail

Scripture constantly amazes me.

No matter how many times I read or hear an account from the Bible, I still pick up on things that I had not picked up on before.

This is true even of the most familiar accounts. Even those I first learned as a child.

One that fits this category is the account of Noah and the ark.

One of the earliest picture books I was given as a child was about Noah and the ark

My mother related the account of Noah and the ark to me many times while I was still too young to read.

I even had a toy ark to play with complete with a tiny Noah and little pairs of animals.

Recently, I found myself thinking about this portion of scripture.

My thoughts were not centered on Noah and his family.

I found myself thinking about the rest of humanity.

I thought about those outside the ark who were not spared the global devastation.

It stands to reason that some saw the gigantic ark under construction as Noah built it to the exact specifications as revealed to him by God.

There must have been talk about Noah.

I imagine that  many must have thought that Noah had taken leave of his senses.

Yet Noah continued to build.

Once the ark had been completed, Noah gathered the animals specified by God that would  repopulate the earth.

I imagine that by this time more than a few became concerned.

Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives entered the ark along with all the animals.

Then, then the rain began to fall.

By this time, I imagine that even more became concerned.

The rains continued to fall and the waters began to rise.

At this point, I imagine that almost everyone outside the ark was concerned.

As the waters continued to rise with no sign of letting up, concern must surely have turned to panic.

As their panic increased, I imagine that many began to plead frantically.

I wondered what impact this might have had on Noah and his family.

About the time I pondered this, I attended a devotional presented by my very good friend Randy.

As I listened to him read this account from scripture, I picked up on something I had never truly never picked up on before.

Genesis 7:16 (NET) - Those that entered were  male and female, just as God commanded him. Then the LORD shut him in.

That last sentence shed new light on my thoughts.

"Then the LORD shut him in."

Noah did not seal himself in.

Noah and his family were sealed off from the world outside by none other than the Lord Himself.

Even if Noah had heard their cries and taken pity on them, there would have been absolutely nothing he could do for them.

This bears a remarkable parallel to the Christian walk and outreach of today.

Ephesians 1:13 (NET) - And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) - when you believed in Christ - you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.

This seal is a mark ownership.

Those that have heard the truth and accepted Christ as their savior have this mark of ownership.

They have been set apart just as those aboard the ark were set apart by the Lord.

The crucial difference is that we have been commissioned to share the Good News with others.

Some will listen and they too will be set apart.

Others, perhaps like those that may have watched Noah build the ark, will conclude that we have taken leave of our senses.

But, as long as they draw breath there is hope.

That is why we must continue to reach out to them.

It must have taken Noah and his sons a long time to build the ark.

They faithfully continued to build until the ark was finished.

In the same way, we must continue our outreach throughout our lifetime until our work is finished.

With help from the Trinity, we can help others get on board and so that they too may be set apart.

One day, the door that leads salvation will be forever sealed.

As each day passes, we should experience a new and heightened sense of urgency.

As each day passes, there is one less day for us to reach out.

As each day passes, there is one less day for others to respond to His call.

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

Few things get bigger

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much...” (Luke 16:10, NIV)
Are we faithful in the little things that life faces us with? Or are we always waiting for that big opportunity to stand up for Jesus and bring others to salvation?
Well, what we very often tend to forget is that before God can use us greatly to be a blessing to many, we have to prove ourselves by being faithful in little things; things which are part of our everyday life and which may seem quite insignificant to us in the larger scheme of things. In Luke 19:11-7 Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the 10 servants who were given 1 mina each and asked to do business with it. In that parable we read, ‘Well done, good servant, because you were faithful in very little, have authority over 10 cities’ (Luke 19:17). In Luke 16:10 Jesus says another parable where he says ‘He who is faithful in what is least, is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least, is unjust also in much.’
Now, what does it mean to be faithful in little things? Do we realize that we are, each day of our lives, living through that test? Perhaps it is because we have not passed that yet that God cannot fully use us the way He would have liked or planned. Will we miss the perfect will of God in our lives, just because we were not faithful in the little things?
Here are some of the little things that all of us face in our lives.
1.Not being ashamed to let our friends know that we do believe (and follow) Christ, even if that may mean some temporary ridiculing. (Matt 10:32-33, Luke 12:8-9 – Whoever confesses me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God, but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God). This is one of the most difficult challenges I have faced. There are times in the past when I have not wanted to disclose the fact that I believe strongly in Jesus (for fear of being ridiculed by some unbelievers). I may not have denied Jesus, but I conveniently made sure that I did not put myself in a situation where my faith would be exposed.
2.Being faithful with all matters of money and belongings that don’t belong to us.
3.Not gossiping or talking in a derogatory manner about others behind their backs. Many times, even if we ourselves may not say much, when our friends do so, we may just stand around, laughing and enjoying with them. Is that because we don’t want to be seen as being ‘different’ from them? (Ref Ephesians 4:29, Titus 3:1)

4. Problems of ego, pride, selfish ambition, ‘Me first, others later’ attitude, anger and frustration when others take the credit that is due to us (at work perhaps).
5. Lying in matters small or big (another huge challenge many of us keep facing). (Colossians 3:9 – Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with his deeds)
6. Corrupt practices, cheating etc, which are considered okay and sometimes even as ‘smart’ by the world. Many times we may find ourselves going with the flow for fear of standing up for what we believe in and would end up doing something that is not right. Sometimes when people suggest to us corrupt or wrong ways of doing things, instead of telling them that our conscience would not permit us to do that, we may just keep quiet or nod our heads in agreement, although we may not actually follow their advice. This again is because we don’t want to be seen as ‘different’.
7.Being stingy or greedy for money or some other possessions.
Can people see a difference in the way we behave in our daily activities? If they don’t see a difference, that’s either because we are as much a part of this world system as they are or because we are too ashamed to let the world know that we aren’t. How then can we be called followers of Christ?
In Matthew 12:33 Jesus says that a tree is known by its fruit. Putting up a board reading ‘mango tree’ in front of a banana tree is not going to make it any less identifiable as a banana tree. Going to church every Sunday and going to prayer meetings is not what identifies us as Christians. It’s the way we live our everyday life that does. (Refer Galatians 5:16-26 for a concise instruction on Christian living)
In scripture, the prophet Elisha told a man named Naaman to go wash in the Jordan River and he would be cured of his leprosy. Naaman was the Captain of an army, a very influential man. He didn’t want to go wash in the dirty Jordan River. His attitude was, “That’s absurd. That’s little. That’s insignificant. That’s not going to make any difference.” His assistant said, “Naaman, if he would have asked you to do something hard, something big, you would do it. Why don’t you do this small thing?” Naaman finally went and washed in the Jordan, and he was totally healed.

I wonder how many of us would see our breakthrough, our healing, our promotion, or a dream come to pass if we would just do the small thing that God is asking us to do. People think, “Oh, it doesn’t really matter. I’ll do it one day.” But realize today, those little things mean a lot. They are keeping you from the fullness of your destiny. It may be something small, but your act of obedience will cause God to release the big thing that He has in store.
It means obey, believe and live in integrity... God bless

His Finest Hour

Psalm 23:4 (KJV) - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

In the line of pastors that have served my church, I have had the great privilege in knowing three of them in my lifetime.

Each was unique.

Each had his own personality.

Each had his own style of oratory.

Yet, all three were men of God who utilized the gifts God gave them when they answered His call to the ministry.

My thoughts lately have been of the second pastor I knew.

He was the pastor who taught my confirmation class.

His son was also a member of that class and I consider the friendship I maintain with him to be one of the finest blessings God has ever bestowed upon me.

My reflections, however, revolve around the memories made about fifteen years ago.

My mother had to spend several days in the hospital as she underwent a battery of tests.

Whenever she was having them done, I would usually go to the lobby to get some coffee from one of the vending machines.

Each day, I looked over the registry posted in the lobby to see if anyone I knew happened to be admitted as a patient.

On one such day, I learned that the second pastor that I knew had just been admitted.

He had been retired for a number of years at this point in time.

Later, when my mother had returned to her room, we discussed her latest procedures and those that were still scheduled.

Afterward, I informed her that the pastor we both knew was in the hospital as well.

The following day, when her testing resumed, I walked over to the pastor’s room and saw that he was awake.

I knocked on the door frame and asked if he felt like having some company.

He invited me in.

I told him why my mother was there and that I happened to notice that he was a patient.

He didn’t speak about his condition but was genuinely concerned about Mother.

I assured him that her condition was not threatening.

I informed him that her doctor felt it would be better for her to be in the hospital until all the tests had been run and a plan for treatment had been established.

He agreed that this was a wise decision and said that he would pray for us both.

I thanked him.

We made general small talk but he did not go into any details as to why he was there.

A short time later, I could tell he was feeling fatigued.

I excused myself and told him I would drop by later.

I headed to the lobby for my usual coffee when I saw my friend, the pastor’s son, walk in.

We shook hands.

I told him why my mother was there and that I had just left his father’s room after a brief visit.

He told me that the news regarding his father was not good and that it was very probable that he did not have much time left.

I was stunned.

Before I could say anything, my friend added that his father was at peace with his situation.

We then parted company and he went on to his father’s room.

As I sat alone with my coffee, I prayed.

I wondered how I would break this news to my mother.

I decided that it would be best to wait until her testing was complete before I told her.

When I returned, I found her back in her room and she told me about the tests they had just run.

Her final tests were scheduled the next day and, in all likelihood, she would be kept one additional night before being released.

Throughout that day, my thoughts alternated between her and the pastor.

Later that day, I asked her if she would mind if I went to visit with him for a few minutes.

She told me to go as she was feeling better.

As I walked down the hallway to his room I had no idea what this visit was going to be like.

I arrived and saw him sitting on the edge of his bed reading his Bible.

I watched in silence as his finger underlined each sentence as he read.

He had a marvelously peaceful look on his face.

It was obvious that he was drawing strength from scripture.

This was a moment between the pastor and God that I simply could not interrupt.

When I got back to my mother’s room she remarked that I had not been gone very long.

I simply told her that this was not a particularly good time for a visit.

As I think back to those days and that moment in particular, I realize something very important.

That was one of the finest sermons my pastor preached!


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

What Do You Know?

Few things are touted more enthusiastically in our society than "knowledge." Modern technology, which seems to rule the world, is based ultimately on sophisticated mathematics and science.  Millions of people spend or borrow untold billions of dollars to gain an understanding of those things in universities.  Governments spend billions more to finance medical and other scientific research, so that the knowledge acquired can be applied to improve our material lives or, at the extreme, to comb the universe in search of other worlds to explore. One can hardly utter an opinion on any subject without being challenged to back it up with "scientific studies" of some sort.

But in the grand--and eternal--scheme of things, what does this kind of "knowledge" really avail us?  It may improve and even save lives, but can it tell us what the <i>purpose</i> of living is?  The "what" of human knowledge may be growing exponentially, but does it even begin to shed light on the "why"?  Hasn't the practical deification of "science," and the single-minded pursuit of worldly wisdom, distracted or discouraged most people from even starting to consider seriously what destiny, if any, they'll have beyond this life and this world?

These are issues that today's "knowledge"-driven world doesn't really want you to be thinking about, because they lead people to question and search for things higher and better than the World can provide, things the World can't control and often run counter to the priorities of those who dominate it.

Actually, this is nothing new at all.  Just as in Christ's time on the Earth, there is a kingdom that belongs to Ceasar, and one that belongs to God. Ceasar's kingdom is of this world, which will pass away, but God's Kingdom "is not of this world" (John 18:36), but of Eternity; it existed before the world was made, and it will endure forever after this world is gone. That Kingdom is where we came from, and where will be our true and lasting home.

It follows then that the only "knowledge" that truly counts is that which pertains to and helps us toward the eternal ingdom of God; all else, ultimately, is a distraction and vain. And what is the "knowledge" that we should be seeking? I would suggest: what we are; where we came from; what is expected of us here; where we can and should be going from here; and how to get there. The Word of God tells us these things, as we study, pray, and are enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit.

The duality of our nature, and the dichotomy of man's world as contrasted with God's Kingdom, puts us in a challenginig position.  We have to gain enough worldly knowledge, in school and elsewhere, to function in modern society and take proper care of ourselves and our families. The challenge is to avoid beinig consumed with the pursuit of worldly knowledge and benefits, including the "popularity" that comes with adhering to the morally corrupting conventional "wisdoms" of the day. As is often said, we must be "in the world, but not of the world."  We must always keep God and the things that pertain to His Kingdom and our immortal souls foremost in our lives, and resolve all conflicts between our Heavenly and worldly needs in favor of the former.

Sooner or later, and to a lesser or greater degree, doing so will put us in conflict with the world and provoke derision--or even persecution--by those who have no understanding or regard for spiritual things. As the Apostle Paul observed, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)  We can only pity and pray for those people; "for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."  (1 Corinthians 1:18)  Happily, we know for a certainty that "the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25)  Is it not better to be empowered by our eternal, loving God than by a doomed, selfish world?

Knowledge of our Heavenly Father and of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the most precious thing we can attain. Perhaps, as the old adage goes, it's not "what" you know but "Who" that really counts.

Tom Fleming
Songs of Praises

Damaging Words

Matthew 19:14 (NIV)  - Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

I am always amazed at how an event can bring back a memory with vivid clarity.

Last week, something I heard caused me to remember a most unfortunate event I witnessed many decades ago.

When I was a teenager, I went to a department store with my parents.

As soon as we entered the store, I left my parents and went directly to the sporting goods department.

As a teenage boy, this was one of the few areas of the store in which I had much interest.

Baseball season had just begun so I began looking at equipment made for that sport.

A young man in his twenties was there with his very young daughter.

He was looking at some golf clubs while his little girl amused herself by getting into practically everything.

When she got to the footballs, her eyes lit up.

She picked one up and brought it to her father and asked, "Will you buy me a football?"

Her father looked at her and said, "No. When you’re bigger, I’ll buy you a basketball."

Puzzled, the child asked, "Why not a football?"

The father answered, "Because girls don’t play football. They play basketball."

This only confused the child.

She then asked, "Why don’t girls play football?"

Then the man said something to his daughter that I will never forget!

He looked at his daughter and said, "Because God made girls slow and uncoordinated. That’s why!"

At this the little girl began to cry uncontrollably.

I was disgusted.

Then, as if to accentuate his ignorance, he added, "Don’t blame me. it’s not my fault."

This caused the little girl to cry all the more.

My heart bled for this child.

As I walked away, numerous questions raced through my mind.

I asked myself how a father could shatter a little girl’s self esteem the way he had just done.

This little girl trusted her father to always be truthful with her.

As far as she knew, he had been.

This man laid down a foundation for her future failures rather than her future successes.

I also asked myself how he was able to attribute such a lie to God.

Finally, I wondered what would have happened had the child’s mother heard these words.

At this, I realized that it was very probable that he treated her disrespectfully as well.

I said earlier that it was a recent event that brought this memory back.

When I was at the grocery store, I heard a mother publicly call her young son an "idiot".

When I hear parents speak to their children in such ways, it breaks my heart.

Positive words and encouragement serve to build a child up over time.

Negative words and unjust criticisms can tear them down in a heartbeat.

This is especially true of the words spoken by those children should be able to trust completely.

When dealing with a child one do well to heed Biblical caution.

Matthew 18:10 (NET) - "See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.



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

Parts of the Plan

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

I will always be grateful for the mother God gave me.

Her story was not an easy one.

Her first pregnancy was extremely difficult and the child she delivered, my brother, died in infancy.

Her second pregnancy ended in miscarriage.

Heartbroken, she and my father must have concluded that having a child they could raise to adulthood was just not meant to be.

God’s plan was different.

Shortly after my mother turned forty years of age, I was born.

Although neither of my parents ever said anything to me about it, I concluded that I was not the result of any planning on their part.

I was however a part of the plan that God had and that was sufficient for me.

It was my mother who taught me to pray when I was very young.

It was my mother who told me stories from the Bible when I was still too young to read.

As the years passed we developed a great relationship together as mother and son.

That was also part of God’s plan because shortly after I graduated from high school, my father died.

Mother found employment and I left school to do the same.

A few years later, she was diagnosed with arthritis.

It grew progressively worse.

During a downturn in the economy, she found herself suddenly unemployed.

Because of her now debilitating arthritis, her prospects of finding another job were not good.

Fortunately, by the time this happened, I had a better job and she was able to retire.

To me, this was further evidence of God’s plan in action.

Although she remained mentally sharp, her arthritis grew steadily worse.

I tried to keep her as active as her condition would permit.

On really cold or damp days, her arthritis would be especially painful.

On one of those days, she asked for my help with a simple task.

Of course, I agreed and jokingly asked, "What are you going to do tomorrow when I’m at work?"

I will never forget her response.

She looked at me with those still beautiful hazel eyes and said, "I am going to pray."

With all of my heart, I believed her.

I also knew exactly what she meant by that.

She would not be praying for herself.

She would be praying for me and for my safe return home.

When I was young, she taught me with words.

As an adult, she taught me by example.

Again, another glimpse into God’s plan.

Mother died just a few years ago.

Since her passing, I have had many people tell me that God was going to bless me some day for taking such good care of her.

What those well meaning people did not realize was that He was already blessing me every step of the way.

That too was part of His plan.

Because of the faith she instilled and cultivated in me, I have a solid foundation upon which I continue to build and which I now share with others.

Sharing in ways that I do not believe she could have foreseen.

I certainly did not foresee them.

That too was part of His plan.

I cannot help but wonder how His plan will yet surprise me.

As human beings, we cannot see nor even comprehend all the facets of God’s plan.

He does, however, give us glimpses into that plan and even of Himself if we take the time to reflect on how involved He is in our lives.

What glimpses is He showing you?



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

Gestures of Love

Genesis 15:17 (NET) - When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch passed between the animal parts.

God made a covenant with Abraham.

The smoking firepot and flaming torch passing between the halves of the sacrifice Abraham prepared was God confirming this covenant.

I have always considered this more than just an assurance on God’s part.

After all, every promise from God is always kept.

This was also a gesture on the part of God demonstrating His love.

God made other covenants as well.

After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah and his sons.

God’s covenant was that he would never again destroy all life with a flood.

God confirmed this covenant with the rainbow.

Genesis 9: 13 (NET) - I will place m rainbow in the clouds, and it will become a guarantee of the covenant between Me and the earth.

As before, this guarantee was not only a confirmation, it was also God showing His love in a gesture that continues to this day.

God’s always kept his promises.

His word is sufficient.

Yet, for our sake, I am glad that God offers us such gestures of love.

As our journey through Lent continues, my thoughts turn to the death, burial ad resurrection of Jesus.

Every time I have considered these circumstances, my heart always embraces a particularly awesome gesture on the part of God the very moment that Jesus died on the cross.

Mark 15:37-38 (NET) - But Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last. And the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom.

I can never read these two verses without mixed emotions,

On one hand there is an overwhelming feeling of sadness that Jesus had to die in this way to save a fallen world.

On the other hand, there is an extremely powerful feeling of hope.

A hope confirmed by a most marvelous gesture demonstrating God’s love as He tore the curtain in two.

At the very moment Jesus died a tremendous price had at last been paid.

The barrier that separated a fallen mankind and a perfectly Holy God was removed.

It was no longer necessary.

It was removed by none other than God Himself because of the blood shed by Jesus.

Scripture tells us time and again that God loves us.

Beyond telling us this, He also demonstrates it.

What was the greatest gesture of His love for us?

God willingly sacrificed His only Son for us!

That same Son also demonstrated His love for us as He followed the Father’s will all the way to the cross...  and beyond!

John 3:16-17 (NET) - For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

Now, it is our turn .

We must now love others.

1 John 4:11 (NET) - Dear friends, if God so loved us, then we also ought to love one another.

This is neither impossible nor difficult.

A great place to begin is to follow God’s example and start with a gesture of love.

If we do, the possibilities are endless.


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

What do we have to offer

           The world is not interested in what you need but what you have to offer, The world already has more than enough problems.

          Only those with solutions are relevant. Jesus called us and sent us to offer solutions to the world and not more problems.          The gospel is good news.. if you don't have good news to tell, please shut up. Tell me what Jesus is doing and not what Satan is doing. publish Good report not evil report!           The proof of God's call upon your life is the exploits He is doing through you, We don't need money to cast out demons, heal the sick or preach the gospel to the next door neighbor.         You may not have the money to organize a mega crusade, just reach out to the few you can with whatever resources you've got.
Your faithfulness in little will command in the much. I have learned that problems do not attract resources it is ideas that do. Have you got one? run with it, don't wait for money you will suddenly find the money chasing you because you carry that thing that attracts it.
All poor people have one thing in common, they have ran out of ideas or visions!!

Matthew 5:13,14 - “You are like salt for the whole human race. But if salt loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again. It has become worthless, so it is thrown out and people trample on it. You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid."

Before It's Too Late

Luke 12:19-20 (NET) - And I will say to myself, You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!" But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your soul will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"

I am fan of motor sports.

The off season was finally over and the first trio of races to start the new season were finally here.

I was watching Saturday’s Nationwide race from Daytona.

As the laps ticked away you could almost sense that an exciting finish drew closer with each passing lap.

Then on the final lap, the unimaginable happened.

Several cars were caught up in a violent collision that sent one of the cars air born in the direction of spectators.

Fortunately, there is a catch fence that exists between spectators and the track that is designed to do one thing.

Keep a car traveling near 200 MPH confined to the track.

It did, but debris including shredded metal as well as one wheel assembly was hurtled into the crowd.

None of the drivers sustained any injuries but in the end, 28 spectators were injured.

Two of them sustained critical injuries.

Emergency crews went to work immediately and began treating those injured.

In total, fourteen of the injured were transported to nearby hospitals for additional treatment.

Drivers were visibly shaken, their concern for the fans was foremost on their minds.

They knew that their jobs have a certain amount of risk which they willingly accept.

But somehow it seemed different for spectators.

Almost immediately, news channels were airing the story of the tragedy.

All for the sake of ratings.

I offered a prayer for the lives impacted by this tragic turn of events.

Later, as I reflected on this, I remembered a road sign I passed beneath on the highway earlier in the week.

The sign reminded drivers to monitor their speed and to reinforce this, a second reminder was posted.

That reminder was that 211 drivers had lost their lives on roads in my state so far this year.

Though we had not gone through two months of the year, 211 lives had already been claimed.

Just as none of the 28 spectators expected to be injured Saturday at the racetrack, so none of the 211 drivers and passengers expected their last day on the road to be their last day.

This served to remind me just how precious and how fragile human life is,

What can you do knowing that each day could potentially be your last?

There are in fact several things you can do.

Live life to its fullest.

Love as many people you can, especially those that may not love you in return.

Tell your family you love them at every opportunity.

Then there is the single most important thing you can do.

Give your life over to Jesus.

Statistics will never be able to tell us how many of those 211 fatalities had found Jesus in time.

I suspect the best answer we can come up with is too few.

If you haven’t given your life over to Jesus yet, why not do so now.

Life may be full of uncertainty, but you can always count on Jesus.


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

Preparing for Devotion

I'm often distressed at the disconnect between what God expects of me and what I deliver on an average day. "[W]hat doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?"  (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)  Christ Himself expanded on this expectation:  "[T]hou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."  (Mark 12:30-31)

That seems to be asking a lot, doesn't it?  With the multitude of our daily obligations to family and employers, with the myriad temptations and distractions today's world puts in our way, isn't an unswerving, all-consuming devotion to God pretty much unattainable for most people?  Wouldn't one have to withdraw to a mountain cave, or to a cell in a monastery, and spend the rest of one's life in constant prayer, meditation, and scripture study?

Some have felt called to such a life over the centuries, and through their writings and teachings have had an influence for good on the many who could not follow the ascetic path. But I don't think God requires such a life of most people. While we're not to be conformed to or "of" the world, we remain in it (Romans 12:2; John 15:19; John 17:13-16). Believers are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). There may be rare exceptions, but as a rule God wouldn't ask of us something we couldn't attain without abandoning our families and the work we need to do to support them, or disappearing from amongst our friends and neighbors to search for Him alone.

A life of devotion to God and fellow man can be, and is, lived every day by otherwise ordinary people, everywhere. It results from a combination of what we do and what we avoid.

One vital element is maintaining a constant, 24/7 connection with the Lord in prayer--both the kneel-down variety, when that can be done, but also the conversation with Him that you carry on in your head and heart while going about your daily business. Another element is daily reading in God's word: it needn't take hours or follow a rigorous study plan, but may consist of only a few verses--you can't hardly find any in the Bible that aren't bursting with inspiration and comfort. In addition, we must constantly and humbly repent of, and strive to avoid, sin: nothing else so thoroughly prevents a healthy, ongoing relationship with our Heavenly Father, nor so clouds our judgment with selfishness and despair. As far as possible rid you life of things (for example, unedifying television, movies, music, or literature; drugs or alcohol; other worldly infatuations)  that may tempt you to sin or distract you from God and others toward an immersion in Self. Finally, do your best to make a habit of thoughtfulness, generosity, and a readiness to help, however when or much it's needed--this will bring you closer to the model of the Good Samaritan.

Following this path keeps one's mind and heart clear, clean, and undistracted; keeps us ready, willing, and able to help others; and keeps us open to the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit. By this means we're able to grow and thrive in faith, and in devotion to God and those around us, just as He commands--one day at a time.

Tom Fleming
Songs of Praises

When God Strikes a Chord

As a believer, the word "coincidence" is not part of my normal vocabulary.

There are times when I notice a common theme running through posts among friends who are believers as well as ministers I follow online.

This happened again just the other day.

One of the thoughts I awoke with centered around the concept of "vision".

Vision in the sense of how we foresee and plan for our spiritual future and that of others.

As I read through various posts, I realized that this concept was running through the hearts and minds of many friends and ministers.

This brought to my mind the words of Helen Keller who said, "It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision."

Those words have always stuck with me, so I posted them online citing her as the source of the quotation.

A short time later, a friend jokingly asked if I had been reading her mind.

Obviously, what she meant was the concept of vision occupied her thoughts as well.

I replied that while I cannot read people’s minds, I do believe that sometimes God strikes a chord that resonates among believers.

This friend agreed and told me her pastor once delivered a message about "sympathetic resonance".

That has been on my mind a great deal since.

I remember studying sympathetic  resonance in physics a long time ago.

It occurs when the vibrations of one object cause another object to vibrate with a harmonic frequency.

You may have noticed this when a passing car’s radio causes your window panes to vibrate.

This can occur spiritually speaking, as it often does, when one believer shares with another who shares with another, and so on.

Many times, however, I honestly believe that God is actively at work placing within us that which we need at the time, collectively speaking.

Perhaps another term for God striking such a resonating a chord among a number of believers simultaneously could be "empathetic resonance."

Allow me to illustrate with an example.

Several Sunday’s ago it was a friends turn to deliver our senior assembly at church.

My friend was running late, so I volunteered to fill in for him.

From the time I awoke thoughts of God’s complete forgiveness and mercy occupied my mind.

As such, I knew what devotional I would share and the scripture I would offer to accompany it.

Just as I was about to lead that assembly, my friend arrived and I turned the proceedings over to him.

I felt that God was at work when the scripture he offered was the exact same scripture I was about to deliver.

That feeling was confirmed when that very same passage of scripture was read during the worship service and the pastor’s message was built upon it.

What was that one passage of scripture?

Psalm 103:12 (NET) - As far as the eastern horizon is from the west, so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.

Coincidence?

Hardly.

As an analyst, I work with numbers daily.

According to my calculation, if this had been merely a random occurrence, the chances of three individuals choosing the same passage of scripture in this setting were approximately 1 in 30,000,000,000,000.

It makes far more sense to me that God, who knows His children intimately and knows what their greatest need is at the time simply strikes a unifying and resonant chord among them.

Remember, nothing is impossible for God!



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

Love Story

Over the last two days we've observed both Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent and our remembrance of Christ's passion and resurrection, and St. Valentine's Day, when we celebrate romantic love. These events wouldn't seem to have much in common, unless one remembers that Christ's victory over sin and death climax the greatest love story ever known.

Maybe due to the frequency of its telling, many approach the story of Holy Week and Christ's betrayal, suffering, death, and resurrection mostly as a colorful tale involving things done and said by Jesus and those around him over 2000 years ago--the stuff of epic movies. Do we really experience the story personally, and fully appreciate our own role in it?

To do so, we must understand the purpose and the force behind everything that happened that fateful week, and that it was all for us--not just for mankind collectively, but for every person individually. The purpose was our salvation from sin, so that we could share eternal happiness with our Father and Lord. The force was Love--a love vaster than the Universe and older than Time, yet as immediate and personal as you and I this moment; a love that satisfies both absolute justice and infinite mercy. It's a love that extends to all people and to every soul one by one, as if Christ came to this earth, lived and taught, suffered and died on the cross, and rose from the dead specifically to save [your name here] alone (Luke 15:4, 7). It was for YOU and to win YOUR salvation that He did all this--not grudgingly, but willingly, even before you were born or had ever heard of Him, and regardless of anything and everything you would ever do, no matter how deep your ignorance or contempt of Him. It's a love beyond rational comprehension and entirely unconditional, having nothing to do with deserving or worthiness--except His.

Never doubt that God knows and loves you personally. You're as precious to Him as any and every other one of His children. Remember that Christ came to earth to save you, to pay for your sins, no matter what they might be--and would have done so if even you were the only sinner who had ever lived. He loves you so much, that He went through all that He did just so He could have your company in Heaven forever. There's never been a greater miracle. It truly is the Greatest Love Story Ever Told!

Tom Fleming
Songs of Praises

Viva God!

There is a restaurant in my neighborhood that serves exceptionally good Mexican food.

I also like going there because of its really unique atmosphere.

There are several murals painted on the walls.

There are also some interesting pictures as well.

One of the first things you will notice when you sit down is that one of the murals, and many of the pictures, are of one man in particular,

That man is General Emiliano Zapata.

Zapata was a key figure in the Mexican Revolution which took place in the early 1900’s.

Although he died a violent death in 1919, he still maintains a rather heroic status.

The mural of Zapata in this restaurant also has a phrase that has become synonymous with the General.

The English translation reads, "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."

Every time I go there and read these words, I am forced to consider two things,

First, Zapata used this phrase to inspire those around him in the Mexican Revolution.

Second, as a Christian, I find myself involved in a different kind of revolution.

Ephesians 6:12 (NET) - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

As this is a different kind of struggle, it is clear that a different strategy is required.

This is the kind of struggle in which it is to our great advantage to fight on our knees.

Dr. Charles Stanley said it best when he said, "Fight your battles on your knees, and you will win every time."

Sound advice.

Scripture bears this out.

Remember, we do not fight our battles on own.

Just before Moses parted the Red Sea, he reminded the people of this.

Exodus 14:14 (NET) - The LORD will fight for you, and you can be still.

David, in his epic encounter with Goliath, also had the right mind set,

1 Samuel 17:45 (NET) - But David replied to the Philistine, "You are coming against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defiled!

A young David armed with a simple shepherd’s sling and with God on his side emerged victorious.

The prophet Isaiah offers us more proof.

Isaiah 45:23-25 (NET) - I solemnly make this oath - what I say is true and reliable: ‘Surely every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will solemnly affirm; they will say about Me, "Yes, the LORD is a powerful deliverer."’ All who are angry at Him will cower before Him. All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the LORD and will boast in Him.

When you have God as your general and the battle is upon you, it does not take long to figure  out that being on your knees is an excellent place to be.


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

Why Me, Lord?

To slightly paraphrase the old hit song by Kris Kristofferson:

Why me, Lord? What have I ever done to deserve even one of the [blessings] I've known?

Every day, I am astonished at all the blessings the Lord has bestowed on me: wise and loving parents; a sweet, patient wife who raised with me three fine children; reasonably good health; a stable, satisfying job; living in a free country . . . the list goes on and on. Of course, the greatest gift of all is God's infinite love in sending His Son into this world to live, teach, suffer, and die in ransom for my sins--the just for the unjust--so that I may live eternally in the company of Him and my loved ones. I don't think anyone has ever been more richly blessed than I.

I was reminded of that recently when my wife and I had the opportunity to travel across the country to spend a few weeks during the Christmas season helping our daughter and son-in-law care for their newborn twin children--their first, and our second and third grandchildren. These two came after years of trying, crying, and prayer by their parents, and were the most wonderful blessing (and Christmas presents) God could have given them. Nothing has ever touched and engaged me more than holding those precious new babies in my arms, gazing into their bright, curious eyes, and even feeding and diapering them--whatever the hour! Nothing has delighted me more than my wife's beaming face as she embraced these little miracles, thanking the Lord for answering our children's prayers.

I was struck by how a loving and giving family like this is an echo of our Heavenly Father's relationship with us--how helpless and dependent on Him we are, how utterly selfless and infinitely generous He is toward us, even when we go astray. He would, and did, give his very life for us, just as our children would for theirs.

I feel so unworthy of His boundless grace. Of course, we can never be fully "deserving" of all God's blessings. If that were possible, we would be "earning" them through works in contravention of the teaching that salvation, like other blessings, comes by grace through faith--lest we should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9). "A faithful man shall abound with blessings" (Proverbs 28:20), and surely a steady faith in God and obedience to His commandments will bring those spiritual and familial blessings that the commandments were intended to secure to us, if not all the worldly benefits men desire.  I know that I am not always faithful to my heavenly calling, and I am too often disobedient. Yet God blesses me still, and remembering this keeps me in humble awe and deepest gratitude. If I never fully "deserve" His gifts, I can at least strive to live worthily of them.

Tom Fleming
Songs of Praises

Be Reminded….

Large scale farming has not always been as we know it today. Nowadays we call it mechanized agriculture or commercial farming and so on but several hundred years ago it definitely was not like this and the aforementioned names never existed. Now it is driven machines, then it was oxen (yoke). Was it effective? Yes, in its own small way but never in the magnitude that we have today…



The above exposition bear some semblance to the work of God in our lives. Over four (4) thousand years ago He sent the commandments and various codes for the Israelites to obey that they should be separate from everybody around them and so they can enter His rest, but now, He made a new way of salvation through faith.



Like farming that was initially oxen-driven but now machine-driven, so, it is with God's way with us. Then it was obedience, now it is faith… Then it was fulfilment of all the codes but now it is YIELDING to the work of His spirit in us. Then, obedience to the law could not help us (because of our nature) but now "He works in us to will and to do His good pleasure"



God's intention has never changed. His earnest desire is to have us in eternity with Him. The process may change, but the expected result is still the same.



He loves us and cannot wait to have us home with Him. Does He loves us more now than before? NO! He Loves us either we are saved or  not.... all He desire is to Have us with Him eternally...

Joh 3:16 God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. (CEV)





Shallom.

My Funeral for Sam

This is not my scheduled week to post here, but my friend Sam passed away last week.

Sam was not given a funeral, so the following is my feeble attempt at providing him with one...

We are gathered here today to give glory to God and to pay our final respects to Sam.

No obituary was printed for Sam, so I had to draw on things I have learned from our friendship of over twenty years.

Sam held several jobs in his lifetime but he was an artist at heart.

To the best of my knowledge, he never made any serious money with his paintings, but perhaps that is just as well.

If Sam had managed to make money this way, he would have likely concluded that his art had become too commercial and probably would have abandoned it for another art form.

I showed someone a portrait Sam had painted of Jesus and they remarked that it was a "little scruffy looking."

Artistically speaking, that made some sense to me.

You see, every culture tends to depict Jesus in art in terms of their own culture.

In African art, Jesus is often depicted as African.

In Asian art, He is often depicted as Asian.

I have a portrait of Jesus that was painted by a European artist that depicts Him with flowing blonde hair and blue eyes.

In this portrait Jesus looks quite European.

I think Sam was simply transferring some of his own "scruffiness" into the painting.

Honestly, I don’t think Jesus took any offense.

Sam enjoyed history.

His favorite TV program was The Antiques Roadshow and he was also extremely interested in Nikola Tesla.

Sam read everything about Tesla that he could get his hands on.

Sam was always researching different things and would talk to me about everything from canyons in Mexico to the Antikythera mechanism found in an Aegean shipwreck.

Sam kept a notepad in his pocket.

If something came up in conversation that interested him, he would jot it down and research it later.

Sam attended several churches in his lifetime including the one I attend.

I think his curiosity fueled his desire to experience firsthand how different denominations choose to worship God.

Sam and I had many, many conversations over coffee and we disagreed about a great many things.

It is said that there are two things you should never discuss, namely, religion and politics.

Yet we discussed both.

And, since we were on opposite ends of the political spectrum, we found a great many things to disagree about.

I can honestly say that we never once allowed a disagreement of any magnitude to get in the way of a perfectly good friendship.

Sam understood my fondness for music.

It was Sam that introduced me to the music of an Australian country singer by the name of Slim Dusty.

To this day, I never tire of listening to Slim singing ‘Waltzing Matilda‘.

I will always be grateful to Sam for that.

Similarly, I will always be grateful to God for the friendship He gave me with Sam.

Sadly, at the end, I honestly do not believe that Sam had many friends and even fewer good friends.

More than a few severed ties with him altogether for one reason or another along the way.

Sam was not perfect.

Then again, neither are we.

If you seriously think about it, a lifetime of rejections must have caused Sam to feel a great deal of personal pain.

I can only imagine what that amount of rejection must have felt like.

Jesus did not have to imagine anything of the sort.

He knew firsthand what it was like to have people turn on Him.

One day, Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the victorious cry of an ecstatic crowd.

Matthew 21:9 (NET) - The crowds that went ahead of Him and those following kept shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna In the Highest!"

A short time later, an angry mob turned on Jesus.

Matthew 27:22-23 (NET) - Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?" They all said, "Crucify Him!" He asked . "Why? What wrong has He done?" But they shouted more insistently, "Crucify Him!"

I have often wondered how many people were part of both the jubilant crowd one day and the angry mob the next.

Jesus knew exactly how it felt to have one of His own turn against Him.

Matthew 26:48 (NET) - Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I kiss is the man. Arrest Him!"

And it happened just that way!

Jesus also knew personally what it felt like to have friends abandon Him.

Jesus told Peter there would come a time when he would deny Him.

Matthew 26:34 (NET) - Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, on this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."

Again, it happened just that way!

Yes Sam, in that regard, you were indeed in excellent company.

You see, your Savior knew just how you felt.

Now, that same Savior welcomes you home.

Lord, my prayer today is that You help us recognize that there are many Sam’s in the world.

Encourage us to accept them just as they are.

After all, that is just the way that You accept us.

For those of you that attended this "service" and stayed until the end, I offer my sincerest gratitude.

Sam was created in God’s image.

Sam mattered to God.

Sam mattered to me.

Funerals are for the living, bur everyone has a story.

In the end, doesn’t everyone deserve to have at least some of that story told?

It should not matter how many or how few decide to attend.

If it were possible for us to combine our voices in a closing hymn right now, I would ask that we sing "Just as I Am" before we part company.

One final and very personal note,,,

One of the last things Sam ever said to me was, "I can’t wait until you become a preacher."

Well Sam, this is about as close as I can get.

You deserved better.

This was the best I could provide.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Back to the Basics

I recently attended a seminar held at my church which I enjoyed very much.

One of the things the speaker stressed in this seminar were the concepts of "essentials" and "non-essentials".

Since attending that seminar I have read numerous devotionals, prayers and other types of posts written by my friends.

A good many of these dealt with the different types of struggles we encounter.

Often. we as individual believers struggle.

There are times when entire church congregations struggle.

There are even times when it seems that the entire body of believers who call themselves Christians struggle.

I asked myself the question. "When we find ourselves struggling,  what would be a good course of action to take?"

It occurred to me, that when coaches see their teams struggling, one of the most successful remedies they employ is having their athletes focus on the fundamentals.

That means going back to the basics.

More often than not, this strategy proves to be quite effective.

Why not take the same approach when we find ourselves struggling as Christians?

That means focusing on, the "essentials".

I then reflected on the essentials, which, according to the speaker are threefold.

First and foremost, it means focusing on God and how he reaches down to us.

God is perfect.

God is perfectly righteous and perfectly Holy.

We are not.

Yet God reaches down to us with His grace.

He does so through Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:24 (NET) - But hey are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

He reaches to us with the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 (NET) - But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to  you.

On the other end of the spectrum, we find another component of the "essentials", namely ourselves and how we choose to respond to God.

How should we respond to God as He reaches down to us?

We should respond with the gifts he has given to us.

These gifts consist of faith, love and hope.

We must have faith in God, understand that our hope lies with Him and love Him with all of our being.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NET) - And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was , His answer was in two parts.

Please note the first part.

Matthew 22:37-38 (NET) - Jesus said to him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

So, we have God reaching down to us.

We in turn give back to God our love, our faith and our hope.

How is this even possible?

It is only possible because of the other key component of the "essentials".

The bridge provided by God for us, namely, Jesus Christ.

John 3:16-17  (NET) - For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

Struggle is inevitable.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is go back to the fundamentals.

I know what some of your are asking right now.

Does that mean that other things are not important?

Of course not.

It must be understood that the word "non-essential" does not mean "unimportant".

There are many important things to Christians and the Christian way of life.

The reading of scripture is an excellent example.

Everything else aside, the relationship we as human beings (the created) have with God (the Creator) through Jesus Christ (the redeemer) is central to what it means to be a Christian.

Making certain that this relationship is what it should be can go a long way in helping us resolve our struggles.


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

THE FIRST TWO COMPLAINTS

Numbers Chapter 11 

The people of Israel had already left the Sinai, and chapters 11 and 12 reported events accruing in his march to Kibroth hattaavah. When problems arose, the people complained. Herein sinned, and his experience brings us important lessons.

Whenever the people complained, the Glory of the Lord appeared. He disliked their complaints. We can be sure that He is displeased with too many believers living criticizing and complaining today. They are always finding faults, and nothing satisfies them.

Whether the fire of the LORD consumed only some stuff that was around the camp, and also hit people. Anyway, it was a warning, and to have become extinct when Moses prayed for the people, it was clear that it was of divine origin. Taberah means burnt.

The rabble that was among them were crossbred with Israel Egyptians. They could not join one of the tribes because they knew they belonged, had not quite sure if they were doing well to follow along with the people, being the product of mixed marriages. Having Egyptian blood, they felt homesick that land.

Our churches are full of them: they want to walk with believers, go to church and have a high standard of moral life. During the week, walk and live like the world. Do not know right where they belong, not sure if they have been born again. Most often, these are originating rebellion and discontent within the churches. They like to have a feast in the church, but do not come to Bible studies. They do not feel well or at church or in the world.

The discontent of the populace has contaminated the Israelites and their attention is diverted from what they had received (freedom, nationality, the law, the priesthood, and a land that was waiting at the end of the trip) and started to focus their attention on other things like that have: a varied menu with fish and vegetables nonexistent in the desert. It was the lust of the flesh, spreading like a disease, making them cry like children in front of their tents. They forgot the yoke that had loaded in Egypt in exchange for this food.

Before condemning the so should meditate on what occupies our attention most of the time: we are grateful for what God has given us, and the wonderful things that He has prepared in heaven, and we are always thinking about we're losing, and the things of this world that would like to have?

Every morning (except on Saturdays) the people of Israel opened their tents and witnessed a miracle: the bread that God gave them. The Holy Spirit describes the manna again for us in this passage. It was a wonderful food, containing everything they needed for their livelihoods, and contributing to their health as well. For example, we read through your entire journey through the desert, their feet swelled not (Deuteronomy 8:4). But now, aiming to beef about everything despised the most excellent and versatile manna.

Manna is a picture of the Lord Jesus, and the Word of God that reveals to us. Many in our churches, unfortunately also get tired of learning from Christ and have no great desire to study His Word:
indisposed it already! They try to eat something else, ignoring what God gave them.

The anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses found himself again in the position of intermediary. His patience was, apparently coming to an end. He complained to God that he would rather be dead than continue to bear alone that people unhappy. It's a feeling that pass by many pastors in churches, leading some to give up his ministry.

Moses erred in claiming so the LORD, because the load was not his: the Lord is that he was not just carrying people but he also. Besides, the Lord had given the Holy Spirit to strengthen you. We also have this privilege, and we must remember that the work of the Lord is His, and not assume that we must take the load on our shoulders.

The Lord, however, patiently selected seventy men from the elders, who were superintendents of the people, and put them on the Spirit that was upon Moses, there was no more power than before, but more equipment! Moses complained of the weight of the burden of responsibility that led but God, distributing the burden, showed that the power of Moses had always been enough in proportion to the weight of that burden.

This principle of having continued seventy leaders through history to the Sanhedrin in the time of Christ, who sentenced him to death. The Old Testament was also translated into Greek, reportedly, two centuries before Christ, in Alexandria, a group of seventy, so calling this version of Setuaginta. The word bishop means overseer and elder is equivalent to elder. Christian churches should be led by a group of superintendents (not an individual), also called elders.

The LORD also told Moses to tell the people to sanctify (dedicate) for the next day, because they send enough meat for a whole month, to eat ad nausea  This is because the LORD had rejected and regretted having left Egypt. They "gave themselves up to lust, in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. Granted them their request, but sent leanness into their soul" (Psalm 106:14,15).

We make our prayer with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6), because we know that He will answer us, but we must be satisfied even when the answer is no, what often happens because we ask can not be good for us. If we complain, He can give us what we want, but our soul will languish because we hurt.

Having witnessed and even participated in so many miracles, it seems surprising that Moses showed incredulity when told that the Lord would give them much meat. We also sometimes forget that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). It's easy to trust God when we see His mighty works (the Israelites had seen many), but after a while, the routine of life, His power does not seem so great. Our vision of him is changing, not Him

Two of the elders had not attended the meeting - perhaps with good reason - but by no means let the Lord to give them also the Spirit. Moses was not jealous of them, on the contrary, said he would like all the people were prophets, that the Lord of His Spirit to all! God can work through whom He will: take care lest we obstacle to his work because of jealousy!

The LORD gave them all the meat they wanted, and much more. It came in the form of quail, flying about 90 cm tall, easily caught in a cloud of more than twenty-five miles in length and width, which covered the camp for two days and one night. What took less, managed 3.5 meters cubic of birds. Hunting, after salt, was extended in the sun to dry (did not freezer!) Around the camp.

But when they began to eat, felt ill and many died, for the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people. The evil was not much to miss a meal varied, but his desire to set her above all else, to the point of despising what God was giving them. God knows our desires, and we are judged by Him, even now. So the Word of God tells us that we should judge ourselves, lest we be judged - but when judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, not to be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:31-32).

The dead were buried, and the place was renamed Kibroth hattaavah (Graves of Desire).

When God Calls

Sesquicentennial.

It’s a fancy word that means 150th anniversary.

I begin this way because about three years ago I felt God leading me to write and share a weekly devotional and this makes devotional number 150.

What’s so remarkable about that?

Not much unless  you consider the fact that I never considered writing on my own.

In fact, by profession, I deal far more with numbers than words.

I followed His lead and I am glad that I did because some exciting and completely unexpected things happened as a result of it.

When I first began  writing, it was a challenge for me.

I knew this was going to take me out of my comfort zone.

I also knew that if it made a difference in only one life, all the effort will have been completely worth it.

Mark 16:15 (NET) - He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

Eventually I learned that this happened when I was contacted by someone who was reading them.

We began communicating and I will never forget the question he posed to me.

"Do you think there is hope for me?"

I replied that there was indeed hope for all of us because of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:3 (NET) - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,..."

That individual, with God’s help, turned his life around in an amazing way and we still stay in touch.

Of course the credit and the glory both belong to God.

I am delighted simply to be the instrument that He used.

As a result of this, I came to another conclusion.

Since I was able to help this one individual, perhaps I will be able to help others along the way,

Another benefit I have personally received as a result of following His lead are the connections I have made with other Christians along the way.

Connections with the other contributors to this blog site are a great example.

Although I have never met them (and others like them) face to face,  I feel as if I know them because of their willingness to both encourage and edify.

That is what Christians are supposed to do for each other.

I always look forward to seeing what God has written upon their hearts to share with others.

I have also made connections with others.

Therein lies opportunity.

Most surprisingly, I have come to know myself better as well.

I have also had to make some choices and some changes along the way.

The biggest among these is how I choose to make use of what I consider a very precious commodity.

Time.

When people think about stewardship, thoughts automatically turn to money.

Also important is how we choose to invest our time.

We all have a finite amount of time and not one of us knows how much of it we have.

How we choose to invest that time is of tremendous importance.

So, when you feel His leading, I strongly urge you to follow it.

God indeed works in strange and mysterious ways.

If someone had told me a decade ago what my life would be like today, I simply would not have believed them.

I once heard someone say that God does not always call the equipped, but he does equip those He calls.

There is a tremendous amount of truth in that.

When God calls, follow the example of Samuel.

1 Samuel 3:10  (NET) - Then the LORD came and stood nearby, calling as He previously had done, "Samuel! Samuel!" Samuel replied, "Speak, for Your servant is listening!"


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