Author: preacherpollard

Neal Pollard

Now that Christmas day has passed, retailers are beckoning potential customers to come in or log on and get what they “really wanted.”  For the next few days and weeks, shoppers will stand in customer service lines with gift receipts (or actual receipts) and either ask to exchange or return their merchandise.  It seems that most businesses have adopted a more generous return policy through the course of time.  But, there is one place whose return policy is unmatched.

Jesus illustrates this “policy” in a beautiful parable in Luke 15:11-32.  We have dubbed this story the parable of the “prodigal” son.  That term means to spend money and other resources recklessly and wastefully.  The son in this story did just that, meaning it was totally his fault.  There came a point when he wanted to return, and Jesus shows us much about the generous father’s “return policy.”

There was no receipt necessary.  The father was not keeping record.  He did not ask the boy to account for his inheritance.  He fully accepted this son on the spot.

There were no questions asked.  He did not have caveats or conditions.  There was nothing to sign.  He was welcomed back with open arms.

There were no time restrictions on when the return could occur.  It is true that the father was anxiously awaiting his return, but he did not turn the boy away for waiting too long.  Truly, if the boy had never returned it would have been too late.  But, the father was not otherwise bound by a calendar or clock.

There was an eagerness for the return to occur.  The father wanted more than anything for the wasteful son to simply come back home.  The son learned that rejection or disallowance was not part of the father’s policy.

The most beautiful thing about our Heavenly Father’s “return policy” is that it concerns that which never breaks, runs down, fades, or becomes outdated (Mt. 6:19-21; Rev. 7:13-17).  What the prodigal son learned, we should learn, too.  It is never too late, we have never gone too far, and  He will never reject the one who comes to Him on His very fair and just terms.  As long as we have life and breath, we have access to this generous return policy.  There are never long lines or hassles.  Nothing is more valuable than what He gives us when we come home.  That’s incredible!

Neal Pollard

Sometimes, a “minor” Bible character appears on the stage of inspiration and is immortalized for either good or bad.  Doeg definitely falls into the latter category.  We see him in 1 Samuel 21-22.  He is identified as an Edomite (one of Esau’s descendents), “the chief of Saul’s shepherds” (1 Sam. 21:7). We see him by Saul’s servants (22:9), and by his hand 85 of Israel’s priests, who had sheltered David from Saul’s jealous wrath, are slaughtered (22:18).  Apparently, Doeg already had a bad reputation.  When David hears this devastating news, he laments, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul” (22:22).

He was so spiritually wretched that the Holy Spirit through David makes him the subject of infamy in Psalm 52.  It is of Doeg that David speaks when he says, “Your tongue devises destruction…you love evil more than good…you love all devouring words” (2-4). Then, David predicts an awful demise for Doeg (5-7).  He trusted the wrong things and did the wrong things. What ignominy!

Doeg illustrates a few things for us.  First, character matters.  Doeg’s character was deplorable.  He had no respect for God’s priests.  He was willing to sell out others for his own profit.  He had no value for life and specifically the righteous.  Second, there may be temporary reward in behaving badly.  This is implied by David’s words in Psalm 52 about “abundant riches” (7).  Perhaps he was “court pet” of the day.  We can see today that sinners may enjoy wealth and fame…in this life. Finally, wickedness will not ultimately prosper.  Solomon’s words apply to Doeg and all those of his ilk.  “It will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God” (Ecc. 8:13).

We can learn great lessons from “positive characters,” but we can learn from those others, too.  Old Testament characters instruct us and give us hope (Rom. 15:4), and that includes “negative characters” (1 Cor. 10:11).  Let us learn from Doeg and build better character than that.

Neal Pollard

I saw this billboard on Interstate 70 near Abilene, Kansas, not long ago.  It was positioned directly in front of an “adult store” called the Lion’s Den.  It seems to me a clever tactical move to give someone hankering to patronize such a place at least a second thought.

Does pornography have a destructive effect upon its consumers? Clinical psychologist Dr. Victor Cline of the University of Utah, whose academic and professional qualifications are unimpeachable, is famed for his “five stages of addiction.”  In order, they are (1) early exposure (seeing pornography at a young age), (2) addiction (it becomes a regular part of your life and you cannot quit), (3) escalation (a continual search for more graphic material and desire for what once would have been repulsive), (4) desensitization (numbness and loss of thrill no matter how graphic the material), and (5) acting out sexually (the dangerous step of moving from fantasy to reality, including rape, molestation, and worse)(information via Gene McConnell, Keith Campbell, focusonthefamily.com).

What Cline says about sexual addiction mirrors addictive behaviors in other realms.  Drug addicts often move from through these same phases, as well as those addicted to gambling, food, and other things that can be addictive.  As you examine those phases, you can see the desperation, guilt, damaged relationships, and danger intrinsically involved.  Pornography leads to objectifying people, desiring what is perverse and even illegal, and experiencing dysfunction on a number of levels.

The good news is the first half of the message on that billboard.  That message is as old as the New Testament itself.  Paul told the Corinthian church, steeped in all kinds of ungodly behavior, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).  That good news extends to those enslaved to pornography, too.  A changed, penitent heart and mind, that longs to be free and exerts the effort and self-control, can be healed and restored.  Pornography, like every other sin, promises freedom and pleasure.  It cannot deliver.  But one can be delivered at any time they desire.  No sin is bigger than Jesus!

Neal Pollard

I was sought out, called out, and occasionally put out by a man unknown to me.  He wrote me challenging the notion that baptism is part of God’s saving plan.  Through several exchanges, he brought up arguments that men have vainly attempted for a very long time.  Some of this man’s views went back as far as John Calvin.  The clear teaching of the Bible on the subject of baptism left him unfazed and unconvinced.  This man is undoubtedly sincere and zealous in his beliefs, but God’s Word shows how insufficient sincerity and zeal alone are.  They are as insufficient as faith alone.

It has often occurred to me that the devil has not had to be in the innovation business.  Certainly, he is adept at adapting to the inventions and changes brought by time and culture and adopting whatever is current and new, but his basic inroads remain the same as they were in the Garden of Eden.  He does not need a new bag of tricks.

• Mankind is still carried away and enticed by their own lust (James 1:16).
• Mankind is still prone to the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and pride of life (1 Peter 2:16).
• Mankind is still inclined to try and direct their own steps (Jeremiah 10:23).
• Mankind is still open to deluding influences so that they will believe what is false (2 Thessalonians 2:11).
• Mankind is still stubborn (Psalm 78:8).
• Mankind is still self-willed (2 Peter 2:10).
• Mankind is still trying to serve God in their own way on their own terms (Matthew 7:22-23).
• Mankind is still blinded by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Human nature remains so constant that the devil can stay with his old tricks.  It is truly heartbreaking and tragic. A plethora of compelling arguments and clearly-stated Scriptures can be easily sloughed off by anyone “in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).  Our task is to sow the seed with patience and love, but it is the job of the hearer to open their hearts to the seed!

Neal Pollard

An elusive criminal has been on a spree, burglarizing cars and houses.  Investigators have dogged his trail, scouring for clues, searching for DNA, cross-checking old files and cold cases.  They are looking for patterns or mistakes, anything that can lead a wanton thief to custody and justice.  Finally, despite his skill, he satisfies them by leaving a fingerprint at a victim’s house.  They check it against the system and find a match.  Officers get an address, rush over and surprise him as he is leaving.  A short chase ensues and near the fence behind an adjacent abandoned factory, he is handcuffed and then hauled downtown.  Another ne’er-do-well is apprehended.

Apprehended is a word we associate with capturing or bringing into custody, usually with the idea of some sort of pursuit.  A similar concept is found in the New Testament, but it is often used in a positive manner.  A pair of words from the same word family are used a few times in scripture to depict apprehending by the senses.  The original idea is to perceive, primarily with the external senses, but it is used in the Bible to speak of spiritual perception and understanding.

In Luke nine, after Jesus healed one with an unclean spirit which the disciples were unable to heal, the Lord proclaimed that He was going to be delivered into the hands of men and the disciples didn’t understand the statement “and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it” (45).  Twice, the same word is found in the Septuagint.  In Job’s struggle, he says, “I would learn the words which He would answer, and perceive what He would say to me” (Job 23:5).  He longed to grab a hold of an answer from God for His suffering.  Solomon tells his son to “know” (or perceive) that wisdom is for the soul what honey is for the taste buds (Prov. 24:13-14).  He wanted him to get a grasp of that invaluable truth.

A word from the same family is used in Philippians 1:9, as Paul prays Philippi’s love would abound more and more in knowledge and discernment.  He wanted them to pursue it and come to obtain it because it affected their spiritual standing.  It had been eluding up to that point.

How dedicated are we to taking possession of truth, a relationship with God, wisdom, and spiritual discernment?  Are we willing to investigate, hunt, scour, and move heaven and earth?  Jesus taught, “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matt. 13:45-46).  These things are there for the taken, if we will stay on the case.  God wants them in our custody.  May we ever stay in hot pursuit!

Neal Pollard

Making religion something only in the building.  Looking to godless theories to explain our origin and existence.  Exalting humanism as the preferred worldview.  Glamorizing sexual immorality, greed, grotesque selfishness and vanity, power, violence, and all manner of fleshly desires.  Mocking God and religion.  Voting and legalizing what the Bible calls sin and ungodliness.  Favoring isolation over socialization.  Searching for hope only in this realm, ignoring eternity.  Ever bolder agnosticism and atheism.  Retreating biblical conviction.  Erasing lines of black and white in morality and truth.  Scoffing away the idea of absolute truth.  Avoiding the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Looking in all the wrong places for answers to the question, “Why?”  Families no longer dedicated to the ideals of marriage, parenthood, and faith.  Escalating division, hostility, fear, suspicion, prejudice, and hate.  Looking to substances and temporary diversions to escape the ultimate realities.  Living as a law unto ourselves rather than humbly submitting to the One who created and redeemed us.  Perhaps we do not want to see how all these things are connected, but if we fail to open our eyes we will miss the clearest wake up call a people could ever be given.

Neal Pollard

Being a local preacher, I do not get to “fill the role” of unknown guest at a congregation very often.  Last night, I did.  I attended what appeared to be an average congregation, with a mix of ages and of apparent middle-class status.  The quality of the Bible class was very good, and there was considerable participation from the members.  I was a couple of minutes late, and I chose a random seat.  After the class and before a brief devotional, a middle-aged woman asked if I was visiting.  She was pleasant, and the conversation went until the devotional began.  After the last amen, the lady thanked me for coming.  I reached out my hand to greet a couple of others, and a young man near the rear of the building greeted me, asking if I was a visitor.  The man who taught the class, who appeared to be the local preacher, asked if I was a visitor.  I said yes, and he told me to come again.

By personality, I am considered an extrovert.  While the weariness of a long day of travel may have affected my outlook, I believe my assessment is not too inaccurate.  Despite the refreshing friendliness of a couple of members, the vast majority of those present passed by me.  They did not inquire about me, try to find out about me, and none tried to ascertain whether or not I was a member of the church.  Had I been of a mind, I could have easily slipped in and out without notice.

This is not an indictment of a single congregation in one area of the county.  In the last few years, the same thing has occurred in other states.  My perspective is not one of hypersensitivity, as my feelings were not at all hurt.  My concern is for legitimate “strangers” at our assemblies.  In most congregations, especially in urban areas, “drop ins” from our community are common, if not weekly, occurrences. Each one has an eternal soul for which Jesus died and which should intensely matter to each of us.  It concerns me that on the Great Day, before our Just Judge, our Lord will have taken note of our stewardship of these precious opportunities only to say, “I was a stranger, and ye took me not in.”  May it never be!

Neal Pollard

A full-fledged restoration movement was underway.  Nehemiah was at the helm of some sweeping reforms that included restoring the purity of language and heritage necessary for Jewish blood-lines to remain pure.  Some Jews “had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.  And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people.  So I contended with them, struck some of them and pulled on their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, ‘You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves'” (Neh. 13:23-25).  This problem of cultural conformity by the adults was negatively influencing the children.  Nehemiah took drastic measures to solve it.

But, what did Nehemiah say to accentuate the severity of this problem?  He points to King Solomon as an example of what happened when God’s child chooses a mate not sharing the same spiritual values.  Notice the specifics of Nehemiah’s warning in Nehemiah 13:26.

• Position does not prevent apostasy.  Solomon was king of Israel, yet he still followed his foreign wives into sinning against God.  Being in a position of importance does not insulate one from being led away from God.
• Success does not prevent apostasy.  Solomon was a peerless success in his lifetime.  Nobody was at good at what he did as Solomon was, but this did not keep Solomon’s heart from straying.  The same is true today.
• Being beloved of God does not prevent apostasy.  Solomon, as David’s son, had a special place in the heart of his God.  Yet, God, in His love for Solomon, did not make him stay faithful to Him.  God loves all humanity (John 3:16), but He will make no one serve and revere Him.
• Being God’s leader does not prevent apostasy.  God made Solomon king over all Israel, but this provided no automatic insurance for his continued fidelity.  God’s leaders among His people today can still go astray despite the work and responsibility they have.

In essence, Nehemiah tells Solomon’s descendants, “If he could allow his wives to lead him away from God, what makes you think you are different?” (cf. Neh. 13:27).  Such actions were described as “defilement” and “pagan” (Neh. 13:29,30).  Let us understand that the people in the position to influence us the most must be people who will bring us closer to God.  Solomon was the wisest man to ever live, but bad influence led him to make the most foolish of choices.  May we remember that, from the mate we choose to the friends with which we surround ourselves.

Neal Pollard

A courageous high school freshman, Saige Hatch, has started a “Modesty Club” at her South Pasadena, California, school.  Her move has landed her a national TV interview on Fox News and “prompted city officials to declare December 3-7 Modesty Week in South Pasadena” (via latimesblogs.latimes.com).  Her older brother, McKay, started a “No Cussing Club” at the high school in 2008. It has drawn some negative feedback and even prompted someone to graffiti and egg their father’s van and send “nasty messages” on the website (www.modestyclub.com).  However, 17 students have joined the club and signed the club’s pledge.  For girls, the pledge asks, “wear shorts and skirts at knee length,” “shirts and dresses that cover my stomach, lower back, breasts and shoulders” and “not ask, persuade, or allow a boy to do anything with me that will jeopardize the code of chastity” (ibid.).  Boys are asked to be neat and clean and respect and honor girls’ virtue.  The Fox interview revealed that the Hatch family is religious and the conviction behind the club is that modest dress pleases God and that the inverse is also true: immodest dress displeases God.

Saige did not invent the concept of modest clothing.  God calls for women to so adorn themselves (1 Tim. 2:9-10; 1 Pet. 3:3).  Jesus also warns men against lusting after women (Mat. 5:28-32), and as men are more easily visually stimulated women can greatly aid their battle against such lust by clothing themselves in ways that do not accentuate or reveal their bodies.  Mary Quant, the inventor of the mini-skirt, popularizer of hot pants, and London fashion designer, said her goal in design was “to dress women so men would feel like tearing the wrapping off” (Dougherty, People Weekly, 4/4/88, 108). In Newsweek, she said, “Am I the only woman who has ever wanted to go to bed with a man in the afternoon? Any law-abiding female, it used to be thought, waits until dark. Well, there are lots of girls who do not want to wait. Mini-clothes are symbolic of them” (“Anything Goes: Taboos in Twilight,” 11/13/67, 76)(both Quant quotes via Samuel Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Andrews University, Christian Dress and Adornment, Ch. 3,  via http://www.biblicalperspectives.com).

Men must also guard against being immodest, dressing in a way that highlights the body at the expense of the inner man.  However, casual observation of advertising, Hollywood offerings, fashion, and retail show a decided slant toward immodest clothing for women more than men.  Surely Christian men and women want all those in the home to promote and protect sexual purity in clothing choices!  Undoubtedly, it is what God wants!

Neal Pollard

Typhoon Bopha is the latest example of a natural disaster striking a third-world nation.  Many countries in this world struggle in a subsistent lifestyle as it is, and the slightest adversities, much less major catastrophes, further undermine a people who live at the financial edge.  Most countries where I have traveled are such nations, filled with those who are literally concerned with having their “daily bread” (Lk. 11:3) or “food and covering” (1 Tim. 6:8).  The Middle East is riddled with violence and political uprising.  Nations like Mexico are impacted by anarchical drug lords.  But, despite the reality of earthquakes and storms, revolution, and political corruption, the billions of people on our planet are most threatened by the oldest problem of all–sin.  Famine-stricken children rightly pull at our heartstrings, as we look at bloated stomach and sunken eyes.  That is because their suffering is visible, observable by the naked eye.

The richest people in western nations like ours down to the poorest people in urban slums around the world are all besieged by an invisible plague.  That plague destroys souls. It leads to an eternity spent apart from God in a place words cannot adequately depict. Even if those in the world cannot feel it, the hurt is no less real.

The Red Cross and other international relief societies have nothing on their planes and trucks to remedy this ill, unless someone is carrying a Bible.  It reveals the “balm of Gilead” (cf. Jer. 8:22), the cure of the Great Physician (cf. Mk. 2:17), and the help of the spiritually sick (1 Cor. 11:30). It offers the Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35) and the Water of Life (Jn. 4:11; Rev. 7:17).  It offers the way to the Father’s house (Jn. 14:2,6), a place where the security is unbeatable (Rev. 21:27).  God relies on us to get spiritual relief to the billions of sin-sick and those held captive by the devil (2 Tim. 2:26).  But it begins by our caring that the lost are lost.  Until that matters to us, we will remain oblivious to their need (and our own).

“Keeping Your Heart”

Neal Pollard

Colorado is in the midst of yet another high-profile missing child case, that of Durango’s Dylan Redwine.  The problem of lost or abducted children seems to be escalating at an alarming rate.  The latest credible statistics I could find were from a 2002 U.S. Department of Justice study which asserts that nearly 800,000 children under 18 go missing each year, about 2,185 per day.  A fourth of these were abducted by family members, 58,000 by non-family members, and 115 are stereotypical kidnappings (stranger who transport child, demands a ransom, etc.)(“National Estimates of Missing Children: An Overview,” Sedlak, Finkelhor, Hammer, and Schultz, 10/02, p. 5). The good news, according to FBI statistics, is that roughly 99 percent  of that 800,000 are found through law enforcement efforts.  The bad news, though, is that 8 to 10,000 are not found after lengthy, exhaustive search (cf. Daniel Broughton, Pediatrics Magazine, Vol. 114, No. 4, 10/04, 1100).  As a parent, I find it hard to fathom the depth of anguish and pain for those who lose their children so senselessly and tragically.

Though Luke 15 illustrates spiritual waywardness with a lost sheep and a lost coin, the third and longest parable concerns a lost child.  This child, though older, announced to his father that he was leaving, then departed to parts unknown.  He was lost in a spiritual sense, prodigal or recklessly wasteful.  The Bible describes his time in a distant country as spent in “loose living” (Luke 15:13).  The older brother, however accurately, charged the prodigal son with devouring his wealth with prostitutes (Luke 15:30).  Whatever the particulars, the son freely admitted to having sinned (Luke 15:21).  In celebrating the boy’s return, the father twice exclaimed that the boy “was lost and has been found” (Luke 15:24,32).

No parents love their children as deeply, perfectly, and intimately as God loves each of us.  When we become spiritually lost, He grieves and aches more profoundly than we could imagine.  Yet, He does not measure His loss in tens of thousands but in billions.  Most of those who become lost in this way are never found (Matt. 7:13-14).  The Father relies on you and me to help Him rescue and return His lost children!  Or, if we are lost, we should realize how very much He wants us back home!

Neal Pollard

While the English translations give wide variety to their rendering of Amos 5:18, a consistent thread prevails between them.  The simple prophet, after having shown his people the sins of the nations, is now preaching to his own people.  Their religious transgressions have piled high, and they must now prepare to meet God’s wrath in His judgment of them (4:12).  They refused to seek Him, so they would not live (5:4-6,14).  Judgment would come in the form of foreign invasion, captivity, and destruction.  Amos is not speaking of the final judgment at the end of time, but rather God’s fulfillment of a promise that went back centuries to the days when the tribes of Israel stood on Ebal and Gerizim.  They had forsaken God, and now He was going to judge them.

His own people were filled with hypocrisy.  They did not hate evil and love good (5:15). They kept the “form” of religion but they had rejected the “substance” (cf. 5:21ff).  As they looked to the future, Amos tells them they should not long for “the day of the Lord.”  He asks, “For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?” For most of them, it was a day of “darkness and not light” and “gloom with no brightness in it” (cf. 5:20).

Regarding the final judgment of all mankind, each of us would do well to ask, “For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to me?”  Jesus shows us the available options.  It will either be a day of rejoicing and reward, or it will be a day of rejection and rift.  For the few, it will be a day to receive the victor’s crown.  For the many, it will be the first day of an eternity full of total darkness, gnashing of teeth, unending terror, and indescribable pain.  It is not enough for that day to be a happy day for spouse, parent, child, sibling, or friend.  Their salvation will based on how they lived in their body (2 Cor. 5:10).  For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?  A day for you to eagerly anticipate or for you to continually dread?

The good news is that no matter what we have done in the past, we can come to Christ in obedient faith.  He promises to forgive, and He wants to eternally save (2 Pet. 3:9).  Dread can be replaced with desire!  It is what God wants for you.  “For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?”

Neal Pollard

Walter Williams, renowned columnist and economist, once commented on what made former generations great and what has, by the same token, led to societal erosion in the last few generations.  His basis conclusion was that a generation from the not too distant past gave their children honesty, integrity, discipline, and accountability, though they were not able to give them an abundance of material possessions.  These children grew up focused, strong, and productive.  But, when they grew up and began parenting, they were quite successful and were able to give their children abundant material things.  Yet, giving their children everything they wanted, they unintentionally deprived their children of those greater virtues!  Improvement might have been if they had given their kids those character-building traits and the goods.  Yet, if there is to be a choice as to which is more needed, the race between character and cash is not remotely close.

The media has made the “debate” very public, asking how society can improve children’s health-care, daycare, and educational care, but cares little to nothing about their spiritual care.  That responsibility befalls parents, who are to “train” them in this regard (Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4).  Mother and father, in a majority of instances, are toiling at jobs outside the home to insure that their children have every social, intellectual, and physical advantages conceivable.  These areas of life are vital, as evidenced in the life of the adolescent Christ (see Luke 2:52).  But, what if these areas are met at the expense of spiritual training?  Jesus reveals the answer.  “For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26).

It is important to prepare one’s children for college, for his or her adult occupation, for social gracefulness, and for physical health.  But this cannot be done at the expense of the more important, spiritual matters.  Jesus scolded Martha for being too focused on the earthly, all the while overlooking the “one thing” which was “needful” (Lk. 10:41-42).  Every child we bring into this world is an eternal being!  What an important realization too few parents recognize!  Give them the things needful to succeed in this life.  Just do not rob them of the most important thing, the only “needful” thing there is!

Neal Pollard

The Powerball jackpot is up to half a billion dollars and those inclined to participate will have until 7:30 PM tonight to buy a chance at this record-setting lottery payout.  The odds of winning are 1 in 175 million. Denise Dillon, a Fox reporter from Atlanta, says that you have a greater chance of getting hit by a coconut, having identical quadruplets, opening a four-number combination lock on the first try, becoming president of the United States, and several other highly unlikely events.  The Las Vegas Sun adds to that picking a perfect NCAA bracket and being attacked by a shark.  You will more likely die from contact with a venomous animal or plant, die from a mountain lion attack in California, contract mad cow disease, die from contact with hot tap water, or become canonized by the Catholic Church than win this lottery (information via nsc.org, lasvegassun.com, usatoday.com, and myfoxatlanta.com).

In a radio interview, however, one man said, “You owe it to yourself to” get in on this action.  While I believe a strong ethical case can be made to show that gambling is inappropriate, consider the mentality of this man as the underlying problem of which gambling and the lottery are but a symptom.  Buying a ticket may give a person a temporary feeling of hope and euphoria, but they are investing in the wrong place in order to get that feeling.  Though a relatively small percentage will claim that buying lottery tickets is harmless fun, a form of entertainment from which they expect no “payoff,” and no different than buying a movie ticket or ticket to a ball game, most who buy really want to win.  Statistics say that the largest percentage of patrons of gambling games like the lottery are society’s poorest.  About 10 years ago, Emily Oster, then a student at Harvard, wrote her Senior Honors Thesis on the theme, “Dreaming Big: Why Do People Play the Powerball?”  The thesis has been picked up by financial blogs and magazines and shared by other elite universities like Dartsmouth. She found “that the poorest zip codes purchase more tickets at the lowest levels. However, at the highest jackpots the sales are about the same (slightly over $16 per capita in the poorest zip codes and around $17 per capita in the richest)” (Oster 40).  Statistics assert that America’s poor spend anywhere from 3%-9% of their income on lottery tickets.

Paul wrote, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17).  Does that mean that lower income or middle income people can fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches?  Of course not!  Job disclaimed with horror the idea that he might put his confidence and trust in gold (31:24).  The warning of Scripture seems to be against putting your hope and trust in the monetary.

We do owe ourselves something very vital.  We owe it to ourselves to build a relationship with God, to trust Him and hope in Him.  We owe it to ourselves to invest in that heavenly land where we will realize a return the likes of which earth cannot reproduce.  That means laying up treasure in heaven (cf. Mat. 6:19-21).  Let’s make sure we do that!

Neal Pollard

“Truth” is an important Bible word, being found 189 times in the Old and New Testaments.  It is an important Bible word because of what it is.  Many have walked in old Pilate’s shoes, asking, “What is truth?” (John 18:38).  Jesus’ prayer concisely answered that question, even before Pilate uttered it.  The Lord said that God’s Word is truth (John 17:17). Yet, we can easily find ourselves substituting that for something or someone else.  Notice the following.

The culture cannot be the standard of truth.  Not only does their standard constantly change, its basis for what is considered truth is skewed and self-determined.  In other words, a worldly approach to “truth” more often than not coincidentally coincides with what people want to do.  Many times, the world gets it exactly backward.  As Isaiah put it, the world using its own wisdom calls evil good and good evil (5:20).  By its own standards, the world does not come to even know God (1 Cor. 1:21).  1 John 2:16 thoroughly dismisses the idea of one’s worldly contemporaries being the standard of truth.

The religious world cannot be the standard of truth.  In far too many areas, individual religious groups, denominations, have invented their own doctrines.  They, too, can form their teaching and convictions based upon the strong pressures of culture.   They can reform and reshape their beliefs to accommodate people’s circumstances.  For any number of reasons, the religious world veers left or right of biblical center (cf. Deut. 5:32; Prov. 4:27).

The Lord’s church cannot be the standard of truth.  Opinions, traditions or customs, and preferences cannot be passed off as synonymous with or equal to truth.  A congregation of God’s people, well-intended or not, can depart from the truth.  We cannot blindly follow even these away from truth.

A particular school, preacher, periodical, etc., cannot be the standard of truth.  We can admire colleges and training schools for their work, teachers, and graduates, but this confidence must always remain conditional.  As we remember that one can veer from truth by binding or loosing, we must always measure what is promoted as truth with God’s divine standard.  What is true of institutions is equally true of individuals. Even if someone speaks passionately, with conviction, and without hesitation or reservation, our job is to compare their message with God’s (cf. Acts 17:11).  We can easily confuse charisma and chemistry with truth, but there is no inherent connection.

You and I cannot be the standard of truth. All of us have scruples, consciences, preferences, proclivities, likes, and dislikes.  We may feel quite strongly about them.  But, we cannot make ourselves the standard of truth on any biblical matter.

There is but one right standard and that is scripture.  Yes, there is the matter of proper interpretation and recognizing there can be improper interpretation.  On some matters, scripture may not be as definitive as we want or even initially think.  Yet, regarding anything that would effect our salvation, God has a clear, understandable “position” stated forth in Scripture (cf. 2 Pet. 1:3).  What He says on the matter is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  Accept no substitutes for this!

Neal Pollard

To Pause And Ponder Takes No Time

Yet It Changes Our Frame Of Reference.

Considering All Your Bounty Sublime

We Are Full Of Awe And Deference.

Thank You, God, For All Your Gifts

Each Day You Pour On Our Heads

Your Oil Of Favor. Our Spirit Lifts

Full Gratitude For All Your Loving Hand Sheds.

Our Very Minds, So Full And Keen

Testify Of Your Power And Grace

Our Hearts, Our Hands, Prove You Have Been

So Mindful Of Your Weak And Fallen Race.

We Lift That Mental Eye To Calvary

And See Your Son Hung On A Cross

With Tear-Filled Eyes, Your Greatest Gift We See

How Much We Gained By What He Lost.

Wherever And However We Look At Life

We See How Blessed You’ve Made Us All

Indebted, Through Victory Or Struggle And Strife

We Thank Your Blessings, Both Big And Small.

Neal Pollard

Most of us could have a little more financial security.  Most of us are not driving the car of our dreams, living in the house of our dreams, or going on the vacation of our dreams.  We have relationship problems, work-related problems, health problems, and miscellaneous problems.  We’ve been hurt, disappointed, betrayed, and mistreated. We stress, worry, and fret about our country, children, parents, job, past, present, and future.  It’s not heaven here, so there is plenty that is lacking if we’re looking.

But, what do you have? People can complain under the most ideal circumstances.  It takes no talent or self-discipline.  James reminds us where every good and perfect gift originates (1:17).  Jesus says our gifts can be “running over” (Lk. 6:38), and how often they are!

Do you have breath today?  Do you have eyes to see God’s beauty?  Do you have the blessing of hearing, able to detect laughter and chatter?  Do you have warmth from the cold, food for the stomach, refreshing water or even coffee or tea?  Do you have family around or near, if only in your heart? Do you have friends you can count on when you need them? Do you have those to love and those who love you? Do you have sunlight and stars? Do you have a great many conveniences that billions around the world would deem luxuries (like this computer)? Do you have a stove, refrigerator, microwave, toaster, blender, table, chairs, bed, couch, and running water?  Do you have the wherewithal to take a hot shower? Do you have a toothbrush? Do you have transportation to get where you need (or want) to be, right at your disposal?  Do you have music appreciation? Do you have pleasant memories? Do you have a bed upon which to lie each night? Do you have public services–police, fire and rescue, hospitals and doctors? Do you have freedom of choice and freedom from persecution?  Do you have a church home? Do you have a God of infinite power and care, a Spirit who guided men to reveal God’s perfect and complete written will, and a Savior who loved you enough to give up His life for you?

If you do, and many of you do, you have a head-start on counting your blessings.  If you concentrate, you can easily quadruple the list above in nearly no time at all.  Perhaps we all need to practice more grateful thinking and remember what all we do have!