Author: preacherpollard

Neal Pollard

The boys and I went shopping for Kathy last night.  She was singing at a nursing home with the Monday night Ladies Bible class, and we decided it was the perfect night to stock up on Christmas gifts for her.  We went to the mall and parked in front of one of the stores (can’t say which one because that’s where we bought present number one).  I asked Carl, our youngest son, to hold the bag containing that gift.  We proceeded to go in and out of several stores.  The bag from the next store where we purchased Mom a gift was held by Gary, our oldest.  Then, we went into another store later and Dale (middle son) and I each had to hold a bag from there.  We went into Sears, where I bought coffee filters.  Carl, exhausted by now, sat in a chair to rest.  We then proceeded to another store to stop, get help from an employee, and look for an item.  Then, we finally made it back through the first store and out to the car.  As we were loading our bags into the back, I asked Carl where his bag was.  His eyes got big and his mouth didn’t move.  I knew the answer!  He had laid it down and carelessly walked off without it!  How irresponsible!  What are we going to do?  Surely somebody has stolen it by now.  Let’s hurry back. I was in a hurry and admittedly unhappy with Carl’s lapse in judgment.  We rushed into the store where we had stopped to ask for help a few minutes before.  We went back to the part of the store we were directed to search for the item we were looking for.  The bag was not there.  We then went back to Sears, talked to HR, LP, and some other agency whose initials I don’t remember.  I was giving Carl the silent treatment, the disappointed parent look, and the “what are we going to do” attitude.  No sign of the bag in Sears.  Well, we decided to cut back to the car through the store we had been in before Sears.  Gary saw the bag, still sitting at the counter where we had asked for help the first time.  It had been 11 minutes since we stood at the trunk.  I know, because I was keeping up with it.  Crisis over.  Dilemma solved.  Bag in hand, then in trunk.  Time to breathe deeply and heave a sigh of relief.  Sort of.

Yes, I tried to recover the situation.  I put my arm around him and smiled.  He was relieved that we found the bag and understood that it was a mistake on his part.  But, what about my initial reaction?  I could not shake that as I replayed it in my mind.  I did not shout, but I overreacted.  Should I have gotten sullen or impatient?  Even if we had never found the (fairly expensive) gift, so what?  I had the opportunity to teach that finding a bag is not as big a deal as it is to keep shining your light when an unfavorable wind blows your way.

Do you know when I find it easy to be patient?  When it’s easy to be patient.  When is it hardest to be patient?  When patience is most tried.  When we do need to show the most patient?  When it is hardest to be patient!  How humbling and shameful it is to fail when put to the test.  My failure was larger than Carl’s.  I told him so.  Since you know, I’ve told you, too.  Hopefully, this is a reminder to be patient especially when it is not second nature to do so.

Neal Pollard

The word “self-righteous” does not appear in scripture.  The dictionary defines the word as “filled with a conviction of being morally superior to others; smugly virtuous.”  That attitude is certainly found and discussed in scripture.  Jesus told a parable “to some who  trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt” (Luke 18:9; the NIV has “confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else”).  In Luke 16, Jesus tells the Pharisees, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men” (15).  Much of what Jesus says in Matthew 23 is devoted to confronting the scribes and Pharisees’ feelings of moral superiority.

There are some common traits among the self-righteous.  It is not a question of one’s sincerity or conviction, but of how one behaves under the guise of either.  None of us should want to fall into the category of the self-righteous.

First, the self-righteous often see others’ failings, but not their own.  Such a one could fill a book with what the other one is doing wrong, but spend very little time in meaningful self-examination (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5).  Self-righteousness can display itself in constant criticism or hypercriticism of others.  It is easier to pick apart the actions of others than to be self-aware.  Yet, reminding ourselves that all sin will add humility to the way we handle their perceived faults and flaws.

Also, self-righteousness is not true righteousness.  There is a big difference.  True righteousness can be classified with goodness and truth (Eph. 5:9), but self-righteousness is neither good nor true.  True righteousness is coupled with peace and joy, but self-righteousness works against both (Rom. 14:17).  True righteousness can be mentioned in the same breath with self-control (Acts 24:25), but self-righteousness is often devoid of it.  That is the irony of self-righteousness.  It really is not righteous at all.

Further, self-righteousness is often  a product of pride.  Such is often a byproduct of one elevating his or her judgments, opinions, and feelings to the level of law.  One’s own preference can become what all should do.  One’s conviction can become the best or the only way.  If we are not careful, conviction and preference can become self-righteousness.

God wants His people righteous.  There is too much worldliness and embracing of sin among even children of God.  This is unrighteousness and no one should aspire to that.  Yet, let us be careful to place our trust in God’s rather than our own righteousness.

I love the Lord’s Day!  Growing up in the church and in a preaching family, my longest and fondest memories often center around something Sunday.  Not all of them were spiritually-related.  I think of mom’s pot roast and mashed potatoes or visiting with a family from church.  I remember watching football games between services or going out to play in the warmth and sunshine of south Georgia.   But, certainly, many of these great Sunday memories center around the joys of worship and seeing the people of God.  No doubt, I took way too much for granted about those special times, but they remain a treasure I will keep with me until I die.

That specialness that is associated with the first day of the week has deepened and expanded in the nearly 20 years since I began preaching regularly on Sundays.  I remember traveling to Glennville, Jesup, and Brunswick, Georgia, my Senior year, preaching at tiny congregations usually comprised of the elderly.  While a student at Faulkner, I remember going several places, Troy, Bay Minette, Jasper, Millbrook, Mobile, Mountain Home, and others, and preaching to fine, sometimes country, sometimes sophisticated, people.  In the summers, I would travel to small congregations in north Georgia or across the line in North Carolina.  I stockpiled memories of meals, life stories, labors and sacrifices brethren made for the Kingdom, funny experiences, and being encouraged to fill my Sundays with a lifetime of preaching the gospel.

I took the preaching job in Livingston, Alabama, on the first Wednesday of 1992.  Kathy and I married in May and my first Sunday as a full-time preacher was May 31st.  I cannot remember much specifically about that day, but Sunday was the most special day of our week together as newlyweds–starting our own family traditions and building memories with members together.  Then, as sons starting coming along, Sundays grew into special times for all of us.  Through twelve delightful years in Virginia, we amassed an armload of memories that included baptisms, restorations, fellowship, and general joy.  Each day the boys grow older and have long since reached an age where they will remember Sundays in our home and with our church families.  These special Colorado Sundays make me smile and send a warmth into my heart that is equal parts excitement, contentment, gratitude, and awe.  This morning I will enjoy a weekly family reunion, meet new people whose common tie is that they made the decision to come worship God, and enjoy all the mysteries and the anticipated moments this unique day holds.

The primary focus of this day is the honor of worshipping our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, which we get to do with the others made whole through our Savior.  That, alone, is enough to make me love the Lord’s Day.  But, true to His unmatched goodness, God gives us a bountiful basket of other blessings we can pick from and hold onto throughout the rest of the week!  I love the Lord’s Day!!!

Neal Pollard

There are magazines and media outlets that come up with the most attractive men and women on the planet.  Beauty contests, the Junior Miss, Ms. America, and Ms. Universe pageants, are seeking the most attractive people.  There is a reality show trying to find the next supermodel.  In an image-conscious world, people have their idea about what beauty and attractiveness are.  Yet, the Bible says that humility makes one beautiful.

The Humble Look Wealthy (Ps. 37:11). Wealth and glamor are seen as hand in hand by the world, but this is not the kind of wealth the worldly would recognize.  David speaks of the humble “inheriting the land” in much the same way Jesus says “the meek shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5).  The contrast of the Psalm is between evil-doers who trust in themselves and the righteous who are dependent upon God.  Those who rely on God put their trust in the One who has it all.

The Humble Look Well-Preserved (Ps. 76:9). The good news is that no face lifts or cosmetics are needed for this well-preserved look. The Psalmist exalted at the fact that God will save the humble.  Here, the writer speaks of salvation from a physical calamity.  Scripture repeatedly demonstrates humility as a precursor to salvation.

The Humble Look Like Jesus (Matt. 11:29). It seems that Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be plain and ordinary in physical appearance (Isa. 53:2), but no one in all the histories of men is more attractive than Jesus in all the ways that count. Jesus says “I am humble.”  When we come to Him and imitate Him, we will look like Him.

The Humble Look Childlike (Matt. 18:4).  Everyone wants to look younger.  Spiritually, Jesus says we must humble ourselves like a child to enter the kingdom.  Children in their innocence have the attractive qualities of trust, forgiveness, and gentleness.  Those who humble themselves like a little child bear the same marks.

The Humble Look Well-Placed (Jas. 1:9). It takes no corruption or “knowing somebody” for the humble to look “well-placed.”  The Bible says that God gives a promotion to the one who humbles himself.

The Humble Look Graceful (Jas. 4:6). Thankfully, that is not the same as coordinated and adroit.  Simply, God gives grace to the humble just as He resists the proud.

The Humble Look Well-Clothed (1 Pet. 5:5). You do not have to wear the latest fashions or make the cover of GQ.  Humility is the clothing and it perfectly coordinates with anything in a spiritually mature “wardrobe.”

As we contribute our share of money to the billions spent on improving our physical appearance, let us spend more time on the “inward man.”  Let us watch and care about our appearance–spiritually!  It will make us more attractive to the sensible and spiritual around us, but most importantly it will make us attractive to God!