Category: dependency

“Udderly” Dependent!

“When things go well, I almost get to the point where I get complacent and maybe a bit overconfident. When things don’t go so well, I remember how dependent I am upon God and others.” That’s true of more than milking a cow.

Neal Pollard

In only my second winter as a “dairy farmer” (a term used only in the loosest sense), I forgot some of the hard fought lessons of the first winter. Most of them center around how to keep a milk machine working when temperatures plunge below freezing. I will not begin to try and explain (as if I fully understood) how the vacuum pump and hoses work, but I do know that water and ice are enemies of suction and pumping. A freshened cow needs to be milked about every twelve hours, and the alternative to a machine is the old-fashioned way (by hand). That is not my first choice.

This past weekend, I had some trying moments doing what I could to figure out the problem(s) in the milking machine. Prayer, troubleshooting, help from my son Gary, and consulting Jeremy Waddell all were key factors in keeping my sanity and keeping me from selling Peaches! When things go well, I almost get to the point where I get complacent and maybe a bit overconfident. When things don’t go so well, I remember how dependent I am upon God and others. It keeps me from taking milking and the milk for granted.

If I am honest, this mirrors life in general. The past teaches me lessons which, if learned, prepares me for present and future trials. If I fail to internalize that education, I am sure to falter in similar circumstances. Have you ever forgotten a valuable lesson from the past, only to remember it when repeating a mistake, sin, or lapse in judgment? Peter illustrates this graphically with a dog and a pig in 2 Peter 2:20-22!

Sometimes, the lapses in my prayer life parallel times of prosperity, ease, and happiness. Complacency can easily set in when life is good. I may forget my need of God when I’m healthy, thriving, and enjoying His good and perfect gifts (cf. Jas. 1:17). I should not need crises and difficulties to drive me to my knees in His presence. We are taught by example (Acts 1:14) and exhortation (Rom. 12:12) to be devoted to prayer! That devotion suggests intense effort, even in difficult circumstances.

How easy it is to try and do life without asking for others’ help. We’ve seen people take advantage of others and be overly dependent, but we should guard against pride. It could be that we don’t want to appear weak or somehow less than. Paul needed Epaphroditus (Ph. 2:25). Jesus depended on the support of the women in Luke 8:1-3.

The last few times milking have been back to normal, uneventful in that blissful way it has so often come to be. As I type, I cannot imagine forgetting again! But I have forgotten before. May I not forget my need of God and His people, especially in matters that affect my spiritual life!

Turning To God In Ups And Downs

Caden Hammer

In our Christian walk, we will have high moments and low moments. And learning to persevere through those low moments will get more and more important as we go through life.

I think it’s important to remember that even through difficulties, God is still with us and working in our lives. Roman’s 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

When we are unsure of our situation or facing unknowns in life, we know that God already knows, sees what we don’t see, and already has it all figured out.

When we face these low points in life, it’s important to rely on God and his unchanging truths.

Verses like James 1:12, which says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Also 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, which says, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

So when we are faced with discouragement, we have to lean into our faith, hope, and trust in God. But our ability to have that to fall back on is dependent on us doing the work in the good times, of building our faith and building our trust. If you wait until your low times, it’s too late.

So what are the things that we can do to build our faith and trust in God?
Making sure that you have good habits already is very important. Good Bible study habits, prayer habits, and good disciplines.


Also look for how God answers our prayers or the prayers of others.
‭‭Witnessing how other people cope with their own difficult situations helps us.
Another way is looking back on ways that God has taken care of you in other times in your life.

Through the rest of our lives we will be faced with a lot of ups and downs, and God wants to be there for us and to carry us through. But we have to do our part in seeking him.

THE BEGGING MAN WHO KNEW HE NEEDED JESUS

Monday’s Column: Neal At The Cross

Neal Pollard

One of the most intriguing people in all the gospels, to me, is the beggar sitting by the road near Jericho. Mark 10:46 tells us that the man’s name is Bartimaeus. Matthew tells us that there is another man sitting with him, and that man’s name is not given (20:30). This man was shameless in a good way, persistent despite the crowd sternly discouraging him (39). I wonder if there is a more pathetic person disclosed to us in the Bible (maybe Lazarus back in Luke 16). He is needy in at least five ways, according to Luke 18:35-43:

  • He’s physically impaired (35)–“a blind man”
  • He’s economically disadvantaged (35)–“by the road begging”
  • He’s socially outcast (39)–He’s not depicted as a respected member of society, but one to be corrected by the others
  • He’s emotionally distraught (38-41)–Begging for mercy and longing for sight
  • He’s spiritually incomplete (42)–When Jesus heals him, He tells the man, “Your faith has saved you.”

I love how the man is so stripped of his dignity, power, and resources that he boldly pleads for Jesus’ help. It may seem strange, but all of us need to get to that place if we will receive what only He can give. He wanted His mercy. When he received it, look at the response. He “began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God” (43). Don’t you want your submissive, obedient life to be a drawing card for others to see their need of God and to glorify Him? God really shows His power when He takes the lowliest and transforms them by what He does with and through them. That’s why I love this account.

 

“I Don’t Feel Good Enough”

Neal Pollard

How many times have you said that? You may project an air of confidence that would make it hard for anyone to think you felt that way or you may wear it on your sleeves. But, if honesty prevails, we’d all confess to wrestling with that thought. Daily! With Paul, facing the scope of our challenge, we exclaim, “And who is adequate for these things?” (2 Cor. 2:16). BDAG informs us that “adequate” means “sufficient in degree…large enough; pertaining to meeting a standard, fit…competent, qualified, able” (472). As Paul’s words are in the context of ministry, conscientious preachers who read that statement really get it. We’re fragile pottery entrusted with a perfect, eternal, and divine message (2 Cor. 4:7).  Oh, how we feel our own humanity as we preach the mind of God to others struggling with their humanity. We know our every weakness better than anyone else does.

Yet, the struggle I mention is not just the preacher’s burden. The best Christians I know live each day fully aware of their inadequacies and insecurities. No matter how many good works they do, how faithful in attendance and duty they are, or how actively they seek opportunities to serve God, they struggle at times. May I suggest that this is one of the biggest blessings of living the Christian life. No, we don’t want to live in a shroud of guilt. Not at all! But, consider what happens when we acknowledge our glaring insufficiencies.  We can see our utter dependency on God that much better.

Could Moses have really led the Israelites for 40 years on his own ingenuity and oratory? Could Jeremiah have really faced his audience on his own temerity? Could a renewed Peter have really preached that Pentecost sermon to Jesus’ killers on the merits of his own homiletic greatness? Could Paul have really transformed the first-century world on the foundation of his cosmopolitan experience and top-notch education from Gamaliel University?

Repeatedly, throughout His ministry, Jesus decries the Pharisaical tendency of trusting in self (Luke 16:5; 18:9). Ultimately, it’s a farce anyway. I may struggle with different weaknesses than you, but I still struggle. While that is never an excuse to give up and indulge in sin (cf. Rom. 6:1-2), it is a great, daily starting place to appreciate our need of God’s favor and friendship. We are not going to make it through this world on our own merits. As the beautiful old song suggests, “I need Thee, oh, I need Thee, every hour I need Thee….”

Here’s the beautiful thing that happens when we recognize our shortcomings and inabilities. We become an empty vessel that God can fill to accomplish His work. God will open doors of opportunity for us to do, by His might, what we could never have hoped to do without Him. Whether doors of service (teacher, elder, preacher, deacon, etc.), lives of holiness, or works of obedience, we will live in amazement of His power. Or, as Paul put it, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever” (Eph. 3:20-21). Take heart, Christian! You’re not doing this alone. You can’t! But, what can God not do? That thought is exciting and thrilling. With that in mind, no mountain is too formidable. He’s got this!

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