Category: strength

Christian, Strengthen Your Heart

Carl Pollard

“You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” James 5:8 

The heart has been a topic that James has mentioned several times in his letter. 

  • 1:26 We can deceive our hearts
  • 3:14 We can fill our hearts with “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.” 
  • 4:8 We are called to “purify our hearts” 
  • 5:5 Self-indulgence can fatten our hearts for the day of slaughter

But now in contrast, James tells us to strengthen our hearts. He’s not telling us to start a cardio regimen, eat cheerios and take CoQ10. The heart is the center of our thinking. It is what influences our actions. 

When we strengthen our center of thinking, there is a direct correlation to what we will focus on in this life. 

What should be our focus? The coming of the Lord! James tells them that this day was near. Not that the end of the world was at hand, but that through death, the suffering Christian’s he is writing to would be standing before the throne of God very soon. 

This gives us a glimpse into the extent of their suffering. They were so mistreated that they were at the point of death. Rather than worry about self-preservation, think about where you will be the moment you pass from this life. 

We are told that our life is a vapor (James 4:14), here one minute and gone the next. So don’t get so focused on the suffering that you face to the detriment of your soul. If we lose focus on the eternal, what’s the point of prolonging the temporal? 

These poor Christians would have been tempted to do anything they could to take care of their families. James says in verse 9, “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.”

If you make plans to go over to a friend’s house, your journey begins at home, you get in your car, drive the route, arrive at their home, get out of your car, and go to the door. Entering through the door is the last step before you are in their home. That the Judge is standing right at the door paints the picture that our judgment is right in front of us. Judgment is near, our life is a vapor. Don’t do something in this life that will put you in the same boat as the unrighteous. 

James began his letter with a statement on suffering, and he ends by talking about trials. Suffering can produce endurance (1:2). Suffering can also give us a stronger heart. As Christians in the 21st century we might be tempted to act as though judgment is far off in the future. 

Does the thought of Christ coming back in 30 seconds scare you? If we knew for certain that Christ was coming back in 30 seconds, what would you be thinking?

…Do you feel relieved that it didn’t happen? If so, why? Are you disappointed? The coming of the Lord is near for each one of us. At any moment we could be standing before God. We should live with this thought in mind every day. 

For those who have strengthened their hearts there will be a reward beyond comprehension. When suffering comes, strengthen your heart.

Macaroni And Ketchup

Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary Pollard

For the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing passages that help me in some way. Our faith is a lifelong work-in- progress. It can be high maintenance. The Bible helps us maintain a healthy faith in any circumstance. It counsels us, convicts us, excites us, scares us, and gives us hope for a perfect future.

I once thought I was the only person who liked ketchup on macaroni. Turns out, there’re like four other people on earth who like it, too. Finding out that we aren’t alone in something is super cool!

Maybe we’ve thought, “Man, I don’t know if other Christians struggle as much as I do.” I’ve used these passages in an article before, but they’re very powerful. We aren’t alone in our struggles!

“So I have learned this rule: when I want to do good, evil is there with me. In my mind I am happy with God’s law. But I see another law working in my body. That law makes war against the law that my mind accepts.

That other law working in my body is the law of sin, and that law makes me its prisoner. What a miserable person I am! Who will save me from this body that brings me death?

I thank God for his salvation through Jesus Christ our lord! So in my mind I am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful self I am a slave to the law of sin.

So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty. That is because in Christ Jesus the law of the spirit that brings life made you free” (Rom 7.21-8.2).

“Weak, Foolish, And Afraid” 

Monday’s Column: Neal At The Cross

pollard

Neal Pollard

It’s hard to miss the unique tone of 2 Corinthians, a letter full of self-disclosure  and self-defense and written in such an intimate way. Paul’s apostleship has been questioned and his extensive work with the Corinthians undermined. But, he was willing to “spend and be spent” for them (12:15). A man who has given so much for the cause of Christ chooses not to boast, but to humble himself in an effort to persuade and encourage these brethren in their spiritual progress.

WEAKNESS (12:7-10)

Due to the “surpassing greatness of the revelations” (7) Paul had received (1-6), he was given a “thorn in the flesh.” It’s useless to speculate about what this specific “thorn” was–poor eyesight, physical pain from being stoned at Lystra, some unspecified temptation, etc. Perhaps it is better for us, not knowing exactly what it was, since many of us as Christians may have to wrestle a thorn in our own flesh. It’s interesting to note how Paul describes it: “humbling” (to keep me from exalting myself), “Satanic” (a messenger of Satan), “tormenting,” “persistent” (8), “perfecting” (9), and “empowering” (10). Is there some physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual struggle in your life that you might describe in some or all of these ways? Perhaps we’re quick to identify the negative aspects, but what about the potential positives that can come out of it? It can perfect and empower us to live a better Christian life and make us content with reverses suffered “for Christ’s sake” and say, with Paul, “when I am weak, then I am strong” (10). 

FOLLY (12:11-19)

Paul returns to a theme he has touched on several times throughout the letter (5:13; 11:16-19; 12:6). He resorted to defending his motives, position, decisions, and authority against the aforementioned charges. But, Paul points out that this was more for their “upbuilding” than for his own defense (19). He’s not some insecure preacher or missionary whose feelings have been hurt by some perceived slight; he’s fighting for the hearts and souls of relatively new Christians influenced by the culture and false teachers. He wants them to understand that neither he or his co-workers, like Titus, have taken advantage of them. They have loved and served the Corinthians, willing to bear insults, condescension, and rejection in order to help them be saved. As preaching is called “foolishness” (1 Cor. 1:21), those who preach and teach it must be willing to be thought fools for Christ. 

FEAR (12:20-21)

It’s hard to find a man more courageous than Paul. What did he fear? First, he feared failure. The time and the teaching he had done would be wasted, if they were given over to “strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances” (20). Read through the two letters Paul wrote to them and notice how he addresses all these matters. Second, he feared emotional trauma (21). His mourning over their past sins would be compounded if they had not repented. Neither of these fears was irrational. Have you ever invested a lot of time, energy, and emotion into someone only to see them teetering on the ledge of apostasy and unfaithfulness? 

God wants and needs faithful Christians who care about the church. He needs us to fully invest ourselves, to “spend and be spent” for others. The great news (and Paul not only understood this; He wrote about it) is that God gives strength for our weakness, wisdom for our folly, and courage for our fear. He will help pull us out of such figurative valleys as we hold onto His capable hands. Let us do our part and devote ourselves to one another. 

Tap Root

Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog

IMG_0806
Carl Pollard
There’s a tree in the Sonoran Desert called the Mesquite. This is a very hardy, drought-tolerant tree. It survives the harsh climate by drawing water up from the water table through its taproot. This root has been measured to reach upwards of 190 feet long.
 
How does a desert tree with a tap root apply to us? In Colossians 2:6, 7 there is a command to walk in Christ. How do we walk in Christ? Paul through inspiration explains that the one who walks in Christ is:
 
  • Firmly rooted
  • Built up in Him
  • Established in faith
  • Overflowing with gratitude, and
  • Rejects False Doctrine
Being firmly rooted (I’m talking a super-long taproot) in what you believe is an important part of how to walk in Christ. How would we know how to walk in Christ if we didn’t believe in what we…believe?
 
Being built up in Christ, is like finishing a building that already has a foundation. If we are firmly rooted, then we must continue to build. It’s like buying a night at a hotel, and trying to stay a week. You can’t do that. We either keep paying the fee, or we’re kicked out. Or, applying it to Colossians two, keep studying and growing closer to Christ.
 
Being established in faith, we have the faith that the sacrifice of Jesus will keep us holy and blameless before God.
 
Overflowing with gratitude is a very important part of this. There is a saying that goes, “Some Christians don’t want to pray in the cafe. Dogs wag their tails when they get food, and pigs grunt. But what does man do?” Are we showing gratitude for what God has done for us? Can people see it in us?
 
Making sure no one takes you captive with false doctrine can be very hard. 2 Peter 3:17 warns, “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness.” False doctrines can be tempting because they appeal to what we want, and not what God wants. Rejecting these teachings takes a knowledge of the word, and a desire to do what God wills.
 
Today and every day, let’s practice walking in Christ using these principles from God’s inspired word.

“I Will Survive” 

Friday’s Column: Brent’s Biblical Bytes

81121814_2462862270639428_5746232403106463744_n

Brent Pollard

Gloria Gaynor rose to fame in the late 1970s with her B-side recording of “I Will Survive.” Yes, that is correct. Gaynor secured her musical legacy with a song added as filler. The A-side recording was a cover of the Righteous Brothers’ song, “Substitute.” Yet, who other than an ardent fan even recalls Gaynor’s cover? Rolling Stone magazine included “I Will Survive” in their “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2004. In 2016, the Library of Congress added the song to its National Recording Registry to ensure its preservation. I do not mean to diminish the rest of Gaynor’s career, but it is doubtful that her name would be long remembered without her disco anthem.   

The Apostle Paul says something like “I will survive” in Philippians 4.13. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (NASB) I realize that this is an oft-abused Scripture. For example, athletes cite it after achieving a difficult win.  We likewise note aspiring Don Quixotes quoting it to rationalize their efforts to obtain their impossible dream. As with many Scriptures, however, the context clues us in on the meaning. The Apostle Paul wasn’t supplying us with a handy aphorism to pull out when needing to boost troop morale. He was letting us know how to survive any and everything. Note the preceding verses where Paul tells the Macedonians that he has learned how to get by with surplus or shortage. In the proceeding verses, Paul tells the Philippians that were a part of God’s Providence that enabled him to do “all things” since they provided financial support.   

So, is God promising us in Philippians 4.13 that we can do whatever it is that we have set our hearts to do? Of course not. But God is letting us know that He has our back. We can count on Him and His Providence. We might wear thrift store clothing and supplement our groceries with Dollar Tree items, but God will provide our needs in keeping with His promise (cf. Matthew 6.33).  Hence, we can move forward with boldness as we do the Father’s Will. We can survive, whether that be with little or much. That is a beautiful message to lean on as we face the uncertainty of this world.   

As I travel US 129 in White and Hall Counties, I note handmade signs that have popped up along the shoulders of the road, presumably in the wake of COVID-19. The placards state, “We will be OK.” I appreciate those signs. They speak to us truthfully whether we are talking about pandemics or uncertain election results. Because of God, we will survive. We might even say that we will do more than survive. We will thrive!      

Sources Cited 

“I Will Survive.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Nov. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Will_Survive. 

 

Do You Focus On Your Strengths Or Weaknesses?

Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary III

Gary Pollard

My wife, my parents, and I took a personality test tonight just for kicks. It was a simplified test, nothing too in-depth, but was very entertaining and insightful. There were two sections to the test: one with a row of strengths under four different personalities and another with a row of weaknesses for those same personality types. 

For all of us, it took quite a while to complete the strengths sections; it took probably less than a minute to complete the weaknesses section. It’s a lot easier to readily admit and focus on our flaws and faults than it is to honestly acknowledge our strengths. 

Maybe it’s because we’re hesitant to praise ourselves (this isn’t always a bad thing, but we tend to overdo it). Maybe it’s because it’s easier to see our glaring weaknesses than our helpful strengths. Weaknesses usually sound something like, “I am… ” or, “I have…” or, “I can’t…” or, “I’m not…” followed by a negative attribute. 

Focusing on our weaknesses is detrimental for two primary reasons. 

First, focusing on weakness restricts growth. Even when pointing out some major issues with the church at Philippi, Paul lays on the praise heavily before exposing flaws. When he wrote to Timothy to rebuke him (II Timothy) he made sure to point out his strengths, too. We have to be balanced as we look to improve ourselves. We can acknowledge the presence of a weakness, but focusing on it will likely destroy any effort we make to grow past it. 

Secondly, focusing on our weaknesses can be selfish. We can place a disproportionate emphasis on ourselves when we criticize self or lean on weakness as a crutch/excuse. It can also be selfish because while we’re overanalyzing and criticizing ourselves, we can easily overlook growth opportunities. 

Strengths allow us to do for others. Focusing on what we can do and we are good at doing empowers us to help others. Obsessing over our weaknesses can make us too internally focused; capitalizing on our strong points allows us to focus more on other people. 

When we do a mental self-checkup to see where we can improve, let’s focus more on how we can use our strengths to help others and less on how flawed we are. Of course we’re flawed – but we can also do a lot of good for others and we have the blood of Jesus to keep us pure (I John 1.7). As a wise man once told me, “If you focus on your strengths, your weaknesses will take care of themselves.” 

nine_temperaments