Tag: obedience

The Giver Of Life

The Giver Of Life

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Carl Pollard

 There are some in the world who follow Christ for the wrong reasons. Perhaps they were told that everything in life would be perfect if they chose to follow Jesus. It is possible that they did it for their family and not out of their own conviction. Maybe they became a Christian to try and get some physical blessing out of it. 

To put our faith in action we are all motivated by something. If we aren’t careful, we can quickly lose motivation if it is based on the wrong ideas. For a few moments we are going to turn our attention to the cost of discipleship. As Christians, we are called to follow God, and not because our faith will come with certain perks. We follow Christ because He is the Son of the Living God. The truth of His resurrection compels us to put our faith in action. The many attributes of Christ compel us to trust in Him as Lord. He is worthy of our worship, our love, and our obedience. 

But even more, the beauty of the Gospel is that in trusting Jesus and acting out our faith, we find that He pours many blessings into our lives. This is not our motivation, but it is a side effect of faithfully following the Savior. I used to believe that it was wrong to think, “what’s in it for me.” 

We may even feel guilty for thinking this way. We do our best to put our faith in action and often we ask, “what’s the point?” 

This is NOT wrong. In fact, this is the definition of “counting the cost.” Luke 14:28, Jesus says, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” 

In this section, Jesus is teaching us to realize just how much it will cost us to become His follower. Faith in action is no easy task. Obeying the Son of God isn’t a walk in the park. There were several occasions where the people believed that Jesus’ teachings were too hard to obey. But that sacrifice is part of following the Son of God. Deny self, take up cross, follow Him. 

Those are difficult decisions to make. 

Jesus, in Luke 14, shows us the importance of fully understanding what it will cost us to follow Him. In this mental exercise, you measure the cost against what you stand to gain in following Jesus (hint, you’ll gain far more than what it cost you). As we think about the idea of counting the cost, there’s one of many reasons why Jesus is worth the Cost: Jesus Gives Life. 

In John 6, Jesus presents some very difficult teachings to the crowds. He is teaching in the synagogue in the city of Capernaum to a large group of Jews. These hard teachings from Jesus actually caused many followers to leave Jesus! Verse 60 says, “When His followers heard this many of them said, ‘this teaching is hard, who can accept it?’” 

How often do we respond like this? 

There’s more discussion, and Jesus knew this would happen. Finally, in verse 66, it says that after He said these things His followers left him and followed Him no more. 

After these people leave Him, He turns to His disciples and notice what He says: “Do you want to go away as well?’” (67).

Peter answers, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Peter’s response is profound. When faced with the question, “will you also leave?”, his response is “to whom shall we go?” This is a question we must all consider. Who would you be without Christ? Who could take the place of Savior in your life? Many have made the decision to let the world be their savior.

If Christ wasn’t in your life, who could you turn to? 

It is in the identity of Jesus that we find the main appeal of God’s Son. Jesus is God. Peter realized this powerful truth. Christ has the words of eternal life. This was all he needed to follow Jesus to the very end. 

If Jesus is God, His words are more than just words. His words are truth. His words open our eyes to the truth of eternity. Jesus is worth following; He is worthy of our faith, because He gives us eternal Life. 

Jesus gives us the option to follow or leave. But who would we turn to? He is the Son of God, His words give life. This powerful encouragement shows us that every word of Jesus pierces the depths of our souls and binds our lives in truth. This cannot be found anywhere else. Others can offer words of wisdom and words of truth, but Jesus alone gives the words that can be trusted for an eternity.

As we count the cost, we must keep in mind that Jesus gives everlasting life to those who put their faith in Him.

They Did Not Drive Out The Inhabitants

They Did Not Drive Out The Inhabitants

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Neal Pollard

The Lord delivered a dire warning to the people through Moses, saying, “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell” (Num. 33:55). Well, from mighty Judah to lowly Dan, Israel did not drive them out. The rest of the book of Judges reveals the consequences of this spiritual failure, which are first mentioned in Judges chapter one. 

Notice how the writer chronicles this.

  • It was a failure on the part of all the tribes and their territories (19, 21, 27. 29-31, 33). The statement is repeatedly made that they did not drive them out. Not even one tribe could claim they did what God told them to do. 
  • It caused Israel to live with the Canaanites in the land (21, 29-30, 32-33).  “Living among” the natives would cause the ways of the Canaanites to live inside of them. They would ultimately become guilty of as heinous and deplorable deeds as the natives ever did (read Moses’ dire warning about this in Deuteronomy 8 or Joshua’s dire warning about this in Joshua 23-24, for example). 
  • They did not drive out the people completely (28). I have heard it said that “partial obedience” equals “full disobedience.” In the end, either we have done what the Lord commanded or we have not. For national and spiritual purity to exist, God knew they had to totally eliminate the unrighteous beliefs and practices of the godless natives. Israel failed in this task.
  • The Canaanites were more persistent than the Israelites (27,35). Manasseh was tasked with clearing out five villages and their inhabitants, and they failed in each task. Why? “The Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.” The “world” was more tenacious in their work than God’s people. 
  • They compromised (30,33,35). The divine instructions called for complete annihilation. But, when the Israelites faced resistance or grew weary in their task, they chose an alternative to the Lord’s command. Instead of killing them, they subjected them to forced labor. They were planting the seeds that would produce the deadly crop of every man doing what was right in his own eyes (17:6; 21:25). 
  • They were even overcome by the Canaanites (34). In the pathetic case of Dan, the Amorites drove the Danites back into the hill country and “did not allow them to come down to the plain.” Instead, the Amorites persisted in dwelling in their territory. Only with the “house of Joseph” coming to their aid did Dan get to live in their allotted area.

Judges 1-2 are a recap of highlights in the second half of the book of Joshua. The primary focus of the book of Joshua is on the people’s obedience and the resulting blessings of possessing the promised land. The primary focus of the book of Judges is on the people’s disobedience and the resulting trouble that followed. This was the message of Moses, in preparing them to possess Canaan. He told them, “For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea. No one shall be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you. See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known” (Deut. 11:22-28). Ultimately, they chose the curse.

What is the take away for us under the law of Christ today? Our mission is to save the world, not destroy it (Mat. 28:19). We are to live in the world, but are not to be “of” the world (John 17:15). We are to be salt and light for them (Mat. 5:13-16), not to be conformed to them (Rom. 12:2). God wants us to enjoy every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3ff), but we labor under a potential curse (1 Co. 16:22; Gal. 1:6-9). We cannot live perfect lives, but we are expected to keep our hearts soft and submissive to the will of God. We must keep to our purpose and maintain our resolve to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:20-22). Let us strive to leave a legacy of obedience! 

From Judges To Kings

From Judges To Kings

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(TOP FIVE TAKEAWAYS)

Dale Pollard

God had established the Judges to rule Israel rather than a king which was typical for other nations during that period. God grants their request to have a king even though this kind of leadership was bound to fail. Despite the fact that God told them how they ought to govern themselves, the people caved to peer pressure from surrounding nations. God handed those free moral agents of Israel a shovel and they began to dig.

With that context in mind, here’s a portion of Samuel’s final words to a people who’ve just made a poor decision to reject God’s guidance. 

“Then Samuel called on the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.

19 The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”
I Samuel 12.18-25

TOP FIVE TAKEAWAYS 

  1. There’s a needed message for the church today. We should never let our previous sins hold us back from pressing forward. Samuel tells the children of Israel not to let the evil in their recent past keep them down— but he doesn’t pretend as if they hadn’t sinned against God. 
  2. There’s hope. Samuel tells the people that God is quick to forgive. He still is!
  3. There’s a reminder to be selfless in prayer. It’s interesting that Samuel says that his failure to pray for God’s people would be a sinful thing for him to do. 
  4. There’s a glimpse of God’s power. Samuel tells the people to fear the Lord AND remember what He’s done for them. God could have wiped them out. He clearly had the power as He demonstrated a portion of it over nature in the beginning of this section. 
  5. There’s a warning— motivated by love. It was true for the children of Israel and it’s true for us today. If we persist in doing evil, we will perish. 
What Does God Want From You? 

What Does God Want From You? 

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Carl Pollard

How do you know that what you are doing on a day to day basis is what God desires? 

Back in the late 1800s a bishop from his pulpit and in the periodical he edited said that man taking flight was both impossible and contrary to the will of God. But the irony was that Bishop Wright had two sons, Orville and Wilbur! Wright was wrong. Sure of himself, but wrong. 

So many claim to know the will of God, and yet how can we be certain? People have struggled with discerning the will of God since the beginning of time. 

Adam and Eve, Noah, Israel, and 2 thousand years of Christianity. David was able to recognize what God wanted in regards to Saul. He had many opportunities to overthrow Saul and become king, but he waited and did what God wanted of him. 

Have you ever been faced with a difficult decision, one that you were torn between, and wrestled over in your mind? We want to know what the right decision is. Maybe you even prayed that God would tell you which way to go. How do you make God-fearing decisions in your life? Sometimes God will shut a door and bolt it, but we will try and climb through a window. Other times God will give us multiple open doors and let us choose.

God expects us to follow His Will for us. So what does God expect of you as an individual in His Family? We have a hard time grasping this idea of God’s will and yet in the church you hear about it all the time. “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.” What does this mean? I’m not talking about the creek rising part, what DOES the Lord will? 

For us to comprehend this topic we need to look at what scripture defines as God’s will. Study it with the end goal of understanding what God expects from us. 

The will of God…this is a complex topic. We are talking about the mind of God. 

Mankind trying to explain this is like a rocking chair telling a carpenter how to be a human. It is, and forever will be a complex subject. That being said, scripture isn’t silent on this matter. There is no better source to go to in learning about God than His own words. Everything we know about the Creator was given to us by Him. He wants to be known, but we will only be able to know so much. 

In general it appears that in scripture God’s will is spoken of in two different ways. 

There are two different meanings to the will of God, and we need to know them and discern which will is spoken about in regards to our obedience. 

Ephesians 1:11 says, “In him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” The will of God in this passage is God’s sovereign plan of all that comes to pass. In fact, there are many other passages in the Bible that teach that God’s providence over the universe extends to the smallest details of nature and human decisions (Matthew 10:29, Proverbs 16:33). That’s the first meaning of the will of God: It is God’s sovereign control of all things. Some refer to this as His “sovereign will” or His “will of decree.” It cannot be broken. It always comes to pass.

There is a second way His will is defined in scripture…God’s Will of Command

This is His will in what He commands us to do. This is the will of God we can disobey and fail to do. This is the sovereign will we do whether we believe in it or not. (E.g. Pharisees, Herod). 

For example, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Not all do the will of his Father. “Not everyone will enter the kingdom of heaven.” Why? Because not all do the will of God.

Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality.” Here we have a very specific instance of what God commands us: holiness, sanctification, sexual purity. This is his will of command. 

But many do not obey.

What God expects of us is found in His will of command. He has revealed this to us in the New Testament. Our new agreement (covenant) with God is founded on our willingness to obey His commands. In doing so we can know that the blood of His Son cleanses us from all sin. 

Give To God What Is God’s

Give To God What Is God’s

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Michael King

Matthew 22:15-22 (ESV) says,

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

We often speak of this passage as an example of how the Pharisees tried and failed to trap Jesus in a religious question.  We also know we have a responsibility  to pay taxes that we owe.

But let’s focus on the last part of Jesus’ response, “…and to God the things that are God’s.”  What is God’s?  If we use the same test that is used in this passage of whose image is on something, what is God’s image on?  What do we owe God?

We don’t put an image of God on anything. “So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). God’s image is on us.  We are made in His likeness.  We are what is due Him.  So how do we give ourself to God?

What if we ask ourselves what’s the most important thing to do?  Let’s look at another time someone quizzed Jesus.  “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31).

Jesus gave two commands:  loving God and loving your neighbor.  This might sound like a test in school, “its just two questions” but then each has ten subparts and each answer is dependent on the previous.  These were two loaded commands.  This was an overview of the 10 commandments from Exodus 20.  The first four were about loving God and the last six were about loving your neighbor. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” I don’t mean for this to be a lesson about the Ten Commandments, but a reminder to love God completely. 

If you are not loving God as Jesus described…

If you are not loving the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…

Then now is the time.

Calling On The Name Of The Lord

Calling On The Name Of The Lord

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Carl Pollard

Growing up our parents had a hard time calling us. I’d be in the living room and dad would say, “Gary-Er Dale-I mean Carl!” This would happen almost every time they would call for us. I don’t think this is a problem unique to our family. This is a problem that almost every parent has, and I know that once our daughter is born I’ll get Rich and Amara mixed up. 

Similar to our parents calling for us, there’s a phrase used in scripture that sounds almost identical. In various texts throughout scripture you’ll come across the phrase, “call on the name of the Lord.” There’s a lot of confusion surrounding this phrase, so let’s take a few moments to figure out what it means, and what it looks like to call on the name of the Lord. 

In Acts 2:21 Peter uses this phrase, but to get a better idea of the context and meaning we need to start in the book of Joel. In this short book there are a few important facts we need to recognize. Not much is said about Joel, but many believe that he ministered to those in Judah. In this prophecy to Israel He speaks of a plague of locusts and tells the people that it represented the coming day of the Lord.

These locust would bring complete and total destruction. The day of the Lord was a time greatly anticipated by Israel because they believed that God would then judge the nations and restore Israel to her former glory. But Joel says that God would punish not only the nations but unfaithful Israel as well. This day of the Lord was going to be like nothing they were expecting. Joel urges everyone to repent, and told of a day when God would “pour out [his] Spirit on all flesh” (2:28). That day arrived on Pentecost (Acts 2:17). In the middle of the book Joel arrives at the peak of his writing and in verse 32 he says this, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

Peter uses this exact quote In his sermon on the day of Pentecost. We read the same phrase in Romans 10:13 when Paul says, “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” We now know the origin of this phrase, but what does it mean? How do we call on the name of the Lord? Some believe that in order to be saved all you need to do is literally call out the Lords name. Others say that calling on the name of the Lord means praying a certain prayer in order to be saved.

In Acts 2, we can see an example of what it means to call on the name of the Lord.

It Requires a Proper Attitude. The Israelites thought that the Lord was theirs to control. They thought He would bend to their wills and wishes. They wanted the day of the Lord to be a day that would liberate Israel. And so they spun this phrase to fit their narrative, to the point that their meaning for the day of the Lord was the exact opposite of its true meaning. Joel and Peter clear up the air and explain who God really is. He’s not a gene, he’s not our puppet, He has a will of his own that we are to conform to. Calling on the name of the Lord requires a proper attitude. An attitude of submission to God and His will. An attitude of humility, recognizing our failures, and understanding Gods perfection. 

The Israelites had it all wrong, and sadly sometimes we are the same way. We want God to make us happy. To grant every request we bring to him. We go to Him in prayer with everything that is wrong in our lives and say, “Okay God, fix it.” If what we pray for doesn’t happen, we think God didn’t answer. God always answers us, but the answer is sometimes “no.” Jesus in the garden asked God to take away His responsibility of going to the cross, but He was still crucified. Paul asked God to remove the thorn in his flesh, and the answer was no. God knows just what we need, what is best for us in the long term. We should never treat prayer as a gene in a lamp. 

This is not what calling on the name of the Lord means. The Greek word for call is Kaleo, in this context it is the act of calling upon deity. The reason we call upon deity is because we understand our own imperfection. We need help seeing God’s will. Not our own like Israel did. 

Calling on the name of the Lord requires a proper attitude, one of humility and understanding. And now more than ever we need to call on the Lord in order to find salvation.

From Humility To Hubris: The Cautionary Tale of King Saul

From Humility To Hubris: The Cautionary Tale of King Saul

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Brent Pollard

From 1 Samuel 15.12–28, we observe the following. After erecting a monument to himself at Carmel, Saul met Samuel at Gilgal. Saul greeted Samuel and proclaimed he had done as God commanded. Given Saul was supposed to destroy the Amalekites, Samuel questioned why he could hear the bleating of sheep and the lowing of oxen. Saul justified his actions, stating that only the best livestock were spared for sacrifices while he had destroyed the rest.

Saul faced a stern rebuke from Samuel, who reminded him of his humble origins and God’s directive to annihilate the Amalekites. Samuel emphasized Saul’s disobedience in seizing the spoils, a direct violation of God’s command. Saul defended himself, insisting that he had obeyed God and completed his mission, shifting the blame onto the people for preserving the best livestock for sacrifices.

In response, Samuel delivered a profound message, declaring that obedience to God’s instructions outweighs the value of sacrifices. Saul’s insubordination and rebellion were exposed and equated with divination, a grave sin. Samuel announced that since Saul had rejected God’s word, God had reciprocated by rejecting Saul’s kingship.

Saul confessed his transgression and pleaded for mercy, admitting that he succumbed to public pressure out of fear. He begged Samuel for forgiveness and expressed his desire to worship God. However, in his refusal, Samuel asserted that because Saul had dismissed God’s word, God had rescinded Saul’s kingship. As Samuel left, Saul desperately grabbed at his robe, tearing it. According to Samuel, this symbolized God stripping Saul of his kingship in favor of a more deserving ruler.

The narrative of King Saul, serving as a potent cautionary tale about pride and disobedience, hinges on two pivotal events in the books of Samuel. Samuel credits Saul’s humble beginnings with his initial rise to kingship (v. 17). 1 Samuel 15.17–19 records Samuel’s critical observations, hinting at a drastic character shift with grave repercussions. Samuel’s inquiries into Saul’s behavior, which underscore his failure to carry out God’s command to exterminate the Amalekites, highlight a drastic deviation from obedience and the principles that initially defined his character.

In 1 Samuel 13.8–14, we encounter the first instance reflecting Saul’s shifting attitude. In haste, he performs the sacrifice, a task designated for priests. This incident glaringly showcases Saul’s audacious belief that he could usurp responsibilities not assigned to him and his flagrant disregard for God’s laws and timing. This choice sets a precedent for Saul’s subsequent disobedience, eventually losing his kingship and favor with God.

The second occurrence in 1 Samuel 15 provides deeper insight into Saul’s transformation. Saul brazenly disregards God’s command, sparing King Agag and the choicest livestock. His rationale that He intends to use the animals for sacrifice underscores his presumption that his judgment surpasses God’s. This act of rebellion exhibits Saul’s tendency to place his will before God’s and to rationalize his wrongdoings. These actions further strain his already deteriorating relationship with God.In conclusion, the story of King Saul serves as a potent reminder of the dangers of misusing power. While Saul’s story begins with him as a reluctant leader who exhibits humility, his rise to power ultimately results in his fall. The Bible does not inherently vilify power, but its misuse, as manifested in Saul’s arrogance and disobedience, is sternly critiqued. His downfall offers a stark lesson in humility, obedience, and the responsible use of power, contrasting his actions with those of subsequent faithful kings. The story’s moral underscores the need for humility, obedience, and respect for the law, regardless of one’s position of power. It teaches that no one should consider themselves above God’s laws that He has entrusted them to uphold. 

The Blessed

The Blessed

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Dale Pollard

The Ancient Greek word for “blessed” (makarious) means to be fortunate, happy, and well off. It occurs nearly fifty times in our New Testament and in a wide range of contexts. The most well known location is perhaps the many times it’s used in the Sermon on the Mount beginning in Matthew five. Here we find the poor in spirit who are blessed. The mourners, meek, righteous, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted, and several others that are all described as blessed. There’s another location where we find the word used and the implications of its textual application are exciting.

 In Luke 11:28-29 a seemingly random woman shouts from the crowd, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you!” The timing of this statement might take the modern reader off guard. Jesus had been teaching on demonic possession. Was it the way He spoke of the spiritual realm? What made this woman make such a declaration at that moment? Perhaps it was a combination of what she had heard about Jesus, coupled with the authority He taught with. The Lord’s response is also interesting. He doesn’t disrespect His mother, but He redirects her praise upwards by saying, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” 

There’s a progression in the maturity of the blessed Christian when it comes to God’s Word. It begins as a burden. God’s Word guides us to give up and reshape our lives in ways that can be painful. The blessed Christian who continues in the Word then feels a burden of responsibility. Notice, Jesus says that the happiness occurs once one hears and then acts in obedience. Hearing has never been enough, it’s always been the case that doing and living the Words has been the key. Those that hear and don’t act, aren’t happy. Those that act in robotic or ritualistic fashion, aren’t happy. Those that understand and live out what God has said find happiness. Happiness is in the light and the blessed are happy to be recipients of grace and salvation. 

How Real Is God To You?

How Real Is God To You?

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Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog 

When I was younger I used to lay in bed at night and try to imagine what God looked like. I would try to put a face to Him, I’d wonder what He was doing, and I would ask myself if God knew that I was thinking about Him. I still ask those same questions to this day. It is likely that most, if not all of you, who are reading this article believe that there is a God and that He can see and hear all that we say. So the question I’d like us to ask ourselves in this article is this; since there is a God that has all power, why do we sometimes have difficulty following the commands that we find in the Bible? 

Jeremiah 10:12 says, “It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom; and by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.”

God has ALL power. There isn’t an area that He is lacking power in. He controls the weather, He created us, and as Jeremiah said, “He made this earth” and we are inhabitants of His world. As humans, we sometimes forget just how powerful God truly is. Since God has all power, shouldn’t we be following what the Creator of everything has told us to do? In seven days He thought of everything we see around us. 

Did you know that no one has ever had an original thought? For example, I could say that I’m the only person to have ever thought about a blue turtle. But before I thought of blue turtle, there was such thing as the color blue, and there were turtles before I thought of them. So what I’m actually doing is taking two things that God created and putting them together. We aren’t original; we just use what our Creator has already made. This God, the one who spoke everything into being, has given us specific commands to follow as Christians. 

Since God has given us rules on how to live, we shouldn’t have a problem following them. They may be difficult, but God knows how to take care of His creation. The thought of the God of the universe watching out and guiding me through life is a great comfort! But on the flip side, what if we aren’t following what God has told us to do? There’s a saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” Our actions are a direct window into how we truly feel. If we don’t do what God has commanded, then that’s like us saying to God, “I don’t truly believe that there are consequences to my actions.” But that is a deadly place for us to be, because God IS real and there ARE consequences to our actions. God is real and the consequences of our actions are as well. 

In the end it comes down to this: Not obeying what God has said is a reflection of how real we make God out to be. If we truly believe He is real, then we shouldn’t have a problem doing what He tells us to do. As Christians we serve the One true God, and He is ever present in the world. I pray that this fact will push us to do the commands He has given us because our God is alive and we all have an eternity with Him if we do what He tells us to do.

Looking back at when I was younger, I’ve realized that I asked the right question, but the most important part of those questions is how I answer them. Will I show through my actions that I truly believe He is alive? Or do I doubt the reality of God by not taking His commands seriously? Let’s try to always prove God is alive by following what He has told us to do!

Carl Pollard (with Rich)
“Do Over”

“Do Over”

by preacherpollard ♥ 1 Comment

Saturday’s Column: Learning From Lehman

I like to ask questions; these are rhetorical. Have you ever lost something and been frustrated or sad that it’s no longer here? What about someone ? I know I have. I think we can all relate. 

And what about this. Have you ever given away something, whether a donation or to a friend, and regretted it because you needed it later? 

These people and or things that came to your mind, would you like to have them back? Some may be less important than others, but regardless the point remains. 

I can’t tell you how often I’ve thought about something or someone I’d like to have back. 

Beyond people and things, what about time? I’m sure a decent portion of us are happy with where our life is now, I know I am blessed beyond measure. 

This doesn’t mean there aren’t certain events or decisions we wouldn’t mind to have a do over on. I mean, after all, hindsight is 20/20, right? 

If hindsight is 20/20, What about foresight? Think about this, it’s impossible to change your past. You can try all you want. You can’t do it. But you can change your future. 

You can make a decision here and now that you’re going to stop, start, or continue down any number of paths. So, which path are you going to take?

To help reflect on this, let’s take a look at a passage from 1st John 1 – Verses 6 and 7: If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 

With this in mind, I want us to fast forward from the here and now. We are going all the way to judgment day. We are standing there awaiting our final judgment. Suddenly, you find yourself amongst those doomed souls that are told to depart. It’s no small matter, being eternally separated from God and his grace. 

Now, what would you do if you were given a second chance? You’re told, you can have that “do over”. All you have to do is follow the plan laid out in the Bible and you’ll be given that opportunity to go back with that ever elusive do over. Scripture like John 14 – Verse 15 tells us.  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 

I don’t know about you, but when I explore this idea, I’d like to imagine that I would move mountains with this second chance. So what stops me from having this level of commitment now? 

Why do so many of us squander the first chance, knowing we can’t have a second when this life ends. It sounds trivial to compare this to anything earthly, and in a way it is, but the idea that we would attempt to prepare for anything of an earthly matter, but not expend a tremendous amount of our time and energy on spiritual preparation is really something to reflect on. 

I think it’s amazing we have the gift of free will, but it’s important we understand there is an enormous responsibility that comes with that free will.

Our Lord has given us the roadmap. We must follow it. We said earlier hindsight is 20/20. But foresight….. is 66 books long. We just have to pick up the good book and apply it to our lives. We won’t be perfect. We just need to aim our feet and hearts down the road laid out before us. 

Landon Bryant