Tag: reflection

Questions From The Bible: Where Are You?

Questions From The Bible: Where Are You?

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Brent Pollard

As we reflect on the Bible’s questions, we can begin with the first question mentioned in its pages: “Where are you?” (Genesis 3.9). To provide context, Adam and Eve had consumed the forbidden fruit. God came to them in the cool of the day. When the guilty couple heard God, they hid because they felt the weight of their sin. Even though God knew where Adam and Eve were, He still posed our question. So, what is its purpose?

From a literary perspective, this question is a masterstroke, injecting tension and driving the narrative forward. God’s question sparks a dialogue that redefines the dynamics between humans and their Creator and among humans. The Bible is not just a compilation of stories but a source of divine inspiration that can profoundly impact and transform lives.

We can see that God is asking a rhetorical question to benefit Adam and Eve rather than himself. God is not seeking information but rather prompting Adam to consider his actions and their consequences. God intends for the question to prompt introspection, guiding Adam (and Eve) to contemplate their present circumstances, encompassing both their physical concealment and spiritual transgression. The question is rhetorical because it aims to highlight the rupture in Adam and Eve’s relationship with God resulting from their sin. The rhetorical question extends beyond its immediate context for contemporary readers, encouraging them to examine their lives and relationships with God. It serves as a timeless prompt for introspection and spiritual reflection.

God’s question is also a powerful pedagogical tool because it encourages self-examination, promotes accountability, facilitates dialogue, illustrates consequences, invites reflection, and employs inquiry-based learning. These elements make it an effective means of teaching important spiritual and moral lessons.

However, this inquiry was also an invitation for Adam to confess his sin, seek reconciliation, and demonstrate humility. If Adam had confessed right away, he would have shown a willingness to be honest and accept responsibility for his actions. This act of repentance could have demonstrated his humility and willingness to admit his mistake as soon as he realized it. While the fundamental consequences of sin, such as the curse and expulsion from Eden, may still apply, Adam’s prompt confession could have led to a more compassionate handling of those consequences, with mercy outweighing justice.

This question holds significant relevance for modern-day readers. Throughout history, God has consistently asked, “Where are you?” in a spiritual context, encouraging individuals to reflect on their spiritual condition. This inquiry urges us to reflect on our connection with God and our moral compass. Therefore, it serves as a metaphor for self-awareness in both spiritual and ethical aspects. Note the theological implications:

Self-awareness and Spiritual Condition: Theologically, “knowing where you are” frequently refers to understanding your current spiritual state. This includes recognizing your relationship with God, your moral standing, and areas where you may fall short of divine expectations.

Repentance and growth: We recognize that the first step toward spiritual growth and repentance is acknowledging one’s spiritual state. One must identify their separation from God before embarking on the journey back.

Accountability: Being aware of one’s spiritual state promotes personal responsibility. When one knows where one stands spiritually, ignoring or justifying behaviors contradicting one’s faith is more difficult.

Humility: Recognizing where you truly stand concerning God and His standards can help you cultivate humility, which God regards as a critical virtue.

Divine-human relationship: Recognizing your spiritual position can deepen your connection with the divine, leading to heartfelt prayer, genuine worship, and a clearer realization of your dependence on God.

Discernment: Knowing your spiritual state can help you understand God’s will and make faith-based decisions.

Eschatological preparation: Understanding your spiritual standing is crucial for preparing for death, judgment, and humanity’s ultimate destiny.

Authenticity in faith: Self-awareness promotes a more genuine faith experience, rather than just going through religious motions without real engagement.

Appreciation of grace: Understanding one’s true spiritual condition can lead to a greater appreciation for divine grace by recognizing the gap between where one is and where God calls one to be.

The theological concept of “knowing where you are” is often linked to practices such as self-examination, confession, and spiritual direction, illustrating its practical applications. We see it as an ongoing process, not a one-time realization, promoting continuous spiritual growth and faith.

In conclusion, God’s profound inquiry, “Where are you?” echoes throughout history, surpassing its Genesis roots and retaining relevance for spiritual self-examination. This inquiry is a poignant prompt for spiritual self-examination, accountability, and personal growth. It prompts us to contemplate our relationship with God, assess our moral integrity, and consider our place in the broader faith narrative. In our spiritual path, God perpetually calls us to respond to this inquiry verbally and through our deeds. Consistent self-reflection leads to deeper understanding, authentic faith, and transformative grace, nurturing spiritual growth. Ultimately, God’s question encourages us to engage in a conversation that can lead to reconciliation, spiritual development, and a deeper connection with the divine. Amid modern life’s intricacies, let’s take a moment to reflect: where are we positioned on our spiritual path, and how will we respond to this enduring call?

A Call To Joyful Worship And Thankful Praise

A Call To Joyful Worship And Thankful Praise

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Brent Pollard

Psalm 100 is a joyful prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God. Psalm 100 encourages everyone to worship the Lord and joyfully recognize His sovereignty and goodness. It highlights several important reasons for praising God and offers a framework for approaching Him in worship.

Reasons to Praise God:

  1. God is the Creator and Sustainer (v. 3). The psalmist reminds us that God Himself is our Creator and made us. We do not create or sustain ourselves; we owe our existence to God, our Creator. As His creation, we have a compelling reason to praise Him and recognize His authority over our lives.
  2. We are God’s people (v. 3). The psalm also confirms that we are God’s flock, sheep in His pasture. This imagery shows God as a loving and caring Shepherd who diligently cares for His flock. As His people, we have a special relationship with Him, and we can approach Him confidently, knowing He cares about us and meets our needs.
  3. God’s character (verses 4–5) The psalm praises God’s goodness, lovingkindness, and faithfulness. These characteristics are everlasting and extend to future generations. God’s character deserves our praise and thanksgiving because He is always good, loving, and faithful to us.

How to Worship God:

  1. Shout joyfully (verse 1). The psalm begins with the command to “shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.” Celebrating God’s greatness and goodness joyfully through worship is important, rather than keeping it somber or subdued. Our praise should be loud, exuberant, and full of joy.
  2. Serve with gladness (v. 2). True worship includes praising and serving God. We are to “serve the Lord with gladness,” indicating that we dedicate our lives to Him. Service should not be burdensome but rather a joyful response to God’s love and grace.
  3. Sing joyfully (verse 2). The psalmist urges us to “come before Him with joyful singing.” Singing is a powerful way to worship, allowing us to express our praise and love for God through our voices and hearts.
  4. Enter with thanksgiving and praise while blessing His name (verse 4). The psalmist encourages us to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise” as we approach God’s presence. Gratitude and praise should be at the forefront of our worship, acknowledging God’s goodness and thanking Him for His blessings. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit instructs us to “thank Him” and “bless His name.” Blessing God’s name entails honoring His greatness, holiness, and worthiness through our worship. This verse captures the attitude of gratitude, adoration, and reverence that should guide our approach to God in worship.

Psalm 100 is a beautiful reminder of why we should praise God and how to worship Him with joy, gladness, and thanksgiving. Reflecting on God’s character, creation, and love for us should inspire us to approach Him with hearts full of praise and gratitude, actively expressing our devotion to Him.

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Spiritual Maintenance

Spiritual Maintenance

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Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary III

Gary Pollard

Since being mainly confined to home, we’ve had a lot more time to do outdoor activities. One of those activities (besides mowing and building a chicken house) has been target practice and clay shooting. Not only has it been an enjoyable activity, it has also been a great way to spend time with family and engage in some friendly competition.
After the range is cold and we’re ready to stop, the process of cleaning our guns begins. Some don’t require as much cleaning as others, but all of them get a brush, cleaning rod, and some lubricant. This helps to prevent wear and tear in the long term, but it also prevents build-up from causing malfunctions or damage next time. It’s not always the most enjoyable activity but is necessary anyway.
It’s far too easy to get caught up in the concerns of life (especially now!), to the neglect of our spiritual maintenance. Most of us are currently unable to worship physically with our spiritual family. We have had to cancel many of our church events and get-togethers. We are more-or-less confined to our homes. Financial and health concerns are at the front line of our minds.
If we don’t stay on top of our spiritual maintenance while this craziness is going on, all kinds of nastiness will build up in our lives. While the world is more or less halted, are we continuing to be tools for good? Have we used some of this time to inspect our spiritual well-being? This is such a great opportunity to do a self-checkup using scripture to clean parts of our lives that need to be removed.
As stated earlier, cleaning guns is not exactly exhilarating. It can be painstaking, monotonous, dirty, and time consuming. If it isn’t done, though, it will lead to premature wear and tear and malfunctions.
Breaking sinful behaviors, leaving our uncertainties in God’s hands, confronting our spiritual struggles, resolving doubts in our faith, repairing relationships that we have damaged, and working towards tangible growth in our spiritual lives can be far from exciting or fun. These things require effort, discomfort, confrontation, and dedication. While not the most pleasant in the moment, they will help us to be the best that we can be.
When we do our spiritual maintenance we become better encouragers, better soul-winners, better friends/family, and we develop strong endurance. Our goal in all of this is to reduce the wear and tear of our spiritual lives by living like Jesus. This kind of maintenance will allow us to do more than last a while – properly maintaining our spiritual lives and relying on God’s grace will cause us to last for eternity with Him.
gun kit
Keeping Our Thoughts On The Lord During The Lord’s Supper

Keeping Our Thoughts On The Lord During The Lord’s Supper

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Neal Pollard

“Three babies are crying across the auditorium… Somebody dropped a songbook… Everybody has a cough today… Oh, good… brother So ‘N So sure prayers nice prayers… My big toe sure is bother me… I think I forgot to write out the check for the giving again… Better do… Wow! Are we done already?”

That scenario probably happens in many a mind more frequently than we care to admit. The greatest memorial of all time can also provide one of the greatest mountains to climb– concentration and distraction. The Lord’s Supper is a congregational activity, but it is participated in by individuals. What does it take to maintain concentration on the significance of this feast?

Examination. See 1 Corinthians 11:28. We should examine our state of mind, taking care to dwell on Christ’s suffering sacrifice, His triumphant resurrection, our debt to Him, the depth of heaven’s love shown in this sacrifice, and the joyful hope we have through His act. We should examine our lives and see where we can live better and eliminate sin–checking our motives, morals, and mindset. Self-examination should mark this time.

Forgetting. We should forget the daily, mundane affairs of life. We are focusing on something of much greater and eternal significance. Other things should be shut out of the mind. This is the Lord’s time.

Fellowship. We take the Supper with every other saint present. This is a special moment of fellowship (Acts 2:42). In a sense, we are also taking it with all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. The communion provides a bond of fellowship that has special meaning and ties together all baptized believers in fellowship with Christ.

One. We commemorate the Lord in the one body according to the instructions of the one Spirit with the one hope that Christ’s atonement saves us and gives us access to the Father. We honor that one Lord and follow the one faith in obedience to the will of the one God. the Supper unites us with God as well as each other (Eph. 4:4-6).

Remembrance. The Lord’s Supper is a time to reflect on the cross with its manifold significance. Until He comes again, the Lord’s Supper is an appointed, weekly, and mental trip back to His death (1 Cor. 11:26). One remembers, with the help of the gospel writers, the body wounded on the tree and the saving blood flowing from the body of God in the flesh.

Thanksgiving. The Lord’s Supper is a time for deep appreciation and gratitude. Because He suffered, we can have peace. Because He died, we can have eternal life. Because He arose, we can rise from sin to newness of life.

Paul had to remind Corinth that the Lord’s Supper was not just another meal (1 Cor. 11:20-34). Modern Christians, too, need always to keep that fact in mind when we lose focus and concentration or forget why we’re partaking. What we need, despite the distractions, is EFFORT! May the Lord’s Supper never grow old for any of us!

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Before You Type Or Talk Today

Before You Type Or Talk Today

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Neal Pollard

A pick, a poke, a controversy,
Hit and run, a verbal grenade,
We may see it as clever, though without mercy
And own it like an accolade

But are we making people think
When what and how we say it scars?
If it causes a stir, a strife, a stink
Instead of edifying it maligns and mars?

People should be thinking anyway
And what they think should be of good report
Let’s meditate on what we say
Not load up on sarcastic, sardonic retort.

The world already knows that tactic
And uses it at the drop of scarf and hat
It brightens no story, dresses up no didactic
But stokes the fire and escalates the spat

Here’s something requiring greater skill
You won’t find it in general practice
Restraint and kindness, grace and good will
Be a rose in a field of cactus.

When entering today the public sphere
And the marketplace of varied ideas
Let the Jesus in you shine bright and clear
So they can look at you and believe He is!

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The Religion Of Resolutions

The Religion Of Resolutions

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Neal Pollard

Have you ever wondered about the origin of New Year’s resolutions? I have. If they are to be trusted, the folks at the History Channel denote the Babylonians, nearly 4,000 years ago, as the founder of such culture-wide determinations. It was as part of a 12-day religious festival known as Akitu. Later, at the prompting of none other than Julius Caesar, the Romans, again as a nod to a god—Janus, the two-faced god who looked backward and forward—observed the advent of a new year with the intent of improving areas of their lives in need of such. Sarah Pruitt, author of the piece, claims that Christians, since early times, have approached the new year to rededicate themselves to Christ. Pruitt seems to be indicting so many today who observe this holiday in a purely secular fashion, and wonders if such humanistic emphasis is why so many resolutions fail (source).

It is noteworthy that the history of making resolutions is so closely tied to religious devotion. Perhaps this is because we, as human beings, recognize our innate inadequacy. Paul, feeling it necessary to defend himself against unnamed critics of his work, wrote, “Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant…” (2 Cor. 3:4-6a). Paul, so accomplished as a Christian, preacher, leader, mentor, missionary, and more, was always striving to do more for Jesus. He was not trying to earn God’s love and approval. Whether looking back at his successes or failures, Paul, in his love for his Lord, wanted to serve Him more effectively. He told Philippi that he pressed on (Phil. 3:12), “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead” (Phil. 3:13). He advised the conscientious Christian to follow his example (Phil. 3:15-16).

Christianity is not a religion of annual intention. It is the religious of daily determination (Luke 9:23). January 1 is an ideal time to reflect, review, and resolve, but is far from the only time.  In a significant sense, each new day for us involves a resolve within ourselves to deny self and dedicate to the Savior. As I have done every year of my adult life, I will again set out objectives and goals, physically, financially, and familial. Yet, the most important will involve my faith. As always, these will need review, not just in January, but throughout the year. In my prayers today, I prayed for every Christian who resolves to conquer a sin problem, reach a lost soul, be more active in their local congregation, and any other noble aim for the Master. If you make some such specific resolution and would honor me with the privilege of partnering with you in prayer about it, please email me (mrnealpollard@gmail.com) and let me know. Then, let me know how it goes and especially tell me about your success. May God bless each of us with the resolve to be more faithful in our relationship with Him.

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