Shame Is Never From God!

We all have moments of shame in our past that we would never want highlighted in heaven’s media room before the throne. If the throne in heaven was just still a mercy seat, then it would be likely, shame could be projected and highlighted for your sin and of your earthly father’s father. Under the new covenant and because of the cross, the throne is now built from grace! So we now receive, by faith, double honor from God today for the past obedience of Jesus.

Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.Therefore in their land they shall possess double;Everlasting joy shall be theirs.-Isaiah 61:7 NKJ

How do you receive this double honor? Exchange past shame in your time of prayer and supplication (your quiet time) and listen to your shepherd’s voice about the shame He endured on the cross for you to have double honor. Do you believe His shame and sacrifice was enough or do you still believe your earthly sin is bigger than His blood sacrifice?

When someone receives double honor from their heavenly Father, the enemy no longer has power to bring shame. Satan will never stop accusing with shame on the earth, but a child who knows their heavenly Father will learn to receive only double honor for shame. How do you know today if you have received double honor by faith instead of shame? Those who receive freely give freely.

² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.– 2 Corinthians 1:2-4 NKJ

Heal the Home, Heal the World

Brandon and Dana Pollard

http://www.happyasone.com

Getting Tired of Tipping?

Have you been seeing lately more businesses asking for tips? It can be tiring and many people avoid places that ask all the time. This got me thinking about the reasons we tip or give. Do you only tip when you experience good service? In my family, even if service at a restaurant isn’t great, we still tip a minimum 20%. It’s not because we’re trying to show off; my wife and I have both worked in restaurants, and we know the challenges servers face. They call it being “in the weeds” when servers are super busy, trying to remember all the different customer preferences.

This brings us to the topic of tipping to the church. There’s a Bible story about Abram (before he was Abraham) and Melchizedek, where Abram gives him a tenth of everything he had won from war. This moment isn’t just about tithing; it’s about recognizing the role of trust and victory in our lives.

Abram’s decision to tithe wasn’t about gaining favor; it was about acknowledging his victory from war and where his victory came from. He even refused to take wealth from an ungodly king because he didn’t want the king to say he made Abram rich. Instead, he wanted to honor God.

Generosity to the church is a reflection of what’s in our hearts. Jesus talked about money quite a bit, not because he wanted to make people uncomfortable, but because where you put your money shows where your heart is. It’s pretty straightforward. You support what matters to you, and God gives you permission to direct your heart by choosing where to invest your money.

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.-Matthew 6:24

If you never give to the church, God still loves you and gives you victory because you are a son and daughter. The way we tell our heart to respond in love is to be generous from victory to His bride, the church. You can’t open a window of Heaven or avoid a curse from God with your tithe, (true in the old covenant for Israel) despite what the tv evangelist say. Under the new covenant, Jesus became the curse and the front door. Jesus opened Heaven for you to receive from the throne of grace every spiritual blessing because of His generosity.

Giving in church isn’t about fulfilling a duty or giving for a blessed life of victory. It’s about trusting in someone bigger than ourselves. It’s about investing in Jesus our high priest, and church community from victory, ensuring it can continue to serve and support others. By the way it is not a tip if you believe like Abram that God owns 100 percent of your money.

So, let’s think about how we can be more generous with our money and hearts. Let’s be the kind of community that lives out our faith in tangible, impactful ways, showing the love of Christ in everything we do, especially to the household of faith.

¹⁰ So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.- Galatians 6:10

Heal the Home, Heal the World

http://www.graceforeternity.com

Brandon Pollard

The Gift of Church

As followers of Jesus, we believe that love is central to everything. This love is clearly seen in how Jesus cares for His church. Remember, when we talk about the church, we aren’t just talking about a building. According to the Bible, the church is a group of believers who set themselves apart from the world to follow Jesus. The early church used to gather in homes, synagogues, and temples to support and encourage each other. The church isn’t just one person, and Jesus is not just a part of it — He leads it. To declare His bride beautiful is to declare Jesus as beautiful. 
 

³¹ “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ³² This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³ However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.- Ephesians 5:31-33
 

Sometimes bad experiences in marriages or church leadership can hurt people and make them doubt God’s beauty for these institutions. We can ask Jesus for help to see past the ugliness of an individual and to heal any pain they caused against us.

If someone is being abused in a marriage, wisdom advises them to seek safety away from that harmful situation. Similarly, if a local church is practicing spiritual abuse, wisdom advises finding a safe spiritual home.

Trust can be difficult to rebuild, but Jesus always shows us He can be trusted. He did not endure suffering so we would live a life of abuse; He suffered for us so we would see our worth and the worth of those around us, especially His children.
 

Paul also set guidelines for church leaders to ensure they are prepared and capable of leading well. They should treat their families well and manage their households properly. Seeing their role at home as their primary ministry earns respect from their children and inspires young Christians to see the church not as ugly, but beautiful as one with Jesus. 
 

Heal the Home, Heal the World

Brandon Pollard

http://www.happyasone.com

You Are Dynamite!

When you put your faith in Jesus, you received the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:2, Ephesians 1:13). Did you know you also received miraculous power to be a witness? The word “power” in the greek (tranlated dunamis) is where we got today’s english word dynamite. Instead of earthly destruction inside of you like dynamite, this Holy Spirit power brings healing, restoration, hope, and joy to be a witness of Jesus.

⁸ But you will receive power (dunamis- miraculous power) when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The Bible, in Acts chapter 3, shares a story that perfectly illustrates this. Picture two of Jesus’ close friends, Peter and John, meeting a man who couldn’t walk since he was born, right outside the temple. The man hoped for some spare change, but what he received was far greater. Instead of money, Peter gave him the hope to walk, saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And just like that, the man stood up and walked for the first time in his life. This wasn’t just about healing his legs; it was a sign that something much bigger was at play. It showed that what Jesus offers goes beyond our immediate needs or quick fixes. It’s about complete transformation, inside and out.

Each of us as believers carry this same power, the Holy Spirit, which means we’re all equipped to bring light into the dark places, to heal, to restore, just like Jesus did. And it’s not about having everything figured out or being perfect. It’s about knowing who is working through us and what we’re capable of with this power.

Now, let’s be real. Accepting Jesus and getting baptized doesn’t mean everything in life becomes easy or that you suddenly have all the answers. But it does mean you’re not walking through life alone anymore. You have the power of God within you, guiding you, comforting you, and enabling you to make a real difference in the world.

One of the coolest parts of this journey is that it’s not just about what happens on the inside. It’s about how this inner change impacts everything around us. Our families, our friends, even strangers we meet. We’re called to share this love, this hope, with everyone we encounter. To show them that no matter who they are or what they’ve been through, they’re loved, they’re valued, and they too can experience this incredible transformation.

Heal the World, Heal the Home

Brandon Pollard

http://www.graceforeternity.com

You can’t mess this up?

Imagine getting a big, warm hug that says, “You’re awesome, no matter what.” That’s kind of what we talked about recently at our church – how God’s love is like that hug, super big and never-ending. Even when we mess up or think we’ve made a huge pile of mistakes, God’s love doesn’t back off. Imagine as a child if you drew all over the walls with crayons, expecting to get in trouble, but instead, someone shows you how to make a masterpiece out of it. Pretty cool, right?

So, we took a look at something in Romans 8, which is a letter to the church that says like, “Hey, nothing you do, no scary thing, no tough time, nothing now or later, can make God stop loving you.” It’s trying to make us see that we’re not too small or too messed up for God’s love. Thinking we can mess up so bad that not even God can handle it? That’s like saying we’re bigger than God or what we can do for or against him is bigger. That doesn’t make sense, does it?

We also touched on how everyone has their own story. Some people might seem like they’ve got it all together, but the truth is, we all have our moments. We all hand over our “mess” to God and ask Him to do something awesome with it. He’s the best at turning a bad day into a good story. When we take ashes from a home fireplace, we typically throw them away in the trash. He declares He can turn our life ashes into a beautiful masterpiece (Isaiah 61). What an exchange!

We talked about how being with God and hanging out with people who believe in Him is like being around a family dinner table. It’s warm, it’s welcoming, and it’s where you want to be. And just like your family (usually parents) are super grateful when you’re at the dinner table, God’s grateful when we come together like this at church to encourage one another.

But here’s a question: Do you ever feel like you’re just trying not to get in trouble, instead of doing things because you want to? That’s tough. It’s not fun to feel like you’re always being watched and judged. But the big message here is that God’s love isn’t about waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. It’s about knowing that even when we do mess up, we’re still loved. And from a place of being loved, that’s a pretty amazing way to live without fear of punishment. Perfect love casts out fear that has to do with punishment (1 John 4).

So, whether you’re feeling on top of the world today or a bit down in the dumps, remember that God’s love is there, bigger than any mistake you can make or greatness you can achieve alone. It’s about doing life together, with God and with other family members of God, building something great, not just trying to avoid the next mess-up. That’s a journey of grace worth being excited about!

Brandon Pollard

http://www.graceforeternity.com

Heal the home, heal the world

Close Enough?

Ever ordered soup and salad on a cold winter day at a restaurant? Imagine ordering soup and salad and they throw in coleslaw instead of salad. “Close enough” the waiter gives you the excuse. If you like coleslaw, then you may not understand this analogy but I think coleslaw tastes like salad that has been left outside in the rain for days. To my tastebuds, coleslaw is soggy and nasty and would be a horrible substitute for salad. Often times we see Christians offered law with grace and we are told to swallow the law because it’s good for us. But what if the law is not actually good for the believer? What if what really comes with grace is always truth not law?

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.-John 1:14

In today’s world, the concept of law and grace can be confusing, often leading to debates and misunderstandings. I find it crucial to share Biblical insights, hoping to shed light on what it truly means to live under God’s grace and truth.

First, let’s address a fundamental Biblical truth: the law is not meant for believers. This clear statement, echoed throughout Scripture, reveals that the law serves a different purpose. In 1st Timothy chapter 1, Paul emphasizes that the law is designed for unbelievers, not those who have embraced God’s grace. It serves to convict the ungodly, highlighting their need for redemption.

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, ⁹ understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,-1 timothy 1:8-10

Moreover, the law’s role is to silence us, exposing our inability to meet its standards. As Romans 3 articulates, the law’s purpose is to make us conscious of sin, not to provide salvation. Attempting to adhere to the law only reveals our inherent flaws and inadequacies.

Furthermore, the law cannot justify us. Galatians emphasizes that righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not by adhering to the law. No one can attain perfection through legalistic efforts; it is only through Christ’s grace that we are made righteous.

Living under the law arouses sin, as Romans 7 shares radically. Rather than restraining sin, the law can actually amplify our sinful desires. It is through trusting in Jesus and His grace alone that we find freedom from sin’s grip. Grace and truth are the only thing served on the menu by Jesus to believers.

⁴ Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. ⁵ For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. ⁶ But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.-Romans 7:4-6

Law and grace are incompatible menu items for the believer. While the law exposes our need for redemption, it is through God’s grace that we find salvation and freedom from sin’s power. Let us embrace the fullness of God’s grace, recognizing it as the foundation of our faith and the source of our strength and salvation.