23 Mar

Facing Disaster

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Faith, God's Word, Hope, Trials, Trust.

Dear friends,

Our temperature went from the mid-nineties Saturday to the mid-fifties on Sunday.  This is after we called off church last week because of cold and snow. Could this be called whiplash?

What do you do when things seem impossible to overcome? I’m thinking of those who were impacted by the wildfires in Nebraska last week. Having spent my life in ranching, I can’t imagine the thought of facing a loss of this magnitude. We lost our cows to financial troubles many years ago, but we still had our feed, fences, machinery and home.

This was just a few years after I had trusted Jesus with my life, and I’ve always said I don’t know how I would have handled this without Him. People who make their living off the land are subject to weather events and challenges that others just don’t understand, but this is nothing new.

If you read the Bible for any length of time, you soon find this is a part of life. The good news is that God knows what you are going through, and although He may not take you out of the situation, He will see you through it.

The psalmist Asaph wrote this when he was discouraged, “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:23-26).

Psalm 62 also became a source of encouragement to me in times of trouble. “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and salvation; He is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out  your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:5-8).

The Lord Jesus left His disciples with these words as he prepared to go to the cross. “I have told you these things, so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Trusting Him,

Pastor Jerry

16 Mar

Our Broken World

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Creation, Eternity, Trials, Trust.

Hello friends,

As I write this, the western part of our state is on fire and the eastern end is experiencing winter weather, including snow and wind. There has not been enough snow to have an effect on the fires. We must keep asking the Lord to send rain or snow to put out the fires. Hopefully by the time you read this He will have answered our prayers. Pray for safety for firefighters and those affected by this disaster. It appears that conditions will not improve greatly, but God knows what we need and will answer in His time.

In the beginning, the creation was perfect, then Adam and Eve disobeyed God and the creation was broken. Because of this, we have droughts, floods, fires, earthquakes and many other things that have resulted. Someday, the creation will be restored to a new beginning and will exist in a perfect state for eternity.

In Genesis, we read of the curse God put in place after Adam and Eve sinned. “To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it.’

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground from which you were taken.’” Genesis 3:17-19).

In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome, he wrote, “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21).

God, through the prophet Isaiah said, “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered nor will they come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17).

Finally, from Revelation chapter 21 John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea” (Revelation 21:1). Take heart, the Lord is still on His throne! Keep praying.

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

9 Mar

Sleep Well

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Contentment, Faith, Peace, Rest, Trust.

Hello friends,

Our nice weather continues. It tried to give us some moisture at the end of the week, but a trace doesn’t go very far. It appears there is very little chance of precipitation for the next nine days. The nice days of the weekend brought about increased activity here at the lake. I have noticed in recent days that the spring migration of birds and waterfowl is well underway. Even more signs that spring is just around the corner.

If we spend much time watching or listening to the news these days, we can become very discouraged and want to turn off the television or disconnect from social media. There is much time spent on doom and gloom reporting. I have noticed that even Christian pastors and teachers have become somewhat obsessed with the topic of the end times, as the Bible calls it.

I will agree that it is a subject that we need to be aware of and to be reminded of, but it should not be the only thing we focus on. As long as the Lord tarries, we are to be about the business of sharing the Good News of the gospel with those who do not know Jesus.

In spite of the unrest and disheartening news, the world keeps on turning and God is still on His throne. If we forget that, we will be continually discouraged. When we are tempted to fall into despair over the events swirling around us, it is good to return to the Scriptures for encouragement.

In the Psalms we read the words of David: “Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, God will not deliver him. But you, Lord are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from His holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. (Psalm 3;1-6).

Rest assured, Jesus will return in His time. He has promised but let us be more concerned with bringing people into the kingdom of God and less with when He is coming back for us. In His words, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27).

Trusting Him,

Pastor Jerry

2 Mar

Reunion

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Family of God, Fellowship, Heaven, Relationships.

Dear friends,

I have been reminded that spring is just around the corner. Next week we return to Daylight Saving Time, and Resurrection Sunday is only five weeks away. We still haven’t had any moisture of consequence, but some is forecast for later in the week.

I witnessed the reunion of two friends on Sunday. It made me think of the promise to believers of spending eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus and our family and friends who have gone on ahead of us. One person was my wife and the other was her friend from our years of ministry here in Ericson. They shared their musical talents with the church, one played piano and the other the organ.

The other lady had moved out of state for a time, and they had not seen each other for several years. We found out after church Sunday that the friend was back in Nebraska at her daughter’s house, so we stopped to visit her. When those ladies saw each other there were many happy tears. Oh, what a glad reunion that was.

As I watched and listened to them visiting there, I saw a picture of Christian friends and family being reunited in heaven someday. I could see the picture of happy tears with much rejoicing and reminiscing.

The apostle Paul wrote this about a reunion in heaven. “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

There is a song that says it well, it is called “That Glad Reunion Day”.

“There will be a happy meeting in Heaven, I know
When we see the many loved ones we’ve known here below
Gathered on that blessed hilltop with hearts all aglow
That will be a glad reunion day

A glad day, a wonderful day
Glad day, a glorious day
There with all the holy angels and loved ones to stay
That will be a glad reunion day.”

Are you looking forward to that great glad reunion? I am.

In Him,

Pastor Jerry

23 Feb

Defend the Truth

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Evangelism, False teachers, God's Word, Truth, Witness.

Dear friends,

This week we’ll go straight to the devotional thought.

In today’s world there is much anti-Christian talk, and very much false teaching from so-called progressive Christian leaders. It seems everywhere you turn, someone is preaching and teaching their own interpretation of what the Bible says.

If you are a committed believer, you must know what you believe and believe what you know. Heresy is disguised as a new “word from God”, when the scriptures speak God’s complete and true word. The Bible is not subject to some so-called prophet’s opinion of scripture.

It has been reported that larger numbers of people are attending church services. This may be true, but discipling those who come to faith is of great importance, otherwise we have church attenders, but who are not true believers. Again, know what you believe and believe what you know.

There are warnings in the Bible regarding those who spread false gospels.

1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

2 Peter 2:1-3 “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.”

We are told today that the sins described in the Bible do not apply to the progressive line of thinking. Those who subscribe to every level of depravity find those who hold to the authority of God’s word as old-fashioned and out of step with the culture. From the LGBTQ revolution, same sex marriage, abortion and all other sins against the Creator, nothing is sacred anymore.

“Every word that [Jesus] spoke was historically true. Every word that He spoke was scientifically true. Every word that He spoke was ethically true. There were no loopholes in the moral conceptions and statements of Jesus Christ. His ethical vision was wholly correct, correct in the age in which He lived and correct in every age that has followed it.” (Billy Graham).

The time has come for Christians to speak out on these issues. We cannot remain silent, hoping they will go away. We must stand firmly on what He has revealed to us.

In Truth,

Pastor Jerry

16 Feb

Don’t Look Back

Posted by sandhillspastor in Calling, Discipleship, Faith, Obedience, Reward.

Hello friends,

We are still in a warm cycle with our weather. The downside is that we haven’t received any moisture. We must keep asking the Lord for some relief, and even snow would be a blessing at this point. I hesitate to ask for snow knowing what that might bring, but anything is better than nothing.

On to the devotional thought for the week. We all know people who dwell on the past, even calling the past the good old days. As I reflect on my past life I don’t really want to go back there. Sure there were good times, but much of it I wouldn’t want to live through again.

When Jesus was calling people to follow Him, there were some who wanted to go back home to say goodbye to family members, then obey His call. He replied with these words: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

I don’t know much about plowing, but back in the day before tractors came with guidance systems, we were told to drive straight when mowing hay. Dad wanted those lands to be straight and square. The instructions were to focus on a fence post or tree in the distance. What usually happened was that you would look somewhere else for a moment and lose sight of the marker. Looking back had consequences.

Looking back should serve to remind us how we got here, but we are not to focus on the past. The apostle Paul, writing of the things in his past that he had viewed as important, called them garbage. Instead, he said, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

Looking to our past will only cause us to stray from the straight and narrow way. The world would have us living in the “good old days” rather than heeding the invitation to follow Jesus. He is our future, not our past. Don’t look back!

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

9 Feb

God’s Presence

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Creation, Faith, God's Word, Holy Spirit, Hope, Trials, Trust.

Dear readers,

You have to love 55 degrees in February; just remember we still have March ahead of us. It’s not too late for some deep snow and cold to appear on the scene. The recent warming has slowed the ice fishing activity here at the lake. I wonder how many of those enjoying the sport are not aware of the springs that lurk at the bottom of Lake Ericson?

Many people are dealing with trials these days. Christians are not exempt from trials and tribulation, whether they be financial, emotional or relational there are always difficult times. Some will tell you if you accept the Lord’s salvation, your life will be wonderful. Don’t believe them. I have heard it said that when we are undergoing those trying times God is waiting on the other side. kGod is not waiting on the other side of your storm; He is in it with you. He doesn’t part the waters or build a bridge over them but takes your hand and leads you through. Even when we cannot see Him, we can trust that he will not let us battle the storm alone. He tells us in His word that he is always present with us.

Psalm 73:23: Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory… My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

John 14:16; Jesus speaking, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” Also this, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt 28:20).

Isaiah 43:2-3 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” 

In each of those passages of Scripture, we are promised that He is always with us, either as God, Jesus or Holy Spirit. We are never left alone as believers. Our God is an ever present reality in our lives.

Trusting in Him,

Pastor Jerry

2 Feb

Who is Behind the Chaos?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Culture, Evil deeds, Faith, Spiritual Warfare, Trials.

Hello all,

After a cold week, we see the promise of warmer temperatures. My old bones will be happy, as they don’t appreciate the cold. We definitely need moisture, but remember this, God will provide it in His perfect timing.

As we see the unrest in our country and around the world, we might feel that there is nothing we can do to make a difference. There is a spiritual battle going on behind the scenes, but we tend to forget that fact. Spiritual warfare describes the ongoing conflict between the church and Satan along with his angels. We need to remember that God is in control. We may not see Him at work, but His plan is going forward. Even so, the enemy, that is the devil, is working hard to keep people separated from God.

The apostle Paul reminds us of this in his letter the church at Ephesus: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

Peter has this reminder, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Those who do not know Christ are easily controlled by the devil and his demons. God’s people on the other hand, will not be controlled by the enemy, but he will work very hard to damage their Christian witness.

Christians are called to be separate from the world. “Therefore, ‘Come out from them and be separate, ‘says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you’” (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Paul gives this advice: “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to this, take up the shield of faith… Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17).

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

26 Jan

Knowing the Truth

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, False teachers, Truth, Wisdom.

Dear friends,

The weather has been anything but delightful. These cold days make life hard for everyone, except maybe for ice fishermen. We have not strayed far from our warm home in recent days. I have always said that if tractors or other machinery is going to fail, it will be on the coldest days.

Gremlins are sneaky. In my last article I meant to use Job as an illustration of God’s presence in trials, but it came out Jonah. Sadly, no one corrected me. This just shows that we should not take everything we hear or read for granted. Pastors make mistakes, but there are also those who will lead you astray on purpose.

Pastor’s message Sunday encouraged us to know what the Bible teaches, because there are those out there who will mislead us with false teaching. I believe the scriptures that follow are worth repeating.

From Paul’s second letter to Timothy: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

In chapter 3, Paul describes false teachers in this way; “ Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people… They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and swayed by all kinds of evil desires. Always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of truth” (2 Timothy 3:4-8).

In 1 Peter, chapter 2, we read, “But there were false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up” (vs.1-3).

How are we to know what is true about the messages we hear? The answer is to immerse yourselves in the reading and study of the Bible. God will reveal His Truth.

Stay warm,

Pastor Jerry

19 Jan

It Will Be Worth it All

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Best Life, Eternal Life, Faith, Salvation, Trials, Trust.

Dear readers,

It is time for another edition of my attempts to encourage you in your spiritual journey. I have considered putting this project to an end, but after all these years, I wonder if that is possible. The Lord has been good to give me ideas of what to write, and I don’t expect Him to stop now. If He does, I am sure He will let me know when that time comes. As I have mentioned before, this project started in 1999 as a weekly newsletter charting my journey as a new Christian. It has become something far larger than I first envisioned. This week, I will share some thoughts that have encouraged me along the way.

There was a time I understood that I couldn’t make it without Jesus. Along came a word from the Lord that changed my life forever. Let’s look at some important things to remember from the Bible.

First, we have all sinned and need a Savior. (Romans 3:23). Second, there is a way to be saved. It is found in Romans chapter ten: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ an believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (‘Romans 10:9) Verse 13 sums it up nicely: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

It does not say life will be a bed of roses, only that we are saved by confessing Jesus as Lord. Difficulties still come but as the Scripture says, the righteous will live by faith.

In my experience troubles do come. From financial hardships, health issues, family tragedies and the trials of old age we must trust that the Lord is there. Along with the trials of life, He also blesses us in many ways and through it all, His plan for us is being worked out in our lives.

Jonah, as we read in the Bible, suffered great loss because God had allowed Satan to test Him. Jonah couldn’t see what brought on his trials, but he knew God was there with him. There is an old hymn that says it well.

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!

Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ.

One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase.

So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Simply His,

Pastor Jerry

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