Archive for June, 2020

29 Jun

United, We Stand

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Culture, Freedom, Obedience, Prayer, Repentance, Spiritual Warfare, Wisdom, Witness.

Hello friends,
As promised, half of 2020 is almost behind us, and Independence Day is upon us. If you live in the area, don’t forget to attend the big annual fireworks display July 3rd, at The Lake Ericson!

We took the camper on a short trial run last week. Everything worked as expected, and the exciting parts were a result of my memory lapse, or my poor preparations. First, as we were smack dab in the literal middle of nowhere, the low fuel light came on in the pickup. Oops! Forgot to look at the fuel gauge before leaving civilization. With an estimated 24 miles of fuel, and the nearest c-store 12 miles away, we made it with 13 miles to spare. The second crisis came because I assumed there was enough water in the fresh water tank, and didn’t top it off at home. The tank ran dry at a most inconvenient time; I won’t elaborate here, but lesson learned.

I was able to be back in the pulpit this weekend, spending time with the nice folks at Grace Bible Church in Loup City. Perhaps the topic of the sermon will give us food for thought in the days to come. It was called Seven Reasons Satan Seeks to Create Division. The original article dealt with division in the church, but I believe it applies to our current national crisis.

Those seven points are:
Division turns citizens against citizens.
Division causes us to lose sight of our purpose.
Division harms our testimony to the rest of the world, as a people who should be united.
Division is often tied to people being concerned with self, rather than the well-being of others.
Division demoralizes our leaders, and those concerned with keeping the peace.
Division affects the way the young see our country.
Division gives our enemies a victory. When we turn against each other, no one wins. It is supposed to be the United States of America.

Jesus prayed that His followers would be united in their faith, their mission and their message (John 17:20-23). In the church, supernatural unity is a witness of the work of the Holy Spirit, division is an evidence of the work of the enemy, that is, the devil.

A divided nation is also evidence of an enemy. We need to pray the Lord will intervene and bring us back together.

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

22 Jun

Don’t Worry

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Christian Living, Culture, Faith, God's Word, Hope, Peace, Trials.

Hello all,
Another week has gone by, and another month is almost gone. Soon we will be half-way through 2020. It has been an interesting year, for sure. Someone suggested we put up our Christmas trees and call an end to 2020. I’m not sure it would work, but I understand the sentiment.

These are troubled times in our country, and in the bigger picture, around the world. This is really nothing new, but perhaps on a bigger scale than we have seen for some time. Troubled times come and go, and rest assured, our God is not surprised by any of it. I am convinced that much of this unrest comes from the fact that we, as a people, have gotten so far from God. Very few care for anyone but themselves, and many care very little about the other guy.

I have to keep returning to the scriptures for reassurance and encouragement. We tend to worry about these things, but the Lord has told us not to worry. Faith will carry us through these difficult times, but no one has ever said it is easy. When Jesus came walking on the water, as the disciple were in the storm, Peter stepped out of the boat, but as he took his eyes off Jesus he began to sink (Matthew 14:29-31). I think we are in that kind of situation currently, but let us keep focused on the Savior, instead of the storm around us.

His words to the disciples were, and are; “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of the is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Luke 12:6-7).

One of Jesus’ most direct teaching on worry is this: “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:22-26).

Standing on the promises of God,
Pastor Jerry

15 Jun

Helping Hands

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Christian Living, Giving, Praise, Service, Witness.

Hello friends,

The heat and wind have returned for a visit, but the forecast for later in the week is calling for cooler and wetter. You have to love living here! If variety is the spice of life, we should be pretty spicy…

Speaking of why we live here, we had another reminder of how blessed we are to live in rural Nebraska. While bringing our new old camper home Friday, one of its tires blew out. Not expecting something like this to happen, I had no tools for changing a tire. We unhooked the camper, drove home (about 20 miles), got a jack and wheel wrench, and returned to change the tire. Just as I was about to give out from the exertion required for an old man to loosen those pesky lug nuts, three young men pulled up and asked if they could help! I did not refuse, and in a matter of minutes, the job was completed. I failed to get their names, but if you were there, and are reading this… Thank You, again!

The Bible says something about giving aid to strangers, because they may be angels (Hebrews 13:2). I’m no angel, but those three young men would qualify from my perspective! Here is another verse from the book of Hebrews; “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14).

We would make this world a better place, if we could only be like the Good Samaritan in the story Jesus told in Luke, chapter 10. You know the story; A man was beaten and robbed, and left by the side of the road. Those who would have been expected to help him, by-passed him on the other side of the road, so they wouldn’t have to get involved. The Samaritan, a man who would be shunned by any good Jew, stopped and gave the victim aid, even paying for his treatment and lodging. (Luke 10:30-35).

I can only imagine how different the news of today would be, if every citizen of our country would exhibit the compassion of this Samaritan. Three young men stopped and helped a couple of complete strangers change a tire, when they were obviously on their way home from a hard day’s work. I hope to be able to do the same, sometime down the road.

Just thinking (and being thankful),

Pastor Jerry

8 Jun

The Source of Real Peace

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Christian Living, Culture, Faith, God's Word, Hope, Peace, Prayer, Truth, Wisdom.

Dear friends,
In the past, we talked about the weather and asked, ‘how is the family’? These days, the question is, “are you staying well?” I trust everyone who reads this is well, and making the best of our current circumstances. There are days when, as a friend of mine remarked several years ago, it seems “the world has gone mad!” With the pandemic, and now the protests, rioting and looting, it seems that insanity rules in the minds of many. We must pray for calm heads to prevail, and for people to see that the current state of mind will not solve anything. We must pray that all people would know Christ.

We ask for peace in our country, and we need that peace. The problem is that the peace offered by the world is not true peace, nor is it lasting. Only by having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, can we know real peace. Jesus, as he spoke to His disciples said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). As he prepared them for His departure, and to encourage them in the days to come, He said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Paul, writing to the church at Philippi said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

These are unsettled times. In the time of Jesus and His disciples, things were unsettled. Persecution came upon the early Christians, such as we in America have not seen. Their faith in Christ gave them peace in their hearts, and the hope of eternity.

As we seek peace in our time, may we make peace with God by trusting His Son for our salvation. Remember, without Jesus in our hearts, we are enemies of God. Scripture says, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior” (Colossians 1:21).

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

1 Jun

An Encouraging Word

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Culture, Evil deeds, God's Word, Judgment, Prayer, Wisdom, Witness.

Dear friends,
Another week has passed. Springtime activities are picking up speed, and the weekends here at the lake are filled with families enjoying the water and the community in general. The four kittens that were born in a box in our carport are growing and nearing the time to go to their new home. The lawn is doing quite well after the rain and warmer days. I fear I will have to mow more than once a week for a while!

Where do I start with writing commentary on our current national situation? The Bible says men are sinners, and those who would argue otherwise have no ground to stand on. It doesn’t get better with time either. In truth, the only remedy for all this sinful behavior is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in God’s Holy Word.

Some have wondered if we might be in the last days? Technically, we have been in the last days since Jesus returned to heaven. Each day since then, we have been moving toward His second coming. No one knows the day or the hour, as He said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). (v 44)

In Romans, chapter one, Paul writes concerning godless people: For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened… They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice… Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them (Romans 1:20-32).

This cannot last forever, therefore take heart. God wins. This is why the writer of Hebrews says to believers, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). And, pray for America!

Standing on His promises,
Pastor Jerry