Archive for March, 2021

29 Mar

Amazing Grace

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Grace, Salvation, Witness, Worship.

Dear friends,
It is a sunny Sunday afternoon as I write this. The past week was rather cool with some rain. Our forecast is for cool temperatures early in the week, followed by a warming trend. I expect we’ll see more evidence of spring in the days to come. We have both been staying home nursing colds, but we are steadily improving and should return to normal soon. Once again I find, we too often take good health for granted.

This week brings two very important days in the Christian church calendar; Good Friday and Resurrection Day (Easter). Good Friday commemorates the death and burial of the Lord Jesus Christ; the Resurrection celebrates his rising from the tomb. These two events are the basis of our hope in eternal salvation. The Bible clearly states there is no other way to be saved from our sins but by placing our faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

I write on this topic often, because to me this is the most important decision a person can make in life. In my own experience, the day I chose to follow Jesus my life was changed in ways I could not have imagined before. So, to this day, like the old song says, “I love to tell the story of Jesus and His love.”

I was cruising along through life, thinking I was doing pretty good, taking my wife and two boys to church on Sunday. Then one day as the pastor was preaching from Romans chapter ten, I heard these words: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). This was an eye opener for me! Up to this point, I thought I just had to be a little better person than someone else. Now I was learning that my own self-righteousness was worthless in God’s eyes.

Later, I heard these words; For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast’ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

A dear friend passed away this week, and we rejoice that he is now in heaven, because he believed what these verses taught. Amazing grace, how sweet it sounds!

Anchored in Him,
Pastor Jerry

22 Mar

Preserve Life

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Creation, Culture, Evil deeds, God's Word, Prayer, Sanctity of Human Life, Sin, Truth.

Hello friends,
The sun has been shining of late and the wind has been a bit excessive, but signs of spring are appearing. Some of the lake residents have been cleaning out flower beds to make room for the anticipated blooms. Many times these early preparations are hindered by a late freeze, but those folks with green thumbs are an optimistic bunch!

Almost every day, we are seeing a disregard for human life in our country and in the world. The news is filled with words that are all too common in our everyday conversation. Words like murder, human trafficking, abortion, and child abuse are always before us. It seems we have reached a point where no one knows or cares that human life is valuable from conception to natural death.

Our Creator God, in his perfect plan has told us that he values every life, without reservation. Starting in Genesis, we see first that He created mankind. “So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female” (Genesis 1:27). Later, when God gave the Law to Moses, He stressed the importance of human life with this command; You shall not murder.

Being made in God’s image gives every human being value, or worth. There is no difference based on a person’s race, sex, age, or condition. God has a plan and purpose for each one. It is not for us to decide which lives are more important than others. It is for us to defend life at all stages, leaving the rest to God’s plan and purpose for each individual.

I fear if we don’t return to those biblical values that preserve the dignity and sanctity of human life, we are inviting the judgment of God, and it won’t be a pretty thing. In Jeremiah 7:9-11, we read, “Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? – “But I have been watching! declares the Lord.”

We need to understand that the taking of any life is basically wrong, and except perhaps in self-defense, it puts us at risk of God’s judgment. Pray that it stops.

In Truth,
Pastor Jerry

15 Mar

A Good Word

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Calling, Christian Living, Faith, Hope, Praise, The Good News, Trust.

Dear friends,
We have certainly seen a change in the weather. As I write this Sunday evening, we are showing 2.60 in the rain gauge, with more in the forecast. The wind has been gusting up to around 50 mph, and there was a power outage in the area this morning. Ah, springtime in Nebraska!

In recent days, I have been reminded of the uncertainties of life. It is in those times I turn to the Word of God for encouragement and hope. We have all experienced times when life takes unexpected turns, and we are left wondering why? It might be an economic downturn, a broken relationship or maybe an unforeseen illness. We are prone to ask where did that come from? Or, why did that happen to me?

There are times when there are just no clear answers to why things happen. Life is full of unknowns, but that is just life. Sometimes we feel like the title of a song I have referenced before; “Life Ain’t Fair, and the World is Mean.” In spite of this, there is One who knows the struggles we go through. God in His perfect plan has placed each of us in our circumstances for His glory. When we finally understand this truth, we can trust Him even though we do not know the reason for our situation.

These verses from Romans give encouragement to all who believe on the Lord Jesus. “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose… What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?… Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more has been raised; he is also at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:28-39 CSB).

In His grip,
Pastor Jerry

8 Mar

He Lives

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Resurrection, The Good News.

Hello friends,
Spring-like weather has everyone outdoors dreaming of summer. My lovely wife has even mentioned getting the camper ready to go! Here at the lake we are seeing people preparing their cabins for the summer season. We haven’t seen some of them since sometime in the fall. Soon our little community will be buzzing with activity, especially on the weekends.

There have been literally thousands of migrating geese passing through. Some have stayed for a while to rest up, others we have seen just flying over. The resident Canada geese have been showing signs of pairing off to begin the nesting season. I expect in a few weeks we will be seeing goslings on the lake.

As we are in the season of Lent, I thought it would be a good time to remind us that Easter is just around the corner. I prefer the term Resurrection Day, because it is the very reason for the holiday. FYI, the word holiday means ‘holy day’ in its original context. Many of our current holidays are anything but holy, but that is another discussion altogether.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. In fact, every Sunday is a celebration of His resurrection. The fact of the resurrection is unique to Christianity. No other religion has anything remotely resembling resurrection. Some speak of reincarnation, but who would want to come back to this world in any form?

The apostle Paul wrote this; “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 1:3-5).

According to Paul, if there were no resurrection, these three things would be true;
All people would be still in their sins.
All former believers would have eternally perished.
Christians would be the most pitiable people on earth. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).

Because the resurrection is true, we place our faith in the fact that God lives up to his promises.

I will close with the words of the old gospel song, Because He Lives:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future.
And life is worth the living, just because He lives.

Praising His Name,
Pastor Jerry

1 Mar

Creation Speaks

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Creation, God's Word, Praise, Worship.

Dear friends,
March has arrived, and spring will be coming soon. After a long cold spell, it felt good when the high temperatures began to be in the twenties. This week appears to be heading into the sixties for highs, I hope we can adjust! I won’t put away the winter clothes yet, I have seen too many springs to believe the winter weather is completely behind us.

We were blessed by the appearance of some trumpeter swans on the lake last week. Deer have been plentiful, as they seem drawn to lawns that are still green under the snow. I love seeing the variety of wildlife that lives here. Creation is an amazing thing, and I never get tired of seeing what God has made for our enjoyment. As our world seems bent on creating chaos, it is settling to the mind and spirit to reflect on the peace and tranquility of our surroundings.

It seems appropriate here to share the words of Psalm 19:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward… May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

I can only say, AMEN!
Pastor Jerry