Archive for the ‘Assurance’ Category

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

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

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

12 Jan

Standing on the Rock

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Best Life, Culture, Hope, Peace, Trust.

Dear friends,

January continues to provide mild temperatures. We usually don’t see this, but I’m not going to complain. Facebook reminds me occasionally by way of those memory photos, that we could be experiencing deep snow. We have much to be thankful for, as we remember the recent holidays. We have another great-grandchild. The oldest great grand turned six last week, and we are in relatively good health. God is Good!

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you know that the world is a mess. From demonstrations here at home to unrest in other parts of the world, one wonders who is in charge? I have the answer from the Word of God. Bear with me as I share some encouraging truths from the Bible.

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121: 1-2).

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly He is my rock and 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, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:1-2, 7-8).

He (God) will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” (Psalm 91:4).

Then this, from Romans 8; “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship 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 convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height, nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 37-39).

The person who trusts in the Lord for his salvation has nothing to fear from this world. It’s in the Bible; we are on God’s side and His side wins. Be blessed and encouraged with these words.

In His grip,

Pastor Jerry

29 Dec

Joy In Trials

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Best Life, Happiness, Joy, Peace, Trials, Trust.

Hello friends,

We had a good family Christmas. We gathered at Ryan’s house in Neligh. The boys fed us well with steak, lobster tail, and all kinds of other goodies. There were also home-made cinnamon rolls that were to die for. Needless to say, we are in fasting mode the day after.

We are about to enter a new year! 2026 is almost here. The greeting of the week will be “Happy New Year!” We always salute the turning of the calendar to January with those words, but for some it probably will not be happy every day of the year. There will be disappointments, sicknesses, deaths in families and other kinds of personal tragedies. The optimism we have will fade away to reality and we find it hard to be happy all the time.

The Bible speaks of joy. When the angels announced the birth of the Savior, the greeting was Joy to the World! I believe joy is separate from happiness, In the middle of unhappy times, we can still be joyful. The psalmist wrote, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy” (Psalm 94:19). In this sense, joy is based on the writer’s relationship with God.

In another psalm we read, “The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy… Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:3, 5). Paul, in his letter to the church at Philippi wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

The Lord Jesus told His disciples, “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). We will not always be happy, but through our faith and trust in the Lord, we will have joy in our hearts.

 “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8).

Trials will come, but they are not unexpected. The good news is that the Lord is with us in those trials. Joy is knowing we have Him in our hearts in those times.

Have a blessed New Year,

Pastor Jerry

1 Dec

True Peace

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Christian Living, Faith, Peace, Rest.

Hello friends,

It is December first and we have had our first snowfall of the season. I’m not a real fan of cold, but the snow makes the world look fresh and new. They say time flies when you are having fun, but having fun or not time marches on. Before you know it Christmas will be here, and we will start a new year. The new year may bring blessings or trials. No matter, if you are a child of God, you can rest assured that He is with you through it all.

With all the unrest and confusion in the world today, it is important to remember that God is still on His throne, and He is still in control. His plan for mankind and the rest of His creation continues. Nothing surprises Him because He knows all things. Those who do not know the Lord will never have real peace until they learn to trust Him in every situation.

Cast all your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken (Psalm 55:22).

 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 4:4-7).

Remember, God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Jesus, as he prepared to go to the cross, said to His disciples, “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).

Real peace comes from placing your faith and trust in the Savior. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Again, as we face uncertain times, we can have peace through it all by trusting the Lord Jesus. As the saying goes, “No Christ, no peace. Know Christ, know peace.”

In Him,

Pastor Jerry

17 Nov

Trust and Obey

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Faith, Gospel, Marriage, Obedience, Relationships, Trust.

Hello friends,

Again, we have extra nice weather for mid-November. I expect we’ll be paying for these nice days. The past few days have given us an opportunity to get a bit of work done on the house. The shingles on the little bay window overhangs were in sad shape, so over three days we were able to get three hours of work done.

In this there was a lesson in trust between two people in a long-term marriage relationship. To get the shingling done, I had to be lifted to the eave on the tractor loader. Since there were only two of us to get the job done, it fell to Milrae to operate the loader controls. I’m sure many of you have had a similar experience.

I needed to give her directions on operating the loader controls, and she is willing to help, but somewhat anxious about getting it right. If she happens to move the control lever the wrong way, I could find myself on the ground in short order. She trusts me to give right directions, and I must trust her to follow them. I can report that she handled it well; I didn’t get thrown to the ground and the repairs were done.

It reminds me of the old hymn Trust and Obey. It speaks of our need as Christians to trust and obey the Lord Jesus. Trust comes first, as we put our faith in Him to give us proper instructions as we serve Him. When we have faith, we can then obey His commands without fear or hesitation. He says do not fear, for I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

Trusting and obeying, in our current culture, are words that are not often well-received. Perhaps you have trusted someone, only to find out they are not trustworthy at all. It is hard to be obedient to someone you cannot trust.

Jesus asks us to trust Him in the everyday things, and to obey His commands. In doing so we can live knowing He is in control and his commands are for our good. “In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands, And His commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

11 Aug

Victory

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Gospel, Praise, Worship.

Dear friends,
This week we are dog-sitting while Alex and family are on vacation. It is a bit of a change from our usual routine. I have discovered my ball throwing skills have deteriorated with age, while the dog’s willingness to retrieve it seems never to tire.

My devotional thought for this week comes from the realm of music. I love the old hymns and gospel songs. No matter what the subject, a song or line from a song will enter my mind. This morning it was “Victory in Jesus.”

It begins with the line, “I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory, how he gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me”.

I hear people say they have found Jesus. Guess what? Jesus was never lost; we are the ones who were lost. The chorus reads, “He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood.” Jesus was seeking us to save us. His purpose in coming to earth was to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).

The song writer goes on, “I heard about His healing, of His cleansing power revealing, how He made the lame to walk again and cause the blind to see, and then I cried , “Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit,” and somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory.

Victory over what, someone might ask. Victory over sin and darkness. The Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The one who believes in Jesus Christ as Savior is free from slavery to sin and has been set free from the guilt and shame brought on by his disobedience to God’s will. Our sin has separated us from God, but that relationship is restored through faith in the One who died to pay our sin debt.

The song concludes with these words, “I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory. And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea; About the angels singing, and the old redemption story, and some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory.”

If you have placed your faith in Jesus, you too, will join the angels in singing praise to Him. Remember, the shepherd went searching for the lost sheep. The sheep was not seeking the shepherd.

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

« Older Entries