Archive for the ‘Blessings’ Category

29 Jun

Celebrate USA

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Creation, Freedom, Stewardship, Truth.

Hello friends,

We are apparently in the long-awaited rainy season. We have had rain in recent days and the summer heat and humidity have arrived also

I was reminded last week that it was almost exactly one year ago that we had the accident that wrecked our little car. We still praise God for protecting us, as we had only minor injuries.

We are preparing to celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary. Here at the lake patriotic decorations are appearing, and plans are in place for everything that makes up a memorable 4th of July. Fun and games, food and fireworks are on the menu.

As we celebrate our independence as a nation, let us remember to thank God for the blessing of calling ourselves Americans. There are few places on earth that have the freedom we have, and that millions of others wish they could experience. Give God the glory and praise for America!

The founding fathers certainly knew and acknowledged God’s provision as they wrote the documents we treasure today. The following is from the Declaration of Independence that was signed on July 4, 1766:

“The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

Some residents of our country would deny the fact that our nation was founded on principles found in the Bible, even to the point of denying the existence of a Creator God. This next week as we celebrate, let us remember what we have been given by God. Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, and let us hold those in public office to the principles of our Constitution. God Bless America!

In Him,

Pastor Jerry

22 Jun

Power Interrupted

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Faith, God's Word, Humor, Trials, Trust.

Hello friends,

We were blessed with more rain Saturday night. My rain bucket registered almost three inches. There is a low spot on our property that catches the big rains. We have been just letting it soak away, but this time we brought out the sump pump I purchased when the crawl space under the house flooded a few years back. It appears this is going to be the answer to the excess water problem.

Along with the rain, when I woke up and looked for the clock, the red numbers weren’t there. The power had gone off around 4:30 AM and we were powerless, so to speak. Milrae has a CPAP machine while sleeping, and she woke up due to a lack of air. After some time waiting for the electricity to come back on, I decided to fire up the standby generator. This proved to be another adventure because we had stored it in the front of the garage behind some other things. I got it to the front door of the garage feeling pretty good about the situation, but wouldn’t you know, the battery on the generator was dead. I have a portable battery supply, but it didn’t work for some reason. After using jumper cables from the car battery, it started and as you might guess, soon the power came back on.

This reminds me of a truth that applies to the Christian life. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

It is impossible to live the Christian life if we don’t remain connected to our source of strength. That strength comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit who comes into our heart at the moment of salvation. When we are unplugged from the power source, we are unable to live the life we are called to live.

When our electric lines are broken, we walk in darkness until that power is restored. It is the same with our connection to Almighty God. Without it, we are walking in darkness, but as we connect to Him the light returns.

The psalmist wrote: “You are my strength; I watch for you; you God are my fortress” (Psalm 59:9).

In His grip,

Pastor Jerry

8 Jun

Keeping Our Vows

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Christian Living, Love, Marriage, Relationships.

Hello friends,

We are enjoying some summer-like weather. There have been storms around, but nothing severe in our area. There have been heavy rains, but many parts of our state are still suffering a critical shortage of moisture. Prayers are in order every day.

Our great-granddaughter celebrated her January birthday on Saturday. It is nicer outdoors in June. I told her she was six and a half, but she let me know she is six! On the topic of special days, my wonderful wife and I celebrated our 62nd anniversary on the seventh.

In our throw-away culture it is becoming rare for marriages to last for any length of time. It is a sad fact, but true, God intended for a man and woman to be joined together until death, but it seems these days those vows taken mean little in the long run. I’m sure we didn’t know what would follow as we shared those vows many years ago, but we persevered through our blessings and trials. We agreed to stay together through feast and famine, difficulties and blessings. Through arguments and agreements. There were hard times and fun times, and we didn’t bail on our promises to each other. In jest, we have sometimes said we stayed together because no one else would have us, but with God’s help here we are.

Here’s a reminder from God’s word concerning marriage: He created Adam and all other living creatures, but among them there was found no suitable helper for him. So, God created a woman to be his helper. That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:18-24). Notice she is to be his helper, not a doormat or servant.

My wife and I repaired many fences, fed cattle, made hay and all other kinds of ranch work She was a dependable helper, and sometimes even a constructive critic, when needed, but it was always done in love.

Those vows we shared were also vows to God that we would be true to Him and to each other. Concerning vows, the scriptures say, “This is what the Lord commands: When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but do everything he said” (Numbers 30:2).

In His grip,

Pastor Jerry

6 Apr

He is Alive!

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Cross, Easter, Eternal Life, Praise, Resurrection.

Dear friends,

We had a nice day to celebrate Resurrection Sunday. Sunrise service was a bit cool, but bearable. If we think about it, every Sunday is an observance of the Lord’s resurrection. We know from the Bible that God proved His power by the resurrection.

In the story of Lazarus, Mary grieving the death of her brother said, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord, she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:21-27).

After Jesus’ resurrection He appeared to His disciples and to several others, including Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jesus. He also appeared to two men who were traveling to the town of Emmaus. Some who heard the news of His appearance were skeptical, but when they saw Him alive and saw the nail prints in His hands they believed. No one alive today has seen Him but the evidence of His existence is all around us. One only has to see lives changed through the presence of His Holy Spirit to believe He is real.

Thomas, the disciple who doubted that Jesus was alive, when he saw for himself the wounds of the Lord, said “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:28-29).

Have you met Jesus? Was it through the witness of a Christian friend? Did the Scriptures reveal Him to you? Have you believed and worshiped Him, or have you doubted? Blessed are those who have not seen Him yet believe.

As the old song says:Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth thou hast for me
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free

Silently now I wait for thee
Ready, my God, thy will to see
Open my eyes, illumine me
Spirit divine!

For 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

6 Oct

On Aging

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Christian Living, On Aging, Reward, Salvation.

Dear friends,
Here we are at the beginning of a new month. Another reason I like October is that I get to observe another birthday. I have reached number 81 as of today. God has blessed me with more years than I could have imagined when I was younger.

One might wonder how to become wise as our years advance. We all can remember when we were young and unwise, sometimes getting into trouble because of the lack of wisdom. Scripture has good advice on achieving wisdom. Psalm 111:10 reminds us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His instructions have good understanding.” In Proverbs we read, “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding” (Proverbs 3:13).

We are encouraged to persevere in our faith as we advance in years, knowing the Lord will be with us: Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isaiah 46:4). Moses asked this of God, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

As we age, we remember the lessons we learned in our early years. Wisdom is using those lessons in a practical way. As it says, the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, not that we are afraid of Him but we respect and acknowledge God as our creator, giving Him all the honor and glory that is due Him. When we do that, He gives us wisdom to apply what His word teaches us.

Someone once said, “I became old and wise because God protected me when I was young and stupid.” I might add this observation; we are still here because there is more God wants us to do for Him. It begins with this: “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life” ( John 6:40

I leave you with this from Solomon. “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

Living for Him,
Pastor Jerry

30 Jun

It’s His Plan

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Blessings, Faith, Miracles, Planning, Trials, Trust.

Hello all,
We continue to recover from our car wreck. The bumps and bruises are healing, and we continue to attest to God’s providence and protection in all of this. Weather-wise, in the past ten days we have recorded 6.5 inches of rain in our high-tech gauge. After what was a long, dry spell, we are grateful for abundant moisture.

In feedback from last week’s column, it was pointed out that it sounded like I was promoting the idea that God protects us from everything all the time. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that. What it does say is that in this world there will be hardships, including death and dying. There is sickness and disease, pain and sorrow. Sometimes He protects us from harm, but sometimes He doesn’t. Whatever the outcome, God is never surprised and His perfect plan is being carried out.

Let me share some informative scriptures with you: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds (James 1:2). Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of glory that God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12). Notice that James said when you face trials, not if you face trials.

Peter wrote this, concerning trials, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1: 6). Also, Peter said, “Dear friends do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

The words of Jesus after telling His disciples of trials to come: “I have told you all 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).

In Romans 12, Paul reminds his readers to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12).

We may say, If I had done this or that, taken a different road, or chosen a different route, this would not have happened. But as I have said before and continue to say, it is all in God’s plan and through it all He is fulfilling His purpose in each life and in each experience.

Trusting Him,
Pastor Jerry

23 Jun

God’s Protection

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Faith, Milestones, Miracles, Praise, thanksgiving.

Hello friends,
We had one of those weeks you remember for a long time. The weather has been very warm, but we also had some rain. My opening sentence has nothing to do with the weather but with a memorable happening. It started as a normal week, with a couple of doctor’s appointments.

On Wednesday, after our appointment, we decided to tour around and check out some local campgrounds. We had been talking about taking the camper out for a few days but wanted to look around first.

Our first stop was Davis Creek, south of North Loup. Then, we took some dicey back roads, courtesy of Google maps, to Sherman Reservoir. After lunch in Loup City, we went to Ravenna with the idea of visiting Buffalo County Park. We have been there before and wanted to check out the improvements since we last visited.

As I started to turn onto the road to the park, we collided with a pickup I had not seen. Airbags in the car deployed with a loud bang and we came to a sudden stop. I never want to have that experience again!

The car was totaled, but neither we or the other driver had life-threatening injuries, although we were bruised and sore. Over the next few days, we found more bruises, but we are slowly healing. Know this though,
airbags are great but work better if used with seatbelts also.

In all this we are thankful to God for His protection. This could have turned out much worse without it. As I reflected on this, scriptures came to mind that assured me of His guiding hand upon us.

Psalm 121:7-8 reads, “The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more.”
Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. And let us not forget Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”

Our experience last Wednesday was not “luck”, but the Lord taking charge for his plan and purpose. He’s not done with us.

All praise to Him,
Pastor Jerry

26 May

Memories

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Eternal Life, Families, Memorial Day.

Hello friends,
Since our last visit, we have been blessed with abundant rain. The rain bucket here showed over two and a half inches. God is good! In other news, we made our annual pre-Memorial Day cemetery run. The odometer in the car shows we drove 204 miles.

Memorial Day was intended to be a day to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. It has since become a day to remember all who have gone on before us. Yesterday as we traveled and visited the graves of family members, I was reminded of many good times, and some that were not so good. Mostly though, they were the good kind of memories.

In the Bible God instructed His people to set up memorial stones to help them remember His guidance and protection through the years. An example of this is recorded in the Old Testament. After the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River on dry ground, twelve men were instructed to “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:5-7).

The memorial stones we see in our cemeteries are not memorials to God, but are there to remind us of our ancestors, both those who gave their lives for our country, but also as reminders of our heritage and family ties.

I have written in the past that the most important memorial Christians can leave to our descendants is that they know of our faith in the Lord Jesus, and they will know for sure that when we die, we have gone to be with Him in heaven. Stone memorials have their place, but our faith and trust in Christ is everlasting. Be bold to share that Good News with all your family and friends. Their salvation will outlast every stone monument.

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

7 Apr

Shine!

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Calling, Culture, God's Word, Obedience, Praise, Salt and Light.

Dear readers,
I see a few signs of spring and it makes me feel winter is almost behind us. Bring on the showers and the flowers that brighten the landscape. God is good and His creation shows it.

I learned a lesson by going into my tool trailer and failing to turn on the light. Recently, I went into the trailer where I keep my tools. Being in a hurry, I didn’t turn on the light and my leg collided with a wooden box on the floor. As could be expected, the resulting collision resulted in pain and agony in my right legs. It is now about three weeks later, and the bruising has begun to fade.

There is a spiritual application in this concerning the teaching that Jesus is the light of the world, come to shine the light of God’s love into a dark and dangerous world.

As a result of the failure of Adam to heed God’s instructions, we live in a world that is broken by sin and inhabited by dark forces of evil. As we navigate the darkness, it is important to have light so that we can see the dangers around us and take the safe path.

Scripture says much about walking in the light and avoiding the darkness. The psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Regarding Jesus, John wrote, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7).

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

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