Archive for the ‘Blessings’ Category

20 Jan

Return to Respect

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Christian Living, God's Word, Obedience, Politics, Stewardship.

Dear readers,
January is slipping away and before we know it, we’ll be leaving winter behind. This winter hasn’t been bad compared to some I remember and that’s okay. As I write this, it is windy and there is a cold spell forecast, but hopefully it will be short-lived.

As America transitions to a new president, let us remember that the future of our nation lies not in a new political leader, but in a return to Christian values and the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us we are to respect the leaders of government, also that our first allegiance is to the Lord and to the truth of the Bible.

Psalm 2 sums it up rather well: “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.” (verses 1-3). At the end of the Psalm we read: “Therefore you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 2:10-12).

In Romans 13:1, Paul wrote, “Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

Peter also spoke to this issue in his first letter: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God honor the king” (1 Peter 2:13-17). I believe it is proper to substitute the word ‘president’ in place of ‘king’ in this passage.

We need to return to showing proper respect for our leaders, and for each other.

God bless America,
Pastor Jerry

16 Dec

Christmas Memories

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Christmas, Giving.

Dear friends,
Winter-like weather has returned. Not with snow, but with cooler temperatures. I’m glad for a warm house these days, because I really can’t cope with the cold anymore.

As our thoughts turn to Christmas Day, a bit of reflection is in order. Rather than focusing on what we might get in the way of gifts, let us consider the Greatest Gift of all. I have received many wonderful gifts from family and friends over the years, but some stand out more than others.

There was the Red Ryder BB gun when I was a youngster. I took it out hunting and came across a mouse. No, I didn’t shoot it. I beat it with the gun stock and broke my new gun. A memorable experience and a lesson learned. An earlier memory is of a Christmas when “Santa” brought a puppy in a burlap bag and dumped it out on the floor of our living room. How exciting that was!

After I became a believer in Jesus Christ and we were going through some hard times, there was no money for Christmas gifts for our boys. I had mentioned our predicament to our pastor and he and his wife gave us money out of their savings so we could have a good Christmas for our two boys. I will never forget that gift, given in the truest picture of Christian love for others. I have had opportunities to pass that gift on to others in the name of Jesus.

In John’s gospel, we read the following: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17).

Paul wrote to the church in Rome: “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2)

“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:10, 13). “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)!

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

9 Dec

The Giving Season

Posted by sandhillspastor in Advent, Blessings, Christmas, Culture, Faith, Giving, Obedience.

Hello friends,
Hasn’t the weather been nice for December, so far? I was able to work in our uninsulated garage in my shirt sleeves Saturday afternoon. I suppose it will cool down, but as yet there is no snow in the forecast.

As we enter the Christmas season, I have been thinking on the topic of giving. After all, ‘tis the season for gift giving. Christmas shopping has become a big deal. People go to great lengths to find that perfect Christmas gift for that special person. For some it is a year-long project and for others, a mad dash early in the morning on what is called “Black Friday.”

What about our giving to others throughout the rest of the year? Scripture encourages, even commands us to give to the Lord with grateful and cheerful hearts. We are also told to give to others as God blessed us. It may be a financial gift, or a gift of serving others, Whatever resources we have, God would have us share those blessings with those who are needy.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all times having all you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever” (2 Corinthians 9:6-9).
Paul goes on to say, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (verse 11).

Paul is not talking about a “name it and claim it” strategy. He is talking about God taking care of us when we honor him with our giving generously, even when it scares us.

If we can move past that fear, we’ll get to see why God enriches us—not to bring more bling into our lives, but to “multiply our seed for sowing.” He multiplies our resources not to increase our standard of living but to increase our capacity for giving.

Some food for thought in this giving season. Praying for increased blessings to all.

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

25 Nov

Thanks to the Lord

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

Dear friends,
We have come to the time of the year when we focus on being thankful for the blessings we have received from the Lord. This brings early deadlines for those who write for local newspapers. My normal habit is to sit down on Sunday afternoon to compose this devotional, but I need to put my brain in gear a little sooner this week.

Since Thanksgiving is this week, we should be mindful of the many ways the Lord has blessed us. We can be thankful for the things we have, the people in our lives who bless us, our food, our home; the list goes on. However, ultimately all the things we have come from God. Whether you believe in Him or not, He is the provider of all things. The traditional doxology of the church begins, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below.”

The Psalms are filled with the idea of giving thanks to the Lord. Psalm 107 begins, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name” (Psalm 100:4). Several verses in Psalm 107 read; “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men” (vs. 1, 8, 15, 21, 31).

There are references to giving thanks in the New Testament, as well. Paul encourages Christians to, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20).

More from Paul: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4).

Here are a few ways to be thankful: Every morning, thank God for a different provision he has given you. Focus on just one gift each morning.
Every night, answer this question: “What happened today that I’m most grateful for? Push yourself to see God’s goodness, even in the tough situations of life. Thank Him. And then thank Him again.

Thankful for His goodness,
Pastor Jerry

28 Oct

Remembering

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Milestones, Praise, Wisdom.

Hello friends,
I trust you are enjoying the nice October weather. It’s not often we have these temperatures at this time of year. The only downside is we still need some beneficial moisture.

Sunday morning, I was doing some mental review of the past year. Our great-grandson is one year old, we celebrated our 60th anniversary in June and in October I reached the age of eighty. We are truly blessed!

The Bible has many commands to remember the times we are blessed by God. The Israelites were to place markers in remembrance of the times he blessed them with protection or provision. I believe we also need to remember those instances when we have been blessed. That is why we celebrate birthdays and other important events and give the Lord praise for those many times. Let’s look at some examples of God’s provision from Scripture.

He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—holy and awesome is his name (Psalm 111:5,9). He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call (Psalm 147:9).

Yet he has not left himself without testimony. He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy (Acts 14:17).

After the people of Israel crossed the Jordan river into the Promised Land we read: And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God. (Joshua 4:20-24).

Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me (Isaiah 46:9).

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

19 Aug

God is Good All the Time

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Best Life, Blessings, Faith.

Hello friends, Another week has come and gone. We received just over an inch of rain Sunday morning, so no watering of the lawn and garden for a few days. I’m still adjusting to my new medicines and will go to Grand Island to see my vascular specialist on Tuesday. There will be a scan, and he will determine where we go from here. What follows is an excerpt from a devotional by J.D Grear.

Sometimes, as Christians, we don’t fully realize all that God has done for us. We take His blessings in our lives for granted far too often. God is faithful. God is good. And God is consistent.

The Bible promises that God will not just pardon us for our sin but will abundantly pardon us. Isaiah 55:7 tells us, “Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously” (NLT). Not only is God able to do what we ask of Him through prayer, but according to Ephesians 3:20, He is able to “accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (NLT). Not only are we conquerors in Christ, but according to Romans 8:37, “we are more than conquerors” (NIV). He gives us not just peace but a peace that “exceeds anything we can understand” (Philippians 4:7 NLT).

The psalmist and shepherd David was able to look back on his life and say, “My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:5–6 NLT). As Christians look back at their lives, if they have been walking closely with God, they’re able to see a pattern of God’s blessings over the years.

Sometimes, when we’re going through certain situations, we may not see God’s goodness or mercy. In fact, we may even question God on occasion. But as the years pass, as we look back, we can see God’s hand in our lives in a way that perhaps we couldn’t see it before. And we can look back and see the same thing. Really, the Christian life is the greatest life there is. It is better than anything this world has to offer.

Blessings, Pastor Jerry

5 Aug

Opportunities

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Calling, Evangelism, Relationships, Witness.

Dear friends,

It’s hard to believe August is here already. I don’t know if we are having fun or just being busy, but time flies. I am slowly adjusting to my new medicine regime. I seem to sleep a lot during the day and my night sleep suffers because of it. Even so, God is good and blesses us every day.

I have discovered that spending time in the hospital gives me many opportunities to share my faith with others. I have had many deep spiritual conversations with various nurses in the middle of the night. During my recent stay, I was able to give encouragement to a man facing surgery for brain cancer. He was moved to a different floor, and I never saw him again, but he heard about Jesus and the way of salvation.

During another hospital stay, a nurse asked me to pray for her vision to establish a ministry to the Haitian people in Florida.  She was herself Haitian. This happened in the middle of the night, and I was blessed to pray with and for her.

No matter where we are or in what situation we find ourselves, the Lord puts people in our way so that we can share the gospel message with them. I am reminded of the words of the apostle Peter in his first letter to the church: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

This is the reason for our hope: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Pray for the Lord to reveal those to whom he would have you share your testimony of the gospel message. I will leave you with this thought… If God answered all the prayers you prayed last week, how many new people would be in his kingdom?

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

3 Jun

Who is in Charge?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, God's Word, Obedience, Peace, Trials, Trust.

Dear friends,

The month of June has arrived, the month of weddings. Love is in the air as is cotton from the cottonwood trees, not to mention all kinds of pollen.

We continue to be in the rainy season. Some folks have had much more rain than is needed, yet others can’t buy a passing shower. Agricultural people don’t really need more stress, and we need to pray for them.

After all, the Lord is the one who provides the sun and rain. We can only ask for those things to be provided and rest in the knowledge that he will answer those prayers in His good timing.

I have shared in the past that I used to stress over the weather during the haying season. If there was a forecast of rain, I wouldn’t mow and when I expected dry weather and mowed the grass down it would surely rain. While doing my daily Bible reading one day, I read a passage of scripture that changed my whole outlook. I’ll share it with you here.

“If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.

Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how a body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things” (Ecclesiastes 11:3-5).

After reading and absorbing the truth of this passage, I stopped looking at the clouds and experienced a lot less stress. Another stress reliever was Psalm 50. There was a point during an agricultural recession several years back, when our cows were sold by the bank. I thought those were my cows that I had worked to acquire. Suddenly I learned differently.

The Lord spoke to me through His word again: “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it” (Psalm 50:9-12).

Simply His,

Pastor Jerry

12 Feb

Giving/Receiving

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Blessings, Contentment, Hope, Miracles, Possessions.

Hello friends,

After a busy week, it is good to spend Sunday afternoon relaxing and reviewing the past few days. Maria has gone back to her mom, dad, and baby brother. We enjoyed her visit, but we are not as young as we once were. I had my first cataract surgery on Thursday. I’m surprised by the improvement in my sight and looking forward to getting the other one done in two weeks. As the song writer has said, “I can see clearly now” (at least in one eye)!

Last week, I wrote about giving to God and quoted Jesus’ words on giving. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33):

The apostle Paul wrote, “And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 CSB).

Notice Paul said that God would supply all your needs—not all your greed, or even all your wants or desires.

The writer of Proverbs 30 prayed, “Give me neither poverty nor wealth! Feed me with the food I need. Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, ‘Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God” (verses 8–9 CSB).

You see, God is not some celestial Santa Claus giving us all the things on our wish list. Contrary to the idea that we do not get the things we want because our faith is weak, faith allows us to wait upon the Lord and depend on His goodness and grace to provide the things we really need. I have found the things we think we cannot live without are things that would do us harm if we were allowed to get them.

From Hebrews we read, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 10:11).

“So, we fix our eyes on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal “(2 Corinthians 4:18).

The bottom line is, believe in God, He is faithful and true. Trust in Him and see how He supplies your needs. There is a big difference between what we want and what we need. God knows which is best for us.

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

5 Feb

Giving to God

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Giving, God's Word, Possessions, Stewardship.

Our week is off to a busy start. Our great-granddaughter is spending a few days with us. The level of activity at our house has reached a level not seen in a long time, or is it just our age? In weather news, our January thaw came in February this year. It has been above freezing in the daytime, most of our snow is gone, and we received approximately a half-inch of rain. It appears ice fishing season has come to an end, at least here at Lake Ericson.

Here are some thoughts on our attitude toward giving to the Lord from Pastor J.D. Greear entitled First Things First: “God calls us to give him our first and best, so when instead we give him our second and the rest, we set God himself against us.

This is one of the most important financial principles in the Bible, stated most clearly by Jesus in Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (ESV).

In context, “all these things” are all the other things we worry about, like provision, companionship, marriage, and financial stability. Seek God first, and he will add all these other things to you. But, seek first the kingdom of self, and all these things will be taken from you.

C.S. Lewis famously said that when you put “first” things first, God will throw in “second” things. But put second things first, and you’ll lose not only first things but eventually the second things also.

 Scripture tells us that sometimes we are faithful to God and hard times still come. That’s part of living in a fallen world, and it is often how God tests and grows and shapes our faith. Verses like Matthew 6:33 are not a spiritual rebate guarantee, where you write God a check and he promises every time to send a bigger one back to you.

But there are enough passages in Scripture like Matthew 6:33 that we should be sure to understand: We put God first, and he multiplies it, and if we don’t do that, he may frustrate our efforts,”

A lesson learned in forty years of following the Lord is that you cannot out-give God. Give Him what you can and be ready to receive blessings according to His will for you.

In Him,

Pastor Jerry

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