Archive for the ‘Calling’ Category

26 Feb

In God We Trust

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Calling, Faith, God's Word, Persecution, Spiritual Warfare, Trials.

We are experiencing some unusual weather for this time of the year. Temperatures are above normal, and it makes me wonder what is coming. I have seen some nasty winter-like weather in March and early April, so don’t put away those snow shovels just yet! More than once we experienced below zero temps and snow during calving time, which was in the month of March. I’m chilled just thinking about it.

I notice As I read the news each day, that the opponents of Jesus Christ and His followers are becoming more vocal each day. We are threatened with censorship, with legal action and other kinds of persecution. I would encourage everyone who claims the name of Jesus to stand firm in the faith. It looks scary at times, but I am reminded that the same God who protected Daniel in the lion’s den, who kept Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from burning up in the fiery furnace and saved  David from lions and giants (think Goliath), is the same God who protects us from our enemies today.

When threatened by king Nebuchadnezzar with the fiery furnace, the three Hebrew children said, “If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire… but even if he does not rescue us… we will not serve your gods.” (Daniel 3:17-18).

Daniel’s testimony to king Darius after being freed from the lion’s den was this: ‘My God sent his angel and shut the lion’s mouths; and they have not harmed me, for I was found innocent before Him” (Daniel 6:21).

When David faced the giant Goliath, he said, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me…, all those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give all of you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).

The battle is not ours to win; our part is to stand firm on the Word of the Lord and His promises. As we read the book of Revelation, we find that despite the devil’s attempts to destroy God’s people, in the end we win.

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

18 Dec

Listening For His Voice

Posted by sandhillspastor in Calling, Obedience, Prayer, Trust, Truth, Worship.

Dear readers,

Merry Christmas to all. It was a quiet week at our house. We had a few appointments to keep but stayed home otherwise. We enjoy this thing called retirement, but in that we try to find things to do around home that keep us from growing stale, so to speak.

In this busy time of year, we can be overcome by the sounds that come at us from every direction. There is a lot of ‘noise’ in the world that distracts us from the important things. As I get older my memory sometimes brings up long-forgotten memories of situations and conversations. I’m not one to dwell on the past, but still there are those memories.

In a recent conversation, I was reminded of a time in the far distant past. Some folks, including myself, were engaged in small talk around the dinner table. One of the group, a professional truck driver was asked if he had a radio in his semi. His answer was, “No, I listen to the truck engine, that’s what is making the money!

In the Bible, we are told to listen for the voice of the Lord. For this to happen, we need to have a quiet time when we turn off the loud sounds of life to hear what is important. Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”

Basically, it says turn off the distracting sounds and listen for God to speak. Psalm 46:10 reads, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations.”

The prophet Elijah was needing a word from God. As he stood on the mountain this happened:

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:11-13).

Finally, some advice from the Lord Jesus: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:6).

Just listening,

Pastor Jerry

16 Oct

Pray for Israel

Posted by sandhillspastor in Calling, God's Word, Judgment, Obedience, Truth.

Hello friends,

Rainfall total for last week at our address was 2.25 inches. Some places had more, others less, but it was well received. We moved the camper to Mitchell, SD last week in anticipation of the arrival of a new great-grandchild. It will serve as living quarters for great grandma as she helps with the new little one. I am sure there will be an update to this story soon.

Unless you have been hiding under a big rock, you know that Israel has been under attack from her enemies lately. There are those who wonder, what is the big deal with Israel? One has only to read the Bible record to see that God has a special relationship with the people he calls his own. Through Isaiah the prophet, God said this to Israel:

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, my friend—I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said to you: You are my servant; I have chosen you; I haven’t rejected you (Isaiah 41:9).

I am the Lord. I have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will hold you by your hand. I will watch over you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6).

Now this is what the Lord says—the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel— “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine (Isaiah 43:1).

God’s good plan was for Israel to be His shining light to the rest of the world. He would bring salvation through the Lord Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. Israel rejected the Savior, however and God sent Jesus’ disciples into the Gentile world with the message of salvation through faith in the promised Messiah. This did not mean God was finished with Israel. In fact, God promised to keep a remnant of Jews who would acknowledge Christ as the Messiah.

Those who would destroy Israel will be judged by God eventually. God’s words to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

25 Sep

Staying the Course

Posted by sandhillspastor in Calling, Christian Living, Faith, Obedience, On Aging, Reward.

Dear readers,

Cool temps and an inch and a half of rain sums up the weather report here at beautiful Lake Ericson. I have noticed the leaves of the trees are beginning to show their fall colors. I renewed my driver’s license this past week, so I will have a new mug shot to carry with me. As a young man, I looked forward to this time of the year. I could always depend on getting shotgun shells for my birthday in preparation for the upcoming waterfowl season. Those days are past, but the memories remain.

I have had a few Sundays off from preaching while dealing with health issues, but plan to be back in the pulpit next Sunday. Retirement seems busier than what I envisioned a few years ago, but I have learned that when you commit to serving the Lord, He will continue to use you.

As followers of Jesus Christ, I don’t believe we have the option of sitting down to wait for His return. We are called to run the race set out before us until we reach heaven. Paul had these words for Timothy that we should take to heart.

“I solemnly charge you before God and Jesus Christ… Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:1-8).

Word has come this week of the passing of a lady whose life reflected Paul’s words to Timothy. May we all live our lives for Christ in this way.

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

11 Sep

Meeting Together

Posted by sandhillspastor in Body of Believers, Calling, Christian Living, Families, Family of God, Fellowship, Obedience.

Dear readers,

We have been blessed with nice rain. It happened Sunday morning, with more during the day. Along with the rain came cooler air, which is more than welcome after all those upper-nineties days. I am back home after my short stay in the hospital last week. There will be follow-up appointments, and except for being very tired, I feel okay. Once again, I am grateful for excellent medical care. Some would have you believe that we need to go to the big city for that, but I am convinced otherwise. Health care, much like ministry is a calling; some are called to serve in the city and some in the country. In either case, if you don’t see it as a calling, you probably won’t stay long. From my heart, thank you to everyone who follows their calling to serve others.

Sunday evening our church held a family oriented event we called “Fall Feast.” It was designed to bring people together as a community, to celebrate family values and enjoy a meal and some wholesome entertainment.

In the early days of the church, those who were called Christians gathered daily to fellowship together. I believe if that pattern were followed in our time, the church would be strengthened, and believers would be encouraged to stand boldly for their faith. In Acts, chapter two, Peter preached a message of repentance leading to salvation. We read this: “So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer” (Acts 2:41-42).

“Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (2:46-47).

I don’t expect that today we could meet every day, but we could certainly return to meeting weekly on the Lord’s Day. We have fallen into the habit of meeting only when it is convenient, ignoring the command to regular fellowship as stated in Hebrews. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—” (Hebrews 10:24).

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

22 May

Life’s Purpose

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Calling, Christian Living, Discipleship, Gospel, Great Commission, Work.

Hello friends,

It is time once again for another visit. We have been taking advantage of the nicer weather to get outdoors as much as possible. There are those trips to town for appointments and to get groceries and other supplies, but there has been time for some yard work and the planting of the garden beds. After the rain of last week, mowing will take some of my attention for the rest of the growing season.

I do enjoy putting my thoughts in writing, and I pray they make a difference in someone’s life. I believe each person has been placed on this earth for a purpose, and God’s purpose for everyone is given in Scripture. Jesus said this concerning his reason for coming to earth, and the will of God: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, bur the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise them up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:38-40).

Did you get that? It is God’s will that everyone be saved. The one who is saved then has been given a divine purpose in life. This does not give the indication that everyone will be saved, but that everyone who believes in Jesus will have the gift of eternal life. Other scriptures tell us that we are saved. not to sit on the sidelines and wait for him to come for us. Quite the opposite is true.

We, as Jesus was, are to be about the Father’s business, not that we can save anyone, but that we spread the good news of Jesus to all those around us. To the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

What are these good works? I believe they start with Jesus’ command in Matthew 28. His command to us is this: Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations…, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. (Verses 19-20).

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

1 May

Who Will Go?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Body of Believers, Calling, God's Word, Gospel, Great Commission, Obedience.

Dear friends,

We are seeing more evidence of spring; trees blooming and getting new leaves, grass growing (get the mower ready), and dandelions! We did get a little rain the other night, but the wind blew it all away the next day. Let us not give up in asking the Lord to provide that much needed soaking rain. God does answer those sincere and heartfelt prayers.

We have been on the road with doctor’s appointments in recent days. Milrae is recovering from her second knee replacement, and she is glad there were only two knees to be replaced.

In church news, we are still in the process of finding a new pastor. Yours truly has been preaching three days a month, with guest speakers the other Sundays. This has been working well, but obviously is not a long-lasting solution. If you or someone you know is looking for a place to do God’s work of shepherding a small congregation, send them our way.

Our church is not alone in the search for pastoral leadership. It seems there are too few candidates for an increasing number of small congregations. From a personal perspective, I can think of few other callings that are as important as being the Lord’s representative to a body of Christian people making up a small church, whether it is in a city or in a rural setting.

I am drawn to a passage in the book of Romans. It reads as follows: “Everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news?’” (Romans 10:13-15).

The prophet Isaiah, in a vision, got a glimpse of heaven in which he saw the throne of God. He heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah’s answer is, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).

Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2).

Who will go?

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

27 Mar

A New Life

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Calling, Faith, Gospel, Praise, renewal, Salvation, The Good News, Witness.

Dear friends,
The days continue to pass quickly. When next we meet it will be April, the month of spring showers. At least we can hope winter is over by then. After those showers, we will be blessed with flowers and all the other good things that follow. Did you see a bit of poetry there?

At this time of the year, I am reminded of new life. As I see the new plant growth, new baby calves along the road, and later many other signs of new beginnings, I am drawn to consider the new life we are given through faith in Jesus Christ.

It was in the spring of the year, when on a Sunday morning in May, I first trusted Him with my life. It was at the closing of a sermon on Romans chapter 10, verses 8-13. Those verses read; But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (made right with God), and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Up to that point I thought I had my life pretty well ordered. As the pastor concluded his message, he invited those who had not done so to place their lives in God’s hands and confess Jesus as Savior and Lord. At that precise moment, I realized that I needed a Savior and prayed to receive his gift of salvation. That began a change in me that could only have been brought about by a Holy God. That is my testimony and I stand by it these 40 plus years later.

Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? If not, may you surrender your life to the Lord Jesus today? It is not too late.

In His unfailing love,
Pastor Jerry

26 Sep

Gone Fishing

Posted by sandhillspastor in Calling, Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism, Great Commission, Obedience, Witness.

Dear friends,

We have been enjoying some cooler temperatures, the only thing missing is a good soaking rain. I believe we will see those rains in due time, but we still need to be persistent in prayer that the Lord will send them. There is not much news on the home front, just a grocery shopping trip now and then.

The annual Lake Ericson fishing derby was held this past Saturday. After signing in, and after a pancake and sausage breakfast, the teams headed out to the lake. As I observed the preparations, I saw an illustration of what the church should look like. I’m speaking of the church as followers of Jesus, sent out into the world. The men and boys who entered the derby had come earlier in the week and spent time finding out where the fish were. On the day of the contest, they were prepared with the right tackle and a fair knowledge of the habits of the fish they intended to catch.

After breakfast, did they sit around talking about fishing? No, they got in their boats and went fishing. Catching fish is the reason they are fishermen. It would be silly to just sit around the table and tell fish stories.

Jesus gave his disciples instructions, using fishing as an illustration of what they were being sent to do.

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed Him” (Mark 1:16-18).

Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus appeared to his disciples and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:18-19).

Christians are called to go, that is they are sent by their Lord to go out into the world and be his witnesses; to present the good news of salvation to all people, in order to bring them into His “boat”.

It is pointless for Christians to just sit around after church and talk about the need for evangelism. Let us go out and fish for those who need to hear of Jesus.

In Him,

Pastor Jerry

15 Aug

Speaking Truth

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Calling, God's Word, Reward, Truth.

Dear friends,
Thank you for letting me share my thoughts each week. We have harvested a few tomatoes from the garden. There will be more in due time. Rain continues to be in short supply for many, and we need to be faithful in prayer for God to provide. It has been said we can’t control the weather, but we know the One who does. We must believe He will send rain in accordance with His perfect will.

Truth seems to be in short supply these days. Each day there are claims that this person or that is giving us the truth concerning the events of that day. The next day we hear a different story. Scripture reminds us that as we get closer to the return of Jesus Christ, fewer people will know the truth and some will even deny the truth.

Truths are not created; they exist. God is truth and He has always been truth; therefore, Jesus is the end of the search for truth. He is the revealed Truth of God. Jesus said of himself; “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Christians are to speak the truth always. Paul’s instructions to Timothy were, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2-5).

In other words, stay grounded in the truth of God’s word. Stand firm in the place He has called you to serve. Fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith. If you do this, you will receive God’s promised crown of righteousness on the day of Christ’s return. (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

“To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

For Truth,
Pastor Jerry

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