Archive for the ‘Change’ Category

5 Sep

Hear and Obey

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Change, Christian Living, God's Word, Great Commission, Obedience, Planning, Repentance, Service, Uncategorized.

The lake community was a busy place this past weekend. From turtle racing, football watching, and the annual Labor Day auction, there were plenty of things to do.

From my vantage point, I have the opportunity to observe many things. Some are amusing, some not so much, and some give me ideas for these articles. Just watching how people operate their vehicles sometimes will illustrate some spiritual truth.

Here is the thought for the week: You can turn the steering wheel in any direction you want, but if you’re not moving, you do not change directions. Intentions have to be followed by action. You may say, I want to go over there, and point your wheels in that direction, but until you engage the transmission and press the accelerator pedal, you aren’t going anywhere.

In the days before power steering, one could only turn the wheel with some effort. It was easier to steer the vehicle (or tractor) when moving forward. These days, you can turn the steering wheel effortlessly while sitting still, but there is still no change of direction unless you are moving.

It’s the same way with prayer, changing habits or lifestyle, or with following Jesus. Good intentions lead nowhere without a commitment to action. The commands of the Lord require action on the part of the one who is commanded. Here are a few of those commands:

Leave, and/or go. “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). What happened next? “So Abram left, as the Lord had told him” (verse 4).

Follow: Mark 1:17… “Come, follow me, Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” The command to follow usually preceded by the command to come. That is, to come to Jesus, and then to follow him. One cannot follow him without first coming to him in faith.

Give: Believers are to give to the poor. This command follows the command to sell our possessions in order to have resources to give.

Commands are meant to be obeyed. Intentions mean nothing if not followed by actions. It’s been said before, but God cannot direct your steps unless you are moving. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

8 Aug

On Possessions

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Blessings, Change, Christian Living, Faith, Freedom, Giving, God's Word, Possessions, Praise, Stewardship, Uncategorized, Wisdom.

We have appreciated the cooler weather of the last few days. I have no personal fishing report yet, although I did see some really nice largemouth bass that two ladies had caught Friday afternoon.

I find we are still having to deal with years of collecting things we thought we had to have. In fact, due to the amount of stuff we still possess, we have purchased another piece of property here at the lake. We will now have a place to keep our “overflow”, that is the tractor and its attachments, the little pontoon boat, golf cart, etc. This does not mean we have found the answer to the problem of having these things, downsizing must continue.

I am continually reminded of scripture that warns of letting material goods take first place in our lives. Note: It’s not my wife that keeps reminding me, she has stuff, too. Could it be the Spirit of God tapping me on the shoulder, saying “enough already”?

As I talk with other people, I find we are not the only ones dealing with the abundance of things not needed. Many of us are having this struggle. What is the answer to this? God’s word has some suggestions.

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Jesus, speaking to the rich young man in Matthew 19:21). “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). In the follow-up to his story of the rich man who built more bins to hold his grain, Jesus had this advice for his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes” (Luke 12:22-23).

Here is a final thought on this subject. I read this statement a few years ago, and it comes to mind now. “Someday, all your valued possessions will fit in a small drawer in some nursing home.”

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

1 Aug

Potted or Planted?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Change, Christian Living, Family of God, Freedom, God's Word, Gospel, Obedience, Service, Truth, Uncategorized.

Once again, I can report some nice rains. The total here in our gauge was nearing 2 inches. A little rain certainly helps with watering the lawns and gardens.

Speaking of gardens and such, we completed construction of a new flower bed this past week. The flowers have been sitting in pots beside the house waiting to be planted in the ground. Here are a few observations connecting potted plants and Christian living. Stay with me on this one.

Plants meant to be planted in the ground do not do well in pots. Some of the plants we brought from the store were needing help. Coming from the nursery in what is called “potting soil”, they dry out too soon, and left in that environment, they get root bound, leading to stunted growth. They need to be taken out of those pots and planted in the ground where they belong, so they can flourish. I wonder sometimes if Christians might be subject to a similar condition?

The new Christian is a bit like a new seedling plant. He needs a certain amount of protection and care, before he is planted in the world. But keeping him in the greenhouse environment, so to speak, is not going to be beneficial to him in the long run. As we disciple a new believer, there is a point where we get them out of the pot, and plant them where they can begin go grow and live out God’s plan for them.

The psalmist said this about the man who reads and meditates on God’s word: He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:3).

Just as the potted plant from the nursery cannot feed or water itself, so also does the new Christian need to be fed and watered by the Word of God. The writer of Hebrews tells us to move on from spiritual infancy, that is needing milk, to the taking in of solid spiritual food that leads to spiritual maturity. (Hebrews 5:11-14). Then we read: “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…” (Hebrews 6:1).

My advice to stunted Christians? Get out of that greenhouse pot, get growing, and bloom where God has planted you!

Feeding on His word,
Pastor Jerry

27 Jun

Proof of Change

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Bible, Change, Christian Living, Faith, God's Word, Gospel, Grace, Obedience, Politics, renewal, Repentance, Salvation, Truth, Uncategorized, Witness.

The month of June is almost over, and I haven’t spent any serious time fishing. Along with that, we have only had the camper out once this year, and that was mostly to see if everything worked. Maybe living beside the lake is a hindrance to both fishing and camping. Could that be it? Note: If you have ever wanted to know more about this place called Lake Ericson, check out the current edition of Nebraska Life Magazine.

It is being reported on some media sources that a certain presidential candidate has recently become a Christian. It is not my place to judge a person’s heart, but I can go to God’s word and read verses that help us to know if a person is truly a follower of Jesus Christ. We can pray these reports are true, and the Bible tells us we can know if a person is a Christian. I will share some of the evidences of true belief this week.

A new Christian is not perfect. Neither are older Christians. We all have the tendency to sin, even after being spiritually reborn. But here are things we should see in one who calls himself a follower of Jesus Christ.

The first step, confession, is found in Romans 10:9; 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 by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Confession is to first confess to God that I am a sinner, followed by confessing that Jesus is Lord of all.

Confession is followed by repentance. This is a change of direction. To repent is to stop going away from God, and to turn toward him. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17)! The evidence of this change shows up in what is called the fruit of the Spirit. It consists of these: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). There are others, but space here is limited.

Finally, we know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands (1 John 2:3).

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

6 Jun

On Aging

Posted by sandhillspastor in Change, Christian Living, Fellowship, God's Word, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Uncategorized.

Hello all,
Last Friday, I found myself sitting with an old friend in front of an eating establishment in a neighboring town. We were just sitting and talking about the old days…Wait! I’m not that old am I? Oh, I do remember something in the Bible about wisdom and gray hair. “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding” (Job 12:12); “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old” (Proverbs 20:29). Maybe that describes my friend and myself after all.

On the subject of aging, hearing loss is part of that process, especially for those of us who have had long-term exposure to noisy tractors, etc. Last fall, I became the owner of hearing aids, and the audiologist told me I would hear sounds I hadn’t heard for a while. What he said is true, and they do work well in a one-on-one situation, but in a crowd of people you hear mostly noise.

Maybe it is much the same for hearing God’s voice. If we haven’t heard from Him for a time, it may be time to get away from the noise of the crowd (think world), and tune in to what He is saying. I don’t think hearing aids are necessary to hear God’s voice, but you do need to get away from the loud sounds of the busy world.

Elijah the prophet, heard God’s voice at the mouth of a cave. In 1 Kings we read of his experience. After spending the night in a cave, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, asking why he was there. Elijah is told to stand on the mountain as the Lord passes by. We read this, “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks… but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake… after the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there 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 19:9-13). Then he heard the Lord speak.

Has it been some time since you heard the gentle whisper of God’s voice? Just find a quiet place and listen.

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

16 May

Who Will Go?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Bible, Blessings, Change, Faith, Fellowship, God's Word, Obedience, Service, Uncategorized, Work.

Saturday evening, several church family members, old friends and some new friends gathered at the church to help me celebrate my retirement as the pastor of Sandhills Baptist Fellowship. It was a great time of fellowship and celebration. I have many fond memories of our time in that ministry. Now, we can wait to see what God has in store for us in our “retirement.” I hope to have time to write down some of those memories, and maybe someday have something in print to share with you all (or, y’all). There were good times and bad, but the good greatly out-weighed the bad.

Also, on Friday, we had visitors from our far distant past. Some friends we hadn’t seen in almost forever, were passing through and stopped for a brief visit. How good it was to see them and find out what has been happening in their lives.

As our ministry at the church here ends, I try to remain attentive to what God might have for us to do in the future. I again go back to the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah had a vision of God in His temple, and heard the voice of the Lord ask the question, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah replied without hesitation, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).

I believe God has a call on everyone’s life. It starts with the call to receive His gift of salvation, and to follow Him. This is followed by a call to serve Him in some way. Many people think once a person accepts the gift of salvation, that is all that is necessary, but listen to Paul’s words to the church at Ephesus: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 4:10).

God’s call on our lives led us to Ericson. Pastor Kurt Kinney has now taken the leadership role at the church, and our ministry will change directions. As we wait for the Lord’s leading for the next chapter in our lives, I will continue writing these articles and listening for His voice. As the old song says, “When the Savior calls, I will answer. I’ll be somewhere listening for my name.”

The correct answer to the question, “Who will go?”, is this: “Send me!”

In His grip,
Pastor Jerry

25 Apr

More Change

Posted by sandhillspastor in Change, Faith, God, God's Word, Gospel, Rest, Service, Uncategorized.

I am able to tell you today that this past Sunday was my official last day to preach at Sandhills Baptist Fellowship. The pastor search committee of the church has found the person they believe to be God’s man for the job. I had requested some time ago that they begin the process, as I felt the Lord leading me to pursue other interests.

I will continue to write these articles, and seek other ways to be involved in ministry. But, for the immediate future, we will finish moving into our house at the lake, and finding homes for all the items we don’t have room for. Then comes some time camping and just relaxing.

I am sure that God has more for us to do. I find no solid reference in the Bible to what we in America call “retirement.” In fact, the only reference I find is to the Old Testament priests retiring at age 50, then assisting the younger priests in their work (Numbers 8:25-26).

There are other passages that indicate God intends for us to commit to the long-haul as we serve and obey Him. Neither does He at some point stop His work in the believer’s life. Here are some scriptures for us to meditate on this morning.

Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” The apostle Paul tells us God has work for us to do. After he tells us our salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, he says this: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Again in Philippians, Paul tells the believers there, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13).

I have many great memories of these years at SBF, and we have been blessed to serve here, but we will move on, seeking and following the Lord’s leading, as we go forward. I would not change these last 15+ years for anything, but we must go forward, running with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1).

Simply His,
Pastor Jerry

4 Apr

Working Out Your Salvation

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Blessings, Change, Christian Living, Faith, God's Word, Obedience, Planning, Service, Uncategorized, Work.

It is one of those times when spring seems to be held captive by the remains of winter. One day we think spring is here, the next feels very much like winter. The good news is the Creator designed our part of the world to have four seasons, and spring always follows winter, and so on. We need only to wait on His timing.

Several months ago, actually almost a year and a half by now, I began to feel it was time for me to retire from full-time ministry. It appears that time is very close. More details will come in a later column, but for now, this is all I want to say. This may be a good lead-in to this week’s article.

In Paul’s letter the church at Philippi, he says this, speaking to his readers: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Later in the letter, we read this: “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and act according to His good purpose” (2:12-13).

Here are some thoughts on these verses that apply to all believers. First, when God calls us and we respond by placing our faith in His Son, he begins a work in us that ends when he calls us home. His command is that we “work out” our salvation. This means we commit to living our life for Him. It is not that we work ‘for’ our salvation, that is impossible. It does mean His plan for us will be carried out. We do not do this on our own. Verse 13 of chapter 2 reminds us that it is He who works in us to enable us to complete the task he has set before us.

Remember Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

As we allow Him to bring about His good purpose, he may change our direction from time to time. And if he does, there is one thing of which we can be sure, He is working to bring to completion the work He began in us. True retirement comes when He takes us home to glory.

Serving Him,
Pastor Jerry

29 Feb

Storing Up Treasures

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Change, Christian Living, Eternal Life, Heaven, Possessions, Stewardship, Uncategorized, Wisdom.

Hello everyone,
Happy Leap Day! I have really enjoyed the warm temperatures of the weekend. I guess Spring is officially a few weeks away, but I am enjoying the preview.

The “move” is slowly progressing. I knew we had a lot of “stuff”, having kept as many as three houses furnished over the last 15 or so years. What I didn’t know, was the actual size of the collection. What really concerns me, is we haven’t even started on my stuff!

There is a reason Jesus reminded his listeners they were to store up treasures in heaven, instead of here on earth. These are His words: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).

None if these things we have collected will go with us to heaven. Obviously the food will be eaten at some point (unless the moths get it), and the clothing will wear out (or be outgrown). There are charities that will take the surplus clothing. We don’t plan on having thieves break in, but there is a good possibility we may call in an auction company to help disperse the excess.

As we make these decisions—what do we keep and what do we throw away; what do we pass on to others? —another scripture comes to mind. In it, Jesus speaks to the issue of worry. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, and what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?… And why do you worry about clothes? …so do not worry, ‘saying what shall we eat?’ or What shall we drink? …or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34).

After reading this, maybe I’ll just go fishing! Have a great week.

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

8 Feb

The Culture and God’s Word

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Change, Christian Living, Culture, God's Word, Gospel, The Good News, Truth, Uncategorized, Witness.

Hello friends,
Now we know how the stormy weather forecast from last week played out. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a blizzard like that, and I can wait awhile before I see another one. The much advertised Super Bowl has been played, and we know who the winners and losers are. As I write this Monday morning, the wind is blowing hard for the second day. It is a good thing the snow melted yesterday, or it would all be in the air.

Now for some thoughts on the current culture, and its effect on the church at large. These days there is a trend among mainline churches to water down the Gospel. Many are moving away from the time-tested truths of the Bible, and the idea that God’s Word is without error. There seems to be an intentional movement toward changing the message of the Bible to “current cultural” interpretation.

There is a warning in the book of Revelation for those who would add to, or subtract from God’s word. You can look it up for yourself in Revelation 22:18-19).

Other verses include the following: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-18). And this; “Above, all you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”) 2 Peter 1:20-21).

Our responsibility is not to change the words of the Bible to fit the cultural understanding of what it should say, but to proclaim its truth, allowing the Word of God to speak to the culture. As we share His Word, we are told He will not let it return empty. It will bring about His intended purpose. “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

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