Archive for the ‘Christian Living’ Category

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

10 Nov

Half a Loaf?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Discipleship, God's Word, Truth.

Dear readers,

The seasons are a changing. There has been snow in our state, but not in our immediate area as I write this. We are blessed more than we realize. I remember an early October snow when we had cows twenty miles from home. We drove them home with horses and it was far from an enjoyable task. It wasn’t just a little snow, it was about 6 inches deep, heavy and wet. Enough of the reminiscing, on to the present.

I have noticed that you can now buy half a loaf of bread. Who knew that would be a thing? It seems folks these days only take what suits their current needs. It is somewhat the same with spiritual matters. The world, if it acknowledges God at all, will take what they need from His word and leave the rest. They may go for half the loaf, or maybe just a few slices depending on their needs at the moment. There is no planning ahead.

In fact, the Bible needs to be taken in its entirety for it to be of any use at all. The tendency of the world, and many who claim Christ is to use the Bible as a cafeteria, taking only what appeals to them and ignoring the rest. In truth, the word of God always has been and is still applicable to each person.

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8). When Jesus was tempted by the devil he said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4).

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Finally this, “And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll” (Revelation 22:19).

Application for us: It’s okay to purchase a half-loaf of Sara Lee bread if that meets your needs, but please don’t treat the Bible as a buffet from which you can pick and choose. This will have eternal consequences.

For 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

1 Sep

Contaminated Soil

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, False teachers, God's Word.

Hello friends,
Here we are at the beginning of September. Cooler weather brings thoughts of fall, although much of early September is many times as warm as July. This is the last big weekend for activities here at the lake. The population will increase greatly with families enjoying all the events that have been planned.

Our garden has been a challenge this year. To begin, there was a request to make a raised area for planting. After constructing the beds, I went to the composting area where grass clippings and leaves are stored and brought in several loads of this compost.

Tomatoes were planted and watered and seemed to be happy there. A short time later it was noted that the leaves on the plants were curling. Apparently, the compost was contaminated with the herbicides used on the lawns. We decided to leave things as they were and see what would happen.

In time the plants grew large and began to bloom. The tomatoes that resulted were small and misshapen, although the flavor seems to be okay.

Here is the application for our consideration today. Be aware of where you are sinking your roots. If we are to be productive in life, we need to be anchored in “good soil.” The places we go and the people we associate with may very well be contaminated with harmful ideas and other impurities.

I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the seeds and the sower. The farmer sowed seed and it fell on different types of soil. As the seed fell to the ground, some fell on hard packed soil, some on rocky soil, some on weedy soil. Other seed fell on good soil, took root and produced a bumper crop. (Mark 4:8).

You have heard it said, “bloom where you are planted”, but be sure you are planted in good soil. Beware of the contamination of the world which will hinder your ability to be productive in life. In Psalms we read this: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers…, He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season…” (Psalm 1:1-3).

The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be misled: bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

For Him,
Pastor Jerry

18 Aug

Jesus, Lord of All

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Culture, God's Word, Obedience, Salvation, Witness.

Hello friends,
We keep getting those timely rains. There hasn’t been much watering of the lawn this summer, but plenty of mowing. There are blessings all around and we don’t have to look far to see them.

Sometimes I read articles from other sources that I feel are worth sharing. One of those came to me from Pastor J.D. Greear. He tells of efforts in the past to remove certain sections of the Bible.

He writes, “If someone did this today, they would probably cut out Jesus’ teachings on the sanctity of sex and marriage. They would keep the miracles and cut out large parts of the Sermon on the mount.

Our culture says it is fine to worship Jesus—just edit Him to fit their preferences so you can still bow where you need to bow.

For followers of Jesus, that is not an option. Jesus is Lord. If He is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all. People treat the Bible like a cafeteria, where you pick the food options that you like and ignore the rest.

People think you can do that with Jesus. You can accept the parts of Him you want and postpone the others until later. I once heard a college student explain that she had accepted Jesus as Savior now and planned to accept Him as Lord later.

You cannot divide Jesus! He is either Lord, or He is not. If God is the only God, and He is the only one who can save and the only revealer of mysteries, then we as Christians must make this clear to others. To not do so is not just cowardly, it is cruel.

Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood in faithfulness to God when everyone else bowed to a false god, even though they got thrown into a fiery furnace for it an entire empire got to see the reality of the God of Israel on display.

“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

The eternal future of coming generations depends on our ability to stand firm in the present.”

For Him,
Pastor Jerry

28 Jul

Faith, Not Works

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Calling, Christian Living, Faith, Salvation.

Hello friends,
Warmer weather has returned. After a relatively cool week, we are back to summer heat. County fairs are in full swing around the area, and we are reminded that schools will be starting up soon.

There was a question in our Sunday school lesson this morning on setting goals in life. We all have had goals we hoped to attain. Sometimes they come to pass, and other times we end up far from where we had intended to be. As we reach one goal, we are off in search of the next one. Each time we believe we will find contentment. Why is that?

Pastor Greg Laurie has some thoughts on this subject. “From the day we are born, we have been searching. We were created in the image of God, so we are aware that there is more to life than mere existence. There is purpose. There is meaning. But they are not always apparent, so we search for them in moments big and small.

The apostle Paul give us invaluable insight into these ideas of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in Ephesians 2:10. ‘For we are God’s workmanship.’ We have a very high ceiling—the potential to accomplish some amazing things and experience soul-deep fulfillment.

Finding our meaning and purpose begins with the decision to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. When we do that, God creates ‘us in Christ to do good works. He unlocks our potential to ‘do the good things he planned in advance for us to do. He unleashed us to be change agents in a world desperate for them.

Some people try to find purpose in doing good deeds to earn God’s favor. But that is a dead end. In the two verses that precede Ephesians 2:10, Paul says, ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.’ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done. It is only when we acknowledge that we can never do enough to earn God’s favor that we start to find purpose.

The more closely we align our daily lives with what God created us to be, the more we will experience the sense of adventure, purpose, fulfillment and joy that comes from our walk with Christ.”

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

2 Jun

Blessed

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Faith, Grace, Praise, thanksgiving.

Dear friends,
After the rains of the last week, there is a completely different look to our surroundings. The grass is growing, flowers are blooming, and people are smiling; smiling because there will be grass in the pastures and crops to be harvested. In this part of the world, a little rain makes a great difference in our outlook. For Christians, this is evidence that God answers our prayers. I might add, even if you don’t know the Lord it is proof of his presence.

I often hear someone say, “I was really lucky…” No Christian should ever say “I was really lucky today” or “Whatever will be will be.” Forget that. If you are a Christian, there is no such thing as dumb luck. God has a plan and a purpose. He has a strategy for your life. You may not see it now, but He sees it and always has seen it. God is paying attention to what you are facing right now. He is paying attention to what you really need—not necessarily what you want. The great thing to know is that God is thinking about you and that He cares for you.

“You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail” (Proverbs 19:21). So, we need to make His plan our priority. In Isaiah we read, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord, ‘and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heaven are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (NLT).

You can find God’s thoughts and ways in His Word. If you study and pray about them often enough, you start to align your decision making with them. You make choices that honor the Lord and pave the way for His plans to be accomplished in and through you

God doesn’t reveal His entire plan for your life at once. Instead, He reveals only what you need to know at a given moment, just enough for you to stay dependent on Him.

God’s word doesn’t give us a calendar for Christ’s return. Until then, our job is to discover and embrace God’s plan for our life—and to align our will and our priorities with His. [Credit: Greg Laurie]

Remember, you are not lucky. You are blessed by God.

In Him,
Pastor Jerryr

17 Mar

Take Heart

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Christian Living, Faith, Hope, Peace, Reward, Trials, Trust.

Dear friends,
Another week of late winter weather has passed. It has been interesting to say the least. Our prayers go up for those affected by the storms of last weekend. Also, our thanks to those dedicated volunteers who battled the wildfires of last week.

Everywhere we look it seems there is unrest or chaos of some sort. Also, persecution of God’s people is on the increase. I don’t think it is any different than in the past; perhaps we are made more aware through all the media sources available today.

The Bible tells us there will be trials in this life, and I believe it to be true. Jesus said to His disciples, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b).

We should not be disheartened by the troubles in life but, look to the Lord for assurance in those times. Nowhere in scripture does it tell us that life is a bowl of cherries. Peter wrote this to those suffering for their faith, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as tough something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

In Romans we read this; “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:22-23).

In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah God told the prophet, ”Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land of ruler against ruler’ (Jeremiah 51:46).

Jesus said to his disciples, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is yet to come” (Matthew 24:6).

James tells us to ‘hang in there’, so to speak: Consider it joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

In the words of Paul, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

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

6 Jan

New Year Thoughts

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Christian Living, Faith, God's Word, Peace, Prayer, Trust, Wisdom.

Dear friends,
2025 has arrived. When I was younger, the idea of seeing the date “2025” seemed to be an impossibility, but here we are! On a side note, I have been writing these devotional thoughts for over 25 years. I had no idea this would be the case, but again here we are. I must thank the Lord for giving me the inspiration to write, and to you the faithful readers of my efforts, Thank You!

Looking ahead to the year before us, and the events of the day, we are sometimes overwhelmed by life. We see things that are out of our control and wonder how we will cope. I read an article this week by Chuck Lawless in which he lists some things for us to remember.

  1. God is still in control. The world may seem chaotic, but God is still sovereign. “… present your requests to God. And the peace that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
  2. God is not worried. That is why it is a sin for me to worry: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34).
  3. God’s mercies are renewed every day. When the sun comes up it is a new day, no matter what I face. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
  4. God has never let me down in the past. He is faithful to his people. “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies” (Psalm 36:5).
  5. God sees the bigger picture. I only see today. We should trust Him to work out His plan: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…” (Proverbs 3:5).
  6. God has given us fellow Christians, so we don’t have to face these things alone: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…” (Hebrews 10:25).
  7. God is the story—not I. My responsibility is to trust Him: “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:4).

Last words: God is always awake, so you can sleep at night. He’s got this!

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

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