Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

29 Mar

Amazing Grace

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Grace, Salvation, Witness, Worship.

Dear friends,
It is a sunny Sunday afternoon as I write this. The past week was rather cool with some rain. Our forecast is for cool temperatures early in the week, followed by a warming trend. I expect we’ll see more evidence of spring in the days to come. We have both been staying home nursing colds, but we are steadily improving and should return to normal soon. Once again I find, we too often take good health for granted.

This week brings two very important days in the Christian church calendar; Good Friday and Resurrection Day (Easter). Good Friday commemorates the death and burial of the Lord Jesus Christ; the Resurrection celebrates his rising from the tomb. These two events are the basis of our hope in eternal salvation. The Bible clearly states there is no other way to be saved from our sins but by placing our faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

I write on this topic often, because to me this is the most important decision a person can make in life. In my own experience, the day I chose to follow Jesus my life was changed in ways I could not have imagined before. So, to this day, like the old song says, “I love to tell the story of Jesus and His love.”

I was cruising along through life, thinking I was doing pretty good, taking my wife and two boys to church on Sunday. Then one day as the pastor was preaching from Romans chapter ten, I heard these words: 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” (Romans 10:9). This was an eye opener for me! Up to this point, I thought I just had to be a little better person than someone else. Now I was learning that my own self-righteousness was worthless in God’s eyes.

Later, I heard these words; 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’ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

A dear friend passed away this week, and we rejoice that he is now in heaven, because he believed what these verses taught. Amazing grace, how sweet it sounds!

Anchored in Him,
Pastor Jerry

15 Mar

A Good Word

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Calling, Christian Living, Faith, Hope, Praise, The Good News, Trust.

Dear friends,
We have certainly seen a change in the weather. As I write this Sunday evening, we are showing 2.60 in the rain gauge, with more in the forecast. The wind has been gusting up to around 50 mph, and there was a power outage in the area this morning. Ah, springtime in Nebraska!

In recent days, I have been reminded of the uncertainties of life. It is in those times I turn to the Word of God for encouragement and hope. We have all experienced times when life takes unexpected turns, and we are left wondering why? It might be an economic downturn, a broken relationship or maybe an unforeseen illness. We are prone to ask where did that come from? Or, why did that happen to me?

There are times when there are just no clear answers to why things happen. Life is full of unknowns, but that is just life. Sometimes we feel like the title of a song I have referenced before; “Life Ain’t Fair, and the World is Mean.” In spite of this, there is One who knows the struggles we go through. God in His perfect plan has placed each of us in our circumstances for His glory. When we finally understand this truth, we can trust Him even though we do not know the reason for our situation.

These verses from Romans give encouragement to all who believe on the Lord Jesus. “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose… What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?… Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more has been raised; he is also at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:28-39 CSB).

In His grip,
Pastor Jerry

8 Mar

He Lives

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Resurrection, The Good News.

Hello friends,
Spring-like weather has everyone outdoors dreaming of summer. My lovely wife has even mentioned getting the camper ready to go! Here at the lake we are seeing people preparing their cabins for the summer season. We haven’t seen some of them since sometime in the fall. Soon our little community will be buzzing with activity, especially on the weekends.

There have been literally thousands of migrating geese passing through. Some have stayed for a while to rest up, others we have seen just flying over. The resident Canada geese have been showing signs of pairing off to begin the nesting season. I expect in a few weeks we will be seeing goslings on the lake.

As we are in the season of Lent, I thought it would be a good time to remind us that Easter is just around the corner. I prefer the term Resurrection Day, because it is the very reason for the holiday. FYI, the word holiday means ‘holy day’ in its original context. Many of our current holidays are anything but holy, but that is another discussion altogether.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. In fact, every Sunday is a celebration of His resurrection. The fact of the resurrection is unique to Christianity. No other religion has anything remotely resembling resurrection. Some speak of reincarnation, but who would want to come back to this world in any form?

The apostle Paul wrote this; “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 1:3-5).

According to Paul, if there were no resurrection, these three things would be true;
All people would be still in their sins.
All former believers would have eternally perished.
Christians would be the most pitiable people on earth. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).

Because the resurrection is true, we place our faith in the fact that God lives up to his promises.

I will close with the words of the old gospel song, Because He Lives:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future.
And life is worth the living, just because He lives.

Praising His Name,
Pastor Jerry

8 Feb

Our Rock and Salvation

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

Hello friends,
Winter has returned to the area. This means snow and more snow, with very cold temperatures. For most of you this is not news; for the rest, enjoy the weather you are experiencing. Monday morning, I will be taking our alley cat to the vet for some surgery. This is the cat who adopted us last summer. She had kittens in our carport, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer when I told her to take them elsewhere. The kittens are gone, and now she has taken up residence in the house. I’ll let you know how it goes.

After last week’s column, I had several well-meaning, and encouraging suggestions for continuing to share my thoughts with you. I will keep writing, as long as the Lord gives me the strength and inspiration to do so. Thanks to all who take the time to read these articles each week.

The cultural and political landscape continues to be of concern for God’s people. There is much that gives us cause to wonder what next? Rather than allow all that to negatively affect our view of the current time, along with worrying what the future might bring, we need to focus on the Lord. There are two Psalms that have encouraged me through difficult times in the past. I would like to share parts of them with you this week.

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Find rest, O my soul, In God alone; my hope comes from him
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge (Psalm 62:1-2, 5-7).

I will extoll the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles (Psalm 34:1-6).

Because of Him,
Pastor Jerry

25 Jan

Stormy Weather

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Faith, God's Word, Miracles, Peace, Trials, Trust.

Dear friends,
We are living in stormy times. I say this partly because of the prediction of another winter storm coming our way. The past week has been colder, with some sunshine early in the week. The last couple of days have been cloudy, but with light winds. Such is winter in Nebraska. For those who live here, we understand this is part of the journey to springtime weather.

It is a stormy time in our country and culture, as well. We wonder what lies ahead, and to be honest, we can become discouraged as we see the storm clouds gathering. The disciples of Jesus were crossing the sea in a boat and got caught in a severe storm. There is a lesson here for us as we face the storms of life.

From Luke 8:22-25, we read: One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
The disciples went and woke Him saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, all was calm. “Where is your faith?” He asked His disciples
In fear and amazement, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.”

In the middle of the storm, they forgot who was in the boat with them. They had seen evidence of His power over creation by the miracles he had done, yet there in the middle of the wind and waves, they panicked.

Isn’t this what we are prone to do? We commit to following Jesus, but when the storms roll in, we forget that He is present in the stormy weather, as well in the sunny days. He is our Rock and our Salvation in the good times and the bad.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?… For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 38-39).

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

4 Jan

What Do You Believe In?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Culture, Faith, God's Word, New Year, Salvation, The Good News, Trust, Truth.

Dear friends,
As we begin the year 2021, we are enjoying some nice weather. I was glad for the melting of the snow, so that we could get the Christmas decorations and lights taken down in relative comfort. A bonus was that the extension cords were not frozen in the snow. Christmas was different this year, with all the Covid precautions in place, but one fact remains; Jesus came to earth and He will return again, at just the right time, and in accordance with the Father’s plan and purpose.

Paul, writing to the church at Corinth, said this; “Now brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:1-5).

I read a headline recently from the UK, in which people were encouraged to “Believe in Science.” I don’t know about you, but I choose to believe in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am not opposed to science, but I know that science will not save me from my sin. It might provide answers to scientific questions, or provide a vaccine for Covid19. Science changes with new discoveries, and gives us many benefits that were unheard of in earlier generations, but it will never take the place of God’s unchanging word.

Unlike science, God does not change. “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows.” (James 1:16-17).

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).

“He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that He should change His mind” (1 Samuel 15:29).

In Him,
Pastor Jerrygggg

7 Dec

Look for the Light

Posted by sandhillspastor in Advent, Christmas, Faith, God's Word, Gospel, Incarnation, The Good News.

Dear friends,
We have had mostly nice weather for the past week, and it looks to be more of the same in the near future. We managed to get some Christmas decorations up over the weekend, but there are still totes that aren’t empty. We don’t seem to have the stamina to put them all up in one day as we have done in the past!

We will stay on the subject of Christmas this week. I sometimes think we are too quick to forget Christmas. Instead of taking the time to acknowledge the great gift of God in sending His son to bear the sin debt of the whole world, we want to get those gifts unwrapped and move on.

When Christ was born in Bethlehem, very few people were aware of his coming. The innkeeper had no room to put them up, so his family ended up in a livestock shelter, which was probably a cave. As we read the story, it appears the only ones who showed up to worship the newborn were lowly shepherds. The religious leaders certainly weren’t interested enough to seek him, and Herod showed little interest, except to view the news as a threat to his political position. The prophet Micah, foresaw the Messiah as being born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). The religious leaders knew of this prophecy, yet didn’t take the time to check it out.

As we think of that first Christmas, we might wonder, is it any different today? People are so busy with the little details of their lives, that they have no time for Jesus, and they really aren’t interested in finding out about Him.

The prophet Isaiah wrote of Jesus’ appearance among men in this way; “The people walking in the darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in darkness.” (Isaiah 9:2). In the New Testament, John wrote this of Jesus; “In Him was life, and that light was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it… He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:4-11).

Jesus 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).

Have you seen the Light? What is your response?

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

16 Nov

Last Days?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Culture, Faith, Gospel, Obedience, Second Coming, The Good News, Witness.

Hello friends,
It’s time for another of our weekly conversations; what’s new at our house, and other commentary. First, I need to let you know the garage project is nearing completion. By this time next week, it will be time for a new topic. We ventured out three times last week, first to get material for the garage, another day to get haircuts and groceries, and a third to the chiropractor. As our pastor said Sunday, we’re staying “cautious, but not captive.”

These days, we should be turning our thoughts to the possibility of the promised return of our Lord Jesus Christ. After all, the way things are going, we may be seeing more of the signs of His coming. How many of the following are showing up in our news sources?

When asked for the signs of his second coming, Jesus answered with these words: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed… Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:6-8).

Paul writing to Timothy said, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power… 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’” (2 Timothy 3:1-5; 4:3-4).

From Peter to believers everywhere: “Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).

Christians rejoice in the truth of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. Our responsibility, in our time, is to share our faith with those who do not know Him, in order that they, too, are prepared for His second coming.

Proclaiming His Good News,
Pastor Jerry

2 Nov

Our Hope

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Culture, Faith, God's Word, Politics, Rest, Trust, Truth.

Dear friends,
The weather continues to be more fall-like again. We have taken advantage of the warmer temps to work on the carport/garage project. If all goes well, we will have it enclosed before the cool-down next week.

The big event of this week will be the election on Tuesday. Some of you will receive this column after the fact, but whatever the outcome, we can be assured of the fact that no matter who is in the White House in January, God will still be on His throne, and Jesus Christ will still be Lord of all. We who know Jesus will take comfort in that knowledge.

In times like these, I am drawn to the Psalms; especially those Psalms that proclaim God’s rule over every aspect of life, including governments of nations and states. There are those who believe human governments have the solutions to our problems; that all our problems can be solved if we just elect the right people. I submit that our problems are first of all spiritual, and I truly believe that unless we turn back to God as a nation’ and as a people, our problems are just beginning.

Read the words of Psalm 2:
Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his Anointed One: “Lets tear off their chains and throw their ropes off us”

The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them. Then he speaks to them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath: “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain”
I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession.
You will break them with an iron scepter; you will shatter them like pottery.”

So now, kings, be wise; receive instruction, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with reverential awe and rejoice with trembling.
Pay homage to the Son or he will be angry and you will perish in your rebellion,
for his anger may ignite at any moment.
All who take refuge in him are happy.

“Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him.” Psalm 62:5

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

26 Oct

Making Plans

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Christian Living, Faith, Obedience, Planning, Prayer, Wisdom.

Hello friends,
Well, we certainly had an extreme weather change. As I write this Sunday afternoon, we have had a good dose of snow and cold. I’m looking forward to the middle of the week, when we are supposed to warm up considerably. I came up with a project to enclose our open-ended carport/garage, and install doors, but now I have to wait for better weather before I can start. One thing about the delay is that I have time to engineer the details. I have done doors before, but in a more conventional setting. I think the delay will be a good thing. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Speaking of making plans, the Lord has quite a bit to say about the plans of men and their success or failure. Something to think about as we set goals and go about making plans for our lives. We have all made plans for how we think our lives will play out, but how many plans actually come out the way we imagined?

With the general election next week, people are making plans for the future. Some of those may be good and others may turn out to be not so good. God’s word doesn’t discourage planning, but he does expect to be a part of the process. Let’s look at some scriptures that speak to this subject.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3). In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. (Prov. 16:9). Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Prov. 19:21).
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. (Psalm 20:4).

Here is a longer passage from the epistle of James in the New Testament: Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:13-15).

Do you have plans for your future? Have you included the Lord in those plans?

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

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