Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

17 Nov

Trust and Obey

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Faith, Gospel, Marriage, Obedience, Relationships, Trust.

Hello friends,

Again, we have extra nice weather for mid-November. I expect we’ll be paying for these nice days. The past few days have given us an opportunity to get a bit of work done on the house. The shingles on the little bay window overhangs were in sad shape, so over three days we were able to get three hours of work done.

In this there was a lesson in trust between two people in a long-term marriage relationship. To get the shingling done, I had to be lifted to the eave on the tractor loader. Since there were only two of us to get the job done, it fell to Milrae to operate the loader controls. I’m sure many of you have had a similar experience.

I needed to give her directions on operating the loader controls, and she is willing to help, but somewhat anxious about getting it right. If she happens to move the control lever the wrong way, I could find myself on the ground in short order. She trusts me to give right directions, and I must trust her to follow them. I can report that she handled it well; I didn’t get thrown to the ground and the repairs were done.

It reminds me of the old hymn Trust and Obey. It speaks of our need as Christians to trust and obey the Lord Jesus. Trust comes first, as we put our faith in Him to give us proper instructions as we serve Him. When we have faith, we can then obey His commands without fear or hesitation. He says do not fear, for I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

Trusting and obeying, in our current culture, are words that are not often well-received. Perhaps you have trusted someone, only to find out they are not trustworthy at all. It is hard to be obedient to someone you cannot trust.

Jesus asks us to trust Him in the everyday things, and to obey His commands. In doing so we can live knowing He is in control and his commands are for our good. “In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands, And His commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

27 Oct

Who’s Number One?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Discipleship, Faith, God's Word, Obedience, Ten Commandments, Witness.

Dear friends,

This past Saturday we helped our great-grandson celebrate his second birthday. Being only two Maverick probably didn’t understand all the attention, but he enjoyed every minute, especially all the gifts that he acquired. He enjoyed being the center of attention. A lot of adults today enjoy being the center of attention, as well.

In this day of “me first” or “look out for number one”, I fear that many Christians have fallen into the same trap. The gospel message is not about me but taking up our cross and following Jesus. It is supposed to be Jesus first, not me first.

J.C. Rylie said this: “It costs something to be a true Christian. Let that never be forgotten. To be a mere nominal Christian and go to church, is cheap and easy work. But to hear Christ’s voice, believe in Christ, confess Christ requires much self-denial.”

The Bible says follow Christ. It is not about ‘me’ and it’s never easy but it’s necessary.

Dr. George Barna says, “We are reproducing church attenders, but we are not reproducing disciples of Christ.”

John, in his testimony about Jesus, said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). Jesus himself had this to say concerning His followers, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

Again, Jesus: Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am my servant will be” (John 12:36a).

In giving the Great Commission, Jesus said to His disciples, “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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Notice He said make disciples. He did not say go to church on Sunday and feel good about yourself the rest of the week. Making disciples requires a commitment to sharing the Gospel and teaching others to be obedient to Christ’s calling on their lives. It is sometimes difficult, but it is what our Savior wants from us. We are to draw attention to Jesus Christ in the way we live our lives. In doing so the focus is directed to Him, not to us.

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

20 Oct

The Lord’s Patience

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Culture, Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Judgment, Salvation, Truth.

Dear friends,

The weather seems to be moving toward the changing of the seasons. It has been much cooler in recent days. There were reports of frost in areas to our north Sunday morning.

Our local network of churches met on Sunday afternoon, and it was encouraging to hear how the Lord is working in each of those ministries. There were reports of increasing church attendance, and growth in the areas of youth groups and Bible studies. Small churches sometimes get overlooked in the grand scheme of things, but I believe they have a big part in God’s plan for getting the Good News out to the world.

In this age of anti-Christian thought, we must be reminded that the Bible is true, and that it contains the Word of God. The skeptics would have us think believing in a loving and just God is a myth. This is a lie from the devil and is designed to make us doubt.

I’m reminded of the words of Peter’s second letter. “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:3-9).

The Lord desires everyone to come to Him, accepting His salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. If you have not done that, why are you waiting? He is patiently waiting for you to admit your sin, repent (turn from) it, and believe that Jesus came to save all who will believe. Do not reject His offer.

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

15 Sep

Stand Strong

Posted by sandhillspastor in Calling, Culture, Evil deeds, Faith, Persecution, Spiritual Warfare, Trials.

Dear friends,
The weather has been agreeable for most people in the last week. Not too hot, not too cool. The beginning of fall is one of my favorite times of the year. It marked the beginning of the hunting season, and I spent many hours in search of waterfowl and upland game. Great memories were made at this time of year.

Many in our country and around the world were saddened by the murder of Charlie Kirk, a champion of free speech and a devout Christian. His passing brings an opportunity for all who claim the name of Jesus Christ to continue to be His witnesses.

In the words of Jesus, “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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).

I believe Charlie Kirk has joined that great cloud of witnesses. He has fought the good fight of the faith (1 Timothy 6:11). With the apostle Paul, Charlie could say, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).

Paul, in his letter to the church in Philippi wrote these words, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

As Christians, we will be attacked for our beliefs. There is a spiritual battle we cannot see, but it is real. Paul reminds us to, “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:10-12).

Stay strong in the Lord,
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

21 Jul

Differences

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, Faith, False teachers, Gospel, Salvation, The Good News.

Dear readers,
It is amazing how quickly we can go from being dry all winter to the place where people are complaining about the rain. Let us remember, it can get from wet to dry in a very short time.

Our devotional thought this week concerns the difference between religion and faith. There is a marked difference between the two. Religion is the number one substitute for genuine faith. Religion convinces you are worthy and then gives you a list of things to make yourself more worthy.

Religious people would rather have a religion that just teaches you to live a good life, to be a social activist, to be generous, to be a better you, to be better a dad and husband and partner, to live strong. As Christianity has gone mainstream, people have corrupted it to say just that.

That is not the gospel. The gospel is that you have no worthiness. All your righteousness is like a filthy rag. Isaiah says it best, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”

We have no righteousness of our own. God created us, and we have precious worth in his sight. But sin caused us to be separated from God. We need to be saved, rescued, born again. Those words may sound backward and uneducated and even old fashioned to the world, but they are the words of eternal life.

The religious almost always reject those truths because they like to see themselves as respectable. Jesus points out that religious people will miss the party, that is, heaven, because they refuse to acknowledge that they are unworthy. That’s why they don’t take Jesus seriously.

Jesus says in Matthew 5 that only the poor in spirit will inherit heaven. The poor in spirit say, “Maybe I’ve done some good things, but even my good things were done for bad motives. My kindness was mixed with self-righteousness and selfishness. Oh, wretched man that I am! Every part of me is stained with sin.”

The poor in spirit see Jesus’ invitation for what it is; something they are desperate without.

The bottom line is this: It is not about our “religion”, it is a relationship with the Lord Jesus that saves us.

For Him,
Pastor Jerry

14 Jul

God is In the Storm

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, Faith, God's Word, Hope, Peace, Trials, Trust, Worship.

Hello friends,
We may see a return to a ‘normal’ life this week. It seems lately we have spent a good deal of time and energy with various appointments, but that may be ending. The weather has been summer-like, but there have been cooler temperatures the last few days. When we were in the ranching business, we looked forward to those sunny days when we could make hay.

Much of the news of recent days has concerned the flooding and loss of lives and property in Texas and other places. One wonders, where was God in all this? But rest assured He was not unaware, nor was He sleeping through it all. There is no situation that is not in His control, or that He cannot use for His purpose and His glory.

The loss of those campers and counselors is being used to bring attention to their faith in the creator God, and their witness to His goodness. There are many stories down through the years telling of people who have come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ through times such as this.

Some scriptures that encourage us are found in the lives of Jesus’ 12 disciples. “Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Without warning, a furious storm came upon the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat, but Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed, and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him” (Matthew 8:23-27).

From the Psalms we read, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in You my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed” (Psalm 571-2). Also, “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” (Psalm 91:4).

Finally, these words from Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”.

In His grip,
Pastor Jerry

7 Jul

Faith Brings Freedom

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, Faith, Freedom, Gospel.

Dear friends,
Here we are in the month of July already. It was a wonderful weekend of celebrating our independence here at the lake. There were many families present to enjoy the activities. As usual, the fireworks display was the “best ever”.

Celebrating our freedom here in the good old USA reminds me to celebrate what the Lord has done for us. We are told in the Bible that as believers, we have been set free from slavery to sin. As we receive the gift of salvation through His finished work on the cross, we are promised eternal life in the presence of God. This is truly something to celebrate; not just one weekend a year, but every hour of every day.

In Paul’s letter to the church, he says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery… You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:1,13).

Peter wrote, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16).

Jesus, speaking to the Jews, had this to say, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36).

Romans chapter six reminds us, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness…When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness…but now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (verses 18, 20, 22).

Paul writes in Colossians 3, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).

That, my friends, is true freedom!

For Him,
Pastor Jerry

30 Jun

It’s His Plan

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Blessings, Faith, Miracles, Planning, Trials, Trust.

Hello all,
We continue to recover from our car wreck. The bumps and bruises are healing, and we continue to attest to God’s providence and protection in all of this. Weather-wise, in the past ten days we have recorded 6.5 inches of rain in our high-tech gauge. After what was a long, dry spell, we are grateful for abundant moisture.

In feedback from last week’s column, it was pointed out that it sounded like I was promoting the idea that God protects us from everything all the time. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that. What it does say is that in this world there will be hardships, including death and dying. There is sickness and disease, pain and sorrow. Sometimes He protects us from harm, but sometimes He doesn’t. Whatever the outcome, God is never surprised and His perfect plan is being carried out.

Let me share some informative scriptures with you: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds (James 1:2). Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of glory that God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12). Notice that James said when you face trials, not if you face trials.

Peter wrote this, concerning trials, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1: 6). Also, Peter said, “Dear friends do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

The words of Jesus after telling His disciples of trials to come: “I have told you all these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

In Romans 12, Paul reminds his readers to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12).

We may say, If I had done this or that, taken a different road, or chosen a different route, this would not have happened. But as I have said before and continue to say, it is all in God’s plan and through it all He is fulfilling His purpose in each life and in each experience.

Trusting Him,
Pastor Jerry

23 Jun

God’s Protection

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Faith, Milestones, Miracles, Praise, thanksgiving.

Hello friends,
We had one of those weeks you remember for a long time. The weather has been very warm, but we also had some rain. My opening sentence has nothing to do with the weather but with a memorable happening. It started as a normal week, with a couple of doctor’s appointments.

On Wednesday, after our appointment, we decided to tour around and check out some local campgrounds. We had been talking about taking the camper out for a few days but wanted to look around first.

Our first stop was Davis Creek, south of North Loup. Then, we took some dicey back roads, courtesy of Google maps, to Sherman Reservoir. After lunch in Loup City, we went to Ravenna with the idea of visiting Buffalo County Park. We have been there before and wanted to check out the improvements since we last visited.

As I started to turn onto the road to the park, we collided with a pickup I had not seen. Airbags in the car deployed with a loud bang and we came to a sudden stop. I never want to have that experience again!

The car was totaled, but neither we or the other driver had life-threatening injuries, although we were bruised and sore. Over the next few days, we found more bruises, but we are slowly healing. Know this though,
airbags are great but work better if used with seatbelts also.

In all this we are thankful to God for His protection. This could have turned out much worse without it. As I reflected on this, scriptures came to mind that assured me of His guiding hand upon us.

Psalm 121:7-8 reads, “The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more.”
Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. And let us not forget Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”

Our experience last Wednesday was not “luck”, but the Lord taking charge for his plan and purpose. He’s not done with us.

All praise to Him,
Pastor Jerry

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