Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

24 Sep

Connected?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Eternal Life, Faith, The Good News.

Hello friends,

Cooler weather is here at last. We have had our first frost, and I’m sure the folks with allergies will be more comfortable. Our biggest need is for some significant rainfall, but at this point, I think we’d even settle for a wet snowfall.

Alex is getting along well with his crutches, but is frustrated occasionally by his inability to get where he’s going quickly. We will check in with the doctor on Friday to get his stitches out and further instructions on his rehab.

In other news, we have become owners of a fifth wheel camper trailer. What remains is, will we ever take the time to use it for its intended purpose?

A few week ago, as I sat waiting for someone in Walmart, I noticed a fair number of people walking around with their smart-phones and other electronic devices in their hands. I wondered, is it so important to stay connected that you are reduced to having only one hand with which to get your work done, while the other is checking your messages?

I admit to behaving like this sometimes, but not at the extreme level. No yet, anyway. The question arises, “How often do we check the Bible for a message from the Lord?” Some of you will answer, “I have the Bible app installed in my device.” Next question: Are you seen checking that “app” as often as you check email or instant messaging? Most of the “important” messages we receive by way of social media are in reality not so important that we need to be “connected” in all our waking and sleeping hours. The messages I would like us to be focused on are those contained in God’s word. Now, there is communication that matters for eternity!

Consider these verses: “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long” (Psalm 119:97). “My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises”) Psalm 119:148.

The most important message ever received from God is John 3:16… “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Continuing with the idea of messaging, we read this: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17.)

With whom are you connected most?

Connected through His Word,
Pastor Jerry

23 Jul

Refreshing News

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Faith, The Good News.

Hello friends,
Another week begins hot and dry. A wildfire rages in an area of our state that we consider home. Although we do not have property in the immediate area, those folks are our neighbors. We continue to pray for God’s intervention in that situation.

Elsewhere, there was an attack on innocent movie-goers in Aurora, Colorado. I’m sure there are very few, if any, who have not heard of that evil act. Often, it seems chaos is all around us, and everything is out of control.

Sometimes our souls seem to reflect those same conditions. We may feel we are either in a period of extended drought, or in the middle of a chaotic situation that is out of control. When that happens, we are reminded that the Lord invites us to experience “springs of living water”, and the peace that passes all human understanding.

I’m not going to try to explain the “whys” of all the things we’ve experienced in recent days. There are a lot of other more qualified people doing that already. What I will do is direct you to some scriptures that have helped me in times past.

From the Psalms first of all: “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” (Psalm 62:1-2). “This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” (Psalm 34:6-7).

These are the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 11:30. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

From Philippians 4:6-7…”Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.”

Finally, from Revelation 7:17 concerning those who come out of the great tribulation: “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

In His tender care,
Pastor Jerry

9 Jul

A Lesson From the Hayfield

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Eternal Life, Faith.

Does anyone remember the song “Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer”? It made it to #6 on the Billboard chart in 1963. If there ever were days like those, I think they are behind us. This year, it is more like “the crazy, busy, endless days of summer. I know it doesn’t rhyme well, but it’s the best I can do.

After another hot week, there is a hint of cooler weather for a few days, but no mention of any rain. Prayers for relief from the heat, and for rain are very much in order.

We celebrated the Fourth of July in Ericson, watching the parade and spending the rest of the day with two of our long-time friends from “home”. As I get older, air conditioning appeals more to me than sitting outdoors on a hot summer day.

Since it is haying season in our part of the world, I’d like to share an observation from the hayfield that I made a few years back. When mowing the hay, the person operating the mowing machine tries to mow cleanly. He or she wants to do a neat, clean job so that when the neighbors drive by they will see only a cleanly mowed field, not patches of standing grass. When the job is done, it may appear that all the grass was cut off evenly, but when the rake comes along the next day, what has been hidden will be revealed. Every mistake the mower made will be exposed for all to see.

There are millions of people who are trying to live clean lives, to do good and not make mistakes. They believe that if they do all these things well, God will surely let them into heaven. The problem with this thinking is that at the judgment day, all the exterior things will be taken away, and all the sins and mistakes will be revealed. It will be plainly seen that no one is that good.

Entrance to heaven is based solely on a right relationship with God the Father, and the only way to that kind of relationship is by placing our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11-12a reads, “No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light.”

It is of utmost importance that we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ, anything less will not stand the test at the judgment.

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

18 Jun

Preparations

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Eternal Life, Faith.

It’s Monday. I want Monday to be my day off. It usually ends up involving work in some form, but it’s a change. We’re at the lake until Tuesday afternoon.We’ll return to Ericson then, because Vacation Bible School begins Wednesday morning and will run nine to noon for three days.

The lake level is going down. Since the spring rains have stopped, the water isn’t running out, and the concrete boat ramp we poured several years ago has begun to reappear. We will take this opportunity to extend it further onshore.. While the water level was high, it was almost unusable because of the soft soil between the ramp and high ground. It may be awhile before the water level reaches those of the past few years, but when it does we’ll be prepared.

On the subject of making plans and preparing for the future, I believe many people today are making plans for their lives that end when this life is over. Most, I would venture to say, have very little regard for what happens at the end of their earthly life. I’d like to address this topic today, even though I may lose many of you at the end of this sentence. It is my responsibility, you know.

The Bible says our lives here are like a mist, or a vapor (James 4:14). I know that when we’re young, or maybe even not so young, we get so caught up in living in the present that we give little or no thought to any afterlife. In a daily devotional that comes to my desk each day, I read this from the late Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, “If you go and talk to many people about religion, you will find that they will talk to you at great length without ever mentioning the Lord Jesus Christ.”

He goes on to record a conversation in which a person talks much about God’s love, their belief in God, and the fact that they have lived a good life. When asked how all that helps, the person responds with this: “Well, I believe that if I acknowledge my sin to God and then ask Him to forgive me, He does forgive me, and I am relying on that.”

Dr. Lloyd-Jone finishes with this comment: “They seem to think that they can go to God directly without the Lord Jesus at all.”

The reality is this; while living in this world and in the present, we need to consider what happens next. One day, we will all stand before the God of the universe, and when we are asked why he should admit us into heaven, the only right answer is, “I believe in the Lord Jesus and have placed my faith in Him for my salvation.”

I’ll close with a verse you have heard many times before. Jesus is speaking: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

We may be well prepared for our immediate future, but what really matters are our preparations for eternity future. Are you ready?

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

11 Jun

Possessions

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Faith.

Hello friends,
I’m looking for things to slow down a bit this week. We’ll see how that goes. We’ve begun moving the rest of the important things from the ranch to our place at Lake George. With Mom’s passing, the ranch will be sold, so we’re beginning the process. I suppose I should have feelings of sadness over the pending sale, after all the place has been in the family since 1910. I can truthfully say I’m not sad. As a couple, Milrae and I lived there 38 years, and raised our two boys there. It was a good life and ranching was good to us. We have to look at this, not as the end of something, but the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. We will move on from here.
Scripture has much to say about the temporary nature of life and possessions. Over the years, as I have read and studied the Bible, I have come to understand that our possessions are on loan from the Lord, and he has the authority to both give them and take them away.
In the Old Testament, a man named Job lost everything near and dear to him, yet he said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21).
Jesus said, “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). The apostle Paul wrote, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…I can do everything through him who give me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13).
The apostle James, speaking to those who made “big plans” for the future, said, “Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes.”
To Timothy, Paul wrote, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (2 Timothy 6:6-7). Corrie Ten Boom, who survived the Holocaust said, “Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.”
I think it helps to remember the words of the old song… “This world is not my home, I’m just a’ passing through.”

In His care,
Pastor Jerry

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