Archive for the ‘Giving’ Category

16 Dec

Christmas Memories

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Christmas, Giving.

Dear friends,
Winter-like weather has returned. Not with snow, but with cooler temperatures. I’m glad for a warm house these days, because I really can’t cope with the cold anymore.

As our thoughts turn to Christmas Day, a bit of reflection is in order. Rather than focusing on what we might get in the way of gifts, let us consider the Greatest Gift of all. I have received many wonderful gifts from family and friends over the years, but some stand out more than others.

There was the Red Ryder BB gun when I was a youngster. I took it out hunting and came across a mouse. No, I didn’t shoot it. I beat it with the gun stock and broke my new gun. A memorable experience and a lesson learned. An earlier memory is of a Christmas when “Santa” brought a puppy in a burlap bag and dumped it out on the floor of our living room. How exciting that was!

After I became a believer in Jesus Christ and we were going through some hard times, there was no money for Christmas gifts for our boys. I had mentioned our predicament to our pastor and he and his wife gave us money out of their savings so we could have a good Christmas for our two boys. I will never forget that gift, given in the truest picture of Christian love for others. I have had opportunities to pass that gift on to others in the name of Jesus.

In John’s gospel, we read the following: 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17).

Paul wrote to the church in Rome: “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2)

“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:10, 13). “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)!

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

9 Dec

The Giving Season

Posted by sandhillspastor in Advent, Blessings, Christmas, Culture, Faith, Giving, Obedience.

Hello friends,
Hasn’t the weather been nice for December, so far? I was able to work in our uninsulated garage in my shirt sleeves Saturday afternoon. I suppose it will cool down, but as yet there is no snow in the forecast.

As we enter the Christmas season, I have been thinking on the topic of giving. After all, ‘tis the season for gift giving. Christmas shopping has become a big deal. People go to great lengths to find that perfect Christmas gift for that special person. For some it is a year-long project and for others, a mad dash early in the morning on what is called “Black Friday.”

What about our giving to others throughout the rest of the year? Scripture encourages, even commands us to give to the Lord with grateful and cheerful hearts. We are also told to give to others as God blessed us. It may be a financial gift, or a gift of serving others, Whatever resources we have, God would have us share those blessings with those who are needy.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all times having all you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever” (2 Corinthians 9:6-9).
Paul goes on to say, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (verse 11).

Paul is not talking about a “name it and claim it” strategy. He is talking about God taking care of us when we honor him with our giving generously, even when it scares us.

If we can move past that fear, we’ll get to see why God enriches us—not to bring more bling into our lives, but to “multiply our seed for sowing.” He multiplies our resources not to increase our standard of living but to increase our capacity for giving.

Some food for thought in this giving season. Praying for increased blessings to all.

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

5 Feb

Giving to God

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Giving, God's Word, Possessions, Stewardship.

Our week is off to a busy start. Our great-granddaughter is spending a few days with us. The level of activity at our house has reached a level not seen in a long time, or is it just our age? In weather news, our January thaw came in February this year. It has been above freezing in the daytime, most of our snow is gone, and we received approximately a half-inch of rain. It appears ice fishing season has come to an end, at least here at Lake Ericson.

Here are some thoughts on our attitude toward giving to the Lord from Pastor J.D. Greear entitled First Things First: “God calls us to give him our first and best, so when instead we give him our second and the rest, we set God himself against us.

This is one of the most important financial principles in the Bible, stated most clearly by Jesus in Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (ESV).

In context, “all these things” are all the other things we worry about, like provision, companionship, marriage, and financial stability. Seek God first, and he will add all these other things to you. But, seek first the kingdom of self, and all these things will be taken from you.

C.S. Lewis famously said that when you put “first” things first, God will throw in “second” things. But put second things first, and you’ll lose not only first things but eventually the second things also.

 Scripture tells us that sometimes we are faithful to God and hard times still come. That’s part of living in a fallen world, and it is often how God tests and grows and shapes our faith. Verses like Matthew 6:33 are not a spiritual rebate guarantee, where you write God a check and he promises every time to send a bigger one back to you.

But there are enough passages in Scripture like Matthew 6:33 that we should be sure to understand: We put God first, and he multiplies it, and if we don’t do that, he may frustrate our efforts,”

A lesson learned in forty years of following the Lord is that you cannot out-give God. Give Him what you can and be ready to receive blessings according to His will for you.

In Him,

Pastor Jerry

11 Dec

Giving and Receiving

Posted by sandhillspastor in Advent, Blessings, Christmas, Giving, Gospel, Salvation.

Dear friends,

            Fair weather was the word of the week. It is always a good feeling to have moderate temperatures in December. Many times there is deep snow and cold this time of year. My point is this; let’s enjoy mild weather while we can, and count every nice day as being one day closer to spring!

            Christmas is a time of giving. People everywhere are shopping for that perfect gift for family and friends. Well, except for the ones who are organized and have had their shopping done for months already. Christmas is also a time for receiving. Every gift given needs a recipient, and the transaction is not complete until the one receiving has accepted or taken the gift.

            Many years ago, our family had fallen on hard times. There were no funds to purchase Christmas gifts for our kids. I had shared this information with a friend in a conversation and a few days before Christmas, I got a phone call from him asking us to their house as they had something to tell us.

            We went to their place and after some small talk, he told us he and his wife had decided to give us a cash gift so that we could get some Christmas gifts for our boys. He handed me a check saying he and his wife had a little savings account and they were giving to us out of their savings. I have never forgotten that evening. We were in tears over their kindness and generosity.

            The gift was given, but only by receiving the gift would the blessing be complete. I could have said that’s nice, but only by reaching out and taking that check would we benefit from their generosity.

            John 3:16 says, “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.” In John 1:12 we read, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

            Did you get that? The gift was given, but only by receiving, or taking it will it be of any use to us. The gift from our friends was a picture of the message of Christmas. Salvation comes as a gift from God, but we must accept that gift.

In His love,

Pastor Jerry

15 Jun

Helping Hands

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Christian Living, Giving, Praise, Service, Witness.

Hello friends,

The heat and wind have returned for a visit, but the forecast for later in the week is calling for cooler and wetter. You have to love living here! If variety is the spice of life, we should be pretty spicy…

Speaking of why we live here, we had another reminder of how blessed we are to live in rural Nebraska. While bringing our new old camper home Friday, one of its tires blew out. Not expecting something like this to happen, I had no tools for changing a tire. We unhooked the camper, drove home (about 20 miles), got a jack and wheel wrench, and returned to change the tire. Just as I was about to give out from the exertion required for an old man to loosen those pesky lug nuts, three young men pulled up and asked if they could help! I did not refuse, and in a matter of minutes, the job was completed. I failed to get their names, but if you were there, and are reading this… Thank You, again!

The Bible says something about giving aid to strangers, because they may be angels (Hebrews 13:2). I’m no angel, but those three young men would qualify from my perspective! Here is another verse from the book of Hebrews; “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14).

We would make this world a better place, if we could only be like the Good Samaritan in the story Jesus told in Luke, chapter 10. You know the story; A man was beaten and robbed, and left by the side of the road. Those who would have been expected to help him, by-passed him on the other side of the road, so they wouldn’t have to get involved. The Samaritan, a man who would be shunned by any good Jew, stopped and gave the victim aid, even paying for his treatment and lodging. (Luke 10:30-35).

I can only imagine how different the news of today would be, if every citizen of our country would exhibit the compassion of this Samaritan. Three young men stopped and helped a couple of complete strangers change a tire, when they were obviously on their way home from a hard day’s work. I hope to be able to do the same, sometime down the road.

Just thinking (and being thankful),

Pastor Jerry

25 Mar

New View

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Best Life, Blessings, Creation, Giving, God's Word, Peace, Praise, Prayer, The Good News, Trials, Uncategorized, Witness, Worship.

Well… it looks as if March may be going out on a mild note, although the current forecast calls for a little snow toward the end of the week. One thing is certain, if it snows, the stuff will not stay long. I think most of us would be okay with some sunshine and some drying out of the soil. Our roads and streets are, to put it mildly, A MESS! I’m all for the four seasons, but it is time for a quick transition to the next one. After traveling to a sister church to preach Sunday morning, I would even welcome some road construction if it would mean smoother travel.

Flood cleanup continues across our state and in some neighboring states. Let’s continue to pray for the victims, also for those workers who are helping with the recovery. It is not too late to volunteer, and more volunteers would be welcome, I’m sure. Also, if you are in a position to do so, monetary donations would be greatly appreciated.

After being bombarded with the destruction and death of the flooding and storms of recent days, perhaps it is time for a refocus. As I anticipate the return of warmer weather and spring, my thoughts always seem to turn to renewal and rebirth. Spring brings baby calves, foals, lambs, green grass, flowers, and warm sunshine. As the celebration of Easter, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus draws near, those thoughts turn to spiritual rebirth and renewal. What follows are some of my favorite spring-time verses.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… and God saw all that he had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1:1-30).
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1).
The prophet Malachi spoke of the coming day of the Lord in this way: “But for you who revere my name… you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall (Malachi 4:2). Now there’s a picture of a spring day!

As we contemplate this theme of new birth and renewal, hear words of the Lord. “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Praise be to God,
Pastor Jerry

5 Feb

What Can You Give?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Christian Living, Giving, Gospel, Great Commission, Obedience, Possessions, Service, Stewardship, Uncategorized, Worship.

It has been a good week for us. There were trips to Grand Island, Albion, and Ord. Doctor’s appointments, shopping at Menards and working together on some little projects around the house. Last Sunday, I spoke at a church in Chambers, Nebraska, then made it back home in time for a carry-in dinner and annual business meeting at our church. Next week, I’m off to Loup City to speak at Grace Bible Church, filling in for a friend. I was told recently by another friend; “You ain’t retired.” This was just affirmation of the fact that if you make yourself available to the Lord, he will keep you busy doing his work.

Speaking of doing the Lord’s work, I came across these verses in my daily Bible reading this week. In Exodus, when the tabernacle was being built, Moses had instructed the people to bring offerings of materials for construction. We read this: All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the Lord freewill offerings for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do. At one point, the workers came to Moses and said, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.” Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work. (Exodus 36:5-7)

Now, I know of no preacher who has ever said to his congregation, “Don’t bring anything else as an offering to the Lord’s work, we already have more than enough.” There are never enough resources for doing the Lord’s work, whether financial giving, or gifts of time and talent. There are never enough people willing to teach Sunday school, lead Bible studies, or evangelize their neighbors, their family members and acquaintances.

Jesus emphasized that we use our gifts until he returns (Luke 19:13). Can you even imagine how Christ’s church would grow, if there were more than enough resources and people to do the work? It would be amazing, I am sure! In what way are you helping grow the kingdom?

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

25 Dec

It’s Christmas

Posted by sandhillspastor in Advent, Blessings, Christmas, Families, Giving, Gospel, Incarnation, The Good News, Uncategorized, Witness, Worship.

Dear friends,
I suppose it has something to do with being retired and finding ways to entertain ourselves, but we have begun to follow recipe pages on Facebook. One recent post caught my eye. It went something like this: “Ten Recipes That Taste Like Christmas!”

My first thought was, what does Christmas taste like? Followed close behind by, what color is Christmas? If I had an opinion on these two questions, I suppose I would say the tastes of Christmas might be those of candy canes, eggnog, cinnamon, gingerbread, and a host of other foods and sweets. Then I would say the colors of Christmas would definitely be red, green, and gold, or others, depending on the individual.

Immediately following these came the question, what in the world do these things have to do with the incarnation of the Lord Jesus? Answer: Nothing.

Later, I saw a quote saying, “Christmas is mostly about giving glory to the only God who would step down from on high to lift those he loves.” This was from a preacher who probably should have rethought that statement, because to me, Christmas is not mostly, but all about giving glory to God for his indescribable gift.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son (John 3:16). Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people” (Luke 2:10).

This is Christmas. At the stable in Bethlehem, the gift of a Savior was given. That gift was to include the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, followed by His resurrection. The gift of salvation. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Have a Happy and Blessed Christmas,
Pastor Jerry

4 Dec

Getting or Giving?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Advent, Best Life, Blessings, Christian Living, Christmas, Culture, Faith, Giving, God's Word, Gospel, Possessions, Praise, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom, Witness, Worship.

Hello friends,
We have endured another week of very mild temperatures. Somehow, I feel we will pay for these at some point. It has been good for putting up those remaining outdoor Christmas decorations, though.

I’m doing something different this week. Since Black Friday and all the other special shopping days are past, I thought it might be helpful to think about the following article from the “Babylon Bee”, a satirical news site that pokes fun at current culture.

Headline: Nation Repents of Thanksgiving with Day of Violent Pillaging
U.S.—Unable to fake contentment and thankfulness for one more second, citizens across the nation awoke Friday and immediately set out on a frenzied mission to violently pillage and strip bare all nearby retail locations, determined to acquire any discounted goods they desired, by any means necessary, numerous reports confirmed.

Pillagers beat each other with various weapons and instruments, wrestled on the floor like animals, and even exchanged gunfire in some locations, all in the name of taking hold of material goods they desired.
Sources confirmed that the unfettered violence occurred less than 24 hours after these same people sat around tables with family and friends, over large meals, and gave thanks for the many blessings in their lives.

“12 hours of gratefulness annually is way too much for the majority of humankind to stomach,” experts revealed amidst the day’s chaos. “What we see on Black Friday is just human nature’s standard, guttural reaction to the annual tradition of acting like the world does not revolve around them for one whole day.”

Here is what Jesus said about this kind of behavior: Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4).
“And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after such things, and you Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:29-31).

Perhaps this might give us pause, as we consider the real meaning of Christmas in the days ahead.

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

27 Nov

The Gift

Posted by sandhillspastor in Advent, Best Life, Blessings, Christian Living, Christmas, Faith, Freedom, Giving, Gospel, Grace, Possessions, Praise, Resurrection, Salvation, The Good News, Uncategorized, Worship.

Hello friends,
It is the last week of November. The Thanksgiving leftovers are almost gone, and after being thankful for God’s blessings of the past year, we can now concentrate on celebrating the greatest gift ever given, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Christmas lights are up at the Lake, and if you are in the area, it is worth driving out to see them. As the song says, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. The past few days have been unseasonably warm, so it may be harder to think Christmas. However, there are only four weeks until Christmas, and then a brand new year. As I look back, I see many changes in the past year, and I don’t believe they were all positive. That is not to say there was nothing positive, just that those things were less noticeable.

We are reminded at this time of year, that God came to earth in human form, to set in motion His plan to redeem a sinful, fallen world. There was a quote in our church bulletin this morning that said, “It is really sad how much of our time, effort and energies are captured by the cultural busyness of Christmastime, rather than the core of the Advent story. We allow Christmas to be more about created stuff than it is about the incarnation of the Creator. We’ve turned the story on its head.”

Here is a refresher, just in case anyone might need it:
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 (John 3:16).

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons (Galatians 4:4-5).

The apostle Paul, in reminding the church at Corinth of the gospel, 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, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5).

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Yours,
Pastor Jerry

« Older Entries