Archive for the ‘Grace’ Category

9 Jun

Come Home

Posted by sandhillspastor in Family of God, Forgiveness, Grace, Obedience, Relationships.

Hello all,
After a long dry season, we have had some nice rains. What a difference it has made in our surroundings. This past Saturday we celebrated another wedding anniversary. It sometimes feels like only yesterday we made those vows, but it has been 61 years!

I don’t know why, but it seems I spend more time reminiscing about the past as the years go by. I guess as I look back, I see more clearly the lessons I have learned. For instance I remembered a time when I left a gate open and a group of heifers escaped and went to where the cows and calves were being kept. I stressed over how I might get them back home, but the next morning those heifers were at the gate wanting to return to their own corral. I didn’t have to wonder how to get them separated because they did it all on their own. Apparently, they decided home was not such a bad place after all.

I was reminded in this of the story of the prodigal son Jesus told in the Bible. This was about a young man who left home to see the world, and who discovered the world wasn’t all it seemed to be from a distance. The young man came to his senses and returned home to his father, realizing that what he had at home was far better than what the world had to offer.

The young man convinced his father to give him his inheritance, and we read: Not long after that, the young man got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, he began to be in need… When he came to his senses, he said ‘I will set out and go back to my father” … So, he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:13-20).

When those heifers returned from their little ‘adventure’ they got no kisses, but I welcomed them home. Keep in mind if you find you have strayed away from God, He will welcome you back into his arms. He is there for you.

Safe 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

10 Feb

Stay Connected

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Faith, Grace, Obedience, Relationships.

Dear readers,
I’m trying to get psyched up for some more winter-like weather. If the forecast holds true, we are in for some cold and snowy conditions. It seems harder to adapt to those changes as I get older.

The Bible tells us to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are to stay connected with Him through the reading of God’s word, so that we may know him in a personal way. In life, relationships go nowhere if we don’t get to know another person intimately. No one gets to truly know another person without spending time with him or her. What kind of marriage would it be if the couple only communicated for an hour each week?

There needs to be constant communication if a relationship is to be meaningful. Whether in our human relationships or in our fellowship with God, we need to stay connected. Spiritually speaking, Jesus tells us he is like a vine to which we are connected as believers. Here are His words from John’s gospel.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while very branch that does not bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:1-8).

It is much the same as using an electric appliance. The only way it works is to keep it connected to the power source. If there is no connection, there is no way said appliance will live up to expectations. Your car won’t start if the battery is disconnected, nor will your relationship with the Lord be complete if you aren’t connected with him through prayer and the reading of his Word. Remember to stay connected to your power source.

There is power in Christ,
Pastor Jerry

30 Sep

Searching for Bargains

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Eternity, Gospel, Grace, Hope, Planning, The Good News. Tagged: , , , , .

Greetings all,
You have to like this fall weather. If we could get a little rain, it would be a lot better. On a personal note, we traveled to Colorado to visit my brother and sister-in-law last week. It’s been a few years since we have seen each other, so it was good to reminisce over old times. The trip was mostly uneventful, although the roads were a lot rougher than I remember. The best highway was US 30, and I-76 in Colorado was the worst! I have nothing to say about our local county road…

When we returned on Saturday, we were reminded of the Junk Jaunt weekend. As we approached our home territory, we started so see hand-made signs alerting us to the many bargains to be had at various locations. This was the worst traffic of the whole trip! People were everywhere looking for a bargain.

Our pastor pointed out Sunday morning that Christians have the best bargain ever. We have as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. There is no better deal in this world. As it is written in God’s word, ‘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).

God’s gift of salvation is free for the asking. The price has been paid at the cross of Calvary. No extra taxes or fees are due. All that is required is that one comes confessing their sins, asking for God’s forgiveness, and accepting his Son as Savior. Scripture reminds us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

In another place we are told, “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). You won’t find a better deal than that anywhere!

I repeat myself, but if you are looking for a bargain, look no further than the Lord Jesus. His salvation is the ultimate great deal.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)! It’s a deal you must not refuse.

For Him,
Pastor Jerry

29 Jan

Apology is Important

Posted by sandhillspastor in Forgiveness, God's Word, Grace, Relationships.

Dear friends,

The good news of the week has been the warmer weather. There were several consecutive days of fog and some icy roads, but the extreme cold temps are gone for the foreseeable future.

I don’t know who needs to hear what follows, but I feel there may be many. This is from a devotional by Pastor J.D. Greear.

He writes: Don’t underestimate the power to heal broken relationships in these two words: “I’m sorry.”

“Through the men’s ministry at our church, I heard of a guy named Ken who, when he was a teenager, was discussing his future plans with his father. There was some conflict: His dad wanted him to take a particular academic course, and he didn’t want to. In a moment of anger, Ken said, “What do you know, Dad? You’re just a dumb factory worker.” His dad had been a great father and always provided for his family, but he had never been to college, and those words crushed his spirit.

More than 20 years later, after hearing a message at church on the power of words to heal or destroy, Ken remembered what he said to his father. So, he called his dad and asked if he remembered what he had said to him 20 years earlier. To his shock, his dad began to cry. Ken told him, “I’m so sorry, Dad. I’m so grateful for you and so proud of you. All the things that matter in life, you excel at all of them.”

It was a turning point for their relationship and the beginning of healing, spurred by the simple act of acknowledging a hurt and apologizing.

Many of us need to apologize to someone, maybe for a hurt from last week or five, 10, or even 20 years ago. Start by saying you’re sorry. Then, speak blessing and encouragement and love into someone’s life, and watch the difference it makes in their life—and yours.

Another aspect of this is forgiveness. If we have been wronged and the other party apologizes, it is important for us to accept the apology and respond in love. I believe we are to forgive those who wronged us. Even if that person is no longer with us, we need to forgive their actions. It is for our good, and peace of mind. We are commanded by the Lord to forgive others.

In His grip,

Pastor Jerry

22 Jan

Undeserved Blessing

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Eternal Life, Gospel, Grace, Salvation.

Dear friends,

I recently made a coffee stop at a convenience store. The clerk was manning two registers and there were several people waiting. When I got to the counter he said, “Just the coffee?” I answered yes, and he said, “this one’s on me.” I did nothing to deserve this courtesy, but I didn’t argue, just counted it a blessing.

This recalls another undeserved blessing. Jesus came to bring salvation to the world. We do not deserve it, but He offers it out of His love for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21- God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 9:15 –Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

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.

Salvation is a gift. No one can earn it. We cannot pay for it. We aren’t asked to jump through a series of hoops. Here’s the deal, not everyone is a child of God. A popular saying is, “we are all God’s children”, but this is not true. God’s children are those who believe Jesus is the Son of God, and in so doing, they are adopted into the family of God. Galatians 4:4-7.

“In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:5-6). God says, “this one is on me.”

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).

 You see, it’s not on us to pay for our salvation. God says, this one is on me. We only have to accept the gift. Make sure you don’t reject his offer. Receive the gift, for to refuse it is to spend eternity separated from God. Salvation is free, the price was paid on Calvary. An old hymn contains these words, “The Savior is waiting to enter your heart. Why don’t you let Him come in?

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

10 Apr

Because He Lives

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Cross, Easter, Faith, Gospel, Grace, Salvation.

Dear readers, 

It was an interesting week. My old laptop went to the shop on Tuesday. It isn’t dead but is not going to live long. Short story is I purchased a replacement, brought it home and spent two days learning new things. There were moments when I considered going back to pencil and paper, the original word processor! 

As we observed Good Friday and Easter last weekend, it was a needed time of reflection on the meaning of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Every Sunday is a remembrance of His resurrection. The Easter tradition just amplifies the focus for one Sunday in the spring. For this week’s devotional thought, it seems good to review what we have in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. 

First of all, the resurrection was part of God’s perfect plan for humanity. Because of sin, there had to be a sacrifice. For centuries, Israel had sacrificed animals that were designated by God for the atonement of the sins of the nation. These sacrifices did not remove the sins but covered them for a time. Each year the priest had to offer the sacrifices over again. 

In Jesus, we see the fulfillment of God’s plan to redeem for himself a people he would call his own. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:5-8. 

 “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: 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… For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless, you are still in your sins. Those then, who have fallen asleep (or died) have also perished. If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 16-19). 

The resurrection proves the power of God in that he raised Jesus from the dead, so we might also live. 

Because He Lives! 

Pastor Jerry 

3 Apr

Don’t Wait!

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Bible, Easter, Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Grace, Resurrection, Salvation.

Dear friends, 

My faithful laptop became unresponsive late last week, so I had to resurrect one of my older ones. There will be a trip to the computer doctor early in the week. I am hoping for a complete recovery, as I do not really want to buy a new one. It is amazing how dependent we are on technology. 

The weather news has been mostly positive where we live, but our prayers are with those who have experienced the severe storms of the past week. Also, we continue to pray for families dealing with the violence that seems to be everywhere. Storms happen because the world is broken due to Adam’s sin. Also, mankind in general is under the curse of that sin. Our enemy the Devil is active in the world. 

As we head into the week leading up to Easter, or Resurrection Day, it would be fitting to turn our thoughts toward God’s plan to redeem us from the ravages of sin and the storms of life. The creation is under judgment because of disobedience to his commands. Remember, Adam and Eve had just one rule to obey and under the influence of Satan they broke that one rule. Consequently, every person who ever lived was born with a sinful nature. Only one person was ever born without sin in his heart, and that one was Jesus Christ. 

He is the one and only who can save us. He is the only one who could pay our sin debt. The Bible says the wages of sin is death. Our sin separates us from God and only Jesus can restore that bond. God wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:2-4). The one way for people to be restored to fellowship with God is through a relationship with Jesus Christ; “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time (verses 5-6).  

Jesus Christ is the answer to the problems we face. Through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, we can have salvation. Many people have missed this truth. If you have breath in your body, you can be saved. After that there are no second chances. Today is the day of salvation, we are not guaranteed tomorrow. 

For Him, 

Pastor Jerry 

20 Feb

Revival

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Grace, Hope, renewal, Repentance.

Dear friends,
It has been quiet here beside the lake. The warmer weather has slowed the ice fishing somewhat, and the snow continues to melt. The weather guessers are talking snow mid-week; we will wait to see if that is correct. In home news, we have adopted two cats. They came from a home with school age kids, but they seem to be adjusting.

Here is an article that caught my attention a couple of weeks back:
It was a stunning spiritual awakening. An entire city of about one million people turned to God. They even turned from their sin of violence, which they were known for. God spared Nineveh and sent a nationwide revival. Amazingly, they turned to God after they heard this simple message from Jonah: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Jonah 3:4 NLT).

The very fact that Jonah gave them a warning was somewhat hopeful. For instance, when God judged Sodom and Gomorrah, He didn’t send a warning. There was no prophet walking through their streets. Judgment came suddenly.

But in Nineveh’s case, Jonah warned them. And the Bible tells us that “the people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow” (verse 5 NLT).

This reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God. These people were exceptionally wicked, yet God saved them.

Do you know someone who is a sinner with a capital S? You can’t imagine, in your wildest dreams, that they ever would come to faith in Christ. God can save that person. Remember, Saul of Tarsus was converted. He hunted down, tortured, and killed Christians. Yet God took hold of him. So, start praying for that unbeliever by name.

I think sometimes we prepare for failure, not success. A young preacher once complained to Charles Spurgeon that whenever he preached, no one came to Christ.

“Do you expect people to come to Christ every time you preach?” Spurgeon asked.

“Well, of course not.”

“That is your problem,” Spurgeon told him.

Missionary William Carey said, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” That’s what we need to do. Could God send another spiritual awakening to America? I believe that He could. I believe that He can. And I pray that He will. [Pastor Greg Laurie].

Keep praying,
Pastor Jerry

21 Nov

Giving Thanks

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Creation, Faith, Grace, Possessions, thanksgiving, Worship.

Dear readers,
As I write this week’s article, it is sunny outside, but it certainly isn’t warm. We appear to be in for a cold spell, with little to no chance of moisture. The lake community continues to prepare for the second annual Trail of Lights. Reports are that the display will be bigger and better than last year. More info is available on the Lake Ericson Facebook page.

The Thanksgiving holiday is this Thursday. Some days it is hard to find things to be thankful for, but we can always be thankful for a good night’s sleep, and for a new day’s dawning. I sometimes wonder who do you thank if you don’t acknowledge God? If you don’t believe there is a God who is our provider, do you thank the government, or some good luck charm? Maybe you thank your lucky stars? How do you know which stars are lucky? Do four leafed clovers bring happiness or contentment to life?

From a biblical perspective, all we have comes from God Almighty. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe. Nothing exists that wasn’t put here by God, according to His perfect plan. It is He to whom we give thanks for every good and perfect gift. “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).

The prophet Isaiah reminds us to “Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world (Isaiah 12:4-5).

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Paul writes, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him” (Colossians 1:15-16). Yes, even the government was created and put in place by the Creator God.

As the old familiar doxology says;
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above the heavenly host.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!

Have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!
Pastor Jerry

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