Archive for the ‘Obedience’ 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

29 Sep

Slow to Speak

Posted by sandhillspastor in Anger, Body of Believers, Calling, God's Word, Obedience, Relationships, Words.

Hello friends,
October is arriving soon. Maybe it is my age, but the seasons seem to change more frequently than in past years! It won’t be long until our first frost and things will change. We are past the normal first frost date, so be ready.

There has been much violent speech in recent months and even years from some in our world. There are many who think minds will be changed by violent arguments and acts. Perhaps they need to turn to the scriptures and pay attention to what God says about our speech. I will share some passages from the Bible that would give God’s perspective on our words and our actions.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1). A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control (Proverbs 29:11). Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9).

Speaking of love, Paul wrote, “It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered” (1 Corinthians 13:5).Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who are listening (Eph 4:29). Paul again, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger” (Ephesians 4:31). Then this, “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips” (Colossians 3:8).

James had this advice; My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 2:19-20). Everyone should take these words to heart: But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness (James 3:17-18).

Let us all pray for this wisdom as we engage in conversation with those who oppose us. We are called to a higher standard than those who are of the world and the Lord would have us reflect that fact in both our words and our actions.

Blessings to all,
Pastor Jerry

22 Sep

My Story

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Calling, Change, Obedience, Salvation, Witness.

Hello friends,
We are drawing nearer to the fall season. I have noticed the leaves beginning to turn from green to red and gold. I continue to enjoy this season as I have for most of my life. I have many memories of hunting seasons from years ago.

You have heard it said that everyone has a story. Some stories tell of struggles with life, and others relate successes and victories in and through those experiences. Christians are encouraged to share the stories of their lives before and after coming to faith in Jesus Christ. Each one of us has a testimony to the changes He has made in us. A witness tells what he has seen and done. There is no one who can tell us we did not experience what we have seen with our own eyes. Please permit me to share a bit of my own story.

I grew up in a family with good morals, but we only rarely attended church. Sometimes Mom would take us kids to the little country church down the road, but Dad thought he had to stay home and care for the livestock on Sunday morning,

I was nearsighted, so from early I loved to read. I read everything I could get my hands on. I read the newspaper for myself when there were stories my parent thought I was too young to understand. When there were no books, I read the Bible and the dictionary. I enjoyed the Bible stories and read about Jesus, but that is as far as I went.

As I got older and went to town for high school, I became somewhat antagonistic to Christianity. I was one of those who looked down on Christians as being weak and out of tune with life. I developed some bad habits that led to wrong decisions.

After getting married and having a family, I started attending that little church down the road “for my boys.” Little did I know God had me where He wanted me. One Sunday morning in early 1982 I gave my life to Christ and my life changed dramatically. In time, the Lord called me into pastoral ministry. He took an agnostic rancher and made him a preacher… and that is my story in short form.

I heard the voice of the Lord… And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

18 Aug

Jesus, Lord of All

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Culture, God's Word, Obedience, Salvation, Witness.

Hello friends,
We keep getting those timely rains. There hasn’t been much watering of the lawn this summer, but plenty of mowing. There are blessings all around and we don’t have to look far to see them.

Sometimes I read articles from other sources that I feel are worth sharing. One of those came to me from Pastor J.D. Greear. He tells of efforts in the past to remove certain sections of the Bible.

He writes, “If someone did this today, they would probably cut out Jesus’ teachings on the sanctity of sex and marriage. They would keep the miracles and cut out large parts of the Sermon on the mount.

Our culture says it is fine to worship Jesus—just edit Him to fit their preferences so you can still bow where you need to bow.

For followers of Jesus, that is not an option. Jesus is Lord. If He is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all. People treat the Bible like a cafeteria, where you pick the food options that you like and ignore the rest.

People think you can do that with Jesus. You can accept the parts of Him you want and postpone the others until later. I once heard a college student explain that she had accepted Jesus as Savior now and planned to accept Him as Lord later.

You cannot divide Jesus! He is either Lord, or He is not. If God is the only God, and He is the only one who can save and the only revealer of mysteries, then we as Christians must make this clear to others. To not do so is not just cowardly, it is cruel.

Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood in faithfulness to God when everyone else bowed to a false god, even though they got thrown into a fiery furnace for it an entire empire got to see the reality of the God of Israel on display.

“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

The eternal future of coming generations depends on our ability to stand firm in the present.”

For Him,
Pastor Jerry

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

7 Apr

Shine!

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Calling, Culture, God's Word, Obedience, Praise, Salt and Light.

Dear readers,
I see a few signs of spring and it makes me feel winter is almost behind us. Bring on the showers and the flowers that brighten the landscape. God is good and His creation shows it.

I learned a lesson by going into my tool trailer and failing to turn on the light. Recently, I went into the trailer where I keep my tools. Being in a hurry, I didn’t turn on the light and my leg collided with a wooden box on the floor. As could be expected, the resulting collision resulted in pain and agony in my right legs. It is now about three weeks later, and the bruising has begun to fade.

There is a spiritual application in this concerning the teaching that Jesus is the light of the world, come to shine the light of God’s love into a dark and dangerous world.

As a result of the failure of Adam to heed God’s instructions, we live in a world that is broken by sin and inhabited by dark forces of evil. As we navigate the darkness, it is important to have light so that we can see the dangers around us and take the safe path.

Scripture says much about walking in the light and avoiding the darkness. The psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he 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).

Regarding Jesus, John wrote, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7).

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

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

20 Jan

Return to Respect

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Christian Living, God's Word, Obedience, Politics, Stewardship.

Dear readers,
January is slipping away and before we know it, we’ll be leaving winter behind. This winter hasn’t been bad compared to some I remember and that’s okay. As I write this, it is windy and there is a cold spell forecast, but hopefully it will be short-lived.

As America transitions to a new president, let us remember that the future of our nation lies not in a new political leader, but in a return to Christian values and the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us we are to respect the leaders of government, also that our first allegiance is to the Lord and to the truth of the Bible.

Psalm 2 sums it up rather well: “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.” (verses 1-3). At the end of the Psalm we read: “Therefore you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 2:10-12).

In Romans 13:1, Paul wrote, “Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

Peter also spoke to this issue in his first letter: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God honor the king” (1 Peter 2:13-17). I believe it is proper to substitute the word ‘president’ in place of ‘king’ in this passage.

We need to return to showing proper respect for our leaders, and for each other.

God bless America,
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

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