Archive for the ‘Trust’ Category

2 Nov

Who Is in Charge?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Culture, Faith, God's Word, Politics, Trust.

Hello friends,

I stayed up for the end of the Husker football game and should have gone to the office instead. In other news, we had very nice weather for October. Unfortunately, it appears I may have to mow the lawn one more time. In a few days, we will know the results of the election. No matter the result, we must not lose sight of the fact that the Lord is in full control of current events, as He has been since the beginning of time.

These days, I find myself drawn to some familiar passages of scripture that deal with the world and the events of today. Today’s problems are nothing new, they have existed since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. The world is broken and waits for God to make it new again. The Psalms give us encouragement.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous, but the way of  the wicked will perish (Psalm 1:1- 6).

Then we read this: 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. “Let us break their chains,” they say, and throw off their fetters.”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, My holy hill” (Psalm 2:1-6).

In Psalm 5 we read, “Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them” (verses 10-11).

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

26 Oct

Faith or Doubt?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Faith, God's Word, Trust.

Hello friends,

Weatherwise we had a pleasant week. Temperatures were a bit warm for this time of year, but I didn’t mind. I’m sure those involved with the harvest were glad for some drier days. Midterm elections take place this week and I encourage everyone to vote. It matters not your politics; this is one of the freedoms that we dare not abandon.

Now, on to this week’s devotional thought. We recently sang a song during worship that had the line, “Help my doubt and unbelief.” At that point, I wondered, how can a true believer sing about “my doubt and unbelief?” It would seem if we truly believed, there wouldn’t be any doubt or unbelief. The first disciples struggled with both of those things as they followed Jesus.

In Mark’s gospel we read of an instance when the disciples were unable to drive an evil spirit out of a young boy. Jesus said the problem was unbelief (Mark 9:19). Jesus said, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” The boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief” (verses 23-24). The disciples then asked why it was that they couldn’t drive out the demon. His answer, “This kind can only come out by prayer” (verse 29).

In another place, we are told of the disciples in a storm on the sea fearing for their lives. Jesus appeared and asked Peter to come to Him on the water. Impulsive Peter stepped out of the boat, saw the waves and began to sink. He cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Jesus caught him and said, “You of little faith, why did you doubt” (Matthew 14:28-31).

It is easy to show trust and faith in the Lord when things are going well. When the storms of life are swirling around us, doubts and fears enter our minds. I suspect even the most committed believer at some point has those feelings of doubt and even unbelief.

However, it is my experience that the longer we serve the Lord those doubts and fears and even the shadows of unbelief begin to be less common. Abraham is a great example of someone who persevered in his faith. “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised” (Romans 4:20-21).

Trusting in Him,

Pastor Jerry

14 Sep

Remembering

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, Heaven, Memories, Salvation, Trust, Truth, Witness.

Dear Friends,

September is half over already. The good news is the temperatures are beginning to moderate. I’m all for warm days, but there are limits even for me.

On Friday we observed Patriot Day. It was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. I clearly remember what I was doing that morning, as I’m sure many of you do. We all have points of time that we cannot or will not ever forget. I well remember the day JFK was assassinated. I was working the window at McDonald’s in Ogden, Utah and one of my co-workers’ mother came to the window crying and saying, “the president has been shot!” There are others that I will not take the time to share.

On a positive note, I also remember what I was doing when I met my future wife, although not the exact day. Next to that is my memory of the day I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior. Standing in a pew in a little country church on a Sunday morning, I responded to His invitation to follow Him. The year was 1982 in early spring, and I can attest that my lifestyle began a slow transformation over the next few years. No, it wasn’t an immediate bright light moment, but I knew I was going to let Him take control of my life.

I am convinced that the most important event in our lives we can share as a memorial and historical fact is to share our Christian testimony. It may not be an important event in the eyes of the world, but it is of eternal significance.

“Suppose one if you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” … “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents: (Luke 15:3-7,10).

In His grip,

Pastor Jerry

22 Jun

Power Interrupted

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Faith, God's Word, Humor, Trials, Trust.

Hello friends,

We were blessed with more rain Saturday night. My rain bucket registered almost three inches. There is a low spot on our property that catches the big rains. We have been just letting it soak away, but this time we brought out the sump pump I purchased when the crawl space under the house flooded a few years back. It appears this is going to be the answer to the excess water problem.

Along with the rain, when I woke up and looked for the clock, the red numbers weren’t there. The power had gone off around 4:30 AM and we were powerless, so to speak. Milrae has a CPAP machine while sleeping, and she woke up due to a lack of air. After some time waiting for the electricity to come back on, I decided to fire up the standby generator. This proved to be another adventure because we had stored it in the front of the garage behind some other things. I got it to the front door of the garage feeling pretty good about the situation, but wouldn’t you know, the battery on the generator was dead. I have a portable battery supply, but it didn’t work for some reason. After using jumper cables from the car battery, it started and as you might guess, soon the power came back on.

This reminds me of a truth that applies to the Christian life. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

It is impossible to live the Christian life if we don’t remain connected to our source of strength. That strength comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit who comes into our heart at the moment of salvation. When we are unplugged from the power source, we are unable to live the life we are called to live.

When our electric lines are broken, we walk in darkness until that power is restored. It is the same with our connection to Almighty God. Without it, we are walking in darkness, but as we connect to Him the light returns.

The psalmist wrote: “You are my strength; I watch for you; you God are my fortress” (Psalm 59:9).

In His grip,

Pastor Jerry

4 May

Seasons of Life

Posted by sandhillspastor in Faith, Grace, Milestones, On Aging, renewal, Trust.

Dear friends,

May has arrived. After last week’s rain, it is beginning to show signs of spring, and we are anticipating the appearance of May flowers. We are a little slow with the gardening this spring, due to the threat of frost still hanging on. The other limiting factor is the fact that we are older and slower.

Spring reminds me of the seasons of life. In the spring, we are newborns with our whole life ahead of us.

Summer reflects growth, both physical and mental. This is the time of life when we are most productive.

Then the fall season appears, when we begin to decline in strength and look forward to retirement. The Scriptures do not speak of retirement except in the context of relinquishing some of our responsibilities to younger workers. We are not in management anymore but continue assisting them in their work.

The last season is probably the hardest. Our usefulness is diminished and we understand that we are nearing the end of our earthly journey. Our bodies seem to have abandoned us to every kind of ailment and we spend much time at doctors’ appointments. Most of our social life is built around meeting our friends at the pharmacy.

Solomon wrote the following in Ecclesiastes. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).

The apostle Paul had this observation: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. 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 3:12-14).

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

In all the seasons of life let us keep heaven in mind. It is God’s will that we be saved for eternity through faith in Christ. (John 6:40).

In Christ

Pastor Jerry

20 Apr

Look to the Lord

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, God's Word, Obedience, Trust, Truth.

Hello friends,

We had what we hope is the last frost last weekend. Maybe we can start to plan for flowers and other springtime blessings. I did have to mow the backyard last week. I’m not sure it didn’t grow all winter, as tall as it was.

In past articles I have mentioned the fact that Christians are in a spiritual battle as we live out the commands of the Savior. Pastor J.D. Greear in a recent article tells us that to fight spiritual warfare we need to be grounded in the gospel.

He writes, “Even Christians sometimes don’t want to acknowledge that Satan and demons are real, but Jesus most definitely believed in them. He (Jesus) gave his followers instructions on how to engage with them, though the instructions may not be quite what you would expect them to be.

“Jesus consistently directs people away from preoccupation with the demonic. He never tells us to go out demon hunting or approach the world like an exorcist. 

There’s really only one passage in which the Bible outlines for us what spiritual warfare is like. In Ephesians 6, Paul lists out the weapons of our warfare. They include the helmet of salvation, which means let the gospel shield our thinking; the shield of faith, which is when you believe God’s promises; the belt of truth, or the good news; and feet covered with a readiness to preach the Word of God.

All of those things can be summarized by faith in the gospel. Cover yourself with the gospel. Saturate yourself in the gospel. When you are grounded in the gospel, Satan can’t touch you. 

Paul gives three model prayers in Ephesians (1:15-23, 3:14-21, 6:18-19), and in none of them is he binding or casting out demons.

In 1 Corinthians 1, when Paul is addressing the division in the Corinthian church (which he said in Romans 16 could be demonic), he never tells them to rebuke the spirit of division. He tells them to be united in their minds and charitable to each other. 

If you want to fight the demonic in your life, don’t focus on the demons at all—just let Jesus be large in your life.”

Pastor John reminded us Sunday morning that to stay strong in our faith, we need to spend time in God’s Word daily. This is how we defeat the devil.

Stay strong,

Pastor Jerry

23 Mar

Facing Disaster

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Faith, God's Word, Hope, Trials, Trust.

Dear friends,

Our temperature went from the mid-nineties Saturday to the mid-fifties on Sunday.  This is after we called off church last week because of cold and snow. Could this be called whiplash?

What do you do when things seem impossible to overcome? I’m thinking of those who were impacted by the wildfires in Nebraska last week. Having spent my life in ranching, I can’t imagine the thought of facing a loss of this magnitude. We lost our cows to financial troubles many years ago, but we still had our feed, fences, machinery and home.

This was just a few years after I had trusted Jesus with my life, and I’ve always said I don’t know how I would have handled this without Him. People who make their living off the land are subject to weather events and challenges that others just don’t understand, but this is nothing new.

If you read the Bible for any length of time, you soon find this is a part of life. The good news is that God knows what you are going through, and although He may not take you out of the situation, He will see you through it.

The psalmist Asaph wrote this when he was discouraged, “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:23-26).

Psalm 62 also became a source of encouragement to me in times of trouble. “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and salvation; He is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out  your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:5-8).

The Lord Jesus left His disciples with these words as he prepared to go to the cross. “I have told you these things, so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Trusting Him,

Pastor Jerry

16 Mar

Our Broken World

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Creation, Eternity, Trials, Trust.

Hello friends,

As I write this, the western part of our state is on fire and the eastern end is experiencing winter weather, including snow and wind. There has not been enough snow to have an effect on the fires. We must keep asking the Lord to send rain or snow to put out the fires. Hopefully by the time you read this He will have answered our prayers. Pray for safety for firefighters and those affected by this disaster. It appears that conditions will not improve greatly, but God knows what we need and will answer in His time.

In the beginning, the creation was perfect, then Adam and Eve disobeyed God and the creation was broken. Because of this, we have droughts, floods, fires, earthquakes and many other things that have resulted. Someday, the creation will be restored to a new beginning and will exist in a perfect state for eternity.

In Genesis, we read of the curse God put in place after Adam and Eve sinned. “To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it.’

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground from which you were taken.’” Genesis 3:17-19).

In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome, he wrote, “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21).

God, through the prophet Isaiah said, “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered nor will they come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17).

Finally, from Revelation chapter 21 John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea” (Revelation 21:1). Take heart, the Lord is still on His throne! Keep praying.

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

9 Mar

Sleep Well

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Contentment, Faith, Peace, Rest, Trust.

Hello friends,

Our nice weather continues. It tried to give us some moisture at the end of the week, but a trace doesn’t go very far. It appears there is very little chance of precipitation for the next nine days. The nice days of the weekend brought about increased activity here at the lake. I have noticed in recent days that the spring migration of birds and waterfowl is well underway. Even more signs that spring is just around the corner.

If we spend much time watching or listening to the news these days, we can become very discouraged and want to turn off the television or disconnect from social media. There is much time spent on doom and gloom reporting. I have noticed that even Christian pastors and teachers have become somewhat obsessed with the topic of the end times, as the Bible calls it.

I will agree that it is a subject that we need to be aware of and to be reminded of, but it should not be the only thing we focus on. As long as the Lord tarries, we are to be about the business of sharing the Good News of the gospel with those who do not know Jesus.

In spite of the unrest and disheartening news, the world keeps on turning and God is still on His throne. If we forget that, we will be continually discouraged. When we are tempted to fall into despair over the events swirling around us, it is good to return to the Scriptures for encouragement.

In the Psalms we read the words of David: “Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, God will not deliver him. But you, Lord are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from His holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. (Psalm 3;1-6).

Rest assured, Jesus will return in His time. He has promised but let us be more concerned with bringing people into the kingdom of God and less with when He is coming back for us. In His words, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27).

Trusting Him,

Pastor Jerry

9 Feb

God’s Presence

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Creation, Faith, God's Word, Holy Spirit, Hope, Trials, Trust.

Dear readers,

You have to love 55 degrees in February; just remember we still have March ahead of us. It’s not too late for some deep snow and cold to appear on the scene. The recent warming has slowed the ice fishing activity here at the lake. I wonder how many of those enjoying the sport are not aware of the springs that lurk at the bottom of Lake Ericson?

Many people are dealing with trials these days. Christians are not exempt from trials and tribulation, whether they be financial, emotional or relational there are always difficult times. Some will tell you if you accept the Lord’s salvation, your life will be wonderful. Don’t believe them. I have heard it said that when we are undergoing those trying times God is waiting on the other side. kGod is not waiting on the other side of your storm; He is in it with you. He doesn’t part the waters or build a bridge over them but takes your hand and leads you through. Even when we cannot see Him, we can trust that he will not let us battle the storm alone. He tells us in His word that he is always present with us.

Psalm 73:23: Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory… My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

John 14:16; Jesus speaking, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” Also this, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt 28:20).

Isaiah 43:2-3 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” 

In each of those passages of Scripture, we are promised that He is always with us, either as God, Jesus or Holy Spirit. We are never left alone as believers. Our God is an ever present reality in our lives.

Trusting in Him,

Pastor Jerry

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