Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

30 Jan

Restoration

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Change, Christian Living, Eternal Life, Eternity, Faith, God's Word, Gospel, Praise, renewal, Second Coming, The Good News, Truth, Uncategorized.

Dear readers,
We’ve had our second major weather event for this winter season. I’m sure others received more snow than we did, but that’s okay. I know we complain about the weather, but without some winter-time moisture, it would be a bleak picture when spring comes. And, we cannot ignore the beauty of the new-fallen snow. The snow seems to restore the beauty of creation, giving a picture of the purity and holiness of our Lord.

On the topic of restoration, there are many people today who are involved in various types of restoration. We restore old cars, old tractors, old houses, and even old landmarks. There are products to restore hair color and any number of other “restorations”. Some would like to restore our culture to an earlier, simpler time, but sadly, this is an impossibility.

There is good news, however. God is in the restoration business, too. Hear the word of God: “In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, declares the Lord, who will do these things” (Amos 9:11-12).
“He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5).
Psalm 23:1-3… “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul…”
In Acts 3:21, Peter speaks concerning Jesus: “He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

1 Peter 5:10… “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong and steadfast.”
Again, Peter writes, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

There is more good news; God also does not merely restore people to a former state, he makes them into new creations. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In Truth,
Pastor Jerry

23 Jan

A Life Changed

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Change, Culture, Faith, God's Word, Gospel, Praise, Prayer, renewal, Salvation, The Good News, Uncategorized, Witness.

The first month of 2017 is almost over. I suppose it’s my age, but I’m already thinking of summer and spending time at some of our state parks. Maybe we’ll just hook up to the camper and have a summer adventure. Who knows, maybe I’ll find some new things to write about.

The inauguration of a new president was in the news this week. Whatever your thoughts might be on this, we know the country is headed in a new direction. I pray it is also a good direction. As I think about this, I’ll share a story about a man whose life took a new direction.

It is a true story. There was a young man, a rancher, who was living his life pretty much day to day. He had very little thought of where he was headed in life. He had taken over his family ranch upon the death of his father a few years before, and was more or less feeling his way along. Like a lot of self-sufficient rancher types, he had virtually no thought of spiritual matters, and he saw no need for Jesus.

This young man had a wife and two young sons. Eventually, at the suggestion of his mother, he started taking his family to the little country church down the road. He was doing this for his boys, because he thought it would be good for them. Then a funny thing happened.

After a time, he realized his own need for a Savior, and the necessity of turning his life over to Jesus Christ. After years of thinking he was in control of his life, it was clear he could do nothing without God’s help. In time, this man was led into ministry, eventually becoming the pastor of another little country church, which he served for over 15 years.

What was it that caused him to turn his life around? It was the preaching of God’s word in that little country church, specifically the following passages. First the words of Jesus: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Then from the apostle Paul; “If you confess you’re your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved… Everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10: 9-13).

Now you know my story,
Pastor Jerry

16 Jan

Music in Worship

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Bible, Blessings, Christian Living, Praise, Service, Uncategorized, Worship.

Dear friends,
Here is a lighter thought for the week. I like music. More specifically, I like good music. I prefer the old songs, although there is occasionally some good new music. However, to me, it seems no matter what the genre, the old music is much more comforting than the newer stuff. Maybe it is just a sentimentality issue from my perspective.

I took a trip into the past recently, via satellite radio, to listen to some of the songs that were popular when I was young. What I heard were songs reminiscent of what passes for music in many circles today. Apparently, songs with indistinguishable lyrics and non-melodic tunes, have been around longer than I thought. I found that some of the old-time stuff wasn’t all that good, musically speaking. I can understand my parents’ reaction to some of the ‘music’ I was listening to in the late 50’s and early 60’s.

God gave us music, I believe, and through it we have the blessing of using that music to worship Him. Scripture encourages us to use music in our worship, and because our worship is to bring God praise and glory, we would be wise to give our best. I’m not going to start a discussion of worship styles, or music preferences, but to draw attention to the praise aspect our music. Let’s look at some affirming scriptures.

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy (Psalm 33:1—3).

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music (Psalm 57:7).

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands (Psalm 92:1-4).

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19).

And, remember, even if you can’t sing, you can still have a song in your heart.

Musically yours,
Pastor Jerry

9 Jan

Purity of Speech

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Bible, Christian Living, God's Word, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Obedience, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom, Witness.

Dear readers,
Christmas is over, a new year is before us, and we can look ahead to 2017. My prayer is that 2017 will be a good year for all who read this. My other prayer is that you who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior, will choose to do so soon. Also, that we who believe, would more than ever live the life to which He has called us. What follows relates to this thought.

I am somewhat of a Facebook junky. I enjoy seeing photos and inspirational posts, and even some of the news items. It puzzles me, though, when I see profane posts shared by those who call themselves Christians. In the ‘old’ days, we would excuse our profanity by saying “pardon my French”, but it wasn’t French. Now, we apologize in advance by saying something like, “this is a good message, but beware of an occasional “f” bomb.”

My question is this. If, as a Christian, you have to apologize for language in something you post on Facebook, why post it?

What does the Bible say about our speech? I’m glad you asked. “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be” (James 3:9-10).

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children… but among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:1-4).

If I may paraphrase Philippians 4:8; “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–post, share, and tweet such things.”

Here is another thought: If you must repost or share those things that contain those words, why not take the time to edit out the inappropriate content? I think you will find the information is the same without the profanity, if it isn’t, it probably isn’t worth putting out there in the first place. “The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart” (Jesus, in Matthew 15:18).

Think about it,
Pastor Jerry

2 Jan

Don’t Be Afraid

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Bible, Faith, Freedom, God's Word, Gospel, Peace, Praise, Rest, The Good News, Uncategorized, Wisdom.

Happy New Year!
A new year is upon us, and it seems for many people that 2016 was stressful and worrisome in many ways. There are worries about terrorism, drive-by shootings and random violence. Many are concerned about finances and other issues. Here are some thoughts and some biblical assurances for those who could use some encouragement.

The Bible is packed with uplifting and encouraging passages, both in the Old and New Testaments. During a recent cold spell, I notice the little birds at our feeder, and remembered that God takes care of them by providing their food. He doesn’t put it in their mouths, but he does provide. Their responsibility, it would seem, is only to partake of his goodness. If we have a bird feeder, we become part of his plan to provide for those little birds. I doubt they worry, because I believe God created them be worry free.

These are His words for us:
“Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Matthew 6:25-27… “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

Jesus spoke to his followers, telling them of persecution to come, and said this: “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:4-7).

When we put our faith and trust in the Lord, we need not fear the future.

Have a worry-free 2017,
Pastor Jerry

26 Dec

Cold Memories

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Blessings, Christian Living, Faith, God's Word, New Year, Praise, thanksgiving, Trials, Uncategorized, Witness, Worship.

A week ago, it was 25 below zero. It has been some time since it was that cold. I remember, just before Christmas in 1983, we had a cold spell that stayed well into January. On top of that, we had a lot of snow that drifted almost every day. It was a test for men, machines and livestock. I’m glad I don’t have to face that again, and I pray for those who do.

This sticks in my mind, partly because of what happened on that Christmas eve. Our neighbors had gone Christmas shopping with their young kids, and made it back to the school house, which was about a half-mile west of our place. It was 20 below zero with a vicious wind-chill. I don’t remember exactly how, but I was able to get in touch by phone with them and offered to bring them to our house. I took the tractor and snow-blower and went to get them. The wind was filling our tracks with snow as fast as we made them, but we made it safely. Our two families then spent all night together.

At 1:00 AM, I woke to find the power had gone off, and went to the shop to get a tractor to power our generator, only to find the tractor’s alternator had a bad bearing. Neighbor Dave held the light and I changed that bearing in record time. Did I mention it was very cold that night? We did get the stand-by generator connected and stayed warm the rest of the night. It was definitely a Christmas to remember. Others have their own memories of that winter.

In those years on the ranch, as I look back, there were many times things worked for good in the middle of some really stressful times. Each one was a reminder of God’s faithfulness to his people, even when they don’t immediately recognize it.

The Psalms speak much of the faithfulness of God. Here are some verses:
“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations (Psalm 89:1). The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones (Psalm 89:5).

“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100:5).

Happy New Year,
Pastor Jerry

19 Dec

Peace on Earth

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Christian Living, Christmas, End Times, Eternity, God's Word, Gospel, Grace, Judgment, Peace, Praise, Rest, The Good News, Uncategorized.

We finished with painting some rooms in our house this week. I suppose this could be a Christmas gift of sorts. This is something my lovely wife has been wanting for some time, and I’m glad we were able to find someone to get the job done. I will have more on this in an upcoming article.

Where is the promised peace?
After the angel announced the birth of the Savior to the shepherds, we read this: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests’” (Luke 2:8-14).

The angel’s announcement to the shepherds was of peace on earth, and as we read the words, we see that this peace would come to those on whom God’s favor rests, meaning those who put their faith in this newborn babe.

Jesus himself did not promise that true peace would exist before his second coming. He said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34).

Another prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ is found in Isaiah 42:1-4. “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
til he leads justice to victory.
In his name the nations will put their hope.”

Two of the elements of the Advent season are hope and peace. For the Christian, this means hope as a settled assurance of things to come, and the peace that comes only from the Spirit of Jesus in our hearts.

Again, as he prepared to leave his disciples, Jesus promised to leave his peace with them. What did he mean, if he didn’t come to bring peace?

The peace he left us with is not peace as the world sees it (John 14:27), but instead, he leaves us with peace in our hearts because of our relationship with the Father through the Son. In this, we have hope.

Merry Christmas,
Pastor Jerry

12 Dec

Waiting for Christmas

Posted by sandhillspastor in Advent, Bible, Christmas, Eternal Life, Faith, God's Word, Gospel, Incarnation, Judgment, Peace, Repentance, Salvation, Second Coming, The Good News, Uncategorized.

The weather word for the week is COLD! I knew we would pay for those warm November days sooner or later. Oh, well, this is Nebraska, after all.

In these weeks leading up to the Christmas holiday, my comments will focus on the reason it is so important, not just to Christians, but to the whole world.

One message of the Christmas season is that Jesus is going to return again. As we celebrate His birth, we also rejoice that He will return at some point to rule the world. Read Matthew’s account of John the Baptist’s message. (Matthew 3:1-11).

At His return, Jesus will judge the world. The Lord used the word judgment 20 times in the 4 gospels.

John’s message was the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the coming of the Savior of the world. We have the responsibility to carry his message forward in relation to the second coming of the Lord.

Jesus said, “Among those born of women, none is greater than John, yet the one who is least in the kingdom is greater than he” (Luke 7:28) How can this be?

“Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ have a message infinitely greater even than the message of John and the honor of an even greater calling. We have the privilege of proclaiming the good news of salvation in the name of Jesus Christ. We tell of his birth in Bethlehem. We proclaim that the Word has become flesh and dwelled among us. We preach Christ crucified as our substitute for our sins and raised from the dead for our justification. We openly promise that salvation comes to any sinner who believes and repents. John came before the Christ to prepare the way. We (Christians) come after Christ to preach his gospel. With John we declare that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, for it surely is” (Dr. Albert Mohler).

Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah. (Isaiah 9:6). Verse seven tells of his second coming: “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever…”

The season is a celebration, but is it also a sober reminder of His promised return. Are you ready?

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

5 Dec

Ready for Christmas?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Advent, Bible, Christian Living, Christmas, Eternal Life, Gospel, Incarnation, Planning, Second Coming, Uncategorized.

I’ll begin this week with a bit of reminiscing, prompted by something that happened to me a few weeks back.

It was an email I received, reminding me that I don’t use rancher type illustrations or analogies in these articles anymore; I must say the person was right. There is at least one reason for this. When this project began in late 1999, we were living on the ranch with no real thought of ever being anywhere else. Our perspective was from the ranch life, period.

Beginning in the fall of 2000, we started our ministry in Ericson. Over the years, our focus changed from full-time ranching to full-time ministry, ending with retirement from ranching around 2012, and from full-time ministry last May. We no longer view life from our earlier situations, so the things we see going on around us have taken on a different slant.

In all this, however, the message has not changed—the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, and obedience to His Word. After all, it is possible to see illustrations of God’s truth in every situation and circumstance. As a side note, assuming I wrote an article a week for 16 years, that is a total of 832 devotionals. Amazing!

Now for this week’s devotional: As we traveled through some of our neighboring towns last week, we saw several people decorating houses and lawns for Christmas. The thought occurred to me, “I wonder how many of these folks are actually prepared to meet Christ, either at the end of their lives, or if he should return before they die?

A lot of time and effort is spent preparing to celebrate Jesus’ birth, much less is spent on preparing for eternity. This year, as you hang those lights, decorate the Christmas tree, and set up your nativity scene, why not reflect on whether or not you have Jesus in your heart?

There was no room for Him in the Bethlehem Inn; is there room for him in your heart? The answer to this question is much more important than all the Christmas decorations you can put up. After all, to quote a time-worn saying: He’s the Reason for the season.

Isaiah 6:9… For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.

Prepare Him room,
Pastor Jerry

28 Nov

Truth Lives

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Blessings, Christian Living, Culture, Faith, God's Word, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom.

We had a good Thanksgiving. Family, feasting, and football, combined with nice weather made it a special time.

According to the Oxford Dictionary folks, we are living in a “post-truth” time. What does it mean? In short, it means that feelings and opinions are now more important than truth.

The world may see “post-truth”, the Bible presents a different view. At the trial of Jesus, Pilate asked Him, “what is Truth?” Country singer Johnny Cash recorded a song in 1970 entitled “What Is Truth?” It seems to be question that has echoed through the ages.

God is truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth. The truth is found in the Word of God. The lost people of the world are imprisoned by a great lie. The truth will free them from the darkness, and bring them into the light of God’s truth. To restate; the Bible is truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth. God’s Word is true.

Bishop J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) said, “It (the Bible) has left lasting marks wherever it has been received. From the Bible are drawn many of the best laws by which society is kept in order. From the Bible has been obtained the standard of morality about truth, honesty, and the relations of man and wife, which prevails among Christian nation, and which—however feebly respected in many cases—makes so great a difference between Christians and heathen.”

Speaking of the Lord Jesus, John wrote, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

John 18:37-38: “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” Pilate asked.” The truth was standing right in front of him. Jesus had said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

The Truth is still there. It has not become obsolete. We have not seen the end of truth. We are far from it. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8).

In Truth,
Pastor Jerry

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »