Archive for the ‘Wisdom’ Category

4 Aug

Only One God

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Attributes of God, God, Praise, Truth, Wisdom.

Dear friends,
We have been back to cooler temperatures the last few days, and we’ve had some more rain. I was summoned into our spare room a couple of days ago and asked to investigate an unknown sound. It sounded like water running, so I went out to investigate, knowing there was a hose connection there. The hose was hooked up, but the nozzle was closed. I turned the valve off, and the sound stopped. I can only assume a major leak under the house. I’ll be calling a plumber soon.

In church this morning, we sang the old hymn, “Holy, holy, holy Lord God
Almighty”. This prompted me to wonder, how many people acknowledge who God is, and what our response to Him should be. Proverb 1:7 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. To fear the Lord doesn’t mean we are afraid of Him. It means we are to have a healthy respect for Him. Respecting Him leads to obedience. The rest of the verse reads, “but fools despise wisdom and discipline”. A fool in the Bible is one who does not acknowledge God for who He is, nor does the fool desire to learn wisdom and discipline.

Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sist in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).

The hymn gives a complete description of who God is: Holy, merciful and mighty. It goes on; “Perfect in power, love and purity; merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity. Speaking of God the song says this, “Though the darkness hide thee , though the sinful human eye cannot see, only Thou art holy, there is none beside thee”.

In Isaiah we read, “For this is what the Lord says—He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—He says: “I am God and there is no other” (Isaiah 45;18).

Have you given God your respect? Have you received His salvation through faith in Jesus Christ? If so, you have the beginning of wisdom.

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

3 Mar

Know What You Believe

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Evangelism, Faith, Gospel, Wisdom.

Dear readers,
Winter may be returning, stay tuned. We have enjoyed some spring-like weather this past week, but it appears this will all change in the coming day. We would certainly welcome some moisture, even if it comes as the frozen kind.

As I contemplate what to write this week, I am drawn to the fact that there are a lot of people who criticize Christians and the Bible, but they have never opened a Bible to see for themselves what it says. They may go to church occasionally and hear a sermon based on a couple of verses, but that is all the Bible they know.

The scriptures tell us that faith comes by hearing, but it is also important to study the Bible for ourselves. There were many false prophets in Old Testament times who were preaching feel-good messages, and God had harsh words for them. “But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word” (Jeremiah 23:18).

If we don’t examine the scriptures for ourselves, it is easy to be led astray by false teaching. The psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). Joshua was told by the Lord, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).

A passage of scripture we heard in our worship this morning reads, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!… Consequently, faith comes by hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:13-15, 17).

The Word of Christ is the Bible. Read it every day, then study and meditate on what you read; how else will you be able to defend your faith? As the saying goes; believe what you know and know what you believe!

For Him,
Pastor Jerry

6 Jan

New Year Thoughts

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Christian Living, Faith, God's Word, Peace, Prayer, Trust, Wisdom.

Dear friends,
2025 has arrived. When I was younger, the idea of seeing the date “2025” seemed to be an impossibility, but here we are! On a side note, I have been writing these devotional thoughts for over 25 years. I had no idea this would be the case, but again here we are. I must thank the Lord for giving me the inspiration to write, and to you the faithful readers of my efforts, Thank You!

Looking ahead to the year before us, and the events of the day, we are sometimes overwhelmed by life. We see things that are out of our control and wonder how we will cope. I read an article this week by Chuck Lawless in which he lists some things for us to remember.

  1. God is still in control. The world may seem chaotic, but God is still sovereign. “… present your requests to God. And the peace that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
  2. God is not worried. That is why it is a sin for me to worry: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34).
  3. God’s mercies are renewed every day. When the sun comes up it is a new day, no matter what I face. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
  4. God has never let me down in the past. He is faithful to his people. “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies” (Psalm 36:5).
  5. God sees the bigger picture. I only see today. We should trust Him to work out His plan: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…” (Proverbs 3:5).
  6. God has given us fellow Christians, so we don’t have to face these things alone: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…” (Hebrews 10:25).
  7. God is the story—not I. My responsibility is to trust Him: “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:4).

Last words: God is always awake, so you can sleep at night. He’s got this!

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

28 Oct

Remembering

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Milestones, Praise, Wisdom.

Hello friends,
I trust you are enjoying the nice October weather. It’s not often we have these temperatures at this time of year. The only downside is we still need some beneficial moisture.

Sunday morning, I was doing some mental review of the past year. Our great-grandson is one year old, we celebrated our 60th anniversary in June and in October I reached the age of eighty. We are truly blessed!

The Bible has many commands to remember the times we are blessed by God. The Israelites were to place markers in remembrance of the times he blessed them with protection or provision. I believe we also need to remember those instances when we have been blessed. That is why we celebrate birthdays and other important events and give the Lord praise for those many times. Let’s look at some examples of God’s provision from Scripture.

He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—holy and awesome is his name (Psalm 111:5,9). He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call (Psalm 147:9).

Yet he has not left himself without testimony. He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy (Acts 14:17).

After the people of Israel crossed the Jordan river into the Promised Land we read: And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God. (Joshua 4:20-24).

Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me (Isaiah 46:9).

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

21 Oct

Don’t Stop

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Gospel, Obedience, Prayer, Trust, Wisdom.

Dear friends,
We are in the fall season. The sun shines, but the warming effect is short-lived. We did receive a few drops of rain on Friday. I believe everyone’s prayer is that we receive some beneficial moisture. In other parts of our country, they need drying conditions. In either case, we must trust the Lord to provide what is needed.

Regarding prayer, I am reminded of a passage of scripture in which Jesus instructs his disciples on the topic of prayer: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:5-8).

In John’s first letter we read; “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (1 John 3:21-23).

John concludes with these words: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (5:13-15).

Some good words from James: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5-6).

Keep asking,
Pastor Jerry

13 May

Making Plans

Posted by sandhillspastor in Humor, On Aging, Planning, Wisdom, Work.

Dear readers,

The summer season is upon us. The traffic level is increasing here at the lake, and it is good to see people enjoying the lake life. We have been working in the yard on the warmer days and even I am okay with that. We will be planting our little garden soon. It takes both of us to get one person’s work done; I guess that’s part of aging.

High school and college graduations have been the topic of discussion lately. High school graduates are looking forward to college or perhaps finding a job. College grads are looking to the beginning of a career in their chosen field. Both are stages of life and part of a journey. Grandson Alex graduated Friday from Mitchell Tech, concluding another chapter in his life.

The plans he had made earlier in life didn’t turn out as expected, but this is just a reminder that our plans don’t always go as expected. God has something to say about this in His word.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps (Proverbs 16:9) Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21). It is important to include God in our plans. As we do that, He will guide us in the way he wants us to go. It may not be the easy way, but in the end, we will see the outcome He has planned for us.

In the book of James, we read the following: Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:13-15).

As a youngster, Alex was interested in engineering and robotics. He graduated from welding school, but his health was affected by the welding environment. He went back to school and graduated with an associate degree in Automation Engineering Technology, also a degree in Automation Controls/SCADA. Go figure.

It has been said if you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans!

In Christ,

Pastor Jerry

29 Apr

Beware of False Doctrine

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, False teachers, God's Word, Truth, Wisdom.

Dear friends,

We were spared from the rough weather on Friday. We did get an inch and a half of beneficial rain. We keep the victims of the tornadoes in our prayers and give thanks for safety in the storms.

The Bible warns of false teachers in the last days. We are seeing more evidence of this. Almost every day, we read of someone bending the truth of God’s word to fit into his or her personal agenda. Paul warned his readers: “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

In 2 Peter 2, we read: There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them. They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep. Verses 1-3.

Paul warns against false teaching in 2 Timothy 4:3-4: For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

So, how do we combat the false teachers who lead people away from the truth? Paul gives this advice to Timothy: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 2 Timothy 2:15-16.

To be able to recognize false teachers and their false gospel, we must immerse ourselves in God’s Word. Read the Bible. Find a good Bible study group. Attend a Bible believing, Bible preaching church. Check out what the pastor or Bible study leader tells you. Be like the folks at Berea. In Acts 17:11, we read concerning the church there; “For they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

For Truth,

Pastor Jerry

14 Aug

Subject to Change

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Change, Obedience, Planning, Trust, Wisdom.

Dear friends,

We were blessed with more rain this week. This is a great help for the lawn and garden as it keeps the watering at a minimum. I mentioned last week that we had ordered a recliner for the camper; it has been put in its place and now we are anticipating another outing somewhere in the future. Looking at the weather forecast, we may wait for cooler weather.

Everyone has their hopes and dreams of how they see the future, and the things they expect will happen. It doesn’t take long to realize that dreams and plans are one thing, but reality many times takes some strange twists and turns.

The Bible book of James has something to say about our plans. From chapter 4 we read: Come now, you who say, “today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:13-15).

Here is wisdom from the book of Proverbs; Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be established (Proverbs 16:3). A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps (16:6).

God has a plan for each of us. He gives us a mind to plan for our days and years, but he wants us to seek his direction as we make those plans. And don’t be surprised when his plans turn out to be different than ours. I can testify that the plans I had for my own life did not go in the direction I had envisioned. But guess what? I am convinced that his plan was much better than mine.

When we come to faith in Christ, God begins to shape us into the person he has planned us to be. As Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Philippi, “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

So, go ahead and make those plans, but leave room for the Lord to make changes.

In Him,

Pastor Jerry

7 Aug

Want or Need?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Christian Living, Contentment, Happiness, Stewardship, Wisdom.

Dear readers,

Last week was nice, not too hot and with some nice rain. Sunday morning was much cooler; something about a cold front passing through the area. It made me think of fall, but I know this was wishful thinking. There is a very real possibility of a return to summer temps. We made a trip to Grand Island last week. We had been discussing the possibility of putting recliners in the camper in place of the very uncomfortable love seat/hide-a-bed. We made a purchase and of course, there wasn’t one in stock so we will wait a few days then go back to pick it up. Life at the lake is great, but sometimes we seek entertainment in other places.

On the topic of seeking whatever we might see as a need, I have found that needs and wants are two very different things. My life has been littered with things I wanted because I thought I needed them. After obtaining them, reality showed them as merely wants and they ended up in some scrap pile. Money spent foolishly because of a want that wasn’t really a need.

People chase after all kinds of things they think they can’t live without, only to be disappointed in the end. King Solomon in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes had much to say about this. He said this: “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Nothing was gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:10-11).

Further in the book Solomon continued: “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them (5:10-11)?

He ends the book with these words: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Reflecting on life,

Pastor Jerry

26 Dec

Proper Planning

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Faith, New Year, Obedience, Planning, Trust, Wisdom.

Hello friends,
I trust you had a blessed Christmas. After a week of extremely cold weather, it will be good to see the thermometer reading above freezing for a change. Hopefully we won’t see those wind chill readings again for a long time. We had a minor freeze-up at our house. Someone forgot to close the vents in the crawl space, but it turned out okay. The lesson here is don’t trust your memory, check it out!

As we approach the beginning of a new year, and make plans as we are prone to do, let’s first remember these words from God’s Word.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed (Proverbs 16:3).
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps (Proverbs 16:9).
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21).

In my own life, I have seen a man’s plans take unexpected turns, but at the end of the journey you can look back and see God’s purpose and direction in every twist and turn. As we make our plans for where we think we are going in life, let us not forget to include the Lord in those plans. Here is wise counsel from the book of James: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’’ “Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

As a young man, I could not have imagined the many paths I would take in life, but in retrospect it is clear to me the Lord was working out his plan for me.

There is nothing wrong with making plans for the future, but always remember man’s plans are subject to God bending them to His will for His purpose. Instead of telling God our plans for our future, it would make much more sense to pray that He would give us godly advisors to help guide us through this journey called life. Have a Happy and Blessed New Year!

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

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