Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for My sake will find it.”     (Matthew 16:25)

I believe in the principle of giving. I am convinced there is no more tangible way of living out our faith than living generously. I saw giving modeled so powerfully by my family growing up and at my age now (64) I am still drawing from their example every day.

My folks were not wealthy people. But whatever they had, they shared. They probably didn’t realize I was paying attention as a kid, but that way of life was too remarkable not to notice.

Not only do we give because there are so many needs around us, but also because there is no future in holding onto “stuff.” Learning to hold on loosely to the temporary things teaches us, as well as future generations, that our lives are not about what we own, but about what (or who) owns our hearts.

I don’t entirely understand how or why the principle of giving works, but living on less so we can give feels abundantly more prosperous than living on more and keeping it to ourselves! 2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds us that God loves a cheerful giver. So, having His blessing is certain;y worth more than anything else we could possibly desire.

When we are willing to give everything we’ve got, it is amazing how content we become. And the more content we become, the more we give. It’s a win-win principle!

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and
hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who
curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who
spitefully use you and persecute you.”         (Matthew 5:43-44)

WOW! Those words are convicting! It sounds like Jesus wants us to love our enemies. And on top of that, we’re to “bless those who curse” us, and after that, “do good to those who hate” us. And after that fun-filled day, lay our heads on our pillows at night and “pray for those who spitefully use” us “and persecute” us.

Who said this? Jesus said that. Not Billy Graham. Not Mother Theresa. Not Martin Luther or John Calvin. JESUS said it! Our Savior. Our Leader. Our God. Jehovah wrapped in flesh spoke those words.

So. I guess we better give it a try. It will work. Jesus said to love our enemies!

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.”         (Ecclesiastes 7:1)

As I walked up to the table at the front of the church where the urn holding the ashes of my father, I saw the nameplate: Wesley A. Furman. It began to hit me. I couldn’t believe that the father I adored was no longer alive on this earth. But God began to impress the above scripture verse on my heart. And as I rolled the verse over in my mind, I began to realize all the things in my father’s death I could be thankful for.

I didn’t have to worry about where he was going to spend eternity. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he was in heaven. He had been a wonderful Christian husband, father, and grandfather; a wonderful role model for me to emulate how to love my wife and be a great husband. When people gathered for his funeral service, there was no need to worry about the way he lived his life. He had lived his life being a good man with a good name. He had given his life and his talents to the Lord and had served the Lord with all of it.

I really understood at that moment, that he came into this world with nothing, but he left this world, leaving for us a wonderful, Christian heritage — an example of service to the Lord and his precious good name. What more could I ask for in a father?
The day of his death was better than the day of his birth! I’m so thankful for that.

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.”
(Proverbs 29:23)

When I was a kid, I remember learning to ride my bike without training wheels. I remember the fear of sudden pain and the worry of having huge scabs on my knees and elbows. But my dad kept telling me, “I’m right with you. I won’t let you fall.” I trusted him and he kept me from falling many times until I got the hang of riding on two wheels. One day, I remember being able to do it on my own! It felt so good to be able to ride without help from my dad.

But then, it happened! What I feared most. The big crash! Guess what caused the big crash. A rock? Another bike? No, my pride caused the big crash. I got cocky and arrogant. I was riding with no hands trying to show off for the girls who lived on our street. It was a painful lesson to learn.

The thing is, I’ve had to learn this lesson more than once. I’ve learned that when I pedal on ahead of God in my life and take my eyes off the path that He has for me — that’s when I get into trouble. When I start trying to show the onlookers what I can do on my own — that is when I always crash. As a loving Father, God is always there to pick me up, but what He wants for me is the maturity to do what His Word has taught me with humility and purpose and focus, always confident, not in my performance, but in His presence.

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again,
but the wicked shall fall by calamity.”  (Proverbs 24:16)

I recently read a story about a small town in Maine that was going to be submerged under water due to a power plant project. They were going to make a man-made lake. The people of the town were given many months to arrange their affairs and relocate. During those months, a curious thing happened. All improvements stopped. No painting was done. No repairs were made on the buildings, roads, or sidewalks. And so, a long time before the waters came, the town looked totally uncared for and abandoned, even though the people had not yet moved away. One citizen explained, “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.” That town was cursed with hopelessness because it had no future. But, unlike the town, every citizen of that town could experience a new beginning.

Many heroes of Scripture needed new beginnings in their lives: Adam and Eve after they ate the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3; Moses after he killed the Egyptian in Exodus 2:12; David after his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11; Elijah after an emotional breakdown in the desert in 1 Kings 19; Even the disciples after Good Friday in Matthew 26. Maybe YOU need a new beginning.

Through the experiences of life, God shows us that the things of earth are only temporary, but our relationships with each other and with God are eternal. God will always prove to be faithful even when we have to start over. As children of God, our faith for the future is not in economic and political systems, but in the kingdom of God!

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
(Psalm 136:1)

Isn’t it good to know that we don’t have to talk God into being good or doing good things in our lives every day? His mercy is fresh every morning, and His love lasts forever. He invites us to “taste and see” just how good He is, for “blessed is the man who trusts in Him” (Psalm 34:8).

The Lord has been good to me all of my life. I’ve made mistakes, just as we all do, but when I humbled myself and took responsibility for my sins, He forgave me and let me start over. He has been proving His goodness to me every day since I started to trust Him.

There have been times when, as the psalmist says, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). David, too, must have felt this despair at times, yet the Bible says King David was a man after God’s own heart. One of the ways that King David honored the Lord was by expecting to experience the goodness of God in his life. We don’t have to have a perfect record to believe that the Lord will prove His goodness to anyone who trusts Him. I know this is true because He has continually shown His enduring goodness to me and my family. Thank You Lord!

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”
(Psalm 116:8-9)

As an American consumer, it’s very easy for me to think that salvation is all about me — my forgiveness, my church, my Jesus, my heavenly home. And while those are certainly all by-products of God’s salvation, the bigger picture really has to do with all that God is doing to reclaim, redeem, and restore a fallen world of which I am just a small part. The biblical story is really about God getting back all that was lost in the Fall. This world is not a failed experiment. God tells John and us in Revelation 21:5, “I make all things new.” That’s what He’s doing in me, and that’s what He’s doing in all of creation. That’s why Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “The creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (8:19).

As I have gotten more acquainted with the big picture of salvation, I’ve discovered so many passages of scripture, like Romans 8 and 1 Peter 2, that have helped me to understand my purpose and reason for being as a child of God and follower of His Son, the servant-king, Jesus. I have the awesome privilege of being part of the evidence that the kingdom of God is indeed at hand. And what does that look like? I like the way Peter states it in 1 Peter 2:12, “Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that . . . They may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength
among the peoples.”         (Psalm 77:14)

We’re all looking for a miracle at some time or another.
I need a miracle:     to help my son or my daughter…          to heal this cancer…
to pay my bills…     to get through to my husband/wife…
so that my dad will quit drinking…     to get through the day…
so that my mom will not be depressed…
to stop eating or drinking or smoking…
of self-esteem, to feel valued…
All these things God can do! Jesus demonstrated this miracle power many times. He healed the sick woman who, believing in His power and grace, simply touched His robe (Mark 5:24-26). He healed the crippled man in Capernaum whose friends lowered him to Jesus from the roof (Mark 2:3-5). He gave the woman at the well dignity and a new life (John 4:1-42). He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43).

We often think of a miracle as a resolution of something we want or need at that moment: to be healed of a disease, to have our kids change, or to have someone we love stop a destructive behavior. And when we get that miracle, it’s great and wonderful and easy to share, to rejoice over with others.
But what if we’ve prayed and wished and hoped, and He doesn’t give us the miracle? Could it be that in His plan, a different sort of miracle than what we are asking is occurring, not as a complete miracle as we envision, but as a chance for a new, changed life? Often it means an outcome that is different from what we would have chosen. Some miracles we may not understand or see until we get to heaven. Given our limited understanding of how God works His will in and through our lives, we often experience outcomes which are left unsettled and still searching for the miracle. Try as we may, we are unable to wrench miracles from God’s hands. And thus, we are forced to really lean on God and trust in His plan.

In the midst of our desire for an answer, He blesses us with the miracle of perseverance, the ability to hold on, to persist in prayer, or even, sometimes, to let go of our wishes. Often, it’s in our quest for change that He changes us! And He gives us the grace to make it through.
But the ultimate miracle that He gives us is eternal life, a new life. He can take us from a life with no peace and give to us — even in the midst of trouble, heartache, or pain — a life of hope and purpose, saving us and changing our lives both now and for eternity.
What miracle could be yours today?

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him.”         (Psalm 4:3)

As a Pastor, people talk to me about a lot of things. A lady shared with me once all the wrong turns she had made in life, and more recently, the right choices that brought her to a godly perspective and peace. Another time, after I had preached a sermon on heaven, I was blessed to talk to a man who had recently lost his wife and he said, “As you were preaching, I could picture my wife walking down the streets of gold.” Another time, I was pulled aside by a young lady who poured out her heart, telling me about what she was experiencing in her life at that time. She finished, smiled, and hugged me and said, “You have really helped me.” I had not even said one word.

You see, I have learned through the years that sometimes all we need to do is listen to people. We live in a loud world. To get someone’s attention is no easy task. I try to listen to people, but I know I sometimes miss their signal and fail to hear. But I know from personal experience that there is someone we can talk to who is always listening. Our voices matter in heaven. God takes us very seriously. No need to fear that we will be ignored. Even if we stammer or stumble, even if what we have to say impresses no one, it impresses God, and He listens. He listens to the plea of the elderly in the rest home. He listens to the confession of the death-row inmate. When the substance abuser begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the worldly person steps off the street into the church, God listens. Our prayers are honored. Our words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God.

Consider the prayer of Moses for the children of Israel in Exodus 32:30-32, or the prayer of Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:5. We may not understand the mystery of prayer. We don’t need to, but this much is clear: action in heaven begins when someone prays on earth. Talk to God because God listens.

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“I will speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer.”
(Job 32:20)

One of the things I have always admired about Job is that he never shut up. Despite enduring unthinkable hardships, despite knowing that God Himself was allowing these things to happen, despite having so-called friends tell him it was his own fault and maybe he should just curse God and die — Job kept raising his voice. He raised it in protest. He raised it in argument. He complained bitterly, wept, and tried to reason things out with everyone — even God! Job needed to make sense out of this horrible situation he found himself in, and he needed to do it out loud. These days we call that processing — and the fact that Job kept it up for 40 chapters has always made him a man after my own heart.

When I read chapter after chapter of Job engaging in vigorous discussion with his friends and long conversations with God, I totally get it. Job cared too much to just clam up and hope this nightmare would go away. He needed to know why this was happening to him because his understanding of a gracious God didn’t include winding up covered with boils and sitting in a pile of ashes! So he kept pushing, and he kept talking. Giving up and giving in wasn’t a option for him.

Never let the pain of this world silence your voice. As long as you have breath, raise your thoughts, your questions, and even your complaints to heaven. The God of the universe can take it — He loves you and longs to hear from you.