Pastor’s Corner

From Pastor Ben:

Trivia of design:

Well, wasn't that some realization about the limited necessary electrical impulses needed by the human brain. So much for our bodies being evolved rather than created by God! Even the most intelligent team of inventors can't achieve the amazing design that God places in every human body for all of time. WOW!!! 

Here's another head turner.  Why are there dimples on golf balls? Make a guess, for even something as simple as the design of a golf ball points out the necessity of design. Is the reason for those dimple due to...  Aesthetics      Increasing Accuracy      Increasing Speed      Manufacturing Defect?  More on this seemingly insignificant detail tomorrow.

Challenge:

Ecclesiastes 5:16,17

"16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. 17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry."

It is important for us to remember just why Solomon is writing this section of verses in 5:12-17. He is giving us some warning about the viewpoint we should develop toward wealth. Today's verses focus on the benefit of a proper viewpoint on wealth and success. Should our focus be aimed at earthly wealth alone as our determining factor for success, then we can be assured that frustration, discouragement, and anger will be the consequence. Solomon is inferring that should we make our life goal being based on our proper relationship with our wonderful Savior, then naturally contentment, purposeful living, and blessing will ultimately envelop our life.

The choice is ours... I remember one of the final understandable conversations that Dad and I had. He felt himself being overcome by the mental confusion that old age can bring. He said, "Son, pour your life totally out for our Heavenly Father, with no reservations, then there will be no regrets." I remember hanging up the phone from that weighty conversation. The words "no regrets" held on in my mind for several days. 

Dad's body lived on, but his mind in this life was overtaken more and more by his confusion. As my family and our entire family visited him for the last time, we closed our visit by standing around Dad, lifting up songs of praise to our Lord. One song which was Mom & Dad's life song is "It Will Be Worth It All." Suddenly, as we sang that one song, every bit of confusion was lifted for the recounting of that song. Dad was elated with the message of that song. In fact, all conversation in the room ceased as we triumphantly sang together the words of that song.  As we sang, I personally felt those words resonate. I felt like I could hear both Mom and Dad singing together as they had sung that song so many times before, yet my mom was already in Glory. Over the years of my childhood, our family would be travelling down the road from some ministry effort where we had all just ministered together, and we would all sing this song as a family.  "It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus, life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ ..."

This past year when I was visiting back in Missouri with my brother Dan and sister Susan in person and by phone with my sister Nancy, our many conversations reflected on this thought, "No Regrets." What sweet reflections we are left with through our parents and their life walk in Christ. They always remind us of the joy of walking with our Lord with No Regrets!   

So Go With God, for you will never be weighted down with regrets, rather your heart and mind will be filled with a deep restful contentment, a reflective purpose, and you will be experiencing the joyful blessings of daily surrender of your life to our blessed Lord! No regrets!