What Do You Hope For?

"What Do You Hope For?"

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 19:1 (HCSB) The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands

Devotional Reading:

Will heaven be all we hope for? Dr. R. G. Lee, a famous preacher of the past, was on his deathbed in a coma when suddenly his eyes opened exclaiming to his daughter, “I see heaven.” She said, “Tell me about it.” To which Rev. Lee replied, “Oh my sermons never did it justice. I see your mother. I see Jesus. It’s so beautiful.” One of last century’s greatest preachers couldn’t do it justice. Human language is simply inadequate to describe it.  I remember standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon and, for a moment, I stood in awe of the grandeur of the sight. I walk on a quiet beach and I’m in awe of God’s creation.  I've heard the thundering roar of Niagara Falls; but as magnificent as these are, these are nothing compared to heaven. Imagine being in the presence of the King of the Universe and all who follow Him. What a sight that will be! It will be greater than we can hope or imagine. So don’t miss out. The ticket for getting there is knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

All Things...Even Giants

"All Things...Even Giants"

Scripture Reading:
Philippians 4:13 (HCSB) I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Devotional Reading:

Do you ever wonder why certain people rise to meet a great challenge and others don't? Have you heard the story of David and Goliath?

If ever there was a giant challenge, David found it in Goliath, a hardened warrior who was nine-and-a-half-feet tall and filled his enemies with terror. Yet David,
just a teenage shepherd, was willing to take him on. His people thought he was crazy but he had faith in the Lord and remembered how God had strengthened
him in the past. He said, "When a lion or bear came and took a lamb from my flock, I went after it and struck the beast and killed it. The Lord who delivered me from the power of the lion and the bear will deliver me from this giant." And He did. David slew Goliath. He faced a giant challenge and was victorious because he had been faithful day by day. When the big public challenges come, we'll be ready if we're faithful to God in the various behind-the-scenes daily tasks. It's the faithfulness in the small things that is key to meeting life's giant challenges victoriously.  So what's your Goliath?  Leap year comes every 4 years so put your giant to bed for the next 4 and in 2016, it won't return!

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

The Lighthouse

"The Lighthouse"

Scripture Reading:
John 12:35  (HCSB) Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you.
The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going.

Devotional Reading:

Tom Landry is best known for being the coach of the Dallas Cowboys. He is now in heaven, watching his team from the best seat in the house! But before he died, he told the story of a captain of a battleship who, in the middle of the night, saw the light of another ship coming directly at him. The captain radioed the oncoming ship and said, "Turn south immediately."  The response was, "You turn south immediately." The captain was furious. He radioed back, "This is a battleship. I command you to turn south immediately." The response was, "This is the lighthouse. You turn south immediately." Often we have an attitude like that captain's. We are arrogant towards God and mankind. We expect others to get out of our way and we ignore God's guidance for living our life. Then, suddenly, we find ourselves shipwrecked and feeling like fools. Jesus Christ is the Lighthouse trying to warn us of danger, and lead us to safety. I encourage you to trust Christ and be willing to follow His leadership in your life. He will keep you out of a lot of trouble.

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Anangry Bird World

"An Angry Bird World"

Scripture Reading:
James 1:19  (HCSB) My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger

Devotional Reading:

Is it my imagination, or do we live in a generation that is angry and confrontational?  We have a game that most people including Christians have on
their phones and devices.  The game is harmless, but the concept is not...anger!  You'd be angry to if you were a bird with clipped/no wings.  Alas, there
is the rub... the devil has his wings clipped by the Lord and one day will no longer have them at all.  Christians are not immune. More and more I see anger
and emotion from Christians as harsh as those who do not know our Lord. Our God is a God of love, peace and harmony. If we are to be living a Christian
life, we ought to be in the consistent pursuit of being Christ-like. There is no room for apathy and anger in all aspects of our being. Take time today to listen.............take a genuine interest in what a family member, co-worker, or acquaintance has to say.  Friend whatever the anger may be rooted in, you
cannot afford to allow it to identify you.  It will destroy you, your friends, your children and your family.  Then diligently integrate this virtue into your
daily lifestyle. People will begin to look at you in a surprisingly and refreshingly different way.  When you allow anger to control you and take over you,
you have become just like the the "DEVIL"!

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Grace on Track

"Grace on Track"

Scripture Reading:
Ephesians 5:22, 25  (HCSB) Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord,...Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her

Devotional Reading:

Herman Miller Inc. manufactures office furniture and is consistently recognized as one of the best managed companies in the U. S. What makes Herman Miller Inc. a success? One thing: clearly stated values are supported and understood at every level. Virtually everyone in the firm, from assemblers to executives, can articulate their company’s philosophy and goals—and an infrastructure has been allowed to develop that encourages open, honest communication, regardless of organizational rank or functional responsibility. What’s it like to work at a place where goals are high, communication is prized, and people really care about one another? HMI’s absentee rate is between 1 and 2 percent—well below the 6 percent industry standard. And the company’s turnover rate of 7 percent is less than half of the 15 to 20 percent average of other U.S. firms. Mr. Obama perhaps you could take a clue here!  What do you think might happen in a marriage partnership where “key executives” set high goals for their union, cultivated communication, and agreed upon their mission? I think it might be as big an attention-getter in our culture as Herman Miller Inc. is in the marketplace! Just like HMI executives give ownership away for the good of the enterprise, husbands and wives must realize that they do not “own” their marriage. In fact, they do not even have the rights to themselves, do they? They have been bought and paid for with a price, and are called to glorify God with all they are and all they will ever be. Husbands, loving your wives glorifies God. Wives, being submissive to your husbands glorifies God. Your marriage is His enterprise, and it can be a glorious one!  You get to be an heir!  Wow what an amazing God, What an Awesome wife, What a wonderful husband!



Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

The Disease

"The Disease"

Scripture Reading:
Romans 6:23  (HCSB) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Devotional Reading:

A man had been faithful to his wife for the length of their marriage, but he carried in his mind the thought that if the right opportunity ever presented itself, he would be intimate with another woman, just for the experience. That opportunity seemed to present itself when he was in India, away from his wife and family. Each morning when he rose, he swam in the Ganges river. On one such morning, he saw a woman bathing herself, quite a distance away. “This is my moment,” he told himself. “No one will know.” He began to swim upstream to her, struggling not just against the water, but against the current of his own conscience. He went underwater, then surfaced when he was just a few yards away from the unsuspecting woman. When he saw her, it was him, not she, who experienced the shock of a lifetime. The woman was a leper. Her nose was eaten away. There were sores and white blotches all over her skin, and the ends of her fingers were gone. She looked more like an animal than a human. “What a wretched woman this is,” he thought to himself—but at the same moment, he was overwhelmed with a devastating truth: “What a wretched man I am!” Though he never expressed it in his autobiography, he must have come to understand a basic principle: Physical leprosy is crippling and terminal, but spiritual leprosy is deadly and eternal. His real-life, graphic experience illustrates an unalterable truth: When we walk away from the commands of God, we walk right into disease…the disease of sin.


Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

A Labor in Futility

"A Labor of Futility"

Scripture Reading:
Ecclesiastes 2:11  (HCSB) When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind.  There was nothing to be gained under the sun

Devotional Reading:

Have you been to the gym lately? Every time I work out-lately not much, I am astounded by the array of exercise equipment—stationary bikes, recumbent bikes, treadmills, stair climbers—all designed to enhance fitness. You get on them, and you go…nowhere. In fact, going nowhere is part of their design. The point is not to get somewhere—the point is to expend as much energy as possible for as long as possible while you are going nowhere. Every time you step off the treadmill or the bike, you are in the same place that you began. It seems we are a culture dedicated to getting nowhere fast. We want to know how to do things: to get fit, lose weight, achieve financial success, find love—and naturally we want to do them in the quickest possible way. “How” questions are the most frequently asked questions in this life under the sun. But the real question in life isn’t “how?”, but rather “why?”. Why be successful? Why strive to gain power? Why spend your life searching for prestige or love? King Solomon dared to ask the bigger questions. Is life really worth living? And if it is, why? He argued that a life moving in circles but going nowhere was pointless, and I agree. Life only makes sense when we include God in our thinking. Without Him it’s just a lot of motion, going nowhere with no purpose.


Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

A Timely Word

"A Timely Word"

Scripture Reading:
Proverbs 15:23  (HCSB) A man takes joy in giving an answer; and a timely word—how good that is!

Devotional Reading:

A wise person knows when to speak, and when to keep silent.  Tonight in our men's stud we discussed wisdom and how one gets wise, but how about holding our tongue.  I have wished many times that someone had whispered in my ear to be silent. There have been times, too, when I have been silent and should have spoken out, when I have wished someone had said, “Okay, Ben, this is your cue. Speak up!” Those in attendance at the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast, witnessed a time for speaking when Mother Teresa took the podium and pleaded for the lives of unborn children. Barely tall enough to be seen over the lectern, this tiny nun began her address by reading a portion of scripture, then stunned the assembled dignitaries, including the President and Vice President of the United States, by saying, “The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion…[for] if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell people not to kill each other?” “Mother Teresa was invariably polite and respectful. She did not flinch in speaking the truth. She demonstrated civility wedded to bold conviction, confronting world leaders with a message of biblical righteousness.”- Chuck Colson, Prison Ministry Fellowship.  Clearly, she viewed the breakfast as a time to speak.


Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Unsatisfied Love

"Unsatisfied Love"

Scripture Reading:
Ecclesiastes 5:10  (HCSB) The one who loves money is never satisfied with money, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile.

Devotional Reading:

The place was Chicago, Illinois; the year was 1923. Nine of the world’s wealthiest and most successful men gathered for a meeting at the city’s Edgewater Beach Hotel. Almost anyone in that day would have exchanged places with any of these well-known executives. They were powerful and rich. They had the world by the tail. But only 25 years later, all but two were dead. None had lived the easy life their tremendous resources seemed to promise. Charles Schwab, the president of the nation’s largest independent steel company, lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life and died bankrupt. Samuel Insul, the president of a giant utility company, died a penniless fugitive from justice in a foreign country. Gas company executive Howard Hopson suffered from insanity. Wheat speculator Arthur Cotton died destitute. Richard Whitney, president of the New York Stock Exchange, was released from Sing Sing prison. Albert Fall, a member of the president’s cabinet, was pardoned from prison so he could die at home. Wall Street’s greatest bear, Jesse Livermore, committed suicide, as did Ivan Krueger, the head of a great monopoly. Bank president Leon Fraser also took his own life. The most dangerous love affair any man or woman will experience in life is a love affair with money. It is a deceitful object of desire, because it can never deliver what it promises. If you make money your primary aim, you are setting yourself up for a life of heartache.  “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven,  where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Beyond Worry

"Beyond Worry"

Scripture Reading:
John 14:1  (HCSB) “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.

Devotional Reading:

Because you have the ability to think, you also have the ability to worry.  Even if you're a very faithful Christian, you may be plagued by occasional periods of discouragement and doubt.  Even though you trust God's promise of salvation-even though you sincerely believe in God's love and protection-you may find yourself upset by the countless details of everyday life.  Jesus understood your concerns when He spoke the reassuring words found in the 6th chapter of Matthew.  Where is the best place to take your worries?  Take them to God.  Take your troubles to Him; take your fears to Him; take your doubts to Him; take your weaknesses to Him; take your sorrows to Him...and leave them all there.  Seek protection from the One who offers you eternal salvation; build your spiritual house upon the Rock that cannot be moved.  Perhaps you are concerned about your future, your relationships, or your finances.  Or perhaps you are simply a "worrier" by nature.  If so, choose to make Matthew 6 a regular part of your daily Bible reading.  This beautiful passage will remind you that God still sits in His Heaven and you are His beloved child.  Then, perhaps, you will worry a little less and trust God a little more, and that's as it should be becasue God is trustworthy...and you're protected
Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Let's Build

     Deep Creek Jamin Java

(Serving Over ? Cups)

"God's Truth.......

Always Fresh,

Always Aromatic"

A Jolt of Spiritual Caffeine to keep you going!

February 16, 2012

"Let's Build"

Scripture Reading:
Nehemiah 2:18  (HCSB) I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, ... They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and they were encouraged to do this good work.

Devotional Reading:

Never make the mistake of thinking you are responsible for all that you have. The triumphs of life are gifts, not merit badges. Sometimes people get what they deserve for their hard work and effort, but just as often they do not. James says that every good thing in life is from the Father above who is the source of life itself. The following story illustrates how we become confused about how we got what we have. A newspaper reporter went to interview a successful entrepreneur. “How did you do it?” he asked. “How did you make all this money?” The entrepreneur was glad to tell his story. “You see, when my wife and I married, we started out with a roof over our heads, some food in our pantry, and five cents between us. I took that nickel, went down to the grocery store, bought an apple, then shined it up and sold it for ten cents. Then I bought more apples, shined them up and sold them for twenty cents apiece.” The reporter was beginning to catch on, and thought this would be a great human interest story. “Then what happened?” he asked excitedly. “Then my father-in-law died and left us $20 million,” the rich man said. He had fooled himself into thinking he had done something, forgetting that he had received something. Don’t forget all you have been given, and remember to thank the Giver for each and every good thing He bestows.  I thank Him even know for the gifts of 2 million dollars He will bestow upon us to build our Family Life Center.  It is a done deal to our Lord and the finances are there, we just have to relocate them from personal accounts to the Building Fund account!  God is doing a great and mighty work in Deep Creek, not man, not leadership, not pastors...It is the work of the Lord to build and build we will!
Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

No Fear

"No Fear"

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 23:4  (HCSB) Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear [no] danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.

Devotional Reading:

When the line of clothing called No fear seized the market early 1990's, bumper stickers sporting the logo appeared on all cars across the Nation. I owned a Surf Board and Bogey board made by Body Glove which sported the logo, "no fear". It represented to me a time in my life, when I lived life with no fear and did or tried everything from jumping out of planes to scuba diving; with everything in between. For those who are inhibited the words seemed puzzling. No Fear? Why not? But the marketers knew that the designer's slogan would appeal to its street savvy customers who understood that the slogan represented gutsy, no-holds-barred approach to a life lived to the extreme.

I need to point out to you, however, God had the meaning of the slogan first. He preempted the popular slogan by several thousand years. He's always been in the midst of your darkest hours and guiding you back to the right path when you lose your footing. Bravado can't measure up to the heart that has learned the true meaning of having no fear. We must exhibit a faith like Abram and just let go and let God. It comes back to an old saying, "many are called, but few are chosen". When God is calling you, how dare you limit Him by looking for your comfort (close to home, what type of ministry, seminary or no seminary, need to provide for family, I want/ I need, and countless other excuses). If you have to give God excuses, then you are not chosen. We have to live a life of no fear with an attitude of no surrender; when it comes to doing the Lord's will. Perhaps as a former Marine this is easy for me (we never quit, never give up, never surrender and on top of all of that, we have a unique understanding: we cannot die without permission). Seriously though, why put God in a box to maintain your comfort and fool yourself about a calling.

Friend if you truly believe you were created in the image of God, then you were not created with a spirit of timidity, fear, worry or anxiety.  None of these are attributes of God and therefore are bad habits we picked up along the way..."I am fearfully and wonderfully made".

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20