Qualified to Lead by Faithfulness to God!

Nehemiah 7

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, December 14.

There are many qualifications for church leaders that are hotly debated in today’s world, but there is one qualification that is not being debated within any church that I know of – maturity in Christ. Paul taught in 1 Timothy 3:6, regarding the qualifications of the elders in the church, “not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.” We know Paul was not talking about age as a disqualifier because in 1 Timothy 4:16, he exhorted his protégé, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

People are qualified for leadership when their lives consistently demonstrate their faith in God. As Jesus taught, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). Nehemiah expressed this same focus on the qualifications of leaders when he chose Hananiah to oversee Jerusalem in Nehemiah 7:2, “for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.” Qualified leaders stand out because of their faithfulness to God!

As God transplanted His people back to Jerusalem, into the good soil of the Promised Land, He used godly people like Ezra, Nehemiah, and Hananiah to lead them. Their primary task was to teach the people to fear the Lord and not return to their father’s former sins, which had caused the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile in the first place. For this reason, Nehemiah appointed Hananiah – “a faithful man [who] feared God more than many.”

If your local church was looking for new leaders to serve, would the same be said about you? Are you looking for success in the world or faithfulness to God? Are you free to lead because you fear God more than the people?

Seize the moment and live for the approval of God, until you hear Jesus say to you face-to-face, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 5:21).

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

Stick Around!

Nehemiah 6

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, December 13.

As a pastor, I have been tempted to leave my pastorate for greener pastures. But God’s call upon my life has been to stick around – to remain faithful to New Castle First Baptist Church because the work God has called me to do has not been completed. Even after thirteen years, there is still a long way to go so my plan is simple – to stick around! I am to persevere until the work is completed or until the Lord makes it clear that it’s time for me to pass the baton to the next generation. My calling is a long slow obedience in the same direction of faithfulness to Christ and His church!

Nehemiah is a wonderful example of the importance of sticking around until the job gets done. People need faithful leaders to inspire them to persevere through the daily temptations of bailing before the blessing. As the people of God, we must learn to keep our commitments – to obey Jesus and let our yes be yes (Matthew 5:37). In Nehemiah 6:11, Nehemiah asked the question in the face of deception and opposition, “Should a man like me flee?” He decided to stick around and complete the job, as he testified in verse 16, “When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”

We don’t need showy leaders who are always seeking the next best thing; we need faithful men and women who are willing to suffer for righteousness and endure hardship for God’s will to be done in and through them (Matthew 5:10; 1 Peter 3:14; 2 Timothy 1:8; 2:3; 4:5).

Seize the moment and stick around – make a commitment to not bail before the blessing by taking a vow of stability to your local church.

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

Be the Solution!

Nehemiah 5

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, December 12. Today celebrates the one thousandth day of making these daily calls. May you grow stronger in your daily walk with Jesus by taking on His easy yoke to learn from Him and find rest for your soul. May you join me in reading and meditating upon God’s Word.

Good leaders don’t ask anything of others that they wouldn’t be willing to do first themselves. Nehemiah was a great leader! During a time of economic hardship caused by heavy taxation by the Persians, a famine, and internal greed (Nehemiah 5:3-5), Nehemiah demanded that the wealthy of his nation stop being a part of the problem and be the solution (6-12). Unlike many leaders in our world today, Nehemiah was setting an example of economic justice for the rest to follow – He was being the solution!

Nehemiah was authorized a governor’s food allowance, but instead of taking that which came from the taxation of his people, he fed them out of his own resources – over one hundred fifty people (14-18). Nehemiah worked side-by-side with the people, he lent them money and grain, and he expected the rich and powerful to follow his leadership, without exception. In a powerful display of leadership, in verse 13, Nehemiah held himself and the rich to the same standard of God’s judgment:

I also shook out the front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.

Nehemiah was being the solution, and he will always be remembered as a leader who cared for his people (19). The people followed him because he was a leader of integrity.

Seize the moment and be the solution – Live in such a way that others want to follow you as you follow Jesus!

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

Today’s Christmas hymn focus will be

Adore

 Psalm 95:6 (NASB95)                  

“ Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Written in 2013 by UK Worship Artists Graham Kendrick & Martin Chalk, it later became the featured title song of Chris Tomlin’s Christmas album in 2016. Graham stated that he was inspired by one of the greatest Christmas carols, “O Come Let Us Adore Him”, when Martin started playing the music for this song and it had the word adore in it. He went on to say, “It very simply just tells the story of God made flesh and enables us to respond to it.”

            Adore, o come let us adore. O come let us adore Him

            The Lord, worship Christ the Lord. Let all that is within us, adore!

As we are halfway through the advent season, we need to wake up to the fact that we can’t just assume that the world knows what Christmas is all about. God sent this precious gift to us to give to others. It is up to us to share the blessed hope of God’s amazing grace that came to earth that night in a manger. And His name is Jesus!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:

Adore

Overcome Discouragement!

Nehemiah 4

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, December 9.

It is easy to become discouraged when we experience criticism or intimidation. Nehemiah’s successes in Jerusalem led to opposition from their neighbors. Nehemiah 4:1 reports, “Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews.”

People oppose the work of God when they feel threatened by it. Sanballat was the governor of Samaria and the last thing he wanted was a revitalized Israel. The refortification of Jerusalem would provide a haven for the Jewish exiles to return from Babylonian captivity in droves. He first opposed the work with mockery to discourage the workers, and when that wasn’t enough to stop them, he intensified the opposition with fear and intimidation.

It would have worked if it wasn’t for Nehemiah’s efforts to counter the discouragement and oppose the threats. His first tactic to overcome discouragement was to seek God, as recorded in verses 4-5, “Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have demoralized the builders.” Prayer is our first response to overcoming discouragement.

Second, Nehemiah took active steps to embolden the workers with a higher calling. Nehemiah 4:14 narrates, “When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: ‘Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.’” Nehemiah led his people in prayer and then in setting up a defense (9). He gave their lives and work meaning (9-23). Living with purpose is our second response to overcoming discouragement.

Seize the moment and seek a higher calling for your life and work (Colossians 3:23-24).

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

The Security of God’s People!

Nehemiah 3

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, December 8.

Do you feel secure where you live? To what length will you go to feel secure?

Nehemiah had surveyed Jerusalem and determined that the walls and gates had to be their priority of work. Gates are important because they provide security for the inhabitants of a walled city. Nehemiah 3 describes the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem, with the work focused around the ten gates of the city: the Sheep Gate (1); the Fish Gate (3); the Old Gate (6); the Valley Gate (13); the Refuse Gate (14); the Fountain Gate (15); the Water Gate (26); the Horse Gate (28); the East Gate (29); and the Inspection Gate (31).

Nehemiah’s success was dependent upon all the people working together, and no one was exempt from the work, including the officials, as well as the priests and Levites (16-17). Nehemiah 3:1 starts, “Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors.”

Whereas the security of a people has often been dependent on walls and gates; it will not be this way in the coming Eternal Kingdom of God. Revelation 21:25-27 gives us a glimpse of the gates of the wall in the New Jerusalem:

In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

“Its gates will never be closed” is a powerful vision of security; it gives us hope! What truly secures God’s people is neither the weapons forged by man’s hand nor the walls and gates we build around ourselves. Rather, your security is found in nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.            

Seize the moment and find your security in Christ alone; rejoice that your name is “recorded in Heaven” (Luke 10:20).

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

The Hand of God is Upon Me!

Ezra 7

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, November 30.

What does it mean that the hand of God is upon a person? The Bible teaches us that God is spirit (John 4:24), so when the Bible states that the hand of God is upon someone it is not talking about a literal body part. Rather, it is using anthropomorphic imagery to illustrate God being on the side of His people to guide them and to bring about success in their work.

The following three verses emphasize how the hand of God was upon Ezra as he led the second wave of exiles back to Jerusalem:

Ezra was essential to the plans of God, but apart from God’s hand being upon him no amount of support from King Artaxerxes (11-25) or his family lineage as a priest (1-5) would have brought about such success. The key to Ezra’s success was his faith, as emphasized in Ezra 7:10, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Ezra walked hand in hand with God so it’s no wonder that God’s hand was upon him!

Seize the moment and put your hand into the hand of God almighty (Isaiah 41:13; 42:6).

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

Pray for those in Authority!

Ezra 6

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, November 29.

Are you actively praying for the leaders of your community, state, and nation? Paul exhorts his protégé in 1 Timothy 1:1-2, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

Ezra 6 concludes the first half of the book as the temple was completed in 516 BC, seventy years to the date of its destruction – “This temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius” (Ezra 6:15). Whereas Solomon’s temple stood for nearly four hundred years (959-586 BC), the second temple would stand for nearly six hundred years, until its destruction by the Romans in AD 70.

Just as in any major building project, the rebuilding of the temple was a coordinated effort of many involved parties and key players (Ezra 6:13-14). In Ezra 5, Tattenai, the governor of the province, wrote a letter to King Darius to know how the Persian Empire wanted him to handle the Israelites in Jerusalem. Because “the eye of their God” was upon them (Ezra 5:5), Darius wrote a decree to Tattenai to stop opposing their efforts, but rather to support the work in significant ways (Ezra 6:1-12).

The remnant knew that this was a miraculous answer to prayer (22), which protected their lives and provided the remnant with everything they needed to finish the temple. Upon doing so, they “celebrated the dedication of this house of God” (16-18). This chapter of Israel’s history closes with the exiles celebrating Passover to the glory of God (19-22).

Seize the moment and pray for all who are in authority! You never know how God will answer your prayers. This is our greatest civic responsibility.

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Today’s hymn focus will be

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

 Haggai 2:7 (KJV)

“And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.”

In 1744, Charles Wesley was pondering Haggai 2:7 while riding aboard a train coach.  As he was looking at the class divide in Great Britain and what was happening with the orphans in the areas around him, he first wrote “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” as a Nativity prayer.

In 1855, Charles Spurgeon made a Christmas sermon noting that Jesus was born a King, not a prince, and was sent to rule our hearts and lives. This song appeared in both the Methodist and the Baptist hymn books ever since.

But it is important to realize that Wesley was also looking further towards the Second Coming of Christ, echoing the words that illustrate the believer’s hope and longing for His return. This is why we sing this song today.

Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring.

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Stay in your Lane!

2 Chronicles 35

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, November 18.

Josiah was a faithful king who brought Judah back to right worship with God. But even he made bad decisions that came with terrible consequences. We need to learn that just because we have a right relationship with God doesn’t mean we are automatically correct in all that we think, say, and do.

If you were to look at a map, it quickly becomes obvious why Josiah did what he did – the Egyptian army was marching through his land on their way to a battle up north. Josiah was protecting the borders, but, ultimately, the Chronicler, in 2 Chronicles 35:20-21, makes it clear that God didn’t want him to fight this battle:

After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has ordered me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from interfering with God who is with me, so that He will not destroy you.”

Josiah ignored Neco’s words and marched his army to Megiddo, as described in verse 22, “However, Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to make war on the plain of Megiddo.” [emphasis added] It was in this unnecessary battle that he was killed.

Do you decide to get involved in situations that aren’t yours to meddle in? Proverbs 26:17 warns, “Like one who takes a dog by the ears is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him.” Instead of getting yourself or others hurt by meddling in things that you shouldn’t, here is some godly counsel for you – stop meddling and start praying!

Seize the moment and stay in your lane – “lead a quiet life and attend to your own business” (1 Thessalonians 4:11)!

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.