Seize the Moment – Day 1103
Today’s hymn focus will be
Lead Me To Calvary
1 Corinthians 2:2 (NASB95)
“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
Many of the gospel songs of the nineteenth century were focused upon the cross and specifically Calvary, which remained central to the evangelicals even into the mid-twentieth century. Today’s hymn was written by New England Quaker Jennie Evelyn Hussey and was published in 1921. She created a compelling and memorable refrain with direct and evocative language and had a singable and easily learned melody to help solidify the theme in the singer’s mind and heart.
Lest I forget Gethsemane; Lest I forget Thine agony.
Lest I forget Thy love for me, lead me to Calvary
Jennie lived a selfless life, caring for an invalid sister, never complaining while serving her with love as Christ would have done.
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.
You can listen to this hymn by clicking on the link below:
Lead Me to Calvary
King of my life I crown thee now —
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget thy thorn-crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget thine agony,
Lest I forget thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
Show me the tomb where thou wast laid,
Tenderly mourned and wept;
Angels in robes of light arrayed
Guarded thee whilst thou slept.
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget thine agony,
Lest I forget thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
Let me like Mary, thru the gloom,
Come with a gift to thee;
Show to me now the empty tomb —
Lead me to Calvary.
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget thine agony,
Lest I forget thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for thee;
Even thy cup of grief to share —
Thou hast borne all for me.
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget thine agony,
Lest I forget thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1089
Today’s song focus will be
Knowing You, Jesus
Philippians 3:8 (NASB95)
“ More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,”
Released on May 16, 2010, this modern-day hymn was written by Graham Kendrick. He had begun reading the book of Philippians after being asked to write a specific song to go along with the Bible readings and teachings for an upcoming conference. As he mediated and asked God to reveal anything that might be a seed for a song, his attention was drawn to today’s scripture. After listing all his accomplishments, Paul dramatically pushes them aside for the sake of one supreme goal – to know Christ Jesus.
Knowing you, Jesus. Knowing you, there is no greater thing
You’re my all, you’re the best You’re my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord
We need to wake up and desire to have the same drive as the Apostle Paul. It is not about us and what we have done, but what Christ has done and continues to do in and through us. May God receive all the glory, honor and praise for what we do and say each and every day!
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.
Knowing You, Jesus
All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres and wars to own;
All I once thought gain I have counted loss,
Spent and worthless now compared to this.
Chorus
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You’re my all, You’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.
Verse 2
Now my heart’s desire is to know You more,
To be found in You and known as Yours,
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All surpassing gift of righteousness
Chorus
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You’re my all, You’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.
Verse 3
Oh to know the power of Your risen life,
And to know You in Your sufferings;
To become like You in Your death, my Lord,
So with You to live and never die.
Chorus
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You’re my all, You’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1082
“There is a Redeemer”
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
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Seize the Moment – Day 1075
Today’s song focus will be
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Galatians 6:14 (NASB95)
“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
This ancient hymn was written by Isaac Watts in 1707, creating a hymn to be sung that would go along with the sermon of the day with this theologically based song. As we are in the season of Lent, we will focus on the songs that point us to the whole reason we recognize this season. We will reflect on how Jesus would be fulfilling what had been foretold by the prophets of old. Jesus knew that the time was approaching when He would have to give the ultimate sacrifice for all of mankind…His life!
When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride
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 the link below:
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.
save in the death of Christ, my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them through his blood.
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?
that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1068
Today’s song focus will be
Take Up Your Cross & Follow Jesus
Matthew 16:24 (NASB95)
“ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
Performed by the fabulous and renowned Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir in 1990 and written by Jane Johannson Knoedler & Steve Millikan, this moving ballad challenges the believer to follow after Christ unashamedly. When Jesus spoke to His disciples, he was telling them that it was not going to be an easy task and they would have to set aside their own wants and desires and follow Him with everything they got.
Take up your cross and follow Jesus Take up your cross every day
Don’t be ashamed to say that you know Him
Count the cost, take up your cross and follow Him
We need to once again wake up and realize, just like last week’s challenge, that this is a daily choice. Counting the costs ahead of time and determining in our hearts and minds that we are going to follow after Jesus, no matter what, is what we have to do.
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:
Take Up Your Cross & Follow Jesus
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Seize the Moment – Day 1061
Today’s song focus will be
“Great I Am”
Exodus 3:14 (NASB95)
“ God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
In the Hebrew language, ‘I Am’ is Yahweh (YHWH), the holiest of names for God in the Old Testament. This name is in the present tense, showing that God is personal and desires to have a real relationship with mankind. In 2011, Jared Anderson felt an ache, an urgency to be a part of the great big story of what God is doing, wanting to be a part of the action and not sitting on the sidelines observing, but truly participating. He wanted the church to feel like they are joining with the hosts of heavens as we declare our worship to the Almighty God.
Hallelujah, holy, holy God Almighty, the great I AM
Who is worthy, none beside Thee, God Almighty, the great I AM
We need to wake up to the fact that this is a daily choice that each of us has to make. We choose to be happy or mad. We choose to be joyful or sad. We choose to be good or bad. That’s why we need to choose to start our day by worshiping the One who had given us life, and loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
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:
Great I Am
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Coffee Talk 2023
Coffee Talk
COMMUNION:
It starts with communion! It is our practice here at FBC to bring everyone together on the first Sunday of the month and take communion together. But this should not be the only time that we do this. What about when you are having your coffee and toast during your morning devotion time? Or when you have a lunch with a friend? Or when you have friends over for dinner? Or how about when we have our church pitch-in or picnic? All of these could be and should be a time of communion.
During this time today, we want you to imagine that you have been invited by the King to sit at God’s table and to be served by the King, because that is what Jesus did with the disciples at the Last Supper. Even though it was His dinner party that was set up by two of his disciples (Luke 22), Jesus was the One who served the disciples by washing their feet, which also reflected His future role as Savior by granting them forgiveness of sins. Right now, Tina and I want you to take a moment and close your eyes as you imagine Jesus, kneeling at your feet, and washing them and think about how you would feel.
This is the One who’s relationship sets the standard for all other relationships. He has given each of us a holy invitation…a sacred Sacrament bidding to leave the cares and chores of this life and enter a special place with Him. While we are taking these elements as a group, it does not negate the fact that He did all this just for you. He is meeting you here at the table. But He is not going to force you to participate. He wants you to remember what each of these elements represent: The Bread is His body which was broken for you and me; and the cup is the new covenant in His precious blood that was poured out, not just shed, for each of us, fulfilling the prophesy of Jeremiah 31 that was repeated in Hebrews 8:10-12:HH
“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
Prepare to take the elements:
Luke 22:19 The Bread
“He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Luke 22:20 The Cup
“After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. “
COFFEE TALK:
We are sharing first what the Bible says, and then giving you some practical applications, most of which have been a part of our lives. This is not the “In my day, blah, blah, blah” type of talk, but wanting to remind each and every one of you of what the Bible has laid out as our instructions of best practices for our lives. And it requires an investment of what each and every one of us has an equal amount of…TIME!
- Time with God one on one
- Time with our spouse & with God
- Time with our family with God
- Time with our friends with God
I. Time with God one on one
From the beginning, God desired to commune and spend time with His creation, made in His image. It was only when sin entered the picture that things changed. Mankind had to offer up sacrifices to atone for their sins. But God desired to restore that relationship, so He sent His Son to be the ultimate Sacrifice.
Now, the only thing we had to do was chose to surrender our hearts and lives to Him. He told us to love Him with all our heart, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This was not a one and done type of thing, but rather us understanding that we have to spend time with God to understand how we are to love Him and others completely.
Ephesians 4:1b & 5:2
“…lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”
Ephesians 4:2-3
“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”
Matthew 4:4
“The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
II. Time with our spouse & with God.
Quality vs Quantity (changes per season of your life)
Ephesians 5:21-22
And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:25
“For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her.”
Romans 12:10
“Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other.”
III. Time with our Family & with God
Romans 14:12-13
“Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.”
We are in no way condemning or pointing fingers. We had our own missteps…BUT GOD, rich in mercy and grace!
Proverbs 22:6
“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”
“Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.”
Deuteronomy 11:19
“Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”
IV. Time with friends and with God
Ephesians 4:3-4
“Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.”
- Iron sharpens iron. (Proverbs 27:17)
- Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)
- Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Galatians 6:1-2
“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”
Hebrews 13:16-17
“And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.”
Tina and I have taken this task of sharing God’s Word to heart. We know that we will be held accountable to God for all that we have said today. But, since we have shared God’s Biblical truths with you, you can no longer say “I didn’t know.” We challenge you to take Ephesians 4 & 5 this week and dig in deeper to see all the other things that we are and are not supposed to be doing as a Child of God. Take time to listen to the heart of the Father and follow what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do.
You can listen to this message by clicking below:
You can watch this time of sharing by clicking HERE.
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Sieze the Moment – Day 1054
Today’s song focus will be
Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me
Galatians 2:20 (NASB95)
“ I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Similar to the times of the writing of some of our favorite hymns, there is some question as to what defines a true hymn? Is it the music style, the instruments used, or the rhyming of the lyrics. Something could be said for all of these, but I find that when you are taking the lyrics from scripture, you can never go wrong. Such is the case of this modern hymn written in 2018 by Johnny Robinson, Rich Thompson and Michael Farren. These men write their songs with a commitment to the authority of Scripture, a personal relationship with Jesus, and a focus on mission, sharing the gospel both home and abroad.
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:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwc2d1Xt8gM
Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me
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Seize the Moment – Day 1047
Today’s worship song focus will be
King of My Heart
Romans 8:28 (NASB95)
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Written in 2015 by John and Sarah McMillan, this modern-day hymn is a declaration, giving praise to the goodness of God and that He is our refuge and salvation. With all that is going on in our world, it is easy to lose our focus. This song brings us back to the facts that God is with us and greater than all the evil that may be around us. He is good, faithful, and will never let us down.
Let the King of my heart be the mountain where I run
The fountain I drink from, Oh, He is my song…
We need to wake up to that fact that God is good, all the time and all the time, God is good…even when we may not be feeling it. Like Katie told us last week, we need to get on our faces before God and declare to ourselves and believe that He is trustworthy and good!
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.
King of My Heart
Be the mountain where I run
The fountain I drink from
Oh, He is my song
Let the King of my heart
Be the shadow where I hide
The ransom for my life
Oh, He is my song
You are good, oh oh
You are good
You are good, oh oh
You are good
You are good, oh oh
You are good
You are good, oh oh
Be the wind inside my sails
The anchor in the waves
Oh oh, He is my song
Let the King of my heart
Be the fire inside my veins
The echo of my days
Oh oh, He is my song
Be the wind inside my sails
The anchor in the waves
Oh oh, He is my song
Let the King of my heart
Be the fire inside my veins
The echo of my days
Oh, He is my song
You are good, oh oh
You are good
You are good, oh oh
You are good
You are good, oh oh
You are good
You are good, oh oh
You’re never gonna let me down
And You’re never gonna let
You’re never gonna let me down
You’re never gonna let
You’re never gonna let me down
You’re never gonna let
You’re never gonna let me down
You’re never gonna let
You’re never gonna let me down
You’re never gonna let
You’re never gonna let me down
You’re never gonna let
You’re never gonna let me down
You are good, oh oh
‘Cause You are good
You are good, oh oh
‘Cause You are good
You are good, oh oh
You are good
You are good, oh oh
You’re never gonna let me down
You’re never gonna let
You’re never gonna let me down
You’re never gonna let
You’re never gonna let me down
You’re never gonna let
You’re never gonna let me down
You are good, oh oh
You are good
You are good, oh oh
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Seize the Moment – Day 1040
Today’s worship song focus will be
How Great is Our God
Psalm 104:1 (NASB95)
“Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty”
While living in Austin, Texas in 2004, Chris Tomlin was reflecting on Psalm 104 as it declared the greatness, splendor and majesty of God. His desire was to create a song that was more than a three month hit, but rather a lasting song of praise to the most high God. He began singing parts of the scriptures, creating the basis of the song “How Great is Our God”. He shared the song with his friends Jesse Reeves and Ed Cash, who helped him to add the bridge and fine tune the song.
How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God
And all will see how great, how great is our God.
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:
How Great is Our God
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