Plant Good Seed!

Amos 8

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

What started as a seed of sin, matured into the fruit of rebellion. The prophet used the image of ripened fruit to illustrate this point in Amos 8:1-2, “Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. He said, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ And I said, ‘A basket of summer fruit.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.’” All sin is progressive in nature, and though it may start small, it will grow, seeking to become the fruit of your life. When it matures it will reap destruction as described of Israel in Amos 8:1-9:10. Attention must be paid to the seed of sin when it is but a kernel of a thought or an inclination of your heart. This requires vigilance, like that of a hard-working farmer; therefore, give your attention to the proper care of souls by cultivating the ground, planting the good seed of God’s Word, and tending to the tender young shoots.

While the desolation of Israel is heart-wrenchingly described by numerous prophets, one of the worst pronouncements of judgment is found in Amos 8:11, “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord.’” Imagine how devastating it would be if there was no good seed to work into your soul, or, through you, into the relationships of your life. While the starvation and devastation caused by a natural famine are tragedies that we fear, imagine being cut off from the Source of all life and love.

Seize the moment and plant the good seed of God’s Word into your heart and mind, inviting the Holy Spirit to bring forth the mature fruit of love in and through your life.

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.

Straighten up Crooked Christian!

Amos 7

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Saturday, September 7.

Are you a crooked Christian? Are your thoughts, words, or behaviors out of alignment with your faith? In Amos 7:7-8, like a master craftsman, ensuring that the house He had built was a safe place to be His home, God used a plumb line to demonstrate that His judgment of Israel’s crookedness was true according to an objective standard: “Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. The Lord said to me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.’”

A plumb line is that objective standard; it’s a builder’s tool composed of a string with a weight at the end of it, which is hung from the top of a wall to ensure that it’s true, meaning it is perpendicular to the center gravity of the ground. In today’s passage, the plumb line represents God’s unwavering standard of righteousness and justice, demonstrating that Israel was crooked, out of alignment with God’s covenant and commandments.

All Christians are crooked and need to undergo construction. None of us can be found true according to the plumb line of the Law (Romans 3:20-23); therefore, God sent Jesus Christ to be our living, ever-present plumb line (John 1:17; Romans 5:20-21; Colossians 1:15-20). Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-15), and, by God’s grace, through your participation in prayer (Psalm 139:23-24), Bible study (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and church membership (Ephesians 4:11-16), God is constantly straightening the crooked places of your life.

Seize the moment and invite God’s work to straighten that which is crooked in you. Cooperate with the Spirit to bring about His good pleasure in your life, which is your conformity to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Pick one project today and get to work (Philippians 2:12-13).

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:

The Danger of Complacency!

Amos 6

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, September 6.

There is a significant difference between contentment and complacency. The Lord desires for us to be content, as Paul explained in Philippians 4:11-13, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Contentment is a state of peace because you have learned to trust God. There is a deep satisfaction that comes with feeling content but not because you have arrived at your destination; rather, because you have learned to attune to God’s presence as He walks with you along the way.

Complacency is a smug satisfaction in your own accomplishments; it’s a self-centered sense of well-being as if you have arrived. It’s a pride that invites you to sit back and stay a while, celebrating your accomplishments no matter what else is happening around you. Unlike the journey orientation of contentment, which keeps a person humble and listening to God, complacency is a destination mindset that lures a person into pride and passivity, such as we saw at the time of Israel’s judgment in Amos 6:4-7:

Those who recline on beds of ivory and sprawl on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who improvise to the sound of the harp, and like David have composed songs for themselves, who drink wine from sacrificial bowls while they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, they will now go into exile at the head of the exiles, and the sprawlers’ banqueting will pass away.

Seize the moment and attune to the presence of God in your daily life, giving thanks that He walks with you in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

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:

Treat People Fairly and Correctly!

Amos 5

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, September 5.

In his famous 1963 speech, “I Have a Dream,” the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously quoted from Amos 5:23-24, “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” He connected the judgment of Israel for corrupting justice and mocking righteousness with the urgency of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, essentially saying that the only acceptable outcome of their movement was a repentant nation where people, regardless of the color of their skin, were treated fairly (justice) and correctly (righteousness). Sixty-one years later, as a man whose father turned 18 years old the year of MLK’s speech, then soon after went to fight in the Vietnam War, I ask the question: Has America repented? Are we a nation where people are treated fairly and correctly?

Seven hundred years after Amos, and two thousand years before MLK, the Apostle Paul commanded all followers of Jesus in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” By living this way, we don’t “grieve the Holy Spirit” (30). We make our redemption visible by being a people known for our justice and righteousness, and what we must realize about this, and it was something MLK understand, is that this is not a call for retribution or vengeance, but the call of Jesus to right living. Sadly, he was assassinated for calling America to repentance, but isn’t that the way God’s prophets have been treated throughout history?

Seize the moment and treat all people fairly and correctly! Be kind to others because it costs you nothing and gives them everything.

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:

Prepare to Meet your Maker!

Amos 4

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, September 4.

Are you prepared to meet your Maker? Do you need to have a cancer diagnosis or a near-death experience to get right with God? The refrain of Amos 4 is “Yet you have not returned to Me” (6, 8, 9, 10, and 11). In every occurrence, the prophet declared one of the judgments that had befallen Israel: famine, drought, blight, plague, and conquest. According to the Mosaic Law, these were the promised results of violating the covenant (Deuteronomy 28:15-24). God was keeping His promise by punishing them for their idol worship. His people had broken fellowship with Him by coopting themselves with demons, which is why he called them “cows of Bashan.” This was not a rude reference as people would say today, but a supernatural one. Bashan was the Old Testament version of the gates of hell, seen as the gateway to the underworld of the dead. Interestingly, this imagery of demons and death was utilized in the messianic prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion in Psalm 22:12, “Many bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.” God was not being rude or rash, He was mercifully using every possible crisis to get them ready for what really mattered – eternal judgment!

When you are facing death, there’s only one way to prepare yourself, and it was boldly stated in Amos 4:12, “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” God’s motivation in all their calamities was their wholehearted repentance because that would be the only place they could find rest for their souls. That is the good fruit of covenant faithfulness, the abundant life of being in the yoke with the One who saves. Are you ready to meet your Maker?

Seize the moment and prepare today for what we each must face tomorrow. Every crisis is an opportunity to get right with God! He’s only a prayer away.

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:

Attune to God’s Ways!

Amos 3

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, September 3.

Does a rattle snake bite for no reason? Doesn’t it warn you of its presence by rattling its tail? Only a fool would not heed such a distinctive sound. I’ve heard it a few times when on a hike, and each time I am thankful that God has built into His creation such warnings. Yet, in today’s world, I’m concerned for those who are so distracted by their devices that they are no longer able to hear. The prophet highlighted God’s ways in Amos 3:4-8, and, in so doing, poetically warned Israel of their danger:

Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something? Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all? If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it? Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?

God has chosen to reveal Himself through His servants the prophets, giving people the opportunity to repent of their sins and walk with Him in covenant faithfulness, according to the Scriptures. When God warns us, we must take it seriously because it is God revealing to us the danger we are in by our own choices. But how can you hear from God if you are distracted? As if you are walking on the trail with ear buds in and not able to hear the rattle of the snake.

Seize the moment and attune to God’s ways. He has promised to speak to you. Are you listening?

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:

Find Relief from your Heavy Burdens!

Amos 2

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, September 2.

The first two chapters of Amos consist of eight oracles of judgment, with the first six aimed at neighboring nations, and the last two focused on Judah and Israel. The people of God may have thought they would escape God’s wrath, but Amos made it very clear that all people are accountable to God. The prophet explained to Israel the effects of sin in Amos 2:13-16:

“Behold, I am weighted down beneath you as a wagon is weighted down when filled with sheaves. Flight will perish from the swift, and the stalwart will not strengthen his power, nor the mighty man save his life. He who grasps the bow will not stand his ground, the swift of foot will not escape, nor will he who rides the horse save his life. Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked in that day,” declares the Lord.

The NIV translated the beginning of verse 13, “Now then, I will crush you, … .” While this is the end game of God’s judgment for sin, as Romans 6:23 explains, “for the wages of sin is death,” it is also the ongoing effect of living under the burden of sin. You become “weary and heavy-laden” when you have unconfessed sin in your life, like a soldier in battle who has become panic stricken, losing his speed, strength, coordination, and bravery. The ongoing effects of sin, like the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, exhaust you, making you unfruitful and ineffective in the life of God (2 Peter 1:2-9; Psalm 32). There is a way to be healed of both your sin burden and your PTSD.

Seize the moment and find relief from your heavy burdens by taking on the easy yoke of Jesus Christ,  finding rest for your soul in a relationship with God, which will strengthen your spiritual vitality and allow you to experience the abundant life (Matthew 11:28-30; John 10:10).

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.

Open Hearts Open Ears!

Amos 1

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Saturday, August 31.

Do you need to be an ordained clergy person to hear from God? Absolutely not! From ancient times to today, God has used men and women from many different backgrounds and vocations to be His spokespersons, people who faithfully communicate His Word through their words. Pointedly, Amos 1:1-2 introduces one of the first writing prophets of Israel, a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea:

The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he envisioned in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. He said, “The Lord roars from Zion and from Jerusalem He utters His voice; and the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn, and the summit of Carmel dries up.”

Think about your favorite farmer who is out harvesting his or her crops right now and imagine God giving that person a divine revelation for the nations while riding the tractor. That is what happened with Amos, who was a small-town sheepherder and farmer, as he explained in Amos 7:14-15, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’” Amos was not ambitious for the religious office of prophet; rather, he was given God’s Word while happily going about his everyday work life. God calls upon people who have open hearts, which open their ears to hear from Him.

Seize the moment and open your heart to hear from God. Whatever your job may be, make space to listen for God, who desires to use everyday working people to make His Word known to the nations through their lives.

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:

Trust the Roaring Lion!

Joel 3

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, August 30. Please join me in wishing a happy birthday to Jeremy Fischer, Justin McGuire, Jackson Hibbert, and Lexi Laker.

In C. S. Lewis’ allegorical world of Narnia, Lewis portrayed Jesus as a roaring lion. This idea did not come from his own genius, though he was one; rather, it was inspired by the Word of God. The Lord roaring like a lion is the concluding image of the prophet Joel, and it is the opening image of Amos’ prophetic work (Amos 1:2). In Joel 3:15-16, the prophet describes the coming day of the Lord, “The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness. The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.” In this passage, Joel described the tension of the people’s faith in God as their sovereign Lord. In Lewis’ 1950 classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, he captured this tension for us, specifically in the dialogue where the children first learned that Aslan, the King of Narnia, was a lion. When Lucy asked if Aslan was safe, Mr. Beaver told her of course not, he’s a lion, but he is good! God is good, but He is not always safe!

 This juxtaposition was expressed by Job during his suffering, “Though God slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15). When facing suffering at a personal or national level, we are invited to trust the sovereign grace of God, believing “He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). While this faith perspective doesn’t remove our suffering, nor does it guarantee that everything will work out in our situation, it hides us in the Lord, who is our refuge and stronghold (Joel 3:16; Nahum 1:7).

Seize the moment and trust the goodness of God, even when He’s roaring like a lion.

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.