Seize the Moment – Day 409
The Servant’s Prayer!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, April 30.
It is important to know who you are talking to when you are praying because prayer is neither a pep talk nor a pity party; it is a direct communication with God, who desires a relationship with you.
Genesis 24:12-14 records one of the ancient prayers of God’s people—Abraham’s servant who was sent on a mission to find a wife for Isaac:
He said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’—may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.”
As we listen to the servant’s prayer and the conversation between Abraham and his servant prior to this prayer, we learn that they believed in both God’s providence and God’s direct involvement in their daily affairs. This is the same faith we hold today—God is sovereign and God is personal.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray to God according to these same truths. Listen to the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13,
Our Father, who art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy Name
Thy Kingdom Come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven
Give us this day our daily bread, and
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen
Seize the moment and pray in this way every day as you grow in God’s sovereign grace and seek His will in your daily life.
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Seize the Moment – Day 408
Deep Roots in the Promises of God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, April 29.
Do you have deep roots in the promises of God?
Abraham’s wife Sarah passed away at the beginning of Genesis 23. In verse 2, it is recorded, “Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.”
The rest of the chapter is about a real estate transaction for her burial site in the promised land (verse 3-20). The story focuses more on the negotiations for the purchase of land than on the death and burial itself. Why?
Because there was no going back! Abraham was purchasing the family burial plot in the promise land of Canaan, rather than going back to where they came from. In the face of death, Abraham was literally planting their roots deeply into the promises of God by placing his wife into the Promise Land itself.
This was a loud statement of faith!
This real estate transaction was a big deal! That is why the chapter is bookended by statements of geographical location. Genesis 23:19-20 ends the chapter, “After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field at Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave that is in it, were deeded over to Abraham for a burial site by the sons of Heth.”
Upon Sarah’s death, Abraham was declaring to Isaac and to all successive generations that God’s promise of this land had been secured—this land is God’s land by His promise and now God’s people through Abraham and Sarah have a foothold in it through this legal transaction and the burial of the matriarch in the land itself.
Seize the moment and stake your claim in the promises of God! It may not be through a real estate transaction, but how does your lifestyle today plant seeds and how does your estate plans for the future declare your deep roots in the promises of God to your future generations?
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Seize the Moment – Day 407
The Life of Sacrifice!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, April 28.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to let go of an important relationship and entrust it to God? What did it feel like to make that sacrifice?
Genesis 22:15-18 describes God’s reward to Abraham for his faithfulness to let go of his most prized person, his son Isaac, the unique child of promise:
Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
While this ancient story has much in it that is confusing and upsetting to our modern sensibilities, the emphasis of the story is on God’s faithfulness to provide for His promise and for His people to trust Him, no matter what is asked of us.
The life of sacrifice can feel confusing and upsetting when we begin it, but as you learn to trust God, you truly learn of His faithfulness! It is not until you are willing to follow Jesus and obey Him that you learn of the greater rewards of the life of sacrifice.
Jesus invites you from Mark 8:34-35, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
Seize the moment and trust God with whatever it is you are clinging to. There are great blessings in a life of sacrifice.
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Seize the Moment – Day 406
A Child of Promise!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, April 27.
Did you know that every believer in Jesus Christ is a child of the promise of God?
Genesis 21:1-3 begins the story of what it means to be a child of promise:
Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
The ancient story of Abraham’s son Isaac and his half-brother Ishmael is used to describe who Christians become because of the work of the Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. In Galatians 4:28, Paul contrasts being a child of promise and being a child of the flesh, “And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise” (cf. Romans 9:8).
We become children of promise by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, who grafts us into the family tree of God’s people (Romans 8:15-17; 11:17-24; cf. Galatians 3:29; 1 John 3:1).
We are like Isaac, the children of promise! This is why Jesus Christ came from Heaven to earth, as John taught in John 1:12-13: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
This is what it means to be born again, not of flesh, but of God, in order to be transformed from a child of the flesh to a child of the promise!
Seize the moment and put your faith in Jesus Christ.
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Seize the Moment – Day 405
Honesty is the Best Policy!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, April 26.
Honesty is the best policy!
I think it is safe to say that at some point in all of our lives, we have been in situations where we felt it would easier, if not better, to give a half-truth or an outright lie, than it was to be truthful.
Whether or not this moral dilemma has happened to you more than one time I don’t know, but I do know that the great patriarch of our faith, Father Abraham, was in that situation over and over again in his life. According to Genesis 20:13, Abraham asked Sarah to consistently lie by giving a half-truth about their relationship: “When God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”
Genesis 20 is the second time that Abraham’s policy of deception has caused a problem. Genesis 20:2-3 begins the story, “Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ‘She is my sister.’ So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, ‘Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.’”
There is much in this story that is alien to us because it happened thousands of years ago in an ancient culture with different cultural values and social norms, but what can we learn from it and apply to our lives today?
Honesty is the best policy! Don’t make situations more complicated than they need to be. Bring light to the darkness and walk in the truth, trusting God every step of the way!
Seize the moment and speak the truth in love; be gentle and walk in the light of God’s love as you live in the Way of Jesus through your daily life.
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Live Like a Champion – Week 17
“The Promise of Joy”
John 15:9-17 (NLT)
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.
This Week’s Memory verse: John 15:11:
INTRODUCTION:
Minister and author Samuel D. Gordon says joy is defined as:
“distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing. It is the reverse of happiness. Happiness is the result of what happens of an agreeable sort. Joy has its springs deep down inside. And that spring never runs dry, to matter what happens. Only Jesus gives that joy. He had joy, singing its music within, even under the shadow of the cross.” (from his ‘Quiet Talks’ series of books)
I. I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy Joy Down in My Heart!
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (ESV)
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
~Be Alert
~Be faithful
~Be a mature adult
~Be strong
~Be loving (do all in love…EVERYTHING)
Motivational speaker and author Jim Rohn made this statement regarding love and joy and how they work together:
“Nothing can bring more joy to life than beautifully fulfilling relationships.”
II. The Joy Source
John 15:11
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
But also demonstrates who is our source.
“The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”
“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon
WHY? So it would be a testimony to others who are watching!
III. Is Joy conditional?
“ Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
(ESV) says to “count it all joy…when trials come~grumblings, murmuring, sarcasm?
Shannon, Kenny & Kenton Rose. One of my ‘kids’ in youth group and close with whole family. (Easter 2021)
Her momma wrote: Don’t think for one second that because she is sweet and compassionate that she is weak. Oh No! This girl can break a horse, train a dog, drive a boat, pull a four horse trailer and back it up wherever it needs to go. She can load and unload 50 bales of hay without complaint….She is strong and she is a fighter… She recently received a diagnosis of metastatic cancer in her breast, ovary, and a 5.9cm tumor in the bone of her shoulder. She is currently having a bone scan to see if the cancer has “camped” anywhere else. During this most devastating news, she has maintained her resolve to do whatever it takes to be victorious in this journey.
She has not let this diagnosis steal her joy. She was asked to be a part of a clinical trial study at Duke Cancer Institute that is showing great promise.
Quote from Kenny when I told him our church would be praying: Ken, Thank you buddy! We are giving this to God daily and trusting in him for healing! Thank you for the prayers! I’m believing that this will become a beautiful story to help someone down the road!
They are facing this trial knowing that through it all, God will be glorified.
“And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
Nehemiah was there to encourage the people.
Not to be a ‘Debbie Downer’ or a ‘Negative Nancy’
Recently while listening to KLOVE radio, the hosts of the afternoon show were talking about having a good time, laughing and enjoying time together when someone came in and they were in a bad mood. They had a choice to let that person influence them, or they could try to encourage and boost the spirits of that person.
“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
CONCLUSION:
God’s Word tells us in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from His love, but He still gives us the choice in what we are going to do with it. What are you going to choose to do with it?
We are told that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45), so are your words reflecting His love for Him and for others?
Child’s song: Jesus and Others and You
“J” is for Jesus for He has first place, “O” is for others you meet face to face,
“Y” is for you, in whatever you do, Put your self third and spell JOY.
In this self-centered, me first, and what’s in it for me world we live in, it is our job to shine the light of God’s love and joy. They have to see the hope, the grace and the mercy that flows out of God’s love. And it must be shown in the way we live our lives. We can say it all we want, but unless we show it in our actions, all we are is noise makers.
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
So as the worship team comes, we are going to open up the altars.
- Maybe you have lost your joy. Jesus wants to meet you here and restore the joy of your salvation (process we have to work on daily…justification, sanctification, glorification)
- Maybe you are feeling weak from all the things the world has been throwing at you lately. Jesus wants to meet you here and let you know that His Joy will be your strength as you cast all your cares on Him.
- Maybe the devil has put a cork in your fountain of joy by filling your mind with distractions and lies. Jesus wants you to let go and let God do the work in you!
“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”
He is calling forth a team to go out and share this message of joy that this world so desperately needs!
You can listen to the message here:
You can watch the message by clicking HERE.
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Seize the Moment – Day 403
Today’s hymn focus will be “Joy in Serving Jesus”
Psalm 100:1-2 (ESV)
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!”
Rev. Dr. Oswald J Smith was the pastor of the People’s Church in Toronto, Canada. The hymn began as a personal testimony, expressing the joy he experienced in serving Jesus. He wrote, “In spite of burdens and heartaches, in spite of challenges and difficulties, it should be our great delight to serve the King of kings.” He collaborated with B.D. Ackley in writing nearly a hundred songs. When this one was published in 1931, Ackley wrote back to Pastor Smith “I have a hunch this one is a winner!” and he was right!
Pastor Smith wrote:
There is joy in serving Jesus, as I journey on my way, joy that fills my heart with praises,
every hour of every day.
There is joy, joy, joy in serving Jesus, Joy that throbs within my heart
Every moment, every hour, As I draw upon His power, there is joy, joy
Joy that never shall depart.
We need to wake up and realize that joy is not a product of our circumstances. Joy is a product of our relationship with Jesus. Focus more time and energy on that relationship and ask him to restore the joy of sharing His love and His Word with others today!
YOUTUBE:
As I journey on my way,
Joy that fills the heart with praises,
Ev’ry hour and ev’ry day.
There is joy, joy,
Joy in serving Jesus,
Joy that throbs within my heart;
Ev’ry moment, ev’ry hour,
As I draw upon His power,
There is joy, joy,
Joy that never shall depart.
Joy that triumphs over pain,
Fills my soul with heaven’s music,
Till I join the glad refrain. [Refrain]
As I walk alone with God.
‘Tis the joy of Christ, my Savior,
Who the path of suffering trod. [Refrain]
Joy amid the darkest night,
For I’ve learned the wondrous secret,
And I’m walking in the light. [Refrain]
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Seize the Moment – Day 402
The Lord’s Compassionate Rescue!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, April 23.
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 is the classic judgment story! It is a hard story for modern people to comprehend, but as you read the story in Genesis 18:17 – 19:29, you will see that even in the pouring out of His wrath, God is compassionate.
Listen to God’s rescue of Lot in Genesis 19:15-16,
When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.
God sent His messengers to rescue Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family from the impending destruction. This is not the first time Lot had gotten himself into a bind because of his desire to live in Sodom. The Lord was compassionate both times, the first time through Abram’s rescue of him and the second time through angelic intervention.
Yet, even so, Lot hesitated to accept God’s rescue, just like so many people in Jesus’ day through today have hesitated to accept God’s compassionate rescue through Jesus Christ.
As Jesus prepared His disciples to live on mission, Jesus referenced this judgment story in Matthew 10:14-15, “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city” (cf. Matthew 11:20-24).
Jesus is God’s compassionate rescue from the coming wrath.
Seize the moment and turn to God today. Put your faith in Jesus, “who rescues us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
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Seize the Moment – Day 401
The Son of Laughter!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, April 22.
Have you ever been so surprised by God’s goodness and grace in your life that you laughed?
Not the laughter of a scoffer, but the laughter of amazement—the laughter that says, “Wow! Go God!”
Listen to one of the matriarchs of our faith laugh in Genesis 18:10-14,
He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ “Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
But Sarah wasn’t the only one to laugh. Abraham actually fell on his face and laughed for the same reason in Genesis 17:17. And in response to his laugh, God commanded them to name their son Isaac, which means, “he laughs” (Genesis 17:19).
I love that when God heard them laugh at the audacity of His promise He had them name their son a name that would remind them of His awesomeness! We all need reminders in our lives!
I recently heard a mom say to me that every time she looks at her baby, she thinks of Jesus!
What are some of God’s reminders to you that He has placed in your life to demonstrate how much bigger He is than our problems or our solutions?
Never forget Jesus’ words from Luke 18:27, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”
Seize the moment and believe God for the impossible.
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Seize the Moment – Day 400
The Power of a New Name!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, April 21.
Have you ever noticed how often people’s names are changed in the Bible?
In the New Testament, we see Jesus changing the fisherman Simon’s name to Peter when Jesus invited him to become His follower (John 1:42). When God gives someone a special task to do, He doesn’t want anything to stand in their way, even a name.
There is power in a name. Sometimes keeping an old name can keep a person caught up in the old life and sometimes receiving a new name can free a person to fulfill God’s purposes for his or her life. This is what was happening in Genesis 17.
First, God changes Abram’s name in Genesis 17:3-5,
Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.
Second, God changes Sarai’s name in Genesis 17:15-16, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
Is there anything standing in the way of you fulfilling God’s purposes for your life?
Seize the moment and walk in the new name of Christian. Jesus has placed His name on your life. May your life and legacy lift up the name of Jesus, the name above all names and the only name by which anyone can be saved.
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