Seize the Moment – Day 417
Today’s hymn focus will be “My Savior’s Love”
Galatians 2:20 (NLT)
“ My old self has been crucified with Christ.[a] It is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me.
Today’s hymn is also known by the titles “I Stand Amazed” and “How Marvelous” and was written and composed by Charles Gabriel. Born in Iowa in 1856, from a young age he showed a talent and love for music. While he had no formal training in music, he was requested by his pastor to help him find a song to go along with his message. By the end of the week, he had written the words and composed the music for that song.
As you read the lyrics, you can imagine how the passion for Christ that is found in the Gospels vividly revealed itself to him as he penned the lyrics of this hymn.
I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene
And wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned, unclean
How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be!
How marvelous! How wonderful! Is my Savior’s love for me!
We need to wake up and realize that the Love that God demonstrated to us through the giving of His Son is far deeper than any source that we can ever find. God’s amazing love is marvelous and wonderful!
YOUTUBE:
My Savior’s Love
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how he could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.
How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be;
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!
He prayed, “Not my will, but thine;”
He had no tears for his own griefs,
But sweat drops of blood for mine.
He made them his very own;
He bore the burden to Calv’ry,
And suffered and died alone.
His face I at last shall see,
‘Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of his love for me.
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Seize the Moment – Day 416
Your Sordid Story for His Sovereign Glory!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, May 7.
The story of Jacob continues in Genesis 29. Rebekah sent her son away to protect him from Esau, but he went from the frying pan to the fire as Rebekah’s brother Laban takes over where she left off with the scheming.
Jacob falls in love with Laban’s daughter, Rachel. Yes, she is his cousin. Don’t judge them too harshly as this was very common at that time and place. The real scandal is that after Laban agreed to give Rachel, his youngest daughter, to Jacob in an arranged marriage for seven years of Jacob’s labors, Laban tricked him and gave him Leah on his wedding night. He didn’t realize it until it was too late and Jacob was now married to the wrong woman.
Jacob got a taste of his own trickery. Can’t you hear Isaac laughing all the way back in the promised land? I digress…
Jacob then agrees to work another seven years to receive Rachel as his bride.
If that isn’t enough of a soap opera for you, this scandal is just heating up as Rachel and Leah start competing with one another on who can produce the most children.
Where was God in this story? Listen to Genesis 29:30-31, “Indeed [Jacob] loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years. Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”
This chapter ends with Leah conceiving four sons for Jacob—the first four tribes of Israel! What a scandal of God’s grace!
In Genesis 30, the scandal will only intensify as these sisters pull a play from Abraham and Sarah’s playbook and each of their handmaids are thrown in the mix. Hollywood has nothing on this story!
Seize the moment and walk in the mercy of God’s grace upon your story. No matter the details of your life, God can use your sordid story for His sovereign glory.
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Seize the Moment – Day 415
Trust God to Keep His Word!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, May 6.
Have you ever wondered what motivates people to do what they do?
In a previous episode of the patriarch’s soap opera, we watched Isaac unknowingly bless Jacob because of Rebekah’s plot of deception to put her favored son ahead of Esau. They were discovered quickly and Esau was very angry at Jacob, dangerously so.
When confronted, would their mother change her ways of plotting and deceiving?
Rebekah doesn’t, rather, she protected Jacob from his angry brother by sending him off to find a wife back in her homeland, far away from danger.
The episode ends with a smile on Rebekah’s face as Isaac blesses Jacob before he departs. From Genesis 28:3-4,
May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.
In Rebekah’s eyes, her mission was accomplished! What was her motivation to do this?
A flashback scene from Rebekah’s difficult pregnancy gives us the answer to this question. She was in great turmoil and inquired of the Lord in Genesis 25:23, “The Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger.’”
Rebekah was motivated by God’s prophecy that Jacob would rule over Esau and worked to see the Word of God fulfilled in her family. Her meddling and deception was motivated by a noble desire to see God’s will fulfilled, but what a mess she caused in trying to help God do His job.
Seize the moment and trust God to keep His Word in His time and in His ways.
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Seize the Moment – Day 414
The Importance of Giving a Blessing!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, May 5.
Have you ever been prayed over by a parent or by a parent-figure in your life? Have you ever been in the position of authority over someone and prayed a blessing over them?
There is power in giving and receiving a blessing! Listen to Isaac bless his son Jacob in Genesis 27:27-29,
So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed; now may God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and an abundance of grain and new wine; may peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; be master of your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you.”
While this is a sordid story, there is something of great value that we can learn from it—the importance of giving a blessing!
A blessing, simple stated, is the giving of God’s favor. Here are three components of a blessing from Isaac’s blessing of Jacob:
- Use appropriate physical touch. As simple as a handshake, when it is appropriate and agreed upon by the other person, there is power in physical touch.
- Pray specific words of blessing over the person. Don’t just pray well-worn statements over them, but specifically apply the Word of God to the person and his/her life.
- Declare a hopeful future over the person. God is for us and our blessings should reflect God’s love for the person and His favor for their future. Be a hope-bearer in their life!
Seize the moment and be a person of blessing. Take time today to call someone or visit someone and give them this gift of faith, hope, and love.
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Seize the Moment – Day 413
When the Forecast is Dire, Faith Gives us Hope!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, May 4.
The situation has become dire for God’s people as a famine has come upon the Promised Land. The new and inexperienced family leader, Isaac, was feeling the heavy weight of responsibility ever since his father Abraham had died. He needs clear instructions on what to do so that his wife and twin boys—Jacob and Esau—won’t perish in the desperate days of famine.
Will God keep His promise to Isaac and his family?
The Lord both reassures and commands Isaac in Genesis 26:3, “Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham.”
From his time with God, Isaac trusts God and makes a go at it. It takes great courage to live out your faith and trust God for your family and future in such a heavy circumstance.
While the forecast looked desperate, his faith kept him hopeful. He trusted God’s Word!
Listen to how Isaac responds to God’s great provision in Genesis 26:25, “So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.”
Isaac worshipped the Lord by building an altar to worship God and to remember God’s power and provision to keep His promises. When we are faced with a dire forecast and finding it difficult to trust the promises of God, remember how God has come through for you and your family time and time again in the past. He will do so, again and again, in the future.
Seize the moment and trust God’s power and provision for you and your family.
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Seize the Moment – Day 412
Comfort in Grieving!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, May 3.
As many of you know, I officiate and participate in a lot of funerals. It is a part of my calling to provide pastoral care for the congregation and as an outreach ministry to the community. What a joy it is to give people hope in a time of such grief and sorrow.
There is a powerful sentence about Abraham’s death in Genesis 25:8 that deeply struck me this morning, especially as a I prepare the message for Donna Jarvis’ funeral this afternoon: “Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.”
God blessed Abraham with a long fruitful life and then he was gathered with the saints who had gone to be with God before him. What else could we ask for?
Psalm 116:15 proclaims, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.”
Revelation 14:13 declares, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!”
One of the great gifts of our faith in Jesus Christ, is the peace God’s presence gives us in the face of life’s trials and temptations, to include the trial of dying and as we or our loved ones face death. The Lord has not only given us a heavenly peace, but also a certain assurance that we will join with Jesus in His resurrection; that the death of this body does not have the final word!
Jesus said in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Seize the moment and believe in Jesus Christ. Because He lives, you can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone.
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Live Like a Champion – Week 18
The Promise of Being Discipled
Mark 1:17 (NAS95)
In this sermon series, we are learning how to live like a champion by learning how to live according to the victory of the promises of God. Our guiding image for this series is being a member of an NFL team who wins the Superbowl. We live like champions so that others will come to know the One who gave us His Victory—Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again!
“And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’”
You are invited!
Everything pertaining to life and godliness, to wholeness and holiness, comes down to hearing this invitation. Not just a once-upon-a-time invitation commonly called justification or being saved, but the every-day-every-moment invitations which are the call of the Spirit for our sanctification.
Our responsibility is to listen for the call of Jesus to “Follow Me” and then respond with integrity.
The promise of being discipled is a promise that you never again have to do life by yourself. Jesus is inviting you to do life with Him, for eternity, which, oh by the way, includes every day of this life.
You are invited!
The life of a Christian is a lifestyle defined and determined by the response to this invitation—an invitation that is ongoing in the Christian’s life. Salvation is an all-encompassing reality—it may begin with your initial acceptance of this invitation and end with the fulfillment of it, but it also shapes your daily life.
Are you hearing God’s invitations in your everyday life to follow Him and become like Him in everything you do?
“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
That is a promise! Salvation is an ongoing work and your part is to respond to the invitation to follow Jesus and trust that He will keep His promises. This is the life of believing God!
“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”
You are to learn all that Jesus Christ wants you to learn because we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)!
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”
You are to do all that Jesus wants you to do because as a fisher of people you are taking on Jesus’ mission to make disciples of all nations—His ambassador; His witness; His light in the darkness!
The promise of being discipled is the promise of becoming like Jesus Christ in your very character—gentle and humble in heart—and conformed to His Image as God intended you from the beginning. Paul said in Romans 8:29-30, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
You are to become all Jesus wants you to be! You are a redeemed Image Bearer of God!
The promise of being discipled is the promise of the Holy Spirit producing fruit on your branch and demonstrating to the world that you are His and represent Him. Jesus said in John 15:8-11,
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
You are the dwelling place of God on this earth—a temple of the Holy Spirit—and a holy priesthood mediating God’s presence. Until He makes all things new, you are His new creation upon this earth.
All of these are the promises of being discipled—the work of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
With all of these promises of God, you only have one calling—one praxis that you are responsible for in this great exchange! We call it living by faith!
“His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence”
Now that you know what God has promised to do with you and in you and for you, let’s now focus on the invitation of this promise: You are invited to trust God by following Jesus!
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus’ invitations to “Follow Me” and to “Come to Me” are the same call with the same promise of God. The Greek word δεῦτε is a translation of the important Hebrew word הלך (hālakh). For the Jewish people, this Hebrew word took on the meaning of habitually practicing or walking in a certain lifestyle as the way of fulfilling God’s invitation of covenant relationship.
Listen to how this concept is built into the covenant call of Isaiah 2:1-5:
The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths’ [italics added]. For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord [italics added].
Based on Jesus’ word choice, this invitation to “Follow” or “Come” is not a one-time action, but an ongoing journey of following Jesus through the “habitual practice” of His way of life. This is a word the Jewish rabbis used when inviting students to learn their teaching of Torah and walk in their way of fulfilling the Mosaic Law. Jesus was being very intentional in His invitation; He was essentially saying—I am the way!
This was unmistakable to His original audience, which is why Jesus was so controversial! But such nuances are easily missed by us today: Jesus was directly aligning Himself to the ancient promises of Yahweh’s redeemed rule over all nations and the Messiah’s eternal reign over all of God’s creation.
“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
You are invited! Yes, this is an invitation that each of must decide how we will respond once and for all, but it also an invitation for each and every moment of our everyday lives. This is the way!
In Christ’s mind, the mind of God, your invitation to salvation, “Follow Me,” comes with everything you need for life and godliness, wholeness and holiness. It includes your call to not only becoming like Him, but to also partner with Him in the mission of Jesus Christ. Because there is only one invitation, one calling, and it is for each of us to answer. It is the invitation to faith, trusting that He will do the rest so that you can find rest for your soul.
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Seize the Moment – Day 410
Today’s hymn focus will be “I Love to Tell the Story”
Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)
“ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey
all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.”
After her recovery Major General Russell read the poem at the international YMCA convention. It inspired William Doane to take part of it and compose “Tell Me the Old, Old Story” and William G. Fischer took a part and composed our hymn for today:
I love to tell the story! Twill be my theme in glory
To tell the old, old story. Of Jesus and His love.
We need to wake up and realize that it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to share the story of Jesus and His love and help make disciples. We can never grow tired of sharing this message of love and hope.
YOUTUBE:
I Love to Tell the Story
of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true.
It satisfies my longings as nothing else could do.
I love to tell the story,
’twill be my theme in glory,
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.
what seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
the message of salvation from God’s own holy word.
seem hungering and thirsting to hear it, like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
’twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.
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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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