Seize the Moment – Day 1355
Today’s song focus will be
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Matthew 2:6 (NASB95)
“‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
Written in 1868 by Phillips Brooks, it was originally created as a Christmas hymn for the Sunday School Children at Holy Trinity Church, after he had taken a pilgrimage on horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. Louise H. Redner wrote the music for this song, a simple melody inspired by God late in the night just before the Christmas Eve service.
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie;
above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
We need to wake up and see that this song not only beautifully describes the little town asleep in that December night, but according to British Hymnologist J.R. Watson, “gracefully modulates from a description of Christmas into an examination of the meaning of Christmas; first in its encouragement of charity and faith, and then into the coming of Christ into the human heart.”
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.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1354
The Intoxication of Love!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, December 1.
The Song of Solomon, also called the Song of Songs, is about the love between a man and woman.[1] This masterful song begins during the couple’s courtship, climaxes in their marriage, and blossoms in the sacredness of marital intimacy. Different church traditions, at different times throughout church history, have preferred a less literal interpretation of this book, attempting to avoid its explicitly sexual nature by allegorizing it to symbolize the love relationship between Jesus and His church. While I believe it should be taken at face value, as a poetic celebration of the love relationship between a man and woman, as God intended it to blossom through biblical marriage, I do believe that the marriage union, in and of itself, is intended to symbolize something greater. As Paul concluded in his teaching on Christian marriage in Ephesians 5:32, “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.”
Solomon captures the intoxication of new love, such as has been described by the poets and song writers of every generation. The intoxication of love is a universal experience because it is a good gift from God, built into our design as men and women. The opening lines, Song of Solomon 1:1-2, illustrate their passionate pursuit of love in one another’s embrace, “The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine.” Have you ever been drunk on love, intoxicated by the all-consuming embrace of another? Have you ever lost sight of everything else in your life as you gazed into the person’s eyes? This is the kind of love that Solomon was describing in his song – a passionate all-consuming love. Does it excite you to think of such a love?
Seize the moment and trust God for His gift of love – drink deeply of it in your marriage today.
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.
FOOTNOTE:
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1353
Life Beyond the Sun!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, November 30.
There is a purpose for your life, and to understand it, you must return to the beginning of the big story of God and His creative intent in making humanity – “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). When we understand this, then we realize that we will not be satisfied with any vain conceit or selfish ambition under the sun, only with the fulfillment of our created design. You were redeemed to reflect the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).
The Preacher’s conclusion sought to understand the purpose of life when confronted with the futility of all things under the sun. In Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, he gave us a profound truth that is the key to not only understanding his book, but the meaning of life, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” The Moody Bible Commentary summarizes about the Preacher’s conclusion:
As image bearers, to fear and obey God is at the core of what it means to be human. … But if that is not enough, the narrator then gave a second, more negative reason: God’s final judgment (v. 14). … Only the fool would not fear and obey Him. Ultimately then the only place to find meaning in this meaningless life under the sun is in the One who is beyond life under the sun: God Himself.[1]
Seize the moment and live life beyond the sun by reflecting the glory of the Son, who is the eternal light by which all God’s children will dwell forever – “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23).
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.
FOOTNOTE:
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1352
Reap a Harvest of Praise!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, November 29.
I have had the privilege of living amongst farmers for the last fourteen years; they are a hardworking people of great faith. Every citizen of every nation should give thanks to God for our farmers. They labor according to the faithful strategy of all hardworking farmers, by which they hope to produce a large crop yield:
- Cultivate the soil.
- Sow the good seed.
- Care for the maturing plant.
- Reap a harvest.[1]
Faithful farmers work hard in every step of this strategy, but they know that it is only by God’s activity that they can produce any crop yield from their efforts. They intimately understand the Preacher’s admonition from Ecclesiastes 11:3-6:
If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.
In the same way, we are to work hard at bearing the eternal fruit of God’s harvest, knowing that it is God at work in us through His Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence (John 15:1-5; Philippians 2:12-13).
Seize the moment and reap a harvest of praise to God – “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:10-11).
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.
FOOTNOTE:
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1351
Hone Your Skills!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, November 28.
If you look both ways before you cross the street, you will not get hit by a car. If you don’t back a dog into a corner, you will not get bit. If you work hard, you will get a good return for your efforts. Unfortunately, these axioms are not true all the time. There are no guarantees in life, even when you apply wisdom to it. Life happens because that is the reality of living under the sun. The Preacher emphasized this predicament in Ecclesiastes 10:8-10:
He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
Even though you and I aren’t in control of all outcomes, as only God knows how something will turn out, we are invited to hone our skills for godly living. We are to apply wisdom to all that we do because there are inherent dangers in all tasks under the sun. Whether working in landscaping, building, quarrying, or logging, the key is to apply wisdom by honing the skills of your chosen trade, just like a logger must sharpen his axe if he hopes to be effective.
Jesus is calling you to represent Him as a “minister of reconciliation,” as an “ambassador for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). Your vocation, regardless of your occupation, is to be Christ-like, in word and deed. There’s only one way to be successful in this work: get in His easy yoke and learn from Him how to be like Him (Matthew 11:28-30).
Seize the moment and hone your skills for godly living; sharpen your axe by being with Him!
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.
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1350
Work for God’s Reward!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, November 27.
Have you ever been skipped over for a promotion, turned down for a job, or overlooked at a time of recognition? I have experienced this bitter disappointment, but I have learned that we must not allow ourselves to be consumed by a need for other people’s approval. Such a compulsion will lead you out of the way of Jesus, and into the path of people pleasing.
Wisdom will not always be rewarded in this life. Therefore, your motivation to be wise and live righteously must go beyond your desire for financial compensations, personal successes, or social notorieties. In Ecclesiastes 9:14-18, the Preacher tells a story that points to the power of wisdom, while also capturing its lack of reward under the sun:
There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded. The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
A wise person is compelled to live for a greater glory (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Paul commanded in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Seize the moment and work for God’s reward! Live for the applause of Jesus’ nail-scarred hands, not for the approval of man (Galatians 1:10).
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.
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1348
Today’s song focus will be
Give Thanks to God
Psalm 136:1 (NASB95)
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
Co-written with his good friend Allan McKinlay, Peter Crockett wanted to write a song that would reflect the liturgical writing of Psalm 136 that could be spontaneously sung, or spoken or prayed. It was his plan to bring the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers into the congregational time of worship in song.
He sent his Son to die and rise again to save us His never ending love is steadfast and sure
He’s broken our chains and given us freedom
Give thanks to God, for he is good.
We need to wake up and remember that each of us are to enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts by thanking Him for specific situations and things He has done in our lives.
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.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
Give Thanks to God
In Him we are alive and have joy everlasting. His never ending love is steadfast and sure
He casts out all fear and fills us with courage. Give thanks to God for He is good
The Lord is our refuge when trouble surrounds us. Give thanks to God for He is good
Give thanks to God for He is good
He’s always pouring out His abundant provision. His never ending love is steadfast and sure
For the depths of His riches and incredible wisdom. Give thanks to God for He is good
Give thanks to God for He is good
Always good. Always good to me
Always good. Always good to me
©2017 BEC Worship Written by Allan McKinlay, Peter Crockett CCLI# 7065012
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1347
Surrender!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, November 24.
There is much in life that you and I cannot control. How does that make you feel? The problem is, if you refuse to believe this, you will seek to be powerful in an all-consuming effort to protect yourself from that which you perceive threatens you, or those you love. You will do what is right in your own eyes, and, eventually, all your effort will be in vain, a chasing after the wind. The Preacher knew this human predicament, explaining in Ecclesiastes 8:6-8:
For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him. If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and evil will not deliver those who practice it.
There is a remedy, and, surprisingly, it is not trying harder to be in control. It’s surrendering all to a God who is Sovereign, who knows all your tomorrows. James 4:13-16 explains how we should approach each day:
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
The more success you experience by your own strength, the more enslaved you become to your own frailty. This run-around will fail you in the end, as we all must face death one day.
Seize the moment and surrender your lack of control by choosing to trust God in all circumstances!
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.
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1346
Soften Your Heart!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, November 23.
I am honored to preside over wedding ceremonies; they are fun-filled joyful occasions. Moreso, I’m privileged to conduct the premarital counseling in preparation for the big day. My greatest hope is to influence the couple for eternity through the marriage preparation process. With that said, I have a confession to make, I prefer to officiate funerals. Before you stop reading, hear me out. People are more open to God, and hearing about spiritual realities, when they are confronted with their own mortality by the pain of grief. While I feel honored to serve a family for whatever occasion they call upon me, I have found that people, in general, are far more receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ in times of sorrow, as compared to times of celebration. The Preacher explained this phenomenon in Ecclesiasts 7:2-5:
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy. The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure. It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man than for one to listen to the song of fools.
We are a culture that strives to emotionally insulate ourselves from pain and suffering, especially by avoiding death and dying. In doing so, we are hardening our hearts to the urgency of spiritual realities and decreasing our capacities to respond to God’s mercy and grace. Embrace grief; it opens a part of your soul that is normally closed off by the hustle and bustle of everyday 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.
Read more...