Table of Blessings 2023
Host: Pastor Ken Durham
Matt and Emily Hurst (2:08)
“No future bliss can make up for it,”
not knowing that Heaven, once attained,
will work backwards and turn even that agony
into a glory.
Deb Winters (15:36)
Tina Durham (26:08)
Misty Watkins (27:57)
John and Soozi Davisson (35:15)
Ken closes with song and prayer (50:56)
If you would like to watch just the sharing portion of our service, Click HERE.
If you would like to watch the entire service including music, click HERE.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1345
Live for Eternity!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, November 22.
In the last week, I have preached three times in the New Castle Correctional Facility. There are 3,200 souls living behind bars there, each of whom has learned, or is learning, the extraordinary worth of a single day under the sun. What’s it going to take for you to realize the supreme value of the gift of today? Are you going to seize the moment by living for eternity today?
The prison chapel was packed and many of the men were leaning forward in their seats as I unpacked the power of the opening phrase of Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God.” After proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to them, I asked, “How are you going to respond to God’s mercies?” There is a purpose for this life that goes beyond your desire to maximize pleasure, comfort, and ease, and that purpose carries eternal implications, as Hebrews 9:27 mercifully warns, “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”
Where will you be after your time under the sun is gone? In Ecclesiastes 6:12, the Preacher expresses the urgency of our shortened life spans, “For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?” The days are short, but eternity is so very long!
Jesus teaches us to invest our fleeting days wisely, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
Seize the moment and live for eternity! You are guaranteed a great return on your investment.
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.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1344
Keep Your Promises!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, November 21.
Do you struggle with overcommitting your schedule or your money? Do you go back on previous commitments to take advantage of new opportunities that appear to be better to you? Are you struggling with FOMO – the fear of missing out? Jesus commanded in Matthew 5:37, “Let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” In Ecclesiasts 5:4-7, the Preacher teaches the importance of not breaking your promises to God:
When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands? For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.
Be warned about making rash vows to God because of the excitement of the moment. Be cautious about saying you will do something to another person, only to learn that you can’t keep that commitment and go back on your word. I have done this, often with pure motives and sincere excitement at first, only to experience the consequences of a broken relationship. It’s better to not make the commitment in the first place. Overcommitting your calendar or checkbook, even with well-intentioned opportunities, hinders the work of God within you because you are not able to let your yes be yes, and your no be no. It is best to live a quiet life filled with integrity, than an overcommitted life filled with broken relationships.
Seize the moment and experience the joy of missing out (JOMO) by keeping your promises to God and others.
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.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1343
Invest in Friendship!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, November 20.
Friendships are an integral part of life. It’s important to invest in friends because no one can experience human flourishing apart from friendship. God designed us this way – to love and be loved. Sorry, I know it’s hard, but there are no exceptions to this rule. None of us plan on receiving a cancer diagnosis, or losing our loved one in an accident, or experiencing the devastation of a house fire, but in all three cases, having friends walk with us through the valley of the shadow is essential. We need friends! Often in difficult times, we want to push people away from us, but a friend will stick closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Solomon expresses the importance of having trustworthy friends in your life:
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Do you have people who know you and will check on you when you don’t show up to school, work, or church? Can you name a single person who has permission to look you in your eyes and hold you accountable to your decisions? Without you biting his or her head off? If you don’t have a friend like this, then I encourage you to start praying for one to two people to come into your life. Make this a priority. The best way to find such friends is to be one!
Seize the moment and invest in friendship by being a good friend 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.
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Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk 29
Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!
Reap a Harvest of Praise!
(Part 2 of 2 of Series Conclusion)
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB)
The full title of today’s sermon is, “Reap a harvest through the faithful strategy of a hardworking farmer.” Today, I am finishing our 2023 sermon series called, “Grow Strong in God’s Grace: Learning How to be a Faithful Famer for God’s Harvest!” Allow me to continue the conclusion of this sermon series, which I began on October 22. Listen to the poem, “How Great the Yield from a Fertile Field”:[1]
The farmer ploughs through the fields of green
And the blade of the plough is sharp and keen,
But the seed must be sown to bring forth grain.
For nothing is born without suffering and pain.
And God never ploughs in the soul of man
Without intention and purpose and plan,
So whenever you feel the plough’s sharp blade
Let not your heart be sorely afraid.
For, like the farmer, God chooses a field
From which He expects an excellent yield –
So rejoice though your heart is broken in two.
God seeks to bring forth a rich harvest in you.
How true this poem is, in each of our lives – “God never ploughs in the soul of man without intention and purpose and plan, so whenever you feel the plough’s sharp blade let not your heart be sorely afraid.” God’s intent for your life is that you would reap a harvest of praise to His glory. To participate with God’s work in us, we must follow the faithful strategy of the hardworking farmer. Paul taught in Philippians 2:12-13, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” God is at work in us through His Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence. Hope in God’s work for us, and in us, is the key ingredient when following the four steps that every hard-working farmer must follow to experience a large crop yield:
- Cultivate the soil.
- Sow the good seed.
- Care for the maturing plant.
- Reap a harvest.
To be a fruit-bearing branch, we must maintain our focus on Jesus Christ, the vine through which all the life-giving nourishment of the Holy Spirit flows, as Jesus testified in John 15:1-5:
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
As hardworking farmers, abide in Jesus and He will bear much fruit upon your branch! As C. H. Spurgeon preached in 1871, “Preaching is sowing, prayer is watering, but praise is the harvest.”[2] It is my desire to see First Baptist Church of New Castle, Indiana witness a large crop yield of praise to the glory of God. That we will be an epicenter of revival. Until all worship, let us continue to be faithful to the Lord of the Harvest and respond to His call upon our lives to be hard-working farmers!
As we learned in part 1 of the conclusion, the faith stories of God’s people summarized in Hebrews 11 inform our lives and our lifestyles by calling us to live according to Hebrews 12:1-3:
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Let’s take a couple of minutes to review Hebrew 11, and the lessons from the transforming stories of faith we have learned this year. Learn from these men and women of faith how you can be a witness to the transforming power of faith in your life. This is the faith we get to live when we are set free from sin to live with our eyes on Jesus:
- a faith, which pleases God.
- a faith, which gives substance to your life.
- a faith, which trusts God’s promises.
- a faith, which bears fruit.
- a faith, which passes the test.
- a faith, which blesses the next generation.
- a faith, which gives us a limp.
- a faith, which lifts us out of the pits.
- a faith, which makes us humble.
- a faith, which toots God’s horn.
- a faith, which saves the day.
- a faith, which takes God at His Word.
- a faith, which invites partnership.
- a faith, which invites us to be weak.
- a faith, which overcomes obstacles.
- a faith, which demonstrates God’s own heart.
- a faith, which listens and obeys.
- a faith, which calls people home.
If you minimize the Bible to a moralistic rule book filled with one-dimensional people, then you miss God’s extravagant love and scandalous grace. If you miss love and grace, then you miss Jesus, who is the only way to know the Father (John 14:6). Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that you can make a good human effort at living according to the Ten Commandments, doing and saying all the right things by your own strength. Jesus did not die on the cross so that you can go around living a good moralistic life and be filled with pride and self-righteousness. Jesus died on the cross so that you could be free from sin to love others as God first loved you; not to earn anything, but from the fertile field of a transformed heart.
Working hard, like a faithful farmer, we are to strive to be like Him and like those who have come before us to show us the way of faith – the great cloud of witnesses. Jesus gives us our right standing by grace – a relationship with God that comes with the responsibilities of righteousness. As Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This is our calling; we have been made new by His love to join with Jesus in His ministry of love to reconcile all people to Him. Listen to Paul explain this in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Does your life tell the story of Jesus Christ and how He is seeking to transform stories through His gospel of love and grace? You are being invited into the next class of the great cloud of witnesses. Until the Day you are inducted into the great cloud of witnesses and join with the saints that we have learned about in this sermon series, you are called to “not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3). No matter the struggle, and the fight is real, we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, just as He told a better story with His life and death – “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
When all our stories point to Jesus Christ as the main character of each of our stories, then we will find unity in the body of Christ, and each of us will mature so that the entire body will be built up on love (Ephesians 4:11-16). Jesus is the only Hero of this story! Paul testified to this in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, and I conclude with this appeal:
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field….
Today, God is calling to you, choosing you, extending His love to you. Trust Him today and experience the joy of why Christ endured the cross and despised the shame. For the joy set before you, live strong in God’s grace and reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God. Never forget, that what we do in this life is a witness to what Christ did to give us the life we live, once for all.
What does your transforming story of faith look like? Jesus is interceding for you at the right hand of the Father, so do not grow weary and do not lose heart. Go from this place telling a better story, His Story, the transforming story of God’s grace, and together we will see our communities thriving to the glory of God!
If you would like to watch Pastor Jerry present this message, Click HERE.
If you would like to watch the entire service including music, click HERE.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Written by Helen Stiner Rice. This poem was reproduced from the memorial folder for Avon Dwight “Scotty” Scott, an Indiana dairy farmer (February 5, 1929 – October 28, 2023). His daughter, Delora Hartsock, found this poem in his hymnal along with instructions for his funeral. I had the honor of doing his services on Saturday, November 4; he was a faithful follower of Jesus and a Korean War veteran.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1341
Today’s song focus will be
Grace into Gardens
Psalm 30:11-12 (NASB95)
“You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.”
The title track to Elevation Worship’s eighth album, this song was written by Chris Brown, Tiffany Hammer, Brandon Lake and Pastor Steven Furtick in 2019. Inspired by a sermon from Steve about the ongoing influence of the prophet Elisha, even after his death. Chris stated: “…God is still in the business of bringing dead things back to life. If we’ll trust God even with the seemingly dead areas of our lives, if we’ll believe in the power of God, …nothing is wasted. Nothing is over. God can turn any situation around.”
Oh there’s nothing better than You,
There’s nothing better than YouLord, there’s nothing Nothing is better than You.
We need to wake up and proclaim our faith in praise into the face of fear and doubt that there is nothing better than the Lord our God. He brings love, life, hope, grace and peace to each and every situation 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:
Grace into Gardens
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Seize the Moment – Day 1340
Enjoy the Gift of Life!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, November 17.
Are you enjoying the gift of life that God has entrusted to you? After penning one of the most meaningful poems about time (1-8), Solomon concluded about God’s gift of time, in Ecclesiastes 3:11-14:
He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor – it is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.
Go ahead and enjoy the life you have been given, as it is the gift of God for you to be able to do so, but realize that there is more to life than eating and drinking. If today were your last day on Earth, how would you use the time you have, and where would you be for eternity after the day ended? God has intentionally placed a God-sized hole in your heart so that nothing you pursue in this life will satisfy you until you are satiated in Him alone. It is amazing that no matter how much enjoyment you ring out of life, you are still left with a profound sense that you’re missing something vital. God did this intentionally!
Seize the moment and enjoy the gift of life that has been entrusted to you by God, but be sure to accept the indescribable gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, so that you may experience joy forevermore (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 9:15; Psalm 16:11).
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.
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