Seize the Moment – Day 1327
Today’s hymn focus will be
Jesus Saves!
John 14:6 (NASB95)
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
It originally sung to the chorus from an opera, but William J Kirkpatrick composed a vibrant melody for the words of her poem to become the song that we sing today.
We have heard the joyful sound – Jesus Saves! Jesus Saves!
Spread the tidings all around – Jesus Saves! Jesus Saves!
We need to wake up and proclaim the message of this song each and every day of our lives, until He calls us home. Don’t keep it a secret, but let it be known that Jesus Saves!
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:
Jesus Saves!
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land,
Climb the steeps and cross the waves;
Onward!—’tis our Lord’s command;
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
2
Waft it on the rolling tide,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Tell to sinners far and wide,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Sing, ye islands of the sea,
Echo back, ye ocean caves;
Earth shall keep her jubilee,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
3
Sing above the battle’s strife,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
By His death and endless life,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Sing it softly thru the gloom,
When the heart for mercy craves,
Sing in triumph o’er the tomb,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
4
Give the winds a mighty voice,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Let the nations now rejoice.
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Shout salvation full and free,
Highest hills and deepest caves,
This our song of victory,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1326
Taste and See that the Lord is Good!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, November 3.
I like to put honey in my coffee; it’s a natural sweetener that has some health benefits to it, especially if you use local honey. I love how Solomon references honey in today’s rich chapter on wise living, instructing his students in Proverbs 24:13-14, “My son, eat honey, for it is good, yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; know that wisdom is thus for your soul; if you find it, then there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” There are health benefits for your soul when you live your life according to the wisdom of God. Life is sweeter when you live with hope for the future.
It appears that Solomon caught his love for honey from his father. David used the same imagery in Psalm 19:9-11, “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” There is a great reward to living your life according to the judgments of the Lord. This is a truth you must learn for yourself.
More important than learning how good honey is from David, Solomon picked up his love for God and His wisdom. More important than trusting me that honey is good in your coffee, test me and see for yourself if spending time with God in prayer, and in studying His Word, is the sweetest of all. Have you cultivated a taste for the goodness of God?
Seize the moment and apply the wisdom of Proverbs 24: taste and see that the Lord is good – spending time with Him is sweeter than honey!
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 1325
Practice Self-Control!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, November 2.
Proverbs 23 provides warnings against overindulgence, which is when a person has too much of something enjoyable. When people think about overindulging, their minds usually go to one of two places: food or drink. Solomon covered both in today’s chapter, starting in Proverbs 23:1-3, “When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are a man of great appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for it is deceptive food.” [emphasis added] While there are two dangerous forces at play here, overindulgence and manipulation, there is one solution for both, practicing self-control. That is what the idiom, to “put a knife to your throat,” means; it is saying that if you are tempted to overindulge, you need to practice self-control, or else you will be easily deceived. Self-control is a sign of wisdom.
While overindulging in tasty food seems pleasurable in the moment, many of us can testify that it is not comfortable for long, often leaving us feeling physical discomfort and emotional regret. The same phenomenon happens when a person overindulges in fine wine, or any alcoholic beverage, especially when doing so in the company of friends, called social drinking. Everything is better with friends, right? Solomon, who has experimented with everything to experience happiness, teaches us the importance of self-control in Proverbs 23:20-21, “Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; for the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe one with rags.” Regardless of whether you are talking about food or drink, the essential ingredient to the life of wisdom is self-control. For the Christian, self-control is a sign of the Holy Spirit at work in you (Galatians 5:22-23).
Seize the moment and apply the wisdom of Proverbs 23: practice self-control in all things, especially anything that threatens to master you (1 Corinthians 6:12-13). Don’t overindulge, “but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
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:
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Seize the Moment – Day 1324
Be a Motivated Learner!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, November 1.
Are you paying attention? What motivates you to stay focused in your devotion time? Since he is beginning a new section of his book, Solomon, like a wise teacher, grabs your attention with some incentives in Proverbs 22:17-21:
Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge; for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, that they may be ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have taught you today, even you. Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge, to make you know the certainty of the words of truth that you may correctly answer him who sent you?
Solomon knows that it’s easy to get distracted when reading (or listening) to verse after verse of wisdom sayings, so twenty-two chapters into his thirty-one-chapter book, he refocuses his students on why they should pay attention. This is important because the crucial ingredient to effective learning is motivation. A motivated learner has found a reason to remain focused on the instruction of their teacher. The promise of something better keeps us motivated to learn and grow. Solomon gives the following three reasons why you should diligently heed his instructions:
- Your life will go better! Memorize these truths and apply them to your everyday life circumstances. You will make wise and discerning decisions that lead to God’s blessings.
- You will trust God more! There is nothing more valuable to a person’s well-being than having a right relationship with God.
- You will be valuable to your community! Wise people are essential workers in any workplace or community because their words are trustworthy, and their actions are reliable.
Seize the moment and apply the wisdom of Proverbs 22: be a motivated learner and you will diligently heed the words of truth!
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 1323
Trust God for His Victory!
Seize the moment and apply the wisdom of Proverbs 21: trust God for His victory! It is done!
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 1322
Embrace this Season of Your Life!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, October 30.
I love my long grey beard. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but it’s grown on me. It’s distinguished; it’s colored by wisdom (Proverbs 16:31). We live in a culture that idolizes youth and beauty, and rewards novelty and sensuality, but the Bible calls us not to find our identity in that which passes like the seasons (Proverbs 31:30). Instead, the Bible calls us to grow closer to Jesus in every season. When you make spiritual formation (Christlikeness) your primary ambition – the gaining of wisdom and the training of godliness – you will embrace every season of your life as a gift from God.
There are different reasons for each season, and we gain insights on what those are when we look at creation. There can only be the new life of spring after the deep power of winter’s rest, and we can’t reap the harvest until we’ve experienced the abundant growth of summer. Solomon explained in Proverbs 20:29, “The glory of young men is their strength, and the honor of old men is their gray hair.” I encourage the youth, as Paul exhorted his protégé in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” Use the spring and summer seasons of your life to grow strong and sow good seed, in preparation for the harvest seasons which will come later.
I encourage the mature to embrace the gift of their autumn and winter seasons to reap what has been sown, and to trust the investment of their lives (like good seed) to burst forth with good fruit. Walk in the way of righteousness today, and you will grow closer to Jesus in every season of your life.
Seize the moment and apply the wisdom of Proverbs 20: embrace this season of your life!
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1320
Today’s song focus will be
Trust in God
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB95)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.”
Inspired by famous hymns written by Fanny Crosby and Phoebe Knapp, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake & Mitch Long wanted to create a new worship song that was both a declaration and a proclamation of God’s faithfulness to His children. In a time where trusting God is becoming more rare and more challenging, this song helps us all declare with one voice that even though we may be shaken, we will still trust in God.
I trust in God, my Savior,
The One who will never fail
He will never fail
We need to wake up with the words of this song in our hearts and on our lips. He is always there when we need Him. When we seek Him, we will always find Him ready to help us. So let’s declare our trust in God!
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:
Trust in God
Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine
He’s been my fourth man in the fire time after time
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood
And what He did for me on Calvary is more than enough
I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
Perfect submission, all is at rest
I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps
So this is my story and this is my song
Praising my risen King and Savior all the day long
I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
That’s why I trust Him, that’s why I trust Him
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
That’s why I trust Him, that’s why I trust Him
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
That’s why I trust Him, that’s why I trust Him
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
That’s why I trust Him
That’s why I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
Oh, I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
I sought the Lord
[Bridge]
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord (And He delivered me from all my fears)
I sought the Lord (From everything)
And He heard and He answered, oh
That’s why I trust Him, that’s why I trust Him
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
That’s why I trust Him, that’s why I trust in God
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Seize the Momment – Day 1319
Listen Closely for the Word of Peace!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, October 27.
I was recently talking on the phone with one of our beloved homebound members, who told me how bothered she was by all the horrific scenes of death on the news. Later that same day, a younger man told me how distracted he was by the escalation of violence in the Middle East. We are living in difficult days, with divisive political rhetoric making it worse, so I am praying that we will remain focused on our calling as disciples of Jesus. We are His church, ambassadors of Jesus, ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). We are called “peacemakers,” as Jesus preached in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
With so many angry and loud voices coming at us, we must listen closely for God’s message in all the noise. Solomon taught in Proverbs 19:20-21, and 27, “Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days. Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand. … Cease listening, my son, to discipline, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” Train yourself to listen well for the counsel of God through Bible reading, prayer, and spiritual friendship. Be a part of a church that helps you focus; helping you to not get carried away by the passions that war within you, which cause conflict and quarrels (James 4:1-3). Solomon explained in Proverbs 19:3, “The foolishness of man ruins his way, and his heart rages against the Lord.” The first step to being a peacemaker is to invite the Prince of Peace to rule over your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-9; cf. John 14:27). Invite Jesus to calm the storm of your life (Matthew 8:23-27; cf. Hebrews 12:11).
Seize the moment and apply the wisdom of Proverbs 19: listen closely for the Word of Peace!
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 1318
Be a Close Friend to a Few!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, October 26.
I was at a leadership conference years ago when I heard a pastor teach about congregational care in a way that lifted a heavy burden from my shoulders, “Do for one person what you wish you could do for everyone.” Pastors are taught to show no favoritism, so, in many ways, we are trained to do for everyone what we have already done or plan to do for another person. Often, that philosophy twists into a crushing weight of meeting people’s expectations, preventing pastors from responding in the Spirit. Proverbs 18:24 explains a better way forward, “A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
It is humanly impossible for one person to be a close friend to everyone, and to each of their families, but it’s not impossible for the people of the church to stick close to one another. Let the Spirit lead you to build loving relationships, which are closer than a brother. We are called to do life together as a church, but none of us has the bandwidth to be a friend to everyone in the church. Only Jesus can do this, so be a friend of God, listening to the Holy Spirit’s leading, and be willing to be friendly to all while sticking closer than a brother to a few. Love them like you wish you could love them all, and everyone will get great congregational care. Jesus commanded us in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
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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