Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk 24
Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!
The Faith of an Overcomer!
Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)
God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.
STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH
Today’s story is about Jephthah, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:
And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Jephthah’s story is found in Judges 11-12. What is it about this story that put Jephthah in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.
STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE
The first thing we learn about Jephthah is that he was a valiant warrior, but also that he was the son of his father Gilead’s visit with a prostitute (Judges 11:1). In fact, when I put into my internet search engine “son of harlot,” the first thing that comes up is “Jephthah the Gileadite.” People pay lots of money to be the top result in an internet search. Not Jephthah! He gets that honor free of charge. Jephthah’s name is synonymous with being the son of a prostitute.
How did Gilead’s wife and his legitimate children treat his illegitimate son? Hebrews 11:37-38 gives us the answer in its description of those people who experienced the triumph of faith, “ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy).” Judges 11:2-3 explains “ill-treated”:
Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves about Jephthah, and they went out with him.
He was ostracized; treated like an outcast! How did Jephthah overcome such prejudice and stereotyping to become a judge of Israel? The answer to this question is part of the reason Jephthah is listed in Hebrews 11; his story is a triumph of faith, teaching us the faith of an overcomer. Circumstances beyond his control forced Jephthah to live the life of an outcast.
Have you seen people like outcasts? Have you ever been ostracized by a group? Have we as a church done this? Are we doing it currently? How much damage has our prejudice and stereotyping done to the witness of the church? How much potential has not been developed by congregations because of who someone’s parents were, or the challenges of a person’s childhood that caused them to walk a road that shaped them, inside and out? I invite you to look around you right now and see if there are potential Jephthahs being limited (or worse, being kept out) due to factors beyond their control?
I want to introduce you to my friend, Joshua. He was a member of my Thursday morning discipleship group at the New Castle Correctional Facility, where I took fifteen men through my first discipleship book, Live Like a Champion Today. Joshua was released last month, but he continues to in his discipleship with me, being a part of over forty men who have accepted the New Testament Reading Challenge, reading the New Testament in 90 days. This man is my brother in Christ, a fellow member of the Body of Christ, and God has a plan for life. I am excited that he is here today to share his transforming story of faith.
[Joshua to share testimony and special song.]
Neither Joshua, Jephthah, nor Jerry are the heroes of our own stories! There is only one hero of the faith, and His name is Jesus! If you want to have a story that demonstrates the triumph of faith, you must keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, learning how to walk with Him each day, in His easy yoke, not making promises for the future after your own victory has been won, but obeying Him today, trusting His victory for your situation! You can live with the faith of an overcomer by obeying today. Let’s take the next step to learn how to do this.
STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT
Jephthah had the reputation as a “valiant warrior,” and when the Ammonites oppressed the Israelites, the people needed a military leader, and none could be found, so the elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back home and lead them to victory. Judges 11:7-11 captures his response and what happens next:
Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?” The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and the Lord gives them up to me, will I become your head?” The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is witness between us; surely we will do as you have said.” Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.
Interestingly, in verse 11, we see that Jephthah sealed this with a covenant by bringing all his words before the Lord as Mizpah. This was no longer a contract between men, this was a covenant with God as a witness. Jephthah was all in, and in doing so, he led Israel to victory. We must remember though, it wasn’t Jephthah alone, it was God with him, as verse 29 emphasizes, just like we saw in the Samson story, “Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.” [Emphasis added]
Jephthah stepped into the opportunity that was presented to him. Despite his ostracism, living in Tob, an Aramean city, he responded to the invitation of God to use what he had been given by God for the good of God’s people. Unfortunately, as we learn from the rest of his story, he was not a good father (Judges 11:30-40[1]), nor a skillful diplomat (Judges 12:1-6). The one thing he could righteously offer to God, he used for His glory – he was a break-glass-only-in-the-event-of-war kind of guy. As I wrote in my Seize the Moment devotion on Judges 11:
Jephthah reminds me of Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway, Clint Eastwood’s character from Heartbreak Ridge, a grizzled old medal of honor recipient who, when finishing his last years in the Marine Corps, had to go to war one last time. His commander critiqued that people like him should be behind glass displays that say, “Break glass only in the event of war!”[2]
You may not understand why God made you the way you are, or why certain events have happened in your life, but you can bet that God has good works for you to do with your life (Ephesians 2:10). God is not interested in your promises for one day in the future; He desires obedience today! Are you willing to respond to the invitation of God, even if you have been misjudged previously, or treated unfairly because of people’s prejudices? Are you allowing your past to hold you back from being obedient to God today?
You are being invited today to trust God with every part of your story. Let’s turn to the last action step – God desires for you to reap a harvest of praise to His glory.
STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE
Jephthah led Israel to victory – He was an overcomer! We learn at the end of his story, recorded in Judges 12:7a, “Jephthah judged Israel six years.” He fulfilled the purpose for which God created him and called him. He had the faith of an overcomer!
Are you an overcomer? Are you walking in the victory of Jesus Christ? Paul taught in Romans 8:37-39:
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The life of an overcomer is a life that reaps a harvest of praise to the glory of God. It’s not a perfect life though; it’s a life filled with grace. The grace of God, which empowers us to keep going and not bail before the blessing. Jephthah did not do it perfectly, nor will I, or you, or Joshua, or any of us. We will make mistakes and those mistakes will have real consequences, but we should not allow those to stop us from reaping a harvest of praise in our lives, and through the lives of others. Jephthah went from outcast to overcomer, and from his story we have learned how to walk in the faith of an overcomer.
Do you really think you are going to get back at the world for being unfair, or get satisfaction out of a life filled with the pursuit of vengeance. Both are waste of your energy and will not lead to a life that reaps a harvest of praise to God’s glory! Jephthah did not seek vengeance against his people; rather, he obeyed God and was filled with the Spirit to answer God’s call through them. That’s the faith of an overcomer! In Romans 12:17-21, Paul commands us to do the same:
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] I’m not going to go into in this manuscript, but Jephthah’s rash vow, described in Judges 11:30-40, is NOT why he was listed in Hebrews 11. It breaks my heart to think that has been and continues to be taught by teachers. Men like Gideon, Samson, and Jephthah, each of which are found in Hebrews 11, offer students a challenge. We must discern what it is we are to emulate as a triumph of faith, and what is just of man, excess not to be emulated.
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1285
Today’s song focus will be
What a Beautiful Name
Colossians 1:15 (NASB95)
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
Brooke Fraser Ligertwood had been writing songs before she was even a teenager. She came to the Lord at the age of 15 in her home country of New Zealand. She later moved to Sydney, Australia where she joined Hillsong Worship, helping to write songs like ‘Desert Song’, ‘Hosanna’, and ‘None but Jesus’. In 2015, she co-wrote “What a Beautiful Name” with Ben Fielding, which went on to receive a Grammy award. She said they wanted to create a song that brought a balance of sound theology and personal lyrics of what that means for the individual worshipper.
What a beautiful Name it is.
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King.
What a beautiful Name it is
Nothing compares to this.
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
We need to wake up each morning declaring our worship to the One who gave everything for us so that we could have the abundant life that can only be found in Him.
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:
What a Beautiful Name
Verse 1
You were the Word at the beginning
One with God the Lord Most High
Your hidden glory in creation
Now revealed in You our Christ
Chorus 1
What a beautiful Name it is
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a beautiful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
Verse 2
You didn’t want heaven without us
So Jesus You brought heaven down
My sin was great Your love was greater
What could separate us now
Chorus 2
What a wonderful Name it is
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a wonderful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
Bridge
Death could not hold You
The veil tore before You
You silence the boast of sin and grave
The heavens are roaring
The praise of Your glory
For You are raised to life again
You have no rival
You have no equal
Now and forever God You reign
Yours is the kingdom
Yours is the glory
Yours is the Name above all names
Chorus 3
What a powerful Name it is
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a powerful Name it is
Nothing can stand against
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
Tags
What a powerful Name it is The Name of Jesus
What a powerful Name it is The Name of Jesus
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1284
Relationship with God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, September 22.
Religion is man’s efforts to know God, whereas Christianity is God’s effort to be in relationship with humanity. God didn’t send His Son into the world to form a new world religion, to be one way amongst many ways for man to know God; rather, Jesus Christ came into the world to give us His relationship with the Father, as He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
You are invited to relate to God through His Word and in prayer, to experience Him and to know Him in a personal way. David related to God in an intimate way, as described in Psalm 144:2, “My lovingkindness and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me.” You feel David’s intimacy with God in how He talks to Him in prayer – my lovingkindness, my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield, and He in whom I take refuge. David’s words emphasize to us the invitation to know God personally.
A beautiful illustration of this movement from religion to relationship is when Jesus, after His resurrection, personally approached Thomas who was struggling with doubt and fear. In John 20:27-28, Jesus invited Thomas, “‘Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” It was at this moment of personal intimacy that Thomas publicly confessed Jesus in front of the other disciples, “My Lord and my God!”
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 144, meditating upon the privilege of knowing God through an intimate relationship with Jesus. As David proclaimed in verse 15, “How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!”
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 1283
Victory in Jesus!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, September 21.
Most of us don’t have a person in our lives who is actively trying to destroy us. We watch movies and read books where someone is being pursued by enemies, but that isn’t our daily reality. David experienced real-life enemies and wrote about it in Psalm 143:3-4, describing his feelings, “For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart is appalled within me.”
David felt oppressed – crushed, persecuted, overwhelmed, and appalled. While we may not have a person in our lives who is trying to destroy us, we do have an enemy of our souls trying to oppress us. Jesus described our enemy as a thief, revealing to us his true motivations – “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10a). Furthermore, Peter explained, “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
There is a way of victory over the enemy of your soul! Peter exhorts you to be on the alert and to resist him through your faith. Jesus promised that He is the way of victory, giving you His abundant life through your faith (John 10:10b; 1 John 5:4). In Psalm 143:8, David demonstrated the way of victory, saying “Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; for I trust in You; teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul.” With every sunrise, follow the wisdom of James 4:7, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” The victory is yours, so rest in the easy yoke of Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30).
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 143, meditating upon the victory of God over your adversaries! Never forget, you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37).
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 1282
Escape from Soul Prison!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, September 20.
When we lived in California, we went to visit Alcatraz, a notorious prison located on a small island over a mile off the shore of San Francisco. The prison’s notoriety was increased by the famous retelling of the 1962 escape attempt in Clint Eastwood’s 1979 movie, Escape from Alcatraz. The prisoners’ isolation on the island, plus the strictly enforced policies of silence and solitude, brought upon the men a profound loneliness.
Loneliness is a condition of the soul, often brought on by our circumstances. David experienced this when he felt abandoned by his companions, hiding alone in a cave from King Saul’s pursuit, as described in Psalm 142:4-7a:
Look to the right and see; for there is no one who regards me; there is no escape for me; no one cares for my soul. I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name.”
David described loneliness as his soul being in prison. This is a powerful image of loneliness; there is a strong urge within every person to break free from soul prison, just as people throughout history have sought to escape physical prisons, like Alcatraz. People will do anything to experience relief from their loneliness, but there is a way that has been made for you to be set free – Jesus has opened the cell door of your soul to God’s eternal presence.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 142, meditating upon the promise of Jesus Christ – “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). How are you cultivating an awareness of the presence of God in your life 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.
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1281
The Importance of Evening Prayers!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, September 19.
“There was evening and there was morning, one day.” Did you notice the rhythm of the refrain from the six days of creation? If I expect to rise early to spend time with the Lord, of first importance to my day, then I need to make God my priority in the evening. My day doesn’t begin with how I wake up, but with how I go to bed. Psalm 141 invites you into the rhythm of offering God an evening prayer, as David said in verses 2-4:
May my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who do iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.
David was comparing his prayers to the work of a priest, who was the only authorized person allowed to burn incense in worship. Therefore, around this priority of offering his evening prayers to God, David petitioned God to help him live every aspect of his life as holy unto the Lord – in his speech, the inclinations of his heart, the company he kept, and the activities he participated. The implication for us today, as a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), is that our very prayers, rightly offered to God in the name of Jesus, are burning incense unto the Lord (Revelation 8:3-4); therefore, we must live every aspect of our lives holy unto the Lord (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:5).
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 1280
Preserve Me from Violent Men!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, September 18.
There are violent people, driven by evil desires, willing to do whatever to whomever to achieve their ends. How are we to go about our daily lives with such people in the world? Above all, we can’t live in fear of them! In 2001, I was a Captain in the US Army, on orders to Fort Carson, Colorado when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 happened. I was supposed to travel home that day, but it took days before flights resumed because evil had shut down our nation. A week later, President Bush announced to Congress the War on Terrorism.
Whenever you are anxious for the future or worried about tomorrow, take your emotions as an invitation from the Holy Spirit to petition God for His peace to protect you, as Paul said, “to guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). God wants you to trust Him in every circumstance of life, whether in times of peace or war. In Psalm 140, David was opposed by violent men, and the first action step in his plan was to petition God for divine help:
- Verse 1, “Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men…”
- Verse 4, “Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men who have purposed to trip up my feet.”
In both instances, David asked God to preserve his life when violent man came up against him. He did not take matters into his own hands; rather, David turned to God for protection. Just as Paul taught in Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” In seeking to defeat evil, don’t become like it. Train yourself to respond in faith!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 140, meditating upon Jesus’ promise to give you His peace – “Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27).
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...
Missionary: Jim White
Faith (And what it takes to live in Faith)
You can watch the message by clicking HERE.
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1278
Today’s song focus will be
As The Deer
Psalm 42:1 (NASB95)
“As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
Written in 1981 while attending a summer session at Christ for the Nations
Institute in Dallas, TX, Marty Nystrom was on a quest to recover his joy. He had
been active in ministry while also teaching, but something was missing. His
roommate suggested that he go on a fast to help him recover his joy. So Marty
took the challenge and on the nineteenth day of his fast, he found himself sitting
at a piano, playing some chord progressions when he looked over and saw a
Bible on a music stand that was opened to Psalm 42. After reading through the
passage, he began to sing its message. The song was finished in a matter of
minutes:
As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship Thee.
We need to wake up and renew our hunger and thirst for more of God. It is not
something that anyone else can do for you. Just like you can lead a horse to water,
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:
As The Deer
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 1277
Search Me and Know Me!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, September 15.
The first time I had my neck adjusted by a doctor, I was a cadet at West Point. I was miserable from congestion, and upon examining me, the doctor adjusted me, bringing everything into proper alignment. I didn’t know what to expect, but I immediately felt better as a significant amount of pressure was released. God, our Mighty Physician, does the same thing for us through His Word when we come to Him in prayer. Psalm 139 is a prayer of examen, inviting the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the truth of what God already knows about us. You can hear the call of the Spirit from beginning to end in today’s psalm, starting in verses 1-4 and ending in verses 23-24:
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. … Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
I encourage you to start a daily practice of praying Psalm 139 in the evening, inviting the Holy Spirit to reveal the truths of your attitudes, relationships, and decisions, seeking to know the motives of why you did what you did throughout the day. Don’t be deceived, the hardest form of deception to root out is self-deception. Ask God to align you to His good, acceptable, and perfect will for your life today (ref. Romans 12:1-2).
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...