Seize the Moment – Day 1268
A Whole-Body Focus on God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, September 6.
As part of my sabbatical in 2019, I took a week-long backcountry hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was beautiful as I walked across Fontana Dam, hiked the creek trails to connect with the Appalachian Trail, then ascended to its highest point of elevation – Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet. It was with this goal in my mind that I trekked through many arduous miles over three exhilarating days – the ascent had a breathtaking goal! The same is true for the pilgrims as they ascended to Jerusalem and Mount Zion. They sought the pinnacle of God’s presence on Earth, the place of His habitation, and the footstool of His throne, as Psalm 132:13-16 describes:
For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread. Her priests also I will clothe with salvation, and her godly ones will sing aloud for joy.
Imagine joining me on one of my multi-day backcountry hikes into the beauty of God’s creation, focusing your mind, heart, body, and soul on not only the restorative power of the journey itself, but also anticipating the breathtaking views that awaited at the destination. Now, more importantly, put yourself in the shoes of these ancient pilgrims as they sang these words of the Songs of Ascents on their long journey to Jerusalem, ascending to the Temple Mount on Zion. Consider the transformative power of such a whole-body focus on this one purpose – to experience God’s presence!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 132, meditating upon the privilege of having the presence of God (Matthew 1:23; 18:20; 28:20). Invest time today to go for a walk with the Lord, focusing your mind, heart, body, and soul on Christ alone.
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 1267
The Consolations of the Spirit!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday,
Take a moment to contemplate Spurgeon’s insight on Psalm 131, “It is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.”[1] While the promises of Psalm 131 will be simple to memorize, the practices of experiencing the consolations of the Spirit will take a lifetime to master. Stop everything and meditate upon today’s psalm:
O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.
Jesus promised in Matthew 18:4, “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” How are you to become like a weaned child, resting peacefully against the comforting presence of its loving mother? The consolations of the Spirit are found when you take God at His Word and trust Him the same way a weaned child has learned to trust its mother – totally and without reservation. Paul teaches us a few of these practices in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 131, meditating upon the promises of God and how you can walk in them today so that you may experience the consolations of the Spirit, as Jesus promised in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
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:
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Seize the Moment – Day 1266
From Out of the Depths!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, September 4. Happy Labor Day!
One of my favorite backcountry hikes was a rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon. We descended the south rim, crossed the Colorado River to hike across the canyon, and then ascended the north rim. With the north rim being a thousand feet higher than the south rim, we literally climbed out of the depths of the Grand Canyon. It was an exhilarating experience!
Psalm 130:1-3 describes the pilgrim crying out to God, “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” Starting from this place of quiet desperation, you can hear the psalmist ascend to the vista of God’s redemption in verses 5-8:
I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is lovingkindness, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that anyone can cry out to God from the depths. To ascend to the vista of abundant redemption, you must put your hope in Christ alone. As Paul explained in Ephesians 2:5-6, “even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 130, meditating upon the elevated vista of your abundant redemption – Jesus Christ raised you out of the depths of your sin and depravity so that you can soar on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31). From what perspective are you looking at your life and 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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Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk23
Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!
A Faith That Calls You to Be Weak!
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 Samson, 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.
Samson’s story is found in Judges 13-16. What is it about this story that put Samson 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
God providentially works in and through our lives for His purposes. The first thing we learn from Samson’s life is that he was chosen by God from before he was born. In fact, according to Judges 13:3-5, Samson was chosen with a purpose in mind:
Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. “Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. “For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” [emphasis added]
This is a profound truth of God’s Word, as reinforced in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (cf. Psalm 139:13-17). Samson was not the only one who was listed in Hebrews 11 who had supernatural intervention in their birth narrative, so did Isaac, Moses, and Samuel. The reality is that God has a plan, and He chooses people who He will bring about His purposes for His glory! Don’t be deceived, faith is not a way to get God to make your life work for you; faith is about God choosing you to bring about His plans for His glory! In Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” You were chosen and redeemed for a purpose – this is why God gives you His Spirit – to empower you to walk in what God has given you to do.
Samson’s purpose was to begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines, so God stirred up Samson, directed him into the way of the Philistines, and then empowered him with His Spirit to accomplish what God chose him to do. Watch God at work in and through Samson’s life:
- Judges 13:25 transitions from Samson’s birth narrative to his adult years, “And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.”
- Judges 14:4 when Samson chose a Philistine wife, “However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.”
- Judges 14:6 when Samson protects his parents from a lion, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.”
- Judges 14:19 when he was dealing with the Philistine men at the wedding, “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of them and took their spoil and gave the changes of clothes to those who told the riddle. And his anger burned, and he went up to his father’s house.”
- Judges 15:14-15 when he had a great victory over the Philistines after being captured, “When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand men with it.”
- Judges 15:19 when he needed water and cried out to the Lord for help, “But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi so that water came out of it. When he drank, his strength returned and he revived. Therefore he named it En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.”
Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed of faith, which can be planted into others through our faithfulness to act according to our own faith and convictions, growing into a faith that takes God at His Word.
STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT
We must persevere in our calling, realizing that God has chosen us for a purpose. Our tenacity of purpose, our focus on the mission of God, will form us into what God intended us to be, even if we don’t see it or understand it. The Lexham Bible Dictionary makes a very interesting parallel that draws us the heart of Samson’s story, and why I believe he made it into Hebrews 11:32:
Samson’s actions parallel the actions of Israel in the book of Judges. Samson’s primary weakness was his proclivity to pursue Philistine women; one of Israel’s major faults was their inclination to worship foreign gods. Smith argues that “Samson is an example of Israel’s ‘playing the harlot after other gods’ (Judg 2:17; 8:27, 32)” (Smith, “The Failure of the Family in Judges, Part 2: Samson,” 431).[1]
To further emphasize this point, I am going to highlight two sections of Romans 11, emphasizing to you this biblical principle found in verse 29, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” This is a truth that I hold near and dear to my heart because there is redemption available through the power of the Spirit – this is the miracle of resurrection! Can God use a divorced person in the church of Jesus Christ or are they forever stigmatized by the most painful experience of his or her life? Can God use a person who served time in prison to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in the church of Jesus Christ or are they forever marginalized by the most painful experiences of his or her life? The examples can be as mundane or as heartbreaking as needed to make the point, but the heart of the issue remains: in the New Covenant, does God remove His gifts and callings from a person? Does God remove His Spirit from those He has chosen? I stand before you today and say, No! Absolutely not! Listen now to Paul’s argument about how the church is grafted into Israel, not a replacement of, in Romans 11:1-6, 25-35:
I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. … For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! [emphasis added]
Samson’s transforming story of faith foreshadows the irrevocable grace of God upon a person’s life. As we have already learned, Samson was chosen, stirred, directed, and empowered by God to fulfill the very purpose for which God chose him – “he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” Here’s the man point of this entire sermon: Samson is not an example of how to act but an example of God’s scandalous grace! He is not a hero to emulate, but a real person in real history with real faith that God used to bring about His plans. His life is in the hall of faith because Samson shows us the power of God’s faith, bestowed on His children so that we would walk in His ways, bringing about His purposes for His glory. Therefore, let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.
STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE
There is an interesting literary difference in Samson’s story as compared to other stories in the book of Judges. In Judges 15:20, we read what is usually the concluding statement of one of the judge’s lives, “So he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.” What you would expect to be the end of Samson’s story is not; in fact, what comes next is another chapter with big finish of Samson’s story in which we see Samson at his downright worst behavior – an absolute scoundrel, but also, by God’s grace alone, the greatest victory of Samson’s life. Judges 16:28-31 narrates the captivating conclusion of Samson’s life:
Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down, took him, brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. Thus he had judged Israel twenty years.
Interestingly, it was God’s providence that placed Samson in a position to have such a great victory while in such a weakened state. Pointedly, for a man committed to be a Nazarite, this is only the second time we see Samson praying to God; the first was when he was about to die from thirst and the second is when his eyes were gouged out, head shaved with a little peach fuzz growing back, in captivity to the Philistines. Yet, in the most desperate moment of Samson’s life, he pulls of an amazing display of strength and courage. Yet in doing so, the normal equation of Samson’s feats of strength is blatantly missing from this pericope: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily.” It’s so obviously omitted that there must be a reason!
In Hebrew 11:34, there are some descriptive statements made that can be applied to Samson’s transforming story of faith: “escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” There is one that I want to highlight to you today – “from weakness were made strong.” I believe this captures the heart of why Samson is listed in Hebrews 11, a chapter that should never again be called the heroes of the faith, but rather the triumphs of faith in God’s people, just like the book of Acts should not be called the Acts of the Apostles, but rather the Acts of the Holy Spirit. The emphasis should never be on a person, but on God! It’s God’s power; He is the operative agent of our faith – it’s all grace, the gift of God! And, as we’ve learned, God doesn’t revoke His gifts or callings. God’s grace perseveres in a person, transforming them into the very person God chose them to be, just as Jesus promised His disciples in Mark 1:17, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Paul, believing this, prayed from a place of weakness in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me – to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
As described of Samson in Hebrews 11, Paul described of himself when struggling with the realities of living in his flesh while answering God’s call of faith – “for when I am weak, then I am strong.” One of the greatest threats to the gospel of Jesus Christ is when people strive to be strong in their own flesh, based on their own merits, convinced of their own righteousness. This only leads to legalism and moralism, distortions of the gospel. There is only one kind of life that will bring down the house for the glory of God, producing a harvest of praise; that is the life of faith that calls you to be weak. I join you to embrace the example of Jesus Christ, by joining with Paul in saying Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” This is the way of the cross!
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
~ Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 20:25-28
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
You can watch the message by clicking HERE.
FOOTNOTE:
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Seize the Moment – Day 1264
Today’s song focus will be
When We See Christ
Philippians 3:8 (NASB95)
“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,
and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,”
Esther Kerr Rusthol was a very accomplished woman. She was the sister of musical evangelist Phil Kerr, married to pastor and evangelist Howard Rusthol, was an author, poet, composer, singer and evangelist and associate pastor at
Pentecostal Angeles Temple of Los Angeles. But her life was not without struggles as she suffered from ill health, passing away at the age of 53. But this 1941 hymn is probably her best-known song, echoing the words of Paul with the value of knowing Christ.
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ.
One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrow will erase.
So, bravely run the race till we see Christ.
We need to wake up and take the words of this song to encourage our hearts in both the good and the bad times of our lives. We make the choice to change our perspective and focus on what is worth it all!
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:
When We See Christ
We’re tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;
But Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away,
All tears forever over in God’s eternal day.
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.
We’re tossed and driven on, no human help in sight;
But there is one in heav’n who knows our deepest care,
Let Jesus solve your problem – just go to Him in pray’r.
We’ll cross the great divide, to glory, safe at last;
We’ll share the joys of heav’n – a harp, a home, a crown,
The tempter will be banished, we’ll lay our burden down.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1263
Persevere with a Purpose!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, September 1.
Through all they have been through, the mere survival of Israel proves the inspiration of the Bible. Psalm 129:1-2 describes their perseverance, “‘Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up,’ Let Israel now say, ‘Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up; yet they have not prevailed against me.’” Boice remarks on Israel’s perseverance:
The Jews are the longest-enduring distinct ethnic people on the planet. They have been slandered, hated, persecuted, expelled, pursued, and murdered throughout their long existence, but they have survived intact. In fact, many are now back in their own traditional homeland of Israel. They are a brilliant, talented people, but survival has been their chief achievement.[1]
There is a difficult reality that Christians must share with Israel: as God’s chosen people, we must suffer for His purposes. We are to walk in God’s ways so that all the peoples of the world would come to know God and be blessed by Him. While one would think that such a lofty and laudable goal would lead to peace and harmony amongst the nations, especially toward Israel and the church, the opposite has occurred. Instead, the people of God have had to learn how to persevere on their divine mission while striving to survive. Paul testified to this truth in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10:
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
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:
[1] James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 107–150: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 1130–1131.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1262
The Way of Blessing!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, August 31.
God loves the children! Jesus made this abundantly clear in word and deed, as He commanded in Matthew 19:14, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” In this scene, it is easy to imagine the children flocking to Jesus, like sheep to a shepherd. Jesus’ desire to bless the children should not have been a surprise to His disciples, as we find the blessings of God upon the family, especially children, in Psalms 127 and 128:
- Psalm 127:3-5, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.”
- Psalm 128:3, “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table.”
- Psalm 128:5-6, “The Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Indeed, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!”
Poetically written, the psalmist makes a profound connection between God’s blessings upon the family and His blessings upon the city and nation. Peace over your nation and prosperity for your city begin with your faithfulness to God at home with your children – parents carry the power to bless or curse, not only for their children, but their city and nation by how they manage their households. This is a promise with a praxis, “How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways” (1).
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 128, meditating upon God’s call to focus on the family through faithful living – “Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord” (4). This is the way!
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 1261
The Greatest Vanity of Life!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, August 30.
There are so many vanities in this life! Of all the ones you can think of, which is the greatest? Is it the houses, the cars, or the cash? No, it is when a person seeks to rule over his or her own life. The greatest vanity of life is self-idolatry, when I believe I am my own savior – the master of my own fate or the captain of my own soul. Self-worship is the greatest threat to the health of your soul! Psalm 127:1-2 challenges us to remain sincere in our fundamental need for God, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.”
Today’s psalm challenges us, at our basest level, to live free of vanity by trusting God as the Lord of our lives, inviting His involvement in everything we think, say, and do. It is not surprising that it was Solomon who wrote this because he had to learn it the hard way. In Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 he wrote, “‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.’ What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?” The Hebrew word for vanity literally means “empty” or “without result.” We are exhorted in James 4:14-15, “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.’”
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 127, meditating upon God’s will for your life – “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men” (Colossians 3:23). Do something of eternal significance 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:
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Seize the Moment – Day 1260
Sow Like a Hard-Working Farmer!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, August 29.
“Bringing in the Sheaves” is a classic gospel song, written by Knowles Shaw in 1874, which quotes today’s psalm. Psalm 126:5-6 provided him with the name and inspiration, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” A sheaf is a bundle of grain stalks, often used in the Bible to symbolize abundance and prosperity, and, in this case, the promise that we will reap what we sow when we work hard to scatter the good seed of God’s Word (Galatians 6:6-9).
While the historical context for today’s psalm is a return from great suffering, possibly from the seventy years of Babylonian exile (Psalm 126:1), the promise is to all who trust in God for rescue and deliverance. There are many things in this life from which we need to be rescued, but all of them pale in comparison to our total need for redemption through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The sowing of this seed to all the nations is the work of every follower of Jesus, as Paul exhorted his protégé in 2 Timothy 2:6, “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops” (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:10). Truly, as every farmer knows, you will reap what you sow. This is true in the spiritual, as much as it is in the natural.
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 1259
Pray with Security!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, August 28.
The high ground of any region is a prominent place because it gives you a defensible location. Mount Zion, which was previously called Mount Moriah in Genesis 22 and 2 Chronicles 3, is a strategic location because of its elevation. For this reason, the fortified city of Jerusalem was built there to take advantage of its commanding position over the region, with the temple mount at this highest place to symbolize its proximity to Heaven on Earth. This high ground is significant in the prophecies of God’s people, and in the poetry of the psalms, especially in these Songs of Ascents, as the pilgrims ascended the elevation gain to enter Jerusalem for the pilgrimage feasts. Poetically, the psalmist writes of its importance in Psalm 125:1-2, “Those who trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.”
The psalmist was taking the everyday geographical imagery, which God’s people were familiar with, to make an eternal theological point: God is immovable and unshakeable! He is our high ground – our secure place in which we can build our lives and find peace, living under His protection. In the same way Zion will abide forever, so will the promises of Zion’s King, the Messiah, who will establish His throne in Zion, from which He will renew all creation and usher in the Kingdom of God on Earth, bringing all things under His sovereign rule (Psalm 47:8; Ezekiel 43:7; Revelation 21-22). Are you building your life on the high ground of God’s promises through His Son Jesus Christ?
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 125, meditating upon the security and stability of God’s promises – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Put your trust in Jesus 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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