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:
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 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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Be A Blessing
Be A Blessing
Romans 12:4-16; 1 Peter 3:8-11
A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Jerry spoke about Gideon and his need for a sign from God. I have to admit, my mind immediately chased a rabbit and went to “What if God used church signs to speak to us?” Let’s look at a few…
“Try these four-letter words: LOVE PRAY HOPE”
“If you don’t study the Bible, you won’t get the answer!”
“This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it’s gonna pass.”
“Our church is like fudge – sweet with a few nuts.”
“Forgive your enemies – it messes with their heads.”
“Kind words can be short and sweet, but their echoes are truly endless.”
All too often, we forget that our words carry a lot more weight than we give them credit. When we think of being a blessing, we tend to only think about tangible ways like giving someone money or meeting a need. But what about the blessing that all of us can give with our words? Not something just to pacify them, but to truly speak life over them and into their lives.
We are to be the Body of Christ, which means we have to all work together. That is why we all have been given different gifts. This makes it possible for us to be that Body.
ILLUS: Fold thumb over on both hands. Pick up Bible and turn to Romans 12
Thumbs have been given a bad rap. Have you ever heard “I’m all thumbs”? In the movie “Spy Kids” the Thumbkins were the bumbling henchman. We NEED our thumbs! They are the ones that help us to get a grip on things. “Okay, Ken, but I don’t feel like I am an important part of the body….I feel like I am the appendix.” Well, at first people thought it was a part that was no longer useful to the body, but now they are finding that it provides “good” bacteria for the intestines to help with digestion and our immune system. * So, while we could live without it, it serves a purpose. This is why every part of the body is important.
*https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-does-the-appendix-do-5270731
READ: Romans 12:4-16
Paul wrote these words to the people of Galatia and to us to remind us that we are to use our gifts selflessly, never for selfish gains, but in order to honor God and to see His blessings poured out on the whole body!
Peter has some similar words to say as he wrote to the people of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (which is now modern day Turkey)
READ: 1 Peter 3:8-11
What does that have to do with being a blessing? EVERYTHING!
We are all to be working together to build the kingdom of God for His glory and honor, not just for our own benefit. The late Rev. Dr. Jack Hyles, pastor of First Baptist Church in Hammond, IN once stated: “The greatest blessing in the whole world is being a blessing.” He was known for building one of the nations largest bus ministries that then led to opening schools and training resources to help minister to the needs of the church and community. God used his giftings and those of the people in the church to make a difference for both current and eternal needs.
So today we are going to give you scriptural answers to the following questions:
- Who is to be a blessing?
- When are we to be a blessing?
- How are we to be a blessing?
- Why are we to be a blessing?
Let us pray….
I. Who is to be a blessing?
1 Peter 3:8:
“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.”
- Be of one mind (the body)
- Sympathize with each other
- Love each other as family
- Be tenderhearted with each other
- Keep a humble attitude toward each other.
II. When are we to be a blessing?
“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
- Rejoice always
- Be patient
- Keep praying
- Be ready to help
- Eager to practice hospitality
- Encourage each other
- Build each other up
ILLUS: George Mraz and weightlifting training.
III. How are we to be a blessing?
“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”
- God has given each of us different gifts:
- Prophesy, speak the words God has given you.
- Serving, then serve others well
- Encouragement, then be encouraging
- Giving, then give generously
“When God blesses you financially, don’t raise your standard of living. Raise your standard of giving.” (Matt Batterson)
- Leadership, then take it seriously
- Showing kindness, then do it gladly
“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other.”
- Can’t fake it till you make it!
- Not just for married couples.
- Really love and be genuine.
- Keep in mind what is good.
- Enjoy recognizing that love by honoring each other.
IV. Why are we to be a blessing?
- 1 Peter 3:9:
“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.”
- Don’t do what sinful nature leads you to do, but rather allow the Spirit to lead you to pay back with a blessing.
- Do what God has called you to do…and you will be blessed.
- Think about it this way…God did not add another day to your life because you needed it. He did it because someone out there needs you!
- When we serve others in love, we are showing our love for God in what we do and say.
Conclusion:
Today, I have given you the scriptural evidence that proves 1) Who is to be a blessing; 2) When we are to be a blessing; 3) How we are to be a blessing; and 4) Why we are to be a blessing. Imagine what our world would be like if we, as Christians, put this into practice as a “norm” for our lives. Peter quoted the Psalmist David in 1 Peter 3:10-11 (repeats Psalm 34:12-14) to give encouragement as to why we should live this way.
“For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.”
So take this as your next challenge to help change the atmosphere of this world in which we live. Live on purpose to be a blessing.
Closing Blessing Prayer: EPHESIANS 1:16b-19a
“I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him.”
You can watch the message by clicking HERE.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1257
Today’s song focus will be
Raise a Hallelujah
James 1:2-4 (NASB95)
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing
that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its
perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
While facing both their two year old son, Jaxon, and their four year old daughter, Addie, battling an E coli infection, Bethel Music’s CEO Joel and Janie Taylor were at a point where they were totally drained, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
But they said they could feel the prayers from around the world for their family. Their friends, Jonathan David and Melissa Helser, were interceding in prayer when God gave them this song. They shared it with the Taylor family and they made it
Their anthem, seeing both their children improve and receive their healing.
I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm Louder and louder,
you’re gonna hear my praises roar, Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!
We need to wake up and realize that worship is a powerful weapon against the forces of the enemy. We need to raise up our voices in praise over doubt, fear and unbelief and see God bring the victory.
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:
Raise a Hallelujah
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Seize the Moment – Day 1256
The Prayer of What-Ifs!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, August 25.
Have you ever found yourself stuck in the rut of asking, “What-if?” Life is full of what-ifs, but we need not be paralyzed by the indecisiveness that can come from not knowing what will happen or how other people will react. The Bible uses if-statements in a different way – to pointedly declare God’s sufficiency! A classic example of this is found in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who is against us?” Psalm 124:1-5 is a psalm of corporate thanksgiving that begins with the proclamations of their faith:
“Had [If] it not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say, “Had [If] it not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have swept over our soul; then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.”
Most translations begin the first two verses with “if” instead of “had,” emphasizing the abruptness of the poetry and hinting to the conclusion in verse 8, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” In other words, if the God who created all things is for us, who can stand against us?
Here’s the good news – God is for you! You don’t have to what-if God’s desire to rescue you from your sin and make you His own. Peter, a man who personally learned of God’s grace, stated in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 124, meditating upon the favor of God – He is for you! Trust God in all your ways today (Proverbs 3:5-6).
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 1255
Keep Your Chin Up!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, August 24.
When one of my athletes is discouraged, I will often say, “keep your chin up!” While this is a common idiom that means to be encouraged and remain hopeful during a difficult circumstance, it is also a coaching cue to help the athlete’s posture. There is a physical reality to keeping your chin up, but there is also a spiritual one: Your body follows your head, just like your life follows your heart!
Psalm 123 teaches us to keep our chins up. The psalmist is discouraged (3-4), but in verses 1-2, he coaches himself, “To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He is gracious to us.” God alone is our hope in times of discouragement!
Just like your physical posture is affected by keeping your chin up, so is the state of your heart. By uplifting the perspective of your heart, focusing on God and not your circumstances, you are filled with hope, confidence, and expectation. Hebrews 12:2-3 teaches you to keep your chin up so that you may live the victorious life of Jesus Christ:
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.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 123, meditating upon the posture of your heart when you are going through difficult circumstances. Keep your chin up and not only will you walk taller, but also you will persevere with God! Don’t Quit! CM![1]
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 1254
Pray for God’s Chosen People!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, August 23.
Today’s psalm is a call to prayer. Psalm 122:6 commands, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” While the church may be God’s focus during this time of Pentecost – the pouring out of the Spirit upon the church for the proclamation of the gospel, it is important to realize that once the church is raptured, God’s focus will be on fulfilling His covenant with Israel. We must not forsake our sacred responsibility to pray for the peace of Jerusalem; it’s impossible for God to lie, and He will not break His covenant promises with Israel.
Psalm 122:6-9 calls us to pray for Jerusalem, and I invite you to do so with your whole heart, but not just for Jerusalem, pray for the church throughout the world:
“May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.” For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, “May peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.
We are to pray for the fulness of God’s will to be completed in His time and according to His plan. Paul made it clear in Romans 11:17-24 that the church has been grafted into the people of God. God is not done with Israel, who has only temporarily lost the privilege of heralding the good news of God, but God’s desire is that “all Israel will be saved” (11:25-28). Never look down upon God’s chosen people, for while there has been a partial hardening of their hearts, God’s plan will come about in His time (11:25-36).
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 122, meditating on the promises of God for all His people – “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Romans 11:33).
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 1253
The Lord is My Keeper!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, August 22.
There are times when God is described in human terms. This is called anthropomorphism; it’s a very common literary device in the Bible. In Psalm 121, the Hebrew word shamar is used six times to describe God’s activity as a military guard or night watchman. In verses 7-8, it is used three times, “The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.” [emphasis added] Scholars explain this robust Hebrew word, translated three different ways in the above passage:
The Hebrew verb shamar means “to keep,” but it is also translated in overlapping and similar ways: to care for, be careful, obey, guard, watch, or observe. Shamar is used by the Lord when He commands Adam to “take care of” the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15) or Eleazar “to guard” the ark of the Lord (1 Sam. 7:1).[1]
In the same way that God watches over us, we are to keep Him as the priority of our lives. God’s people have been charged with keeping the commandments of God (Exodus 19:5; 20:6; Leviticus 18:5). In the New Covenant, we are to “keep” ourselves in the love of God (Jude 1:21) and “be on guard” for ourselves and all the flock of God (Acts 20:28). We are to train into our own lives of faith the same diligence a soldier applies to his mission of protecting people.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 121, meditating on your enlistment as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, who does not “entangle himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4). How are you training yourself to live on mission today? What distractions do you need to guard against so you can live a Christ-centered 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.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] Eugene E. Carpenter and Philip W. Comfort, Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 102.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1252
A Prayer to Come Home!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, August 21.
Is your home a place of rest where you and others can find peace? Today, we start a fifteen-day journey through the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134), which are pilgrimage psalms used when people would travel to Jerusalem for one of the prescribed Jewish feasts – Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Whereas people would ascend to Jerusalem because of its higher elevation, this term has a spiritual meaning because of what Mount Zion represents to the people of God. It was here that God established His temple where people would pilgrimage to find peace with Him through the atonement of their sins.
For the ancient pilgrim, to be away from Jerusalem was to be away from the presence of God. Just as Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life, the temple was the home of God’s presence on earth. The psalmist writes of his desire to come home to this place of peace in Psalm 120:5-7, “Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech [northwest of Canaan in modern Turkey], for I dwell among the tents of Kedar [southeast of Canaan in northern Arabia]! Too long has my soul had its dwelling with those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.”
Home should be a place of peace. How do you make your home a haven from life’s tribulations? By inviting the Prince of Peace to bring His peace into your heart so that He may dwell wherever you may be. 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” (cf. John 16:33).
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 120, meditating upon the presence of God in your life through your relationship with Jesus Christ. May the Prince of Peace make His home in your heart.
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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