Seize the Moment – Day 1219
Show Me Your Glory!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, July 19.
Kimberly and I have a goal to visit every national park in our nation. From the soaring peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the hidden depths of the Grand Canyon, we want our children to see and experience the beauty of their homeland. Throughout history, God has revealed His glory to His children so that people may see and experience Him, as Psalm 97:2-6 explains:
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries round about. His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples have seen His glory.
A theophany is a manifestation of God; it is when God chooses to appear to people in a way they can discern. It is when God reveals His glory in a tangible way so that the people can see and experience His awesomeness.
Theophanies in the Bible usually are accompanied by physical signs: earth shaking or quaking, a cloud, fire or other visible means of display. For example, when God appears to Moses in a burning bush (Ex 3) or when the prophet Micah announces that God is coming and that the mountains will melt and the valleys will burst open (1:4). A theophany shows God’s power and involvement in the world, …[1]
When you pray for God to show you His glory, you are praying for a theophany – a tangible manifestation of His power and involvement in your life, and in the situations you need His presence.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 97, meditating upon the glory of God, forever revealed to humanity through Jesus Christ – “He is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).
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] Arthur G. Patzia and Anthony J. Petrotta, Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 116.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1218
Until All Worship!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, July 18.
Nearly two decades ago, I went through missions training with the International Leadership Institute. I was struck by their heartfelt desire to see all peoples come to worship God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, that is the first core value of their missions training: “intimacy with God.” Even though I haven’t thought about this organization these last fourteen years in Indiana, I have never lost focus on this core belief that the church must keep first things first – it’s all about worship!
Psalm 96:1-3 is a call to worship for all the nations, but it must begin in the heart of a man or woman who has been consecrated by God for this very reason: “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.” We are invited to sing the new song of the God of missions – Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again! This is the messianic hope of Psalm 96; Jesus is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise to bless all the nations, being completed by His church until He returns (Matthew 28:18-20). You are called to sing the new song through the anointing of the Holy Spirit – “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 96, meditating upon the God of Missions who so loved the world that He sent Jesus Christ to seek and to save that which was lost (John 3:16; Luke 19:10). The Great Commission compels us in love until all worship!
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 1217
Surrender in Worship!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 17.
Have you ever been moved by the reverence of God to kneel or lay prostrate on the ground before Him in worship? It’s a powerful experience to worship in this physical posture, but it must be a movement of the Spirit upon you to be sincere worship. While it shouldn’t be institutionalized, we are invited to surrender in worship in Psalm 95:6-7a, “Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.” True worship moves a church from being people-centered to God-centered, as described in The Preacher’s Commentary:
Here then [in Psalm 95:6] a crucial point is made. Our worship is not centered in what we get out of church (edification or inspiration). Our worship is centered in what we give to God. Worship is the turning of our lives over to Him, nothing less. A service of worship, therefore, is a service of surrender. This reality, if expressed, will deliver us from much of the self-centered so-called worship of the modern church.[1]
Each of the three Hebrew verbs found in Psalm 95:6 is concerned with getting low before God, putting oneself in a position of surrender before God, who is worthy of such submission. The Hebrew word translated worship means to prostrate oneself, as seen of Abraham in Genesis 18:2, when he “bowed himself to the earth.” The psalmist describes the people of God bowing the knee and paying homage to their King as a sign and wonder of their allegiance to the Good Shepherd of their souls.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 95, meditating upon the worthiness of God for your sincere worship. Put yourself in a position of surrender today knowing that one day “every knee will bow” (Philippians 2:9-11).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 73–150, vol. 14, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1989), 183.
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Grow Strong in God’s Grace (Wk 19)
Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!
The Faith that Toots God’s Horn!
Hebrews 11:30 (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 Joshua, found in Hebrews 11:30, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” This ancient story of Jericho is found in Joshua 6. Here are highlights from verses 1-5, 16, 19, 27:
Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.” … At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city.” … So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city. … So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.
What is it about this story that put Joshua in the hall of faith? To answer that question, we need to look at the next action step.
STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE
Joshua’s life was formed during Moses’ formidable years. In other words, Joshua’s transforming story started because he experienced the fruit of Moses’ formidable faith, and the good seed was put into his heart and mind because of Moses’ faithfulness to God. We see here the importance of multiplying yourself, as 2 Timothy 2:2 teaches, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Then, after Moses died, we watch Joshua called forth to succeed the man of God in Joshua 1:1-9:
Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
People presume that God commanded Joshua to “be strong and courageous” because of the long military campaign ahead, starting with Jericho, and while that is true, the only real danger Joshua faced was the people’s rebellion against God and their not following the Law as given to them by Moses in the Pentateuch. Joshua’s primary duty and greatest challenge was leading the people spiritually. Without obedience to God, there could be no military victory, nor rest in the land, as God made clear in Joshua 1:13-18:
“Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God gives you rest and will give you this land.’ Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them, until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as He gives you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.” They answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous.”
The reality we are going to learn today is that God’s people don’t need a hero, they need a spiritual leader. That truth will be borne out time and time again in the history of Israel, especially once the people get judges then kings. God is the only hero the people of God will ever need, but we have this sinful, incessant desire to make heroes out of people who then afflict us. To learn this, Joshua had to mature as a man of God in his leadership calling.
STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT
Whereas heroes toot their own horns, and we happily grant them celebrity notoriety so that we can worship them like the idol worshippers we are, spiritual leaders toot God’s horn and point the people to their fundamental need to worship the only One worthy of our worship – God!
In today’s story about the famous battle of Jericho, Joshua exemplified the call of a true spiritual leader, who proved that his highest calling was to be strong and courageous, meditating upon God’s Word so that he would obey and be successful. Joshua received the battle plan from the “captain of the host of the Lord” in Joshua 5:13-15:
Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua, like the Centurion and how he submitted to Jesus in Matthew 8:5-13, executed the plan given to Him with great faith, even though it was an unusual plan. As a former military officer, sI want you to realize what a big moment this was for Joshua – God’s plan would have been unlike anything Joshua had ever seen or heard. God directed him in Joshua 6:3-5 to lead the army to walk around the city wall of Jericho for seven days, once per day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. Upon completion of which the priests were to blow seven trumpets and the people were to shout out with a great shout. Then the wall of the city would fall flat.
I can only imagine how Joshua, an experienced military leader, could think of all the reasons this plan would not work. If this was Joshua’s burning bush moment, wouldn’t he second guess and argue against every point of God’s plan, just like Moses had done in Exodus 3:10-4:13? But he doesn’t – he had learned through his experiences as Moses’ second-in-command and as his time as a spy of the Land of Canaan to trust God to do the impossible! Joshua 6:6-7 describes how Joshua executed the Word of God without question:
So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” Then he said to the people, “Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of the Lord.”
The battle for Jericho was a decisive victory that brought great glory to God. All because Joshua believed God and acted with absolute trust in God’s Word. This is the only way a leader will mature; not by seeking to be a hero for the people, but by pointing the people to the only hero they will ever need – God! Oh, how far the nation of Israel would fall, and how far we fall today when we refuse to trust God by obeying His Word in our own lives. That bring us to the last action point.
STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE
Joshua’ life reaped a harvest of praise – he successfully tooted God’s horn! But God’s people did not walk in the way of Joshua, he had no successor, and after the elders of Joshua, the people entered into tumultuous years of the Judges. There is a warning with a call to action built into Joshua’s life, and we only need to look at the Battle of Ai, found in Joshua 7 to realize what it is.
Joshua 7 is a sad story that starts with the startling defeat of the army of Israel at Ai. There was no military reason for their defeat, especially after the amazing victory at Jericho. The defeat was a spiritual one. In response to this unexpected defeat, Joshua’s charge from God was to lead the people in repentance so that he would once again lead them in God’s victory. Joshua led the people back to God in verse 13:
Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, ‘There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.’”
As we learn from reading Joshua 7, the defeat was caused by the sin of Achan, who coveted after the spoils of war and greedily hid in his tent that which God forbade (16-26). What Achan thought would go unnoticed and had justified in his mind and heart to help his family survive, led to great devastation to the community of God, causing a major defeat in the Battle of Ai. That is the startling revelation that each of must ponder about Joshua’s life and his call to leadership of God’s people. The victory comes as each of us learn to submit to God’s Word, just as Joshua was commanded in Joshua 1:8. The calling of Joshua, and every spiritual leader to this day, is to toot God’s horn, emphasizing the importance of meditating upon God’s Word, day and night, teaching God’s people to listen and obey so that they may enter God’s rest. This is as emphasized in the New Testament, in Hebrews 4:8-12:
For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
We must not follow the example of disobedience. Instead, we must surrender ourselves holy and wholeheartedly to God’s commands as given to us through the Word of God. Consecrate yourself to God and dedicate your heart and mind to Him. At the end of his life, Joshua called the people to decide who they will serve; I join my voice to Joshua 24:14-15:
“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Brothers and sisters, you don’t need me or any person to be a hero to save the day for you! Jesus Christ has already done that for you – we have a Savior! Today, and every day until He returns, you need to respond to the invitation of Jesus Christ from Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” This is what we learn from Joshua’s life – a life of absolute surrender to God! A life that abides in the vine bears good fruit – a harvest of praise to God!
You can watch the video of this message by clicking HERE.
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Seize the Moment – Day 1215
Today’s hymn focus will be
In The Garden
John 20:14 (NASB95)
“When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.”
One day, in Sunday school, the children were asked if they knew God’s name. One little boy raised his hand to say, “I do! It’s Andy!” The teacher said, “Why do you say that?” to which he replied, “We sang it last week in church…Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me…” Oh, the imagination of a child!
But this hymn came to C. Austin Miles in March of 1912 as he was meditating on his favorite chapter of the Book of John, chapter 20. He said that as he was staring at the wall, his hand on his Bible, his mind took him to the entrance of a beautiful garden, picturing Mary standing there at the tomb of Jesus when Jesus appeared to her. Under the inspiration of this vision, he quickly wrote the words and later that evening, he composed the music.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.
We need to wake up to the realization that Jesus promised to never leave us nor forsake us. This is why we know we can come to that place of peace and quiet to spend some time of communion each day with Him and be renewed in our love and strength.
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:
In the Garden
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing. [Refrain]
Tho’ the night around me be falling;
But He bids me go; thro’ the voice of woe,
His voice to me is calling. [Refrain]
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Seize the Moment – Day 1214
Hope in God for a Better Future!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, July 14.
Do you believe in the myth of human progress? I’m not talking about technological innovations, scientific discoveries, or medical advancements. I am talking about the belief that we can evolve into better people by the means of such advancements, that together we can create a utopia on Earth through our combined efforts. This myth is a misplacement of your faith!
Psalm 94 quickly disabuses us of this thought, as it reads like our current headlines, yet it was written three thousand years ago. The first seven verses capture the cry of the psalmist’s heart for God’s justice in a world of human injustice:
How long shall the wicked, O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; all who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Your people, O Lord, and afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the orphans. They have said, “The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”
Pastor Tony Evans commented on these verses, “Observe that the concerns of God’s people today are the same as the concerns of God’s people in the past.”[1] Not much has changed in the human condition in three thousand years – we are still totally depraved! I’m not going to disregard your desire for a better future because it’s a beautiful vision, but I will direct your hope to the Sovereign God, the One who is able to fulfill it. I pray you will be rescued from the worldview of secular-humanism because it keeps you and your efforts as the object of your own faith and hope.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 94, meditating upon the Promise Keeper – put your faith and hope in the One who will bring all things to completion in the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21-22).
[1] Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible, 2019), 667.
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 1213
Our God Reigns!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, July 13.
Do you need to be reminded that God is still on the throne? When life feels out of control and evil seems to be getting its way in the world, there is a truth that I return to – “Our God Reigns!” More than a song, this is a profound truth from today’s psalm on which to build your life and find your peace.
Psalm 93:1-2 declares this unchanging truth for our everchanging circumstances, “The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.” These verses teach three characteristics about God:
- He is majestic. God is “clothed with majesty” means that He is resplendent in all His glory – “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (Revelation 4:8).
- He is powerful. God has “girded himself with strength” describes how He can do what He says He will do! Unlike earthly rulers who make power plays, God is the Sovereign – “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
- He is immutable. God’s “throne has been established from of old; You are from everlasting” demonstrates how God is the cornerstone on which all of creation has been built (Psalm 18:31; Genesis 1). He does not change in His character nor waver in His purposes – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 93, meditating upon Jesus’ ministry of intercession at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:34) – “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21; cf. Philippians 2:9-11; 1 Peter 3:22).
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 1212
Remember the Sabbath!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, July 12.
The church in America is caught up in our 24/7 culture. Have we forgotten how to stop, to cease from our striving, or even to delay our compulsive need to consume or to produce so that we may delight in God and one another? Are we being stripped of our ability to manage our emotions, control our thoughts, delay our sensuality, and be civil in our conversations because we have forgotten the way to be at peace with God, ourselves, and the world around us? Billy Graham warned the church during his ministry, “I’m afraid we’re in danger of forgetting this commandment [Sabbath] today – but when we do, we pay a price both physically and spiritually. Instead, God loves us, and He wants to bless us by giving us rest and restoring our souls.”[1]
The antidote is simple – remember to live in the rhythms of God’s unforced grace, which includes honoring the Sabbath Day! Psalm 92’s title explains that this was the psalmist intent for writing today’s psalm, “A song for the Sabbath Day.” The purpose of having a set apart day is to cease from your unfinished labors to delight in the Lord’s finished work. The results of taking time each week to celebrate God’s creative intent and redemptive work are found in Psalm 92:12-15:
The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 92, meditating upon the hard work of ceasing so that you may flourish (Hebrews 4:9-11). Take out your calendar right now and intentionally set apart a day each week to make space for grace to be God’s sufficiency in your life (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
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] Billy Graham. “Billy Graham’s Answer: What Is the Sabbath Really For?” Billy Graham Evangelistic
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Seize the Moment – Day 1211
Declaring God’s Protection!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, July 11.
“You shall not pass!” Those famous words are from the movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, spoken by Gandalf to the evil creature bent on death and destruction. That is the visual I had in my mind, when in 2020-22, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people posted lawn signs throughout our rural community, proclaiming “Psalm 91” over their households. The people were declaring their belief in God’s protection during this time of crisis, trusting Him to fulfill the following promises from today’s psalm:
- Verse 3, “For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.”
- Verses 5-7, “You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you.”
- Verses 9-10, “For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.”
With powerful promises such as these, Psalm 91 is a perfect psalm to meditate upon and pray in times of danger. Spurgeon testified of the power of today’s psalm:
In the whole collection there is not a more cheering Psalm, its tone is elevated and sustained throughout, faith is at its best, and speaks nobly. A German physician was wont to speak of it as the best preservative in times of cholera, and in truth it is a heavenly medicine against plague and pest. He who can live in its spirit will be fearless, even if once again London should become a lazar-house, and the grave be gorged with carcases.[1]
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 91, meditating upon the powerful protection of God – dwell in the shelter of the Most High (vs 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 1210
The Opportunity of Today!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 10.
Coming into pastoral ministry in my late twenties, I have spent my thirties and forties experiencing the profound truth of Psalm 90: Life is a gift, invest it wisely! I have officiated over three hundred funerals in that time-frame, walking with loved ones through their death and dying process, then speaking over their lives. My perspective on life is different than it was twenty years ago, because persistent exposure to grief changes a person. As I prepare to enter my fifties, I am sobered by the reality that every single day is an opportunity to glorify God.
Today’s psalm gives each of us the right mindset to embrace the gift of life. In Psalm 90, one of the greatest men of the Bible, “Moses, the man of God,” (title) contrasts the stability and eternity of God with the frailty and brevity of the human life. He teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the right perspective to embrace each day and not waste the opportunity found in it, as stated in Psalm 90:10-12:
As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away. Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
Every day is God’s gift of grace! Like every person who has received the precious gift of life, you must choose wisely how you are going to invest the time you have left. Learn wisdom and glorify God with it!
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
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