The blog contains daily devotions and notes from the weekly messages.  We encourage you to review the notes during the sermon or through the week!  Most of the posts will have an audio and/or video link at the end of the notes.  From time to time the pastors will share other insights and devotions here.
 
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Seize the Moment – Day 1138

Today’s hymn focus will be

All Creatures of Our God and King

 

Luke 19:40 (NASB95)

 
 
 

  But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

 

This hymn is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi written just before his death in 1225 AD, exhorting all creation to worship God. Born in Italy to a rich merchant in 1182 AD, he came to Christ in his early 20’s after being released from the prisoner of war camp. Renouncing his inheritance, he began traveling the countryside, preaching the gospel to everyone he met, seeking to make Christ real, while living simply and loving nature.

 

It wasn’t until 1919 that an English version appeared when Rev. William H Draper used it for a children’s worship festival in Leeds, England.

 

        All creature of our God and King,

Lift up your voice and with us sing

Alleluia, Alleluia

 

This was not a new concept! He was reflecting upon the words of the psalmist in Psalm 148! We need to wake up and do exactly what this psalm challenges us to do…Praise Him each day! All of creation is doing it, and everything that has breath is supposed to. So why aren’t you joining in the heavenly chorus to worship the One Who created us 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.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

 

If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:

 
 

All Creatures of Our God and King

 
VERSE 1
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou, burning sun with golden beam
Thou, silver moon with softer gleam
O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
 
VERSE 2
Let all things their Creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, Three-in-One
O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
 
VERSE 3
All the redeemed washed by His blood
Come and rejoice in His great love
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Christ has defeated every sin
Cast all your burdens now on Him
O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
 
VERSE 4
He shall return in pow’r to reign
Heaven and earth will join to say
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Then who shall fall on bended knee?
All creatures of our God and King
O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1137

Praying with the Perspective of Eternity!

Psalm 39

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, April 28.

 

I watched the preacher stretch a long rope from end to end of the sanctuary. The white rope was very long, and there was a single red spot on it. The rope represented eternity, and the little red dot was the length of a life lived on Earth. His illustration was unforgettable, and I have pondered the shortness of my life in perspective to the immensity of eternity ever since. What is the purpose of the life we have been granted?

 

David asked for perspective in the midst of his suffering in Psalm 39:4-5, “Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.”

 

When we pray this psalm, we are invited to ponder the shortness of our own lives. This is not a morbid exercise designed to depress you, but a joyful one purposed to give you hope. As David expressed in verses 6-7, “Surely every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for nothing; he amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” It is important to live with the perspective of eternity in mind, like looking out over the immensity of the Grand Canyon and having your breath taken away by its sheer majesty. The suffering experienced in this life, and just as easily as the pleasures, can cause a person to lose focus on what it is God has given us life for in the first place – to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever!

 

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 39, meditating upon the perspective of eternity (Hebrews 11:13-16).

 

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.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1136

How to Pray When You Feel Like Job!

Psalm 38

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, April 27.

 

What do you do when you feel like Job? How are you to pray when going through intense times of pain and suffering? David lamented of his sickness and suffering in Psalm 38:6-11:

 

I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long. For my loins are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart throbs, my strength fails me; and the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me. My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my kinsmen stand afar off.

 

Doesn’t David sound like Job in this Psalm? He was miserable in his suffering, but, like Job, he suffered with faith (Job 1:21-11). In Palm 38:15, David proclaimed his faith, “For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God.” He concluded in verses 20-21, “Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, do not be far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!” Both David and Job had to wait upon the Lord to rescue them through their period of pain and suffering. Within their testimonies, we find the key to our suffering – securing our hope in God. Pray with faith through the dark nights of torment and the cold winters of suffering. Fight for hope with every ounce of your being. Faith brings light to dark places!

 

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 38, meditating upon the mercy of God – “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

 

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.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1135

Hand in Hand with God!

Psalm 37

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, April 26.

 

I don’t know about you, but I am feeling exhausted right now. The more tired I get, the harder I push myself to keep up with my normal workflow and productivity goals. It feels like I have strapped myself into an unceasing tread mill. What happens to you when the pace and expectations you have set for yourself, or others have set for you, are too much to maintain?

 

The Holy Spirit spoke into this place of my exhaustion with Psalm 37:7-9:

 

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

 

This passage called me to get off the treadmill. I have been guilty, once again, of going for weeks in the hard yoke of success, and I am weary! I find myself simply wanting to take a break from it all, in hopes of finding relief, instead of seizing the moment on the promise of finding rest for my soul (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus calls us to walk with Him in His easy yoke – to learn from Him how to be gentle and humble in heart. Psalm 37:23-24 promises, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” God does not call you to work for Him, but to walk with Him, hand in hand!

 

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 37, meditating upon the invitation of God to find rest in Him. Take a nap. Take a day off. Cancel a meeting. Go for a walk. Rest in Jesus’ easy yoke!

 

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.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

 
 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1134

Pray for your Heart’s Desire!

Psalm 36

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, April 25.

 

People often ask me if it is okay for them to pray for what they want. I think so; in fact, we are invited to come to God as our heavenly Father. A good father wants to know what’s on his children’s hearts and minds. Jesus emphasized this in His teaching on prayer in Matthew 7:9-11:

 

Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

 

God wants you to pray for your heart’s desire, and in asking Him, He (and you) will hear what it is you are seeking (Matthew 7:7-8). One of my favorite blessings to pray over someone is, “May God give you the desires of your heart, may all that you desire be found in Christ alone.” While it names the inclination of every human heart to come to God to have their desires met, it simultaneously prescribes that God is all that we need. God is our sufficiency! He is the wellspring of life and blessing, the Source of all good gifts, as David expressed in Psalm 36:8-9, “They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (cf. Psalm 37:4).

 

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 36, meditating upon God as the fountain of life – “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17).

 

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.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1133

Pray for Your Enemies!

Psalm 35

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, April 24.

 

Have you ever been upset at a person because he was causing pain and suffering in your life? Of course you have; haven’t we all gotten upset at the malicious or callous behavior of others? Psalm 35 is one of the imprecatory psalms, one in which the author invoked God’s anger and judgment upon his enemies. Verses 4-8 capture David’s imprecation:

 

Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them on. Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my soul. Let destruction come upon him unawares, and let the net which he hid catch himself; into that very destruction let him fall.

 

How are we to deal with our anger and frustration at people as New Covenant believers? How can we pray Psalm 35 as followers of Jesus, when Jesus commanded us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43-46; Luke 6:27-38)? The key is to remember that there is only one enemy, and it’s never another person – “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). See the person, or group of people, who you see as evil, or doing evil, and pray for God to rescue and deliver them.

 

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 35, meditating upon the love of God that covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8) – don’t repay evil for evil, but do good by praying for your enemies (1 Peter 3:8-17).

 

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.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

 
 

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Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk 9

Grow Strong in God’s Grace: Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Pleases God

Hebrews 11:4-6 (NAS95)

 
 

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 and entrusted us to work in 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 cultivating people with faith, sowing the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds, caring for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants, and reaping a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This is the strategy of a faithful farmer for God’s harvest, powered by the Holy Spirit!

 

Harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace by walking through these four steps of this strategy. Let’s take the first step by walking through the Hall of Faith, learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11.

 

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

 

Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men [and women] of old gained approval.” Today’s passage from Hebrews 11:4-6 builds upon this definition, while illustrating it with the first two transforming stories from which we are going to learn how to grow strong in God’s grace:

 

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

 

Just like you and me, today, the “men [and women] of old” were real people – Abel and Enoch were real men, with real faith, in real history, and even their stories began with faith. But just like with them, we can’t remain at the starting point of our story, we must take the next step of faith. Faith is what made these men’s great; they are not great in and of themselves! The Bible never exalts men and women; rather, the Bible glorifies the God who uplifts men and women through the gift of faith to be used for His divine purposes. Today, you are invited to have faith like Abel and Enoch, so that you, too, can take the next steps in your faith life “to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is rewarder of those who seek Him.”

 

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

 

Faith gives substance to that which is not yet visible – the kingdom of Heaven on Earth! God’s grace at work in our lives sows the assurance that God can and will do that which God promises to do! Let’s see how that worked with Abel. Hebrews 11:4 teaches, “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” I love this testimony: “Through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” Wow! Abel’s transforming story continues to proclaim the importance of offering God right sacrifices, as seen in Genesis 4:1-8:

 

Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

 

Both his life and testimony were cut short, literally, by his older brother Cain. Abel did nothing to deserve death. Cain became jealous because Abel’s offering was accepted by God, and his was not. From the beginning of the human saga, we see the curse of sin deeply rooted in the human condition, but we also find the seed of faith to choose a different path – God’s grace illuminates the way of faith that is counted to us as righteousness. Abel set apart the first fruits of his life for God and God accepted his sacrifice. We are called to be living sacrifices, as Paul urges us in Romans 12:1, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

 

Abel’s story calls you to live differently – to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). While it appears that Abel was rewarded for his faith by being murdered, there is more to the story, much more! The story of those with faith lives on and continues to tell the better story of God, well beyond what appears to be the end of our stories here on earth. Just as Hebrews 12:1 communicates of these people from the Hall of Faith, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” The same will be true for our lives, as we grow strong in God’s grace.

 

You are invited to be like Abel, a living sacrifice to God’s glory that allows your story to speak even when you feel like your story is being cut short by injury, injustice, heartache, hardship, disease, or death. When we sow with the good seed of God’s grace, then our stories tell a better story! Never forget that God loves to create something from nothing – trust Him to do so with your life. Faith gives substance to that which is not yet visible – the kingdom of Heaven on Earth. We will now turn to the third action step of a farmer’s strategy and learn from the transforming story of Enoch.

 

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

 

God has planted a good seed of faith into your life so that you will mature and bear fruit, testifying to what you are (a disciple) and to whom you belong – to be a witness of God’s grace bestowed upon you by Jesus Christ. When you first believe and put your trust in Jesus your life is forever changed because you are made new – born again as a new kind of plant because the good seed has been planted into your heart and mind. Paul expressed this in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20:

 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

 

We are to mature into ambassadors for Christ! Our maturing faith causes us to become witnesses of God’s grace. Hebrews 11:5 teaches us the transforming story of Enoch, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.” The Enoch being referred to here is the one found in the generations leading up to Noah in Genesis 5:19-24 (as opposed to Cain’s son in Genesis 4:17):

 

Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died. Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

 

We learn more about Enoch from our New Testament passage than we do from the Genesis account. Genesis 5:24 stated with finality, “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” That’s it! There are many traditions built round Enoch and multiple books written in his name, but no authoritative knowledge about him beyond this. We find only one historical parallel to Enoch’s story: the prophet Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11,“As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.” He went to be with the Lord without dying just like Enoch. While we don’t see Enoch again, Elijah had the honor of being chosen to stand next to Jesus in the Transfiguration, alongside of Moses (Matthew 17:1-9). That places Enoch in a very prestigious position of notoriety – Enoch is a witness to a life that pleases God, the life of faith.

 

Followers of Jesus Christ are given the promise to be like Enoch when Jesus raptures His church, to bring those who please Him home to Heaven without having to taste of death. This promise is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

 

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

  

You are invited to be like Enoch, a wholehearted person to God’s promises whose trust in God allows you to be a hope-bearer in a world that so desperately needs the grace of God. Choose faith, hope, and love – the currencies of Heaven – even when confronted with the evil in this world, including the ever-intimidating reality of death and dying. Never forget, that as an ambassador of Christ you are not a doomsdayer, but a hope-bearer!

 

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

 

The life of growing strong in God’s grace leads to a harvest of praise! Praise God for Jesus Christ who has defeated death and given us the promise of the resurrection and life. Jesus said in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

 

The author of Hebrews concluded about Abel and Enoch’s transforming stories, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” What next steps of faith will allow you to be like Enoch – a wholehearted person to God’s promises? What next steps in faith will allow you to be like Abel – a living sacrifice to God’s glory?

 

Abel and Enoch’s stories strengthen our faith, give us hope, and give us the courage to tell a better story with our story! Do you have confidence in what God has promised you through the seed of faith He has given you? Are you growing strong in God’s grace? May we reap a harvest of praise as our stories are transformed through the gospel of Jesus Christ!
 
 

You can watch this video by clicking HERE.

 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1131

Today’s modern hymn focus will be

Christ Our Hope in Life and Death

 1 Corinthians 15:20(NASB95)   

 

 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.”

 

This modern-day hymn was written in 2020 by a group of songwriters from the Getty Music group. In a time where things in life appeared to be dark and grim, they wanted to create a song that reminds us of the hope of the resurrection. Our hope comes from putting our trust in the One who took on death, then crushed its power by His resurrection. We as Christians can sing hallelujah because we have the hope and promise of a glorious future.

 

            What is our hope in life and death? Christ alone, Christ alone.

            What is our only confidence? That our souls to Him belong

 

We need to wake up and ask ourselves this question: What is our only comfort in life and death? It is our blessed hope and faith in Jesus! That is the only statement that can transform how we live each day.
 
 

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.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

 

If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:

 

Christ Our Hope in Life and Death

 

What is our hope in life and death?
Christ alone, Christ alone.
What is our only confidence?
That our souls to him belong.
Who holds our days within his hand?
What comes, apart from his command?
And what will keep us to the end?
The love of Christ, in which we stand.

 

(Chorus)
O sing hallelujah!
Our hope springs eternal;
O sing hallelujah!
Now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death.
 
What truth can calm the troubled soul?
God is good, God is good.
Where is his grace and goodness known?
In our great Redeemer’s blood.
Who holds our faith when fears arise?
Who stands above the stormy trial?
Who sends the waves that bring us nigh
Unto the shore, the rock of Christ?
 

Unto the grave, what shall we sing?
“Christ, he lives; Christ, he lives!”
And what reward will heaven bring?
Everlasting life with him.
There we will rise to meet the Lord,
Then sin and death will be destroyed,
And we will feast in endless joy,
When Christ is ours forevermore.

 
 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1130

Taste of the Lord’s Goodness!

Psalm 34

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, April 21.

 

Psalm 34 is another of the acrostic poems based on the twenty-two characters of the Hebrew alphabet. David carefully structured this tribute to God, after he was rescued from certain death at the hands of “Abimelech,” who was Achish king of Gath from 1 Samuel 21:10-15.

 

In Psalm 34:8, David invited you to trust God, as he had learned to trust Him, “O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” There is only one way to know that the Lord is good, and that is by trying Him. I love this verse because it challenges us to pray today’s psalm and then put it into practice – “to walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). How will you ever learn to trust God if you don’t ever take refuge in Him?

 

David was being pursued by King Saul when he wrote this psalm. He had been betrayed by his own king and was now in the hands of a foreign king. In Psalm 34:18, David declared that his hope was in God, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” This is one of the most comforting verses in the Bible. Whether you are at a funeral service surrounded by grief, or at a coffee shop with a friend experiencing heartbreak, God sees and is present to the pain! Do you press into the Lord when you are brokenhearted?

 

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 34, meditating upon the goodness of God. The ultimate proof of God’s goodness is found in Psalm 34:20, “He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken.” Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy on the cross, according to John 19:36. Jesus died so that you can live and taste of God’s goodness eternally. Got Jesus?

 

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.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 1129

Trust God’s Loyal Love!

Psalm 33

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, April 20.

 

The conclusion of the matter is to trust the Lord for His lovingkindness – to wait upon Him and to put your hope in His loyal love. Psalm 33:18-22 declares David’s faith in God’s character:

 

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You. [emphasis added]

 

Twice in this conclusion, David used the Hebrew word hesed to describe God’s character. Hesed is difficult to translate into a single word because it “combines the ideas of unconditional love, generosity, and enduring commitment.”[1] God revealed Himself to His chosen people through His loyal love, His covenant faithfulness, which is His hesed (Exodus 34:6). When we see God for who He is – the God of loyal love, we can wait upon Him to keep His promises. We can hope in Him because we trust His covenant faithfulness. God keeps His promises, every time on time! God’s hesed was revealed to us through His Son Jesus Christ, as Paul described in Titus 3:4-7:

 

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

 

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 33, meditating upon the loyal love of God made known to us through Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

 

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.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

 
 

FOOTNOTE:

 
[1] For an accessible explanation of hesed, watch “Loyal Love” by The Bible Project at https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/loyal-love/ (Accessed April 6, 2023).
 
 

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