Seize the Moment – Day 900
Today’s modern-day hymn focus will be
Cornerstone
1 Peter 2:7 (NLT)
“Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”
Many Christian songwriters have turned to the classic hymns for inspirations for worship songs that are sung in our churches today. As an example, Chris Tomlin created a version of Amazing Grace by adding the chorus “My Chains are gone…” The same could be said of this modern-day hymn written by Reuben Morgan, Edward Mote, Eric Lilijero, Jonas Myrin and Wm Batchelder Bradbury.
Morgan had travelled to Norway, arriving just after a mass shooting that left the nation shaken to its very core. As he walked the streets and met with friends, he felt the sense of shock and some of the pain and fear as simultaneously the melody and the words began to rise in his heart.
Christ alone, cornerstone. Weak made strong in the Savior’s love
Through the storm He is Lord, Lord of all.
We need to wake up each morning and remind ourselves on Whom our lives, our hopes, and our dreams are built on…JESUS. He is the One who will help us to stand strong no matter what we face each and every day.
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Cornerstone
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Seize the Moment – Day 899
A Future and a Hope!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, September 2.
Are you experiencing a season of exile because of unfaithfulness?
The Chronicler lists the who’s who of Jerusalem at the time of his writing in 1 Chronicles 9:4-34, with an important explanation in verse 1b, “Judah was carried away into exile to Babylon for their unfaithfulness.” He bookends his work with the explanation for why the people had been in exile in the first place in 2 Chronicles 36:14 – their forefather’s unfaithfulness to God! The Chronicler was calling for the remnant to respond to God’s gracious offer for a future and a hope, as promised in Jeremiah 29:10-13:
For thus says the Lord, “When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Tellingly, the Chronicler referenced Jeremiah’s prophecy in 2 Chronicles 36:21, “to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete.” He was making it clear that all they had to do now was to repent by responding faithfully to God’s mercy to bring them back from exile.
Seize the moment and realize that you, too, are never too far from God’s grace, even if you are in a time of exile caused by unfaithfulness. God has a good plan for your life, for a future and a hope, so call upon Him today and pray to Him and He will listen and respond (Jeremiah 29:11-13).
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Seize the Moment – Day 898
Motivated for a Cause!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, September 1.
Good leaders motivate people to accomplish important tasks by connecting them to a larger cause the people value. You can’t expect people to give or volunteer simply because it’s the right thing to do, they need to believe the cause is worth their sacrifice and service.
We know that it was David, as his first order of business as the new king, who conquered the Jebusites and took claim of Jerusalem as his capital city (2 Samuel 5:6-10). But, very interestingly, to motivate the tribe of Benjamin to work hard alongside the tribe of Judah, the Chronicler emphasizes their tribal heritage with the city of Jerusalem twice in their expanded genealogy of 1 Chronicles 8:
- “These were heads of the fathers’ households according to their generations, chief men who lived in Jerusalem” (28).
- “Mikloth became the father of Shimeah. And they also lived with their relatives in Jerusalem opposite their other relatives” (32).
Ezra laid the foundation for why the tribe of Benjamin should rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, leveraging not only their national pride, but also their tribal loyalties. He needed them to believe that Jerusalem was not only the city of David, but also the heritage of the Benjamites.
Seize the moment and remember the great cost of your salvation through the indescribable gift of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 9:1-15). There is no sacrifice of time, talents, or treasures you could give that compares with God’s gift of His one and only Son for you to be a part of His Kingdom and share in His righteousness (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Matthew 6:33).
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Seize the Moment – Day 897
Preserved for a Purpose!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, August 31.
When flying with commercial airlines, you will hear the flight attendants say, “Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting others.” On a recent flight, the attendant jokingly added, “If your children are flying with you today, start with your favorite.” It was so unexpected, I laughed out loud.
This came to my mind as I read 1 Chronicles 7 because, apparently, two of Israel’s kids didn’t get assisted with their oxygen masks – the genealogies of Dan and Zebulun are missing.
The Chronicler’s focus was on Judah and Benjamin because of their recent return from Babylonian exile to rebuild Jerusalem, and on the Levites because they are the priests and temple workers of the emerging Second Temple Judaism (Ezra 1:5). In the face of the great loss of the northern ten tribes of Israel, God was calling forth His remnant to return to covenant faithfulness, thereby, fulfill His ultimate purpose through them – the coming of the Messiah. While Israel did experience the grave consequences of sin, the Chronicler emphasized God’s plan to preserve them for His purposes. God is doing the same today with His Church!
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Seize the Moment – Day 896
The Privilege and Purpose of the Priesthood!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, August 30.
Every believer in Jesus Christ is a member of the “royal priesthood.” This status is bestowed upon us by God, as stated in 1 Peter 2:4-10. This means that every believer has access to God, with Jesus as our “great high priest” (Hebrews 4:14-16) and “mediator” (Hebrews 9:15). It also means that our salvation has a purpose – we offer right sacrifices to God (Hebrews 13:15-16; Romans 15:16).
A central concern of the Chronicler is highlighted in the eighty-one verses of 1 Chronicles 6 – the continuity of the tribe of Levi as the authorized priests and temple workers of Israel. The Levites were responsible for offering right worship to Yahweh, as prescribed through the Law. They were at the center of Israelite faith and practice, and at the heart of the people’s identity as a nation set apart for God’s purposes. In 1 Chronicles 6:48-49 the Chronicler reminds the returned exiles of the Levites’ responsibilities as authorized by the founders:
Their kinsmen the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God. But Aaron and his sons offered on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the most holy place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.
Then and now, the priesthood, chosen by God and bestowed by His royal decree, is both a privilege and a purpose! This was the central message of the Chronicler to the Levites, just as it is through the Holy Spirit to believers in Jesus Christ today.
Seize the moment and meditate on God’s calling upon your life to be a member of the “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:4-10), then respond to Him by presenting yourself as “a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1).
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Seize the Moment – Day 895
Freedom from Generational Consequences!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, August 29.
Does your family have secrets? I think every family does, and none of us want to be defined by our families’ past sins. Every generation wants a fresh opportunity to forge a better future.
There was plenty of heartbreak in the story of God’s chosen people. That pain arose, not just at the hands of other nations, but by their own hands. One such story is of Israel’s firstborn, Reuben, whose genealogy begins with this introduction in 1 Chronicles 5:1-2:
Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph), …
Reuben’s generations should have received the honor of a double blessing from Israel, but instead his ancestors were being defined by the dishonor of his rebellion (Genesis 49:3-4). Reuben sinned against his father in Genesis 35:22, “It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it.” This was more than a sexual indiscretion; it was a political maneuver to seize power from his aging father (cf. 2 Samuel 3:7-10; 16:21-22).
There are generational consequences to sin (Deuteronomy 5:9-10). Sin is like an infection that affects the entire body. In the same way, it can infect a family tree. The only hope is for a member of the family to break the cycle of sin through confession and repentance, made possible through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Seize the moment and walk in a new pattern of life by breaking free of the generational consequences of sin (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:1; John 8:32, 36; Romans 8:15; 2 Corinthians 3:17).
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Train to Live on Mission – Week 27
Battle Drill #27:
Listen Before You Answer!
Proverbs 18:12-13 (NAS95)
Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Listen Before You Answer!”
Effective communication skills are essential to the success of any military operation. In radio communications, there is a very important word that you must learn if you are going to be successful as a soldier. That word is “over.” When the speaker says, “over,” it means he is finished speaking. It implies that you, the receiver of the message, are now allowed to answer. If the speaker doesn’t need or expect an answer, and has nothing else to say, he doesn’t use the word, “over;” rather, he uses the word, “out.” Now, you as the receiver must give the appropriate response, such as “roger,” which means, “received,” and implies you understand what was communicated. That is different than “wilco,” which means “will comply” and indicates that you understand and will complete the task that has been given to you. Here’s the point of this lesson, both military protocol and basic communication etiquette dictate that you would never answer “roger” or “wilco” until the other person says, “over” because you can’t answer wisely without first listening to the entire message being communicated. You always listen before you answer, and that skill must be learned if we are going to CM as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Let’s learn how to train this skill, by listening to what the Field Manual has to say about it.
Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.
Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.
Good communication requires two things: 1) assertiveness, which is the ability to put into words what you are trying to communicate; and 2) active listening, which is the ability to listen and hear what the person is saying to you. It takes both people to achieve effective communication, but it is active listening skills that allow you to verify you have heard the message before you answer the message; it is the skill of mirroring and validating the person for sharing their heart and mind with you. Which is why active listening requires your full person, your full attention. You can’t multitask when communicating with a person and expect to do it well. You need to stop what you are doing and give your full attention to the other person.
I encourage you to pray in the Spirit for God to give you wisdom and discernment so that you can have ears to hear what the person is trying to communicate to you. Often, we all need help to do this because what we hear is not always what the person is trying to say because we have filters from our own life experiences, our hurts, habits, and hang-ups, which can distort an accurate interpretation of the intended message. There are not only filters, but assumptions, particularly in situations where we already perceive we have been wronged. Therefore, active listening requires God’s assistance, as well as full body listening, to include your eyes to watch for non-verbal cues, and your ears to listen to words and tone because we all know that the same words can have different meanings based on how they are said. It requires patience to seek validation that you heard properly and to seek clarification when confused by what the person is saying, or why they are saying it to you.
If you care more about your response than you do the other person’s message, then you will never be good at communication. You may be able to lead meetings, give presentations, or speak from the front, but you will not achieve effective interpersonal communication skills. Listening before you give an answer requires you to have humility, one of the greatest attributes people can achieve through their relationship with God, and one that defined Jesus. A powerful illustration of this, from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, is found in Mark 10:46-52:
Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.
Until you realize your own need, as a fellow blind beggar, to cry out for mercy and ask Jesus to open the eyes of your heart, you live in the reality of Proverbs 18:12a, “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty.” A prideful person never listens before they answer because they presume to know what the other person is thinking and is going to say. A prideful person interrupts instead of listening, rushes to make judgments about the other person, and imputes motives on the other person based on those judgments. No wonder such pride leads to destruction, of our relationships, and of our own lives. There is a better way! Let us now take the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.
If you haven’t learned the humility to sit in prayer and listen for God, then how do you expect to sit with a person and listen to them? Do you have a regular rhythm of practicing silence as a part of your prayer life? Silence with God is where humility is forged into our character! It is my firm conviction that there is a direct correlation between our prayer life – our consistency to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen – and our ability to listen before we answer. Why? Because a good listener is someone who has learned the value of humility, and a humble heart is forged in the crucible of your prayer life, not the productivity or efficiency of your work life. A famous example of this is found in Luke 10:38-42:
Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Mary was humble to listen, as Proverbs 18:12b states, “humility goes before honor.” Jesus honored her and forever established the precedent that sitting at His feet and listening is the one thing necessary in the Christian life. Are you daily doing the one thing necessary? Why is it that we so often give ourselves to answering before we listen, to working before we pray, to going into our day without first reading the Field Manual? I’ll tell you why, because of pride! And we demonstrate our pride through our inability to be good listeners. Our relationships are filled with presumption and pride and that is why we are experiencing destruction in so many aspects of our culture and communities. Presumption and pride are the enemies of communication! That brings us to the final action step of our training regimen.
Action Step #4) Live on mission.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…
Jesus taught us in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is our Commander’s intent – for the world to know that we belong to Jesus and that they, too, can come into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ, in His life, death, and resurrection. This is the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ – Christ crucified, resurrected, and glorified is coming back to rescue His bride.
Are you listening? Or, in military language, “Do you copy? Over.”
We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. How are we to know how to serve others, in the name of Jesus and with the love of God, if we don’t listen well enough to know the needs of our neighbors, which includes those in this room, those at home, and those with whom we work and play? Let’s take our cue from Jesus who went up to the blind beggar and listened to Him. We must learn to ask that same question, “What do you want God to do for you?” Instead of being presumptuous and prideful, assuming we know their answers or imputing motives on their lifestyle or circumstances, what if we actually listened? If we want people to understand Jesus is the answer, then we must be different when we approach them – humble, active listeners who care about them as real people and not just targets of evangelism.
Do you copy? Over.
According to military radio etiquette, you can respond to today’s message in one of two ways: 1) “Roger,” which means, “I have received and understand;” or 2) “Wilco,” which means, “I understand and will comply.” Maybe “Roger” is the best you can manage today. That’s ok; it is my prayer that as you walk with Jesus, it becomes easier and quicker for you to respond not just “Roger” but “Wilco.” May we work hard to discipline ourselves to listen before answering. Maybe “Roger-Wilco” is the right answer, even if it is redundant, “I receive, understand, and commit myself to training myself to comply.” We will all fall short, but don’t quit just because you fail. Just like in anything, get back up and do it better the next time.
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Seize the Moment – Day 893
Today’s song focus will be
I’m Listening
“But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Chris McClarney accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior at an early age. He grew up as the son of a youth pastor and began leading worship for a small group at the age of fourteen. He went on the go into full time ministry in local churches and inner-city ministry across Nashville, TN.
Much like the hymn writers of old, this song was birthed out of the Holy Spirit speaking to Chris and his friends, Josh Bronleewe & Benji Cowart, as they wanted to lead the congregation to a place of listening to and for the voice of God.
I don’t wanna miss one word You speak
‘Cause everything You say is life to me
I don’t wanna miss one word You speak
(So) Quiet my heart I’m listening
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I’m Listening
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Seize the Moment – Day 892
The God who Answers Prayer!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, August 26.
Do you believe in the power of God to answer prayers? How does that belief change the way you live and walk in your daily circumstances?
With his retelling of Israel’s history, the Chronicler was reminding the returning remnant that the same God who had brought them through judgment, would answer their prayers when they sought after Him with their whole hearts. An example of this is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10:
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.” Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested.
In the middle of nine chapters of genealogies, the Chronicler was teaching the importance of faith and hope to the Israelites, who were experiencing the pain and suffering of great loss. In the reality of the rubble of Jerusalem, with the walls torn down, and the temple destroyed, how were they going to muster the strength and courage to rebuild it all?
Only through faith in God! The rebuilding of Israel, and the reestablishing of the Promised Land’s borders, would only happen through faith. The people needed to understand that the same God who made the covenant with Israel, was the One who rescued them from exile, and now, would be with them as they rebuilt their nation, and He had the power to answer their prayers! The Chronicler communicates this truth with this short story of Jabez, a wholehearted man who called on God (Other stories in Chronicles that illustrate this point are found in 1 Chronicles 5:20-22; 2 Chronicles 20:6-12; 32:24.).
Seize the moment and seek God with your whole heart because He is still answering His people’s prayers today (Matthew 6:5-13; 7:7-12).
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Seize the Moment – Day 891
The Descendant of David!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, August 25.
Jesus describes Himself in a very important way in Revelation 22:16b, “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Why does Jesus proclaim this historic truth of His ancestry in the final chapter of the Bible?
The prophet declared about the coming Messiah in Isaiah 11:1-2 & 10:
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. … Then in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples; and His resting place will be glorious.
That is the purpose of 1 Chronicles 3 – the Chronicler is declaring that the root of Jesse is alive and well in post-exilic Jerusalem. David’s children are listed in verses 1-9, then his children’s children up to the time of the Chronicler are listed in verses 10-24. The kingdom of Israel may have been decimated by the Assyrians and Babylonians, the temple system may have been destroyed by order of Nebuchadnezzar, and the people may have been scattered to the ends of the earth, but the royal line of David was alive and well.
David’s line held the promise of Israel’s Messiah – the Savior and King (1 Chronicles 17:1-5; 2 Samuel 7:8-17)! While it would be another four hundred years before Jesus was born, the Chronicler established the lineage of David for the coming Messiah to give Israel hope of the bright morning star!
Seize the moment and be on the alert for the second coming of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:42-44; Luke 21:36). In the same way that Jesus came the first time, He is coming again. God always keeps His promises!
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