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 850

Wait on God’s Justice!

2 Kings 9

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, July 15.

 

Is there a justice that you are waiting to see fulfilled?

 

The last unfulfilled task of Elijah’s tripartite commission on Mount Horeb was to anoint Jehu king over Israel (1 Kings 19:16). That task was done by one of Elisha’s disciples, a son of the prophets. In 2 Kings 9:3, Elisha gave him the message he was to deliver to Jehu upon anointing him with oil, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have anointed you king over Israel.’” Strikingly, Elisha’s disciple said so much more at Jehu’s anointing in verses 6-10:

 

Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel. You shall strike the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person both bond and free in Israel. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.”

 

He seems to have exceeded his marching orders. Did Elisha’s disciple become overzealous in his desire to see God’s justice fulfilled? No, God used this man to pass to Jehu the original prophecy of Elijah, found in 1 Kings 21:17-29. It took three generations to see God’s justice fulfilled, but not a single Word of the Lord fell to the ground void (1 Samuel 3:19; Isaiah 55:11).

 

Seize the moment and walk faithfully, trusting that no matter how many generations it takes to see God’s justice fulfilled, “God’s Words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

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 – Dat 849

Trust God for the Big Picture!

2 Kings 8

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, July 14.

 

Have you ever been asked to do something that you didn’t understand, but you knew it had to be done? That’s the situation Elisha found himself in when he visited Damascus. King Ben-hadad was sick and sent his servant Hazael to inquire of Elisha if he would live. After telling Hazael that his master would recover, but still die, he gazed at Hazael and wept. Their conversation, recorded in 2 Kings 8:12-13, illuminates the difficult life of a prophet:

 

Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” Then he answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones you will dash in pieces, and their women with child you will rip up.” Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” And Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”

 

In verse 15, Hazael murdered Ben-hadad and seized the throne for himself. Elisha was obedient to fulfill Elijah’s mandate from 1 Kings 19:15, “you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram.” While Hazael would go on to do grave evil against the people of Israel, he was also used by God to bring judgment against His people for their disobedience and idolatry, as recorded in 2 Kings 13:3, So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram.” Elisha may have been conflicted with this turn of events, but He trusted God’s sovereignty and obeyed the Lord, regardless.

 

Seize the moment and trust God for the big picture of what He asks you to do, especially when you can’t see the good of it from your perspective!
 

 

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 848

Pray to the God who Keeps His Promises!

2 Kings 7

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, July 13.

 

Are you concerned with the increased costs of living?

 

The king of Aram besieged Samaria, causing a great famine. The costs of living skyrocketed and the people became desperate, so much so that they turned to cannibalism (2 Kings 6:24-30). The stage was set for another conflict between an evil king and a faithful prophet.

 

The king was so distraught that like his father Ahab who had blamed Elijah for the drought previously, Jehoram blamed Elisha for this famine and ordered his death. Neither king could see God’s judgment upon the nation for their sins, but in 2 Kings 7:1, Elisha prophesied to the king’s messenger,

 

“Listen to the word of the Lord; thus says the Lord, ‘Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’” The king’s official responded with disbelief, so Elisha told him personally, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it” (2).

 

God kept both promises! God vanquished the enemy in a single night, which not only ceased the Aramean’s siege of Samaria, but left behind their food stores for the city’s people to consume (3-9). By God’s direct activity, Elisha’s prophecy was fulfilled in verse 16,

 

So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.”

 

God was faithful to provide for His people, and to judge the evil in the land (2 Kings 7:17-20; 9:19-26).

 

Seize the moment and don’t look for someone to blame for the rising costs of living, rather trust God for judgement and faithfully pray that He will provide your daily bread (Matthew 6:11).

 

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

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Seize the Moment – Day 847

The Eyes of Faith to See!

2 Kings 6

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, July 12.

 

In a recent article, Dr. Karan Raj explained, “humans are capable of seeing only 0.0035% of reality.” The normal person sees a very tiny portion of the vast electromagnetic (EM) spectrum, a specific range of wavelengths approximately 380 to 750 nanometers. The science is fascinating. Today’s famous Old Testament story has me thinking that faith and science are best when they are in dialogue with one another.

 

In 2 Kings 6:8-10, Elisha the prophet has been feeding inside information to Jehoram, the king of Israel, about Ben-hadad’s military movements. It’s not because he was a spy, but because he had ears to hear what God was revealing to him about the secret council meetings of Israel’s enemy. Never forget that what is hidden to man is laid open to God (Hebrews 4:13). Because of his accurate reports, Ben-hadad sent an army to take Elisha and surrounded his city with horses and chariots. Open your eyes to Elisha’s response to his servant’s report of what he saw as overwhelming odds in 2 Kings 6:16-17:

 

“Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

 

What appeared to be a disaster, was just an opportunity for the eyes of faith to be opened to God’s power and provision for His people (Hebrews 11). God is not surprised by the overwhelming odds of our circumstances; in fact, He plans on using them for His glory and our good.

 

Seize the moment and pray that God will open your eyes of faith so that you may see the way of victory He has prepared for you (1 Corinthians 10:13).

 

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 846

Holy Ground as Pay Dirt!

2 Kings 5

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 11.
 
During the California Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, when a miner found ground rich with gold, they would say that they had hit “pay dirt.” Today, to hit pay dirt is to have success through a profitable endeavor or opportune discovery.
 
In 2 Kings 5:1, Naaman is introduced to us as the “captain of the army of the king of Aram, a great man with his master, and highly respected, … a valiant warrior, but he was a leper.” He was an influential person with direct access to his king, and favor with Rimmon, the god in whose name he conquered, but no amount of money, power, or influence could cure him of his leprosy, a terminal disease at that time.
Naaman hit pay dirt when Elisha, the prophet of Israel, healed him of his leprosy. At the word of an Israelite slave girl, this mighty general journeyed to Israel and humbled himself before the king. He submitted to the Word of God, as given to him by Elisha, and he was healed (1-14). What had been impossible for Rimmon, was possible for Yahweh! In verse 15, he declared a powerful statement of faith,
 
“Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.”
 
Shockingly, Naaman then asked Elisha if he could take the literal dirt back home (17-19). Why? Because Naaman’s true pay dirt was that he had found holy ground – an encounter with the one true God! Just as Moses had encountered Yahweh in Exodus 3:5 and Joshua the Angel of Yahweh in Joshua 5:15 – “for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Naaman’s request for dirt was a declaration of faith that he would worship Yahweh as God from that day forward.
 
Seize the moment and hit pay dirt for your life by worshiping Jesus, for whom nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37; 18:27).
 
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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Train to Live on Mission – Week 20

Battle Drill #20:

Be a Hope-Bearer!

Proverbs 13:12-17 (NAS95)

 

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Be a Hope-Bearer!”

 

In a recent news article, the author explained the importance of teaching your children the practical life skills of hope, a timely reminder since we are living in a world filled with hopelessness and darkness:

Research shows that hopefulness can dramatically reduce childhood anxiety and depression. Hopeful kids have an inner sense of control. They view challenges and obstacles as temporary and able to be overcome, so they are more likely to thrive and help others. Yet despite its immense power, hope is largely excluded from our parenting agendas. The good news? Hope is teachable. One of the best ways to increase this strength is by equipping children with skills to handle life’s inevitable bumps.[1]

The article continues with “nine science-backed ways to help kids maintain hope.” Those ideas include the following: stop negativity in the moment, share hopeful news, celebrate small gains, create gratitude rituals, and embrace service opportunities. I must point out to you that these “science-backed ways” all find their origin in the Bible; therefore, I am going to give you a Proverbs-backed battle drill that encourages you to train yourself everyday to be a hope-bearer.

 

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

The battle drill we are going to learn and apply this week is from Proverbs 13:12-17:

 

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, but the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn aside from the snares of death. Good understanding produces favor, but the way of the treacherous is hard. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool displays folly. A wicked messenger falls into adversity, but a faithful envoy brings healing.

 

To better understand how I am applying this Scripture, you need to hear these verses in their context, as a part of the whole of Proverbs 13. This is what the Field Manual says, let’s now take the second action step to learn how to apply today’s battle drill to our everyday lives as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

 

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

Just like the common cold and a bad attitude are contagious, so is hope! We train hope into our minds and hearts by focusing on God and His Word – God keeps His promises, every time, and on time! Do you believe that?

 

In Proverbs 13:12a, Solomon makes an important observation about the human experience, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Isn’t that the truth! Hope seems harder to hang onto the longer we must wait for “it.” It being whatever it is we are praying for to be brought about; whatever it is we are hoping for! We grow “heart sick” the longer we wait, and, at times, our hope deferred becomes the infections of disbelief, cynicism, apathy, or a host of other cancers to our soul.

 

It is not God’s will that you become a jaded, cranky doomsdayer. Rather, it’s God’s will that you become a loving, patient hope-bearer! So, let’s get to the heart of this very real human experience. The biblical concept of hope is linguistically and thematically connected to waiting on the Lord. An example of this is found in Isaiah 40:31, “Yet those who wait for [hope in] the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” The “wait for” and “hope in” are interchangeable; both translations are found in the same Hebrew word, “Qavah” (קָוָה), which has an original connotation of twisting or stretching.[2]

 

How’s this for a new translation of Isaiah 40:31, “Yet those who are stretched by the Lord will gain new strength…” In response to that, maybe we should write a new Beatitude: “Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.” Or “Blessed are those who are stretchable, for they shall not snap!” In returning to the soldier imagery of our sermon series, many a military person has expressed a common parody of the US Marine’s motto, “Semper Fi: Always Faithful” with the ever-present military reality of “Semper Gumby: Always Flexible!” I never realized that the US Army’s philosophy of “hurry up and wait” could bring about good.

 

Seriously, this is the key to being a hope-bearer. To truly understand biblical hope, you must understand that at the heart of hope is trusting God! Concepts like trust and hope are in short commodity in our culture today because we are not a patient people, we hate waiting and despise being inconvenienced. We are notorious for being the masters of our own fate. If we had to be honest, and not take offense at our own honesty, it is not the over 1.02 million deaths in America that dominates most American’s frustration with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been the disruption and inconvenience to our schedules and lives. As a culture, we struggle with hope because we don’t wait gracefully, and we don’t tolerate inconvenience very well.

 

There is hope with every season of darkness because there is a sunrise coming! Creation reveals the majesty of God! As Jeremiah wrote in Lamentation 3:19-26, there is hope, even in the darkest night of the soul and in the worst possible circumstances:

 

Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.

 

This is real hope – biblical hope! It is not wishful thinking! It is not my life working out for me the way I want it to, or else everyone will hear about it. Quite the opposite, biblical hope is learning to trust God as the Good Shepherd of your soul. We train hope into our lives by learning to walk with the One described by David in Psalm 23, based on his life of waiting on God:

 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

There is no secret sauce to hope! It is 100% trusting God! It is learning that God is who He says He is, to take Him at His word to do what He says He will do, when He wills to do it. His time is always best! That takes us to the third action step to training yourself to be a hope-bearer.

 

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

Paul commands us in Philippians 2:5-11 that we are to have the same attitude as Jesus Christ. We are to emulate the Good Shepherd, and His way of life, a life that was poured out for the pleasure of God. In Philippians 2:14-16, Paul emphasizes that we fulfill God’s purposes by how we endure the everyday challenges of life:

 

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

 

In John 10:10-11, Jesus described His purposes for our lives as our Good Shepherd, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” An essential reality to training to be a hope-bearers is found in not separating verses 10 and 11. Jesus came to give abundant life by laying down His life for the sheep! The lie of the thief is that you don’t have to lay down your life and you can still have abundance. God’s creation declares His glorious plan for our redemption: Just as there is no sunrise without the night and no spring without the winter, there is no crown without the cross and no resurrection without the grave.

 

There is no hope without the need to wait for “it.” It being God’s good pleasure for our lives – Jesus gave His life so that we may have life in Him. God’s good pleasure is to become like Jesus; therefore, even our waiting is a part of God’s redemptive purposes, every time, no matter the length of the wait, no matter the human explanation for the delay or inconvenience. God uses all things for His good pleasure; that is a fundamental truth of a hope-bearer! This is the reality of Paul’s promise in Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” Therefore, wait upon the Lord and He will strengthen you for the mission. That brings us to the final action step.

 

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

Proverbs 13:17 teaches us, “A wicked messenger falls into adversity, but a faithful envoy brings healing.” You are an envoy of healing, a herald of the gospel, a minister of reconciliation, a light to the world. You are to bring the sunrise of God’s hope into the dark places of people’s lives. This is the work of a hope-bearer. It is why Jesus came, as taught in John 12:46, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness” (cf. John 1:1-5).

 

It is why you were saved! In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus calls His disciples to the mission of God, to carry on His work as the Light of the world:

 

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

 

This is a radical statement – “You are the light of the world.” Jesus used the title given to Him and applied it to you. A significant way we train ourselves to be hope-bearers is to remember who we are, to memorize this truth and to recite it to ourselves – “I am the light of the world. I am a hope-bearer!” If we believe this about ourselves, then we can fight off the temptations of disappointment, despair, discouragement, and even depression. There is meaning and value in every dark season, in every delay and set back, and in all my waiting upon God.

 

Being the light of the world is more than a verse to memorize, it is a promise to experience, and a battle drill to train by giving yourself to the daily work of being hope-bearers. I wrote about this in Seize the Moment: New Testament Devotions for Today:

 

God is not surprised by your current darkness, whatever it is. But, if we let it, the darkness can prevent us from being the light of the world. Don’t let the darkness prevail – we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus! Shine the light into the darkness. Reflect specifically today on how you can help others to see the light of God in the midst of all the darkness. Seize the moment by being a hope-bearer, not a doomsdayer![3]

 

One person can make a difference by being a hope-bearer! It’s contagious. Bring the light of hope to all you encounter! Go from this place and may the light of your good works pierce the darkness. Christ is coming again to make all things new. Wait on Him and anchor your hope in His promise of the New Heaven and New Earth that awaits us all.

 

Make this battle drill a reflexive, instinctive, and habitual part of your Christian life so that you can CM – Continue the Mission! Therefore, live on mission today and train the battle drill of the week for the glory of God. Let us pray.

 

This message can be listened to here:

 

This message can be viewed by clicking HERE.

 
 

FOOTNOTES:

 

[1] Michel Borba, “Child psychologist: The No. 1 skill that sets mentally strong kids apart from ‘those who give up’ – and how parents can teach it.” https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/04/psychologist-shares-the-top-skill-that-sets-mentally-strong-kids-from-those-who-give-up-easily.html. Accessed on July 6, 2022.

[2] Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs, Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977), 875.

[3] Jerry D. Ingalls, Seize the Moment: New Testament Devotions for Today (New Castle, IN: Northside Books & Media, an AGF Publishing Imprint, 2021), 7.


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Seize the Moment – Day 844

Today’s hymn focus will be

He Hideth My Soul

 

Psalms 27:5(NLT)                          

“For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.”

 

Today we have another beautiful hymn written by Fanny Crosby. She grew up to be a teacher at a school for the blind, but did not start writing gospel texts until her mid-forties. Once she began, the words of inspiration seemed to flow from her heart, making her “the happiest creature in all the land.”

 

On this occasion, her friend William Kirkpatrick stopped by to play a new melody that he had composed that he felt could become a singable hymn. As he was playing, her face lit up! She knelt in prayer and then wrote the words to this wonderful hymn of faith and hope.

 

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows a dry thirsty land

He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there

with His hand, and covers me there with His hand,

 

We need to wake up and not look to our own strengths and hope in things of this world but place our trust in the One on whom our faith depends on and keeps us safe in all that we do for His glory. So sing this song with confidence today!
 
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’d like to hear the song, click on the link below:
 

He Hideth My Soul

1
A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Savior to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.
2
A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away;
He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.
3
With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
And, filled with His fulness divine,
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God,
For such a Redeemer as mine!
4
When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise
To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love,
I’ll shout with the millions on high.

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Seize the Moment – Day 843

Something Greater than Elisha is Here!

2 Kings 4

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, July 8.

 

My youngest daughter enjoys the Where’s Waldo books. Recently, she showed me her skills in finding Waldo, and as I reflected upon her joy in doing so, I thought of how God finds joy in us finding His Son on every page of the Bible.

 

Elisha the prophet was a powerful man of God. In fact, his ministry reads like a chapter from the Gospels of Jesus Christ, with the miracles he performs for the good of the people of Israel. Elisha performs the following five miracles in 2 Kings 4:

 

  1. The Multiplication of the Widow’s Oil in verses 1-7.
  2. The Prominent Woman’s Infertility in verses 8-17.
  3. The Resuscitation of the Shunammite’s Son in verses 18-37.
  4. The Healing of the Stew in verses 38-41.
  5. The Multiplication of the Meal in verses 42-44.

 

Elisha shows us the heart of God in these miracles. He protected a widow’s household by multiplying the oil and providing their daily bread. He gave the Shunammite the desire of her heart – a son, and then revived him after a farming accident. He removed poison, then multiplied the food to protect and provide.

 

If John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to return, then wouldn’t it make sense that the successor to Elijah would so clearly foreshadow the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Something greater than Elisha is here. In saying this, I am alluding to Jesus’ words from Matthew 12:6, 39-42, “something greater than the temple [Jonah and Solomon] is here.” It is in that tradition of the words of Jesus that when I read the story of Elisha, I clearly see that Jesus Christ fulfills his ministry – He is greater!

 

Seize the moment and find Jesus in your life today; He’s there wanting to be found so that He can work a miracle in your life!

God bless you!
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 842

 

There is Power in Worship!

2 Kings 3

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, July 7.

 

Do you understand why we use live music in our church services? It is not about nostalgia, though music is a powerful tool to help people remember. It is not about entertainment, though it is easier to sing along to songs you know and like. Singing together is about praising God for who He is, glorifying His name, declaring His attributes, and remembering His works.

 

Three kings traveled to receive a word from the Lord through Elisha about their battle plans against Mesha, the rebellious king of Moab. Interestingly, 2 Kings 3:15 describes how Elisha used music in his prophetic ministry, “‘But now bring me a minstrel.’ And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.” There is power in worship!

 

Interestingly, the same Hebrew word translated minstrel, is used in the famous call to worship found in Psalm 33:3, “Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.” God instructs his people to use music in ministry to glorify His name and proclaim His power over all. In 1 Samuel 16:23, music was used to minister to King Saul during his times of spiritual torment, “So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.” There is power in worship!

 

Music ministry was so important in Israel’s practices that King David, in 1 Chronicles 25:1, commissioned minstrels into the service of the Lord. It is for these same reasons that today, congregations call forth skilled singers and musicians to lead the people of God in the ministry of music. There is power in worship!

 

Seize the moment and gather in worship to sing a new song and shout with joy to the glory of God!

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 841

The Mantle of Leadership!

2 Kings 2

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, July 6.

 

Do you live with a fear of failure?

 

God met Elijah on Mount Horeb and commissioned him with three tasks (1 Kings 19:9-18), of which he accomplished one – the anointing of Elisha to take his place. Was Elijah’s life a failure in the eyes of God?  

 

This is a critical question for us to consider, because how we answer it has vast implications on how we live. As we will learn from Elijah’s story, the mantle of authority must be passed from one generation to the next for the fulfillment of the Great Commission, for which God has called His Church – “to make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

 

The answer to the question is found in 2 Kings 2:11, one of the most famous scenes of the Old Testament, where we see God bestow honor on Elijah,
 
“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 was brought to Heaven with an honor escort of the heavenly host, not to be seen again until he stood with Moses at Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:3).

 

Elijah was a success because his mantle of authority was passed to Elisha (2 Kings 2:13), just like Moses passed his to Joshua (Numbers 27:23). Walking in “the Spirit of Elijah” (15), Elisha did many signs and wonders, and he finished the work God had given Elijah to do. Elijah equipped Elisha for the task then passed his mantle to him, and, in doing so, fulfilled his mandate and received his rewards. Elijah did not fail! He was faithful until he ascended!

 

Seize the moment and follow Elijah’s example by taking on, then passing on, the mantle of leadership passed on to you by Jesus, as given to His disciples when He commissioned them at His ascension (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Acts 1:4-8).

 

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.

Read more...