Seize the Moment – Day 806
The Hope of a Sunrise!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, June 1.
When was the last time you set apart time to enjoy the sunrise? As part of my rhythm of writing these daily devotions, I intentionally stop to watch the first light of the morning as the sun crests the horizon in the East. For me, it is a time of hope and awe – a daily promise of God’s faithfulness! As you may know about me, by now, I believe that every promise of God comes with a praxis for my daily life – the sun rise is a time of covenant renewal to live faithfully, with faith, hope, and love, once again, today.
The “last words of David” are recorded by Samuel as a song of praise to God for establishing a covenant with His house. In typical Davidic style, as evidenced by his writing of over half the psalms, David poetically expresses the validity of his own kingship and the security of God’s covenant in 2 Samuel 23:3-5:
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, “He who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain.” Truly is not my house so with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, ordered in all things, and secured; for all my salvation and all my desire, will He not indeed make it grow?
Every day that the sun rises, you, too, can experience the reminder of God’s covenant faithfulness and rejoice in His promises (Lamentations 3:22-24). Additionally, like David, every day your life can shine like the rising sun, bringing life and flourishing to all that you touch. Like the sunrise, every day you are called to be a hope-bearer.
Seize the moment and embrace the covenant renewal opportunity that comes with each sunrise – live faithfully by shining God’s light!
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Seize the Moment – Day 805
Walk with Complete Dependence and Absolute Loyalty!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, May 31.
David pens a psalm of praise for God’s deliverance in his life, expressing his complete dependence and absolute loyalty to the God of Israel, starting with these words in 2 Samuel 22:2-4:
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my savior, You save me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
This song of David is virtually identical to Psalm 18, so why do we find it near the end of this book? The author of Samuel was bookending his work, which began with Hannah’s song of praise for God’s provision, starting with these words in 1 Samuel 2:1-2:
My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord, my mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. There is no one holy like the Lord, indeed, there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.
In the Hebrew Bible, Samuel was originally in the format of one book, not two. The author’s intent was to encourage the people of the divided kingdom to walk with the Lord in covenant faithfulness – with complete dependence and absolute loyalty to Him in all circumstances.
David and Hannah’s songs, the bookends of Samuel, emphasize the sovereignty of God, who is powerful to act, bringing about His purposes from their dire circumstances, for the good of God’s people and His glory. God, Israel’s rock, was the only hope in their time of dire need!
Seize the moment and praise God for His power and provision to bring about His purposes in all circumstances, put your hope in Him alone!
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Seize the Moment – Day 804
Train the Next Generation!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, May 30. Have a good Memorial Day. Remember, freedom is never free!
One of my hobbies is training for and competing in USA Track & Field Masters competitions. Even with a few national championships under my belt, I will be the first to tell you that as I get older, I am not able to throw the 16-pound Olympic hammer as far as when I was younger. This is one of the reasons why being a coach makes sense at this point in my life. It’s time to pass on the knowledge gained from my former successes to aid the next generation to be even more successful.
There is a reality to getting older that requires one generation to entrust to the next generation their skills and responsibilities. We must pass it on! As David matured in his kingship, we witness a critical turn of events happen in 2 Samuel 21:15-17:
Now when the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David went down and his servants with him; and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary. Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, was girded with a new sword, and he intended to kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel.”
At one time David was the only one in Israel who had the courage to face the giant Goliath (1 Samuel 17). That was no longer true, and praise God it wasn’t, because if David hadn’t trained the next generation to defeat the giants, he may not have survived that day of battle.
Seize the moment and train the next generation to face their giants (Psalm 78:6).
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Train to Live on Mission – Week 16
Battle Drill #16:
Accept the Commander’s Correction!
Proverbs 9:7-10 (NAS95)
Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Accept the Commander’s Correction!”
Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.
The battle drill we are going to learn and apply this week is from Proverbs 9:7-10:
He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, reprove a wise man and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
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.
Wisdom is crying out for you to walk in a habitual lifestyle of covenant faithfulness with God. The Hebrew word translated, “Come,” in verse 5, is הלך (hālakh), used in an imperative form, meaning it is a command. God’s people must “walk” in a habitual lifestyle of covenant faithfulness to God and His commandments, as explicitly used in Deuteronomy 10:12-13:
Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? [italics added]
The key to walking in covenant faithfulness is to obey the greatest commandment, as given to us by Jesus Christ in Matthew 22:37, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Because the essential ingredient to a life that submits to the Commander’s correction is love! Jesus Christ made this connection very clearly in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
Jesus commands people to a lifestyle of covenant faithfulness when He invites them, “follow Me,” as in Mark 1:17, or to “Come to Me,” as in Matthew 11:28-30. The Hebrew word of hālakh, and all of it implications of walking in the habitual lifestyle of covenant faithfulness, is the foundation of Jesus’ invitations. Check out the connection between the use of this word in wisdom’s calling in Proverbs 9:4-6 and the prophet’s calling in Isaiah 55:1-3:
Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David.
It is not just the wisdom of God and the prophet of God who is calling, Jesus is calling! There is a further connection between these Old Testament passages and Jesus’ words in John 7:37, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” Furthermore, listen to Jesus’ words from the throne of Heaven in Revelation 21:6-7, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”
We are to accept the Commander’s correction in the same way, and for the same purpose, that a child heed’s his parent’s discipline. Listen to Hebrews 12:7-11:
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Did you hear those final words, “those who have been trained by it”? What are we to be trained by? You’ve got it – the Commander’s corrections (i.e., discipline). We must train into our minds and hearts the importance of accepting the Commander’s correction, as a posture of our hearts and minds, because He loves us and we love Him. That takes us to the third action step.
Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.
Apart from the respect, reverence, and awe of God as the Sovereign King, the Ruler of all creation, the Supreme Commander of Heaven’s armies, then there can be no training of wisdom, or instruction in righteousness, for us as the good soldiers of Christ Jesus. We must know who it is we are seeking to please with our lives; therefore, we must train into our minds and hearts a complete submission to the one who saved us, called us to be His, and chose us to be a part of His plans – His search and rescue mission to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
This is what Paul teaches his protégé in 2 Timothy 2:3-4, “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” Your salvation is your enlistment as a soldier of Jesus Christ. If you are going to live on mission as an active-duty soldier, then you must learn to accept the Commander’s correction because He is trying to help you stay focused on the mission at hand and be effective and fruitful in the mission.
Action Step #4) Live on mission.
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
Our mission is to love as God first loved us. When we don’t do this well, we should expect to be corrected by the Commander. I don’t know about you, but I don’t love as well as God. Unlike God, my love is impacted by selfishness, defensiveness, insecurity, and fear. Therefore, if I am ever going to live on mission for God in a way that is fruitful and effective for the Kingdom of God, I better expect His discipline and accept His corrections whenever I fall short. How I respond to Him is really the point of this whole battle drill. Listen again to Proverbs 9:7-9:
He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, reprove a wise man and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.
How do you respond to correction? Are you quick to get defensive and rationalize your actions, protect your ego, and blame others? If so, then welcome to the party of fools and scoffers. Today is the day to humble ourselves before God to become wise and righteous through the way we listen to feedback and accept correction. Are you already good at listening and learning from the correction, knowing that you can get better because of it? If so, you are wise and righteous. Continue to yoke with Jesus and become like Him – gentle and humble in heart.
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Seize the Moment – Day 802
“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”
Philippians 2:9-11(NLT)
“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Written in the late 18th century by Edward Perronet, this hymn declares the greatness and the power of Jesus’ name. It was written to express the joyful hymn describing the revival movement, encouraging those who sang it to join with others in proclaiming the everlasting song that would one day be sung at the feet of Jesus.
All hail the power of Jesus name!
Let angels prostrate fall,
Bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all
Bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all
We need to wake up and join with others as we proclaim the glory and majesty of our Lord and Savior, and look forward to the day when we will be seated at His feet with countless others as we crown Him Lord of all!
YOUTUBE:
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all!
now ransomed from the fall,
hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all.
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all!
responsive to his call,
to him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all.
To him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all!
we at his feet may fall!
We’ll join the everlasting song
and crown him Lord of all.
We’ll join the everlasting song
and crown him Lord of all.
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Seize the Moment – Day 801
Use Your Brain Before You Flex Your Brawn!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, May 27.
Have you ever been in a situation where you used your brawn instead of your brain?
Immediately after Absalom’s rebellion was put down, another one, led by Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite revolted against David, who blew a trumpet and declared in 2 Samuel 20:1, “We have no portion in David, nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!”
Trouble was following David, and the kingdom of Israel, at every turn! Not only was there a political division in the twelve tribes, but there was also a power struggle in the military. David promoted Amasa to lead the army, but Joab, the former general who had killed Absalom, could not accept his demotion, so he murdered Amasa. Joab was starting to flex his military might, again, when a wise woman called out to him in 2 Samuel 20:15-16:
They came and besieged him in Abel Beth-maacah, and they cast up a siege ramp against the city, and it stood by the rampart; and all the people who were with Joab were wreaking destruction in order to topple the wall. Then a wise woman called from the city, “Hear, hear! Please tell Joab, ‘Come here that I may speak with you.’ ”
She knew there was a better way to put down this rebellion than to see her entire city destroyed so she called for a negotiation. Essentially, she asked Joab what he wanted, and she gave it to him – the death of Sheba. Using her brains instead of her brawn, this unnamed woman won the victory, the army went home, and her city was left in peace (17-22).
Paul teaches us in Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
Seize the moment and use your brain to be at peace with all people before you use your brawn to make peace.
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Seize the Moment – Day 800
Mephibosheth and the Rest of the Story!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, May 26.
Have you ever been in a situation where you are invited to help two people, but their perspectives are not the same? I’m often in this position, especially in marital counseling. I prayerfully listen to both people and seek a compromise that will bring them together for their good and God’s glory.
Absalom’s rebellion had been defeated and David was returning to his throne in Jerusalem. While David was trying to restore unity throughout the twelve tribes of Israel, he was also trying to pass right judgments upon those people who had been disloyal. One critical relationship to David was with Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. Ziba, his servant, had approached David when he was fleeing from Jerusalem to inform him of Mephibosheth’s disloyalty, but he was now getting to hear the rest of the story from the man himself in 2 Samuel 19:25-27:
It was when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” So he answered, “O my lord, the king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ because your servant is lame. Moreover, he has slandered your servant to my lord the king; but my lord the king is like the angel of God, therefore do what is good in your sight.”
What was David to do? David had previously judged Mephibosheth at the word of Ziba, and now, as he learned the other side of the story, Ziba was accused of opportunistically betraying his master and lying to the king. David decided in verse 29, “You and Ziba shall divide the land.” It was a compromise to bring both sides together for their good and the unity of the kingdom.
Seize the moment, by “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
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Seize the Moment – Day 799
Be a Faithful Messenger!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, May 25.
I had the privilege of coaching at the Regional Championships for girl’s high school track and field last night. In addition to watching some great throwing, highlighted by my discus thrower competing like a champion to earn third place and securing her spot at the State Championships next week, I watched a lot of amazing running on the track.
In 2 Samuel 18:19-22, Joab’s favorite runner wanted to be the messenger of the good news that Absalom had been defeated and the battle was won – the kingdom was secure! Joab knew that David tended to shoot the messenger when there was bad news, and Absalom’s death would not be well received by his father, so he refused Ahimaaz this privilege and sent another, the Cushite. But Ahimaaz would not be denied his opportunity to be the messenger of the good news.
With Joab finally relenting, Ahimaaz beat the Cushite to the king to deliver the good news, but when David asked about the well-being of his son, the swift-footed herald of the good news equivocated (29). It was the Cushite who gave David the whole story – the good and the bad news of the victory.
Who was the more faithful messenger – the eager, persistent one who concealed the bad news of the gospel or the faithful one who told the whole story? As messengers of the gospel of Jesus Christ we are commanded to tell the whole story of Christ’ victory. Paul summarized the good with the bad in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” People will not understand the victory of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sin, the free gift of God, if they don’t first hear the truth about God’s punishment of their sin.
Seize the moment and be a faithful messenger of the gospel, tell the whole story!
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Seize the Moment – Day 798
Pursue the Counsel of God’s Will!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, May 24.
Have you ever felt your advice was disregarded? If so, don’t fret, God may be doing something bigger than you can imagine. Pray for God’s will to be done.
Absalom seized Jerusalem and sought separate counsel for his next steps from two men, Ahithophel and Hushai. The former was willing to personally lead a strike force of 12,000 men to strike down David, who was weary and his army was in disarray. The latter, who was still loyal to David, advised against such a quick attack. Hushai seized the moment and wisely played against Absalom’s fears and pride.
While Absalom was manipulated by a master politician, the reality of the situation is revealed in 2 Samuel 17:14, “Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, ‘The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.’ For the Lord had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring calamity on Absalom.” In response to David’s prayer in 2 Samuel 15:31, “O Lord, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness,” God used Hushai to thwart Absalom’s rebellion. In fact, David had sent Hushai into Absalom’s ranks for this very reason (34).
Tragically, Ahithophel committed suicide soon after Absalom’s rejection of his counsel. The shame would have been too great, and certain judgment would befall him upon David’s victorious return to Jerusalem. Don’t follow his example. Remember that when situations don’t work out the way you think they should, that is a reason to trust God and surrender to His will. Your choice is to either submit to God’s will or to seek after your own will – one leads to life and freedom, the other to death and slavery.
Seize the moment and pursue the counsel of God to walk in His will for your life.
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Seize the Moment – Day 797
Get Both Sides of the Story!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, May 23.
Have you ever taken on the offense of another person only to find out later that the person’s version of the story was not the whole story? It is a terrible feeling to have taken someone’s side to only find out later that you should have listened to both sides of the story before making the decision to defend the person or go on the attack against the other person. King David fell into this trap when Ziba accused Mephibosheth of rebellion in 2 Samuel 16:3-4:
Then the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’ ” So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord, the king!”
Absalom was overthrowing his father’s throne in a military coup and David was fleeing Jerusalem. Ziba arrived with significant supplies to assist him with the escape and told David that Mephibosheth was not with him. We find out later, in 2 Samuel 19:24-30, that there was another side of the story. David’s son Solomon reflected in Proverbs 18:17, “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.”
Due process is a necessary part of the law, as commanded in Deuteronomy 19:15, “on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.” Jesus commanded the need for involving others as witnesses to the process of reconciliation, in Matthew 18:16. Getting the whole story is a necessary part of making good decisions.
Seize the moment and get both sides of the story; be slow to make judgments.
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