Seize the Moment – Day 766
Keep on the Alert!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, April 22.
I have an embarrassing military story to share from my time at the US Army Ranger School. I fell asleep on guard duty. I was laying in the prone position watching my sector of fire one moment and the next I was being asked by a Ranger Instructor where my weapon was. I replied, oblivious to my own failure, that it was in my hands, and then he looked down. As my eyes followed his, there was my weapon disassembled in front of me. I failed to keep on the alert and the consequences were grave.
Seize the moment and keep on the alert in prayer by learning to trust in the strength of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus commanded in Mark 13:33, “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.” Keep watch for Jesus!
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Seize the Moment – Day 765
Love with Abundance!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, April 21.
How do you handle disappointment when someone does not give you what you think you are owed? Whether through contract or custom, whether it was presumption on your part that you should receive something, or it was a breach of etiquette on their part for not doing what they should have done, how do you respond?
Thankfully for Nabal, his wife Abigail fulfilled his responsibilities to David and gave him and his men a feast out of their abundance and said to David in verse 27, “Now let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord.” She loved them with abundance and God honored her for her sacrifice. She also prevented bloodshed as David was not responding to the offense so well and was seeking vengeance with his own hand (32-33).
Seize the moment by loving with abundance and like Abigail, God will honor you for your sacrifice. You never know what good will come from your act of love.
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Seize the Moment – Day 764
Set an Example Worth Following!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, April 20.
Do you set an example that is worth following? Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” People are watching and do they see Jesus in you? We are to set an example for others in our words and conduct so that in watching us they may know the way of Jesus.
David set an example worth following when King Saul, who was trying to kill David, entered a cave and unknowingly put himself in the hands of David and his men. In 1 Samuel 24:6-7, listen to how David responded to his men who encouraged him to kill Saul with his own hands and take his rightful place as the next king:
So he said to his men, “Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on his way.
What happened next would not have been possible without David’s brave act of mercy! Saul finally came to terms with the judgment of God and recognized the righteousness of David and God’s anointing upon him as the next king (17-22). David’s men watched all of this and because of David’s unwillingness to set his hand against God’s anointed, but rather showed mercy and kindness, they experienced a powerful testimony of God’s power working through a righteous man. Consequently, David, the anointed of God himself, protected his own future kingship, and that of his son Solomon’s future reign, by not setting the precedent for “might makes right” as the way of succession in the kingdom of Heaven.
Seize the moment and set an example worth following. Walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:1-3).
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Seize the Moment – Day 763
Honoring Your Friendships!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, April 19.
Do you remember the last time you saw a loved one or close friend who has gone on to be with the Lord? Did you know that it would be the last time you saw one another? The last recorded meeting between David and Jonathan is found in 1 Samuel 23:15-18:
Now David became aware that Saul had come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God. Thus he said to him, “Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel and I will be next to you; and Saul my father knows that also.” So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; and David stayed at Horesh while Jonathan went to his house.
Seize the moment and honor your friendships of old by loving, encouraging, and caring for the next generation.
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Seize the Moment – Day 762
Be Warned of Displaced Loyalty!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, April 18.
In 1 Samuel 22:9-10, we see one of the mighty men of Israel start on an evil path in the name of loyalty to his king: “Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by the servants of Saul, said, ‘I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. He inquired of the Lord for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.’” Then, when none of the king’s guards would follow Saul’s blasphemous command to murder the priest and his whole household for helping David, Doeg did, killing eighty-five priests and striking down Nob, the city of the priests, as recorded in verses 18-19.
This was an evil day for Israel as King Saul demonstrated the evil that had now thoroughly consumed him in his jealousy for David. But it could not have happened if it weren’t for Doeg and his misplaced loyalty to his own ambition in the name of honoring his king.
In a place of great brokenness over this brutal slaughter, David showed humility by confessing to the priest’s only living relative, Abiathar, that all of this was his fault because when he saw Doeg at the priest’s house, he knew that he would betray him to Saul, but did nothing to prevent it. In this place of deep sorrow, David penned Psalm 52 as a lament unto the Lord. Listen to how he described Doeg in verses 1-3:
Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God endures all day long. Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah.
Seize the moment and be warned against displaced loyalty to your own ambition, even when you are doing something in the name of God. Put your whole hope in Jesus Christ and walk in His ways.
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Train to Live on Mission – Week 11
Battle Drill for Easter:
Walk with the Living Hope!
Romans 8:18-25 (NAS95)
Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the battle drill for Easter – “Walk with the Living Hope!” As one of my friends said to me on Thursday as we were sharing about our walks with Jesus, “Put your hope in the Living Hope – the Hope above all hopes; the Hope over all other hopes.” Today, we are going to learn that Jesus Christ is the Living Hope! We are going to train ourselves to walk with Jesus as our Hope above all, before all, and over all other hopes so that we are not hijacked by lesser things.
The following are some real-life examples of lesser things to guide us along this journey, remembering that “lesser things” doesn’t mean unimportant or not urgent things, just not things that we can’t reliably put our hope in if we want to live out the Easter miracle in our daily lives:
- The promotion at work or a new job or the goal of retirement.
- The college acceptance letter.
- The dating relationship or marriage or even children.
- The medical treatment plans.
- The athletic victory or the completion of your bucket list.
- The diet or fitness plans.
None of these things can guarantee you that which you hope they are promising you. It is easy to put our hope in any of these things to complete us, to help us feel better about ourselves, to make life worth living, but none of these can be our first and foremost priorities for which we live or build upon as our hope for the future. Because hope is not wishful thinking! Hope is the certainty of our faith in God for the future He promised. We must realize that there is only One who can keep and fulfill His promises. That is what the promise of Easter is all about, as 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?”
Do you believe this and are you learning to take Jesus at His word in your everyday life? That is the question for today and the thrust of your ability to live out this battle drill – to live with Hope is to believe that Jesus is who He said He is and can do that which He promises – “the resurrection and the life.” In what or in whom are you putting your hope? This is an important question because you will devote yourself and be shaped by that which you put your hope in!
Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” It is because of Jesus’ atonement of sin on the Cross of Calvary and His victory over death through His resurrection that Jesus is the Living Hope. This is why we remember to open up the Field Manual and tell the story of Easter. This is why we celebrate!
Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
Because Jesus Christ is the first fruits of the resurrection, we who put our faith in Him, can walk in the power of His resurrection through the “first fruits of the Spirit.” John taught us in 1 John 4:4 to Spirit-walk in a creation that groans with pain and suffering: “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” On that first Easter, Jesus defeated sin, Satan, and death, so that, as Jesus proclaimed in John 16:33, we may walk in His victory: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Persevere in this hope – the Living Hope! Don’t let the score at half-time prevent you from experiencing Christ’s victory. Persevere with the Living Hope and you will overcome as you learn to walk with Him, through the resurrection power in you. That takes us to action step #2.
Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.
And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. “But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.
You were never meant to walk alone! Walk with a traveling companion and you will experience the promise of Jesus Christ from Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” This is a powerful promise of Jesus walking with us as we walk with one another. Hebrews 10:23-25 commands all believers of the importance of doing life together, not just on Sundays and high holy days such as Christmas and Easter, but as a rhythm of our lives:
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
We walk together to encourage one another so that our lives bring glory to God through our love and good deeds, shining brightly of Jesus’ resurrection power in us through the first fruits of His Spirit. That takes us to our third action step.
Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
You will have tribulations and hardships in your life. Walking with the Living Hope doesn’t change the reality of your sojourn through this fallen world, where you will experience the distress of various trials, as Peter said. When you walk with Jesus, then your perspective of your circumstances is not bound up in the momentary sufferings, but rather is captivated by the Living Hope and His eternal weight of glory secured for you through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. This is what Paul intended through his encouragement given in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
As we move to our last action step of training ourselves according to the battle drill of Easter, remember that your greatest witness is how you walk through the testing of fire that is the circumstances of your life, whether that be through painful times of hardship and suffering, or through dangerous times of ease and success. Either way, whether in seasons of richer or poorer, sickness or health, we are to CM – Continue the Mission!
Action Step #4) Live on mission.
[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Does Jesus have first place in everything? We finish where we started, “Put your hope in the Living Hope – the Hope above all hopes; the Hope over all other hopes.” This is the battle drill so guard your heart from allowing any lesser hope from captivating your devotion. You were created, by God, to live a life of devotion for His glory, so train yourself to live on mission by prioritizing your walk with the Living Hope through every circumstance of your life.
It is for your peace with God through the forgiveness of your sin that Jesus Christ died on the Cross. It is for your peace of mind and heart that He gave you the first fruits of the Holy Spirit. Until you are at peace with God and at peace with yourself, you cannot fulfill God’s mission in your life to be His living embodiment of the resurrection, a signpost of Heaven, an image bearer of His glory. It was for this purpose Christ came and until He returns you are chosen and called by God to bring the hope of resurrection to all people by walking with the Living Hope.
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Seize the Moment – Day 760
Today’s hymn focus will be
“He Lives”
Matthew 28:6(ESV)
He lives! He Lives! Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me
and talks with me along life’s narrow way…
Continue to sing the rest of the song as you prepare you hearts to celebrate the Resurrection and life of our Lord and Savior! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!!!
YOUTUBE:
He Lives
He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy;
I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him
He’s always near.
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
In all the world around me
I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary,
I never will despair;
I know that He is leading,
Through all the stormy blast;
The day of His appearing
Will come at last.
Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian,
Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs
To Jesus Christ the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him,
The Help of all who find,
None other is so loving,
So good and kind.
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Seize the Moment – Day 759
Lifting the Burden!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, April 15. Today is Good Friday, the day Jesus Christ gave His life as a ransom for many on the Cross of Calvary.
Much of what Jesus did in his earthly ministry was misunderstood, especially in His healing ministry on the Sabbath day. Interestingly, Jesus used a rescue story from today’s Old Testament chapter, specifically of when David and his companions were starving while fleeing from Saul’s evil efforts to murder him, and a priest gave them the consecrated bread to eat in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. Jesus used this story to explain to the religious leaders that not only were His works of deliverance lawful on the Sabbath but are God’s intent in giving rest to His people, as commemorated on the Sabbath day. Jesus explained this in Mark 2:25-28:
“Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
It’s amazing how often people will miss the biblical principle in their great efforts to be right in the keeping of their own understanding of the Bible. Don’t miss the heart of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ – the good news of rescue and deliverance by a holy and loving God. Jesus came to set His people free from sin to live for God through a relationship with Him, not to bury them under heavy burdens of religion.
Seize the moment and take on the easy yoke of Jesus and you will find rest for your soul (Matthew 11:28-30).
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Seize the Moment – Day 758
Keeping Your Promises Can Be Costly!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, April 14. Today is Maundy Thursday, which means “Commandment Thursday” from when Jesus gave us the new commandment at His Last Supper from John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” This was the night Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper.
Keeping your promises can be costly! Saul struck out at his own son, Jonathan, because he kept his covenant with David, as recorded in 1 Samuel 20:30-33:
Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Therefore now, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die.” But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.
Saul had lost his mind with jealousy for David. By this point, word must have gotten back to him that David had been anointed the next king and he was actively trying to kill him. This led to his verbal assault on Jonathan, and Jonathan’s poor mother, and then, in a moment of absolute rage, Saul tried to kill his own son. At great cost to himself, Jonathan remained faithful to his covenant with David and protected him.
Seize the moment and keep your promises, even when they are costly! Thank you, Jesus, that on this night, you decided in the Garden of Gethsemane to keep Your word to the Father, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:36). You were willing to pay the price and I am eternally grateful.
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Seize the Moment – Day 757
The Importance of Friendship!
1 Samuel 19
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, April 13.
This was true for David in 1 Samuel 19, whose life was saved, three times, by other people he was in relationship with – his best friend Jonathan (1-7), his wife Michal (11-17), and the prophet Samuel (18-24). While all three of these relationships are crucial to understanding David’s life, the story of Jonathan and David is a paradigm of biblical friendship. Jonathan was the son of King Saul and had such a strong love for David that he was willing to jeopardize his own life to intercede with his father in verses 4-6:
“Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?” Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.”
Apart from David’s friendship with Jonathan, he would never have made it to become the king of Israel.
Seize the moment and invest time in building strong relationships. This is an important part of experiencing God’s best for your life.
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