Seize the Moment – Day 716
The Revolving Door of Revenge!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, March 3.
The Hatfield-McCoy family feud is an infamous story. It started at the end of the American Civil War and escalated into a massacre, demonstrating the revolving door of revenge. This vicious cycle of violence will continue until either the offenders are dead or there is forgiveness.
We watch the revolving door of revenge in the Samson story in Judges 15. After being denied his wife, Samson stated in verse 3, “This time I shall be blameless in regard to the Philistines when I do them harm.” Obviously looking for justification for his violence, Samson used the personal offense between him and his father-in-law to burn the crops of the Philistines with torches bound to the tails of 300 foxes (4-5). The revolving door of revenge commenced and escalated to a great massacre in verses 6-8, just like with the Hatfield-McCoy family feud:
Then the Philistines said, “Who did this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his companion.” So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. Samson said to them, “Since you act like this, I will surely take revenge on you, but after that I will quit.” He struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter; and he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam.
The Philistines responded by marching to war against Judah until Samson was bound and brought to them, only to have Samson escape his bindings to kill 1,000 Philistines using the jawbone of a donkey (9-16). While this was considered a great victory, it was not the end of the revolving door of revenge, which ended in Samson’s death (Judges 16:28-31).
Seize the moment and put down your offense! A feud can only end in death unless you choose to close the revolving door of revenge through forgiveness.
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Seize the Moment – Day 715
The Power of the Spirit!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, March 2.
Sampson’s amazing feats of strength were possible only because of God’s anointing. We see this twice in Judges 14. First, in verses 5-6, we see him defeat a lion:
Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came as far as the vineyards of Timnah; and behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.
Sampson is not a likeable character nor are his behaviors anything more than that of a man-child who wants what he wants and wants it now. He is certainly strong and courageous, but beyond that he is self-centered and disrespectful.
Judges 14:4 is the key to the Sampson story and this entire fiasco, “However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.” God empowered Sampson for His purposes to deliver and rescue Israel, and not because of Sampson’s worthiness.
Seize the moment and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit not by carrying out the desires of your flesh, but rather to do the will of your Heavenly Father (Galatians 5:16-26). God empowers you to live and work for His glory!
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Seize the Moment – Day 714
The Birth of a Hero!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, March 1.
It is an age-old question: Are heroes born or are heroes made? The Sampson story, which is told over the next four chapters of Judges, either confirms or denies your opinion based on whether you see this Judge of Israel as a hero. Judges 13:3-5 begins Sampson’s story with his birth narrative:
Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
This is the only such birth narrative in the book of Judges. What made Sampson different from the other biblical Judges was that he was mandated to live in a life-long Nazirite vow, which was prescribed by God in Numbers 6:1-21, to be a voluntary and temporary vow to consecrate oneself from the world. The Nazarite vow was a choice to be made by a person who was responding to God’s grace upon his life.
Without hesitation and with great fervor, Sampson broke every regulation of the Nazirite vow. His life was a tragedy! He was born to be a hero, but he could have been so much more if he had committed his life to the pathway of becoming a hero – to being a living sacrifice for God’s glory (Romans 12:1-2)!
Seize the moment and respond to the grace of Jesus Christ by willingly dedicating yourself to God as holy and pleasing sacrifice unto Him. Walk in the way of a hero of faith today!
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Seize the Moment – Day 713
Civil War!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, February 28.
Judges 12 appears to be a replay of the Gideon story (Judges 8:1), as the tribe of Ephraim confronted Jephthah with why he went to battle without them. But, unlike Gideon (Judges 8:3), Jephthah didn’t have the diplomacy skills to satisfy their angry inquiry. The consequences are a senseless and bloody civil war, described in Judges 12:4-6:
Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” then they would say to him, “Say now, ‘Shibboleth.’ ” But he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim.
Can you imagine this catastrophic loss? That would be like us losing nearly every person in Henry County over an offense our mayor had with someone in Kentucky. They had become a divided people who would kill each other because of their regional accents. The loss of 42,000 people was not worth the offense that Ephraim took on themselves for Jephthah’s victory apart from them. And 42,000 was too steep a price for Jephthah’s hot-headed inability to come to the table and find a common ground that united them rather than feed the fire of that which divided them. Are we any better today?
Seize the moment and be a minister of reconciliation in the situations of your own life. Don’t take on the offenses of others, but rather seek that which unites us.
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Train to Live on Mission – Week 4
Battle Drill #4: Walk in the Way!
Proverbs 2:10-22 (NAS95)
Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the fourth battle drill – to walk in the way of a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.
The battle drill we are going to learn and apply this week is from Proverbs 2:20: “So you will walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.”
The fourth battle drill is to walk in the way! You may have heard it stated by the Mandalorian, “This is the way,” but Jesus’ authoritatively says to you in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Most tellingly, Paul first called the following of Jesus, the earliest Christianity, as “the Way,” in Acts 24:14-16:
But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men.
Having some fun with this dual meaning of “the way,” Darrell Bock described Saul’s conversion to being a Christ follower on the road to Damascus in the following way (Bock, Theology, 307; see Acts 9:17, 27): “Saul traveled on the way against the Way, yet he was stopped on the way to join the Way.”[1]
To be a good soldier of Jesus Christ you must know the way of Jesus and walk in it! As I stated last week, WWJD – What Would Jesus Do – is a helpful reminder when making important life decisions, but it is incomplete. We first need to ask which path (or situation) Jesus would or would not walk down, or enter, in the first place. A close companion to crying out for discernment in the moment of need, is choosing to walk down the right path in the first place – this is the Way! Here are a few examples from everyday life:
- Do you need to enter that establishment in the first place?
- Do you need to eat straight from the carton of ice cream?
- What good is going to come from turning on your computer when you can’t fall asleep?
- Should you send that private FB message to that old high school sweetheart?
- Why are you applying for that other credit card?
- Do you really need that new job or shift change that makes more money, but prevents you from being active in church or having quality time with your family?
- Did you really need to post that opinion or share that thread or drop that video?
The list can go on and be as accurate and relevant as you need it to be. We make choices every day that open or close pathways for either good or evil. Proverbs 2:10-22 demonstrates this truth in timely and relevant ways, to avoid those pathways that will seduce us into compromise:
For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will guard you, understanding will watch over you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things; from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who delight in doing evil and rejoice in the perversity of evil; Whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways; to deliver you from the strange woman, from the adulteress who flatters with her words; that leaves the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; for her house sinks down to death and her tracks lead to the dead; none who go to her return again, nor do they reach the paths of life. So you will walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land and the treacherous will be uprooted from it.
Today’s battle drill flows directly from last week’s “cry out for discernment,” based on the first half of Proverbs 2. Prioritize crying out to God as a habit in your life to help you make right choices so that you abide with Him in the pathway of God’s blessings, described as “the way of good men,” and “the paths of the righteous.” As contrasted in Proverbs 2 with “the ways of darkness,” “whose paths are crooked,” and, again, “her tracks lead to the dead; none who go to her return again, nor do they reach the paths of life.” [read verses 12-15 again]
I ended last week’s sermon with 1 John 2:5-6, “Whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” John explained that the good fruit of a life of crying out for discernment is found by walking in the way of Jesus Christ. Today’s battle drill is learning how to walk in the way.
Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.
It is in the “easy” yoke of Jesus that we can all walk in the way of Jesus Christ without losing our individuality or unique pathways of life. The Greek word translated “easy” does not mean easy, like one plus one equals 2, that’s easy math. The Greek word chrēstos has a range of meaning from “good” and “kind,” to “useful” and “suitable.” Listen to William Barclay insightfully explain chrēstos to us:
The word easy is in Greek chrēstos, which can mean well-fitting. In Palestine, ox-yokes were made of wood; the ox was brought, and the measurements were taken. The yoke was then roughed out, and the ox was brought back to have the yoke tried on. The yoke was carefully adjusted, so that it would fit well, and not chafe the neck of the patient animal. The yoke was tailor-made to fit the ox. There is a legend that Jesus made the best ox-yokes in all Galilee, and that from all over the country people came to him to buy the best yokes that skill could make. In those days, as now, shops had their signs above the door; and it has been suggested that the sign above the door of the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth may well have been: “My yokes fit well.” It may well be that Jesus is here using a picture from the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth where he had worked throughout the silent years. Jesus says: “My yoke fits well.” What he means is: “The life I give you is not a burden to cause you pain; your task is made to measure to fit you.” Whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities exactly.[2]
When Christ invited His weary and burdened audience to an “easy” yoke, it was understood that Jesus was inviting people to a well-suited, custom-made yoke – a personal relationship that would lead to covenant-faithful living in their own life and situation. Your relationship with God is designed just for you. In fact, that is why Jesus’ “burden is light,” because it’s in direct contrast to the religious expectations of His day, which were not personalized at all, but were like “heavy burdens.” Just as Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in Matthew 23:4 because “they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.”
Jesus calls you unto Himself, and through Him, to become the best version of you to the glory of God! In his book, The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard explains how people learn to live as Jesus’ disciples, by learning how to walk in the way of Jesus’ whole lifestyle:
The secret of the easy yoke, then, is to learn from Christ how to live our total lives, how to invest all our time and our energies of mind and body as he did. We must learn how to follow his preparations, the disciplines for life in God’s rule that enabled him to receive his Father’s constant and effective support while doing his will. We have to discover how to enter into his disciplines from where we stand today—and no doubt, how to extend and amplify them to suit our needy cases. This attitude, this action is our necessary preparation for taking the yoke of Christ. The secret of the easy yoke is simple, actually. It is the intelligent, informed, yielding resolve to live as Jesus lived in all aspects of his life, not just in the moment of specific choice or action.[3]
If we are living in this way all the time, then our responses in the moment will be internalized and reflexive – entrained like battle drills – a habit of grace!
As we transition to action step #3, it is important to realize that the authentic life of Jesus was lived in community – Jesus did life with His disciples; therefore, learning how to walk in the way of Jesus must be learned in community. Training to walk in the way requires community because it’s only through the Spirit working in and through other people that any of us can become like Jesus.
Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.
Very interestingly, the Greek word δεῦτε that was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint (LXX), from which Matthew took his Old Testament quotes, is a translation of the important Hebrew word הלך (hālakh). This is very important as Douglas Mandum explains its rich Old Testament usage: “It has a common metaphorical sense that pertains to one’s manner of living. To walk (hālak) in a certain lifestyle or custom is to habitually practice [italics added] it (e.g., 1 Kgs 16:19; Isa 33:15; Pss 1:1; 81:13).”[4]
For example, Isaiah used hālakh twice in Isaiah 2:5, “Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.” It is translated both, “Come” and “walk.” Now, listen to Jeremiah 6:16, the very passage that Jesus was quoting in Matthew 11:29 when He promised, “rest for your souls”: “Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’’” It is used twice again, both times as “walk in it” with the it being the way!
Jeremiah 6:16 concludes with a devastating, heart-breaking choice by God’s people, “But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” This word choice directly informs why Jesus used the “yoke” imagery – to experience rest for one’s soul, once again a quote from Jeremiah 6:16, a person must get in the yoke of Jesus and learn from Him how to walk in the way of covenant faithfulness – the good way, the ancient paths!
Leaving no room for misunderstanding, Jesus focused “the ancient paths” and “the good way” of God from Jeremiah 6:16 on Himself – we are to walk with Him – hālakh with Him – take His habitual lifestyle on ourselves, covenant with Him by taking on His easy yoke! In coming to Jesus, a person was graciously invited to walk in the ancient paths of covenant faithfulness and avoid the wrath of God that is upon all who do not walk in the ancient paths, as Jesus proclaimed over the apostate Jewish cities in Matthew 11:20-24, the context of His gracious invitation of the easy yoke:
Then [Jesus] began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
Jesus declared in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Jesus declared in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Repeatedly, Jesus invited people to Himself so that we could walk in the way because Jesus is the One who enlists us, and it is only in seeking to please Him that we can fulfill the mission because becoming like Him to the glory of the Father is His mission. When you learn to walk in the way you are becoming like Jesus, which is the best version of you to the glory of God!
Action Step #4) Live on mission.
This is the battle drill that I am inviting you to train yourself according to every day of the week, you are invited to trust the Holy Spirit, who will direct your steps as you learn how to live in Jesus’ easy yoke. The Spirit will direct your steps along the Way, the ancient paths of God – the life of the Spirit, the New Covenant of God! Paul explained this in Galatians 5:16-25:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Entrust your life to God and take on Jesus’ easy yoke so that the Holy Spirit can direct your way into the fullness of life already prepared for you. Allow the Spirit to set your agenda and prioritize your resources by taking on Jesus’ easy yoke and learning from Him how to become like Him, as He described Himself to be, “gentle and humble in heart,” which means to be submissive to the Father’s will in every aspect of your life – thy will be done! This is the mission – to become like Him and entrust to others who can faithfully pass on to others that which you have become – a yokefellow of Jesus, a Spirit-filled born-again believer who walks in the Way!
I conclude with these words from a 20th century martyr of the church, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who famously wrote in The Cost of Discipleship,
Only the man who follows the command of Jesus single-mindedly, and unresistingly lets his yoke rest upon him, finds his burdens easy, and under its gentle pressure receives the power to persevere in the right way. The command of Jesus is hard, unutterably hard, for those who try to resist it. But for those who willingly submit, the yoke is easy and the burden is light. Jesus asks nothing of us without giving us the strength to perform it. His commandment never seeks to destroy life, but to foster, strengthen and heal it.[5]
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FOOTNOTES:
[1] Tomas Bokedal, “Way, the,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
[2] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Third Ed., The New Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh, Scotland: Saint Andrew Press, 2001), 20.
[3] Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1988), 9-10.
[4] Joshua Hebert, “Travel,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
[5] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York, NY: Touchstone, 1959), 37-38.
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Seize the Moment – Day 711
Today’s hymn focus will be
“He Leadeth Me”
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake
Just like the birds flying south for the winter, or the fish swim back upstream to where they were born to go and have their own fish families be born, God cares and guides all of his creation, including us. Look how many times in these three verses we are told “He leads me…”, which is exactly what a shepherd should be doing.
Dr. Joseph H. Gilmore wrote this hymn following a mid-week service of First Baptist Church in Philadelphia in March of 1862. Sharing from this famous Psalm, he found himself unable to get past the words, “He leads me…” At the close of the meeting while talking with his host, Deacon Watson, he took out a piece of paper and penciled down the words to this hymn.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me, by His own hand He leadeth me
His faithful follower I would be, for by His hand He leadeth me.
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He Leadeth Me
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
He leadeth me, he leadeth me;
by his own hand he leadeth me:
his faithful follower I would be,
for by his hand he leadeth me.
sometimes where Eden’s flowers bloom,
by waters calm, o’er troubled sea,
still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
nor ever murmur nor repine;
content, whatever lot I see,
since ’tis my God that leadeth me.
when, by thy grace, the victory’s won,
e’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
since God through Jordan leadeth me.
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Seize the Moment – Day 710
Leadership in Times of War!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, February 25.
Judges 11:5-7 highlights that the people of Gilead had a similar opinion of Jephthah:
When the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob; and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.” Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?”
Leadership in times of war is different than in times of peace. It often requires a different skill set that is not usually acceptable at other times. With Jephthah, God used an unexpected person for His purposes. While we many not always understand why we are the way we are, realize that God has designed you for a purpose and desires to use you to impact your generation for His glory.
Seize the moment and ask God to use you today. You were created for such a time as this, so rise up, and seize the moment!
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Seize the Moment – Day 709
A Desperate Plea!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, February 24.
Have you ever cried out to God in a desperate plea? We sometimes call these 9-1-1 prayers. As we are going to see from our Bible reading today, these are the prayers with which we cry out to God when we hit rock bottom. I often say to people that God does His best work when we are at our worst and weakest moments of life.
Judges 10:15 records the desperate plea of the sons of Israel to God, “We have sinned, do to us whatever seems good to You; only please deliver us this day.” While I know the story enough to know that we are still in the vicious cycle of sin and idolatry, I still can’t help but to love this prayer. It’s probably the reckless abandonment of the words, “Do to me whatever seems good to You.” There is a depth of trust in this prayer that only comes from knowing you can’t trust yourself. I have tried to make life work out for me and it hasn’t.
The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again, yet expect different results. The nation of Israel was insane during these dark and chaotic days of the Judges, and so are we at times. If you haven’t seen yourself in the book of Judges yet, I pray the Lord would open the eyes of your heart so that you may see and repent. The Israelites kept trying to make life work out for them and would go to any source to do so. Until they hit bottom, to only hear God’s scathing admonishment to them in verse 14: “Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress.”
It was those words from God that brought them back to their senses. Just like the prodigal son went home to his father in Luke 15:21, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
Seize the moment and cry out to God in repentance! The Father is waiting to wrap His arms around you and welcome you home (Luke 15:22-24).
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Seize the Moment – Day 708
Stand Out by Trusting God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, February 23.
Judges 9 reads more like a Hollywood production than a Bible story, filled with political intrigue, family betrayal, and violence. It is a sad story about family politics, as an outcast child sows heartache and vengeance on his siblings and community. It is a disappointing story as Gideon’s progeny fall short of God’s call. Ultimately though, it is a true story about the human condition that teaches us to keep our eyes on God, and not put our trust in man, if we hope to walk true in our lives today.
Judges 9:22-24 provides a short summary of this story:
Now Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal [Gideon] might come, and their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.
Standing out like a beacon of light in this prevailing darkness, there is an intriguing character – Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon. He is the only son to escape Abimelech’s murderous rage (5). After narrowly escaping death, and before his departure from the story, Jotham delivers a prophecy from God to Abimelech and to the people of Shechem (7-21). The story ends with these words in verse 57, “the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.”
Jotham was different! He, of all the characters in this story, was the only one who trusted God and did not take matters into his own hands. He trusted God in his dire circumstances and leaned not on his own understanding, but on God’s promise, from Deuteronomy 32:35, “Vengeance is Mine.”
Seize the moment and trust God for His promises!
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Seize the Moment – Day 707
The Ruler of Your Life!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, February 22.
Have you ever felt like someone said all the right things, but didn’t follow through and live according to what they said?
If only his story ended with those words, but it doesn’t! Gideon went on to essentially live like a king, if not be the de facto king in the absence of one. He amassed wealth from the people and had seventy sons. Gideon said the right thing in that moment, but struggled to live it out with integrity, violating God’s decrees for the king of Israel (Deuteronomy 17:17).
Most tellingly about Gideon’s unofficial kingship was the questions of hereditary rule that followed his death, as seen in Judges 9:2 when Abimelech posed the question, “Which is better for you, that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal [Gideon], rule over you, or that one man rule over you?” If there is any further question to Gideon’s unofficial kingship, Abimelech’s name means, “my father is king.”
Gideon will always be remembered as one of the heroes of faith for his military victories, as seen in Hebrews 11:32, but what should we emulate from his life?
Seize the moment and trust Jesus as the ruler of your life, don’t just declare Him to be the King of Kings.
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