Seize the Moment – Day 633
Life of Devotion!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, December 10.
As an athlete, I know what it is to live a life of devotion! As an All-American collegiate athlete, and when I was training for the 2000 Olympics, I was devoted to my sport! The danger with such a hyper-focus on sport, or anything, is that it shapes you. God designed us, on purpose, to be formed by that which we give our devotion, which was meant to be Him alone! Therefore, I echo John, known for his passionate exposition of God’s love, with these words from 1 John 5:21, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”
The emphasis of Deuteronomy 13 is to protect the next generation from the dangers of idol worship! Three times, God commanded His people to put to death any person that tried to “seduce” their hearts away from Him:
1) A prophet or a dreamer of dreams (1-5).
2) A close family member, such as parent, child, or spouse (6-11).
3) The inhabitants of one of their cities (12-18).
God’s solution to idolatry is a life of devotion to Him! That which seeks to seduce you from God needs to be removed, whether or a person or a thing. God takes idolatry, and the false worship that arises from it, seriously because we are all susceptible to it. John Calvin explained, “The human mind is, so to speak, a perpetual forge of idols.”[1]
God bless you!
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FOOTNOTES:
[1] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 1997), I.11.8.
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Seize the Moment – Day 632
Worship Habits!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, December 9.
Have you ever had to change a long-established habit?
For athletes, it’s one thing to learn a new skill, it is all together another thing to break a bad habit.
In Deuteronomy 12:4-5, 8, Moses made it clear that God was going to be breaking some bad habits of worship, by establishing one central place of worship in the Promised Land:
You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God. But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. … You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes.
I can almost hear the people’s response to Moses, “But we’ve always done it this way!”
The people of God were surrounded by the Canaanites who worshipped God in high places and on altars set about wherever they wanted. These were the worship practices of the ancient near eastern civilizations. God, like a good coach, was announcing to His athletes that it was time to break some bad habits!
Did you know that Jesus made the same kind of announcement when He came to bring all the nations back to God?
In response to a Samaritan woman’s direct question about worship practices, Jesus replied in John 4:23-24 that it was no longer about being at a right location, but about having a sincere heart: “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Seize the moment and worship God with a sincere heart! Wherever and whenever you worship God, do so full of spirit and truth!
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Seize the Moment – Day 631
The Choice!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, December 8.
The Bible calls every person who reads it to make the choice!
Moses introduced a phrase in Deuteronomy 11, which we will hear again in chapter 30 of his “second giving” of the Law: “I am setting before you a blessing and a curse.” This is the choice that every single person must make after being confronted with the Word of God—to believe or not to believe, to submit or not to submit, to live by faith or by sight. Moses contrasted the choice in verses 26-28:
See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.
Every generation must be confronted with the choice! Moses’ successor, Joshua, had to do the same thing with the Israelites near the end of his life before he transitioned leadership to the elders. Listen to Joshua’s famous words in Joshua 24:15:
If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
In the same way that Moses and Joshua called for the choice, so did Jesus Christ in His ministry, as in Luke 11:28, “blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (cf. Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:15).
Seize the moment and build your life upon the rock of faith in Jesus Christ. Choose this day whom you will serve!
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Seize the Moment – Day 630
From the Inside Out!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, December 7.
A way to rebel against a leader is to do exactly what they tell you to do. There is a significant difference between following the letter of the law and walking in the heart and intent of the commandments of God. A great rebellion is already happening if we are following with our actions but aren’t trusting in our hearts!
God desires to have your whole heart—the transformation of your life through the renewal of your mind. God wants His people to follow Him with all their heart, mind, body, and soul. Moses began the conclusion of his first sermon in the “second giving” of the Law with these words in Deuteronomy 10:12-16:
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? … So circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer.
Circumcision was the outward sign of the covenant, as commanded to Abraham in Genesis 17:9-14. Moses’ words “circumcise your heart” is a call for inward conformity to God’s ways and not just outward obedience! Paul prays this for us in Ephesians 3:16, “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.” The circumcision of your heart is only possible through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit! It is God’s work in you, from the inside-out!
Seize the moment and walk in a daily intimate relationship with Jesus that conforms you to His character and submits you to His will.
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Seize the Moment – Day 629
Faithful in Rebellion!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, December 6.
As a parent of three children, I care deeply that my children develop the character quality of faithfulness. I model faithfulness to my children by the way I love Jesus and serve His Church, as well as by the way I love and serve my wife and family. When I see rebellion in my children, I don’t reject them for it; rather, in love, I discipline them! Rebellion will fester in their hearts and destroy their lives if I don’t address it directly.
Moses’ greatest fear for Israel was that they would rebel against God after His death, and this motivated his “second giving” of the Law as given to us in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 31:26-27). For over forty years, Moses had to deal constantly with the people’s rebellion against God. He used the Hebrew word for rebelling eight times in Deuteronomy, with three of those times in this chapter. Listen to Deuteronomy 9:23-24 as Moses addresses the people’s rebellion directly:
When the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, “Go up and possess the land which I have given you,” then you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God; you neither believed Him nor listened to His voice. You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day I knew you (cf. 9:7-8).
Seize the moment and be faithful to God in the face of rebellion. It can feel very lonely to be faithful, but have faith, you are never alone—God is with you! Your faithfulness is the evidence of Jesus’ victory!
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Advent 2021 Love – Week 2
The Birth of Love!
Luke 2:1-20 (NAS95)
Jesus should have been born to an important family in an important location. There should have been no scandal around his parentage or birth location, and the first witnesses should have at least been a class of people who could testify in court.
Jesus’ birth was witnessed by animals, angels, and shepherds as recorded in our Luke 2 reading this morning.
The miracle of Jesus’ birth is not only found in the incarnation and virgin birth, but also in its scandal to the power structures of those God came to save and redeem. The fact that it happened in a way that no powerful person would want the story of his or her birth to be told is evidence of the authenticity of the greatest story ever told!
We’ve talked about this before; Christmas is a scandal of epic proportions to the powers and principalities of this world! Christmas was very different on purpose because it was on Christmas that love was born!
That’s because Christmas was not a power play, like Caesar’s census. Caesar wanted to show the world how powerful he was by counting how many people were under his authority. Instead, Christmas is the birth of love where God entered His creation, compelled by love, to become one of His people to save and redeem His people back to Himself.
Paul explains this in Galatians 4:4-7,
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
Christmas is the birth of love and the spreading of that love to all nations. The Father sent His Son into the world so that we can share with Jesus in having God as our “Abba! Father!”.
Love compelled God that first Christmas! John declares in 1 John 3:1-3,
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
God’s love compels us to live according to the promise of Christmas, the promise of Immanuel, God with us—the love of God has been birthed into us, full of grace and truth! Listen to John 1:12-14,
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Now we compelled by the Holy Spirit to pass on the love that was birthed in us; we are the evidence of God’s love manifesting in the world! This is commanded to us by the Beloved of Jesus in 1 John 4:7-21:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 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.
This is the command of God for each of us this Christmas season: Give to others what God first birthed into your heart, mind, body, and soul! You are the evidence of God’s love! You are blessed to be a blessing!
To fulfill this call, let us pray in agreement with Mary in Luke 1:46-55:
My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
You can listen to this message of Love below:
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Seize the Moment – Day 627
Today’s Advent hymn focus will be
“What Child is This?”
This beloved Christmas hymn was written by William Chatterton Dix. He was the son of a surgeon, born in Bristol England and spent most of his life working in Glasgow, Scotland, as an insurance company manager. In 1865, while recovering from a near fatal battle with sickness and depression, he experienced a spiritual awakening as he read through the scriptures. He loved the folk song “Greensleeves” and subsequently wrote the lyrics to this hymn.
His poetic writings combined with this soulful melody gives the feeling that God demonstrated His love for us in the fact that He sent His son in the form of a human baby to rescue humanity. And mankind went on to declare with awe and wonder, that this act of love was a clear sign, evoking wonder and amazement…What child is this?
This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary.
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What Child is This?
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ, the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear: for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Come, peasant, king to own Him.
The King of kings salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
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Seize the Moment – Day 626
The Importance of the Wilderness!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, December 3.
Do you believe that wilderness times are an important part of your spiritual formation? The key is how we walk through such times and if we walk alone.
In the three temptations, found in Matthew 4, Jesus quoted from the second giving of the Law each time. He started with this one, then referenced Deuteronomy 6:16, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test,” and concluded with verse 13, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and serve Him only”
Seize the moment and walk faithfully with Jesus through your wilderness wanderings remembering that God is using this time to prepare you to do even greater works (John 14:12).
God bless you!
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Seize the Moment – Day 625
Covenant Promises!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, December 2.
Have you ever been metaphorically stabbed in the back, in word or deed? I don’t know about you, but I prefer to be told to my face if there is an issue so that I can either repent, seek clarification, or agree to disagree on an issue.
God told His covenant people that He would let them know quickly, and to their face, if He had an issue with them. So often we think of the promises of God as only blessings, but the promises also come with warnings, as Moses explained in Deuteronomy 7:9-10:
Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face.
Did you hear the promises of God?
Every promise of God is right and true and in accordance with God’s covenant character! God is faithful to those who keep His covenant, which, as we have previously learned, includes people who repent by returning to God after they have been disobedient. And for those who reject God and prove disloyal to His covenant, God will repay them to their faces (Psalm 31:23; 94:2).
Seize the moment and respond to all the covenant promises of God today: “draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8)!
God bless you!
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Seize the Moment – Day 624
Treasure the Shema in your Heart!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, December 1.
What do you treasure in your heart?
Did you know that Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 6? We must frame our understanding of Jesus’ teaching with a thorough reading of the Old Testament, which is why I am committing three years of my early mornings, day in and day out, to study and write these devotionals. So that you will treasure in your heart the Word of Truth, that you may not sin against God (Psalm 119:11). Moses commanded this of the Shema in verses 6-9:
These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Seize the moment and make prominent in your life the Word of Truth so that you may know it, apply it, and pray it throughout your day. This is the way of victory!
God bless you!
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