Seize the Moment – Day 1001
Stick Around!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, December 13.
As a pastor, I have been tempted to leave my pastorate for greener pastures. But God’s call upon my life has been to stick around – to remain faithful to New Castle First Baptist Church because the work God has called me to do has not been completed. Even after thirteen years, there is still a long way to go so my plan is simple – to stick around! I am to persevere until the work is completed or until the Lord makes it clear that it’s time for me to pass the baton to the next generation. My calling is a long slow obedience in the same direction of faithfulness to Christ and His church!
Nehemiah is a wonderful example of the importance of sticking around until the job gets done. People need faithful leaders to inspire them to persevere through the daily temptations of bailing before the blessing. As the people of God, we must learn to keep our commitments – to obey Jesus and let our yes be yes (Matthew 5:37). In Nehemiah 6:11, Nehemiah asked the question in the face of deception and opposition, “Should a man like me flee?” He decided to stick around and complete the job, as he testified in verse 16, “When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”
We don’t need showy leaders who are always seeking the next best thing; we need faithful men and women who are willing to suffer for righteousness and endure hardship for God’s will to be done in and through them (Matthew 5:10; 1 Peter 3:14; 2 Timothy 1:8; 2:3; 4:5).
Seize the moment and stick around – make a commitment to not bail before the blessing by taking a vow of stability to your local church.
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.