Straighten up Crooked Christian!

Amos 7

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Saturday, September 7.

Are you a crooked Christian? Are your thoughts, words, or behaviors out of alignment with your faith? In Amos 7:7-8, like a master craftsman, ensuring that the house He had built was a safe place to be His home, God used a plumb line to demonstrate that His judgment of Israel’s crookedness was true according to an objective standard: “Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. The Lord said to me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.’”

A plumb line is that objective standard; it’s a builder’s tool composed of a string with a weight at the end of it, which is hung from the top of a wall to ensure that it’s true, meaning it is perpendicular to the center gravity of the ground. In today’s passage, the plumb line represents God’s unwavering standard of righteousness and justice, demonstrating that Israel was crooked, out of alignment with God’s covenant and commandments.

All Christians are crooked and need to undergo construction. None of us can be found true according to the plumb line of the Law (Romans 3:20-23); therefore, God sent Jesus Christ to be our living, ever-present plumb line (John 1:17; Romans 5:20-21; Colossians 1:15-20). Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-15), and, by God’s grace, through your participation in prayer (Psalm 139:23-24), Bible study (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and church membership (Ephesians 4:11-16), God is constantly straightening the crooked places of your life.

Seize the moment and invite God’s work to straighten that which is crooked in you. Cooperate with the Spirit to bring about His good pleasure in your life, which is your conformity to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Pick one project today and get to work (Philippians 2:12-13).

God bless you!

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YOUTUBE:

The Danger of Complacency!

Amos 6

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, September 6.

There is a significant difference between contentment and complacency. The Lord desires for us to be content, as Paul explained in Philippians 4:11-13, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Contentment is a state of peace because you have learned to trust God. There is a deep satisfaction that comes with feeling content but not because you have arrived at your destination; rather, because you have learned to attune to God’s presence as He walks with you along the way.

Complacency is a smug satisfaction in your own accomplishments; it’s a self-centered sense of well-being as if you have arrived. It’s a pride that invites you to sit back and stay a while, celebrating your accomplishments no matter what else is happening around you. Unlike the journey orientation of contentment, which keeps a person humble and listening to God, complacency is a destination mindset that lures a person into pride and passivity, such as we saw at the time of Israel’s judgment in Amos 6:4-7:

Those who recline on beds of ivory and sprawl on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who improvise to the sound of the harp, and like David have composed songs for themselves, who drink wine from sacrificial bowls while they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, they will now go into exile at the head of the exiles, and the sprawlers’ banqueting will pass away.

Seize the moment and attune to the presence of God in your daily life, giving thanks that He walks with you in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

Treat People Fairly and Correctly!

Amos 5

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, September 5.

In his famous 1963 speech, “I Have a Dream,” the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously quoted from Amos 5:23-24, “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” He connected the judgment of Israel for corrupting justice and mocking righteousness with the urgency of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, essentially saying that the only acceptable outcome of their movement was a repentant nation where people, regardless of the color of their skin, were treated fairly (justice) and correctly (righteousness). Sixty-one years later, as a man whose father turned 18 years old the year of MLK’s speech, then soon after went to fight in the Vietnam War, I ask the question: Has America repented? Are we a nation where people are treated fairly and correctly?

Seven hundred years after Amos, and two thousand years before MLK, the Apostle Paul commanded all followers of Jesus in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” By living this way, we don’t “grieve the Holy Spirit” (30). We make our redemption visible by being a people known for our justice and righteousness, and what we must realize about this, and it was something MLK understand, is that this is not a call for retribution or vengeance, but the call of Jesus to right living. Sadly, he was assassinated for calling America to repentance, but isn’t that the way God’s prophets have been treated throughout history?

Seize the moment and treat all people fairly and correctly! Be kind to others because it costs you nothing and gives them everything.

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

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Prepare to Meet your Maker!

Amos 4

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, September 4.

Are you prepared to meet your Maker? Do you need to have a cancer diagnosis or a near-death experience to get right with God? The refrain of Amos 4 is “Yet you have not returned to Me” (6, 8, 9, 10, and 11). In every occurrence, the prophet declared one of the judgments that had befallen Israel: famine, drought, blight, plague, and conquest. According to the Mosaic Law, these were the promised results of violating the covenant (Deuteronomy 28:15-24). God was keeping His promise by punishing them for their idol worship. His people had broken fellowship with Him by coopting themselves with demons, which is why he called them “cows of Bashan.” This was not a rude reference as people would say today, but a supernatural one. Bashan was the Old Testament version of the gates of hell, seen as the gateway to the underworld of the dead. Interestingly, this imagery of demons and death was utilized in the messianic prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion in Psalm 22:12, “Many bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.” God was not being rude or rash, He was mercifully using every possible crisis to get them ready for what really mattered – eternal judgment!

When you are facing death, there’s only one way to prepare yourself, and it was boldly stated in Amos 4:12, “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” God’s motivation in all their calamities was their wholehearted repentance because that would be the only place they could find rest for their souls. That is the good fruit of covenant faithfulness, the abundant life of being in the yoke with the One who saves. Are you ready to meet your Maker?

Seize the moment and prepare today for what we each must face tomorrow. Every crisis is an opportunity to get right with God! He’s only a prayer away.

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

Attune to God’s Ways!

Amos 3

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, September 3.

Does a rattle snake bite for no reason? Doesn’t it warn you of its presence by rattling its tail? Only a fool would not heed such a distinctive sound. I’ve heard it a few times when on a hike, and each time I am thankful that God has built into His creation such warnings. Yet, in today’s world, I’m concerned for those who are so distracted by their devices that they are no longer able to hear. The prophet highlighted God’s ways in Amos 3:4-8, and, in so doing, poetically warned Israel of their danger:

Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something? Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all? If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it? Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?

God has chosen to reveal Himself through His servants the prophets, giving people the opportunity to repent of their sins and walk with Him in covenant faithfulness, according to the Scriptures. When God warns us, we must take it seriously because it is God revealing to us the danger we are in by our own choices. But how can you hear from God if you are distracted? As if you are walking on the trail with ear buds in and not able to hear the rattle of the snake.

Seize the moment and attune to God’s ways. He has promised to speak to you. Are you listening?

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

Find Relief from your Heavy Burdens!

Amos 2

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, September 2.

The first two chapters of Amos consist of eight oracles of judgment, with the first six aimed at neighboring nations, and the last two focused on Judah and Israel. The people of God may have thought they would escape God’s wrath, but Amos made it very clear that all people are accountable to God. The prophet explained to Israel the effects of sin in Amos 2:13-16:

“Behold, I am weighted down beneath you as a wagon is weighted down when filled with sheaves. Flight will perish from the swift, and the stalwart will not strengthen his power, nor the mighty man save his life. He who grasps the bow will not stand his ground, the swift of foot will not escape, nor will he who rides the horse save his life. Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked in that day,” declares the Lord.

The NIV translated the beginning of verse 13, “Now then, I will crush you, … .” While this is the end game of God’s judgment for sin, as Romans 6:23 explains, “for the wages of sin is death,” it is also the ongoing effect of living under the burden of sin. You become “weary and heavy-laden” when you have unconfessed sin in your life, like a soldier in battle who has become panic stricken, losing his speed, strength, coordination, and bravery. The ongoing effects of sin, like the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, exhaust you, making you unfruitful and ineffective in the life of God (2 Peter 1:2-9; Psalm 32). There is a way to be healed of both your sin burden and your PTSD.

Seize the moment and find relief from your heavy burdens by taking on the easy yoke of Jesus Christ,  finding rest for your soul in a relationship with God, which will strengthen your spiritual vitality and allow you to experience the abundant life (Matthew 11:28-30; John 10:10).

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Open Hearts Open Ears!

Amos 1

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Saturday, August 31.

Do you need to be an ordained clergy person to hear from God? Absolutely not! From ancient times to today, God has used men and women from many different backgrounds and vocations to be His spokespersons, people who faithfully communicate His Word through their words. Pointedly, Amos 1:1-2 introduces one of the first writing prophets of Israel, a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea:

The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he envisioned in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. He said, “The Lord roars from Zion and from Jerusalem He utters His voice; and the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn, and the summit of Carmel dries up.”

Think about your favorite farmer who is out harvesting his or her crops right now and imagine God giving that person a divine revelation for the nations while riding the tractor. That is what happened with Amos, who was a small-town sheepherder and farmer, as he explained in Amos 7:14-15, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’” Amos was not ambitious for the religious office of prophet; rather, he was given God’s Word while happily going about his everyday work life. God calls upon people who have open hearts, which open their ears to hear from Him.

Seize the moment and open your heart to hear from God. Whatever your job may be, make space to listen for God, who desires to use everyday working people to make His Word known to the nations through their lives.

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

Trust the Roaring Lion!

Joel 3

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, August 30. Please join me in wishing a happy birthday to Jeremy Fischer, Justin McGuire, Jackson Hibbert, and Lexi Laker.

In C. S. Lewis’ allegorical world of Narnia, Lewis portrayed Jesus as a roaring lion. This idea did not come from his own genius, though he was one; rather, it was inspired by the Word of God. The Lord roaring like a lion is the concluding image of the prophet Joel, and it is the opening image of Amos’ prophetic work (Amos 1:2). In Joel 3:15-16, the prophet describes the coming day of the Lord, “The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness. The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.” In this passage, Joel described the tension of the people’s faith in God as their sovereign Lord. In Lewis’ 1950 classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, he captured this tension for us, specifically in the dialogue where the children first learned that Aslan, the King of Narnia, was a lion. When Lucy asked if Aslan was safe, Mr. Beaver told her of course not, he’s a lion, but he is good! God is good, but He is not always safe!

 This juxtaposition was expressed by Job during his suffering, “Though God slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15). When facing suffering at a personal or national level, we are invited to trust the sovereign grace of God, believing “He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). While this faith perspective doesn’t remove our suffering, nor does it guarantee that everything will work out in our situation, it hides us in the Lord, who is our refuge and stronghold (Joel 3:16; Nahum 1:7).

Seize the moment and trust the goodness of God, even when He’s roaring like a lion.

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Receive the Holy Spirit!

Joel 2

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, August 29.

The threat of the ravenous locust army was upon Israel. How were the people to respond to this clear and present danger? God spoke to his people through His prophet in Joel 2:12-13, “‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.’ Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.”

The message was the same – “Return to Me with all your heart.” The character of God had not changed – “He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.” When the danger is real, turn to a real source of help! More than save you from your circumstances, God will give you His presence, as promised in Joel 2:28-29, “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”

God’s promise was that He would give Himself to His people, and that is why Christ came. In Acts 2:16-21, the Apostle Peter quoted the entirety of Joel 2:28-32 in his first sermon after Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the first disciples. In response to hearing Peter proclaim Pentecost as the fulfillment of the ancient prophet’s message, the witnesses asked, “What shall we do?”

Seize the moment and return to the unchanging God of the Bible, whose presence is your greatest protection from the clear and present danger – “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Prepare for the Day!

Joel 1

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, August 28.

The prophetic work of Joel is famous for the imagery of the locust army, which has captured the imagination of people ever since. The menacing locusts are introduced in Joel 1:4, “What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten; and what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.” The locust horde brought utter devastation to the Promised Land, and then, in a masterful use of poetic metaphor, the prophet connected this agricultural disaster to an invading army as a warning of God’s wrath against Israel in Joel 1:6, “For a nation has invaded my land, mighty and without number” (cf. Joel 2:2-11). While there is very little debate about the prophetic message itself, there is speculation about when Joel gave it. The three historical settings that it seemingly fits are the time of: 1. The Assyrian Empire before the destruction of the northern ten tribes of Israel; 2. The Babylonian Empire before the exile and destruction of Solomon’s Temple; or 3. The Persian Empire during the postexilic times of Zerubbabel’s Temple.

Regardless of when Joel’s ministry happened, his warning about the coming judgment comes with the same choice regardless of the time (ancient or contemporary) or place (over there or right here). The leaders of the nation are to call for a sacred gathering, leading the people in a time of corporate repentance, in accordance with Joel 1:14-15, “Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty” (cf. Joel 2:15-17).

Seize the moment and prepare for the day of the Lord (Matthew 24-25; 2 Peter 3:3-18).

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Motivated to be in Right Relationships!

Hosea 14

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday,

Are you motivated to be in right relationships? Are you committed to do the hard work necessary to get there? Those are two key questions I must ask a person, or a couple, before I can help them successfully. I’ve learned the hard way, with much sacrifice of my own time and energy over the last two decades of doing this kind of work, that there is one thing I simply cannot do and that is want the relationship for the couple more than they want it for themselves. If either individual is unmotivated or uncommitted to the relationship, then there is no way forward except to pray and fast for God to change their hearts. The key ingredients to success in a right relationship are personal motivation and a wholehearted commitment to make it work with the other person. With this knowledge in mind, the prophet concluded his work with a final invitation for wayward Israel to return to their God in Hosea 14:1-3:

Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips. Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses; nor will we say again, ‘Our god,’ to the work of our hands; for in You the orphan finds mercy.”

Seize the moment and commit yourself wholeheartedly to the God who loves you (John 3:16). He has kept His vow to you, now return to Him in repentance, motivated to be with Him and committed to do the hard work necessary to be in a right relationship. Getting right with Jesus enables you to take the next step of getting right with other people because you can’t give to another what you haven’t received first yourself.

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Thankfulness on the Pathway to Recovery!

Hosea 13

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, August 26.

Imagine if you only had today what you gave thanks to God for yesterday. When you count your blessings one-by-one, what you are doing is rehearsing that which you are thankful for – you remember so that you won’t forget! People, as a species, struggle with mindfulness because we are so easily distracted. The spiritual practice of thankfulness reminds us of God’s goodness and keeps us focused on making good decisions today.

As the Israelites turned away from God, and toward the empty idol worship of their neighbors, God reminded them of His covenant faithfulness to rescue and provide for them in Hosea 13:4-6, “Yet I have been the Lord your God since the land of Egypt; and you were not to know any god except Me, for there is no savior besides Me. I cared for you in the wilderness, in the land of drought. As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, and being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore they forgot Me.” After receiving the gift of the Promised Land, a land of rest (peace) and a land flowing with milk and honey (prosperity), they became self-sufficient and self-satisfied. They soon forgot God’s rescue and provision. Because of His mercy, when they were stuck in the rut of their own pride, God reminded them of the essential truth of creation, “there is no savior besides Me.” God was inviting the intoxicated Israelites to get honest about their self-delusions, then to take the next steps of putting their faith and hope back in Him as their savior. This is what the daily discipline of thanksgiving does, it helps you work through these first three steps of recovery – honesty, hope, and faith.

Seize the moment and give thanks to the God who can rescue you from yourself and restore you to the pathway to recovery. Start each day by thanking God for what you have, so that you may have the courage to take the right next step.

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Wait for God Continually!

God bless you!

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YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Warning Signs!

God bless you!

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YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Break up your Fallow Ground!

God bless you!

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YOUTUBE:

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Pursue Prosperity of the Soul!

God bless you!

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Break the Cycle of Devastation!

God bless you!

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YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Repent without Regret!

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YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Hālakh with the Lord

Hosea 6

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Saturday, August 17. Please join me in wishing a happy birthday to Mason Tomboni.

In His compassion and mercy, God unrelentingly calls Israel to return to Him, so that they may be healed and redeemed back to their birthright. With destruction imminent at the hands of Assyria, “the rod of [God’s] anger” (Isaiah 10:5), the prophet called the people back to covenant faithfulness, inviting them to hālakh with the Lord in Hosea 6:1, “Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.” [emphasis added] To hālakh with the Lord is to answer the call to discipleship – to become like Him and to take on His ways. This happens by being with Him, as Paul expressed in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

To hālakh with God is to be redeemed back to what He intended from the beginning, to be His image bearers, stewards of His creation (Genesis 1:26-27). Israel was being called back to their birthright, but they had to be reminded of God’s relational design for them, so God told them in Hosea 6:6-7, “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. But like Adam they have transgressed the covenant; there they have dealt treacherously against Me.” From the first human, Adam, God has desired intimacy with His creation, a personal relationship that would transform humanity into the image of the Creator. This is why Christ came – to redeem us back as God’s image bearers through a relationship that changes us from the inside-out!

Seize the moment and hālakh with the Lord. Jesus invites you, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). [emphasis added]

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

Ask God for Help!

Hosea 5

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday,

Have you ever been stuck between a rock and a hard place? What are you to do, and to whom are you to turn, when you find yourself in a seemingly impossible situation? With the Assyrian Empire as the dominate regional power, Israel found itself in such a desperate situation. The nation was divided between the northern ten tribes (Ephraim) and the southern two tribes (Judah), and the hopes of them working together, even for an expedient military alliance, were nonexistent. Worse than their unwillingness to unite, was their stubborn refusal to turn to God for divine aid, forsaking the God who promised to protect them, selling themselves into the false security of foreign powers and playing the harlot with their gods (Hosea 5:3-4).

In the historical context of the Syro-Ephramite War with Tiglath-pileser III (745-727 BC), the leaders of Israel no longer followed God’s law, but the foreign policies of man, which dictated that they pay a hefty financial tribute to Assyria as a vassal state (2 Kings 15:19-20; Isaiah 7:1-9). The Lord declared His judgment for their apostasy in Hosea 5:11-13:

Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to follow man’s command. Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim and like rottenness to the house of Judah. When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb. But he is unable to heal you, or to cure you of your wound.

When stuck between a rock and a hard place, Israel rejected God. They sought their own solution, trusting in man. Like rot in a tree, their rejection of God sealed their judgment, as God gave them over to those in whom they had misplaced their hope.

Seize the moment and ask God for help when you are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Put your hope in God, trusting Him to make a way!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Gain the Knowledge of God!

Hosea 4

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, August 15.

The prophetic work of Hosea transitions from the symbolic enactment of God’s covenant relationship with Israel through Hosea’s scandalous marriage to Gomer (chapters 1-3), to a collection of prophecies that articulate the message behind Hosea’s actions (chapters 4-14). Hosea 4:1-6 begins this second section with the legal language of a court case between God and Israel:

Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land. There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes … My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. [emphasis added]

The prophet employs the familiar “because-therefore” language of a legal indictment, accusing Israel of a general lack of faithfulness, kindness, and knowledge of God, which led to the specific violations of breaking the Ten Commandments: swearing (3^rd), deception (9^th), murder (6^th), stealing (8^th), and adultery (7^th). In verses 11-12, he went on to describe their harlotry against God, to include idolatry, adding the 1^st and 2^nd  commandments to their violations. The consequences of their flagrant law violations have already been bloodshed and languishing, the opposite of what God intended for His people in the Promised Land – the land of rest, flowing with milk and honey. God made a legal case against Israel (Ephraim) for His coming judgment, describing them as a “stubborn heifer” that refused to be shepherded like a gentle lamb (Hosea 4:16).

Seize the moment and gain the knowledge of God – “If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:4-5).

God bless you!

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Find your Worth in your Redemption!

Hosea 3

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, August 14.

We know the value of something by how much someone is willing to pay for it. In Hosea 3:1-2, the prophet responded to the Lord’s command, “‘Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.’ So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley.” Hosea was commanded to redeem Gomer, buying her out of slavery and restoring her as his wife. Because of Gomer’s unfaithful and licentious lifestyle, she found herself indebted and enslaved. Her redemption price was steep, as Hosea had to pay the full compensation price for a lost slave, which was thirty shekels of silver (Exodus 21:32). Hosea paid with what cash he had on hand, covering the rest with goods in-kind.

Thirty shekels of silver should ring some bells for you; it was the amount the Pharisees paid Judas to betray Jesus to them (Matthew 26:15). For thirty shekels of silver, Jesus was betrayed into the hands of sinners, but what was the price of redeeming you back from your unfaithful and licentious lifestyle? By the mercy of God, through Jesus’ shed blood, we are redeemed from our sins! Paul explained in Ephesians 1:7-8a, “In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” You, like Gomer, have been bought at a price; redeemed out of slavery and restored into a relationship with God. Therefore, heed Hosea’s instructions to Gomer in Hosea 3:3, “You shall stay with me.” Abide with Jesus, the One who redeemed you at such an extravagant price.

Seize the moment and find your worth in what God was willing to pay for your freedom.

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Restoration Brings Blessings!

Hosea 2

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, August 13.

It is God’s character which brings about the restoration of the covenant. His character was showcased in Hosea 2:19-20, “I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.” There are five divine attributes listed in this betrothal promise: 1. Righteousness, 2. Justice, 3. Lovingkindness, 4. Compassion, and 5. Faithfulness. These attributes are how God relates to His creation (Exodus 34:6; Psalms 33:5; 86:15; 89:14; and Jeremiah 9:24). God gives Himself in accordance with the integrity of His character, restoring people back to His covenant and bestowing blessing upon the rightful heirs of His covenant. This Great Reversal was witnessed as a play on words with the names of the three children of Hosea and Gomer in Hosea 2:21-23:

“It will come about in that day that I will respond,” declares the Lord. “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth, and the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion [Lo-ruhamah], and I will say to those who were not My people [Lo-ammi], ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’”

God pledged Himself to Israel, the wayward bride, so that His children could know Him personally. Intimacy comes through repentance, and repentance is only possible because God consistently manifests His divine attributes in relationship with His people.

Seize the moment and respond to the character of God – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Restoration with God brings blessings to relationships!

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.