Psalm 114
The Wonder-Working Power!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, August 11.
As one of the Egyptian Hallel psalms, Psalm 114 commemorates the exodus from Egypt, when God supernaturally rescued His people from slavery, but it also references their miraculous entry into the Promised Land forty years later. Verses 1-3 reference both major events, “When Israel went forth from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became His sanctuary, Israel, His dominion. The sea looked and fled; the Jordan turned back.” In naming both “the sea” and “the Jordan,” the psalmist demonstrated God’s finished work of redemption, from the time of Moses when he led the Israelites out of slavery (Exodus 14:13-31), to the time of Joshua when they crossed into the Promised Land (Joshua 3). While history demonstrates that the Israelites had a long way to go in conquering the peoples of the Promised Land, God had miraculously brought them into it after forty years of signs and wonders, bookended by the splitting of both the Red Sea and the Jordan River.
Never forget that the wonder-working power of God is on your side! After God split the Red Sea for them to escape an enraged Pharoah, the people proclaimed of their God in Exodus 15:11, “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?” They named it – apart from God’s redemption, they would not have been delivered from slavery nor escaped certain destruction on the shore of the Red Sea. Do you know your absolute need for the wonder-working power of God in your life today? Apart from God’s redemption through Jesus Christ, there is no forgiveness of sin and each of us must face certain death as we approach the shores of eternity.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 114, meditating upon the wonder-working power of Jesus Christ, “which mightily works within [you]” (Colossians 1:29). Walk by the Spirit today (Galatians 5; Romans 8)!
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.
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Psalm 113
The God of the Great Rescue!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, August 10.
Have you experienced the Great Rescue? Psalms 113-118 are called the Egyptian Hallel, sung by the Jewish people at their celebrations of the Passover. While this first psalm of the Hallel does not overtly reference the exodus itself, it does describe the goodness of God to reverse the fortunes of those who are downtrodden. Verses 7-9 tell of His awesome deeds, “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people. He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 113 is a call to praise the God of the Great Rescue. The psalmist called us to worship from the first verse, “Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.” The psalmist was declaring the heart of his song, “You are free to praise the God of the Great Rescue, who delivered you from hundreds of years of slavery. O servants of the Lord, you are no longer servants of Pharoah!” You have been made free, so you are free indeed!
In 1 Peter 2:10, those who have experienced the Great Rescue of Jesus Christ are told of the reversal of their fortunes: “for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” It is for this reason that Jesus Christ came; He is the second Moses and His death on the cross is the fulfillment of all the promises of the Passover!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 113, meditating upon the freedom you have received through the Great Rescue of Jesus Christ – “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
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.
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Psalm 112
Hallelujah! (Part 2)
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, August 9.
God is made known through people who reflect His goodness – we become His handiwork for all to see (Ephesians 2:10). Like the moon reflects the brilliance of the sun, so we are to reflect the glory of God! This is the call and response of Psalms 111 and 112. Boyce made an insightful connection that teaches us about the importance of our response to “Hallelujah!”:
Psalm 112 is also an acrostic poem, following a pattern identical to Psalm 111; in fact, the two psalms are an obviously matched pair. The first is an acrostic poem about God; the second is an acrostic poem about the godly man. The specific verbal contents of the two psalms match even more than the patterns, for what is said about God in the first of these psalms is affirmed of the godly man in the second, which is a way of saying, “You will become like the god you worship. If you worship a false god or idol, you will become like your false god. But if you worship the true God of the Bible, you will become strong, gracious, compassionate, righteous, generous, just, and steadfast, as he is.”[1]
Psalm 112:1 bridges the two psalms overtly, “Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments.” These paired acrostic poems start with the same call to worship, “Hallelujah!” But, unlike in part 1, today’s psalm calls for the godly person to be the good work of redemption that God can put on display for all to see and respond in praise! When you praise the Lord, you become His handiwork!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 112, meditating upon God’s purpose for saving you – “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). How are you practically putting God on display today?
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.
FOOTNOTE:
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Psalm 111
Hallelujah! (Part 1)
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, August 8.
God has made Himself known to us through the goodness of His works, put on display for all to see. Psalm 111 is a call to worship, starting in verse 1, “Praise the Lord!” This command is the Hebrew word, “Hallelujah,” which is used twenty-four times in the Psalms. Interestingly, while it is used widely in Christian worship, it is only found four times in the New Testament, all of which are in Revelation 19 (1, 3-4, 6).
Today’s call to worship is designed to focus the worshippers’ eyes on the good works of a faithful God, as we hear in Psalm 111:2-4, “Great are the works of the Lord; they are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.” When we see God’s works, we see God. When we see God, we worship! That is the logic of worship, because, as we will see in Psalm 112, we are designed by God to become like that which we worship. God intentionally placed before us His handiwork within creation, history, and salvation so that we would be enraptured in our call to worship every which way we turn.
Today’s call to worship concludes in verse 10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever” (cf. Job 28:28; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; Ecclesiastes 12:13). Reverence and awe of the Lord is the good fruit of right worship. This is the essential ingredient to life – a right perspective of God leads us into worship of Him, and right worship conforms us into His image!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 111, meditating upon the goodness of God made visible through His works – “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).
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.
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Psalm 110
The Rock of Our Faith!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, August 7.
Psalm 110 is a messianic psalm, and it is the psalm most quoted in the New Testament. After giving us the Greatest Commandment, Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1 to declare His identity as the Christ in Matthew 22:41-45:
In referencing Psalm 110, Jesus’ claim did not stop with verse 1, but carried the implications of the entirety of the psalm, including verses 4-6, “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’ The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. He will judge among the nations.” When you meditate upon today’s psalm and recognize how often it is quoted in the New Testament, there can be no confusion of Jesus’ claim.
The heart of today’s psalm is the rock of our Christian faith – Jesus Christ is the divine King who has been installed at the right hand of God where He is presently mediating for you as the great High Priest. Jesus Christ is the conquering King who is coming again to execute a final judgment on the nations so that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, the only way to peace with the Sovereign God.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 110, meditating upon the claim of Jesus. Do you believe Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16)? It’s upon this “rock” He is building His church.
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.
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Grow Strong in God’s Grace (Wk 20)
Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!
A Faith that Saves the Day!
Hebrews 11:31 (NASB)
God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.
STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH
Today’s story is about Rahab, found in Hebrews 11:31, “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.” This ancient story of Jericho is found in Joshua 2-6. Rahab’s specific part to play, when “she had welcomed the spies in peace” is found in Joshua 2, and when she “did not perish along with those who were disobedient” is found in Joshua 6. While we will walk through her faithfulness, as described in Joshua 2 later, allow me to read to you the reward of her faithfulness from Joshua 6:22-25:
Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her.” So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel. They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
What is it about this story that put “Rahab the harlot” in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.
STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE
Joshua 2 explains the answer to that big question. Joshua sent two men to spy on Jericho in preparation for the military conquest of the Promised Land. They ended up in Rahab’s house, verse 1 explicitly states, “So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.” [emphasis added] There is a lot of discussion around this point, whether it was a brothel or a hostel.[1] Regardless, the king of Jericho, having found out where they were and why they were in Jericho, sent men to capture the spies of Israel (2-3). Rahab deceived to the king’s servants, protecting the spies from capture and certain death (4-7), giving the spies her reasoning in verses 9-13:
I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.
The spies promised to do as she said in return for her help, escaping safely back to Joshua (14-22). The rest is history as we already read in Joshua 6:22-25, and as proclaimed in today’s story from Hebrews 11:31. I want to emphasize how Rahab’s proclamation of faith and actions brought faith and hope to the people of God, from Joshua 2:23-24:
Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, “Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.”
Rahab took a great personal risk to protect the spies because she feared the Lord. As we see repeatedly in the wisdom literature of the Bible, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). God prolonged the days of Rahab’s life, and that of her family and friends, because of her confession of faith. Her actions were motivated by faith, justifying her inclusion into the people of God. Rahab is in the hall of faith because she was the first gentile convert – a type (or foreshadowing) of that which was to come, which is us – the church of Jesus Christ from all nations! Rahab’s family was the first to experience the promise of God to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you … and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed of faith, which can be planted into others through our faithfulness to act according to our own faith and convictions, growing into a faith that saves the day.
STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT
Rahab’s salvation from the destruction of Jericho caused by the wrath of God illuminates for us today the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul taught us in the Romans Road to Salvation, four key passages that teach us the simple gospel message:
- Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
- Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
- Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Just like with Rahab, we must come to a place of faith in God that causes us to make a public confession of our faith. The next step is to show our salvation by taking steps of obedience that prove to the world we belong to God. For most of us that is our baptism, as commanded by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). I often say to people, while baptism is not a requirement of your salvation, it is a necessary step of your discipleship. You don’t need to obey to be saved, but if you are saved you will w obey. This is Jesus’ classic invitation from Mark 1:15, “repent and believe in the gospel” and again in Mark 1:17, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” This is not an intellectual debate for Jesus; it is a simple reality of love, as He said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” For this reason, the Bible puts Rahab right next to Father Abraham in its dialogue about the interplay between faith and works, as written by the half-brother of Jesus, in James 2:20-26, “In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (25-26).
While all this talk of faith and works can be misunderstood, I want to remind us of what our young seminarian taught us last week in his sermon from Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” It is God who saves by grace through faith – it is faith alone so that all who are members of the household of God will never boast in their good works, but only boast in the Lord’s goodness and grace. Just like Joshua who had a faith that tooted God’s horn, Rahab had a faith that saved the day! Let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.
STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE
Bible scholar Richard Hess stated, “Rahab corresponds to Joshua as the faithful one of her people who is chosen to lead them to salvation, or at least to offer it to those who are interested.”[2] When God chooses you for salvation, regardless of how scandalous or broken or misunderstood your past was, or current occupation is, God has chosen you on purpose! In Rahab’s case, it was to be in the lineage of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 1:5-6, “Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.” [emphasis added] I love how scandalous these two verses are intentionally written! Rahab and Ruth were two non-Jewish women, two Gentile converts grafted into the covenant blood line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and both were chosen by God to be in the lineage of Jesus Christ. [Interesting note: Have you ever noticed that Boaz, the man who would marry Ruth the Moabite, was raised by Rahab the Harlot? He grew up in a house of redemption! No wonder he had a heart open to be the kinsmen redeemer of Ruth – Praise the Lord! This is a sermon that must be preached another day.] Additionally, Jesus’ lineage includes an overt reminder that the child of Solomon was from Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, whom he had murdered after committing adultery with his wife. In two verses of Jesus’ lineage, we find three scandals filled with God’s redemption! Richard Hess concluded his thoughts about Rahab:
For the Christian, the story of Rahab is the story of the shepherd’s search for the one lost sheep (Matt. 18:12–14; Luke 15:4–7). It is the concern of Jesus for the despised of the world (Matt. 15:21–28; John 8:1–11). It is the transformation of values to which Christianity calls disciples. Those rejected by the world are precious to God (1 Cor. 1:18–31; Jas 2:5).[3]
God loves a good scandal – it’s where His redemption shines brightest! That’s why God sent His Son Jesus Christ, and that is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is a stumbling block, or scandal, to so many people. God came to rescue people, not preserve a pristine blood line, or establish a moral religion where you get to heaven by your own merits! It’s all God’s grace! God sent His one and only son to seek and to save that which was lost because He loves the nations and wants to redeem them back to His sovereign rule (Matthew 28:18-20; John 3:16; Luke 19:10). This includes all peoples and desires to see none perish (2 Peter 3:9)! This is a scandalous message! Listen to Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 1:21-31, written to encourage the early church in the city of Corinth, which oh by the way, was a hot mess much like America is today:
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
God rescued you, just like God rescued Rahab, by grace through faith! There are three applications that I would like to draw out of this story and give you as we head to our response:
- Rahab’s declaration of faith in God encouraged the people of God! Your application: Be a hope-bearer and not a doomsdayer! Share your testimony in why you are a shining light in a crooked and perverse generation. You never know how it will affect other people.
- Rahab’s activity of faith demonstrated to the world the saving power of God! She made her faith visible through her good works and that brought glory to God. Your application: seize the moment by doing good works and you will give glory to God every day!
- Rahab’s life of faith gave birth to the next generation in the lineage of faith – Boaz! And what did Boaz do but take in the outcast Ruth the Moabite, making her a part of the family of God. Your application: pass on your faith to others so that they too will invite others to be a part of the church, the household of God!
You, too, can have a faith that saves the day by seizing the moment and living out the redemption story of faith passed to you. I conclude with this invitation from Richard Hess, “The story of Rahab confirms God’s welcome to all people, whatever their condition. Christ died for all the world and the opportunity is available for all to come to him through faith, even the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).”[4] What is in your past that you feel disqualifies you from being a member of the body of Christ, the household of God? What is in your present that you feel disqualifies you from coming forward today to receive mercy and grace? Today is the day of salvation! Respond to the words of Paul from 1 Timothy 1:15-17:
It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
You can watch the message by clicking HERE.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] “In his retelling of the biblical story, Josephus portrays Rahab as an innkeeper. He might have chosen an alternate interpretation of the Hebrew term זנה (znh), which is most frequently translated as “prostitute” or “harlot.” On the other hand, he may have deliberately glossed over the issue of her profession (Antiquities 5.6–30). In either case, her “house” may indeed have functioned as an inn (Hess, Joshua, [92]). In comparison, the Septuagint and the authors of Hebrews and James all use the Greek word πόρνη (pornē, “prostitute”)” (Scott R. Moore, “Rahab the Prostitute,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary [Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016]).
[2] Richard S. Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 88.
[3] Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 148.
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Hymn: Jesus Loves the Little Children
Seize the Moment – Day 1236
Today’s hymn focus will be
Jesus Loves the Little Children
Luke 18:16 (NASB95)
“But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
We need to wake up and share this message of love with everyone around us, starting with the children! As school has begun, pray for our students, teachers, and administrators of our schools that Jesus’ love could be shared to bring hope, joy and peace into the lives of these precious gifts that God has given us.
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 Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
Jesus Loves the Little Children
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
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Psalm 109
A Pressure Release Valve!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, August 4.
Oftentimes, it feels like Christians must be superhuman in how we handle our emotions in difficult circumstances. But we can’t stuff all those emotions; we need a pressure release valve for them! A powerful example of this comes from Psalm 109, one of the most visceral of the imprecatory psalms. Verses 8-11 give us a snapshot of the psalmist invoking the vengeance of the Lord upon his enemies:
Let his days be few; let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. Let his children wander about and beg; and let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes. Let the creditor seize all that he has, and let strangers plunder the product of his labor.
What are Christians to do with such psalms? We have been taught vengeance belongs to the Lord, as Paul exhorted in Romans 12:19-21:
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
If you are going to fulfill the Word of the Lord, you must have a pressure release valve to deal with all your real human emotions that are triggered by the evil that is prevalent in the world today, from the bullying in schools to the heinous crimes on the streets. Christianity is not a call to stuff your emotions, but to cast them all on the Lord because He cares (1 Peter 5:7).
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 109, meditating upon the justice of God – pray to God, trusting that He will bring about His justice at the right time (Ecclesiastes 3:16-17).
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.
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Psalm 108
Work with God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, August 3.
In my twelfth year of pastoral ministry, I learned a valuable lesson that is more than semantics; it’s my very life! I don’t work for God; I do pastoral ministry with God! I do life in the easy yoke of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28-30). A passage that illuminates this subtilty is Philippians 2:12-13, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” We are to work hard at what God has called us to be and do, but not like those who have been given an assignment by a distant employer who leaves us to our own devices. God is at work in us as we do our work, knowing that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).
The psalmist makes this clear in today’s psalm. Psalm 108:12-13 declares, “Oh give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we will do valiantly, and it is He who shall tread down our adversaries.” Spurgeon explained of the important distinction found in these verses:
Faith is neither a coward nor a sluggard: she knows that God is with her, and therefore she does valiantly; she knows that he will tread down her enemies, and therefore she arises to tread them down in his name. Where praise and prayer have preceded the battle, we may expect to see heroic deeds and decisive victories. “Through God” is our secret support; from that source we draw all our courage, wisdom, and strength.[1]
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 108, meditating upon the power of working with God! Paul promised in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” [emphasis added] Therefore, do all things “through God,” which means in the easy yoke of Jesus Christ!
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.
FOOTNOTE:
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Psalm 107
Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, August 2.
It doesn’t take long to realize that today’s psalm continues to tell the story of Israel. For three psalms in a row, we have walked through three major movements of Israel’s history. Boyce highlights the relationship of these three psalms:
Thus Psalms 105, 106, and 107 form a trilogy. Psalm 105 recounts Israel’s experience from the time of God’s covenant with Abraham to the people’s entrance into the promised land; Psalm 106 tracks their unfaithfulness during that same time period and reflects the years of their exile to Babylon; and Psalm 107 thanks God for their deliverance from that exile.[1]
Psalm 107:2-3 begins with a command for all who have experienced God’s deliverance, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary and gathered from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.” To redeem means “to buy out,” specifically as in a slave being bought back from slavery. In the historical context of Psalm 107, God redeemed the people from Babylonian exile, bringing them back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls, restore the temple, and resume right worship.
For us today, we are redeemed through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary (Matthew 20:28; 26:28; Romans 3:22-26; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 2:14; Revelation 1:5). We were in slavery to our sin, exiled from God’s presence, and destined for the second death through the wrath of God, but Jesus Christ came and rescued us from sin and death (Romans 6:22-23; Colossians 1:13-14).
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 107, meditating upon your redemption story. Take time to reflect upon how God rescued you from sin and death through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Share your story with someone today – Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
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.
FOOTNOTE:
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Psalm 106
The Father’s Discipline!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, August 1.
Parents use both positive and negative reinforcement. Paul exhorted Christian parents in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” The goal is the same for godly parents – to train their children “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling which [they] have been called” (Ephesians 4:1). This is exemplified to us by God the Father.
Psalms 105-106 illustrate how God uses both positive and negative reinforcement. Whereas Psalm 105 emphasized more of His loving efforts throughout His children’s history, today’s psalm highlights the sins of Israel and how those choices led to His discipline. It’s almost as if God were saying to His children, “If My unconditional love and boundless grace are not enough to compel you to live according to My statutes and observe My laws (105), then you must experience the consequences of living outside of My blessings and protection (106).” Underneath today’s psalm, I can almost hear every godly parent’s lament at having to use negative reinforcement, “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” Psalm 106:13-14, 21, 44-45 summarize the cycle of discipline and instruction that God took the children of Israel through from the exodus to their exile:
They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them. … They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt, … Nevertheless He looked upon their distress when He heard their cry; and He remembered His covenant for their sake, and relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 106, meditating upon the discipline of the Lord – “He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). Experience the Father’s love in His discipline.
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.
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Psalm 105
Remember and Rehearse!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 31.
Psalm 105 is a history lesson of what God did for Israel from the establishment of the covenant with Abraham in Genesis (8) to the conquest of the land after the Exodus in Joshua (44). Three times in Psalm 105 the psalmist commands the current generation to remember and rehearse God’s redemptive role in their history:
- “Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples” (1).
- “Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders” (2).
- “Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth” (5).
The history lesson abruptly ended with verse 45, “So that they might keep His statutes and observe His laws, praise the Lord!” Therein lies the motivation for why the psalmist was commanding the current generations of Israel to remember and rehearse their history, so that they would love and obey God with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their might (Deuteronomy 6:5).
It is difficult to love in the abstract! The generations of Israelites who grew up after the conquest of the land were not privy to the many miracles of God’s power and provision that led to them receiving their homeland. They did not see with their own eyes what God had done so they needed to be taught to remember and rehearse the miracles that displayed God’s love for His people. God desires for your obedience to flow from a place of love for Him and thanksgiving for what He has done for you; this is true worship!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 105, meditating upon the love of God, which compels us to share with others the good news of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Do you remember and rehearse what God has done for you? Pass on your story to the next generation today!
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.
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FBC Church Picnic
Sin, God’s Divine Mercy and Our Answer To It
By Grace Through Faith
2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Outline of Message:
You can watch just the message by clicking HERE.
You can watch the entire worship service by clicking HERE.
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Hymn: The Longer I Serve Him
Seize the Moment – Day 1229
Today’s hymn focus will be
The Longer I Serve Him
Deuteronomy 10:12 (NASB95)
“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.”
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows; the more that I love Him,
More love He bestows; Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows.
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
We need to wake up and declare as our testimony the words of this song. To share with those around us just how great and wonderful our God is, knowing that through trials and triumphs, through valleys or on mountain tops, He has been with us every step of the 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 Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
The Longer I Serve Him
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Psalm 104
The Focus of Meditation!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, July 28.
Meditation is a biblical way to experience God, like Bible study and prayer, but it has received a bad rap in the contemporary church. Like with the rainbow, we must never lose sight of God and what He has established in His Word (Genesis 9:9-17). Psalm 104 is a long, inspired poem praising God, meditating upon His power to create and sustain all things; it concludes in verse 34, “Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; as for me, I shall be glad in the Lord.” Spurgeon comments on this ancient practice of God’s people:
Meditation is the soul of religion. It is the tree of life in the midst of the garden of piety, and very refreshing is its fruit to the soul which feeds thereon. And as it is good towards man, so is it towards God. As the fat of the sacrifice was the Lord’s portion, so are our best meditations due to the Most High and are most acceptable to him. We ought, therefore, both for our own good and for the Lord’s honour [sic] to be much occupied with meditation, and that meditation should chiefly dwell upon the Lord himself: it should be “meditation of him.”[1]
The key to effective meditation is your focus on God, His works, and His attributes. Like David modeled for us in today’s psalm, the essential ingredient in all spiritual disciplines is not the practice itself, but God, the One on whom the praxis focuses your faith, hope, and love. As we are taught in Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 104, meditating upon God, His works, and His attributes (Philippians 4:8).
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.
FOOTNOTE:
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Psalm 103
The Benefits of Belonging!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, July 27.
“Membership has its privileges” has been a common advertising slogan for a popular credit card since the 1980s. For most of us, it’s not an uncommon question to wonder, “What’s in it for me?” The same is true when people become Christians and are invited to join a local church. What are the benefits of being a member of the body of Christ? David listed the benefits of belonging to God in Psalm 103:1-5:
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Wow! Have you experienced all these benefits of belonging to God? These promises are yours in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20-22). As a Christian, you are a member of the body of Christ, and this membership is the greatest privilege that could ever be bestowed upon you; it’s the privilege of belonging to God. Paul stated in Romans 12:4-5, “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” It is the Holy Spirit who compels us, in obedience to God’s Word, to enjoy the benefits of being fellow members of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12-14).
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 103, meditating upon the benefits of belonging to God – “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Take active steps to connecting with your local church today.
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.
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Psalm 102
When God is All You Have!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, July 26.
Have you ever called for help in a time of great pain and suffering? That is the situation with the psalmist, but he did not have a medical care system to call upon to assist him. His only 9-1-1 was prayer to God, and his emergency call was recorded in Psalm 102:1-2, “Hear my prayer, O Lord! And let my cry for help come to You. Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; incline Your ear to me; in the day when I call answer me quickly.” As you continue to read today’s psalm, you will hear his suffering as he pleaded with God for relief. Unlike our contemporary culture today, he didn’t have immediate access to modern health care; God was his only hope for healing and pain relief.
It was the psalmist’s painful awareness of his own frailty which led him to make such an urgent petition, seeking hope from God during his time of need. Pointedly, the answer he received did not change his immediate circumstance, which is why the hope of Psalm 102:25-27 was quoted in Hebrews 1:10-12 as a messianic prophecy:
Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 102, meditating upon the living hope of Jesus Christ, in whom you can rejoice even when you are “distressed by various trials” (1 Peter 1:3-9). Pain does not have the last word, so train yourself to not let it consume your thoughts or hijack your life. When God is all you have, He is all you will ever need!
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.
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Psalm 101
Worship God by Obeying God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, July 25.
Whereas Psalm 100 is a psalm of thanksgiving to the God who is faithful to all generations, Psalm 101 is a commitment to act faithfully as one of God’s people. It is empty praise indeed when your life doesn’t reflect the God you say you worship! The truest form of worship is obedience, as we learned from Samuel’s rebuke of King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”
Honestly, reading Psalm 101 right after 100 feels like whip lash, but both psalms reflect God’s heart. We serve a God who is full of truth and grace, and one cannot be compromised for the sake of the other! God calls us to a life of devotion, which is more than a devotional life; it is the wholehearted pursuit of holiness. Psalm 101:1-3 teaches us about true worship:
I will sing of lovingkindness and justice, to You, O Lord, I will sing praises. I will give heed to the blameless way. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart. I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not fasten its grip on me.
Your life sings God’s praises best when your Monday through Saturday words and deeds align with your Sunday worship. Jesus was clear to His disciples, saying without equivocation in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” The purest expression of worship is obedience!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 101, meditating upon the proof of your love for Jesus Christ – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-27). Obey today!
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.
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Psalm 100
Faithful to All Generations!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 24.
God is faithful to all generations! As I care for the older members of the congregation I serve, I do so with thanksgiving in my heart for the legacy of faith they have passed down to the next generation. From my perspective, apart from God’s faithfulness through them there would be no church for me to pastor. God uses people in every generation to demonstrate His faithfulness. We need to stop our incessant busyness and take time to thank the people from our families, churches, and communities who have been faithful in their generation to pass on their legacy of faith, hope, and love.
I have been on pastoral staff at two churches, and both times I helped the church celebrate their centennial. Both times, the theme verse came from today’s psalm, specifically Psalm 100:4-5, which proclaims, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” When a congregation looks back over a hundred years of gospel ministry, there is only one right emotion – thankfulness to the God who is faithful to all generations! How does a church make it to their centennial? From my experience, it takes faithfulness – His and ours! Who are the faithful people who have come before you? Thank them! Who are the faithful people in your generation? Be one of them and pass it on to the next generation of faithful followers of Jesus (2 Timothy 2:2)!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 100, meditating upon the faithfulness of God to all generations, giving thanks for all He has done in your family, church, and community. Take time today to reach out to an older person and tell them thank you for being faithful. Send a card. Make a phone call. Go and visit. Be faithful!
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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Legacy vs. Notoriety
Legacy vs. Notoriety
INTRODUCTION:
With all the modern technology that we have today, it is easy to see how a person could become famous overnight. They could easily gain notoriety, but all too often become notorious. They also have a choice to become a legend or leave a legacy.
When you get notoriety, the documentation starts that puts into words the type of person you are. And depending on who is writing the story will depict how much of it is fact or if it is fabrication to make the story more interesting. (Look at all the stories in the tabloids)
The problem with becoming a legend is once again the stories may have been ‘enhanced’ to make them more exciting. The dictionary defines a legend as “a story coming down from the past, especially one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable.”
Since Pastor Jerry has started this new series based on Hebrews 11, we have seen those in the Bible whom the world would call notorious and legendary. But we know them to be notable for leaving a legacy. A legacy is defined as “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or from the past.” This Faithful Hall of Fame roster shows us men and women who were by no means perfect, but rather chose to live a life of faithfulness to God, leaving a legacy for us to see today.
or the time he got drunk and his sons found him naked?
becoming the “father and mother” of a nation,
or the time they lied to a King about their relationship?
The list could go on and on from other examples in the Bible, but I want to bring this to how it applies to us today. While our names may not appear in the holy scriptures, we are told multiple times that we are to live out our lives to bring glory to God in all we say and do.
Psalm 112:1-2
Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
We are given the strategy for a life of legacy right here in this Psalm. But this is not something that comes naturally to us. We must put God first in every area of our lives.
That can be accomplished by doing the following:
- Cultivate the soil of our hearts: by delighting in God’s Word and His commands. (Psalm 1:1-3; Psalm 37:4-5)
- Sow good seeds into the lives of our families and others: with our testimonies. (Psalm 78:4; Psalm 145:4-7)
- Care for the crop of our future legacy: with proper instruction and setting the example by serving and blessing others. (Deut. 6:5-7; Philippians 4:9; 1 Peter 4:10)
- Reap a harvest of blessing: for generations to come. (Psalm 78:6-7)
Legacy building begins when we:
Psalm 1:1-3
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
- Keep Christian music playing all day.
- Start and end your day by reading a scripture, maybe even memorizing it.
- Share with family or someone else how God had encouraged you that day.
Psalm 37:4-5
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.
- No longer selfish “what we want”
- We find new found freedom as we fully trust in the Lord.
Psalm 78:4
We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.
- Consider keeping a journal for both you and others to read.
- Send out a text, email or notecard to family and friends of what God had been doing in your life.
- Give a testimony in church of how God has been transforming your story.
Psalm 145:4-7
Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness.
- Share the story..be a storykeeper.
- Sing with joy (testimony in song) and praise Him forever!
Deuteronomy 6:5-7
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
- Words matter, because they reveal what’s in your heart.
- Along with teaching the truths of God, you need to use and live these words as well:
- I Love You (John 15:9)
- I Am Sorry (James 5:16)
- I Forgive You (Colossians 3:13)
*Forgiveness is more about freeing yourself that it is about freeing others.
Philippians 4:9
Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
1 Peter 4:10
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
- This is the example that Jesus gave us
- He told the disciples
- He showed the disciples
- He had them go out in pairs and practice then come back with a report
- He sent them out with the power of the Holy Spirit.
- We are all to use our gifts to serve others
What is the outcome?
Psalm 78:6-7
So the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.
Conclusion:
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Hymn: Word of God Speak
Seize the Moment – Day 1222
Today’s hymn focus will be
Word of God Speak
1 Corinthians 2:12-13 (NASB95)
“And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know
the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things,
we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak
words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual
truths.”
Written in the summer of 2002, Bart Millard of MercyMe and the band were working at a church camp in Jekyll Island, Georgia while also working on their second album. He was feeling frustrated, feeling like all of the new songs sounded the same. He remembers waking up at 3 am with the first verse and the chorus on his heart and wrote them in a journal and went back to sleep.
It wasn’t until a few weeks later as they were wrapping up the album that they realized they needed one more song. A “nagging feeling” took him back to his journals where he found the song. Like “lightning in a bottle”, God gave him the rest of the song and they recorded that song with just piano and strings.
I’m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is, it’s okay
We need to wake up to the fact that our quiet time with God needs to be more than just a one-way conversation. We need to be silent and listen to what God is trying to tell us. Let Him get a word in edgewise, for it may be just what you need!
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 Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
Word of God Speak
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Psalm 99
Right Worship of the Holy God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, July 21.
What does it mean that God is holy? Psalm 99:1-3 exalts God with magnificent terms, “The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake! The Lord is great in Zion, and He is exalted above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name; holy is He.” When we say that God is holy, we are saying God is separate from and distinctly different from all things. He transcends all human understanding!
What does it look like then to give God right worship? We are commanded in verse 5, “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool; holy is He.” While we exalt a God who is beyond us, transcendent in all His glory, we worship a God who has chosen to make Himself known to us so that we may have a relationship with Him. This was exemplified in verses 6-7, “Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called upon the Lord and He answered them. He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept His testimonies and the statute that He gave them.”
It is mind blowing to me that God been given an unholy humanity access to what is by definition inaccessible to us. How is right worship even possible? The answer is found in a single word: Love! God so loved the world that He stepped through the veil, entering His creation to forever give us access to His transcendent glory. When you access God through the prescribed way of Jesus Christ, God gives you His righteousness, calling you one of His holy ones – eternally sealing you with His transcendent glory, the Holy Spirit!
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 99, meditating upon the holiness of God – “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3; cf. Revelation 4:8).
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.
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Psalm 98
God Loves the Nations!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, July 20.
God loves the nations! Yet, throughout history, people have used the Bible to support their exclusion of the other. It happened in our nation when theology was used to support our evil practice of slavery. It happened in South Africa to undergird Apartheid. The truth is that neither of these atrocities fit within God’s vision to bless all the nations with His salvation, as Psalm 98:3-4, and 9 declare:
He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. … Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.
God is the King over every nation and desires to bring all people under His rule. While His faithfulness came first to the house of Israel, intending them to be a conduit of blessing for all the families of the Earth (Genesis 12:3). While His favor now rests upon the church, purposing for us to bring the good news to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). Revelation 7:9 captures the heart of God for the nations, as proclaimed to Israel in Psalm 98, and as fulfilled by Jesus Christ:
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 98, meditating upon the far-reaching invitation of God’s salvation – “I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Who can you embrace with the gospel today?
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.
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Psalm 97
Show Me Your Glory!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, July 19.
Kimberly and I have a goal to visit every national park in our nation. From the soaring peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the hidden depths of the Grand Canyon, we want our children to see and experience the beauty of their homeland. Throughout history, God has revealed His glory to His children so that people may see and experience Him, as Psalm 97:2-6 explains:
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries round about. His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples have seen His glory.
A theophany is a manifestation of God; it is when God chooses to appear to people in a way they can discern. It is when God reveals His glory in a tangible way so that the people can see and experience His awesomeness.
Theophanies in the Bible usually are accompanied by physical signs: earth shaking or quaking, a cloud, fire or other visible means of display. For example, when God appears to Moses in a burning bush (Ex 3) or when the prophet Micah announces that God is coming and that the mountains will melt and the valleys will burst open (1:4). A theophany shows God’s power and involvement in the world, …[1]
When you pray for God to show you His glory, you are praying for a theophany – a tangible manifestation of His power and involvement in your life, and in the situations you need His presence.
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 97, meditating upon the glory of God, forever revealed to humanity through Jesus Christ – “He is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).
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.
FOOTNOTE:
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Psalm 96
Until All Worship!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, July 18.
Nearly two decades ago, I went through missions training with the International Leadership Institute. I was struck by their heartfelt desire to see all peoples come to worship God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, that is the first core value of their missions training: “intimacy with God.” Even though I haven’t thought about this organization these last fourteen years in Indiana, I have never lost focus on this core belief that the church must keep first things first – it’s all about worship!
Psalm 96:1-3 is a call to worship for all the nations, but it must begin in the heart of a man or woman who has been consecrated by God for this very reason: “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.” We are invited to sing the new song of the God of missions – Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again! This is the messianic hope of Psalm 96; Jesus is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise to bless all the nations, being completed by His church until He returns (Matthew 28:18-20). You are called to sing the new song through the anointing of the Holy Spirit – “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 96, meditating upon the God of Missions who so loved the world that He sent Jesus Christ to seek and to save that which was lost (John 3:16; Luke 19:10). The Great Commission compels us in love until all worship!
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.
Read more...