Seize the Moment – Day 1456

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, March 12.

 

Have you ever played a game of hide and seek with a small child? Often, you hide in plain sight so that you are not left unfound for so long that the child forgets to keep looking for you. In the same way, God wants to be found by you, just as He wanted to be found by Israel in Isaiah 65:1-2:

 

I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, “Here am I, here am I,” to a nation which did not call on My name. I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts.

 

Though Israel pursued other gods and mocked God with their pride and rebellion, God continued to make Himself available to His people. Interestingly, Paul quoted this passage in Romans 10:20-21, establishing that the church has been grafted into Israel. He declared in Romans 11:1, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be!” The coming of the Messiah was not a rejection of God’s covenant with Israel, as Jesus overtly stated to the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:24, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (cf. Matthew 10:5-6). Jesus came to declare the gospel of His Father’s kingdom, which is for all people, so that every nation, tribe, and tongue would return to God’s rightful rule (Matthew 28:18-20; Revelation 7:9). Paul witnessed to this truth in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

 

Seize the moment and “seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:6).

 

 

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.