Devotionals

Rebuking Sin in High Places

Loring Schultz

“For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). John had been telling Herod, ‘It is against God’s law for you to marry her.’” Matthew 14:3-4 NLT

Person kneeling and clasping hands in front of U.S. Capitol building

“I mind my own business and I do not judge others, after all who am I to judge? Didn’t even Jesus say, ‘Judge not, that you be not judged?’ I am a sinner just as the rest of the world; therefore I am in no position to point out the sins of others. Also there’s an old saying that goes something like this, ‘Be careful when you point your finger at someone for you have three fingers pointed back at you.’”

Do the above quotes sound familiar to you? Have you used them yourself, living your life in line with them? Is your attitude towards others ‘live and let live’ not concerning yourself with what is right or wrong in God’s eyes? Do you accept the sinful things of the world due to the fact that you do not have the courage to call sin what it is? After all you do not want to hear, ‘who are you to tell me how I should live!” You are not alone in this, I am in this with you, but we have an example of one who was not afraid to call sin a sin and to call it out in high places, John the Baptist.

We should not be surprised that a man who lived in the wilderness clothed in camels hair and whose diet consisted of locusts and wild honey would have the nerve to call out the king for his sin. But John the Baptist was much more than what his image portrayed. He was Jesus’s forerunner preparing his Jewish brethren for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist was called of God for this ministry before his birth and carried it out flawlessly which included calling out the Pharisees and Sadducees naming them ‘brood of vipers!’ The Baptizer was one called of God to conduct God’s plan for his life, a forerunner who baptized and called out sin.

Every Christian is also called of God to conduct His plan for us. Part of that plan is to call sin what it is. We may not be baptizers, pastors, teachers, or elders, but every Christian is responsible to recognize sin wherever it is and call it out. The first place to start is with our own lives. We need to deal with our sin before the Lord confessing and repenting. There is no joy in standing before a holy God and confessing what He already sees in us, but may we see that sin for what it is. May we thank the Lord for those who call out our sin to us, and may we be able to call sin what it is in the lives of others, even ‘rebuking sin in high places.’

Devotionals

The choice is yours

Loring Schultz

“If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.” Proverbs 9:12 NLT

Diverging dirt paths in a countryside valley at sunset with a sign reading 'THE PATHS DIVERGE'
A tranquil sunset illuminates a diverging country path in a lush valley

It is estimated the average individual makes 35,000 decisions in a single day. That number may sound unrealistic but is backed up by numerous creditable sources such as, ‘Psychology Today’, ‘The National Library of Medicine’, and several business and educational institutions measuring the effects of so many choices. Most of these decisions are basic everyday decisions as what clothes to wear, what I am going to have for lunch, should I use blue or black ink, should I repost or comment on a certain post, should I surprise my wife with flowers on my way home, along with other choices in our daily activities. Even my choice to in writing this devotional, ‘the choice is yours’, is one of my 35,000 decisions I’ll make this day. I guess I should buy my wife flowers now that I mentioned it.

Some choices we make each day do not always work out for the best. We have the best of intentions at the time based on our normal pattern of doing things, but it turns out to have been the wrong choice. A lesson to learn is we will not always make the right decision. Each of us are flawed individuals capable of making bad decisions. In trivial matters it’s no big deal as is wearing ‘white’ after Labor Day, but in wearing something offensive or provocative is another matter. There is a way for all of us to limit our bad choices significantly by following the advice of the wisest man that has ever lived outside of Christ, King Solomon.

We should all be in agreement in desiring to make wise choices. Within those 35,000 decisions we make a day are many we do not give deep thought to as they become mere habit. There is nothing wrong with that, but what is the foundation in our decision making. What we need is wisdom. True wisdom, Godly wisdom. King Solomon gives us this advice, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Prov. 1:7 nlt) We must admit some of our decisions are downright foolish putting us in line with fools. Wrong decisions will be made, but they can be greatly reduced when every decision, even those of habit, has their foundation in the reverence of the Lord.

James in the New Testament also writes, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (Jas. 1:5 nlt) Again, wisdom is the key, the foundation, in making good decisions. In Proverbs 9:12 Solomon notes, “If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.” (nlt) Gaining Godly wisdom will ensure decisions that benefit you while rejecting God’s wisdom leads you to suffer the consequences. The choice is yours!

Devotionals

Made for Worship      

Loring Schultz

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 NASB

Woman with raised hands joyfully worshiping in church under sunlight

Is your heart always in everything you do, whatever it is? How many times do you utter the phrase, “My heart’s just not in this.” It could be a work project, which would be understandable, or it could be an enjoyable recreation activity and you still cannot get your whole heart interested and excited. Let’s face it we all have days like that, sometimes for good reasons, but not always.

When it comes to Worshiping God we need to desire that our hearts be in it, 100% in it, but then again we know that is not always the case. King David was particularly conscious of this. He wrote “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, Be acceptable in Your sight.” David wanted his worship, his prayers, and his thoughts to be acceptable to his Lord, his Rock, and his Redeemer. And we should want the same thing for us, but it is much more than an hour church service or a fifteen-minute personal devotion time. I heard someone once say that “Life is Worship.” We should be acknowledging God in everything we do; every aspect of our lives, our work, our play, and our thoughts; we should be Worshiping God! After all we were made for worship!

Bible Studies

“I am the Bread of Life” – Jesus’ seven “I AM” statements – 1

Loring Schultz

Read: John 6:48-51 NLT – Yes, I am the bread of life! Your – Bible Gateway

“Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35 NLT

Loaf and piece of bread, cup with wine, and grapes on table in church

Each of the four gospel writers in the New Testament portray Jesus in a manner to stress a certain characteristic of the Son of God. The gospels together create a perfect portrait of Jesus. Matthew’s main focus is on Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and King. Mark, writing to a mostly a Roman Gentile audience focuses on Jesus the servant. Luke with a much broader Gentile audience portrays Jesus as the Son of Man, focusing on His humanity. The apostle John writes to prove the deity of Jesus so that all may believe Jesus is the Son of God, and that believing they may have life in His name. Included in John’s gospel is the seven ‘I Am’ statements Jesus made. We will look at these statements over the next seven weeks.

Bread is a staple food item that sustains nourishment to our physical bodies. Other staple food products would include milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, and other various meat products. But bread seems to have cornered the market (pun intended) on what foods are necessary to stock up on before an approaching snowstorm in my part of the Untied States along with milk and eggs.

Physical hunger has been satisfied, physical bodies were nourished, and lives sustained for thousands of years by the bread provided for us through the baking process. Our bodies need food to survive. Many people who were in the crowd when Jesus fed the five thousand followed after Him the next day and Jesus rebuked them saying “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. (Jn.6:26 nlt)

The followers were only thinking of the physical, the here and now, much like we do today. Jesus then proceeded to tell them to believe in Him. He was the bread of God which came down from heaven and gives life to the world, in which they responded, “always give us this bread.” (Jn.6:33-34) Again, only thinking in physical terms, the same is true today.

Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life.” Those who accept Jesus (the bread of life) for Salvation will receive the nourishment needed to sustain eternal life. This is the first of seven “I AM” statements that Jesus made in the Gospel of John concerning His deity and the message of Salvation. Have you received “Jesus the bread of life?”

A Christian Perspective

Time for Offensive Strategy

Loring Schultz

“I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.” Psalm 101:2b NLT

“But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15 NLT

Photo by Patricia Prudente on Unsplash

There is an on-going all-out assault on the family . It can be debated when the assaults started to occur, and what was the driving force setting it in motion. But there is no debate about the effects of broken families in the current day. Destruction of the family unit is one of Satan’s major goals. He, indeed, is the culprit in the destruction of the family. Satan and his demons are on the lookout for any breach in the family wall that is not fully secure. Defensive shields need to be erected, but more importantly in this case, the best defense is a powerful offense.

The Lord has laid down guidelines for us to follow in the structure of a family. Very simply, God created man in His image, male and female. He instituted marriage between one man and one woman, and children as a blessing creating a family unit. The husband (father) is to be the spiritual head of the family with the wife (mother) spiritual helpmeet to her husband. Both are responsible for bringing their children up in the admonition of the Lord. Simple enough, but there is a lot more to it as most married couples will tell you. Living in a fallen world with Satan shooting his arrows into the family through society’s ills, it’s time to deflect those arrows with a powerful offense of the Word of God and serve Him fully with a whole heart as a family.

King David made a pledge to reign as a righteous king and that started in his own home with his commitment to lead a life of integrity. David knew if he couldn’t live an exemplified life in his home, he would be incapable of leading a nation. He also knew he couldn’t do it without the Lord’s help, leading both his family and the nation. Christian fathers today cannot do it alone either, they need the Lord’s help in leading the family in a spiritual direction serving Christ. Joshua made it clear, as far as he was concerned, he and his family were going to serve the Lord. He knew failing to serve the God of the Bible would lead to all kinds of trouble. We see all kinds of trouble in Christian homes today as a result from the onslaught of the devil. These can be minimized drastically by going on offense following David’s and Joshua’s offensive strategy for families and homes.

One final thought: I realized with many broken Christian homes’ family structures vary. There are one-parent families, both men and women. Many Christian women are heads of the household due the father being absent. There are aunts, uncles, and grandparents who have assumed the role of head of the family. Whatever your circumstance, the Lord knows of it and will give you an extra spirit of grace as you train your children in the Lord. You can rest assured that your offensive strategy against the evil one will be just as powerful as you and your family are serving the Lord in your home with His help.

Devotionals

Forever Blessings 

Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 23 ESV – The LORD Is My Shepherd – A Psalm of – Bible Gateway

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:6 ESV

Framed wall art with Psalm 23:6 scripture and floral decorations.

We have come to the end of our week of devotions on the 23rd Psalm. I trust you all had a chance to memorize this Psalm, if not there’s still time. It will be time well spent. What better way to end this week but with forever blessings? The Lord as our good shepherd has every part of our lives under His watchful care. It is comforting to know that He walks with us throughout every hour of every day.

As David was treated as an honored guest at the Lord’s table in verse five, he did not considered that he was only a guest for the day, but for a lifetime and beyond. David fully expected on-going blessings of goodness and mercy to be part of the rest of his life. He also anticipated a future intimate relationship with his shepherd. David is assured of an eternal home with his shepherd as he realized himself that a good shepherd never abandons his sheep. The Lord will not abandoned him.

The Lord Jesus will not abandon any of us who have truly committed their lives to Him. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (Jn.10:9 esv) We will have the protection and provisions for this life by our good shepherd and security of eternal life with Him as he provided the way for us by dying for our sins. Jesus also said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (Jn.10:14-15 esv) Our blessings will continue for they are ‘forever blessings.’

Devotionals

Come to the Table

Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 23 ESV – The LORD Is My Shepherd – A Psalm of – Bible Gateway

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5 ESV

Photo by Natalia S on Pexels.com

So far this week in our weekday devotions we have gotten acquainted with the Lord as our shepherd, our leader in whom we follow, and our comforter in our struggles in life. Today we look at our Lord shepherd as our provider. As David provided for his sheep, our Lord provides for his sheep, us, and He invites us to come to His table.

David is still under the threat of his enemies. Even through this David wrote that the Lord was his shepherd who was leading him. The Lord’s leading led him to green pastures and quiet still waters to rest his body and refresh his soul. With David’s enemies around him, his shepherd never lost sight of him giving him the respite he needed. The Lord was also David’ s great comforter as he was truly living in the valley of the shadow of death as his enemies pursued him. Now David finds another gem of protection and provision as the Lord prepares a table for him.

David writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” (Ps.23:5 esv) The imagery is of David being able to sit down at a banquet feast without a worry of those who wish to attack him. The shepherd is providing both a meal and protection during the meal. Honored guests at banquets in the ancient Near East were anointed with oil. David was received as an honored guest of the Lord and his head anointed with oil. David’s every need is completely satisfied as his cup overflows with blessings.

The Lord is inviting us to come to the table as His honored guests. He is our ultimate provider and protector. Our shepherd will meet our every need in the midst of our struggles in this life even as our cup overflows.

Devotionals

Why we need a comforter        

Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 23 ESV – The LORD Is My Shepherd – A Psalm of – Bible Gateway

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 ESV

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

Life is not easy. Sometimes it is downright hard and difficult to manage. Have you ever thought why it is this way? So many of us cannot except the fact that bad things happen to good people, and it is true that bad things do happen to ‘good’ people. But how do we define ‘good’? Let’s see how God defines good. It says in Psalm 14, “The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” (Ps.14:2-3 esv) It looks like the word ‘good’ does not define any of us.

The reason ‘good’ does not define us is that we all have a sin nature. Like it or not we have inherited this nature from our first parents, Adam and Eve. There is no changing it. The punishment for our sin is death, physical death separation from the body and spiritual death separation from God for all eternity. There is no comfort that can be found in the punishment for our sin.

When David the shepherd, later a warrior, and then king wrote the 23rd Psalm he wrote of the Lord’s (David’s shepherd) comfort all through life. David knew life was hard. He was aware of his sin many times as several of his psalms reflect. When David wrote, ‘even thought I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,’ it was not only his death he was referring to, but of the trials and tribulations that come upon all of us in this life. The rod and staff of his shepherd provided him with protection and safety.

David knew that physical death was the result of his sin as we should also realize. But more importantly is to know the results of our sin concerning the second death if not dealt with in this life. Jesus came to protect us from that second death and bring us to safety in eternal life Him and God the Father. It is not just physical death, or the struggles of this life in which we need a comforter, it is to save us from eternal separation from God and Jesus Christ in eternity. That is why we need a comforter.

Devotionals

The Lord Leads and Restores

Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 23 ESV – The LORD Is My Shepherd – A Psalm of – Bible Gateway

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:2-23 ESV

Green fields with sheep grazing near a river and a small white house in the background
Peaceful countryside scene featuring green fields, a river, and grazing sheep

Is your life flourishing today? Is your life thriving with the joy of success? Are you noticing God’s blessings on you? Are there any blessings on you these days? Yesterday we asked the question, ‘is the Lord your shepherd,’ today we ask, ‘is the Lord leading you and restoring you’? The Lord will not lead you if you are unwilling to allow Him to take the reins over your life. If you are burning out physically and spiritually the chances are that the Lord is not leading you as you going your own way.

David, as a shepherd, did not always have it easy. It wasn’t all laying on the grass during the day and sitting around the fire at night. Shepherding was demanding work and dangerous at times. The reference David makes to ‘green pastures’ is about all that makes life flourish. God is leading David’s life as David follows His lead. ‘Still waters’ or ‘quiet waters’ are literally waters of resting places. Waters that provide refreshment of well-being. When the Lord is our shepherd He provides what we need for physical burnout.

Burnout also affects us spiritually. We can feel the effects of it deep down into our soul. David says that his shepherd restores his soul. If the Lord is not leading you, you will miss out on this because the only one who can restore your spirit and soul is the Lord God. But if you let Him lead you He will also lead you in the paths of righteousness meaning safety and prosperity along with living in God’s will bringing glory to His name. If your life is not flourishing it’s time to allow the Shepherd to lead you and restore your soul.

Devotionals

Is the Lord Your Shepherd?     

Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 23 ESV – The LORD Is My Shepherd – A Psalm of – Bible Gateway

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1 ESV

Photo by Antonello Falcone – The Wiseman on Unsplash

This week’s daily devotions on ‘Word for the Soul’ will feature the 23rd Psalm. This is the most recognized Psalm of all 150 psalms in the psalter. Most people can recite it in its entirety, or least some portions of it. So, an assignment for this week, if you have not memorized it yet, now is your chance. (There are only six verses)

David, the author, begins with these famous words, “The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” (Ps.23:1 esv) David being a shepherd as a boy and young man knew the job of shepherding and the responsibilities it entailed. Number 1 on the list was the protection of the sheep under his care. David spent many long hot days and cold nights watching over the sheep. We do not know how David got paid or if he ever received compensation for his work, but he did his work flawlessly and at the risk of his own life.

The Lord Jesus not only risked His life for His sheep but gave up it up on the cross at Calvary. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (Jn.10:11 esv) David was able to see the relationship between his protecting and providing for his sheep and God doing the same for him, but in a much larger capacity. The Lord God providing for David all his life prompted him to write, ‘I shall not want.’ He was never lacking anything he needed. David’s shepherd provided for him.

David could call the Lord God his shepherd because he knew Him, followed Him, and obeyed Him. As you read the 23rd Psalm and attempt to memorize it this week can you say, ‘the Lord (Jesus) is my shepherd’? Do you know Him? Have you accepted Him as your savoir? Is the Lord your shepherd?