Author: Loring Schultz

Christian Devotional Writer
Devotionals

Straining at the Oars

Loring Schultz

“He saw the disciples straining at the oars.” Mark 6:48a NIV

            Have you ever felt abandoned from the Lord, especially in tough times? You may be facing difficulties at your work place with 8 hour days are turning into 12 hours days and no relief in sight. You’re studying for a college degree and can’t keep up with the assignment load. You’re a young mother with a houseful of children all wanting and needing your attention. There are yet many other tough time scenarios we can apply, just pick the one that fits you best. But rest assured the Lord has not abandoned you, in fact He always has His eye on you.

            Jesus’s disciples were put in a situation where it appeared to them they were abandoned. Jesus sent them out ahead of Him by boat to Bethsaida across the Sea of Galilee, while He spent time alone in prayer with His Father. What should have been a relatively short trip was turning into an over 8 hour trip with constant wind not in their favor. The wind was carrying the boat towards the center of the lake instead of maintaining a straight course one or two miles off shore. Imagine what thoughts would have been going through the minds of the disciples. Perhaps the same thoughts we have in strenuous times.

            The Bible explains to us Jesus saw the difficulty His disciples were having and also when He first saw what was happening. “Later that night, (when evening came) the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake” (Mk. 6:47-48) ‘When evening came’ was sunset around 6pm. Jesus did not come out to them until dawn early the next morning. He came out to them walking on the water.

            During your long struggling difficult days never lose sight that our Lord Jesus never loses sight of you while ‘straining at the oars,’ but He is watching and will be there with the help we need. You’re not abandoned. Learn to put your trust in Him for He sees, He hears, and He’ll be there.

A Christian Perspective

Silent Protest

Loring Schultz

One of the many rights enjoyed by every citizen in the United States is the right to protest. In fact it is the very first amendment to the constitution. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” It is worthy to note that it states the right to ‘peaceably assemble.’ I am sure we can all relate to what has been demonstrated as peaceful protest over the years as not being very peaceful. That is not to say there have not been peaceful demonstrations or protests, there have been, and that is the way it should be, especially among Christians.

            Living in the first quarter of the 21st century has certainly brought about many issues to protest, both as citizens of the United States and members of the Christian church. Christians have an obligation to present the truth to those who don’t know the truth. Here in the United States we are afforded the freedom to do so in a peaceable manner. Christians are also to live honorable lives before the general public and governing authorities to dispute any false accusations that may be brought against us.

            Whether we gather with others to protest an injustice on biblical grounds or stand our ground individually by not engaging in the sins of the world we are protesting, let it be done by way of a ‘silent protest,’ peaceably and by living a life honorable to Christ. Peter encourages us it is God’s will that our honorable lives will silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against us. (1Peter 2:15) Let us as citizens of heaven be humble and obedient citizens here on earth bringing honor and glory to God so all may believe in Him and His Son, Jesus Christ.  

            “It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.” 1 Peter 2:15-16 NLT

Read 1 Peter 2:13-17, Respecting people in authority: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+2%3A13-17&version=NLT

Bible Studies

The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus’s teaching on Prayer – 1 “How to Pray”

Loring Schultz

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” KJV

            There are many prayers recorded in the pages of scripture. Without a doubt, the most familiar prayer is the Lord’s Prayer found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke.  It is a model prayer Jesus taught His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray. The disciples evidently saw something in Jesus concerning His prayer life. He would leave them for hours spending time with His Father in prayer. They realized the importance of prayer even as John the Baptist taught his disciples to pray and now they were witnessing Jesus’s prayer habits. It was a marked influence on them, for they did not ask Him to teach them to perform miracles or anything else spectacular, but they asked Him; teach us to pray.

            In Matthew’s recording of the Lord’s Prayer notice Jesus began His teaching with how not to pray. There are many bad examples in how not to pray. The key point to remember is the Lord’s Prayer is an example to follow in praying, and it is a good one. Jesus instructs His disciples and us. “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them.” (Mt. 6:5a NLT) Praying is not a spectator sport to show others how holy you are. Jesus also said, “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.” (Mt. 6:7 NLT) This is not a condemnation towards long prayers, but of excess meaningless verbiage just to be heard. Repetition is not a bad thing when in earnest prayer, and crying out to God concerning your sorrow and needs. We need to take comfort that God knows exactly what we need. Jesus says, “Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” (Mt. 6:8 NLT) Daniel Henderson in his book ‘Transforming Prayer’ writes the following, “Our Father is completely dialed-in and capable. He is all-knowing and sovereign. He does not need the persuasion of our words or vigorous religious performances in order to know and meet our needs.”

            Jesus’s instructions on how to pray begin with, “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.” (Mt. 6:6a NLT) This is a reminder that God looks on the heart and not outward appearance. He will meet with us in private and not in the public square. This is not a prohibition against public prayer. Jesus Himself prayed publicly and corporate prayer within the church is vital to its existence. “Private praying is the finest training ground for public prayer.” (Wycliffe Bible Commentary)

            As we move forward in the coming weeks being taught by Jesus how to pray may we heed the two rules of prayer by R.C. Sproul, “Remember to whom you are speaking, and remember who is doing the speaking.”

Devotionals

Enter the Light

Loring Schultz

“The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 NKJV

            When entering a dark room, the first thing we do is turn on a light. If we enter a room we haven’t been in before, we search for the light switch using the limited light illuminating from outside the room. In either case, when the room has light, we can now move around and conduct our business.

            There are many dark rooms we enter in life. Some are daily decisions to be made and others major decisions made only occasionally in our lifetime. All have the uncertainty in the shadow of what’s ahead. If only there was no shadow at all with enough light to enter, we would be confident we’re making the right move.

            The Psalmist wrote, ‘The entrance (or unfolding) of Your words gives light.’ The Bible contains everything we need to know in making those decisions of uncertainty. We need light to shine through the shadows of both the daily decisions and the life changing ones. Seeing that we make decisions daily, it stands to reason, the light always needs to be on. Daily reading of Scripture is a must for every Christian if we are to be in His will and make the right decisions.

            Our Lord will not abandon us to make our own decisions without His guidance and for that we should be thankful. He has given us His Word in clarity so that all could obey it. The Psalmist also wrote, ‘It gives understanding to the simple,’ and that means all of us. God’s Word is the light which illuminates our ability to understand His message to us, most importantly for salvation, but also for those decisions to be made in the shadows of a dark room.