Author: Loring Schultz

Christian Devotional Writer
A Christian Perspective

Responsibilities of a President in the Eyes of God

Loring Schultz

“For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” Romans 13:1 NLT

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The God of the Bible clearly states that all authority placed on individuals on this earth comes from Him. That includes Presidents. The American people may feel their vote put their candidate in office, but it is ultimately God’s choice who will be the next President of the United States. The apostle Paul writes, “Those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” (Ro.13:1b nlt) Being placed there by a holy God comes with the responsibility to administer their duties in a godly manner and what God directs through His Word, the Bible. This has nothing to do with any organized religion, but has everything to do with God, and God alone, and His Word being obeyed in every walk of life, and that includes governing a nation.

The commands of God throughout Scripture are not for only those in the day they were written. The Bible was written by 40 different authors through the Holy Spirit over 1,500 years. Obviously, it was not only for their time, but is God’s instruction book going forward for future generations to know Him, and His way of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. It is also the manual on how to govern and to live in a fallen world. Those in authority need to heed what God says in His book. Government leaders must learn from the mistakes of the kings in the Old Testament with their paganism and anti-God lifestyle. The Roman Empire in the New Testament brought about great achievements to provide infrastructure that was needed and improved society, but they also were a corrupt and pagan government and eventually the Roman Empire fell.

The United States government is no different than any other country in the world. All leaders are in authority by God to rule, punish evil doers, maintain peace, and provide security and protection for those under their governance. They are under His authority to govern righteously in accordance with His Words laid out in Scripture. The next President of the United States may think their sole responsibility is to uphold the constitution, or save democracy, but it is to submit to the Lord God of heaven who gave them their authority to use righteously and governed accordingly.

Devotionals

Underestimating the Power of God

Loring Schultz

“You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved.” Psalm 104:5 NLT

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Have you ever wondered how the earth hangs in vast the spaces of the universe? Or what holds it in place and if it should drop, where and how far down would it go? Is there a bottom it would reach, and what would it be. All the other trillions of stars hang in space as well. They do not drop out of sight, and again if they did, how far down would they go until they reach bottom if there is a bottom? It is in times like these when my mind tries to understand what is impossible for me to grasp that I realize how much I underestimate the power of God.

Instead of trying to understand this with my limited knowledge I need to take it by faith in what God Himself says in His Word through the authors He inspired. Psalm 104 is a hymn of praise to God who created the heavens and the earth, a parallel to the Genesis account of creation. The psalmist writes, “You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved.” (Ps.104:5 nlt) It is not going to move or drop out of space because God set it on its foundation. Of all the images available of the earth hanging in space, I’ve never seen one with it resting on a foundation as the world globe I have in my office. God Himself is the foundation. He holds the entire universe in the palm of His hand.

Underestimating the power of God is a foolish thing to do. One look at creation, God speaking our world and the entire universe into existence, should put to rest any doubt this same God can solve any of our problems and help us in our time of need. Do you find yourself underestimating His power and more importantly His love for you? The Lord’s love for you is as great as His power, and He will use His power to help you. It is the same power that placed the earth where it sits on its foundation never to be moved.

Read: Psalm 104 NLT – Psalm 104 – Let all that I am praise – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

A Call to Holy Living

Loring Schultz

“But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.  For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16 NLT

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God calls every Christian to holy living. In fact, He says ‘you must be holy.’ Don’t allow God’s statement to alarm you. He is not calling you to be perfect as He is without a trace of sin. We all know that is not possible, and if anyone knows that is not possible it is God. So, what does God mean when He gives us this command, we must be holy. He is calling us to holy living and not to a perfect sinless life without any flaws or defects. And is this possible, yes!

The Lord is calling us away from our old way of living before we were saved. Dr. John MacArthur notes, “Holiness essentially defines the Christian’s new nature and conduct with his pre-salvation lifestyle.” We are called to live separately from the sinful ways of the world as the new Christ-like nature takes over. Being holy, in essence, is being separated from the world and not living in accordance with the world systems. Christians are to be set apart from sin and impurity and set apart to God.

Habakkuk 1:13 says, “But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil.” (nlt) The hearts and minds of every Christian should continually reflect on the purity of God. Our goal is to live in purity and recognize God cannot stand the sight of evil. When we fail, which will be often, the Lord offers forgiveness when we confess and He gives us grace to see us through as we continue on with our call to holy living.

Read: 1 Peter 1:13-16 NLT – A Call to Holy Living – So prepare your – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Whole Heart and a Willing Mind

Loring Schultz

“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9 NLT

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It is not always easy to get motivated. There are times when you just don’t feel like doing anything. It could be caused by emotions or in my case the body won’t let me respond as it should, I think they call it ‘not being as young as I used to be.’ But once I get going, I’m good.

Not being motivated to worship and serve God has nothing to do with how old or young you are. It does happen, and there are many reasons for lack of motivation for God. There are many things that get in the way and distract us daily. We find ourselves picking and choosing what we have time for with what we enjoy most and pursuing those interests. After all, there are only twenty-four hours in a day. And some would say, life gets in the way. Yes, it is complicated, especially for young people with children. Life is hard enough, but trying to live life without a commitment to God is not going to work. You will find life even more frustrating, and you will begin to run around in circles losing motivation even in those things important to you.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was instructed by his father King David to get to know God intimately. David told his son to worship and serve God with a whole heart and a willing mind. This is one hundred percent commitment. With every ounce of Solomon’s being he was to worship and serve his God. David let Solomon know that God saw his heart and would know every plan and thought he had. God knows each of our hearts and every thought in our minds. He knows us intimately and He wants us to know Him intimately and to worship and serve Him with our whole hearts and with a willing mind. So, let’s get motivated.

Devotionals

Confession is Good for the Soul

Loring Schultz

“Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Psalm 32:5 NLT

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They say, ‘confession is good for the soul.’  I can testify to that myself for it is true. Whether it’s confession towards God or to a friend, co-worker, neighbor, my wife, or anyone else I may have offended or done them wrong, it is a good thing to do. It may not remove the consequences, and the hurt may take a while to dissipate but you have not only cleared the air but have lifted a burden of guilt before the Lord God.

David in one of the seven penitential psalms, Psalm 32, said the following, “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt.” (Ps.32:5a nlt) The other six penitential psalms are Ps.6, 38, 51,102, 130, 143. David describes his body as wasting away as he refused to confess his sin. His body was drained, and his strength was gone as absorbed by the summer heat. He felt God’s heavy hand upon him. Keeping his sin to himself, which really wasn’t to himself for God knew, just continued to eat him up inside. David needed some good for his soul.

When David confessed his sin to the Lord, the burden was lifted. God had forgiven him and took away his guilt. David said, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!” (Ps.32:1 nlt) David’s soul was restored, his body rejuvenated with God’s living water of forgiveness, he has a clean slate, and is surrounded by God’s protection. If you are in a refusal to confess state of mind, take heed to David’s testimony. It will continue to sap you of your energy until you make things right with the Lord and confess your sin to Him and whoever else needs to hear your confession. You will be forgiven, and your guilt will disappear and that will be good for your soul.

Read: Psalm 32 NLT – Psalm 32 – A psalm of David. Oh, what – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Judges we are not, but rescuers we are

Loring Schultz

“And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.” Jude 1:22-23 NLT

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The small New Testament book of Jude containing only one chapter is a must read for every Christian as is all the Bible, but Jude in particular. Jude, our Lord Jesus’ brother, is warning us of false teachers who claim being saved by grace give us license for immorality. The thought is our sins will not be held against us, which is true, and we won’t lose our salvation which is also true, but sin is sin and evil in God’s sight. What Jude had written to the early Christians he could have written specifically to us today. “I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives.” (Jude1:4a nlt)

Many Christian churches today are succumbing to pressure compromising the truth with voices that contradict Scripture. Some Christians are easily swayed especially if it is presented in a way that applies to our current day and culture. Accepting these new norms will confuse a new Christian and will prove disastrous for the church. False teachers seem so eloquent, reasonable, loving, knowledgeable, persuasive, and most of all seem to be telling the truth. Jude writes, “In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings.” (Jude1:8 nlt) We must be aware of the progressing influence of those who want to deny Biblical truth.

There will be those among us in our church family who will fall into this trap and begin to live out and support those involved in the social norms of society that contradict Scripture. Jude encourages a gentile approach to those who are confused. “And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.” (Jude1:22 nlt) We are not to jump all over our Christian brothers and sisters but take an approach that rescues them from judgment. The consequences of sin including God’s judgement on what He hates should be presented in a gentle manner. Most importantly, the rescuer must be in a right relationship with God and living righteously with sin confessed. We all sin daily whether we think we do or not.

Paul, the apostle also gives us advice on rescuing others from coming judgment, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.” (Gal.6:1 nlt) Let us be on the alert. There is enough of temptation to sin in the world without having false teachers who ignore or put their spin on God’s Words deceiving even the very elect of God.

Bible Studies

“Blinded by Hate” God’s Providential Hand: The book of Esther    

Loring Schultz

“Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” Esther 5:13 NLT

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Hatred is a powerful force and if not dealt with will eventually destroy you as we will begin to see in chapter 5 of Esther. In chapter 4 Queen Esther learns of the official decree to destroy all the Jews. After being persuaded by her cousin Mordecai she agrees to approach the king uninvited to inform him of the innocence of the Jews and Haman’s hatred of them which precipitated the decree he agreed to. King Ahasuerus indifference to the people under his rule in the Persian Empire made it easy for Haman to sell his plan to him. The king obviously failed to notice Haman’s cunningness or any alternative motives on Haman’s part but rushed through without checking the facts. Leaders today have the same blind spots as they sign legislation and executive orders on the advice of those who are only there to serve themselves. And you can be sure there is also some hatred involved.

After three days of fasting and praying, Esther prepares to visit the king by putting on her Royal robes. She made her way into the king’s inner court and stood there waiting. The king noticed her and granted her favor by holding out the golden scepter. Esther may have found favor with King Ahasuerus, but she first found favor with God for her fasting and prayer. “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.” (Pr.21:1 nlt) The Lord directed the king to do what He wanted for Esther, hold out the golden scepter. Christians sometimes hesitate to call on the Lord in prayer for leaders in government not recognizing every leader’s heart is a stream of water God directs. Esther was a recipient of God’s guiding the king’s heart. The Lord did it then, He can do it again.

The king knew his queen enough to understand something was troubling her to approach him unannounced. “Then the king asked her, ‘What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!’” (Es.5:3 nlt) ‘Half the kingdom’ is hyperbole to make the point that the king took it seriously. It is interesting Esther would request a dinner invitation for him and Haman to be accepted. It is more interesting Esther did not confront Haman or tell the king of Haman’s real plan but invited them both to another dinner the next day. This could be answered by attributing this to the God’s providential hand. Haman became more full of himself by Queen Esther’s recognition of him and his high rank in the King Ahasuerus’ court. As Haman exited the palace gates there was Mordecai who again refused to bow to him. “Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious.” (Es.5:9 nlt)

Haman returned home and gathered his friends and Zeresh his wife to boast of his great day. He proceeded to brag about all his accomplishments, his wealth, his ten sons, and that Queen Esther herself invited only him to dinner with her and the king. For one who had it all, he was not very happy with his life. In fact, he was miserable. His hatred blinded him to all that he had, nothing satisfied him if Mordecai, the, Jew was alive. In Haman’s own words, “Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” (Es.5:13 nlt) Haman exemplifies true hatred. Nothing else was important to him than to do away with his so-called enemy. The evil of hatred is alive and well in our day. We have many Haman look-a-likes from personal resentment, political opponents, religious extremists, to prejudice and racism, and the hatred of Christians worldwide fueling the attempted destructions of innocent people.

Haman didn’t need a lot of encouragement when his wife and friends came up with the solution to his problem. “Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ‘Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.’ This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.” (Es.5:14 nlt) Satan has made his move by enticing Haman through his wife and friends to build a gallows fifty cubits (75 ft) high. The gallows would have been as high as the city wall for all the people Susa to see Mordecai hanging in death. The king would also have a good view from the palace which pleased Haman as he was sure the king would give the order to execute Mordecai for his failure to honor the king’s top official. Haman’s problem seems to be rectified for the moment, by God is about to make the next move in this chess match. To be continued…………

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Read: Esther 5 ESV – Esther Prepares a Banquet – On the – Bible Gateway

A Christian Perspective

Deception: an illusion, fraud, and outright lying

Loring Schultz

“But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to deception to save themselves.” Joshua 9:3-4a NLT

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Desperate people will resort to deception when they are in fear or in danger of not getting what they want. The 2024 United States Presidential election have desperate people from both major parties. They will do and say anything that will prevent them from going down in defeat, or more accurately, that their opponent takes a seat in the oval office. Presidential campaigns have not been noted for their honesty and integrity for decades, but as the stakes become more pressing and larger, we can be sure of a bumpy ride until election day and all the votes are counted whenever that will be.

Deception is as old as our first parents, Adam and Eve. Satan, who had tempted them with deception, is at the root of every lie in any political campaign today. Jesus had this to say about Satan, “He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Jn.8:44b nlt) And the apostle Paul tells us Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (2Cor.11:14) That’s the worst kind of deception, appearing to do and say all the right things as a person of integrity only to pull the mask off after election day. American voters have their homework to do in analyzing every statement made and how it compares with previous statements and more importantly previous actions taken by the candidate. Are they feeding us an illusion, being fraudulent, or outright lying, or all three?

Christians have a sure-fire way of determining the sincerity and integrity of a candidate. First, examining how do their statements and policy proposals line up with scripture? Second, we should be in prayer for wisdom to discern if the candidate can be trusted if they are telling the truth. The greatest example of not seeking the Lord in prayer is found in the Old Testament book of Joshua. The result of not asking the Lord for guidance caused Israel to fall for the deception from the Gibeonites, who were desperate and fearing for their lives. The United States is in desperate times. The future governing of every citizen is at stake. Both candidates and their campaigns are desperate. May we be praying for wisdom to discern the truth and not fall for the deception of Satan’s lies.

Read: Joshua 9 NLT – The Gibeonites Deceive Israel – Now all – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Anticipating Eternal Life       

Loring Schultz

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.” 1 Peter 1:6 NLT

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The anticipation of future joy has a way of helping us get through some hard times. A planned vacation will make our long workdays seem shorter. Looking forward to the holidays eases the pain of missing loved ones across the miles during the year. Anticipating your college graduation gives you confidence you will be on your way to your dream career. There is nothing wrong with looking ahead with joy with any of those things, but in this life, nothing is guaranteed and the tendency to change or not happen at all is always present. But not so for the Christian anticipating eternal life.

The apostle Peter tells us, “Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.” (1Pt.1:3b-4 nlt) The priceless inheritance we have is our salvation and eternal life with Christ. It was reserved there for us, and nothing can take it away, it is guaranteed. We, as Christians, are heirs with God and co-heirs with Christ. Paul writes in the book of Romans, “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” (8:16-17 nlt)

There are many trials all people go through living a sinful fallen world, but even more for those who name the name of Jesus and proclaim His way of salvation. (Jn.14:6) Living a Christ-like life with a Biblical Worldview will result in criticism, harassment, and possible legal troubles. But Peter says there is joy ahead. “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.” (1Pt.1:6 nlt) Our world is rapidly decaying by the actions of the prince of this world, Satan himself, and Christians are not exempt from its effects, but we have a future joy as we anticipate a sure thing, eternal life.

Read: 1 Peter 1:3-9 NLT – The Hope of Eternal Life – All praise – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Satisfying Hunger for Knowledge with Scripture

Loring Schultz

“A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.” Proverbs 15:14 NLT

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Solomon wrote, ‘a wise person is hungry for knowledge.’ A desire to learn all you can is wise and beneficial in life. Educational institutions from pre-school through college must continually provide opportunities for those with an inquiring mind to advance and grab as much knowledge as possible. But they do not always succeed, and we have been seeing the results of their failure throughout society. When hunger for knowledge is not met or redirected by school administrators a failed education system is guaranteed.  Soloman also wrote, the opposite of the wise person who is hungry for knowledge is the fool who feeds on trash. Unfortunately, there is a lot of trash being passed off as education through schools and so-called educating the public venues through biased journalism and news broadcasts, and the ever-expanding social media.  

If anyone should be interested in increasing knowledge and having a complete understanding of the world it is every Christian. Christians should have the desire to increase learning and keep up with current events. The problem is where do we go to get current, trustworthy news and information. Which institutes of higher learning would provide the best non-biased education. These decisions will not come easily, but the place to start is with the Bible, the Word of God.

Our hunger for knowledge begins with our hunger for God. Psalm 42:1-2 says, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?” (nlt) We can be sure what we learn from God is true knowledge and it is His holy agenda. The Bible is trustworthy, the very words of God Himself. Immersing ourselves in scripture daily will give us insight as we seek sources for our continued education. Looking for a reliable platform to research and learn more about the current events in our world will come through observing through God’s eyes. You’ll start to analyze and know the difference between true and false information. Satisfy your hunger for knowledge with the Lord through His Word. He will teach you through His Word and will guide you to make the right decisions in increasing your knowledge.