Loring Schultz

The Great Commandment

June 17, 2024June 13, 2024 Loring Schultz

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6: 4-5 ESV

“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18 ESV

Throughout Holy Scripture there are many commandments put before us to be obeyed and followed. Contrary to the belief of some, there are more than ten. They are spread out in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. God, in His Word, has given us detailed instructions on how we should live. He has also given us detailed information about His Son, Jesus, in the both the Old and New Testaments, detailed enough that there should be no question as to who Jesus is. He is the Savoir of each one who puts their trust in Him for Salvation.

Of all the commandments in the Bible, there is only one that is the greatest, The Great Commandment. Jesus, when asked by a clever lawyer of the Pharisees which is the greatest commandment in the Law, quoted from the Old Testament, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” (Mt.22:37-38 esv) Notice it was not only the “Great” but the “First” commandment. Jesus didn’t stop there but went on to quote more scripture, this time from the Old Testament book of Leviticus. “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt.22:39 esv) Jesus wraps up His answer by saying, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Mt.22:40 esv)

The question we all need to honestly ask ourselves is this; do I love the Lord God with all my heart and soul? Being totally honest may hurt as we discover the word “all” means “all.” There should be nothing in our lives that would turn the “all” in our love for God into “most of time, or less.” As we struggle with that question towards God, we will also find ourselves struggling with that question towards our neighbor.

The greatest commandment God has given us is to love Him with all our being and left to ourselves that is impossible to accomplish. But those of us who accepted Christ as Savior have the presence of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for His help in loving the Lord God with all our heart and with all our soul and our neighbor as ourselves, for this is the great commandment.

Bible Studies

I AM THE DOOR Jesus’ seven “I AM” statements – 3

June 16, 2024June 13, 2024 Loring Schultz

“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep………. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:7, 9 ESV

We call our dwelling places home, whether an apartment, a dorm room, a house, or a recently purchased condo all of them have a main door for entrance. Upon going through the door and entering we find peace, security, and safety in the dwelling of our own home.

In Jesus’ day shepherds would lay across the entrance (or gate) of the sheep pen during the night to guard the sheep, protecting them from danger and unwanted visitors. Within the confines of the sheep pen, their home, the sheep had safety and security. The door was being guarded.

In Jesus’ third ‘I am’ statement of His salvation message Jesus says, ‘I am the door.’ He is the entrance or the gate we must go through to be assured of eternal life in heaven. Entrance to an eternal home in Heaven is only through Jesus Christ and no one else or any effort on our part. In 2024 many people may find this statement intolerant. But these are Jesus’ words, and He says to all of us, ‘If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’ and only there.

Looking forward to arriving at our earthly homes and entering through the door, we find the comforts, peace and security we have anticipated. And we can be assured of another home we will have for a much longer time than our short stay here on earth, that time is eternity, which does not end. May we look with greater anticipation to arrive at that home. Perhaps you do not have the assurance you will have a home of peace, comfort and security after this life? Romans 10:13 says, “For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.’” (nlt) There is no other way to eternal life in heaven with God the Father except going through Jesus Christ, the door.

Read: John 10:7-10 esv – So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, – Bible Gateway

A Christian Perspective

Male and Female: God’s Perfect Design

June 15, 2024June 12, 2024 Loring Schultz

“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.'” Genesis 1:27-28a NLT

God’s Word to us begins with His acts of creation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” (Gen.1:1,31a nlt) God made everything good and we could say even perfect. That includes Adam and Eve, our first parents. They were perfect in every way before they fell into sin when tempted by Satan. Although they now had a sin nature which is passed down to us, what remained perfect in them and us is God’s perfect design of creating them male and female.

Through God’s perfect design the world has been populated for thousands of years. God told them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth.’ and they have. Populating the earth only happens when males and females get together having children. A very undeniable fact is that our very existence as a human race depends on heterosexuality. We would cease to exist if this were not the case. God’s perfect design for life itself.

The saying ‘opposites attract’ is seen in the wisdom of God. What is more opposite and different than a male and a female. Many married couples are direct opposites of one another. My wife would testify to that, but we complement each other. We are help mates for each other, although I think men need more help, for God has said concerning Adam “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” (Gen.2:18 nlt) God’s perfect design for marriage, male and female.

Our world today is in chaos and becoming more depraved everyday due to sin. When God was finished with His entire creation, He said it was very good! Sin entered the picture and has distorted our view of God’s original design ever since. Don’t get caught up and fooled with the thinking of the world today but remember God’s original intent especially ‘male and female he created them.’ God’s perfect design!

Devotionals

Victory by Submission

June 14, 2024June 12, 2024 Loring Schultz

“My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Matthew 26:39b NLT

To submit is to show a sign of weakness. It usually ends in defeat when yielding your control to others, at least that is how the world sees it. The world is not entirely wrong in their assessment. Submitting yourself to the control of someone else guarantees your willingness to accept all that is involved in your submission including the outcome. People submit themselves to various causes and the control of others for all sorts of reasons, most of them voluntarily, unfortunately in our current day many are forced into submission through abusive circumstances. But there is always victory by submission if done in God’s will and according to His Word.

When the Bible speaks of submission it is mostly in the context of being in the will of the Lord, such as in working and serving, “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.” (1Pt.2:18 nkjv) Also in relation to governing authorities, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,” (1Pt.2:13 niv) And being submissive to our spiritual leaders, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls.” (Heb.13:17 esv) And most of all to submit to God, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (Jas.4:7 esv)

All the above are examples for us as Christians to follow in being submissive to the will of God. Our Lord Jesus gives us the greatest example of submission, by submitting to the will of His Father which resulted in total victory over death for Him and all of us who accept Him for salvation. In the garden of Gethsemane just hours before His crucifixion Jesus submitted to His Fathers will by saying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Mt.26:39b nlt)

Jesus submitted to God’s plan for salvation for us even though it meant His suffering. With His submission victory was assured. Many of us have a cup of suffering that is place before us, and we like Jesus ask that it might be taken away from us. But how many of us like Jesus are willing to say, ‘Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’ Submitting to God’s plan is the only way to ultimate victory.

Read: Matthew 26:36-46 NLT – Jesus Prays in Gethsemane – Then Jesus – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

You are at Home with the Lord

June 13, 2024June 11, 2024 Loring Schultz

“I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you.’” Joshua 1:3 NLT

Whenever a Christian loved one passes away, we say they have gone home to be with the Lord. There are no truer words than those, and when spoken they provide comfort and eventually closure to the grieving family. Our loved ones are forever home in the presence of Jesus after their journey here on earth. But, in reality, they had been at home with the Lord while here on earth as is every believer in Jesus Christ.

The Lord informed Joshua as he was about to enter the Promised Land that wherever he went after he crossed the Jordan River would be land God had given him. “I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you.’” (Jos.1:3 nlt) Joshua would be home. He would be where God had promised he would be, in the land God had given him. As Joshua walked with the Lord by his side in the land, he was home.

Christians today do not need to wait until they pass away to be home with the Lord. This world may not be our home, but our abode on this earth is with Christ. We are at home with Him. Paul tells us, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1Cor.3:16 nlt) And the writer of Hebrews says, “……God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Heb.13:5 niv) If you have accepted Christ as your personal savior, you can be as confident as Joshua walking through the Promised Land that you are at home with the Lord.

Devotionals

Standing Firm

June 12, 2024June 8, 2024 Loring Schultz

“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11 NLT

Throughout our lives we face many battles. For Christians these battles are not ours, they belong to the Lord. (2 Chr.20:15). And what our Lord instructs us to do is to ‘stand firm.’ He wants us to trust Him with what we cannot handle, and that is a lot.

Judah’s King Jehoshaphat faced a coalition of enemies set on dethroning him and taking over the land. He sought the Lord with prayer and fasting, along with all the people of Judah. The Lord responded by saying, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf.” (2 Chr.20:17 esv) Scripture says the Lord set ambushes against the enemies of Judah and they turned and destroyed each other in the confusion.

Christians today are facing a coalition of enemies on a different front. The apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (esv) For these many battles we are to ‘put on the full armor of God’ and ‘stand firm.’

There is always a tendency to fight back, but the Lord instructs us to ‘stand firm.’ Putting on the full armor of God enables us to do so. There is an offensive weapon available to us included in that armor, and that is the ‘Sword of the Spirit’, the Word of God, to be used as we stand firm!

Read: 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 NLT – War with Surrounding Nations – After – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Satisfaction

June 11, 2024June 8, 2024 Loring Schultz

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 NASB

In 1965 the ‘The Rolling Stones’ had their first number one recording in the United States with “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” The suggestive lyrics throughout song serves as a testimonial that there is no satisfaction in the ways of the world. Why then do so many chase after those highly sought moments of pleasure only to come up empty? As hard as it is to admit we all have a sinful nature and our desires if not held in check will result in seeking those moments to find satisfaction. In time we will all realize, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” in worldly desires.

Jesus says in the fourth Beatitude, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Mt.5:6 nasb) Satisfaction, according to Jesus, God the Son, comes to those who have a hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is a characteristic of Jesus’ followers as are the first three Beatitudes; the poor in spirit, those who mourn and the meek. Every Christian should hunger and thirst for righteousness. It should be our desire.

John R. W. Stott lists three aspects of righteousness found in the Bible, they are legal, moral, and social. “Legal righteousness is justification, a right relationship with God; moral righteousness is that righteousness of character and conduct which pleases God; and social righteousness is concerned with seeking man’s liberation from oppression, together with the promotion of civil rights, justice in the law courts, integrity in business, and honour in home and family affairs.” (1)

Sadly, there are many Christians who have not found the true satisfaction that comes from knowing Christ. If you’re not satisfied as a Christian, then something’s amiss. If this relates to you, could it be that you hunger and thirst for things outside the word of God? Get into the Word of God where righteousness is put on display, and you’ll soon discover a desire for it.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” All other desires, “(You) Can’t Get No satisfaction.”

(1) Stott, John R. W. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount. Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1978.

Devotionals

Good Intentions Fall Short

June 10, 2024June 5, 2024 Loring Schultz

“Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ‘But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.’ At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.” Matthew 26:31, 56 NLT

The best of intentions falls short at some point. Some are due to circumstances beyond our control and others caused by our human frailty. We may mean well and be totally committed to a cause, but when the pressure becomes too intense, we back away. To escalate the problem, we are now forced to eat the boastful words of our commitment, assuring that we will always be there until the end.

Jesus’ disciples ate their words after stating they would never deny or abandon Him. On the way to the Mount of Olives with His disciples after sharing the Passover meal Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’” (Mt.26:31 nlt) Peter declared if he was the only one left, he would not abandon Jesus. Jesus then told Peter he would not only desert Him but would deny even knowing Him. They all assured Jesus; they would not abandon Him with Peter giving a resounding response he would die first before denying Jesus.

Scripture accurately predicted the events of that night. Peter denied the Lord and he and all the disciples fled when Jesus was arrested. It’s easy for us to look back two thousand years and criticize how they could do such a thing. They followed Jesus for three years, seen His miracles, knew who He was and still abandoned Him. The disciples like us, had good intentions but they often fell short. Let us be careful in our walk with the Lord, avoid boasting words and criticizing others, may we prayerfully consider our commitments to follow through, and allow the Lord to work in our lives to provide good intentions that will never fall short.

Read: Matthew 26:31-35 NLT – Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial – On – Bible Gateway

Bible Studies

I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD: Jesus’ seven “I AM” statements – 2

June 9, 2024June 5, 2024 Loring Schultz

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 ESV

Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash

Have you ever been kept in the dark about something, totally unaware of certain situations until they came to light? Once they were revealed to you, the darkness that clouded your thinking was removed and you began to see the situation clearly.

Spiritual darkness works much the same way. The world is blinded by Satan and kept in the dark of Jesus’ message of Salvation. The Bible tells us that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Cor.11:14 esv) In this deception, Satan tries to convince us that all is well. He appears in many of the false religions of the world and even influences the false prophets portraying themselves as Christian ministers. The last thing Satan wants is for people to come to know the truth about Jesus, and to know of His Salvation plan. His plan is to keep them in the dark, claiming himself to be light.

Jesus’s second “I am” statement in the gospel of John is “I am the light of the world.” Jesus proclaims those who follow Him will not walk in darkness, confirming there is darkness in the world, spiritual darkness. The apostle John begins his gospel with identifying Jesus as God who made all things and “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn. 1:4-5 esv) Becoming aware that Jesus is the light and accepting Him as Savoir instantly dispels the darkness in your life. The dark cloud in your life will be lifted by Jesus, God the Son, the light of the world. May you allow His light this Sunday to penetrate the darkness of your soul and see the situation clearly, Jesus’ love for you.

A Christian Perspective

Pride Leads to Disgrace

June 8, 2024June 7, 2024 Loring Schultz

“Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2 NLT

‘But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,
‘God opposes the proud but favors the humble.’” James 4:6 NLT

Pride is a word we hear and come across often today, especially at this time of year. It does have several meanings according to Websters New World Dictionary, ‘pride’ is defined as 1. a) an unduly high opinion of oneself b) haughtiness, arrogance. 2. dignity and self-respect. 3. satisfaction in something done, owed, etc. 4. a person or thing in which pride is taken. Christians often struggle with pride. For example, is it wrong to be proud of certain accomplishments you have achieved through hard work? Are you wrong to be proud of a son or daughter who has just graduated from high school or college? And what about the successes of those we know who have reached the highest level of their profession, do we refrain from being proud of them?

The Bible has a lot to say about pride, mostly in a negative sense, but not always. Isaiah writes of legitimate pride during Jesus’ reign on earth, “But in that day, the branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel.” (Is.4:2 nlt) But for the most part, Scripture speaks of pride as part of our sinful fallen nature. The apostle John says, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” (1Jn.2:16 nlt) When our accomplishments and achievements are viewed without God in mind as we boast in who we are and what we have done, it is the sin of pride. All sin has its roots in pride. Satan’s fall from grace as Lucifer, son of the morning, was due to his pride. (Is.14:12-15)

So, what are you proud of? Was the Lord’s hand in it? Did you do it for His glory and would He approve of it? Are you proud of someone else’s achievements for the same reasons? Is God glorified by the accomplishments of that individual you are proud of? Having pride in something or somebody must always be filtered through the God of the Bible and His words to us. Let us be obedient to His Word and live humbly before Him realizing ‘pride leads to disgrace.’