Category: Devotionals

Devotionals

Our Time is Now           

Loring Schultz

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 NLT

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Have you ever imagined yourself living in another time and place? Perhaps you fantasized of living during the Renaissance Era in Europe, the Colonial Days of the 17th and 18th centuries or the so-called Fabulous 50’s in America. Whatever your dreams or fantasies, rest assured that you are where you are today by Divine design. It is not by chance. God has placed each of us in the space of time and location by His choosing.

The story of “Esther” in the Old Testament is an excellent example of God’s Divine providence. Esther was in a position, by highly usual circumstances, I might add, to keep her people, the Jews, from annihilation. (Esther 3:12-13) She was in the right place at the right time because the Lord had placed her there. We also are in the right place and time by God’s Divine Providence.

We may not be in such a dilemma as Esther, but it is a matter of eternal life and death. God places each of us to carry out His purposes by being obedient and faithful where he has placed us. You may ask yourself, “Why I am here, at this place, during this time?” You are here to carry out God’s purposes in telling others the Good News of His Son, Jesus Christ right where he has placed you. It is a matter of life and death and our time is now.  

“I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.” (1Cor.2:3-5 nlt)

Devotionals

Lent 2026: Keep Watch and Pray

Loring Schultz

Read: Mark 14:32-42 NLT – Jesus Prays in Gethsemane – They went – Bible Gateway

“Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?  Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Mark 14:37-38 NLT

 Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Today is day thirty of Lent if you are keeping track. Perhaps if you did not know it is day thirty it is because you have lost all track of time due to your rich experience with the Lord during this season. Or the opposite is true in that you have slowly drifted away from your Lenten commitment to grow closer to the Lord. There may be several reasons for this, and I am sure some legitimate ones.

For those who had good intentions but have a tough time fulfilling them, you are not alone. Jesus told Peter, James, and John they had a willing spirit, but their bodies were weak. Jesus had asked them to watch with Him for one hour, not 40 days, and they could not do it. Yes, it was night and they were exhausted, but the Lord wanted their attention and their company during his agony in the garden. They had a challenging time doing it.

Jesus gave them two more chances to watch and pray and they failed again. The disciples were human just as we are. Our Lord knew that and He is aware we are human and we fail. The Lord wants to have an on-going growing relationship with each of His children. A suitable time to get back into rhythm is during Lent. Again, our commitments during Lent are to draw us into a deeper relationship with God. We do not do it for merit. Our rewards are the sweetness of the savior as we grow in Him.

There are 10 days left in this Lenten season. If you have not started anything yet, start now! If you are behind by slowing down or have quit altogether, there are 10 days left. Let us make the most of them. Jesus is telling us, “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Mk.14:38 nlt)

Devotionals

Level Ground      

Loring Schultz

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” Psalm 143:10 ESV

Photo by Pierre Van Crombrugghe on Unsplash

There is a chorus of an old hymn that goes like this, “Lord, lift me up and let me stand By faith on heaven’s table land; A higher plane than I have found-Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” The hymn writer’s desire is heaven, the higher ground. I’m sure that’s a song many Christians relate to in our struggling days. That got me to thinking. Actually King David got me to thinking when he wrote in the Psalm 143, “Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” (143:10 esv)

We know heaven is a glorious place, free from the cares and sorrows of this world, yes, a much higher and desired place. Those of us who know the Lord are sure to be there and are looking forward to it, but in the meantime we are away from our heavenly home here in a rocky and dry land. There are many hills and valleys we go through every day of our lives. There is no level playing field in this world, but we have a God who is able to level the ground for us.

His Holy Spirit is there to guide us. May we not neglect His presence in our lives. He is able to lift us up from the deepest valley and guide us down a slippery slope of anxiety and fear. When we are trusting in God and asking Him to teach us to do His will, we can be sure He will lead us on level ground. So, as we look forward to that ‘higher ground’ let us rejoice we can walk today on ‘level ground.’

(1) Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Devotionals

Faithfully Preach the Truth

Loring Schultz

Read: 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 NLT – Paul’s Hardships – We live in such a – Bible Gateway

“We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us.” 2 Corinthians 6:7 NLT

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Have you ever traveled outside your own country either on business or a vacation? When your guide left you for a little free time on your own, how comfortable did you feel? Did you fit in as if you were one of the locals? Probably not. If we as Christians can not say that about living in this world, then something is drastically wrong. Peter addressed the Christians of his day in writing to them as ‘foreigners and exiles.’ (1Pt.2:11) They were living in a foreign land where they did not fit in. Christians today are still living in a foreign land. We may feel at home, but again that is a problem. The Lord has placed us in the country of our origin in this life, but this is not our home, heaven is. And when he has placed us here, He has given us a job to do, ‘faithfully preach the truth.’ So, it is time to get uncomfortable.

Paul, the apostle and a contemporary of Peter, is the greatest example of living as an exile outside of Jesus Himself. Paul found himself exiled from his own people after his conversion to Christ. He was a Jewish scholar studying under Gamaliel and became the strictest of Pharisees. His mission in life was to persecute the Christians, including death. When Paul started preaching Christ as Lord, he became an enemy of the Jewish leaders who were his peers. Paul’s life changed dramatically from being one the Jewish elites to going hungry, imprisoned, and being beaten. Paul had become uncomfortable in more ways than one with the world, physically and also with the pleasures the world had to offer. Paul’s mission now was to ‘faithfully preach the truth.’

Paul encourages us as he encouraged the church in Corinth to live as examples of Christ in a fallen world as he was doing. We are to live in purity, being patience and kind, and show sincere love. (2Cor.6:6) Paul knew the Christians in Corinth would begin to feel as exiles in their own country when they started to feel uncomfortable with the world. He knew that would be hard for them, but also knew there is joy in serving the Lord. (2Cor.6:10) The same holds true for us. Yes, we want people to like us, but this is not our home. We should live as exiles preaching the truth of salvation, bringing as many people as we can to our home country, the heavenly kingdom.

Devotionals

Heart of Gold

Loring Schultz

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT

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“She’s all heart.” “He has a warm and caring heart.” “Their love comes from the heart.” “They have sensitive hearts to the situation.” All these statements reflect an outward appearance of people’s demeanor towards others. And I am sure that most of what we see is real concern in treating others with kindness. We should all strive to have like comments be made of us, but a examination of our hearts is necessary to insure that the label put on us is genuine. After all, what does it mean to have a warm and caring heart, a heart of gold?

Legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young wrote about his search for a heart of gold. Trying to determine his true meaning in writing ‘Heart of Gold’ proves difficult as with any gifted artist. It has been suggested the songwriter’s quest was to better himself, to be a good caring person showing love, kindness, and openness in order to be able to properly love the girl of his dreams. Therefore he was searching for that heart of gold to match his girlfriend’s heart of gold. According to the artist himself, he states it was to ‘capture a moment of happiness.’ He was correct. Searching for that heart of gold is but for a moment when dealing with a human heart not indwelled by the Holy Spirit.

The universal problem is that all human beings possess the sin nature from birth, and that includes our hearts. Jesus confirms this truth to His disciples in explaining a parable. “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth……. the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.” (Mt.15:11, 18nlt) The religious leaders in Jesus’s day were more concerned with traditional outward appearances which made them look like they had a heart of gold towards God. But Jesus said their actions were hypocritical. They put on a show of ceremonial washing their hands to not defile their bodies from the food they ate, but Jesus tells them it is the thoughts they have in their hearts and what they speak from those thoughts that defiles them.

Christian friend, we need to guard our hearts. To have a warm and caring heart we need to stand guard against the influences of the world, our own self –centeredness, pride, and evil those thoughts. Those of us who know the Lord have changed hearts through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Let us be careful to walk by the Spirit so we do not carry out the sinful desires of the flesh, but present to God a ‘heart of gold.’  

Devotionals

Honor Your Boss

Loring Schultz

“Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved.” 1 Timothy 6:1-2 NKJV

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There’s a four-letter word that a lot of people don’t like to hear, ‘work.’ Another four-letter word that goes along with ‘work’ is also disliked by some people, ‘boss.’ I get both those sentiments. Been there, done that! But, once we have the right perspective that work is a gift from God work will not seem like such a drudgery. No, it’s not always easy, that’s why it’s called work! Nevertheless, we are to do our work to the best of our ability bringing glory to God. This also includes honoring those we work for, the boss.

You may be about to say, ‘you don’t know who I work for, they are impossible to please.’ Again, been there, done that! We may have worked for the same people. There are a couple of those characters in every industry and field of work. But God requires Christians to honor those we work for, yes, even that hard to please boss. Being disrespectful whether outright or in the performance of our work blasphemes God’s name. God created work and gifted it to us. One way we could show our gratitude to God is to honor our bosses. The Lord has also placed them over us for us to bless them by our work and show them the love of Christ in our lives.

Those of us who have a boss who is a fellow believer have an added responsibility, to not take advantage of them because they are a Christian. We may think they will show favoritism and let us get away with a lackluster work effort. No, Christians should strive all the more to do well bringing glory to God benefiting the employer and the employee before a watching workforce. The Lord commands us to honor our bosses realizing all of us work for ‘The Real Boss’, Jesus Christ.

Devotionals

He who has the keys

Loring Schultz

Read: Revelation 1:9-18 ESV – Vision of the Son of Man – I, John, – Bible Gateway

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Revelation 1:17-18 ESV

 Photo by Nerene Grobler on Unsplash

I would assume most people feel they control their density. That is mostly true. Decisions we make throughout our lives lead us in one direction or another. There are times we do not have control and end up where we do not want to be. It is in these times we need to ask ourselves who has control of our lives and if we haven’t asked already, who has control over our lives after we die. Jesus told John as he was about to write the book of Revelation, “I have the keys of Death and Hades.” (Rev.1:18 esv)  

The book of Revelation is a fascinating book of the end times, Jesus’ return to earth, and the culmination of world history leading up to God’s eternal kingdom. Can you say for sure you will be in that eternal kingdom? Notice again Jesus’ words, ‘I have the keys of Death and Hades.’ What is meant by ‘death and hades?’ Death and Hades are actually synonyms. Death being the condition and Hades the temporary holding place (hell) until that final day of judgment. Jesus has the authority over death and hades; He has the keys.

If Jesus has the keys and the authority over Hades (hell), then He also has the keys into the eternal kingdom. Jesus told Nicodemus that He was the key and that Nicodemus needed to be born again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Jn.3:3 esv) How does one become born again and guaranteed entrance into the eternal kingdom of God? Paul writes in the book of Romans, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Ro.10:9 esv)

Jesus gives us all a warning in John 3:18, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (esv) All of us are born in sin and alienated from God and Jesus Christ His Son. But He who holds the keys to death and hades also hold the keys to eternal life through His death and resurrection by belief in His name.  

Devotionals

Nothing More to Say      

Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 119:89-96 NASB – Lamedh Forever, LORD, Your word stands – Bible Gateway

“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.” Psalm 119:89 NASB

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There comes a time in everyone’s life when defending our position on a matter is useless, for there is nothing more to say. We’ve exhausted all reasoning for our actions to no avail because we have been proven wrong. Matters of opinion are less crucial unless those opinions turn into action with dire consequences. When we engage in activities contrary to God’s Word but acceptable to the world and to our culture, it’s bound to not end well. As the fruit of our decisions ripens and becomes known, we try to explain it away, defending our actions as in vogue with the world. You may be in sync with your friends and colleagues, but you are not in alignment with God in your reasoning.

The point is simple, God’s Word stands. It cannot be overruled. It can’t be reasoned with to persuade change. It is settled. There is nothing more to say. The psalmist writes, “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.” (Ps.119:89 nasb) It’s done, completed, and forever. God’s Word doesn’t change with culture. Culture changes towards the Bible when people take God seriously and study His Word with an open mind to spiritual truth.

Instead of exerting your energy trying to justify what is not in Scripture, why not apply that energy in a study of God’s Word. Invest your time and energy discovering the truth. You’re not going to find approval for what the world approves in the Bible unless you pick and choose certain passages and apply them in error to suit your purpose. Disregarding sections of Scripture as not relevant to today’s culture doesn’t change the fact that God’s Word is settled truth. You can redact them with a sharpie but under the black mark the truth is still there. Let’s reason together, when God’s Word is settled there’s nothing more to say!

Devotionals

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Loring Schultz

“A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” Matthew 13:57 NLT

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A common trait in most people is the ability to find fault in someone. It becomes a lot easier the longer we know someone, just ask any marriage counselor or a Pastor. It is hard at times to view someone in a different light from what we have been exposed to over time. It could be said that our perception of someone is based only by what we see. We think we know them well enough to know everything about them only to find out we do not. We let our observations blind us to see the real person, who they really are, what is important to them, and what their skills and desires are. There are many who are misunderstood and even rejected due to the fact that others know them only by their familiarity. Their actions today do not match the visual profile of them compiled over the years.

The Lord Jesus faced such rejection from those in His hometown of Nazareth. Jesus grew up in Nazareth spending most of His life there until the start of His ministry. No doubt He had many friends and acquaintances during those years. Jesus trained in His earthy father’s craft as a skilled carpenter and was known for His work. Living and working alongside those in His community He got to know them well and they grew to know Him, or so they thought. When Jesus return to Nazareth during His ministry, those who knew Him as the carpenter welcomed Him as Jesus the carpenter, Joseph’s son.

The gospel writer Matthew records Jesus’s return to His hometown in Matthew chapter 13. The city folk were amazed and could not believe this was the same Jesus they knew, for He was teaching in the synagogue to their unbelief.  “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?’ Then they scoffed, ‘He’s just the carpenter’s son…… Where did he learn all these things?’ And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.” (Mt. 13:54, 55, 57 nlt) They did not take notice of any characteristics of Jesus beside His carpentry work in the previous years. Jesus modeled a perfect life as the Son of God, but apparently they missed it. Those around Him during His life should have noticed something different about His demeanor. They should not have been surprised by His knowledge and teaching. Sadly they were, and they rejected Him.

Have you been rejected by childhood friends, family, and associates who have known for years for taking a stand for Christ? The sentiment is ‘you can’t be the person I knew in high school,’ but you are by the grace of God. If God has called you to serve Him you will face opposition, especially from those who know you. But take heart, Jesus who lived a perfect life was rejected by those who knew Him well, familiarity breeds contempt.