Category: Devotionals

Devotionals

Responsibility in the family

Loring Schultz

“What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.” Matthew 18:7 NLT

Photo by Claudia Raya on Unsplash

The Christian church is a family, a local family within the universal church family. Jesus Christ is the head of the church, His church, and we who belong to Him by faith are not only members of the church but are part of the family of God. Being part of a family comes with responsibility. We are to look out for the well-being of each other by praying for each other, helping  those in need, supporting, and encouraging one another, and most of all not lead anyone into sin disgracing the name of our Lord Jesus.

Jesus said, “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin.” Those affiliated with this broken and fallen world will indeed tempt people to sin. Jesus says it is inevitable; it is their nature. But those in the family of God have a new nature. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2Cor.5:17 nlt) Jesus warns us in Matthew 18:7-9, that even though temptations will come, woe to those in the family of God for the sorrow that will come upon them if His children are the tempters. Graphic illustrations are used by our Lord in verse 8 and 9 to convey the seriousness of leading someone into sin directly or indirectly. We are able to easily lead someone astray by our actions as we are observed by others in the family. All of us have a responsibility to each other to live godly lives.

The Booth Brothers, one of Southern Gospels most recognized modern-day groups, recorded the song “Welcome to the family” which embraces the thought of the church as a family, the family of God. The bridge and third stanza are as follows.

“When I count my blessings it’s easy to see
My brothers and sisters that mean so much to me

I think about the many times they’ve kept me in their prayers
And the countless ways they’ve always shown me that they care
And I know they’ll still walk with me no matter what’s ahead
Yes so much more than just their words, their lives have always said.”

Well-lived godly lives is our ‘responsibility in the family.’

Devotionals

Hiding from God  

Loring Schultz

“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. Then the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He replied, ‘I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’” Genesis 3:8-10 NLT

Two people hiding behind a tree in dense tropical jungle foliage

Guilt from sin has a way of creating a desire to run away and hide. Of course for most of us that is not possible, but the feeling is there. Will I be exposed? Will this shame go away? What if ‘so and so’ found out? I will just lay low for a while until time passes you say to yourself. You do not want to be around anyone. You cannot hide so you live with the guilt feelings. Your sin may never be exposed but you cannot get over the guilt.

Just as we cannot hide physically from others without a legitimate reason for our disappearance, we cannot hide from God. We may think by sheltering ourselves from others that also includes God. It does not. In fact, God knows why we are trying to hide ourselves while others do not. The Lord is aware of every sin we have committed. It is in His sight of vision. We cannot hide it or hide from Him. Laying low for a period of time will not keep the Lord from finding out..

Adam and Eve found this to be true after they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They knew they had sinned before God and instantly felt shame. Their first reaction was to run and hide, of course, after they tried to cover themselves. That didn’t work either. Adam and Eve could not hide from God and neither can we. Our shame may be unbearable but hiding from God will only prolong the situation. Perhaps the Lord is calling you in the midst of your garden of shame, answer Him with full confession, no excuses, and have God restore you to full fellowship with Him and quit hiding from God.

Devotionals

Test Yourself

Loring Schultz

“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority.” 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 NLT

 Photo by Mitchell Hartley on Unsplash

The apostle Paul had been challenged several times on his missionary journeys as to his genuine faith and being accused of not being a true apostle. At the end of his second letter to the church at Corinth he told his readers to examine themselves to see if ‘their’ faith was truly genuine. The people saw themselves as true Christians but did not see Paul the same way. Paul was their spiritual father. “For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you.” (1Cor.4:15 nlt) Paul presented them with some good old common sense, if his faith was not genuine neither was theirs. Paul preached the same gospel to them that he believed and they had accepted Christ as Paul preached it.

How could Paul’s readers test themselves to see if they were true faith believers in Christ? How can we do the same? Paul gives us a couple of surefire ways in his letter to the Galatians. In Galatians 6:6-10, Paul teaches the law of sowing and reaping. You plant what you sow. Sow good seed, get good fruit. If a person has truly received Christ eventually good fruit will be evident. Good deeds will become evident. Paul encourages them, “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” (Gal.6:10 nlt) And in chapter 2 Paul writes a true Christian is aware of the change that has taken place in them, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal.2:20 nlt)

Christians are saved by grace and we are not perfect. We will fail at times but can ask for forgiveness and we can test ourselves to see if we are truly in the faith. If Christ is in you through the Holy Spirit you have passed the test. Have you tested yourself?

Devotionals

Be infants in evil not in your thinking

Loring Schultz

“Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” 1 Corinthians 14:20 ESV

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

An innocent baby knows nothing of the evil in the world today. Soon enough that little one will realize this is a fallen world into which they were born. But there is something about that innocence that protects them from evil in their early years. They do not know evil exists and they are not being capable to think about it or get involved with it. As adults we have lost that innocence long ago, but there is a time to go back to that way of thinking.

The apostle Paul was writing to the troubled church in Corinth knowing they lacked wisdom and had a difficult time recognizing evil. He wrote to them, “do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil.” (1Cor.14:20 esv) Their thinking was misdirected and immature. Evil was having an effect on them. They were allowing evil to influence their lives by not thinking as mature adults as to its danger. Paul’s readers were acting as children, not infants, in rationalizing the effects of sin and evil. Paul encouraged them to think in a mature manner.

Today mature thinking is not only needed but essential in every Christian’s life. As adults we now know that evil is around us. To be infants in evil is for it to have no effect on us. In order for evil to have no effect on us we need to be mature in all our thinking. Mature thinking in the ways of God and proper Christian living come about by constant prayer and reading His Word. Living in a sinful world will have some sort of effect on us, but it is an indirect effect. What we do not want is for it to affect us in a way that we engage in it. Let our thinking be mature.

Devotionals

It’s Harvest Time

Loring Schultz

“Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” Galatians 6:7 NLT

Photo by Andy Cat on Unsplash

The seasons have changed once again; this time the warm days of summer have given way to the cooler temperatures of autumn. Along with the change in temperature comes the changing of the leaves depending on which part of the country you live. It is also harvest time for the professional farmers, home garden enthusiasts, and the novice like me. A sure thing even a novice knows is the law of sowing and reaping, what you plant in the spring is what you get in the fall. If you plant peppers, you will get peppers, if you plant tomatoes, you will get tomatoes. Guaranteed, what goes into the ground will come up at harvest time.

Our lives are much like the seasons of the year that are consistently changing. You have heard of such expressions as, ‘this is but for a season’ and ‘seasons of change.’ We have all experienced the dark, cold days of winter only to have it birth anew into the warmth of spring. The heat of the summer sun brings joy, and the fall seasons reveal God’s rich blessings upon us. In each season of our lives, if we look closely, we will see God’s faithfulness in bringing us through each one. As He is faithful in the changing of the earth’s seasons, He is faithful and with us as we go through seasons of change.

Referring back to the law of sowing and reaping, sometimes our lives reach a dark and unpleasant season due to what we planted a season ago. What is being harvested today is bitterness, hatred, jealousy, selfishness, financial difficulties, broken relationships, addictions, and all the consequences of planting ill fruit. The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 6:7, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” (nlt)

An advantage to the seasons changing is they always come around again. If you did not have a bumper crop this year or you miss-planted a section of your garden, there is always next year. And whatever season you are in spiritually it is not too late to start planting good seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and all those that will yield a spiritual bounty. It’s harvest time.

Devotionals

In All Points Tempted

Loring Schultz

Read: Matthew 4:3-11 NKJV – Now when the tempter came to Him, he – Bible Gateway

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1 NKJV

Photo by Laura Baker on Unsplash

Have you ever felt tested by the Lord? Have you experienced something that is going on in your life driven by a divine nature? Is this a test you ask yourself, more precisely is this a test from God Himself? There are times in our lives where the Lord will test us, never tempt us, but He will surely test us. The results of our testing is either a pass or fail grade. God does not grade on a curve or allow for extra credit for going over and above what He requires of us, our faithfulness. So how are you doing when tested? Do you pass each test with excellence, or do you fail miserably or even miss it by the skin of your teeth? How can you live in faithfulness to God throughout all your trials and testing in your life, even those of a divine nature by the Holy One.

In Matthew chapter 4, we read the account of the temptation of Jesus by the devil. As previously mentioned, God will never tempt us, but the devil certainly will. What is noticeable is the fact that “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Mt.4:1 nkjv) Jesus was indeed tempted by the devil, but it was through the leading of the Spirit that Jesus submitted to a forty day and forty night’s stay in the wilderness. Jesus being tempted by the devil for forty days without food or drink is presented with three more challenging temptations. It is through these last three temptations, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that Jesus “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb.4:15 nkjv)

We may find it hard to understand how Jesus was tempted in every way we are today. How could He be tempted in the same way? We find the answer in He is fully God and also fully man. The temptations were real. He withstood every one of them by relying on the Word of God.

We are never beyond being tempted in our world. The devil and his cohorts are active and pursuing. In all our temptations we are to look to the Word of God. Let us not confuse the testing of God with the temptation of the evil one, but to understanding the Lord’s desire to lead us to faithfulness and all righteousness. May we look to our example Jesus Christ who being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, overcame ‘in all points tempted.’ .

Devotionals

Eyes Wide Open  

Loring Schultz

Read: Genesis 3:1-7 NLT – The Man and Woman Sin – The serpent was – Bible Gateway

“At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.” Genesis 3:7 NLT

Photo by Quinten de Graaf on Unsplash

Having eyes wide open is usually a good thing. Operating a motor vehicle requires having both eyes on the road. Keeping your eye on the ball in any sport is crucial if you want to have success. A surgeon must have keen vision while performing a delicate operation. There are countless other examples of needing both eyes open in our daily lives, but sometimes what is not seen is just as beneficial.

Adam and Eve were living in a perfect environment. Last Friday we referred to it as ‘paradise.’ They were also perfect in every way. Adam and Eve had perfect 20/20 vision and had their eyes wide open. They saw the beauty of God’s creation, the garden He had placed them in, and the attractiveness of each other. Everything was perfect and holy. The Lord was their constant companion in the world He had just created. All was good.

The story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit is well-known to most people either through sermons, Bible stories, or references made to it in a jest manner. The truth is when they ate the fruit something changed forever. Their eyes were opened, wide opened. Their perception of things had changed. They saw the same things, but something was wrong, it did not feel right. They saw sin for the first time in the way they felt, naked and ashamed in front of holy God. When we sin that feeling comes over us, or at least it should. Our eyes are wide open to whom we are in front of, a holy God. May we make it a habit to keep our eyes pure and wide open on the road of life in God’s blessings and not have them wide open in revealing our sin before God.

Devotionals

Your Work is Not Forgotten

Loring Schultz

Read: Hebrews 6:10-12 NLT – For God is not unjust. He will not – Bible Gateway

“For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” Hebrews 6:10 NLT

Photo by Anirudh on Unsplash

Sometimes the work we do for the Lord goes unnoticed and that is a good thing. We are not to be doing work for God that draws attention to ourselves, that glory goes to God and Him alone. There are times when people we are caring for react indifferent to the help they receive. This may make us feel indifferent by not being appreciated for the work we do. Again it is important to remember we are not doing it to receive recognition but to help others in the name of the Lord.

The Lord is faithful so as to not forget any work done in His name. There is a tendency to rank work done for God in the size and accomplishments of each, but Jesus said that even giving a cold cup of water will result in a reward. “And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” (Mt.10:42 nlt) Those of you who tirelessly work in food kitchens, clothing drives, food banks, and volunteering to assist the elderly and disabled in Jesus’ name, take heart, the Lord will not forget your work.

The writer of Hebrews encourages us to continue our work for the Lord and loving others all through our lives. (Heb.6:11) In this God’s promises will be presented on those who are faithful and endure. So continue your work, it will not be forgotten.

Devotionals

Watch and Pray with Anticipation

Loring Schultz

“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” Mark 13:33 NKJV

Photo by Tachina Lee on Unsplash

Jesus tells us in Scripture that His return is certain, He is coming back. He is coming back for His bride, the church. The only drawback is, He does not tell us when that will occur. So, Jesus gives us a warning to “take heed, watch and pray; lest, coming suddenly, he find (us) sleeping.” (Mk.13:33a, 36 nkjv)

Whenever there is an upcoming event in our lives, we get excited, counting the months, weeks, and days. We have a date we can focus on for any preparation needed to be done beforehand. The excitement builds with anticipation of that coming day. The event usually occurs, but there is always a chance that it does not come off or something goes wrong. Anticipation that had been building suddenly falls flat with our disappointment.

The greatest future event you and I will ever have will be the return of Jesus Christ. It will be an event that will not fall flat. We should be anxiously anticipating His return as we follow Jesus’ words to watch and pray. Jesus gives us an illustration of this in the gospel of Mark, “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.” (13:34 nkjv) The Lord has given us work to do in His absence which we are to be engaged in. He also commands us to keep watch for His return for we do not know when it will be.

Keeping watch for Jesus’ return is a challenging thing to do with our busy lives. Even in our quiet moments we could lose sight of this glorious upcoming event. That is why Jesus tells us to ‘watch and pray.’ Temptations and the activities of the world will dull our senses in the things of God. Jesus had to reprimand His disciples in the garden, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mk.14:38 nkjv)

We must keep our hearts and minds on Christ and His return. Distractions and temptations are part of this world we live in, that is why we must watch and pray with anticipation for Jesus’ return.

Devotionals

A Fragrance of Loving Service          

Loring Schultz

Read; Matthew 26:6-13 NLT – Jesus Anointed at Bethany – Meanwhile, – Bible Gateway

“While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.” Matthew 26:7 NLT

Photo by Lilliana Grace on Pexels.com

The world’s most expensive perfume is ‘Passant Guardant’ by Clive Christian at $7,600 per ml or $228,000 a bottle (30ml). To be a recipient of such a gift would be an honor of the highest regard. To be the giver of such an expensive gift would be symbolic of the love towards the one receiving it. The sacrifice made in presenting the gift is on display whether intended or not. The giver cares not about the exposure, but only about presenting a gift of love in the most exquisite means possible.

Jesus received such a gift just a few days before His crucifixion. Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazurus, presented this fragrance of loving service by pouring it over His head. The pouring of oil over the head in the Old Testament is referred to as anointing oil. It was poured over the head of the high priest and his descendants to mark them as holy and set apart unto the Lord. Mary, in this case, anointed Jesus as an act of worship. She was aware who Jesus was, the Messiah. It is also possible she believed in Jesus’ words when He spoke of His impending death, even more than His disciples who seemed to struggle with it. Jesus speaks to Mary’s actions, “She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial.” (Mt.26:12 nlt)

The perfume or oil Mary poured on Jesus came from Northen India and was made of pure nard. The cost is noted as 300 denarii or about a year’s wages. (Mk.14:5) Today’s value would be about $40,000-$50,000. It was not only a fragrance of loving service, but a loving sacrifice. But Jesus’ disciples complained this act was wasteful and could have been used more wisely. “But Jesus, aware of this, replied, ‘Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me?’” (Mt.26:10 nlt) Charles R. Erdman writes, “No gift to him can be too great if made in grateful love, an act may be morally beautiful even though not practically useful.” (1)

Jesus is pleased with our gifts of service to Him whatever the cost. We can never give too little or too much according to our ability to give. Our motives will determine the value of the gift and our Lord will recognize its true value; may it always be a fragrance of loving service.

(1) Erdman, Charles R. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983.