Tag: Devotional

Devotionals

Hot Mic

Loring Schultz

“He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?” Psalm 94:9 ESV

            A most entertaining aspect of any sporting event is to hear firsthand sounds of the game from the players themselves. The NFL has captured and perfected this better than any other sport as their experience with it spans over fifty years. That is not to say other major sports have not made inroads in their own unique style. Major League Baseball, for example, has dugout interviews with mangers and players, and on occasion has conversed with players on the field during a game. And what is more exciting than hearing and seeing the competitiveness on a NBA court.

            Although entertaining, a drawback to this feature is the vulnerability of some to express a thought or opinion, either intentional or unintentional, in which they would like to have back. For the most part, those who participate in this venture are well aware of the hot mic in their presence.  But at times words are expressed as if no one is listening, as if no one is around to hear their voice.

            All of us can relate to have misspoken at one time or another. We regret what had been said and the consequences it caused with the harm it had done. The psalmist reminds us it is not only those around us who here our words, but there is one who always hears. There is one who is always listening. The Lord God not only hears all we say, but He sees all we do, even when there is no one around. God has the ultimate “hot mic” along with His “all seeing surveillance camera.”

            This should not only serve as a warning to us, but also a comfort. May our conduct bring glory to God through our speech and actions encouraging others and leading them to Jesus Christ.

Devotionals

Stir up one another

Loring Schultz

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another” Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV

            The number one reason to attend church this Sunday or any Sunday is to worship God. Right alongside that reason is to hear a message from His Word. The writer of the book of Hebrews gives us another reason; “to stir up one another to love and good works.” All Christians need to be encouraged in their walk with Jesus. You may have heard the saying, “Nothing’s ever easy”, and that is particularly true of the Christian life.

            Dear friend, think of the obstacles and struggles that come your way during the week. Our Christian friends are going through similar difficulties as well. We all need encouragement. We need to be there for each other; to listen, to share a word and to pray with each other. The simple fact is, if we are not attending church together, this will not happen and there will be a lot of discouraged Christians.

            We are “to stir up one another to love and good works” especially in light of the difficult days that we are in. Our lives are to reflect the love of Christ and represent Him by our love for each other and our good works done in His name. Jesus says in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

            Let us be in the habit of encouraging each other and not neglecting to meet to “stir up one another!”

Devotionals

Commitment

Loring Schultz

“Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.” Psalm 37:5 NLT

            One of the most anticipated joys of summer for baseball fans is the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York. As of July 24, 2023, 20,447 players have made to the major leagues since 1876. But only a handful were ever to achieve the status of being enshrined into baseball’s highest honor of achievement, the Baseball Hall of Fame. There are many factors that attribute to an athletes success, but a major factor is commitment.

Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony July 23, 2023

            A recurring theme each year are the commitments that were made throughout the hall of famer’s career, and this year was no different. There are commitments made by individual coaches from little league and high school to nameless coaches in the minor leagues who have spent hours with the young prospect helping to improve their skills. Commitments by mom and dad, siblings and friends are credited with helping them to keep going never giving up, and wives and children are always recognized for the sacrifices they made during the baseball season. All had an enormous effect by their commitment. The new inductee also followed through with his commitment to never give up.

            Success in our spiritual lives also involves commitment. As children of God we are to be in total obedience to Him. This is only possible by committing everything we do to the Lord. We should note, we are not perfect and will fail sinning at times. But as the Psalmist wrote, after we commit everything to God, trusting Him, He will help us. As hall of famers achieve their success to their commitment through hard work and to those who committed part of their lives in helping them, we also have the Lord committed to helping us as we commit everything to Him.

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.