Forgiveness – Word for the Soul

Prone to Wander

October 12, 2026October 11, 2026 Loring Schultz

“I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.” Psalm 119:176 NLT

“Oh, to grace how great a debtor, Daily I’m constrained to be, Let that goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee, Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above” Robert Robinson

Hiker with backpack walking along a mountain trail toward distant peaks

‘Come Thou Fount’ is an old hymn found in many church hymnals and even sung occasionally in churches today. Written in 1757 by Robert Robinson, a Methodist minister at the time, it was reflection of his life in the past and would prove true again in his future years. Robinson was uncontrollable as a child and teenager after his father died when he was only eight years old. That all changed when he and his friends attended a George Whitefield meeting to heckled him, but the Lord had other plans and he was converted through Whitefield’s preaching. Writing the hymn just two years after his conversion his past wanderings were fresh in his mind. In his later years he wandered between several denominations in his pastorate and was known to be unhappy and prone to wander.

There is not a Christian alive today who has never wandered. Not you. Not me. We are all prone to wander away from the Lord. Some of us are neglecting prayer and Bible reading. Some are absent in the gathering of the saints for worship. Some of us are indifferent to the needs of others. There are some of us who are caught up in some sin, and others who turned a blind eye in not helping such a one only to repeat the matter. These may be harsh words, but the Bible says, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.” (Is.53:6 nlt)

Although we wander, we have a Savior who has His eye on us, going after us and bringing us back into the fold. In Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep, Jesus says, “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?” (Mt.18:12 nlt) Our Lord will not leave you abandoned in your season of wandering.

If you have wandered from the Lord and think there is no way back you are wrong. He is searching for you. Those nudges you are sensing are from the Lord. The uncomfortable feelings you are having as well as those well-timed words from a friend are also from the Lord. Pray with the psalmist in Psalm 119, “I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.” And then sing, “Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.”

Devotionals

Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

October 1, 2026September 28, 2026 Loring Schultz

Read: Matthew 18:21-35 NIV – The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant – Bible Gateway

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 NIV

The apostle Paul writing in the New Testament book of Ephesians lays out the pattern believers in Christ are to follow. As members of Christ’s church, we are to adhere to the new requirements of every child of God. Paul writes we are to walk in unity, each of us is to administer their gift God has given for the building up of the saints. We are not to grieve the Holy Spirit by walking in our former worldly conduct, and we are to have compassion for one another, willing to forgive as God, in Christ, forgave us. Paul had Matthew’s account of Jesus’s instruction about forgiveness in mind. It is possible Paul was familiar with Matthew’s writing as Ephesians was written some ten years after the gospel of Matthew.

*Painting entitled ‘il Mantovano’ by Domenico Fetti*

Jesus had been teaching His disciples that forgiveness should be always be granted to those who repent. Peter questioned Jesus by asking if there were any limits to forgiveness. Jesus simply answered forgiveness was limitless and then went on to explain why a follower of Jesus would always forgive over and over again.

Jesus used the illustration of an earthly king who began settling accounts with governors who owed the king money through taxation. A certain governor owed a tremendous about of money he would never be able to pay back in a lifetime. The king demanded he be sold along with his wife and children, and all he possessed to make payment. The debtor begged for mercy and the king had compassion and forgave him his debt. It is an example of Jesus, the king, forgiving each of us our debt of sin which we could never pay. Being released from so great a debt should encourage every Christian to forgive others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Unfortunately the forgiven debtor did not show the same mercy and compassion afforded him when he demanded payment from one who owed him money, a small amount at that. When the king discovered the forgiven debtor’s actions he was angry and handed him over to the jailers. Although his debt was already paid, the king put him in the hands of the jailers to suffer severe discipline until he was willing to forgive others.

Jesus paid the ultimate price for our salvation. When we, as Christians, consider the forgiveness shown to us by our Lord, how is it possible that we find it hard to forgive others? Let not our ingratitude come to the surface by not forgiving fellow believers for the little debt against us in relation to our great debt we have been forgiven by the Lord. Let us forgive each other as God forgave us.

Devotionals

The Fire Still Burns

September 23, 2026September 21, 2026 Loring Schultz

“Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out. Each morning the priest will add fresh wood to the fire and arrange the burnt offering on it. He will then burn the fat of the peace offerings on it. Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out.” Leviticus 6:12-13 NLT

The Old Testament book of Leviticus describes the sacrifices that had to be made to forgive and cover sins that were committed. The sacrifices didn’t take away the sin, only covered it. Someone had to pay for that sin committed. A blameless animal’s blood was shed on the alter with the perpetual fire of God under it. The fire was never to go out signifying God’s willingness and readiness to receive confession and offer forgiveness. The people of Israel needed continual atonement for their sin and the Lord would always accept their sacrifice on the altar. The fire was always burning.

Today we do not need to offer daily sacrifices to cover our sin. There was a perfect sacrifice made for us once and for all in the God-man Christ Jesus. “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.” (1Pt.3:18 nlt) Not only are our sins forgiven but we gain entrance into the kingdom to God as we accept Christ as our savior. Our sin that kept alienated from God has been forgiven and taken away. We have now been reconciled to God for the sin that kept us apart. It has been taken away by the blood of Christ, something that the blood of bulls and goats could never do.

But, we still have a problem. Although assured of forgiveness and eternal life with Christ we still sin in this life. So what do we do? The symbolism of God’s perpetual fire still applies for us today. Fire destroys but it also purifies. God is ready to forgive us our sins and restore us to fellowship with Him as we confess them to Him. The fire still burns. Ask Him daily to purify you as you confess your sins to Him.

Bible Studies

“Forgiveness” – The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus’ teaching on Prayer

July 19, 2026July 17, 2026 Loring Schultz

“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.” Matthew 6:12 NLT

Over the centuries the Bible has been translated from the original manuscripts into many different languages and it is still on-going. We also have several different versions of scripture available to us. According to the Wycliffe Global Alliance, Bible translation is currently happening in 2,846 languages in 157 countries, and there are yet 964 languages in which there are no translations, but the work has started. I open with this to remind us that whichever language text you may be reading, it may vary depending on the version it was translated from. One such example is the fifth petition in the Lord’s Prayer as taught to us by Jesus. Most versions say, ‘forgive us our debts,’ some say ‘forgive us our sins,’ and some traditional Church readings render ‘forgive us our trespasses.’ It is always most important to know the original meaning of certain words in order to apply them correctly to our lives.

The word translated ‘debt’ in the original Greek is ‘opheilēma’ and means that which is owed, legally due, or a debt. Its secondary meaning is an offence or sin. It is easy to see why ‘debt’ is used in most versions. But a closer look considering the context and how it relates to the whole of scripture, we take note that ‘sin’ is also an appropriate translation and more to the point.

Jesus instructs us to confess our sins to God our Father and ask forgiveness as we have also forgiven those who sinned against us. What Jesus is saying is forgiveness leads to forgiveness. It’s important to note Jesus doesn’t say we ‘should’ forgive others, but that we ‘will’ forgive others. We will forgive others in response to our Father’s forgiveness of our sin when we accepted His Son Jesus as our Savior. Jesus went to the cross and bore the guilt and punishment for our sins which we could never pay. It is a debt none of us could pay. God the Father forgave our debt, he forgave our sin.

In the fourth petition of the Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us to ask for our daily bread, food substances and our material needs. It is only logical Jesus now addresses our daily spiritual need of forgiveness. We have been forgiven an enormous debt and given salvation and eternal life through Jesus, however we are still fallen creatures in our sin nature who still sin daily. As we ask God daily to forgive us of our sin, we are reminded that we are pardoned sinners, and as pardoned sinners we should forgive as we have been forgiven.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32 niv)

Devotionals

The Recycled Finest Robe

July 15, 2026July 14, 2026 Loring Schultz

Read: Luke 15:11-22 NLT – Parable of the Lost Son – To illustrate – Bible Gateway

“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.’” Luke 15:22 NLT

Windows Recycle Bin window showing 23 deleted items including PDFs, images, and folders — A computer screen shows the Windows Recycle Bin open with various deleted files inside.

Recycling according to the Environmental Protection Agency is the reprocessing of discarded unless materials into new beneficial products. It helps the environment, the economy, and it makes our lives better. There is also another type of recycling. One of the definitions of ‘recycle’ as an intransitive verb is, ‘to return to an original condition so that operation can begin again as —used of an electronic device.’ Instead of using an electronic device or your computer’s recycle bin for my illustration I would like to use a garment, a fine garment, the finest robe in the story of the prodigal son.

The selfish son who only cared about himself finally came to his senses after he had gone through his inheritance rather quickly and found himself destitute. Realizing his sin, his plan was to go back to his father and asked for forgiveness and a job as one of his fathers workers. When the son arrived home and began addressing his father it was as if the father didn’t hear him but was only concerned that his son had returned. The father then instructed his servants to bring the finest robe in the house and put it on his son. He had returned home.

We do not know if there was another incident with this son doing the same thing. That is not the point of the story. The point is the father’s love for his son. It is an example of God’s continued love towards us. If it had happened again, we can be certain that the father’s love would not have changed. That finest robe the son may have thrown off was picked up by his father and held until the day his son returned home again. I guess we would say it was recycled, ‘to return to an original condition so that operation can begin.’

How many times have we had that recycled garment applied to us? Praise the Lord for His love towards us and that the garment will never get old no matter how many times it has been in the recycle bin.

Devotionals

Including Peter

June 29, 2026June 26, 2026 Loring Schultz

Read: Mark 16:1-7 NLT – The Resurrection – Saturday evening, – Bible Gateway

“Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.” Mark 16:7 NLT

Can you recall the feeling you had when you were left out of something? You volunteer for a good-will project, put in the effort to make it successful and when the day comes to begin the project you are not selected to participate. It made not have been anything you have done to be left off the project, but for some reason you were not chosen to participate. Hurt feelings are sure to arise.

But, what about if you had done something irresponsible to give your organization a bad name that precipitated in you not being included? You would still feel hurt, but also sad remorse for what could have been, but wasn’t. You no longer have any control over the situation. The good-will project will go on without you.

Peter, one of Jesus’ most trusted disciples, had done something which he thought eliminated him from any future good-will project. He denied three times that he even knew his master, Jesus. Remembering what Jesus said that before the evening was over he would deny Him three times, Peter went out and wept bitterly after he did exactly what Jesus said he would do. For sure Peter gave Jesus a bad reputation by being associated with a liar. Any chance to work on His behalf would seem to be lost. But that was not the case.

On the morning of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave the three women came to the tomb of Jesus and found it empty except for an angel sitting on the right side. The women were frighten and did not know what to say so the angel encouraged them by saying, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.” (Mk.16:6 nlt) Then the angel told them to go tell the disciples, ‘including Peter,’ to go meet Jesus in Galilee. Peter was not going to be left off the team. By God’s grace and forgiveness Peter was restored to do a great work for Christ.

Devotionals

Come to Jesus, He will never drive you away

January 28, 2026January 27, 2026 Loring Schultz

“…………whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37b NIV

Is there any sin you can commit that is outside the reach of God’s forgiveness? Have you found yourself in a place where you cannot approach God due to your sin, and yet knowing that you need to? Is the light of your Christian life clouded by repeated sin and keeps you from going to God for forgiveness? Have you reached a point where you feel God will or has driven you away from Him due to your sin?

Just a couple more questions. Do you believe in God? Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior? Do you believe the Bible is God’s Holy Word to us and every word is true? If you answered yes to these last three questions there is some very good news in the pages of God’s Word especially for you, the good news of God’s forgiveness and restoration for all believers saved by His grace. It is true God hates sin, but He loves you and me, the sinner.

In teaching the crowd that followed Him after feeding five thousand men plus women and children, Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (Jn. 6:35 nlt) Jesus was telling them He was the way to salvation and eternal life. Those in need of repentance and forgiveness of sin leading to eternal life were to come to Him, He was the bread of life, eternal life. Jesus didn’t say to those with the most grievous sins to stay away, but ‘whoever comes to me I will never drive away.’

Jesus does not turn anyone away who comes to Him for salvation, nor He will not drive away any of those who accepted Him as savior when coming to Him in confession and asking for forgiveness. His words apply in granting salvation and in forgiving our sin after our salvation. Jesus died for your sins past, present, and future no matter how deplorable. Jesus wants us to come to Him with our sin, whatever it is, and confess it to Him. He will not turn His back on us, in fact, Jesus promised, “………whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” (Jn.6:37b niv)

“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” (Ps.103:12 nlt)

“For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again” (Prov.24:16 nkjv)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn.1:9 nkjv)

Devotionals

Perpetual Fire of Forgiveness

December 15, 2025December 11, 2025 Loring Schultz

“The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.” Leviticus 6:13 NIV

The third book of the Law of Moses is the Old Testament book of Leviticus. Its theme is God’s holiness, and God’s will for Israel’s holiness. God’s teaching to Israel in Leviticus is how to approach their holy God in worship and in the sacrifices required of them, especially those concerning their sin. Much emphasis is placed on the priests in establishing this reverent and holy approach to God. All animals sacrificed on the altar had to be perfect without defect. “In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.” (Lev.4:35niv)

The Lord gave Moses detailed instructions of all the sacrifices the priests were going to perform. The most significant command was that the fire on the altar was to be continuous. “The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it.” (Lev. 6:12niv) The people of Israel were assured of God’s readiness to always forgive their sin at any time of the day or night.

The same assurance has been granted us today. God is always there waiting for us to come before Him with our confession. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn.1:9niv) No need to bring a perfect animal to an altar for sacrifice every time we sin. A perfect lamb was sacrificed on the cross at Calvary to take away our sin. Jesus, the lamb of God paid the penalty for our sin ‘once for all.’ But we still sin and for that there is the perpetual fire of God’s readiness to forgive.

Devotionals

How to lose a guilty conscience

December 10, 2025December 9, 2025 Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 32:1-7 ESV – Blessed Are the Forgiven – A Maskil of – Bible Gateway

“I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” Psalm 32:5 ESV

The three most common words used in the Old Testament for evil thoughts and actions are sin, iniquity, and transgressions. Although these words are not so common today, evil thoughts and actions are still quite popular. Perhaps a reason why these words are not used is because they are never considered applicable to us. They are words in the Bible that condemns and we want no part of them, for we are not like that. We may make mistakes and mess up, but evil thinking and evil acts, well, that’s not us.

Well, if that is the case, have you ever had a guilty conscience? Has there ever been a feeling you just can’t shake off no matter how hard you try? You trace it back to something you said or did or both. You may not want to admit it, but it was wrong even in your eyes. Your feelings are feeding your conscience and vice versa. You are able to say with David in Psalm 32, “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” (Ps.32:3-4 esv) Your words or actions were also wrong in the eyes of your creator, the Lord God. That’s why you feel the way you do.

But there is a sure way to lose that feeling, that guilty conscience. Admit your guilt (sin) before the Lord, and don’t try to hide your (iniquity). You are able to fool some people, but not God. Confess your (transgressions) to the Lord. These words do apply. They bring a realization to our fallen state, but we don’t need to live in it. When we confess our sin, the Lord forgives us. He cleanses us, restores us to a right relationship with Himself and gets rid of our guilty conscience.

Devotionals

Be careful not to pick up stones

October 15, 2025October 14, 2025 Loring Schultz

Read: John 8:1-11 NLT – A Woman Caught in Adultery – Jesus – Bible Gateway

“They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’” John 8:7 NLT

The story of a woman caught in adultery recorded in John’s gospel is a very familiar one with Christians and non-Christians alike. It reveals the hypocrisy of certain religious leaders and those who assumed the role of being one up on everyone else on morality. The main point made by many is Jesus’s words, “let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Admittedly there is not one of us who is able to throw that first stone, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Rom.3:23 nlt) That lesson should be applied to every Christian in our daily walk in the world in which we live. But there is also another point that lies underneath the surface of the immediate that reveals the foundation for that exchange with Jesus.

The law in which the accusers wanted evoked would have been the Old Testament law of adultery. But certain facts of the case were not presented in their entirety as only one of the participants was presented. This didn’t seem to bother those who brought the woman for their own interpretation of God’s law. The fact is they weren’t as pious towards the carrying out the law as they were about trying to set up a trap for Jesus. They cared nothing about the law, but only the response from the one who came as a fulfillment of the law.

The religious leaders brought to Jesus a woman, minus the man, caught in the act of adultery. Their intent was to corner Jesus into deciding on whether or not to stone her according to the Law. Jesus essentially ignored them knowing of their deception. If He agreed to stone her, Jesus would be looked upon as having no forgiveness or compassion. If He did not comply with the Law it would appear Jesus was not who He said He was, the Son of God. They did not give up but kept on asking Him. They wanted Jesus to answer them either way to discredit Him. Jesus was interfering with their authority and their way of life.

There are those today who view Jesus as interfering with their authority and their lives. They demand an answer to the laws they perceive as right and just in their own eyes. They view the commands of God found in scripture as irrelevant today. They have gathered stones in their hands and are willing to throw the first stone, believing they have no sin. But tragically their aim is at God and His Word for interfering with their way of life. Be careful not to pick up stones.