God – Page 24 – Word for the Soul

Stubbornness

June 18, 2024June 18, 2024 Loring Schultz

“The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.” Lamentations 3:25-26 NLT

Are you one to do it yourself? Even when you come upon difficulty and the YouTube videos weren’t much help, do you stubbornly say, I can do it when you know you can’t. You still refuse to ask for help. Perhaps this is more about pride than stubbornness. Both are not good qualities for a follower of Jesus.

I had such an experience the other morning when attempting to complete a government form on-line. Although I read and re-read the instructions it wouldn’t let me proceed past the first page. I must have been doing something wrong, but the more I reviewed it the more I determined I became there must be a glitch in the system. After printing out the forms to fill out and send by snail mail, I realized that is not what I wanted to do time wise. So, I stubbornly tried again to complete it over the web with the same results. Then I did something I should have done at the first sign of trouble, pray. Not only did I pray, but the Lord reminded me of the morning verse on my Bible app that day, “The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.” (Lam.3:25-26 nlt) The new result was successful when I used the browser that was recommended by the government site. Yes, I read and re-read that, but I guess my stubbornness got in the way.

The Lord desires that we all depend on Him. Yes, He does give us skills and wisdom for our use, but there are times when He just wants us to go to Him for guidance and assurance. It may be His way of testing us if we are going to ask Him for help, or in our stubbornness say ‘I got this’ even though we don’t. The Lord is always good to us as we ask Him for help. You may as well ask Him when you need help because He already knows you can’t do it. Don’t let your stubbornness get in the way.

Devotionals

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.

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

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.’

Devotionals

The One-percenters

June 6, 2024May 31, 2024 Loring Schultz

“The LORD said to Gideon, ‘You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.’” Judges 7:2 NLT

The expression ‘One-percenters’ in our current day refers to the influential and affluent members of our society. It is estimated that 1% of the people living in the United States control about one-third of the nation’s wealth. The knock on the wealthy is that they are oblivious to the other 99% in the country. That may well be true, but there are many who contribute greatly to the welfare of society through job creation and donations. The one-percenters attribute much to the strength of the economy. This small number of wealthy people accomplish much.

Gideon had the opportunity to be part of a one-percenter group for the Lord in his day. Economically, Gideon was one of the 99%. Israel was under control of the Midianites for their rebellion against God. They ravaged their crops and stole all their sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. “So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.” (Jdg.6:6 nlt) The Lord recruited Gideon to lead an army against the Midianites to free them from their oppression.

Feeling confident of his mission Gideon set out with his army of 32,000. But the Lord wanted to trim down the marching force lest they take pride in themselves. The Lord first told Gideon to release those who were too timid or afraid to go into battle and 22,000 left. The army was reduced to 30% but the Lord wanted to do more trimming. Then came the big test. God told Gideon to lead his men down to the water and observe how they took a drink and 29% of the army were sent home. Gideon had 300 soldiers left, the one-percenters. “The LORD told Gideon, ‘With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites.’” (Jdg.7:7a nlt)

It is unimaginable to think that an army being reduced from 32,000 down to 300 could achieve victory. We would not be wrong in thinking that for in our own strength it is impossible, but it is the Lord God who fights our battles. So, whatever your predicament might be today, you may a one-percenter, but the Lord provides the other 99% as we put our trust in Him.

Read: Judges 7 NLT – Gideon Defeats the Midianites – So – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Petition the Lord and be no longer sad

June 5, 2024May 30, 2024 Loring Schultz

“She said, ‘Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.’ So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” 1 Samuel 1:18 NASB

Sometimes we need someone to talk to, but that someone may not be the best one to hear us out. Our closest friends, relatives, and even our spouses may know us very well, but what is seeded in the heart is hard even for our most intimate companions to understand. Hannah found this out first hand with her husband Elkanah as recorded in 1 Samuel chapter 1 of the Old Testament.

Hannah was childless yearning for a child. Scripture says, “but the LORD had closed her womb.” (1Sam.1:5 nasb) Every year Elkanah would go up to Shiloh with his two wives to worship and offer sacrifices before the LORD. On the day of sacrifice Elkanah would give portions to Phinehas, his other wife, but to Hannah he gave a double portion. Phinehas had children and would often remind Hannah that she did not just to irritate her. This happened year after year. Hannah, being distressed, would cry and not eat very much during the festive meal.

Husbands have a way of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and I can testify to that, as can Elkanah, Hannah’s husband. He said to her, “Why are you crying, Hannah? Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” (1Sam.1:8 nlt) This was not what she wanted to hear. Elkanah meant well, but he didn’t have a clue about the hurt and emptiness his wife felt.

Hannah went to the only one who truly knew her. The one who created her and knew of her intimate thoughts, desires, feelings and emotions. The Bible says she prayed to the LORD weeping bitterly. She poured out all that was in her heart, all her emotions, and her special request. After bringing her burdens before the LORD, she went on her way, ate, and was no longer sad.

When we petition the Lord in prayer bringing all our trials and requests to Him, pouring out our deepest emotions, we can be sure that He hears us and will answer according to His perfect will. Petition the Lord and be no longer sad.

Read: 1 Samuel 1:1-18 NLT – Elkanah and His Family – There was a – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Silence is Golden

June 3, 2024May 30, 2024 Loring Schultz

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” Psalm 62:5 ESV

The term ‘silence is golden’ is to say that it is often better to remain silent than to speak. That certainly bodes well if you are prone to talk too much. The less you speak the better chance you have of not saying something you might regret. Silence is also golden when remaining quiet to listen and learn. Instead of injecting your comments, opinions, or your brilliant assessment of a situation it is best to listen in silence and learn. This is especially true if you have a problem that is over your head. Seek the advice of one who is experienced and listen in silence.

King David had a big problem. His very life was being threatened. David had conspirators seeking to dethrone him by killing him. Imagine what was going through David’s mind as he was on the run from his enemies. David had more than enough experience in fighting battles, all of them successful. He could have prepared a battle plan in his mind and discussed it with the Lord, yet he sat before the Lord his God listening in silence. David had faith in God his only hope and he was patient saying, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” (Ps.62:5 esv)

You may not have a problem to the extent of someone looking to kill you, but some problems could have that effect on you. You want to share and tell someone what you are experiencing, hardly slowing down to take a breath. Perhaps it’s good therapy to get it off your chest and that is fine but retreat enough to listen to sound advice. Ultimately, God should be our first resource in seeking comfort and answers to our dilemma. It’s ok to tell God all your problems, but keep in mind that He already knows and has all the answers. Sit in silence before Him and allow Him to comfort your soul and speak to your heart. Remember silence is golden, so, “wait in silence, for (your) hope is from him.” (Ps.62:5b esv)

Read: Psalm 62 ESV – My Soul Waits for God Alone – To the – Bible Gateway