God – Page 6 – Word for the Soul

God’s Boundary Stone

June 5, 2025June 3, 2025 Loring Schultz

“Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors.” Proverbs 22:28 NIV

In the Old Testament book of the Law Deuteronomy, Moses lays out the laws of landmark. “Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.” (Dt.19:14 niv) Boundary markers were set to establish and secure one’s property. Moving the property line to enrich yourself was a serious crime. This law became necessary, especially to widows who had no defense in their times of distress. King Solomon referred to this ancient law in our verse for today. The NLT translation gives us clearer understanding, “Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers set up by previous generations.” (Pr.22:28 nlt) The boundary marker was set in stone as we may say today. It was not to be moved.

God has ancient boundary markers for each of us which we are not to move. The boundaries He places around our lives are set in stone. What’s on the other side is not for us. This isn’t stealing property from your neighbor and seizing his BBQ gas grill, it’s robbing your own soul from living in righteousness by engaging with what is in the forbidden zone on the other side. God establishes boundaries in our lives to protect us and help us to grow in the fruit of the spirit.

Temptation to move the boundary stone comes to all of us at one time or another. The grass is not always greener on the other side; most likely it is dried up and barren as the prodigal son found out. (Lk.15) God put those boundaries in place to warn and protect us from harm physically and spiritually. God’s boundary stone is not to be moved. It’s there for our benefit.

Devotionals

Under Constant Surveillance

June 3, 2025June 2, 2025 Loring Schultz

“For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths.” Proverbs 5:21 NIV

Have you ever thought about how many times you’re on camera throughout the day? Videos of you are stored on hard drives of any public place you have been to, indoors or outdoors. Not to mention, many private homes have surveillance cameras on their property for security. Law enforcement does an amazing job in piecing together videos from security cameras and personal cell phones taken from various locations to secure a timeline reel. This technology works wonders for capturing criminals but has also opened another ‘can of worms’ as they say.

We live in a world where nothing is kept secret anymore. Our lives are open for all to see whether we like it or not. If we behave ourselves there will be no embarrassing moments or be caught in the act of criminal activity to worry about. This should serve as a reminder to always be in our best behavior. But there will always be moments where we say the wrong thing, act irrationally, and just do stupid things that will be caught on video. In those moments, we need to get over it and correct any wrongs we may have done.

As sophisticated as criminal surveillance has become it can’t compare with God’s 24/7 camera located in every corner of the globe, in every country, every city, every home, and every room. Proverbs 5:21 says, “For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.” (niv) Yes, our lives open for God to see everything, whether good or bad. Just as in the world today, nothing is kept secret but remember with God nothing has ever been kept secret. I’m sure there are many embarrassing moments and sinful acts in our past, but they’re over. If we haven’t confessed them, it’s time to confess them now and move forward under the constant surveillance of God which is a good thing.

Devotionals

The Holy Beings of Heaven

May 30, 2025May 28, 2025 Loring Schultz

“As Gabriel approached the place where I was standing, I became so terrified that I fell with my face to the ground……While he was speaking, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. But Gabriel roused me with a touch and helped me to my feet.” Daniel 8:17-18 NLT

When you think of angels, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it ‘fear’? Most of us would say no. How about ‘terrified’? No, again. Would you faint at their voice? Probably not. But the prophet Daniel experienced all three all three of these as the angel Gabriel approached him to give the interpretation his vision concerning future events. The fact that Daniel in his righteous and moral character would react this way in seeing one of God’s angels emphasizes the deep chasm between earthly beings and the holy beings of heaven.

The magnificent splendor of these heavenly beings and the reaction from earthly creatures when they meet are noted in Scripture. Zechariah, the priest, encounter the angel Gabriel one day in the Temple as he was serving before the Lord and Scripture says he was shaken and overwhelmed with fear. (Lk.1:12) Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid when he appeared before her to announce Jesus’ birth. (Lk.1:30) When Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord brought the good news first to the shepherds, and they too were terrified. “Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified.” (Lk.2:9 nlt)

Not all appearances of angels in Scripture are met by fear, but their presence does emphasize the divide between heaven and earth. Holy beings of heaven separate from the world who stand before a holy God bring just a portion of His radiance on this earth. One day all of us who have accepted Christ as savior will experience that radiance for eternity with the angels.

Devotionals

Thoughts of the World

May 29, 2025May 28, 2025 Loring Schultz

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV

Photo by Sergio Rodriguez – Portugues del Olmo on Unsplash

When it comes to spiritual matters and the things of God, the world has its endless thoughts on the truth of the matter. The world will inform us what is and what is not truth, or it will tell us it’s inside us and we will discover it by searching within ourselves. Just be yourself and love yourself. Then there are so called minsters of the gospel preaching a feel-good message of positivity and good works. The apostle Paul needed to defend his ministry against some of the same things we witness in our world today. False prophets were doing their work during Paul’s day as in ours. Paul, himself, was accused of being a false prophet and only in it for money. The thoughts about God in the world are many, and all are against the truth and His salvation message.

Paul was unrelenting in the defense of his ministry and the gospel. He stated, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2Cor.10:5 niv) Anything that slightly resembled an alternative view of the gospel pitting itself against the Lord God, Paul demolished those arguments. They cannot be allowed to stand. Paul knew those distorted thoughts about God lead to confusion and heartache. That is why he took every one of those thoughts and conformed them to Christ.

Christians today need to rally behind Paul’s example of boldness in demolishing the false narratives of God in our culture. Sitting silent on the sidelines while the world is scoring points does not advance the kingdom of God. The Lord has given us all we need to inform the world of the truth, His Word, the Bible. It’s time we use it boldly to explain the truth about God.

Bible Studies

Repentance is the Way to Life

May 26, 2025May 23, 2025 Loring Schultz

Read: Ezekiel 18:30-32 NASB – “Therefore I will judge you, house of – Bible Gateway

‘“For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,’ declares the Lord God. ‘Therefore, repent and live.’” Ezekiel 18:32 NASB

The prophet Ezekiel prophesied to the exiled Jews who were in Babylon before the destruction of Jerusalem. Ezekiel himself was taken captive in the second invasion by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C… His message was ‘repentance is the way to life.’ Ezekiel prophesied the future destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem was coming. Those who were already in exile would not be going back anytime soon and others would be joining them after the third invasion of Judah. So, Ezekiel’s message was to repent.

Ezekiel relayed the Lord’s message of judgment upon them for their past sins, urging them to repent as they are already in exile. “Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ez.18:31 nasb) The Lord God did not want any individual of the house of Israel to die in their sins, but to repent and get a new heart.

The Lord God does not want anyone alive today to die in their sins, that includes you and me. The Lord says He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies. Here, He is referring to those dying without receiving forgiveness for their sins. Therefore, God is telling us as He told Israel, ‘Repent and live.’ To repent and live means to give up your old way of living which may lead to an early physical death, and more importantly to save you from eternal punishment to eternal life. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2Pt.3:9 nasb) Yes, repentance is the way to life!

Devotionals

Does God Dwell Within You?

May 20, 2025May 16, 2025 Loring Schultz

“But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built.” 2 Chronicles 6:18 NIV

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, couldn’t come to terms that God who created the heavens and earth could possibly show Himself and dwell in the Temple he had built. The universe is not big enough for God to dwell in, let alone Solomon’s Temple. But God did manifest Himself showing His presence in the Temple. He chose to be with His people as they came to offer sacrifices and worship Him.

Christians today find it just as hard to accept the living God, the creator of the universe, can live inside us through the Holy Spirit once we have accepted Christ as savior. But Scripture is clear that is the case. John, the apostle writes, “This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.” (1Jn.4:13 niv) And Paul in writing to the church in Corinth encouraged them by saying, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1Cor.3:16 niv) The God of the universe dwells in every believer.

If you find that hard to believe, just take it by faith because it is true. The closer you get to God in your private time with Him through prayer and reading His Word you’ll begin to know it is true. He is with you and desires to be with you. Solomon marveled how God could be present in the huge, magnificent Temple of his day. We marvel today that our bodies are called the Temple of the Holy Spirit and God dwells within us. What a comfort that should be when we take it by faith, and may we live accordingly.

A Christian Perspective

Power to the People

May 17, 2025May 13, 2025 Loring Schultz

“O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people.” Psalm 68:35 NASB

In the 1960’s and early 1970’s the slogan ‘Power to the People’ gained a vast audience and became extremely popular in the United States. It was a call for people to take control of governments and institutions. Predominantly started and expressed by the younger generation against what was perceived as oppression from the older generation, it covered a lot of territory. Politically it was against the government and the Vietnam War. Segments of the movement were revolutionary with social justice at its roots. ‘Power to the People’ was used to exploit the rich, and defame any enterprise deemed as ‘The Establishment.’ This power was self-driven and self-accepted. Five decades later there is still fruit from that historic period.

Power and influence are contagious no matter where your politics or worldview stands. It is vital to seek the true source of power when attempting to change the world. King David in the 68^th Psalm said, “The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people.” (Ps.68:35 nasb) Israel is God’s chosen people. He gives His victorious power freely to His children. True strength and power only come from the Lord God above and not us. David also reminds us that true peace only comes from God and not us orchestrating it on our own. “The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.” (Ps.29:11 nasb)

True power and true peace come from only one source, the Lord God of heaven. There are still many injustices in the world today needing to be addressed. Perhaps more ‘power to the people’ is necessary. But make sure you ask God to give you the power and not seek your own power to change the world. Don’t be persuaded by others who follow the god of this world. The Lord will gladly give His power to His people to carry out His will in helping others and living righteously.

Devotionals

Court will Convene

May 16, 2025May 13, 2025 Loring Schultz

“‘But the court will convene for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.” Daniel 7:26 NASB

Interest in apocalyptic literature has increased over the years. It took a massive jump in the 20^th century and seems about ready to reach its peak, but that is speculation on my part. What is certain; we are living in unprecedented times. A massive technological explosion only matched by the increase in greed, violence, government corruption, persecution, and outright distain for God puts us on a track where there seems to be no return. The world, under the influence of the evil one, is heading in that direction.

As horrific as the current and future events are for this world, we can rest assured God is still in control. In the end God will make all things right. Perfect justice will be administered. In fact, the court room is being prepared, and it may not be long before the court is in session. Satan’s hold on this world will end. The prophet Daniel recalls in one of his visions, “‘But the court will convene for judgment and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.” (Dan.7:26 nasb)

As Christians we can rejoice in God’s judgement and rejoice even more for His saving grace sparing us from His judgement against sin. (except for the grace of God go I) People are curious about ‘the end of the world’ as they say. We may not understand all that is going to occur in those future days, but we can tell those with inquiring minds what we are certain of, God’s salvation plan. God sent His Son, Jesus, to redeem us from God’s judgment of sin by putting that sin and judgment on Himself. Accepting what Jesus has done for us guarantees us an eternal home with Him. Another fact we are certain of is this; Jesus will return, and His court will convene. Satan’s dominion will be destroyed forever. Tell what we know.

Devotionals

Do you have a story to tell?

May 14, 2025May 12, 2025 Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 66 NLT – Psalm 66 – For the choir director: A – Bible Gateway

“Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me.” Psalm 66:16 NLT

Psalm 66 is a psalm of praise for God’s answer to prayer. It is a psalm of both national deliverance and individual deliverance. The psalmist and the nation have been saved from their enemies. The whole earth is encouraged to shout joyful praises to God for His awesome deeds. (Ps.66:1-4) All of us are invited to “Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people!” (Ps.66:5 nlt) The psalmist has a story to tell.

The story is told of God dividing the Red Sea making a pathway for His children to escape from their enemies on dry ground. This same God continues to rule the nations today and they are advised not to rebel against Him. Again, the psalmist encourages praise, “Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. Our lives are in his hands.” (Ps.66:8-9 nlt)

The psalmist testifies of the trouble both he and the nation have gone through. Not unlike our troubles today. It is described as going through flood and fire, but not without God’s knowledge and His purposes. In the end the Lord brings us out to a place of great abundance. This causes the psalmist to say, “Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me.” (Ps.66:16 nlt) He has a story to tell.

How about you? Do you have a story to encourage someone today? What has God delivered you from that can help one who is struggling with the same thing? It could be something big or something small, it doesn’t matter. Sometimes small things cause us the most heartache. Share how the Lord delivered you from them, and how He answers prayer. We all have a story to tell. It’s time to be a storyteller.

Devotionals

Not Your Father’s Temple

May 13, 2025May 12, 2025 Loring Schultz

“But many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation.” Ezra 3:12 NLT

The older some people get, the more they long for the ‘good old days.’ Of course, not everyone does this, but most of us like to at least reminisce about a time in the past. Our minds may recall the past perfectly, especially those with significant meaning attached to them. The sights and sounds of those events are etched forever in our mind. Trying to recreate those special moments sometimes work out, but other times they fail to capture what it once was. These sad occurrences often happen when we go back to a place that has changed due to our carelessness, mismanagement, or our outright sin.

The older folks from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin experienced a super letdown when the foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. After seventy years of captivity, the Jewish people were allowed to return to their homeland with the purpose of rebuilding the Temple that was destroyed and to reestablish worship with God. The original Temple that was destroyed was Solomon’s Temple with its magnificent splendor in structure, size, and beautiful ornamental arrangements. It was a sight to behold. The destruction of the Temple along with the people being taken captive were due to their continued disobedience to the Lord God. But God in His faithfulness promised they would return after seventy years to the place from where they were taken. They would rebuild and worship God once again in Jerusalem, but it would no longer be the same.

You may be at a place in your life where God has restored you after a period of bad times. You may be back in fellowship with Him, but you keep going back to those ‘good old days.’ Perhaps it’s regret or guilt you just can’t seem to shake, or the bitterness you refuse to let go of. Whatever the case is, know that God is making all things new. “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?” (Is.43:19 nlt) The Lord forgives us of our past sins and will restore us as we confess and repent. He puts us a new path looking forward to His future blessings. Rejoice God hasn’t forgotten you and see His leading to something new as you wipe away the tears from your eyes.