Tag: Jesus

Devotionals

You are at Home with the Lord

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

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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

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

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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

Devotionals

Satisfaction

Loring Schultz

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 NASB

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In 1965 the ‘The Rolling Stones’ had their first number one recording in the United States with “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” The suggestive lyrics throughout song serves as a testimonial that there is no satisfaction in the ways of the world. Why then do so many chase after those highly sought moments of pleasure only to come up empty? As hard as it is to admit we all have a sinful nature and our desires if not held in check will result in seeking those moments to find satisfaction. In time we will all realize, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” in worldly desires.

Jesus says in the fourth Beatitude, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Mt.5:6 nasb) Satisfaction, according to Jesus, God the Son, comes to those who have a hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is a characteristic of Jesus’ followers as are the first three Beatitudes; the poor in spirit, those who mourn and the meek. Every Christian should hunger and thirst for righteousness. It should be our desire.

John R. W. Stott lists three aspects of righteousness found in the Bible, they are legal, moral, and social. “Legal righteousness is justification, a right relationship with God; moral righteousness is that righteousness of character and conduct which pleases God; and social righteousness is concerned with seeking man’s liberation from oppression, together with the promotion of civil rights, justice in the law courts, integrity in business, and honour in home and family affairs.” (1)

Sadly, there are many Christians who have not found the true satisfaction that comes from knowing Christ. If you’re not satisfied as a Christian, then something’s amiss. If this relates to you, could it be that you hunger and thirst for things outside the word of God? Get into the Word of God where righteousness is put on display, and you’ll soon discover a desire for it.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” All other desires, “(You) Can’t Get No satisfaction.”

(1) Stott, John R. W. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount. Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1978.

Devotionals

Good Intentions Fall Short    

Loring Schultz

“Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ‘But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.’ At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.” Matthew 26:31, 56 NLT 

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The best of intentions falls short at some point. Some are due to circumstances beyond our control and others caused by our human frailty. We may mean well and be totally committed to a cause, but when the pressure becomes too intense, we back away. To escalate the problem, we are now forced to eat the boastful words of our commitment, assuring that we will always be there until the end.

Jesus’ disciples ate their words after stating they would never deny or abandon Him. On the way to the Mount of Olives with His disciples after sharing the Passover meal Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’” (Mt.26:31 nlt) Peter declared if he was the only one left, he would not abandon Jesus. Jesus then told Peter he would not only desert Him but would deny even knowing Him. They all assured Jesus; they would not abandon Him with Peter giving a resounding response he would die first before denying Jesus.

Scripture accurately predicted the events of that night. Peter denied the Lord and he and all the disciples fled when Jesus was arrested. It’s easy for us to look back two thousand years and criticize how they could do such a thing. They followed Jesus for three years, seen His miracles, knew who He was and still abandoned Him. The disciples like us, had good intentions but they often fell short. Let us be careful in our walk with the Lord, avoid boasting words and criticizing others, may we prayerfully consider our commitments to follow through, and allow the Lord to work in our lives to provide good intentions that will never fall short.

Read: Matthew 26:31-35 NLT – Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial – On – Bible Gateway

Bible Studies

I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD: Jesus’ seven “I AM” statements – 2

Loring Schultz

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 ESV

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            Have you ever been kept in the dark about something, totally unaware of certain situations until they came to light? Once they were revealed to you, the darkness that clouded your thinking was removed and you began to see the situation clearly.

            Spiritual darkness works much the same way. The world is blinded by Satan and kept in the dark of Jesus’ message of Salvation. The Bible tells us that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Cor.11:14 esv) In this deception, Satan tries to convince us that all is well. He appears in many of the false religions of the world and even influences the false prophets portraying themselves as Christian ministers. The last thing Satan wants is for people to come to know the truth about Jesus, and to know of His Salvation plan. His plan is to keep them in the dark, claiming himself to be light.

            Jesus’s second “I am” statement in the gospel of John is “I am the light of the world.” Jesus proclaims those who follow Him will not walk in darkness, confirming there is darkness in the world, spiritual darkness. The apostle John begins his gospel with identifying Jesus as God who made all things and “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn. 1:4-5 esv) Becoming aware that Jesus is the light and accepting Him as Savoir instantly dispels the darkness in your life. The dark cloud in your life will be lifted by Jesus, God the Son, the light of the world. May you allow His light this Sunday to penetrate the darkness of your soul and see the situation clearly, Jesus’ love for you.

Devotionals

A Three-Day Weekend Getaway: three days to think and pray  

Loring Schultz

“For three days he was blind and did not eat or drink anything.” Acts 9:9 NIV

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Here in the Untied States and I’m sure in most parts of the world, people look forward to a three-day weekend getaway. Some long weekends are planned, and others come up in a spare of the moment. Whatever the case the idea is for a change of pace to relax, rejuvenate, and just get away from your normal activities. Unfortunately, they don’t always go as anticipated. Sometimes you change your plans, or they are changed for you. Your goal of rejuvenation did not happen. Just imagine if you had the most disastrous weekend possible, but you came out the better for it, would it have been worth it, or would you be glad to be home?

The book of Acts records a story of Saul, a Pharisee of the Jews, going on a trip to the city of Damascus. This was no getaway for relaxation, but a mission to round up believers in Jesus and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial, even sentencing them to death. “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.” (Acts 9:3 niv) The light blinded him as the Lord Jesus asked Saul why he was persecuting Him. Jesus then instructed Saul go into the city and he would be told what to do. The Bible tells us Saul was blind for three days, not eating or drinking, but he was praying. (Acts 9:11)

Saul was in a position where he couldn’t do much more than pray. He was met by Jesus the one whose followers were on Saul’s target list. Saul’s plans had changed for the better, but he suffered three days of blindness for it. Saul would go on to be Paul, the apostle of whom Jesus said, “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:15-15 niv) Saul’s three days of blindness were worth it. He spent that time praying with the Lord God and was rejuvenated in a whole new way.

How does this apply to our three-day weekend getaway? The Lord struck Saul with blindness for three days to get his attention. God has a way of getting our attention too. No, we are not as devious as Saul with his motives, but what are our true motives in all we do? There is nothing wrong with getting away for three days, and if it doesn’t go our way, perhaps the Lord is telling us something. So may we pray for three days and come out better for it. It would have been worth it.

Read:  Acts 9:1-19 NIV – Saul’s Conversion – Meanwhile, Saul – Bible Gateway

Bible Studies

I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE: Jesus’ seven “I AM” statements- 1

Loring Schultz

“Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35 NLT

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            Each of the four gospel writers in the New Testament portray Jesus in a manner to stress a certain characteristic of the Son of God. The gospels together create a perfect portrait of Jesus. Matthew’s main focus is on Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and King. Mark, writing to a mostly a Roman Gentile audience focuses on Jesus the servant. Luke with a much broader Gentile audience portrays Jesus as the Son of Man, focusing on His humanity. The apostle John writes to prove the deity of Jesus so that all may believe Jesus is the Son of God, and that believing they may have life in His name. Included in John’s gospel is the seven ‘I Am’ statements Jesus made. We will look at these statements over the next seven weeks.

            Bread is a staple food item that sustains nourishment to our physical bodies. Other staple food products would include; milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry and other various meat products. But bread seems to have cornered the market (pun intended) on what foods are necessary to stock up on before an approaching snowstorm in my part of the Untied States along with milk and eggs.

            Physical hunger has been satisfied, physical bodies were nourished, and lives sustained for thousands of years by the bread provided for us through the baking process. Our bodies need food to survive. Many people who were in the crowd when Jesus fed the five thousand followed after Him the next day and Jesus rebuked them saying “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. (Jn.6:26 nlt)

            The followers were only thinking of the physical, the here and now, much like we do today. Jesus then proceeded to tell them to believe in Him. He was the bread of God which came down from heaven and gives life to the world, in which they responded “always give us this bread.” (Jn.6:33-34) Again, only thinking in physical terms, the same is true today.

            Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life.” Those who accept Jesus (the bread of life) for Salvation will receive the nourishment needed to sustain eternal life. This is the first of seven “I AM” statements that Jesus made in the Gospel of John concerning His deity and the message of Salvation. Have you received “Jesus the bread of life?”

Read: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%206%3A22-51&version=NLT

A Christian Perspective

Do Not Be Afraid; the Lord watches over those who are His

Loring Schultz

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:1b-2 NLT

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There is a misconception that when one decides to follow Jesus and trust Him for salvation all their problems go away. In our present-day vernacular, we would call that misinformation. What does go away is our destiny to a Christless eternity replaced by our assurance of an eternal life with Him in heaven. Certainly, to go through this life with Christ by our side is better than trying to do it without Him, but they are not without the problems that are common to everyone. The Lord will bestow a generous portion of His grace to those who are His just as he gives common grace to all mankind in the troubles of this world. But an extra level of grace and protection is needed for all who are His, because the truth is things are going to get heated and messy.

Christians can take comfort that the Lord knows us by name. Jesus ransomed us by His death on the cross. We are bought and paid for, we are his and He knows our names. The prophet Isaiah encouraged Israel that God knew them by name for they were His chosen people even though they were unfaithful to the point they would go into captivity. But the Lord would bring them out and continue to watch over them through the centuries up to and including our present day. When Christ rules on the earth during the Millenium Kingdom all the land God has promised Israel will be completed. (Ez.47:13-20) And He will be watching over them until that time comes.

As Isaiah encouraged the Jews of God’s protection, the same encouragement applies to Christians who have been ransomed by the blood of Christ. We are assured of His continual watchfulness throughout our lives. When the rivers of difficulties come our way God is there to help us maneuver through the currents. As we struggle in deep waters, perhaps because of our doing, He throws us life raft and pulls us out. The most difficult struggles that are sure to come is the blowback Christians face for being obedient to the Lord and standing up for the truth of the gospel. It is the fire of oppression Isaiah refers to. But our God sees all that comes our way. The fire may hurt, but the flames will not consume us. The Lord tells us not to be afraid, but to remember we are His and He knows us by name.

Devotionals

A Fragrance of Loving Service

Loring Schultz

“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

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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.

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

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

A Christian Perspective

DECORATION DAY

Loring Schultz

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 KJV

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In the United States, Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May. The day is set aside to remember and honor those who have given all in the service of their country. It was known as “Decoration Day” in its beginning shortly after the American Civil War. Fellow soldiers would decorate the graves of their fallen comrades with flags, flowers and wreathes. The tradition continues to this day. These decorated graves signify that each individual is not forgotten, but remembered and honored for their sacrifice in the protection and maintaining the freedom of their fellow citizens.

Many people visit the grave-sites of their departed loved ones and heroes year after year honoring their memory. But there is one particular grave-site that is visited by thousands of people year after year, and yet they do not come to decorate for remembrance. That is due to the fact that the grave is empty. It is known as the garden tomb in Jerusalem, where Jesus was laid after His death on the cross. They come to wonder in amazement and worship the Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the dead and is alive today in Heaven and seated at the right hand of God the Father.

As we remember those who have given their lives, by paying the ultimate sacrifice for freedom; let us also be reminded of the ultimate sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His death provided freedom from the bondage of sin, and because He lives, all those who call upon His name will also live.