Tag: Jesus

Devotionals

Rejecting the Cornerstone of Salvation         

Loring Schultz

“For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12 NLT

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            The cornerstone, also called a foundational or setting stone, is the first stone set in building a brick or stone structure. Building then begins by placing bricks and stones around and on top of the foundational stone to secure a strong structure. The cornerstone must be free from defect and perfectly placed to avoid future collapse of the structure due to tilting. The term cornerstone is used several times in Scripture. In the New Testament it is applied to Jesus as being the cornerstone of salvation.

            Jesus used this term referring to Himself as He rebuked the religious rulers once again in a parable. Quoting from the book of Psalms Jesus said to them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’” (Mt. 21:42 NLT) Jesus condemned the religious rulers for rejecting Him as the only way to God, the way of salvation. The religious rulers were the wicked tenant farmers in Jesus’s parable who killed the landowner’s servants and his son to gain control of the vineyard. Jesus said to them, “I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit.” (Mt. 21:43 NLT)

            Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our salvation. Salvation is only through Him. He is the solid rock on which our salvation stands. Those who reject Him are rejecting the only sure foundation for securing eternal life. Jesus is the perfectly place setting stone. All other placed stones of good works and religious practices will crumble under the weight of self-righteousness. Do not allow your self-righteousness to continue rejecting Jesus, the cornerstone of salvation.

Read: Matthew 21:33-46 NLT – Parable of the Evil Farmers – “Now – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Come to Jesus, He will never drive you away!

Loring Schultz

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

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            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, 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 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. Your sins Jesus died for covers past, present, and future sins, 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.”

“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

The Time of the LORD’S Favor Has Come

Loring Schultz

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” Luke 4:18-19 NLT

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            The Jewish people of the first century were looking for their Messiah as their ancestors had for centuries but were conflicted about how He was to appear to them. They did not expect Him to be one of their past neighbors from their hometown. There was a consensus among the Jews that the Messiah would be a warrior type who would come to overthrow Rome and release them from Roman oppression. It is not unlike our day where Christians are looking for the return of the Messiah (Jesus) to release us from the chaotic conditions of the world. But there is much more to it than that!

            During Jesus’s ministry He returned to Nazareth, his hometown, and was welcomed as a visiting rabbi to read from the Torah and a portion from the prophets. The section from the prophets to be read that day was from the book of Isaiah, (God’s perfect timing that Jesus would be visiting that day). It was a prophecy of the coming Messiah which after reading it, Jesus said, “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” (Lk. 4:21b) Jesus was stating as a matter of fact that He indeed is the Messiah that was to come.

            As we anxiously await the return of Jesus Christ there are a few things to remember about His first coming. He came to bring good news to the poor, the spiritually poor. (Mt. 5:3) Jesus came to release those who are held captive by sin. (Jn. 8:31-36) He came to give sight to the spiritually blind, and to set the oppressed free from the devil. (Acts 10:38) Jesus accomplished all this by living a sinless life and sacrificing that sinless life on the cross of Calvary in payment for our sin. This is the message to be shared by all of us who profess Jesus Christ as our savior to those outside of the Lord before He does return for ‘The Time of the LORD’S Favor Has Come!’

Bible Studies

SOLA FIDE (Faith Alone)

Loring Schultz

“No doctrine is more important to evangelical theology than the doctrine of justification by faith alone—the Reformation principle of sola fide. Martin Luther rightly said that the church stands or falls on this one doctrine.” John MacArthur

 “The doctrine of justification by faith is like Atlas: it bears a world on its shoulders, the entire evangelical knowledge of saving grace.” J. I. Packer

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We have come to the fourth sola of the ‘Five Solas’ of the Reformation period, ‘sola fide’ or (faith alone.) Simply put, it is by faith alone with nothing added, in Christ Jesus alone, that we enter into a saving relationship with Him securing our salvation. The apostle Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8 ESV) A part of the gift God gives to us is the gift of faith to believe. We would not believe on our own, nor would we have the faith to do so. God grants it to us. Paul goes on further to say, “not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:9 ESV) There is nothing we can do to work our way into heaven. It is all by God’s grace alone to us through faith alone and nothing else.

            It is amazing that God sees us as righteous through His Son as we put our faith in Him. Our righteousness and justification comes only through Jesus Christ and what He accomplished in our place on Calvary’s cross. The Devotional series “Heart of the Reformation” notes, “Faith alone preserves the truth that the Lord is our only Savior. Faith looks outside of ourselves and only to Jesus as the Redeemer.” Again, there is nothing we can do to gain righteousness and be justified before God except through Jesus Christ. We are sinful creatures with a sin nature and find it impossible to keep any of God’s commandments. We could never accumulate enough good deeds to be seen as righteous in God’s eyes and earn our way to heaven. Dr. R. C. Sproul notes, “The question is not whether we are going to be saved through works; the question is whose works. We saved through the works of the one who alone fulfilled the terms of the covenant works.” We are to believe in faith the works of Christ on our behalf, and believe in faith alone!

            In Jesus’s parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Lk.18:9-14), Jesus points out to those who thought themselves to be righteous that they were not. The so-called righteous Pharisee in his prayer exalted himself by saying, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.’ The tax collector’s prayer was a humbling response, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ Jesus explained, ‘I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.’ It couldn’t be clearer, Jesus is stating justification is by faith alone and not by works. “Martin Luther rightly said that the church stands or falls on this one doctrine.”

Devotionals

Failing to Think Outside the Box

Loring Schultz

“Philip replied, ‘Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!’ Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ‘There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?’” John 6:7-9 NLT

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            Jesus handpicked twelve men to be His followers during His three years of ministry before going to the cross. These twelve disciples got on-the-job training from the Master. Like us nowadays, some are fast learners, some need a little more explanation and direction, and some outright persuade the teacher to have great patience. The disciples probably had a mix of all these in their education process with Jesus. One thing that had not matured for the disciples early in Jesus’s teaching was faith ‘to think outside the box.’ We use that term today to: ‘explore ideas that are creative and unusual and that are not limited or controlled by rules or tradition.’ (Merriam-Webster) The disciples failed to think outside the box at a crucial time in Jesus’s teaching.

            The setting was on the other side of the Sea of Galilee as Jesus went up on the mountain with His disciples and notice a large crowd of people following Him. Jesus having compassion knowing they needed to eat took the opportunity for further instructing His disciples. Scripture says, “Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, ‘Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?’ He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.” (Jn. 6:5-6 NLT) Both Philip and Andrew gave logical answers. They didn’t have nearly enough money to buy food for all of them and had only a couple rolls and two fish from a boy’s lunch. Going by the numbers, they were correct. It was time to think outside the box about something creative and unusual, looking to Jesus. They had witnessed Jesus’s miracles of changing water into wine and healing the sick, even a boy from a distance away.  Surely, He could feed the crowd with what was available.

            Jesus was teaching His disciples and us to have faith in Him knowing He can meet all our needs. He wants us to put our entire trust in Him in overwhelming circumstances, not counting on our own limited capabilities or probable solutions. He wants us to get out of our own box and come to Him. What is impossible with us is possible with God. May we not fail to think outside the box in our time of need.

Read John 6:1-14:  John 6:1-14 NLT – Jesus Feeds Five Thousand – After this, – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree

Loring Schultz

“When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, Rebekah, he said, ‘She is my sister.’ He was afraid to say, ‘She is my wife.’ He thought, ‘They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful.’” Genesis 26:7 NLT

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You may be familiar with the proverbial saying ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’ Coming into English in the 1830’s from an existing German proverb the meaning refers to an individual’s traits resembling their parents. It is used to explain one’s actions in both a positive and negative way. One who is successful in life having successful parents is an apple from the tree of successful parents. A bad apple usually falls from a bad tree picking up undesirable traits. Now to be fair, that does not always hold true either positively or negatively, but when it is recognized, the saying seems appropriate.

 We have an example in the Old Testament of an apple not falling far from the tree in Genesis chapter 26. Issac is instructed by God to go down to Egypt due to the famine and reside there. Upon arriving Issac introduced his wife Rebekah as his sister out of fear for his life. This could have brought severe consequences for Rebekah if the king of the region took her for himself. Issac sinned by lying and having no regard for the safety of Rebekah. Abraham, Issac’s father, had done the same thing twice years earlier. (Gen. 12:23; 20:3) Although Abraham was a righteous man and justified by his faith in God, he set a bad example for his son to follow.

 All of us have sinned and have fallen short of God’s standards. (Ro.3:23) Even those of us who have accepted Christ as savior need daily forgiveness. Despite our failures, which will continue, are we still growing and producing good fruit? Are we good apples or bad apples? Jesus said in John 15:5a, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.” (NLT) As others observed us, are they able to say positively in a favorable manner, ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’

A Christian Perspective

It’s going to be a long year, so…….

Loring Schultz

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 ESV

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

            The early signs of 2024 seem to indicate this is going to be a very long year here in the United States. We have a Presidential election, and the news media is already taking sides. Each network has their bias and will state it loud and clear throughout the year. This may turn out to the most negative campaigning for the White House in the history of the United States. Not only do we have the news networks making noise, but social media out does the major networks by a landslide (no pun intended). Reading posts we find disturbing from people we know and respect, even from friends, will put us in an awkward position of how to respond, or even if we should. Probably we shouldn’t respond, but then again, some things just cannot be ignored, like the truth.

            Paul writing in the book of Colossians two thousand years ago gives us good advice even for today, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Col. 3:12 ESV) There are hard questions to be asked and answered this year. Many concerns need to be addressed for the safety and moral compass of the United States going forward in the future. The next president is going to have all those issues before them, whoever they may be. No doubt, a deep divide exists as to who is best qualified for the job, and how they will govern for the betterment of the nation as a whole and for the people. So, there will be a lot of loud, partisan discussion from both sides.

            As Christians we are to declare the truth, but more specifically the truth of the gospel. People need to come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The only hope America has is Jesus. 2024 has all the markings of becoming a turbulent year. But the negative, harsh, and hateful rhetoric of this historic year can be tamed down effectively and efficiently as Paul points out by God’s chosen ones. May we who are believers in Christ start now and ‘put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience’ with those we encounter this year. Let the light of Christ be visible for all to see. It’s going to be a long year!

Devotionals

Blue Monday

Loring Schultz

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ESV

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 Did you ever have one of those days where something just doesn’t feel right? There’s a slightly depressed feeling you can’t quite shake off. Your thinking is muddled, finding it hard to concentrate. I had one of those days this week on Monday. My first thought was the after effect of my Dallas Cowboys being humiliated in a playoff game the day before, but upon thinking about it further even partly muddled I knew that wasn’t the reason, at least not all of it. There had to be more to it than losing a football game, the Cowboys have disappointed me before.

The third Monday in January has become known as Blue Monday. It was first recognized in 2005 as a PR stunt by the British travel company Sky Travel. According to ‘National Today’ much controversy exists concerning the cause of the saddest day of the year, but there is agreement as to what could contribute to it such as, snow and cold weather, Christmas bills arriving in the mail, and trying to maintain your New Years resolutions. I had no idea there was Blue Monday until my wife told me she heard it reported on a newscast as I confided in her how I was feeling all day. Again, thinking through this as clearly as possible, we are having some winter weather, but it’s manageable, I thank the Lord we have no after Christmas bills, and I don’t make New Years resolutions, so it wasn’t a case of Blue Monday.

Attempting to find a cause for days of confusion, depression, or lack of concentration is above my pay scale as they say, but one thing I do know is that when we allow our minds to slip away from Christ, we open our minds up to whatever the world has to offer, and it usually isn’t so good. The prophet Isaiah has a quick and easy cure for Blue Monday’s or any other blue days of the week when he writes, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Is. 26:3 ESV) We all succumb to Blue Monday days at one time or another, but we do not need to stay there if we keep on minds our Christ and keep trusting in Him.

Devotionals

A Better Way

Loring Schultz

“But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:39 ESV

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The Old Testament law provided for equal justice in civil cases by ensuring that the punishment fit the offense. Jesus affirmed this in the Sermon on the Mount by saying, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’” (Mt. 5:38 ESV) The problem for so many in Jesus’s day was that the premise of the law was also being used for personal disputes. Personal retaliation was justified by misinterpreting the true nature of the law. Those seeking personal revenge would justify “an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth.” It is still somewhat common today by the phrase, “don’t get mad, get even.” But Jesus has a better way.

I am sure Jesus’s proposals for His better way were met with some resistance on the mountain that day. They certainly are met today with push back preserving our rights. We have the right to defend ourselves (yes we do), we have the right to protect what is ours (yes we do), we have the right to not be forced into any service against our will (agreed), and we have the right to keep what is ours. But by ensuing personal revenge to protect our personal rights we destroy any opportunity we had to show the mercy and the love of God. Christians are to follow Jesus’s example, “The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.” (Is. 50:5-6 ESV)

It is not always easy to pursue the better way, especially in unprovoked, unjust circumstances. But our Lord set the example and He will help us through it. Dr. Benjamin Mays speaking of the unjust sufferings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said the following, “If any man knew the meaning of suffering, King knew…….and yet this man had no bitterness in his heart, no rancour in his soul, no revenge in his mind; and he went up and down the length and breadth of this world preaching non-violence and the redemptive power of love.” (1)   Yes, there is ‘a better way.’

  • Coretta Scott King, My life with Martin Luther King Jr (Hodder & Stoughton, 1970), pp.365-369.
Bible Studies

SOLA GRATIA (Grace Alone)

Loring Schultz

“But no man can be thoroughly humbled until he knows that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers, devices, endeavors, will, and works, and depends entirely on the choice, will, and work of another, namely, of God alone.” Martin Luther

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            The third of the Five Solas to be recognized during the Reformation period was ‘sola gratia’ or (grace alone). In the early sixteenth century there was an emphasis on church teaching of salvation by works of merit and indulgences. Scripture says we are saved by grace alone as Paul writes in the book of Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8 ESV) The first reformer of the sixteenth century was Martin Luther and he had said, “Our salvation depends entirely on the choice, will, and work of another, namely, of God alone.” We cannot take any credit leading to our salvation, God has done it all.

            Yes, ‘for by grace we been saved through faith,’ but the reality is God gives us the faith to believe in His Son through the Holy Spirit as He draws us to Himself. Our regeneration proceeds our faith. It is by His grace that He grants us the faith to believe in Jesus for we would never do this on our accord. Paul, the apostle, quoted from the Old Testament in the book of Romans, “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” (3:10-12 ESV) God’s saving grace towards sinners is His granting unmerited favor upon us. When God’s saving grace is applied to us it cannot fail to accomplish the purpose for which it was given.

            The saving grace that God bestows on His chosen cannot be understood or appreciated until we have a full knowledge of what we have been saved from. There is not one of us who has a right to eternal life, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Ro. 3:23 ESV) We are all sinners in Adam, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Ro. 5:12 ESV) And the punishment for sin is death, physical death and spiritual death being eternally being separated from God in the lake of fire. “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:15 ESV)

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            As we come to accept that there is nothing we could ever do to find favor with God to enter into His presence, we should find ourselves in continued praise and worship for what He has done for us through His grace. God has chosen to love us in Christ, underserving sinners that we are. As Paul writes again in Romans, “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” (Ro. 5:17 ESV) May we chose to live for Him as He chose us to live with Him.