Tag: Praising God

Devotionals

An Endless River of Righteous Living

Loring Schultz

“Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” Amos 5:23-24 NLT

Photo by John Price on Unsplash

There are many lessons in the pages of Scripture to learn from today. After all, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change. His love for us is the same. His laws do not change over time. All His holy attributes do not change as the attribute of the Immutability of God tells us. We can be confident God doesn’t change and His Word doesn’t change either. It is the same and valid for all eternity.

In the Old Testament book of Amos, the prophet was called to issue a warning to the northern tribes of Israel. They were to repent of their social evils and pagan worship. Their only hope to prevent judgment from God was total repentance from the blasphemous worship of God they were performing and their lack justice among the people. The Lord wanted a complete change of mind and heart towards Him, the Lord their God, which in turn would result in ‘a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.’ (Amos 5:24 nlt)

Christians today may not equate themselves with all the sins of ancient Israel, but there are similarities to be considered. Are we always just in our dealings with others? Are we more than fair in areas which are under our control? When we worship God are our hearts in the right place? Have we been living righteously throughout week as we enter to worship God on Sunday morning? No, none of us are righteous, but we can walk in step with God through the Holy Spirit. Are we doing that? As with nation of Israel in Amos’ day, the Lord wants to see justice and an endless river of righteous flowing in our lives when we come to worship Him along with our noisy hymns of praise!

Devotionals

Don’t Forget the Lord              

Loring Schultz

“Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” James 5:13 NLT

Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash

In times of great joy it’s hard to conceal our emotions. In fact we want everyone to know the joy we are feeling, it’s hard to hold it back. We begin to tell everyone we know, even those we don’t know. We make sure our closest friends are the first ones to know, after all, who will most share that joy along with us but those closest to us.

But for Christians sometimes even the smallest joy is not expressed to the one who would appreciate most, our Lord Jesus. Oh, we know that he knows, but expressing our joy to Him and thanking Him for it is what our Lord wants to hear. We have all heard people say to their loved ones, maybe you have said it yourself, ‘you know I love you’ and the response comes back, ‘I know but it would be nice to hear it once in a awhile.’

Expressing our joy and our love to those closest to us should come naturally, and maybe for many of you it does and the Lord bless you for it. But for those of us who need a refresher course, let’s start with James’ advise when he says, “Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” (Ja.5:13 nlt) Who better to sing praises to than to the Lord remembering that all good things come from Him, and Him alone. James also wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” (Ja.1:17 esv) So, let’s not forget the Lord and start giving Him praise as we share our joy whatever it may be.

Devotionals

Do you have a story to tell?      

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

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

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

Honoring God

Loring Schultz

Read: Daniel 5:23-30 NLT – For you have proudly defied the Lord of – Bible Gateway

“But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!” Daniel 5:23 NLT

Photo by Pablo Heimplatz on Unsplash

There are many things we take for granted today. I’m sure previous generations have done the same, but I sense it’s a lot easier for us in our advanced technology savvy culture. Just about anything and everything is available at our fingertips. We have grown accustomed to quick service, abundant supplies, easy access, instant communication, the world has gotten smaller, and we more or less come and go as we please. We take for granted all the material things we have accumulated in life, the friendships we’ve developed, the work we do, the families we have, and even our own lives without giving much thought to know who is responsible for it all.

It’s easy to get caught up in our daily lives just going along and forget to honor the one who makes our life possible, the Lord God. The Lord brought all things into being, in which we take for granted not realizing it. He is in control and brings everything into our lives whether we like it or not. For that alone, we should honor Him. We couldn’t be in better hands. Yet, we fail at times even to notice the sunrise or sunset placed there by God for our enjoyment. We pass it by saying to ourselves, it will be there again tomorrow.

King Belshazzar learned a horrible lesson by not honoring the sovereign God who is over all things. He not only did not honor God but blasphemed Him by using the sacred vessels from the Temple in Jerusalem in worshiping idol gods. We may not ever go that far in not honoring God but let everyday be a reminder of all that God does for us, from supplying our needs and providing us with His creation to enjoy. May we not hear, “But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!” (Dan.5:23 nlt)

Devotionals

Safety in the House of God

Loring Schultz

“But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.” Psalm 52:8 NLT

Photo by Rafael Albaladejo on Pexels.com

Churches across the globe have been considered sacred places of refuge for centuries. Most notable in times of war, churches were shelters for all who entered through their doors whosever side they were on. Sanctury churches today have a much more complicated task within the twists and turns of world culture. But the mission remains the same, to protect by providing refuge in the house of God.

When David was on the run from King Saul who was in pursuit to kill him, David penned Psalm 52. David describes the wickedness of his enemies and God’s judgement on them as he rests safely in God’s protection. David writes, “But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.” (Ps.52:8 nlt) Olive trees live a span of hundreds of years. David is putting his trust in the lasting mercy of God for protection. Olive trees also represent prosperity. Being in God’s presence (house of God) David would not only find safety but will grow in his knowledge of Him. David is filled with praise in the sanctuary of God, “I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people.” (Ps.52:9 nlt)

Psalm 52 is a picture of the reality of evil around us, but also of the justice of God in protecting His children while administrating judgment on the wicked of our day. Christians should take comfort that we are in the house of God, our place of refuge through the Holy Spirit, and are safe as we thrive in His presence praising Him!

Read: Psalm 52 NLT – Psalm 52 – For the choir director: A – Bible Gateway