Tag: Sin

Devotionals

How specific is your faith? Do you believe Jesus is God the Son?       

Loring Schultz

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John 1:1, 14 NLT

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The term ‘faith’ when referencing Christianity means different things to different people. It is used in a general sense as ‘people of faith.’ Some Christians say, ‘I am a person of faith,’ ‘I have faith,’ and ‘you got to have faith,’ etc… There are more examples we can name, but the point is numerous people speak of their Christian faith in general terms.

Christians who speak specifically of their Christian faith refer to God’s saving plan of salvation. God sent His Son to die on the cross for their sins. It is by grace one is saved through ‘faith’ by accepting Christ as savior.

The keys to the game as referred to in the sports world is, God being holy can only accept a perfect, holy sacrifice in the forgiveness of sin. Another key is we must acknowledge our sin and our need to be forgiven and made right with God. We must repent and confess our sin believing that Jesus Christ is the only perfect, holy sacrifice. We must come to realize Jesus is indeed God the Son able to save us from our sin and eternal death.

World history recognizes a man named Jesus who walked the earth over 2,000 years ago. There are few people who dispute this by agreeing to the content of the historical Jesus in history books. Believing only in the historical Jesus is equivalent to saying you are a person of faith, believing only He was a man who walked the earth doing great things. If your faith carry’s you so far as to admit Jesus was sent from God but far short of believing He is God the Son, your understanding of salvation is distorted. If you think just having faith, believing there is a God, doing good deeds, and learning what you can from Jesus’ example, is enough to get by in this world and into heaven, you’re mistaken.

Jesus was not just a good man, a good teacher, a prophet, or miracle worker, He is God the Son. If Jesus was only good man, His death for the sacrifice of our sin would be meaningless. How specific is your faith? Is your faith in Jesus, God the Son, having accepted Him as your savior, or is your faith in the historical Jesus, a good man who walked the earth.

Devotionals

Small Beginnings

Loring Schultz

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Zechariah 4:10 NLT

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The Jews had to start over, so to speak, in formal worship to God in the Temple. The Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar during the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jews were carried off to Babylon. Judah was held in captivity for 70 years before being allowed to return home. Upon returning home, the work of rebuilding the Temple would soon take place. They had to start over.

As the work began many of the older people were dismayed at the smaller size of the Temple compared to the old Temple that was destroyed. “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.” (Ez.3:12 nlt) Discouragement was felt by those who saw the work as insignificant, but the Lord was pleased that the work had begun. It may have been a small beginning, but the Jews were given the opportunity to start over now that they were back in the Promised Land.

Has the Lord God given you another chance to start over and restore your relationship with Him? It may not be the same at first, and it may be a fraction of what it was. In comparison, it’s not even close to where you had been, but God will be please when you take up that opportunity and begin again. He is the God of second, third, fourth, and fifth, chances. Don’t despise these small humble beginnings He is giving you. No matter what brought you to this place, confess your sin before God, accept His forgiveness, and start a new relationship with Him however small the beginning, and thank Him for another chance He has afforded you at the start of this New Year.

Devotionals

Why Christ came as Flesh and Blood

Loring Schultz

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” Hebrews 2:14 ESV

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The image of a baby boy in a manger is precious in our sight during the Christmas season. As Christmas Eve draws closer, the thought of that silent night fills our hearts and minds with great anticipation. The sounds of ‘Away in the Manger, ‘Silent Night,’ and ‘O Holy Night’ fill the air. Little thought is given to the image of the Christ child 33 years later suffering on the cross at Calvary. But that is why Christ came, and why He came as flesh and blood.

The writer of the book of Hebrews says that it was through Christ death on the cross that He destroyed Satan who has the power of death. Jesus conquered death by His resurrection three days later. He could only do that if He became like us and took on our physical nature of flesh and blood. Jesus not only conquered death, but He satisfied God’s required payment for our sins by His death. The apostle John tells us “He is the propitiation (appeasement or satisfaction) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1Jn.2:2 esv) “For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” (Heb.9:22b nlt)

A third reason why Christ came as flesh and blood is He can help us in our time of need when tempted. “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Heb.2:18 esv) It is hard for us to imagine how Jesus was tempted in the same way we are today, but Scripture records it. We need to take it by faith. Matthew records Satan tempted Jesus with ‘the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.’ (Mt.4:1-11) And Jesus withstood the temptations. By coming in the flesh and taking on our physical nature Jesus can sympathize with our struggles and is there to help us through the Holy Spirit.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb.4:15 esv)  

Read: Hebrews 2:14-18 ESV – Since therefore the children share in – Bible Gateway

Listen to Silent Night:

Devotionals

The Real Meaning of Christmas: Salvation from Sin

Loring Schultz

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 KJV

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As I was taking my shower this morning the old hymn ‘Nothing But the Blood’ was playing through my phone. (and No, I do not sing in the shower) The first verse is as follows, ‘What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” A thought came to mind, how little the word ‘sin’ is referenced anywhere or by anybody these days, and sadly even in some churches. How many people ever think of themselves as a sinner? My guess is, not many.

During the Christmas season the word ‘sin’ is heard more often publicly than any other time throughout the year. Of course, you need to be in a church service during the month or listen to Christmas songs or carols that focus on the birth of Christ rather than ‘Please come home for Christmas, if not for Christmas by New Year’s night.’ Lyrics to familiar Christmas carols are known and sung by many people during Christmas never giving thought to the meaning other than its part to ‘the most wonderful time of the year.’ But the real meaning of ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ is Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins.

If we are not sinners, only doing a few bad things occasionally like telling a ‘white lie,’ why would Jesus need to come and save us. The truth is all of us have been born with a sin nature and we do what comes naturally, we sin. Whether we think we are not, justifying our sin because everybody does it, we are all guilty before God. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Ro.3:23 kjv) That is why Jesus came, to save us from our sins by shedding His blood on the cross at Calvary for, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Devotionals

Understanding Biblical Rebuke: A Path to Growth

Loring Schultz

“Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. Don’t let me refuse it.” Psalm 141:5a NLT

“Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” Proverbs 27:6 NLT

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I don’t believe any of us like it when we are called out for a particular sin or behaving in a displeasing manner, especially from a friend. Perhaps worse yet be it from an elder in your church or the pastor. We may come up with many excuses of which none are valid. Criticism of church leadership sometimes follows in the familiar rhetoric of ‘who are they to judge.’ Well, they are to judge with righteous judgment the flock Jesus, the great shepherd, has given them.

Peter’s words to pastors are this, “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.” (1Pt.5:2 nlt) Paul instructs the young pastor, Timothy, “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.” (2Tim.4:2 nlt) Good teaching is not only spoken from the pulpit or the classroom, but through godly rebuke and discipline for correction to one who has sinned. It may hurt, but it is a comforting blow. The psalmist describes it by saying, “Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. Don’t let me refuse it.” (Ps.141:5a nlt)

Correction through a rebuke is never pleasant but is sometimes necessary. It is a blow, but a godly blow. It is given in kindness for the benefit of the one who receives it. It is for correction and is the medicine that is needed. If we are smart, we won’t refuse it. And if it happens to come from a friend, a true friend, remember, “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” (Pr.27:6 nlt) They have your best interest at heart.

Bible Studies

“Godly Leaders’ Work is Never Done” Godly Leadership: the book of Nehemiah

Loring Schultz

“So I purged out everything foreign and assigned tasks to the priests and Levites, making certain that each knew his work. I also made sure that the supply of wood for the altar and the first portions of the harvest were brought at the proper times. Remember this in my favor, O my God.” Nehemiah 13:30-31 NLT

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We have come to end of our study of godly leaders from the book of Nehemiah, but the work, unfortunately, for godly leaders never comes to an end. That is why godly leaders are needed in every facet of society. Last week we recalled the influence Nehemiah, Ezra, and the other leaders had on the people encouraging them and participating with them in the dedication of Jerusalem’s rebuilt walls. The people responded by celebrating and worshiping God. “Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given the people cause for great joy. The women and children also participated in the celebration, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away.” (Neh.12:43 nlt) You may have heard this saying, ‘when the cat’s away, the mice will play.’ Well, Nehemiah was away, back serving the king, and the people playfully went back to their old ways.

Before we are quick to condemn the people of Judah, we should look at ourselves in the mirror, me included. How many times have we repented our sins and past actions, only to repeat them when no one is around to notice. My point is that we need godly leaders around us to help us toe the line. Godly leaders are not perfect as we observed a few weeks back, but they are used by God and need our continue prayers.

Nehemiah may have received word of the turning back of the people while in Persia serving King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah had been back in Persia close to twelve years, enough time for the people to unravel a lot of the reforms that he had put in place. There was inter-marriage taking place again with foreigners. The children from these marriages could not speak the Hebrew language, but the languages of foreign nations. This command of separation from foreigners was for religious purposes and was not racial or political.

The Temple of God was being desecrated. Tobiah, an archenemy of the Jews, had now taken residence in the Temple courtyard where the articles for sacrifice were stored. Eliashib, a priest and supervisor of the storerooms in the Temple, was persuaded by Tobiah to provide accommodations for him while visiting Jerusalem. Tobiah used his influence as a relative to convince Eliashib to the point of moving out the articles for the Temple and bringing in Tobiah’s idols of worship.

In addition, the people neglected to support the priests and Levites who served in the Temple. As a result, they had to neglect their duties in the Temple and return to the fields to support themselves and their families. The Law of Sabbath was also being broken again. Work was being done, and business was transacted on the Sabbath day as any other day of the week.

As mentioned above, Nehemiah may have heard of what was taking place in Jerusalem. There was a reading from the book of Moses ‘on that same day.’ (Neh.13:1) This could have been the anniversary of the dedication of the wall years earlier. Notably, Ezra the scribe, was not present, but what he reinstated was still being carried on. The people may have drifted away, but not so far that they neglected the reading of the Word. Through this reading there was conviction. Perhaps, Nehemiah heard this and responded by coming back.

Nehemiah returned and put new reforms in place. His first act was throwing Tobiah out of the Temple storerooms with all his belongings. “I became very upset and threw all of Tobiah’s belongings out of the room.” (Neh.13:8 nlt) Nehemiah displayed the righteous anger Jesus displayed 450 years later, “Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.” (Mt.21:12 nlt) Godly leaders should not be afraid and hold back righteous anger when it is called for. It needs to be on displayed, but in a godly way and according to God’s righteousness and justice. Nehemiah then performed a ceremonial cleaning in purifying the Temple storerooms.

The Levites were brought back into the Temple to perform their duties. Tithes were coming back into the Temple and the Levites were being supported for their work. Nehemiah appointed four men of good reputation as treasurers to oversee the distribution to the Levites. These overseers included a Priest, a Levite, a Scribe, and a lay person. A good model to follow today, honest people with different positions working together, and don’t forget the lay person.

Nehemiah then addressed the profaning of the Sabbath. He rebuked the people for working and conducting business on the Sabbath. He called out the nobles by saying to them, “Wasn’t it just this sort of thing that your ancestors did that caused our God to bring all this trouble upon us and our city? Now you are bringing even more wrath upon Israel by permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way!” (Neh.13:18 nlt) Nehemiah commanded the gates to shut from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday threatening violators with arrest if they continued to buy and sell on the Sabbath.

Lastly, and yes again, Nehemiah had to deal with the sin of inter-marriage with pagans. His response may seem a little harsh, but the cat is back, and the mice are guilty. “So I confronted them and called down curses on them. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. I made them swear in the name of God that they would not let their children intermarry with the pagan people of the land. (Neh.13:25 nlt) Nehemiah’s actions were to prevent this sin from occurring again in the future. He reminded them Solomon was the wisest and most powerful king in the world, and he was brought down by the influence of his foreign wives. The same would happen to them if they continued in this practice.

As we can see, godly leaders are needed for there is always work to do. We could say it’s job security, but it takes the right individual. A godly leader is one who is above reproach, committed to God, and to His work, His justice, His leadership, and must have a desire to do everything for God’s glory. Nehemiah’s motive throughout his ministry was to please and serve God. Godly leaders know it’s not about them, but what God will do through them.

Read: Nehemiah 13 NLT – Nehemiah’s Various Reforms – On that – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Sin’s Deadly Destruction

Loring Schultz

‘“Repent and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? I don’t want you to die,’ says the Sovereign LORD. ‘Turn back and live!’” Ezekiel 18:30b-32 NLT

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Sin has a way of ruining our lives. You can bet, if you’re involved in some illegal activity long enough, you’ll get caught and pay the price. Illicit sexual behavior will result in broken homes, broken relationships and broken individuals. Habitual lying disgraces your reputation where you can’t be trusted even when you are telling the truth in an urgent manner. Yes, sin is known to ruin us, for the author of sin is Satan, the father of lies and all things contrary to God.

The prophet Ezekiel prophesized to the remaining people left in Judah to repent of their sins as they were about to be destroyed by the Babylonians. There was still a chance for them to escape the same fate their predecessors faced if they repented their sins and turned to the Lord. The Lord speaking through Ezekiel says, “Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel?” (Ez.18:31 nlt) A holy God must judge sin, and the people of Israel were guilty on all counts, and judgement was coming. But God also said, ‘“I don’t want you to die, says,’ the Sovereign LORD. ‘Turn back and live!’” (Ez.18:32 nlt)

The Lord God gives us the same message today, ‘I don’t want you to die, turn back and live!’ God is a merciful, just and holy God, and because He is just and holy, He must judge sin. “For the wages of sin is death.” (Ro.6:23a nlt) All of us die physically due to our sin nature. Our spiritual death is just payment for our sins and rejecting Christ as savior.  But God is also a merciful God who does not want us to die spiritually and be separated from Him, but to turn to His Son Jesus and live eternally. “But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro.6:23b nlt)

Sin does have a way of ruining lives, and if not dealt with can bring about deadly destruction and even an early death. But even more tragic is the deadly destruction of your soul if you haven’t repented and accepted Christ as your savior There will be an eternal separation of spiritual death from God the Father and eternity in heaven. Don’t go another day without making it right with the Lord, He wants you to live.

Find Peace with God | Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Devotionals

Have You Hurt God?

Loring Schultz

“They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols.” Ezekiel 6:9 NLT

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When you think about God, what comes to mind? How about His awesome power in creating the earth and the entire universe. Maybe you are drawn to His awareness of every occurrence in the world at the same time, or perhaps it is the comfort you receive knowing that God hears your prayers went millions of people are also in prayer with Him. Words cannot do justice in describing God. Our best attempts in characterizing God will fail. He is so awesome, powerful, holy, loving, all-knowing, the list goes on……….and on………and on. There are also not enough words, so I guess we will leave at that.

Have you ever thought of God’s emotions? Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (nlt) We know that we are emotional beings, some more than others. If we are made in God’s image, it stands to reason that God is an emotional God. If we can display emotion, God certainly can.

Have you ever been hurt by someone? Had your heart broken? Have you caused the hurt of someone and broken their heart? If your answer is yes to either circumstance, you know both how it feels when you were hurt and the effects your actions had on the one you hurt. Now comes the hard part. Have you ever hurt God? Our emotional God can also be hurt by our actions.

The Lord speaking through Ezekiel, concerning Judah, said, “Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their detestable sins.” The Lord God was sending them into exile for 70 years for their sins against Him, sins that hurt Him deeply by turning to idols.

How many idols do we have in our own lives that are hurting God? We may have never thought about this quite this way before, but our sins against God does hurt Him. Our unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes towards our idols take us away from Him, and yes, He’s hurt. May we have faithful hearts, and our eyes be gazed on Him.

Bible Studies

“Godly Leaders lead the people in confession and repentance” Godly Leadership: the book of Nehemiah

Loring Schultz

“The people responded, ‘In view of all this, we are making a solemn promise and putting it in writing. On this sealed document are the names of our leaders and Levites and priests.’ The document was ratified and sealed with the following names: The governor: Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and also Zedekiah.” Nehemiah 9:38-10:1 NLT

 
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The walls and gates around Jerusalem were completed, the enemies of the Jews have backed off, the city has been repopulated, worship was restored, and the festivals commanded by the Lord were taking place, but there was some unfinished business to take care of. The people were deeply convicted of their sin as we learned last week in chapter 8, but there was no formal acknowledgement and confession. Nehemiah chapter 9 opens with, “On October 31 the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads.” (Neh.9:1 nlt) Christians at times resemble the Jews here in Nehemiah. We are convicted of sin but continue to go along without dealing with it or we just go through the motions hoping that feeling will go away. It needs to be dealt with, and the people of Israel understood this and the leaders to action in leading them.

The Levites led the reading of God’s Word for three hours followed by three hours of confessing their sins and worshiping God. Confession of sin is an act of worship to a holy God, praising Him, as we confess, for His forgiveness and restoring us as if we have never sinned. Coming before Him with the right attitude, humbling ourselves is a manner of worship. The Jews had fasted beforehand and covered themselves with dust dressing in burlap. They had shown their distress over their sin. We don’t need to go that far today, but that same attitude can and should be expressed through prayer and fasting.

The Jews separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their sins, which was a very hard thing to do. Some of these foreigners were heathen women which God had commanded not to intermingle with. They were now married to them and possibly had children. Sin has a way of complicating our lives in a way we never thought possible. There is an old saying, ‘Sin will take you further than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to be kept, and cost you more than you wanted to spend.’  Once entangled in sin, the only way out is complete confession and repentance to the Lord.

The Levites led a prayer to God on behalf of the people. (Neh.9:5-37) The prayer begins by acknowledging God’s greatness and majesty, a good place for us to start when we pray. They continued with reciting Israel’s history from the Abrahamic covenant to their time in Egypt and the wandering in the wilderness, through the conquest and settlement of the Promised Land, through the judges, the prophets, and up to the present situation. God’s on-going goodness to Israel is noted along with each time throughout history their fathers disobeyed and sinned against God and now the present generation has done the same.

The people were yearning for that same goodness God had shown to their father’s generation by responding, “In view of all this, we are making a solemn promise and putting it in writing.” (Neh.9:38a nlt) They were making an appeal for a new covenant agreeing to follow God’s Laws. The leaders, priests, and Levites signed the document, “On this sealed document are the names of our leaders and Levites and priests The document was ratified and sealed with the following names: The governor: Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and also Zedekiah.” (Neh.9:38b 10:1 nlt) The godly leaders took the first step and put their names on the document of confession and promised repentance. It is sad, but some of them were also guilty of the same sins, but they led in a godly manner of confession and repentance before the people.

Godly leaders today can fall into sin as we are often reminded. Their true character will come to light even more so in how they respond to their downfall. Is there full confession and repentance or are there excuses and cover-ups that eventually cause them to disappear from the scene? Our pastors and spiritual leaders need our constant daily prayers. Satan does not rest but is continually scheming to bring them down.

The leaders in Jerusalem set an honest godly example for the people who “joined their leaders and bound themselves with an oath. They swore a curse on themselves if they failed to obey the Law of God as issued by his servant Moses. They solemnly promised to carefully follow all the commands, regulations, and decrees of the LORD our Lord.” (Neh.10:29 nlt) They agreed not to intermarry with non-Jewish people. They agreed to keep the Sabbath free from commercial activity, support the Sabbatical year, and to support the needs of the Temple.

The book of Nehemiah is filled with examples of godly leadership, all in which are applicable for our day, but as mentioned above some of them did fall. They led the people into sin by either ignoring the sins they had seen being committed or the people followed their lead. Either way, we need to remember we are all sinners. That is not a reason to excuse the sin or dismiss the sinner, but to pray for confession and repentance. May godly leaders continue to lead the way.

Read: Nehemiah 9-10 NLT – The People Confess Their Sins – On – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

The Stone was Rolled Away    

Loring Schultz

“Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.” Matthew 28:2 NLT

Photo by Pisit Heng on Unsplash

You possibly may have heard it said when Jesus rose from the dead, ‘the stone was rolled away not to let Jesus out, but to show the tomb was empty.’ Indeed, it was. Jesus rose in His new glorified body and had no need for a door to be opened for Him. Matthew tells us an angel descended amid a great earthquake and rolled away the stone, and just in time for Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, had just arrived at the tomb. The women were discussing along the way how would they move the stone away to anoint Jesus’ body which they had intended to do. (Mk.16:3) There was a barrier of a large stone between them and Jesus that needed to be moved. But as they arrived, the stone had rolled away.

Is there a stone in your life that needs to be rolled away that is creating a barrier between you and the Lord? Your busy work schedule is causing you to lose all interests in the things of God, the things of this world are winning the battle to be on top of your priority list, or perhaps it’s some besetting sin that is continually reoccurring that is the stone needing to be rolled away. So, what do you do?

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, met Jesus on the road while running from the tomb. The stone had been rolled away and Jesus wasn’t in the tomb but stood before them alive. The stone has been rolled away to show you that Jesus has risen from the dead. He is alive, ready, willing, and able to forgive your stones of sin and break down that barrier by rolling those sins away and placing them under His blood to be remembered no more. Ask Jesus to place those sinful stones at the foot of His cross by confessing and repenting of them, and He will. The stone was rolled away for our benefit. Jesus is not dead, He’s our living savior ready to forgive.

Read: MATTHEW 28:1-15 NLT – The Resurrection – Early on Sunday – Bible Gateway