Word for the Soul

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” Matthew 5:22 NASB

How we treat one another in the body of Christ is important. Anger is an issue that if not under control will lead to unfortunate circumstances between us and our brothers and sisters in the Lord. It is not only the result of unchecked anger that is the harm, but the seriousness the Lord God puts on it as explained by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus equates the anger in the heart as the same hate in the heart which leads to murder and is liable to the court. “You have heard that the ancients were told ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’” (Mt.5:21 nasb) The verbal abuse of calling a brother or sister an idiot or ‘you good-for-nothing’ stems from the same internal attitude of sinful motives which Jesus says will find you guilty before the supreme court. Jesus is serious about uncontrolled anger in our lives because it is a serious issue.

Our personal relationships other Christians are obviously hurt through this display of anger and reckless speech. Jesus addresses a remedy for reconciliation by saying, “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering.” (Mt.5:23-24 nasb) In other words, before you engage in worship with other believers make things right with those you have harmed. The Lord wants us to guard our relationships with those of like faith in the kingdom of God, it’s serious business.

Devotionals

Who are our neighbors?

January 6, 2026January 5, 2026 Loring Schultz

Read: Luke 10:25-37 NLT – The Most Important Commandment – One – Bible Gateway

“The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” Luke 10:29 NLT

We have come accustomed to the word ‘neighbor’ meaning someone who resides fairly close to us. A neighborhood is a vicinity of family homes on the same street or development where people live. Some of us know our neighbors by name, usually those next to us or across the street. Some may even know most of the people on their block and are close friends with them. But then there are others who don’t know anything about the people who live right next door to them. There may not be that many, but enough to know we’ve become somewhat anti-social in the world in which we live. For the Christian, this ought not to be. Jesus explains who our neighbors are in the gospel of Luke. If we’re having trouble recognizing the people closest to us, what Jesus has to say about who are our neighbors are may shock you, but I trust it won’t.

One day Jesus answered a lawyer, an expert in Jewish law, who asked Him, ‘and who is my neighbor?’ after Jesus told him to ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ The lawyer wanted to justify himself with what he thought was the real question, who exactly then is my neighbor? Jesus told him the story of the good Samaritan who helped a Jewish man attacked and robbed by bandits and being left for dead. This beaten man was passed over by both a priest and a lay associate from the religious community offering no help. But a Samaritan comes along, a hated race among the Jews and vice-versa, he stops and helps this Jewish man. Jesus then asks the lawyer, ‘“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?’ The man replied, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Yes, now go and do the same.’” (Lk.10:36-37 nlt)

Our neighbors are clearly all those who need our help, not necessarily only those in our neighborhood. They are those we may have nothing in common with, not even the same language. Christians and the local church have the responsibility to help care for the needs of their community and those we come in contact with who need our help. First and foremost, in the presentation of the gospel message by being the light of Christ in a dark world. Then to be true neighbors in helping those in need in the name of Christ, bandaging their wounds and caring for them until such a time they are restored and are themselves able to help others. May we know who our neighbors are and be good neighbors.

Devotionals

Have you considered my servant?

January 5, 2026January 4, 2026 Loring Schultz

“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” Job 1:8 NIV

How well do you handle adversity? The troubles that come into your life will determine your relationship with God by how you will react. Do you seek after God during a personal crisis for comfort and guidance, or do you blame God and demand an answer, even cursing God for the tragedies that are occurring? Those of us who are Christians are reminded, that no matter how hard it can be to accept, God is in control. He allows the events in our lives to happen to draw us closer to Him and for His Glory.

We are given a glimpse of this reality in the book of Job. A conversation between God and Satan is unveiled in the first chapter of Job, verses 6-12. “Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’” Satan, the adversary, accuses Job of being upright only due to the fact that God has bless him tremendously. He goes on to say if the Lord would stretch out his hand against him, then Job would curse God to His face. Satan is given the go ahead.

Unimaginable physical pain and suffering, along with the loss of his family and all his possessions is most likely the worst experience anyone ever encountered. As you read through the book of Job, you will find that Job, although very distraught at his suffering, never curses God, never loses his faith in God, and remains blameless and upright.

The Lord could say to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job,” because He knew Job could be trusted in following through continuing to trust God. The question is; can you and I be trusted to follow through continuing to trust God during our trails and suffering? Can the Lord say, ‘Have you considered my servant (your name here)’?

Bible Studies

SOLUS CHRISTUS (Christ Alone)

January 4, 2026January 3, 2026 Loring Schultz

Last week we looked at the first of the Five Solas of the Reformation, ‘Sola Scriptura’ or scripture alone. The Bible being sufficient for all we need in the way of Salvation records the truth of Jesus’s own words in the gospel of John, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’ (Jn.14:6) The second solas is ‘Solus Christus’ which states that salvation is only through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ alone. There is no other way to get to the Father except through Jesus and He doesn’t need any of our help to get us there. He is totally sufficient.

During the Reformation period, the church’s greatest need was to regain its focus on Christ as the head of the church. With that accomplished through Luther and the rest of the Reformers, the next step was to ensure the teaching of Scripture that Christ alone through faith was the only necessary means of salvation. Scripture confirms that Jesus is fully God and fully man making it possible for Him to be the only bridge between God and man. It was important for the Reformers to establish the Divine nature of Christ and His Human nature. The Reformers affirmed “The statement of faith made by the Council of Chalcedon (451). It reaffirms the Christological definitions of Nicaea and Constantinople and formally repudiates the errors of Nestorius and Eutyches. It declares Christ to be one Person in two natures, the Divine of the same substance as the Father, the human of the same substance as us; these are united unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, and inseparably.” (1)

Jesus as the only Savior, and the only way to God is the predicted Messiah in the Old Testament who was to come. The Hebrew word for Messiah is ‘mashiach,’ which means ‘anointed one.’ ‘Mashiach’ translated into Greek as ‘christos” translated into English as ‘Christ.’ Therefore Jesus Christ is the ‘Anointed One, Jesus the Messiah, the Savior.’

Note some verses from Scripture stating ‘Christ alone’ in Salvation. Jesus says to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (Jn. 14:6 nlt) And Jesus speaking to Nathanael after He called him to be His disciple said to him, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.” (Jn. 1:51 nlt) Jesus is referring to the book of Genesis and Jacob’s dream of a ladder descending from heaven. Jesus, the Messiah, is the ladder for access between God and man.

All of us are lost in our sin estranged from God with no help of reconciliation on our own. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.” (Is. 53:6 nlt) The Reformers witnessed the church falsely instructing people to secure their Salvation through indulgences and human works. Salvation is only available when full payment for our sin is paid for by the only one able to do so, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the sinless Son of God. And by faith in Christ (the ladder) and His death and resurrection, we have forgiveness of our sin and eternal life. ‘Solus Christus’ Christ alone is all sufficient for our Salvation.

(1) https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095600808

A Christian Perspective

Revival of the Nations

January 3, 2026January 2, 2026 Loring Schultz

There is an undercurrent here in the United States, and I believe in many nations around the world, of a spiritual revival about to take place. As in past history when people drift away from God, chaos erupts, society crumbles, and it appears all is lost. The cry of ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ is the sounding board used by many Christians to throw up their hands in defeat and give up. Yes, Jesus Christ is returning one day to rule, but it is in times like these that God raises up people to pick up the mantle of the gospel as the only way out of our present-day chaos. Individuals here in America and throughout the world are starting to have an impact on our current and future generations by following the Holy Spirit’s lead that revival starts with me, then the church, and then all nations.

What is revival?

The word ‘revival’ comes from two Latin words, ‘re’ meaning ‘again’ and ‘vivo’ which means ‘to live.’ So, the meaning is ‘to live again.’ Applying this to the Christian’s spiritual life it is the restoration of believers in Christ by the Holy Spirit’s work. This pertains to those of us who have also drifted away. There is no human strategy involved, but we are involved as we follow the Spirit’s leading. True revival starts small with a few people expanding to a group of people then to the whole church and on to other churches and cities around us exploding into the vast regions of the country in which we live. Richard W. DeHaan writes, “We shall consider ‘revival’ as that special season of refreshing when many believers simultaneously experience deep, Holy Spirit conviction, causing them to make private and public confession of sin, along with a renunciation of it…..and the whole experience bearing fruit in the salvation of the lost.” (1) Note that ‘revival’ is not political, it’s not governing, and it’s not claiming a special right or privilege. Revival is getting right with God which leads people to do the right and moral things in every aspect of their lives.

Who are the nations?

The word ‘nations’ used in the Bible both in the Old and New Testament means ‘people.’ The Hebrew word ‘goy’ is used as “nation, people.” In the New Testament, the Greek word used is ‘ethnos’ meaning “a race (Gentiles), people, a multitude living together.” Therefore we’re talking about people. This should quiet those who criticize movements of spiritual awakenings as found in some of our college campuses in the United States and elsewhere around the world as a political movement. It is not. It is the Holy Spirit working in the hearts and men and women who are serious about their relationship with Christ and desire to live accordingly.

Where do we go from here?

Pray! All Christians should be praying for revival in their own country and other countries around the world. It starts with individuals being sensitive to the Spirit’s call who is also calling others to join you and vice-versa. Don’t neglect the Holy Spirit’s nudging in this direction. Getting ourselves right with God, praying for others, and praying for those in authority to come to know Christ as savior will see a revival that will be hard to miss. Remember, revival is about changing lives. The rest will take of itself as revival expands through the nations.

(1) Richard W. DeHaan, Are We Confused About Revival? (Grand Rapids: Radio Bible Class), p. 1,2.

Devotionals

Looking for strength?

January 2, 2026December 31, 2025 Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 105:1-8 NLT – Psalm 105 – Give thanks to the LORD and – Bible Gateway

“Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.” Psalm 105:4 NLT

Photo by CRISTIAN CAMILO ESTRADA on Pexels.com

Finding newfound strength can come from the least expected places. You may get the right amount of strength needed to finish a job when your mind focuses on the benefits of the completed project. A sudden burst of energy comes through the eyes of a marathon runner as they see the finish line. A friend gives you an encouraging word to continue through your struggles, ‘you can make it’, so you go on. These examples and the like come when you need them the most and perhaps are a little unexpected. You were probably too exhausted to conjure them up, they just appeared.

For the Christian who is following the Lord, they may seem like unexpected places at the time but from God’s point of view, they should have been expected. When we receive them it is all the more reason to praise God for His strength, lest we think it was our strength. Really, it was not. Oh yes, our bodies performed the task but with the ability, strength, and wherewithal supplied by our creator, the Lord God. It gives me great pleasure to see so many athletes giving glory to God after a sporting event which ever side of the score they were on. They realize their strength and talents come from the Lord.

Psalm 105 is an exhortation to Israel to remember what the Lord had done for them. His faithfulness to them should result in praise and worship. Remembering God’s care for them and His miracles on their behalf should give them confidence to “search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.” (Ps.105:4 nlt) We should be able to do the same in 2026. Being in a frame of mind continuously seeking God we may not be surprised next time we get that expected strength but praise Him for it. But if we are surprised, that’s OK too. All the more reason to praise Him.

Devotionals

What’s done is done!

January 1, 2026December 30, 2025 Loring Schultz

“……but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:13b-14 NLT

You have heard the statement, ‘what’s done is done.’ That statement is very true, yet we try to undo what has already been done, and the fact is we can’t go back. Sure, there are corrective measures we can take to not repeat things we wish were done differently. We call this, ‘learning from our mistakes.’ But what good does it do to dwell on the past. It will only cloud our focus on the future. What’s done is done.

As we begin this New Year, don’t let the past interfere with your plans going forward, or more accurately, God’s plans for you going forward in 2026. Paul, the apostle, gives us his perspective of forgetting the past in writing to the church in Philippi. Paul viewed his Christian life as a race. Every runner knows it is disastrous to look back. Looking back will slow you down and takes your eye off the goal. The goal is the finish line. We often find ourselves looking back to our own demise. If our eyes come off the goal even for a moment, it could prove to be harmful.

Paul was explaining he hadn’t yet achieved the goal of Christlikeness, but he was still running and pursuing that goal. He was looking forward to what lies ahead, the finish line and the end of the race, when the heavenly prize (Christlikeness) is accomplished. Paul did not look back on his sinful past. What’s done is done. He was forgiven and assured of heaven and eternal life, no need to look back. Jesus saved him, and that also is done is done. Paul is forgetting all that is behind him and looking forward to that heavenly prize in Christ Jesus, Christlikeness.

May we keep looking forward, forgetting the past in the New Year. Every Christian’s goal in the 2026 should be moving towards Christlikeness. All other goals are secondary. Working towards that goal will set the priority for other goals we have in mind as the Lord leads us to where He is calling us.

Devotionals

Committed to Godliness

December 31, 2025December 30, 2025 Loring Schultz

“They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.” 1 Timothy 3:9 NLT

As 2025 comes to an end and we embark on a new year, ask yourself ‘was I able to fulfill any of the commitments I made for the year?’ If you have, praise God! There are not many of us who have been able to keep those well intended commitments. Any failed attempts during the year are concerning when we are seeking to improve in certain areas of our lives, but when we fail in our commitments to God concerning our spiritual lives it’s disastrous. We have failed God, ourselves, and all those around us.

The apostle Paul gave Timothy the qualifications he was to pass on to the those who would become deacons in the church. In the middle of these qualifications we find the essential and most important one, “They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.” (1Tim.3:9 nlt) The term ‘mystery of the faith’ refers to the truth of the gospel now revealed after being hidden until the resurrection of Christ. Jesus came to save sinners in which we are now to walk in the newness of life. Christians are to display Christ’s righteousness available through the Holy Spirit. Deacons must live a life that reveals the truth of the gospel which is living a life committed to godliness.

Although Paul is addressing future deacons of the church in this verse, this main qualification should be the commitment for every Christian to godliness in 2026. Those of us who know the Lord were called for a purpose. We are to share the gospel with others through words, through our lives, and through our commitment to godliness. Let’s make sure we fulfill this commitment all through 2026.

Devotionals

Travel lighter in the New Year

December 30, 2025December 29, 2025 Loring Schultz

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:29-30 NLT

We are rapidly approaching the eve of another New Year. Looking back throughout the current year, what burdens have you carried that were too much for you to bear? How often have you felt you were walking alone through all your difficulties? You imagine to yourself how much easier life would be if you had someone walking beside you helping to carry your burdens. But not just anyone, it needs to be someone who knows you intimately. One who understands your feelings, knows your hurts, knows your strengths and weaknesses and still loves you, one who will continue to walk with you helping and guiding you along the way. There is such a one and His burden is light.

Jesus teaching the way of salvation in the gospel of Matthew said the following, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28 NLT) Those in Jesus’s day as in our day struggled in finding the meaning of life, finding happiness and contentment, working exhaustively in trying everything and anything new looking for hope and that pie in the sky feeling. The truth is, what Jesus offers is more than an unrealistic pie in the sky moment, but a true reality of a light burden in this life as we trust in Him and walk with Him.

Jesus uses the example of being yoked with Him as two farming animals are yoked together with a wooden bar. The purpose was to distribute the weight evenly, lining them together in order to work efficiently with no extra burden on one or the other. The burden of plowing was made much easier by the wooden bar, and our burden in life is made much easier when we are yoked together with Christ. He knows us intimately, He is gentle, He will guide us and supply our need along the way, and it is where we can find rest only in Him. Jesus says, “For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Allow yourself to be yoked with Christ in 2026 and beyond and may we all travel lighter in the New Year!

Devotionals

Wholehearted Worship

December 29, 2025December 23, 2025 Loring Schultz

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 NASB

Is your heart always in everything you do, whatever it is? How many times do you utter the phrase, “My heart’s just not in this.” It could be a work project, which would be understandable, or it could be an enjoyable recreation activity and you still cannot get your whole heart interested and excited. Let’s face it we all have days like that, sometimes for good reasons, but not always.

When it comes to Worshiping God we need to desire that our hearts be in it, 100% in it, but then again we know that is not always the case. King David was particularly conscious of this. He wrote “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, Be acceptable in Your sight.” David wanted his worship, his prayers and his thoughts to be acceptable to his Lord, his Rock and his Redeemer. And we should want the same thing for us, but it is much more than an hour church service or a fifteen minute personal devotion time. I heard someone once say that, “Life is Worship.” We should be acknowledging God in everything we do; every aspect of our lives, our work, our play and our thoughts; we should be Worshipping God!

The way to Wholehearted Worship is to live your “Life as Worship.”