Daily In His Love / Weekly Devotions for your Mind and Spirit

Well Done Faithful Servant

September 13, 2022September 27, 2022 Inge Schultz

Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
Matthew 25:21

To hear the words of our Lord, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” when our end has come on the earth would be a great joy. May this be the words we all hear when our time has come to an end. Well done, thou good and faithful servant, I pray is what Queen Elizabeth hears as she enters into heaven. In the world today, we would rather fight our way to the top of some kind of glory or status symbol, but for Queen Elizabeth it was handed down the throne of rulership. In 1952 Queen Elizabeth was not afraid to ask for prayer before her coronation. This was quoted in the written obituary of Christianity Today online news . . .

“I want to ask you all, whatever your religion may be, to pray for me on that day,” she said, “to pray that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.”
Died: Queen Elizabeth II, British Monarch Who Put Her Trus…… | News & Reporting | Christianity Today

As we all mourn the loss of Queen Elizabeth, let us remember that every human being will give an account of their “talents,” along with every ruler around the world. Stewardship is very important to our Lord in how we use what God has given us. We are given a special talent to the work of our hands to which the Lord blesses. We must remember that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” [see Matthew 12:34]. This bears much thought and meditation to give heed to what the written word states.

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Matthew 12:35-36

It is the heart that determines the path of men either for good or bad. Can we say along with the Queen, “I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad.” How much have you relied on your own faith in Christ Jesus? Our identity is at stake along with a sense of belonging for every individual living in the world. Let us consider where we each stand on this day. It is a time to evaluate our own heart before the Lord God. As the Queen has said that our responsibilities go way beyond ourselves. Any selfish desires are put aside for the good of all. We must all be faithful to what we were called to do in this world. We must all ask God through the Holy Spirit to guide us in the path we should take. Whatever we do, we do it for the glory of God.

What will our Christian conduct be during the time we now live in? We are to be soberminded and watch as we pray not only for ourselves but for our brothers and sisters and those who rule over us. We should have a heartfelt love for each other and be hospitable. We find these words in 1st. Peter chapter four.

But the end of all things is at hand; be ye, therefore, soberminded, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent love among yourselves; for love shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
1 Peter 4:7-10

We are to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Let us repent if there is anything that is with-holding us from being good stewards. Remember that God resisted the proud but gives grace to the humble. These past years has seen many challenges in all areas of our life. It is time to take stock of ourselves and to consider where our identity and the sense of belonging lies in. Is it in Christ Jesus or is it in something else. Only you yourself can answer this question. Our faith is in Christ Jesus who is the author and the finisher of our faith [see Hebrews 12:2]. Let us stand on a sure foundation where Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone [see Ephesians 2:20]. Let us then grow into a holy temple in the Lord where we are built up into a habitation of God through the Spirit [see Ephesians 2:20-22]. We belong to God and our inheritance is in God alone. This is our identity and sense of belonging.

As we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, let us cast all our cares upon Him who cares for us. Let us be sober, for the devil, like a roaring lion is walking about seeking someone to devour. Let us stand fast in our faith knowing that there are brothers and sisters in the world who are also under afflictions, pain and distress [ see 1 Peter 5:7-9]. We are to have patience like Job who suffered many things and is said in verse 22 of Job chapter one, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God with folly.” The Lord was merciful with Job, and He is merciful to all those who belong to him. Even though we may suffer for a while, our God is perfecting, establishing, strengthening and settling us in our vocation and life here upon the earth until our time has ended.

Will we follow Christ’s example like Queen Elizabeth who exclaimed in 2016 Christmas Broadcast, “billions of people now follow his teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe.” We can learn from the words of the queen as well as from the word of the apostle Paul who tells us to fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold of eternal life, but not before he stated to flee from the temptation of coveting and money.

But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness.”
1 Timothy 6:11

Can we follow after these things as stated above? Can we flee from the temptation of coveting and money. God has surely blessed Queen Elizabeth but remember no one can walk in her shoes. She took her vows seriously and worked hard through the years and has endured many hardships. She has encouraged many to carry on, for each day is a new day. Each day we are given opportunities to do good unto others. What value do you have in doing small things with great love? Let us follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness and continue to do small things with great love. I thank God for Queen Elizabeth’s service to her people. Let us continue to pray for the Royal family and other leaders throughout the world. May God bless us all richly in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Holiness, Righteousness, Servant

Yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. . .

April 13, 2021February 6, 2022 Inge Schultz

Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Exodus 15:11

Who is like unto thee, O Lord? So glorious in holiness is He. Yet, the apostle Paul is telling us to yield our members to righteousness unto holiness. Through Christ we become servants of righteousness unto holiness. Holiness is to be SEPARATE, TO BE SET APART FOR THE LORD. We were purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. We were bought with a price. The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:22-23, “likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” We are Christ’s servants. We respect everyone knowing the time is short, for we serve the Lord in righteousness and holiness. Only through Christ is love made perfect, anything else is consider vanity. “They speak vanity everyone with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak,” said David in Psalms 12:2.

Have you ever considered what it means to have a double heart? A double heart is one who pretends to be your friend, but deep down in his heart he has something against you. It is a form of falsehood. It is like the saying that they will be your friend to your face, and then stab you in the back. It is a breach of confidence and trust. We must be aware that there are some who fall into the double heart situation due to an unfruitful desire that they have. A desire that is contrary to the will of God. If one does not surrender that desire to the Lord, they are in danger of becoming a slave unto sin instead of a slave unto Christ. Therefore, Paul told us to set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth, [see Colossians 3:2]. We must have Christ righteousness and holiness. We are to seek after the Kingdom of God and his righteousness [see Matthew 6:33]. Through Christ, we have been freed from our sins and became the servants of righteousness.

Let us continue to hold fast our profession in Christ Jesus. Let us not stumble and allow our faith to become useless. We must hold onto our profession with a clean heart knowing that Christ is the sure foundation for our faith. Our heart must be pure so we can see God [see Matthew 5:8]. It is through Christ that we have the ministry of reconciliation. Thank God that we have a high priest who is familiar with our weaknesses, so we can go to him in prayer. Jesus had strong words of warning about false profession in Matthew 7:21-23. Many would ignore the warning, but my friend it is real and as a Christian we must learn and heed Christ warning about having a false profession of our faith and consider that not everyone will be entering the kingdom of heaven. Those who say I did this for the Lord, and I did that for the Lord may have a double heart. God knows who they are. James said it well in the following scripture.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
James 1:22-24 KJV

We are not to deceive ourselves. We all should look at ourselves in a mirror and behold what we see. We should not forget what manner of man we were, going our own way. Surrender all to the Lord and take the narrow road to holiness and righteousness. Always keep our eyes on Christ. Allow Christ Spirit to cleanse your heart and mind. Ask in prayer to be clothed into the Spirit of Christ. That is what it means to put on Christ who is created in righteousness and true holiness. Scott Underwood song titled “Take My Life,” expresses the desire well in what we need, and that our heart, mind, and will need to be converted.

Light, Servant

Behold my Servant

April 6, 2021 Inge Schultz

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth justice to the nations.
Isaiah 42:1

Christ is the servant of the Lord God to bring forth justice to the nations. Through the ages the blood of Christ will restore all those around the world who walked in the light of His Glory. Occasionally we hear the stories of missionaries who gave their all to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No matter what the future holds, we must remember that God’s soul delights in His servant Jesus Christ. Isaiah wrote and foretold the prophecies back in the 8th Century before Christ was born. In chapter 42 from verse one to seven we read about the coming Servant who was weak, despised, rejected, and slain, yet He was mighty and victories restoring Israel as well as the Gentiles to a new body in Christ, which is the church.

He shall bring forth justice to the nations, open the blind eyes, and bring out those who sit in darkness out of prison. Let us not cause another to stumble, let us not fall from doing what is right. Let us grow in the root of Christ love as is stated in Ephesians 3:17, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.” Let the seed take root in knowing who He is through the word and may it resonate within our hearts. May we not be offended like Jesus said in Matthew 13:21,”yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, immediately he is offended.” What does offend mean here in this scripture? It means to cause to stumble, or to hinder right conduct or thought. What did Jesus say chokes out the word? Is it not unbelief, offense, care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, [see Matthew 13:19-23]? What is the mystery of the tares in this same chapter 13 of Matthew? Jesus said that it is the Son of Man that sows the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom, which is on the earth. The enemy is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age or world. This is what we must chew on and comprehend. We must pray to have our understanding enlightened.

Christ purpose as a servant is to bring justice and light to the nations upon the earth. Christ purpose is to call humans into his light and glory. To be free from the many chains that has bound us into a prison. This includes racism which is the belief that one color or race of people is better than another. I have had first-hand experience with this having our house graffitied, egged, and toilet papered in the 60’s due to an assumption that was not based upon the truth. We are told in scripture, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus [see Galatians 3:28]. No person or individual is better than another, for we are one body in Christ. The apostle Paul made that clear in Romans 12:5.

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Romans 12:5

Plus, all members of the body have different offices. Members have different gifts according to God’s grace that is given within the body. The apostle Paul told us not to think of ourselves highly above anyone [see verse 3 of Romans 12]. There should be no jealousy or envying among members positions in the body of Christ, for we are members of each other. In Christ there is no status quo, for everyone is willing to help another when a real need exists.

It is so easy to go to war with each other over any issue. Recent political events across America are an example of how divisions are created because of political beliefs. Violence has broken out between neighbors who were once friends. Within the wall of the church, we may find the same issues of divisions. What should a Christian brother or sister do. What did the apostle Paul tell the Ephesians to do in chapter 6:12-13, “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.” Paul goes on to tell us what that armor is. Keeping it simple, it is putting on Christ, knowing our position in Christ, and praying always. We must remember that the battle belongs to the Lord. Remember that there was no sword in the hand of David when he prevailed over the Philistine. David knew the battle belonged to the Lord see 1 Samuel chapter 17. We must realize that the seed that is planted is for His harvest and that He has called us to unity within the body of Christ. We must recognize who the enemy is and pray for the light to shine forth in the darkness. Lord help us to be a light in a dark place and help us to pray for the saints around the world. Give us all strength to carry His light for all to see, and let us stay rooted in Christ Love, in Jesus’ name, Amen.