PASSIONATE LOYALTY

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

-- Ruth 1:16 (NIV)

Ruth had no reason to stay. Her husband was dead. Naomi even urged her to return to her own mother’s home: “I am too old to have another husband.” But Ruth promised: “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.” We don’t know a lot about Naomi, but she must have been a pretty special mother-in-law to inspire such passionate loyalty.

Are we passionate with our loyalty to anyone? So many times, loyalty seems to be lost these days. Husbands and wives cheat on each other and divorce. Friends betray friends. Both are all too common, even among Christians. We even have trouble with loyalty to the One who gave His life for us, and he’s far more incredible than even Naomi could ever be.

After all He’s done for us, doesn’t Jesus deserve our passionate loyalty the same way Ruth clung to Naomi? Who else deserves more loyalty than Jesus? We need to remind ourselves daily of all He’s done for us, and recommit our lives and our hearts to Him, saying: “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.” After all, such a commitment is nothing compared to the commitment He’s already made to us.

PRAYER: Oh Lord, help me to cling to you as Ruth clung to Naomi. Help me to desire to be with you the same way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

© 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Apologies for the long delay between posts. I hope I didn't lose all my readers. I have been busy on a number of projects, including my first novel, and because of agreements on a number of devotions up for publication that I will not release them first, I had to take a break. I will try and post at least once a week until I can get back up and going. God Bless!

TEARFUL DEVOTION

This is the third devotion in our series written for Worship Camp 2008 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. This was written by Jacob Tilton, Worship Director at Fort Worth Presbyterian Church.

by Jacob Tilton

Luke 7:36 “One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took as reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.”

The religious authorities of the day had organized a very special dinner and invited the popular new teacher to join them. Perhaps they are interested in wooing him into helping them with their political aspirations. A woman with a known reputation learns of where Jesus will be eating that evening. She desires to see Jesus and show her love and thankfulness to him as the only forgiver of sins, even if that means going to a dinner uninvited.

The woman was willing to break certain social rules and defy “proper” expectations in order to show her devotion and love to Jesus. She may have been looked down upon even more following this display of love. However, she was more concerned about honoring, loving and blessing her Lord than she was with following the expectations put upon her by the society and culture around her.

Am I willing to be a social outcast and suffer verbal abuse so that I may love and worship my Savior who alone has forgiven my sins? Do I desire to worship and fellowship with Him more than anything, including being well-thought of by others? May God give us hearts that love and fear Him more than we love and fear the approval of men.

PRAYER: Lord, my own tears anoint your feet in worship. May I humble myself daily to recognize that you are my forgiveness, and in you I find true meaning. Amen.

© 2008 Jacob Tilton/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

Christ-Centered Worship

This is the second devotional in our series written for Worship Camp 2008, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. This was written by the Worship Director of my church, Chesterfield Presbyterian Church, who is teaching keyboards at the camp this week.

by Ryan McMillen

"As you come to him, the living Stone-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5

Have you ever come to worship discouraged? Have you come reluctant because your life does not reflect the way of life God calls us to in his word? Perhaps you feel that you have nothing to offer to God in worship, or wonder if it even makes a difference whether or not you worship him. Because we fail to live the holy life that God requires, it's easy to think we should avoid meeting with him, singing, praying, and reading his word. But the Bible tells us that it is what God does in these times of worship that matters most.

When we come to worship, God is at work building us up into the people he wants us to be. He is using our worship to work in us, helping us grow and become more holy. In the hymn "Rock of Ages" the writer recognizes "nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling." When we humbly acknowledge our dependence on Jesus, we experience the blessing of fellowship with him in worship. And it is through Jesus that our times of worship glorify God. When our sin makes us feel like hiding or running from God, it is then that he invites us to come to him. As we keep Christ at the center of our worship, he builds us up and gives us strength to live a life of worship that glorifies Him.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for inviting us into your presence. When we see your holiness, we are humbled. Thank you Jesus for calling us your friends. And thank you, Holy Spirit, for encouraging us, and for working in us through our times of worship together. Amen.

© 2008 Ryan McMillen/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

HUMBLY READY

This is the first in a series of devotions written for Worship Camp 2008, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico by myself and our team.

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, M.A.

Isaiah 6:6-7 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

Isaiah never felt worthy. When the Lord came to Him, he bowed down, and cried out: “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I have seen the Lord!” He expected ruin, but instead found forgiveness. In fact, the Lord chose him to go and speak for Him to His people.

How often do we truly humble ourselves before the Lord? How often do we fail to acknowledge the weight of our sinfulness in church on Sunday or throughout the week? We pray, asking for what we want. We take communion, celebrating our salvation and eternal life. But we forget it came at a great price – a sacrifice beyond compare, when Jesus gave His life on the cross for us.

If a great man like Isaiah bowed before God at the weight of His sin, how much more should we humbly seek forgiveness and celebrate that Jesus died for us. We are forgiven. We are renewed. Hallelujah! And when He calls us, we should be ready to go tell the whole world!

PRAYER: Lord, forgive our stubborn hearts. Help us to be ready to answer when you call. Amen.

© 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

GOD’S PEOPLE & CREATION

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, M.A.

Psalm 139: 13, 16 “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb…You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed (NLT).”

They’re everywhere – faces. Each one different and unique. Each one has its own smile, its own frown, and its own way of looking back at me. I am looking at evidence, like Picasso’s paintings or the works of DaVinci. These faces are the handiwork of God, and the face is just a start. Each one comes with a body full of many complex parts and pieces – all of them working together to create life daily.

In Isaiah 14:24, the Lord declares: “It will all happen as I have planned (NLT).” Every atom was handcrafted to make you just who God wanted you to be. Every hair, carefully counted and place exactly, just as He wanted it. Every curve, lump and wrinkle designed. Ever wonder, when you look in the mirror, if perhaps God did make just one mistake? God never does. He looks at you with wonder and amazement. You are one of His pride and joys!

Ever think you’re not special? Do you spend a lot of time keeping lists of your faults, and rarely take time to appreciate your gifts? Did you ever realize you yourself are a gift – God’s gift to Himself? And He likes the gift so much He seeks every day to get closer and closer to you.

As you reflect on this, pray: Father God, thank you for creating me with special care. Thank you for giving me every moment as a precious gift. Lord, help me to live in the freedom of being your pride and joy! Help me to see myself as you see me. Amen.

© 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

PEACE

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, M.A.

Luke 10:5 "⁵"When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.'"

I am lying in bed tonight as exhausted as I have ever been. Never a fan of exercise, my out of shape body has been beaten beyond measure by two days of moving, and facing another one tomorrow fills me with dread. Things did not go as expected or as planned. My wife and I are both stressed and fighting to not take it out on each other. Then I stumble upon Luke 10:5. Here I am in our new house and peace is the furthest thing from my mind. I have no peace and expect no peace until this move is over and we have settled in, and that will be weeks from now.

Yet peace is ultimately what I crave here. We both do. Who wouldn't want a peaceful home? Sometimes the scriptures instructions are hard to follow, and sometimes they seem beyond understanding. Though it is simple, at a moment like this, this passage is one of those for me. I feel no peace in a place I am moving to to find peace. Irony at it best, right? But yet God is here waiting for me to notice and longing to give me just that: peace. Knowing that the source of my stress and lack of peace rests in myself and not outward circumstances.

Yes, I know it, too -- I am stressed because of me. Stressed because I am physically out of shape. Stressed because a one day move is now turning into three or four days because we just didn't prepare as well as we should have. Stressed because once work resumes tomorrow we will not have a full day to just get in there and get it done, but will instead be relegated to finishing our already long work days with cleaning out remnants of our life from an old apartment and preparing it for someone else. And knowing this doesn't give me peace.

So often it seems our own frailty and sinful nature get in the way of God's desires for us. God desires so much for us. God makes so much available, and yet we fail to open ourselves to receive it again and again. But instead of giving up in frustration, He is there waiting, patiently, longing for what we don't even know is available to long for to happen for us. He alone is the source of true peace. And He alone can offer what we crave the most: peace.

Wouldn't you like to know true peace? Wouldn't you like to know what God really has in store for you? A God who loved you so much He died for you and now waits longingly to give you your heart's desires? Who wouldn't want to know a God like that? He is waiting for you today.

PRAYER: Oh Lord, help me to know the peace that only you can provide. Come into my heart and my life and grant me true, everlasting peace. Amen.

© 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

REVELATION & CREATION

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, M.A.

Amos 4:13 “For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals His every thought. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads the mountains under His feet. The Lord Almighty is His name (NLT)!”

The breeze blows through my hair, soft and gentle like the breath of God, bringer of life. It renews and refreshes me, filling me with wonder and awe at the creation around me. How fortunate I am to live with such blessings to be found right outside my door! How loving is God to meet our every need – even the needs of our senses to feel, touch, and see. How rich are the experiences which await us daily through these senses. It is these riches which so often unable us to feel most alive.

In Psalm 19:1-2, David writes: “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known (NLT).” Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have a revelation like the Biblical prophets or the Apostle John? Amos and David remind us that each of us, at any moment, can experience such a revelation. So often, all that’s necessary is to just open our eyes and take in the view. It’s a wonder how often we fail to hear God’s daily testimony of His love and presence in our lives.

Have you heard His testimony to you today? If not, don’t you think it’s time? Spend some time this week asking yourself how God is trying to speak to you through creation this week. What is He saying? How should you respond? What thoughts is God revealing to you?

PRAYER: Oh Lord God Almighty, open my eyes to see your glory all around me! Help me to live in the joy of this blessed world you’ve given us. Let the love present in the voice of all creation speak to my heart and remind me you are here.

© 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

SOVEREIGNTY & GREATNESS

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, M.A.

1st Timothy 6:15-6 (NLT) “…The blessed and only Almighty God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He alone can never die, and He lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach Him. No one has ever seen Him, nor ever will. To Him be honor and power forever. Amen.”

The Scriptures are filled with passages which attempt to describe God’s greatness. Still every one feels incomplete. Human beings don’t have the words or the wisdom to even begin to describe God in all His sovereign fullness and glory. Throughout the pages of the Scriptures, an image appears of a God whose greatness comes in a surprising way. Ultimately, it is not God’s sovereignty or power which defines His greatness, but His great love.

The New Concise Webster’s Dictionary defines sovereign as “a king or queen.” It describes greatness as “very large, important.” What’s more important – God’s power or the fact that someone so powerful really loves you and me? Do you ever take the time to appreciate God’s love and concern for you? Have you gotten to know the God whose greatest desire is not to control or manipulate you, but to enrich your life with His power for joy and peace? That’s a God worth knowing better.

Can you feel God’s love for you today? The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 40:17, “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord is thinking about me right now (NLT).” How does it make you feel to know God is thinking about you today? What are your needs? What areas of your life need God’s enriching today?

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your love. Thank you for the knowledge that even in your greatness, you still think about me. Fill my heart with your joy and peace today, and enrich me with your love. I love you, Lord. Amen.

© 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

SOVEREIGNTY & TRAGEDY

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, M.A.

Isaiah 25: 8 (NLT) “He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken!”

These are difficult days. Earthquakes killing thousands. Hurricanes pounding the coast. Killers stalking schools, and now a Baptist church youth gathering. In such times, it can be easy to question: Is God here? Why doesn’t He do something?

In his masterpiece City Of God, Saint Augustine wrote: “God often shows His intervention more clearly by the way He apportions the sweet and the bitter. For if He visited every sin here below with manifest penalty, it might be thought that no score remained to be settled at the Last Judgment.” Lamentations 3:33 tells us: “He does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow (NLT).” Sometimes God allows tragedy as a reminder to us. If life here on earth was always carefree and joyous, who would work hard to live righteous lives in anticipation of heaven?

The promise of Isaiah 25:8 is that God has not forgotten us. He is here, and He does care, and He is looking forward to heaven as eagerly as we are. In fact, more eagerly. No more death, no more pain, no more tears. In the meantime, we need to live as Peter advised in 1st Peter 4:19, “So if you are suffering according to God’s will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for He will never fail you (NLT).”

Where does your heart go in the face of tragedy? Do you turn toward God or turn away? Do you strike out at God in anger, or run toward God’s waiting arms for comfort and peace? The Sovereign God of all creation weeps with you and aches to provide healing. As you ponder this, pray: Father God, you are sovereign. You are Lord and king of kings. Thank you for weeping with your people. Help me now to remember your promise to Jeremiah – “a future full of hope (29:11)” awaits in heaven.

© 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

THE GOD WHO IS ALWAYS THERE

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, M.A.


Psalm 139:7-10 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens,you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast…

I remember the feeling of lost hope. I had no job. No prospects. And money was almost gone. What was I to do tomorrow? I was so desperate, and I never felt so alone. In such times it is easy even for Christians to forget the One who’s always with us.

Oh how good it is to be reminded that God is not only our Creator, our maker, but our Father and friend. We can talk to Him any time, anywhere. How distant we begin to think He is when we live our daily lives outside His presence. Yet all we have to do is call Him, and He’s right there. He will never leave us, never forsake us, and never fail to be with us. Because of all the wonderful and mighty things He has created, God chose us.

God longs to have relationship with us. How amazing! How inspiring! How humbling! How can we help but want to be close with a God like that? Let’s check in right now and throughout each day.

PRAYER: Oh God, thank you for your constant presence. May I live each moment to honor you.

© 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

SOVEREIGNTY & GREATNESS

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, M.A.

1st Timothy 6:15-6 (NLT) …The blessed and only Almighty God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He alone can never die, and He lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach Him. No one has ever seen Him, nor ever will. To Him be honor and power forever. Amen.

The Scriptures are filled with passages which attempt to find words that can describe God’s greatness. Somehow every one feels incomplete. That’s because human beings don’t have the words or the wisdom to begin to describe God in all His sovereign fullness and glory. Throughout the pages of the Scriptures, however, another image of God appears – the image of a God whose greatness comes in a surprising way. Ultimately, it is not God’s sovereignty or power which defines His greatness. It is His great love.

The New Concise Webster’s Dictionary defines sovereign as “a king or queen.” It describes greatness as “very large, important.” What’s more important – God’s power or the fact that someone so powerful really loves you and me? As you go through the week ahead, take the time to appreciate God’s love and concern for you. Take time to get to know the God whose greatest desire is not to control or manipulate you, but to enrich your life with His power for joy and peace. That’s a God worth knowing better.

Can you feel God’s love for you today? The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 40:17, “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord is thinking about me right now.” How does it make you feel to know God is thinking about you today? What are your needs? What areas of your life need God’s enriching today?

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your love. Thank you for the knowledge that even in your greatness, you still think about me. Father, I know I will never find words to tell you what your love means to me. Thank you that I don’t have to. Fill my heart with your joy and peace today, and enrich me with your love. I love you, Lord. Amen.

© 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

LOVED & ACCEPTED

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, M.A.

Suggested Reading: Luke 5:25-31

Luke 5:31 (NIV) Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

Everywhere he went people despised him. “Sinner!” “Thief!” “Scum!” They’d called him every name in the book. Tax Collectors were friends to no one, but then Levi met a man who changed his world with two simple words: “Follow me.” Levi couldn’t help himself. He left everything and followed.

He was a simple man, the son of a carpenter from Nazareth. But after one encounter with him, Levi was so amazed that he held a banquet for all of his friends, so that they could meet Jesus, too. Never in their lives had they known such love and acceptance. Never had they imagined such peace.

Do you ever feel rejected and alone? Like an outcast? It’s time for you to meet the one who will never reject you. His name is Jesus, and once you meet Him, you’ll never be alone again. He loved you so much that He gave His life for you. Wouldn’t you like to know Him? All you have to do is just close your eyes and ask.

PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for your love for me. I want to know you and experience your love every day. Please come into my heart and forgive my sins. Amen.

© 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reproduction without written permission.

SPIRIT & CREATION

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, M.A.

Genesis 1:1-2 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface (NLT).”

What an awesome image that is – God’s Holy Spirit hovering over all the earth. As I think about it, I am humbled to realize that God’s Holy Spirit is still there today, hovering over the earth and all its inhabitants. It covers us like a blanket of warm joy – filling us, leading us, surrounding us as a wrapping of love within the arms of our Creator. Through the Holy Spirit, Isaiah 42:5 tells us: “God gives breath and life to everyone in all the world (NLT).” God’s Spirit is so big that nothing can contain it. He is everywhere, in everything at every moment.

As the world continues to debate creation vs. evolution, perhaps it would be a good time to reconsider the evolution of our faith through the witness of creation. I would encourage each of you to spend time appreciating God’s creation as you encounter it daily throughout this week. In doing so, you will experience God in new and refreshing ways.

Have you ever felt alone? Do you ever feel as if the Spirit of God has left you? It is in such moments that God is closest. All we need do is simply reach out and let Him wrap us with His Spirit to feel His love again. Are you resting in the arms of your Creator today? There’s no better, safer, more restful place to be.

PRAYER:

Father God, wrap me with your Spirit today. Let your hands, the hands that formed the Universe and every part of me, embrace me with your love right now that I may draw near and rest in you. Amen.

(c) 2008 Bryan Thomas Schmidt/Anchored Music Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. No reprints or other use without written permission.