Haggai 1:5

Verse of the Day Devotion Haggai 1:5  

“Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, Consider your ways!” –  Haggai 1:5

Chapter one of Haggai speaks of the command from God to the Prophet Haggai for Israel to rebuild the Temple.  God starts off by saying the people though do not agree.  “Thus says the LORD of hosts, This people say, The time has not come, even the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt.” Haggai 1:2. He starts off remarking that Israel has declared the time has not come to rebuild the temple.  However, the Lord then asks a rhetorical question. “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?” Haggai 1:4.  This verse is a very pointed response. While they held their own wants and even their luxuries to be matters of importance in the moment, they thought any time would be suitable to attend to the claims of their God; that while their own homes had been regained, there was yet no habitation for the God of Israel; that while their wealthy members were using their superfluous means to adorn and beautify their dwellings, God’s dwelling-place still lay desolate, appealing in vain to their piety and patriotism, which had been overborne by selfishness. The allusion, moreover, could not fail to expose the insincerity of their excuses. Houses wainscoted with cedar were the residence of kings, and if some of them had now had access to such resources as enabled them to live in princely splendor, they might surely have reserved a portion for the requirements of the Temple, when the work of building it should be resumed, if that work had been of any concern to them.

Then the Lord tells the people, as written in our focus verse to consider their ways. The exact sense of the Hebrew is expressed more clearly when rendered, ‘Consider the ways of life’, ‘Give careful thought to your ways’ or ‘think carefully about your behavior’. The idea is to set the heart upon one’s ways, i.e., to consider one’s conduct, and lay it to heart. The ways are the conduct, with its results. “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.” Haggai 1:6. Look at what this is saying.  First, He says they plant more crops than they harvest.  Next, He says you have a little food to eat, but you are still hungry after having eaten. Third, in a mocking manner, saying you drink the wine from your grapes, but have not enough to get drunk on.  Also, you put on clothing but not enough to stay warm, and you earn wages put them in purses with holes in them. 

The cause of their financial difficulties was their wrong priorities. They suffered setback after setback because the blessing of God wasn’t on their pocketbook.  Haggai describes a double curse. Instead of much, little was reaped; and the little that was brought home melted away without doing any good. This is seen through the picture earning wages to be put into a bag with holes. These judgments were a fulfillment of promises God made hundreds of years before in the time of Moses. “Beware, lest your hearts be deceived and you turn away and serve other gods and worship them. Or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.” Deuteronomy 11:16-17.

Now, as it was for the Israelites, it is important for us also to consider our ways, or as stated above, giving careful thought of our ways.  Are our priorities truly in order?  Do we look at what we do for ourselves above what we do for God?  Let us face reality.  If our priorities are wrong, nothing will satisfy us. Each accomplishment soon reveals that there must be something more, something that can really satisfy, Nothing fills the God-shaped void in our life except putting Him first. Do we put God first, or do we do His work when our desires are addressed?  Pray about this, listen to His response, and make the necessary changes to put God first, and then ourselves last.  It is difficult, but it is what we are called to do.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Ruth 1:16

Verse of the Day Devotion: Ruth 1:16

“But Ruth said, Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” – Ruth 1:16 

The Book of Ruth tells the story a woman from Moab named Ruth and how she came to be in the line that led to David, the great king of Israel.  We will not address the whole story here, but we will look at the character of Ruth that we as Christians need to exhibit in our lives.

This story starts with Elimelech and his wife Naomi, with their two sons Mahlon and Chilion, journeying to the country of Moab because of a severe famine in Israel.  Everything was going OK until Elimelech dies, leaving her alone with her sons.  These two sons would eventually marry, each taking Moabite women as their wives.  Then after ten years, both her sons die and she is left alone, with her two daughters-in-law. After this happened, we read, “Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the LORD had visited His people in giving them food.” Ruth 1:6. She was unable to provide food for the three of them, and she hears that God was providing food for His people, so she left with Ruth and Orpah, her daughters-in-law, to return to Israel. 

Now at a point in the journey, she spoke to her daughters saying, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. May the LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” Ruth 1:8-9a. Notice that she is blessing them, believing they will re-marry and will be settled and happy with new husbands.  Now they both stated they did not want to leave her alone, however, as the story continues Orpah goes back but Ruth remains. “And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.” Ruth 1:14.

Now Naomi urges Ruth to go back as well. “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” Ruth 1:15. But Ruth responds to Naomi according to our focus verse, “But Ruth said, Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” Ruth 1:16. 

By leaving her homeland and going with Naomi, Ruth renounced her citizenship in Moab. With the words, ‘Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge,’ Ruth separated herself from her country of origin. She abandoned one kingdom to be joined to another. Then she declared something that shows she was willing to give up her old life in Moab and devote herself to a new life in Israel. ‘Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.’ She gave up everything because of her love for Naomi and I also believe the love she was developing for the God Naomi worshipped and obeyed.  As you can see, redemption is the central theme of Ruth’s story. 

And this also is what we must do when we give up our old, worldly life and become Christians. The young widow’s unwavering commitment to follow Naomi provides a beautiful depiction of Christian conversion. Ruth made a definitive separation from her past way of life. Becoming a follower of Jesus Christ likewise involves a pivotal decision and breaking away from the past. She did not know everything about the true God, but she understood enough to turn from the gods of Moab to Jehovah, the true God.  When we are saved, we do not fully understand everything.  But when we read the scripture and study it with the help of others, we begin to understand more and more.  This is what Ruth did. 

Ruth’s statement to Naomi, wherever you go, I will go, is analogous to a new believer saying, I have decided to follow Jesus. Wherever you go, Lord, I will go. As true Christians, we are to be united with Christ. Paul put it this way. “and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” 1 Corinthians 3:23. We leave our old citizenship and identity behind and become new creations in Jesus Christ. “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” Colossians 3:8-10. We must, as a picture of what Ruth did, say goodbye to the darkness of sin and live in the light of His kingdom.

And, as with Ruth, His people become our people and the Sovereign God becomes our God. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.  We give up our old way of living for ourselves; we take up our cross and follow Him” Ephesians 2:19-22.  So, live as such.  God was pleased with Ruth in her new life because she gave it all.  And like Ruth, let us, give our all for Him as well.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Amos 3:7

Verse of the Day Devotion Amos 3:7

“Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.” –  Amos 3:7

This is an interesting verse spoken by God to His people.  This prophecy speaks of all the tribes of Israel. “Hear this word which the LORD has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which He brought up from the land of Egypt, You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.” Amos 3:1-2.  God brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt and proved His love and care for them. So now for God to speak against them shows He was no doubt greatly provoked. The central act of redemption in the Old Testament was Israel’s exodus from Egypt. All through the Old Testament, God called Israel to look back and remember Him as the one who freed them from Egypt. The central act of redemption in the New Testament, and in God’s whole plan of redemption, is the work of Jesus on the cross. In the same way, we are called to constantly look back and remember what Jesus did on the cross and to live in light of that great fact. He then completes this by saying, “You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.” Amos 3:2. They are the only people He has chosen to be His, and thus because of their sins they will be punished.

Amos now asks five questions with each answer being an obvious No. “Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment? Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something? Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?” Amos 3:3-5a.  Then He asks, leading up to the main purpose of these words. “If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?”  Amos 3:6.

Now we come to our focus verse, “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7. Now, God had told them in verse two that He would punish them for all their iniquities.  However, for many years He had revealed warnings to His people, through the prophets, that if they did not stop their sinning, they would be punished.  Amos spoke of the coming judgment upon Israel. God revealed this secret to His prophets, and it was prophesied for years and years before it happened so Israel would have every opportunity to repent. Such secrets of God are revealed to them, that they may inform the people; that, by repentance and conversion, they may avoid the punishment, and, by walking closely with God, secure the continuance of his favor.

As a parent when my children were young, I would tell them I had warned them about doing wrong; sin, and therefore because they did it they would be punished.  Most of the time, that meant a spanking.  God, through the prophet Amos is doing the same thing.  He was saying He told them previously not to continue in their sin, and because they chose this path, they would be punished by a calamity in their city.  He had warned them many times, but they refused to listen. 

We must remember the context of the prophet Amos and understand that this does not mean that God does nothing without revealing it to a prophet first. He is speaking here of punishment for going against the ways of God.  There are times He will bring things about without initial revelation, i.e.: how God deliberately hid the nature of the church, it being a new body, neither Jewish nor Gentile specifically, from Old Testament prophets.  But when it comes to warnings of punishment for iniquities, we are warned.  Unfortunately, many times we do not listen to it.

In closing, God spoke to the prophets and warned the people through them to repent of their sins and follow God in all ways.  And throughout the scriptures we have been warned as well.  We are taught the  ways of God and that not following them is sin.  “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17.  Read His word and study it so you can know the life we have been called to live in Christ.  And reach out to those who are not Christians, helping them to see the truth and accept the salvation provided through Christ’s death.  “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” 1 Peter 3:15-16.  

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Deuteronomy 6:7

Verse of the Day Devotion Deuteronomy 6:7  

“Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” – Deuteronomy 6:7

In order to understand what this verse refers to it is important that we look at the verse prior to focus verse. “And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.”  Deuteronomy 6:6. The whole here describes the commandments, a term that encompasses the full covenant text as communicated by Moses. “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.” Deuteronomy 6:1-2. Then Moses says, “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5. And as we read in verse six, these laws are to be on their hearts and not just in their heads.

Now Jesus spoke regarding the Law in a similar fashion as recorded by Matthew in His gospel. “And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40. Based on this, we should look at obeying the Jewish law as a way to show our love for God, not just to obey them to be righteous. However, notice that Jesus added another thought to this, and that is to love our neighbor as ourself.

Now lets take a look at our focus verse.  “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:7.  These words given them by God are so important that the covenant recipients must impress the words of covenant faith into the thinking of their children by inscribing them in the children’s hearts with indelible sharpness and precision.  Theologian E. H. Merrill makes a great point regarding this.  “The image is that of the engraver of a monument who takes hammer and chisel in hand and with painstaking care etches a text into the face of a solid slab of granite. The sheer labor of such a task is daunting indeed, but once done the message is there to stay. Thus it is that the generations of Israelites to come must receive and transmit the words of the Lord’s everlasting covenant revelation.”

This idea of training our children in the ways of God is just as important, if not more, in our time as well.  We read in Proverbs the following, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6.  And in the New Testament. “And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4. It is imperative that we instruct our children, and if necessary other children, in the ways of God and of the Salvation that is offered via the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Mark records what Jesus said to His disciples. “And He said to them, go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” Mark 16:15-16.

I want to encourage each of us to spend concerted time in sharing the truth of the scripture to our children, first leading them to salvation through the acceptance of Christ, and then helping them to learn how to live the Christian life in a way that glorifies God.  If we absolutely love our children, we will take as much time as necessary to train them in the ways of our loving God. When my children were young, I would read the scriptures to them in a way that was fun yet instilled in them the truth.  They enjoyed it and actually looked forward to it.  And now, my children are Christians with strong faith in God.  This is so important, for this gives them an opportunity to have a wonderful life in Christ both now and for eternity.  And never stop training them for there is so much involved in living the Christian life.  Is not this what we desire of our children? I pray it is.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Psalm 103:1

Verse of the Day Devotion Psalm 103:1 

“Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name.” –  Psalm 103:1

David starts this prayer with ‘Bless the Lord, Oh my soul’.  The word here translated bless is the Hebrew word baw-rak which is a primitive root meaning to kneel, and by implication to bless God as an act of adoration.  What is implied here is that David went before the Lord God with true humility, kneeling before Him and abundantly blessing and praising His God.  It no doubt also implies a mighty sense of gratitude to Him for all God has done for Him. 

Most of the time, the call to praise and worship is addressed to a worshipping community, such as a church, or to some other group of people.  And to be honest, most worship is done at a church with music and lyrics in the front.  And there is nothing wrong with this for when the Church gets together, and by Church I mean the people, we should always kneel or bow before Him giving thanks, worship, and praise which He absolutely deserves.  However, as we see in our focus verse, David calls on his own inner being to bless the Lord.  This act of worship involves his entire person. Humans bless the Lord by speaking well of him as they complement him publicly. Blessing, or praise, is the natural response to contemplating the Lord’s holy character, which provides an inexhaustible reason for extolling him. The psalmist’s praise of the Lord is intentional, as he focuses on various aspects of his greatness and goodness.   

However, how many of us bow before Him alone, where no one can see us and praise and worship Him privately as well?  How many of us go to Him alone and give Him the glory and praise due Him.  This can give us a wonderful time to praise Him with our own words, our own songs, and our own heart in the way that we feel at that time.  This is a beautiful opportunity to use, as theologian Albert Barnes puts it,  “all our powers and faculties; all that can be employed in his praise: the heart, the will, the affections, the emotions. The idea is, that God is worthy of all the praise and adoration which the entire man can render. No one of his faculties or powers should be exempt from the duty and the privilege of praise.”  

The one value of these opening words is that they show us that worship is not involuntary or automatic. It calls for the coordination of all that we are. We should not restrict our worship to the sanctuary, but we must make everywhere a potential place of worship. We should enter worship and praise with all that we have, dedicated to giving Him all due Him. Then we may render a service of praise that is worthy and acceptable.

In this daily devotion, I want to encourage us all, and I do include myself in this, to take time to get alone with God and offer praise and blessings to Him with all we have and are.  And I encourage everyone in these times to not only offer praise to Him but pray to Him as well and then sit quietly and hear what He has to say back to us.  There is nothing like a two-way conversation with God.  I have experienced it and I never want to miss this time again.  This may be difficult at first, but once it becomes natural, I believe you will find this time as important as anything else you do.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 19:13

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 19:13  

“Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.” – Matthew 19:13 

There was a time when some children were brough to Jesus so He could lay His hands on them and pray for them.  We see this in our focus verse.  This was most likely the parents who brought them to Him.  However, the disciples rebuked them for doing this.  Now it is important to know that just before this occurred, the Pharisees had come to Jesus and had asked Him about divorce.  “And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” Matthew 19:3.  Then Jesus counters their argument, essentially rebuffing them.  Now a rebuff is essentially a rejection of something said in an abrupt manner.  However, when the parents brought the children to Him, He allowed them to go right up to Him and he laid His hands  on them and prayed over them. 

Now the disciples rebuked the parents for bringing them to Him.  However, Jesus said to them, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14.  Jesus told them leave the children, and ultimately the parents, alone.  “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14.   Mark’s version says Jesus was indignant about what they did.  This showed that He basically rebuked them, telling them they had no business telling them to go away.  And after a time, He went off after laying hands on them. “And after laying His hands on them, He departed from there.” Matthew 19:15.

It is important to remember that children in Jesus’ time were not necessarily regarded as special or particularly endearing, with the exception of their own family. Many cultures today look on children as especially sweet, innocent, and even wise at times. It seems that the Jewish culture in that day did not see children in such optimistic terms. The disciples most likely rebuked those bringing the children to Jesus because they felt bringing children to Jesus was socially improper or possibly they thought the children would bother Jesus. It is likely that their move to hinder the parents from bringing their children to Jesus was motivated not by unkindness but by a desire to respect Jesus’ position as a teacher. But Jesus wanted the children to come to Him, for He told them, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14. I believe He wanted to bless them before He left.

It is wonderful to think of Jesus interacting with children. They are often needy and dependent, and they know almost nothing about this life. They react on emotion rather than reason. Yet Jesus said, “for the  kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14.  Jesus’ command to “let the little children come to me” reveals several truths.  First, children are as important to Jesus as anyone else, and therefore we must help them be introduced to Jesus as well.  The Lord wants to bless children, and He corrected His disciples when they tried to send them away.  Parents should be encouraged to bring their children to Jesus at as early an age as possible and teach them His ways. Second,  Jesus has regard for the weakest and most vulnerable among us. No matter how compassionate Jesus’ followers are, Jesus Himself is more compassionate. And those who come to Christ must do so in childlike humility, faith, and simplicity.  Remember what Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4-5.   

Like children who naturally follow their parents, believers must come to Him in the same basic way. Faith is not about knowing everything or doing everything right. It is about knowing that no matter what happens, our Father will take care of us. That trust in Him, even when life is extremely troubling and sad and makes no sense, is what makes a believer like a child. “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” John 6:37.   God loves His children, His people.  And we should see Him as a child sees His wonderful parents, as someone who loves us, cares for us, and will always be there at all times.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 18:1

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 18:1 

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” – Matthew 18:1

The disciples were no doubt concerned about who Jesus considered the greatest of the twelve.  They knew that obviously Jesus was the greatest, both here and in the final kingdom.  But they were essentially asking, who came after Jesus.  It seems that the disciples were often concerned about this.  We see two instances recorded in Luke alone.  “And an argument arose among them as to which of them might be the greatest.” Luke 9:46. And then “And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.” Luke 22:24.  We also know of at least two other instances and who knows if the verses in Mark and Matthew, our focus verse, is the same as those in Luke or are different. 

Matthew’s version does not say they were arguing or discussing amongst each other as in the other instances, but I imagine this occurred more times then recorded here.  So, after they asked Him, He gathered them around Him, along with a child. The fact that the child came when Jesus called says something about Jesus. He was the sort of man that children would trust and willingly come to Him.  And then, what He tells the disciples was no doubt somewhat of a disappointment, for they expected a specific name from Him. 

However, what He said was that humility is what He is looking for.  “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3.  He starts by telling them that in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, they must become like children.  A child was a person of no importance in Jewish society, subject to the authority of his elders, not taken seriously except as a responsibility, one to be looked after, not one to be looked up to.  Children are not threatening; we aren’t afraid of meeting a five-year-old in a dark alley. Children are not good at deceiving; they are pretty miserable failures at fooling their parents. When we are good at hiding ourselves and deceiving others, we aren’t like Jesus. The child is held up as an ideal, not of innocence, purity, or faith, but of humility and unconcern for social status.  Jesus knew that we must be converted to be like little children. It isn’t in our nature to take the low place and to humble ourselves.

Then He says the following, which I believe was a shock to His disciples.  “And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.” Matthew 18:5.  Jesus addressed the issue of greatness. When we most fulfill the humble place a child had in that culture, we are then on our way to greatness in His kingdom.  This is the picture Paul gives of Jesus in his letter to the Philippians. “Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8.  This is true humility; the Son of God Himself being humble in order to do the work needed to save mankind from their sins.

And finally, he finishes with two powerful statements. First, “And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.” Matthew 18:5.  Since the nature of Jesus is like one of these little children, how we treat those who are humble like children shows what we think of the nature of Jesus.  Unfortunately, we see this all too often. The essential fact in the transformation Christ works in us is that He changes the great ones into little children.  And in this world, it is easy to actually despise the humble. They are the losers; the kind who will never make it in our competitive and aggressive and get-ahead world. Yet when we despise humble people, we also despise Jesus. 

And secondly, “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6.  The idea of ‘to stumble’ is to sin.  So, what He is saying is that anyone who causes one of those who humbles themselves as children to sin, it would be better for them to receive the above severe punishment of being drowned in the sea with a millstone wrapped around his neck. The stone, and anyone attached to it, was sure to sink and never come up again. And this was a big millstone. Theologian D.A. Carson notes, “Most millstones were hand tools for domestic use…here it is the heavy stone pulled around by a donkey.” And the very picture of drowning had its terror for the Jew. Drowning was sometimes a Roman punishment, but never Jewish.  This is probably why Jesus used this form of punishment.

In closing, rather than strive to be the greatest in this world, we should simply trust in Jesus and serve others, thereby serving Him. Positions of power are meant to be positions of service. We are not called to lord over others, we are to use any influence or resources we have to serve others. The greatest in the kingdom are those who have the humility of a child and the meekness of Jesus. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth,” Matthew 5:5.  What is valued in God’s kingdom is loving the way He loved us—selflessly.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Luke 15:11

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 15:11 

“And He said, a certain man had two sons. – Luke 15:11

Today we will look at the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  Here is this parable as found in Luke’s gospel.

“And He said, A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ And he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need.  And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he was longing to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!  I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men. And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ And they began to be merry. Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things might be. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.  But he became angry, and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began entreating him. But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you, and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a kid, that I might be merry with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him. And he said to him, My child, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.” Luke 15:11-32. 

The main characters of this parable are the forgiving Father representing God the Father, The younger son who represents the tax collectors and the sinners, and the older son which is a picture of the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law in that day.  The major theme of this parable seems not to be so much the conversion of the sinner as in the previous two parables of Luke 15: those being the parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, but rather the restoration of a believer back into fellowship with the Father. In the first two parables, the owner went out to look for what was lost whereas in this story the father waits and watches eagerly for his son to return.  And it is interesting that many of those who Jesus directed this parable to were from both groups.

The parable starts with a son, the younger one, going to his Father and asking for his share of the inheritance.  This would have been one third of the Father’s possessions since the older son would receive double what the other sons would receive according to Jewish custom.  This was unusual in that this was an inheritance, normally given at death, however this was not always the case. What is intriguing is that He did not argue with His son. The father clearly illustrates God’s love. The father knew that the son made a foolish and greedy request, yet allowed him to go his course, nonetheless.  

The son then goes and squanders the money. “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need.” Luke 15:13-14. When he ran out of money, he found himself feeding pigs.  But he remained hungry, and realizing his predicament asks a question of himself. “How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger?” Luke 15:17. So he decides to go home and apologize to Him, and offer to be one of His hired workers, believing he was not worthy to be His son.

So as the son was going home, his Father sees him. “And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him.” Luke 15:20.  When they come together, the son says, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Luke 15:21.  But the Father shows incredible mercy to him and He says to His servants. “Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ And they began to be merry.” Luke 15:22-24.  This is the mercy God shows to all who come to Him in repentance and humility, asking for forgiveness.  We were dead spiritually having rejected the source of life.  But when we came to Him, we became alive because of the love of God exhibited through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.

The older son, after hearing his brother had returned, was not happy with this.  He said to his Father, “Look! For so many years I have been serving you, and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a kid, that I might be merry with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.” Luke 15:29-30. However, the Father answers him saying, “My child, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live and was lost and has been found.” Luke 15:31-32.

The picture of the Father receiving the son back into relationship is a picture of the Father receiving the younger son back, and how we should respond to repentant sinners as well. “Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted.” Galatians 6:1. And not only should we guide them back, but we must rejoice that He has come back, just as the Father does.  We must not be as the older son, the picture of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, and in our day those who are arrogant and filled with pride regarding their faith and put Him down and be upset they have become saved.  Too many look at someone who had lived an incredibly sinful life and declare them unworthy to hang around with.  We must always remember that at one time, we were also in sin. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.  This ‘all’ includes us as well.  We should never think we are better than others, for we are all saved by the same sacrifice of Christ.  It is only by God’s grace that we have been forgiven, not by works that we may boast of. That is the core message of the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Luke 16:19

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 16:19

“Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day.” – Luke 16:19

Today we will look at the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.  Here is this parable as found in Luke’s gospel.

“Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us. And he said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment. But Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them. But he said, No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent! But he said to him, If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.” Luke 16:19-31. 

This is an account of a very rich man who lived a life of extreme luxury. However, outside the gate of this man’s house was an extremely poor man named Lazarus who only hoped “to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.” Luke 16:21. The rich man was completely indifferent to the struggles of Lazarus, showing him absolutely no love, sympathy, or compassion. Then a time came when they both died. Lazarus went to heaven and the rich man found himself in hell. Calling out to Abraham, whom Lazarus was with, the rich man  requested that Lazarus come to him and cool his tongue with a drop of water to lessen his agony in this fire. He then asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his brothers to repent so that they would not join him in hell. Both requests were denied. Abraham told the rich man that if his brothers did not believe in Scripture, neither would they believe a messenger, even if he came straight from heaven.

There is some question as to whether this story is a true, real-life account or a parable, since two of its characters are named, making it unique among parables. But real or not, there is much we can learn from this passage. First, Jesus teaches that heaven and hell are real, and  He spoke of both throughout His ministry here.  Second, He shows that once we die our destination, and these are the only two places we could ultimately end up in, will be permanent. There are no more chances.  The decision we make in this life, to truly accept Christ as Savior or not, is fulfilled with no opportunity to reconsider after we die.  And it is either heaven or hell, with no other possible destinations.

We are called to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  He called this the most important or greatest commandment.  Then He said a second is like the first, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  These two commands are the basis of all the Law and the Prophets. And true followers of Christ will exhibit these two things: loving God and loving others. They will give themselves completely to God and His service.  Also, they will not be indifferent to the plight of the poor like the rich man in this story was. God loves the poor and is offended when His children neglect them.  “He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 17:5. In fact, those who show mercy to the poor are in effect ministering to God personally. “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” Matthew 25:40.

James wrote the following regarding our lives, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” James 4:14. Our time here on earth is exceedingly brief. Perhaps the greatest lesson to learn from this story, then, is that when death comes knocking on our door there is only one thing that matters: our relationship with Jesus Christ. “For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ” Matthew 16:26.  Eternal life is only found in Christ. “And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” 1 John 5:11-12. The truth is, if we wish to live apart from God during our time on earth, He will grant us our wish for eternity as well. As one pastor aptly said, “If you board the train of unbelief, you will have to take it all the way to its destination.”

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Luke 16:1

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 16:1

“Now He was also saying to the disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was reported to him as squandering his possessions.” – Luke 16:1

Today we will look at the Parable of the Dishonest Steward.  Here is this first part of this parable as found in Luke’s gospel.

“Now He was also saying to the disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him, What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward. And the steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the stewardship, they will receive me into their homes.  And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, How much do you owe my master? And he said, A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty. Then he said to another, And how much do you owe? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. He said to him, Take your bill, and write eighty.” Luke 16:1-7. 

Now, the first seven verses of Luke sixteen lay out the story Jesus told His disciples.  However, in verse fourteen we see that some Pharisees were listening as well.  The parable begins with a rich man calling his steward before him to let him know he will be letting him go due to his mismanaging his resources. A steward is a person who manages the resources of another. This steward had authority over all the master’s resources and could transact business in his name. This requires the utmost level of trust in the steward. Now, it appears the master is not aware of the steward’s dishonesty, for the steward is being released for apparent mismanagement, not fraud. This explains why he is able to conduct a few more transactions before he is released and why he is not immediately tossed out on the street or executed. The steward, realizing that he will soon be without a job, makes some shrewd deals behind his master’s back by reducing the debt owed by several of the master’s debtors in exchange for shelter when he is eventually put out. When the master becomes aware of what the wicked servant had done, he commends him for his shrewdness. Then Jesus adds, “for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.” Luke 16:8. What He was saying here is quite interesting.  The people who are not followers of Christ are more shrewd in working for what they say is most important, money, fame etc. then those who were His followers.

After completing the parable, He now tells them what it means. 

“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke 16:9-13.

The basic idea is that He was telling them that whatever resources they had, needed to be used to plan ahead, not for this world, but for the eternal life ahead of them.  The word ‘mammon’ is from the Aramaic word mammon, which originally meant ‘that in which one puts their trust in,’ hence wealth.  Jesus calls it ‘unrighteous mammon’. According to the theologian Adam Clarke, “Riches promise much but yield nothing: they excite hope and confidence and deceive both: in making a man depend on them for happiness, they rob him of the salvation of God and of eternal glory.”  In other words, riches cause us to look at them for hope and confidence instead of God, which they cannot truly provide. Remember verse 9, “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:9.  We must invest our resources in the Lord’s work, and not wait until we think we have enough.  As an example, In a survey taken in 1992, people were asked how much money they would have to make to have the American dream. Those who earn $25,000 or less a year thought they would need around $54,000. Those in the $100,000 annual income bracket said that they could buy the dream for an average of $192,000 a year. These figures indicate that we typically think we must double our income in order to find the good life, instead of finding it now. Jesus then tells us, “If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” Luke 16:11-12.  In both instances, He speaks of using these things for the glory of God.

Then He closes with a very well-known verse. “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke 16:13.  Jesus states that serving two masters is simply an impossibility. If you think that you are successfully serving two masters, you are deceived. One can have both money and God; but one cannot serve both money and God at the same time.  Whichever you would not give up at any cost is who or what you serve.  Pray about this, for money will be with us in this life, but God will be with us forever in the life to come.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.