John 13:34

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 13:34 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” – John 13:34       

This verse starts out with an interesting phrase.  “A new commandment I give to you.”  In Leviticus, we see a similar phrase used, however, with a slight difference.  “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18.  Notice the difference.  In this verse, God told them to ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’  In our focus verse, it says to ‘love one another, even as I loved you.’ 

Now, in both the Old and New Testaments, there are verses about loving our enemies.  In the book of Romans we read, “To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Romans 12:20. And there is a remarkably close verse found in Proverbs.  “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,” Proverbs 25:21.  There is no difference here between the two Testaments. 

But when speaking regarding the brethren, Jesus gives His disciples a new example to follow.  He tells them not to just love each other, but to love them as He loved them.  He gave this to them as He was about to leave and go back to His Father.  And as we see above, it was a new commandment because it referred to the love we as creatures have,  remember Leviticus 19:18 above.  It is because of the depth in which this love was to be exhibited.  They were to be willing to sacrifice all they had, including their very lives, for the sake of each other.  This is a depth of love hardly seen in the ranks of mankind.  This is much different than what is mentioned in the Mosaic law.  However, Jesus went far beyond the requirements listed in the law.  He did not just love them ‘AS’ He loved Himself, but far more than that.  For He came to earth knowing that He would die a horrible death, and one that would pay the penalty for the sins of mankind so they could be forgiven and spend eternity in the presence of Himself and the Father.  He paid the penalty of our sins because we were incapable of doing so.  This is love in its deepest and purist form. 

And this is the type of love He says we should have for each other.  And this is a far cry from a suggestion, it is a command, one that He requires of us.  And He has not required us to do anything He was not willing to do Himself.  This is a hard saying, but we also must be willing to sacrifice all, just as Jesus did.  Is this the love we have for our brothers and sisters?  We may not know until the sacrifice is required of us.  However, we should work to develop this love so that if the moment happens, we can be ready.  Let us pray and ask Him to make us more like Him.  As Peter so clearly said, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21

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

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Proverbs 14:29

Verse of the Day Devotion: Proverbs 14:29  

“He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.” – Proverbs 14:29        

One thing I have definitely noticed during this difficult time is what this verse speaks of.  In watching what is happening, we see people punching and beating people in the streets.  We also see the destruction of public and private property, and also massive retaliation for what I deem as frivolous offenses.  Anger appears to be the most observed emotion today.  

Now, I understand that often these things happen simply because people just want to be destructive.  There are organizations whose  total purpose for being involved is to wreak havoc and fuel the hostilities of others.  However, there are many who are just angry in response to a wrong done to them, either physically or verbally.  And many times, anger at someone will often cause them to be angry in return.  And this is the main idea regarding this verse.  Solomon writes in our focus verse that we are to be slow to anger, because they are those who exhibit great understanding.  Matthew Henry in his commentary on Proverbs states that meekness is wisdom.  He goes on to say, “He rightly understands himself, and his duty and interest, the infirmities of human nature, and the constitution of human society, who is slow to anger, and knows how to excuse the faults of others as well as his own, how to adjourn his resentments, and moderate them, so as by no provocation to be put out of the possession of his own soul.”  What he is saying is that he is capable of keeping control of his thoughts and feelings and is not one to retaliate for another’s anger. 

Paul writes the following to the Ephesians.  “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3.  Uncontrolled anger is one of the biggest reasons for dis-unity.  It can also harden the hearts of the people we are witnessing the truth of Christ to.  James, understanding this wrote the following, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20.  If we desire to show the righteousness of God in us, we must temper any times where we find ourselves getting angry.  If we cannot control our anger, we may find ourselves unable to do the work God has called us to do.

In closing, let us be careful that we maintain control in all situations so that our witness of Christ will remain intact and powerful.  At the end of our focus verse, Solomon states that a quick temper exalts folly.  He may be thinking that he is magnifying himself, however, the vast majority of the time, his folly is all that is exalted.  Let us all pray that we can remain in control of our emotions so that we can share the gospel and teach our brothers and sisters in a way that brings glory to Christ.

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

Psalm 32:5

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 32:5  

“I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.” – Psalm 32:5      

This verse can be an incredible comfort to us whenever we sin.  In earlier verses, we see how blessed the person is who God has forgiven.  “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven; Whose sin is covered!”  Psalm 32:1.  We who are Christians and have truly repented and committed our lives completely to Christ have been forgiven.  We could not do anything on our behalf, all we could do was accept the work He did on the cross.  And David next goes further in that our sin is not even charged against us.  “How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!” Psalm 32:2 He has pardoned us completely, we are no longer charged as guilty.

David then speaks about what it was like to attempt to keep silent.  “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.” Psalm 32:3-4.  There was no peace in his life when he kept it all in him.  He speaks of God’s work in bringing him to the place where He finally brings it all out.  Note the wording, “my body wasted away tthrough my groaning all day long.” And also, “For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me,”  We do not know the specific circumstances that brought him to this point, however, it is easy to see that it was heavy on him. 

However, he finally chooses to bring it to God and not try to hide it anymore.  We see this in our focus verse.  “I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.” Psalm 32:5.  He admitted to himself that he could no longer keep silent about this, so he confessed it to God.  And what did God do? He forgave him.  And you can tell from the verses that follow David was at peace with God again. 

I have found that in my life, if I slip up and fall into sin, it is so much better to admit to having done it, confessing it to God, and then working with Him to not fail Him again.  Unfortunately, I am still not perfect, I will not lie.  However, I know my heart yearns for His ways and immensely desires to please Him in all I do.  I have learned that it is better to acknowledge my failure to Him and ask for His abounding forgiveness.  He knows everything anyway, so it is impossible for me to hide it from Him, so I might as well confess it.  Sometimes I simply confess it with all honesty, and sometimes I weep in the process.  But after I call on Him, a peace comes upon me, and I then move on, for I know He has, in the words of David, He forgave the guilt of my sin.

I want to encourage everyone that when you recognize you have sinned, just bring it before God.  Do not try to keep it a secret, for God already knows.  And the fact He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), He knew you would do it and He will forgive. So, come clean, confess the transgression to God.  And He will forgive you and remove the guilt from you.  Believe me, it will bring much peace into your life. 

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

Psalm 14:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 14:1 

“For the choir director. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.” – Psalm 14:1      

This is a verse where, if it is read in the way our modern society understands it, we would miss the true meaning.  The Hebrew word fool has the idea of a wicked, vile, or contemptable individual: one who has an unclean heart and who rejects the idea of a loving, infinite, and all powerful being.  They do this by claiming, ‘There is no God, and only a fool or ignorant person would think there is.’    

Now, the word fool is not to be used in the same way we use the word atheist.  For it has a broader meaning than this.  An atheist is one who denies the very existence of God.  There are some who totally deny He exists, and this is the main thought communicated here.  However, there are other ways to look at this.  For instance, there are some who acknowledge the existence of a god, but not the true God.  The idea here is that they do not necessarily deny an infinite God, however they do not believe He has any role in their lives. They do not accept it as having anything to do here.  This is the idea of deism, which rejects revelation from God as a source of religious knowledge, for He simply created everything and then left it alone.  They assert that reason and observation of the natural world are sufficient to establish the idea that God exists.  However, there is no communication with God.  Then, there are those who choose a god with attributes that are more pleasing then the attributes of the true God.  Basically, they accept the idea there is a god, but they pick or create it based on what makes them feel good, or what they can accept.   

Isaiah states the following regarding the fool or unbeliever.  “For a fool speaks nonsense, And his heart inclines toward wickedness: To practice ungodliness and to speak error against the LORD, To keep the hungry person unsatisfied And to withhold drink from the thirsty.” Isaiah 32:6.  According to Isaiah, the vile person speaks of things that can be labeled nonsense.  He tends toward ungodliness, speaking falsehoods against the true God, and does not help those who need their assistance, but ignores their plight. 

Going back to our focus verse, David ends by saying ‘There is no one who is good.’  And he is correct.  Paul essentially quotes this verse in his letter to the Romans.  “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”   Romans 3:10.  None of us are perfect.  Paul again says it better than I can.  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”  Romans 3:23.  But Christ paid the penalty for our sins, and by accepting what He has done and living our lives fully devoted to Him, we are no longer a fool as David said above, but we are His handiwork.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10.  And one of the good works God called us to and prepared us for, is to live in such a way that we can be a witness to those who, in our focus verse were denoted as fools, so they can become His handiwork as well. 

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

Romans 15:4

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 15:4 

“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” – Romans 15:4       

When we read the Old Testament, we learn a lot about the history of God’s dealings with mankind. First is, of course, our creation in Genesis 1 -2.  How He created the heavens and the earth, and then formed the earth as a perfect place for His ultimate creation, mankind, to live in perfect peace with Himself.  From there, we see the fall of mankind and ultimately the coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.  However, from what Paul tells us from our focus verse, there is more to learn in the Old Testament then the history of mankind.  We also have the opportunity to learn God’s ways in dealing with man, and ultimately with us.  As the focus verse says, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4. 

The author of Hebrews tells us that God is unchanging, and the way He dealt with the people of the Old Testament is the same as He deals with us.  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8.  God has not changed one iota regarding how He deals with His people.  If we believe in Him and follow His ways, then God will watch over us just as He watched over Israel in the wilderness.  This should give us incredible hope.  Remember also in Hebrews what hope is.  It is what we look forward to, knowing it will come to pass.  It is knowing it will happen, not desiring it to happen. 

So, when we look in the Old Testament, we see how God guided His people through the wilderness, giving them a beautiful and prosperous land as their inheritance.  No matter what trials they came upon in their journey, God delivered them.  We can take comfort in this as well, knowing that whatever trials we come upon, He already knows about them  and will bring us safely through them.  There were several times when God’s people experienced times of famine, and again, God brought them through.  And He will do the same for us.  When they needed to hear from God, He spoke to them, either through prophets or directly.  Great examples of this were King David, Moses, and Joshua.  And He will speak to us as well when we need to hear His words.  And remember when Elijah was challenged by the prophets of Baal: that God made it known that He was God, and then comforted Him in the wilderness when they wanted to kill Him.  (1 Kings 18:20-40)

I want to encourage everyone reading this to look at the Old Testament not only as a means to learn history, but also as a way to be encouraged that as He took care of His people in the Old Testament, He will take care of us as well.  We need to use these  scriptures to see the blessings Israel had from God, knowing that He will bless us in a similar way.  And through this, it will help us to see the hope we have in God, and how He will never leave or forsake us, and our future is just as wonderful too.    

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

Psalm 19:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 19:1  

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” – Psalm 19:1     

One of the most beautiful things I enjoy looking at is a starry sky on a cloudless night.  I look up and see the many lights that fill the night sky and ponder just how many are there.  The vast majority of these ‘lights’ are stars that are relatively close to our planet.  Let us look at a few things.  Light travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second.  Our sun is approximately 93 million miles away.  It is so far, it takes approximately 499 seconds, or 8.32 minutes for its light to reach earth.  Whatever happens at the sun takes 8 minutes for us to see it. 

Now, our closest star, aside from the sun, is Proxima Centauri.  In contrast to the sun where the light takes 8.32 minutes to reach the earth, it takes approximately 4.23 years for light from the nearest star to reach the earth.  And according to universetoday.com, there are at most 8,479 stars visible from earth.  Going even farther, there are around 10,000 galaxies visible, each with millions of stars in each,  in just one image, using the Hubble Ultra Deep Field telescope.  According to NASA on the website imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov, the closest galaxy to our milky way is some 25,000 light years away.  These are astonishing numbers.  It takes light approximately 25,000 years to reach earth. And this is the closest galaxy.   Just this alone shows the vastness of the universe.  And it is understood that the universe extends far beyond our ability to even view the outer regions of its existence. 

Many scientists believe that all matter has either existed eternally, or that it came into existence from  nothing.  These are the only possibilities aside from being a creation of God.  For nothing to create something does not make sense since change only happens based on an outside event.  And this event would have required something to trigger it, therefore it had to exist prior to what was the cause of its creation.   And, if it has always existed, it would have run out of energy and it would have died at some point, also in eternity past.

Therefore, this universe had to have been created by something that existed prior to the universe.  And it was, by an eternal God who created it for us.  And when we examine this universe, and we see  the immense size of it, the incredible order of this amazing universe, and the beauty as we look out into it from this single planet called earth.  As His word says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2.  And after having created the heavens and the earth, He brought order and life on the earth, and finally, at the end, man.  (Read Genesis chapters 1-2.)  How can we look at this, His creation, and not see God and His glory in it? 

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

Psalm 112:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 112:7  

“He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” – Psalm 112:7      

One of the things we need to always remember, as Christians, is that we have nothing to fear when we trust in the Lord.  Lets look at the verses prior to this to fully understand the context by which our focus verse is written.  For if we understand and apply its message, we can live in peace no matter our circumstances. 

The author starts with, “Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.” Psalm 112:1-3.  He is saying here that blessed, or happy, is the one who fears the Lord, who love to obey His commandments and delights in His ways.  We see this same idea in psalm one, where the writer states, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2.  Those who fear God and follow His ways are blessed of the Lord. 

Next, we read, “Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous. It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment. For he will never be shaken; The righteous will be remembered forever.”  Psalm 112:4-6.  When hard times come, which they will, God will save him through the difficult times, not necessarily from them.  The righteous may still get sick or be bereaved by the loss of someone close.  Or they may lose property either by  theft or legal issues.  However, all will work out to those who trust in the Lord.  Paul put it this way in his letter to the Romans.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.  And also, the righteous will be gracious and helpful whenever needed, with God providing the means of the assistance he will provide.

And because of all this, if we delight in Him and His laws and commands, the fact is we are blessed by God almighty, He will be with us and protect us no matter what happens.  And even though things do not look good, we must go beyond how we perceive our situation and trust God has it under control.  As our focus verse states, “He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” Psalm 112:7.  We have no reason to fear evil that comes our way because God has this.  Our hearts should be steadfast in the reality that we can trust Him that He is taking care of us, no matter what it looks like.  We should do as the writer of Proverbs put it.  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

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

Isaiah 40:8

Verse of the Day Devotion: Isaiah 40:8 

“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” – Isaiah 40:8     

Some years ago, I took an Old Testament History class I listened to online from Covenant Theological Seminary.  I remember after each forty-five-minute class, the professor would end the lesson with this verse.  And the more I looked at it, the more meaning I have derived. 

Starting with verse six we read, “A voice says, Call out. Then he answered, What shall I call out? All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.” Isaiah 40:6.  Isaiah here declares the frailty of man.  He states regarding all flesh, not just a particular family or people or nation, but all flesh on the earth.  He compares it to plant life in the field.  All that men are or have, even their highest accomplishments, are simply like the grass of the field, weak and soon to vanish, soon to be brought to nothing.  And our loveliness is like the flowers in the field.  The theologian Albert Barnes puts it this way in his commentary on Isaiah,  “The idea is, that the plans of man must be temporary; and all that appears great in him must be like the flower of the field.”  Man’s ways look good for a season, just as the grass and the flowers look for a time.  However, as the next verse says, it is not permanent. 

“The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.” Isaiah 40:7.  This verse speaks of the frailty of man being like the grass and flowers in a heavy wind.  The term ‘wind of Jehovah’ is a Hebraism, referring to nothing more than a strong wind, especially the well-known hot winds in the east that destroys every green thing in its path.  This idea is also spoken of in in the psalms where we read, “As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer.” Psalm 103:15-16. 

When we come to our focus verse, we see a comparison of man and the Word of the Lord.  “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8.  The beginning of verse seven is repeated, but now not focusing on the frailty of man, as with the previous verse, but this time focusing on the permanence of God’s Word.  As men and his ways are temporary and eventually ended, God’s Word is permanent.  As an example, a man builds a house for him and his family, but eventually that house may be destroyed, and another built at a later time.  Or maybe someone comes up with a new idea which is well accepted, but in a short period of time, someone else comes up with a another idea which is deemed better than the first.  Nothing man does is permanent; however, what God does and says is eternal, both past and future. 

This verse shows the greatness of God in comparison to the frailty of man.  What man says and does will fade away, for we are here for just a season.  However, God’s Word is eternal, unchanging, and absolute truth.  We should keep this in mind as we live our lives.  God’s Word is true, and we should follow it and not ignore or forget it.  His ways are forever, ours are not.  However, His Word says, as Christians, we will live eternally with Him in a glorious life.  And in that I totally believe and cannot wait.

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

Matthew 7:13-14

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 7:13-14 

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” – Matthew 7:13-14       

These two verses speaks of the way to our eternal future.  Jesus here is telling His listeners that there are two choices, however, one of them is the way that leads to life, while the other only says it leads to life, but it is a deception.  Let us look closely at these two gates.

First, there is the wide gate.  This is an easy gate to pass through.  It is wide and spacious, that requires little work to pass go through.  This is the gate of deception.  It is an easy gate to find, therefore many pass through it.  In fact, they will come to this gate without the need to seek it, for they will eventually come to it.  It is like a popular road that many travel on and when they get to the wide gate, they will walk through it.  However, this gate does not lead to life, it leads to destruction. 

This gate is the one that denies the reality of Christ.  They may have heard of Him and may even act as though they are a Christian.  However, they choose to do things their own way rather than God’s.  People choosing to take this gate may attempt to find the easy way.  They choose teachers who preach what they want to hear, not what they need to hear.  Paul put it this way in a letter to Timothy.  “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4.  They may think they are saved. but they will find themselves sadly mistaken.

The second gate is what is known as the strait or narrow gate.  This is a difficult gate to go through.  It  is a very narrow gate, so narrow that few find it throughout their lives.  This is the gate that true disciples of Christ know of and pass through.  This probably refers to those gates in Rome that were for private entrances which were not readily seen.  Those who find and go through this gate are those who have studied the scriptures and know what God requires of them.  And, like the Bereans, they would check out everything they read and heard to ensure they were following the truth.  They found the gate because they searched for it, validated it was the correct gate, and then passed through.

This leads to our calling as Christians.  We are commanded to lead the world to the narrow gate, explaining what reality is regarding our eternal existence, while showing that the wide gate may be easier to find, but will only lead, as our focus verses tell us, to destruction.  It is imperative that we go into all the world, giving them the map to the strait gate, showing them how to get there, and why it is the desired way.  It is the only way to eternal life with Christ, and we are the ones to tell everyone this truth. 

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

Malachi 3:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Malachi 3:6 

“For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” – Malachi 3:6      

One of the most comforting things for me regarding God is the fact that is stated in this focus verse: that being God does not change.  He declared this to Israel (the sons of Jacob) because they had disobeyed Him, and He had not consumed or destroyed them.  His plan for mankind was from before the beginning, and He was going to complete this plan.  “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” Revelation 13:8.  He knew those who would accept Him, and He also knew those who would not.  And He was/is consistent in this plan.  He will not change His mind.  “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19.

Here are a couple of the many scriptures that speak of God as unchangeable.  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 3:8.  From eternity past through eternity future, God has not nor will He ever change.  He shall never question anything that He has done.  “But Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel. As Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.” 1 Samuel 15:26-29.  And finally, James puts it this way.  “Every good thing given, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” James 1:17.

Because of His immutability we have confidence that everything spoken or written by God is still true and can be depended on.  We can therefore trust everything we read in His word.  Remember, in Genesis 3 where He declared the coming of the Messiah.  “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15.  And as stated above in Revelation 13:8, Jesus’ crucifixion for our sins was declared before the world was created. 

Every prophetic declaration in the scriptures was or will be fulfilled as promised.  We should have no doubts about this.  And those of us who are true Christians should rejoice, because our future as told to us is a beautiful eternal existence in the presence of God.  And also, every word in the Holy Scriptures are still to be adhered to because He is unchangeable.  It is important that we spend time every day studying His Word and make what He has said the way we live.  It can be easy sometimes to fall into errant beliefs, which is why it is important to spend time everyday in prayer and study of the scriptures.  I have found it more than beneficial in my life. 

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