Psalm 139:23

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 139:23 

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts.” – Psalm 139:23  

This is a prayer we should pray regularly, although I believe it is one that is hardly ever lifted to God.  David here is calling out to God to search him and know his heart.  This is interesting because in the first verse of this chapter he declares, “O LORD, You have searched me and known me.” Psalm 139:1  However, he is being more explicit in our focus verse and asking that He would show him his heart.  David is asking God to examine the innermost parts of him; that with great scrutiny and reveal this to him.  Why?  Because David does not want to be under any delusion regarding who He is in the deepest depths of his heart.  That he is true in everything he sees about himself, whether good or bad.  For how can we know we need to change if we are not honest about what is in our hearts.  God already knows him completely, therefore this request regards David’s desire to know the reality of himself.

David is asking God to lay bare the true state of his heart.  The idea is to not just know his outward conduct, but also what he thinks about, what are the thoughts and beliefs that move him to act as he does.  What is it that occupies his thoughts and imaginations.  What is it that he enjoys and what controls his will.  He has asked God to try him, so that the results of these tests will be revealed to him.  David knew there were things in his innermost being that needed to be changed and he was wanting God to reveal these things.  David wanted God to show him the real David, for in seeing this he could follow the path God wants him to take. “And see if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:24.  David desired to live life as God wanted.  He wanted God, through showing him what was truly inside him, to guide him in the way that leads to everlasting life.

David was a very brave soul to ask this of God.  For we all have thoughts, beliefs and ungodly ways that affect us, even if we do not recognize them.  Many Christians believe they are good because their actions and deeds are good.  However, this Christian walk goes beyond doing and actually consists of who we are as well, which is found in our hearts and minds.  We can fool ourselves and others by our deeds, but when we look deep inside of us and allow God to show us the hidden things within us, these will show us reality, which can be scary, but should be looked at as a path to growth in our relationship with God and a deepening in our Christian walk.   

So, I encourage everyone who reads this to pray the same prayer David did, and understand God’s response may not be what we expect or want to hear, but it is necessary in order to be the Christian He desires of us, real in both deeds and intentions.  For as I alluded above, how can we correct something if we do not see anything that is wrong?  We all have areas that need improvement.  Let us call out to the Almighty God who loves us with an everlasting love, to show us what is in our hearts.  And when He does, He will also show us what we need to change.  Remember, David said, “And lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:24b.  If this is what we want, then we must go through the pain and anxiety of seeing who we truly are so we can become who we ought to be. 

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

Colossians 3:2

Verse of the Day Devotion: Colossians 3:2 

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” – Colossians 3:2         

Now that we are saved, our minds should be thinking on our new life, and not the life we have left behind.  We see what we should be focused on in the first verse in this chapter. “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1.  We need to set aside our old self, our old nature.  Paul puts it this way.  “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Ephesians 4:22-24.  If we are born again, then the old man was killed, crucified.  “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” Romans 6:5-7. 

So, this begs the question.  If our old man with its old ways is dead, then why should we set our minds on the worldly ways of our old man?  The answer is easy, we should not.  Our minds should be focused on God; what He desires from us, what we can do for Him here.  We should direct our thoughts to Christ, where He dwells and His will for us.  We should not be focusing on the things of this world such as wealth, self-honor and pleasure.  The theologian Albert Barnes in his commentary on Colossians stated, “Our affections should not be fixed on houses and lands; on scenes of fashion and gaiety; on low and debasing enjoyments.” That man, the one who’s mind was fixed on earthly pleasures and ways has died. 

We, as Christians, should love the things of God, and detest the things of this world.  Now, I am not saying we should neglect our needs here, essentially food, clothing and shelter; or we should not enjoy some things here, such as a concert or a ball game.  It is that we should not make these things the center of our life.  These are not sinful activities, except if they take precedence over the things of God.   It is sin we should not think on.  “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”  Colossians 3:5.  We must see these things as dead and no longer enticing us.  We once focused on these things, but we should not now.  We are new creatures.  We think differently, we act differently.  We used to live to satisfy ourselves, now we must live to satisfy God, and in so doing, He will satisfy us.  This is setting our minds on the things above.  This is denying the things of this world.  And I have no doubt life will be so much better when we follow the words of this verse.

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

Isaiah 43:18

Verse of the Day Devotion: Isaiah 43:18 

“Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past.” – Isaiah 43:18         

The Lord is speaking through Isaiah regarding the things of the past.  What is he referring to in regard to the former things?  Just before this verse Isaiah starts regarding delivering them from Babylon, “Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, for your sake I have sent to Babylon, and will bring them all down as fugitives, Even the Chaldeans, into the ships in which they rejoice.” Isaiah 43:14. He tells them that He sent the Medes and Persians with their king Cyrus to deliver them from Babylon.  Before that, we read “For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.” Isaiah 43:3. Egypt as a ransom may refer to when God delivered Israel from Egypt with various plagues, especially the last one regarding the death of the first born and ultimately the charioteers and their chariots in the Red Sea.  The reference to Cush and Seba probably refers to a time when the king of Assyria diverted from Palestine and Judea to deal with Egypt and Ethiopia. 

What Isaiah is saying is that though these events were amazing and worth being remembered with thankfulness, praise and rejoicing, and no doubt bringing encouragement, they are not to be compared with what God is going to do and must not take precedent over future workings of God. “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.”  Isaiah 43:19 God has great plans for Israel.  And He will declare them to Israel before they spring forth.  “Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth, I proclaim them to you.” Isaiah 42:9. The metaphor here refers to plants and flowers and the springing up out of the ground from the seed.  The idea is that before there is any indication of life in a certain place, there is the seed and at this time God will proclaim it to them. 

And this new thing is the coming of the Messiah.  Note the first four verses in chapter 42.  “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.” Isaiah 42:1-4.  This servant He refers to is the Messiah, and He will bring forth a future deliverance to Israel, but not as the past deliverances.  Before it was deliverance from those who held them captive but coming will be a deliverance from their sins which now holds them captive.  They were not to dwell on past deliverances but focus on the great one coming.

This speaks to us today as well.  God has done many things in our past that has helped and guided us.  But we must be careful not to dwell too much on these and assume what He will do for us will follow the pattern of the past. God may be doing brand new things in our lives that are completely different than anything He has done before.  Dwelling on what He has done may affect how we see His new work or may make us miss the new work altogether; just as Israel missed the future divergence by Jesus because it did not match past works.  If He is doing something new in our lives, then let us see it as a totally new thing, asking Him to make it clear, so we can fully understand.  I think we will be amazed by how God works in our lives. 

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

Psalm 32:11

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 32:11 

“Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.” – Psalm 32:11       

This verse points out a great and mighty truth that we as Christians should understand, for we have a relationship with the all-powerful, all knowing God of the universe.  That mighty truth is that we have a reason to rejoice no matter our situation.  And we must always be glad in Him.  And the main reason we have for rejoicing is stated in verse one and two.  “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven; whose sin is covered!  How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! ” Psalm 32:1-2

We have all sinned.  We have done what is wrong, and we were guilty of going against the commands of our creator.  And because of this we were separated from God because of our sins.  We did not have any way of making things right, therefore we were destined to eternal separation from the one who loved us.  However, God made a way.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  John 3:16.  God sent His only begotten Son to earth to pay the penalty for what we did.  We were guilty and were destined to eternal death.  We could not pay the penalty, so Jesus did. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

God, in the form of a man in Jesus gave Himself for us.  He did not have to do this, but He wanted to. It was because of His love and mercy that He addressed our situation, and all we have to do is believe and accept the work Jesus did on the cross.  Do we really understand this?  The fact that the eternal God, creator of all things including the rebellious creatures called human beings, came and died in our place shows the immense love He has for us.  Do we deserve this love? No.  But He loved us just the same.  He made a way for us to be in fellowship with Him by imputing Christ’s righteousness on us, if we believe and acknowledge our guilt, not attempting to hide it from Him. “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

And because of all He did, we should rejoice and be glad for He saved us and made us His children and will soon take us home to be with Him for all eternity. There will be no sin, sorrow, weeping or dying.  It will be a place of constant joy and peace, where God reigns and we live in His presence forever.  This is why our lives should be a fountain of gladness, rejoicing and shouts of joy.  If what God did for us is not a cause of perpetual celebration and rejoicing, then we need to get on our knees and ask Him to show us again.  He gave us Himself, and there is no greater gift I can think of. 

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

Romans 8:25

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 8:25 

“But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” – Romans 8:25     

Paul here is building upon the idea expressed in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.  This verse lays out the definition of faith we see throughout the New Testament.  Paul now speaks of hope declared in the above verse.  Hope signifies the expectation of some future good.  Not something that has already happened or is occurring right now.  In this context it is something that we are sure will happen, and we are comfortable that we will, at some point, receive it.

So, by definition then, we hope only for those things we do not see.  And when we put it together with Hebrews 11:1 we see how faith and hope work together.  Hope is the expectation of a future good.  Faith goes beyond expectation and is, as the writer of Hebrews states, the substance or reality of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not yet seen.  The fact that God exists and that He has created all there is, and that we have a relationship with Him, is the substance of our expectations.  We hope for things in the future because of what has happened previously. 

Back to Romans 8, we see in the verse just prior to our focus verse the following, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?” Romans 8:24.  We are saved in hope because we do not see all that our salvation entails.  Yes, we see our life changed, how our focus becomes Christ and not ourselves.  We understand that our sins are forgiven, and we are united with Christ. We see these present changes in us.  However, there is more yet to be revealed.  There is the second coming of Christ where He comes to bring an end to this world as it is now.  And there is the new heaven and earth which replaces what now exists with a perfect existence where we will live with God forever.  These are things not yet seen, these are some of the things we ‘hope’ for.

Therefore, with all this said, we hope for many things that are not visible now.  And we have faith that these things will happen because of all God has done up to this day.  And if we hope for these things, we will persevere and stand against anything that attempts to convince us otherwise.  We will wait eagerly for it because our future, eternal life will be so much better than what we have now.  We should live our lives now, fulfilling the calling God has placed on us, to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20.  But we should also look forward to what we know is coming, as the verse says, waiting eagerly with perseverance. 

It is important to never forget or push aside that which we hope for.  It is part of our amazing eternal life promised us by God, and it is through this perseverance that we remain strong and devoted to our Lord.  What He has promised, He will fulfill.  In this we can have confidence.  On this is our foundation that helps us stand firm.

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

Romans 1:16

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 1:16 

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” – Romans 1:16           

Paul claims here that he is not ashamed of the gospel.  Why does he think he needs to say this?  He declares in his first letter to the church in Corinth the following.  “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,” 1 Corinthians 1:22-23. 

Regarding the Jews, Adam Clarke writes in his commentary on 1 Corinthians the following, “There never was a people in the universe more difficult to be persuaded of the truth than the Jews: and had not their religion been incontestably proved by the most striking and indubitable miracles, they never would have received it.”  In essence, if the Jews had not seen the miracles, they would never had received the message God gave them.  Remember the parting of the Red Sea. “As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Exodus 14:10-12. They would not believe what God had told them because they saw the Egyptians and they feared.  Then, God parts the Red Sea.  We see this pattern throughout the Old Testament.  And this does not just refer to the Jews in the Old Testament.  “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You. But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;” Matthew 12:38-39.

As for the Greeks, the best example was Paul’s visit to the Areopagus.  They were more interested in wisdom than truth.  Paul gave a compelling argument regarding God, Him being the creator, that He is not in need of us but desires for us to seek after Him. However, when he brought up the resurrection, we read, “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.” Acts 17:32.

As we can see, the Jews required a sign, and the Greeks were seeking wisdom.  Paul was ridiculed by the leadership of both, essentially saying that he could not prove to them what he was saying.  They found his declaration ridiculous.  However, he continued preaching the gospel.  He did not stop because they laughed at him or called him silly. The Jews did not see a viable sign that Jesus, a meek, lowly and impoverished man would save the world, and the Greeks saw no wisdom in his words.  Do we not see the same thing today?  Are we strong enough not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, or do we hide our belief from those who may ridicule or despise us because of the gospel?  It is important that we show there is no cost we will not pay to share the truth with anyone, and to share it with boldness and surety.  God is real, Christ is real, and the gospel is real.  Let’s show it by our not being ashamed of declaring the reality of it and not backing down. 

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

1 John 5:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: 1 John 5:14 

“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” – 1 John 5:14          

John here is finalizing his first letter to the church.  According to I. Howard Marshall, author of the New International Commentary on the New Testament – The Epistles of John, there was a crisis in the church whereby teachers within the church were advocating a new understanding of Christianity which did not agree with the idea John and his colleagues were teaching.  Throughout the book, John is showing them the truth as opposed to what they taught.  We see this in chapter 2.  “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.” 1 John 2:18-19.  He called those who taught wrong teachings antichrists, strong language but true if they taught a different gospel then Jesus presented.  So, many left and went out pushing their beliefs.

Now, in the final section of this letter, he lays out why He wrote it. “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13.  It appears that one of the main teachings of the false teachers countered the idea of eternal life.  Note the phrase so that you may know that you have eternal life.  John wanted them to fully understand that eternal life was promised to those who believe Jesus, who He was and what He taught.  And based on our focus verse, because of their belief in Jesus they have confidence that if they ask anything, according to His will, that He hears them.  

Now, a very important phrase is found here that many either do not see or they ignore; “according to His will.”  It is not saying that anything we ask for will be heard, only those things that fall under His will. This is a very important concept, because note the next verse.  “And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” 1 John 5:15.  And if He hears us, then we shall have what we ask for.  Therefore, the great promise to believers is that if we pray to God, according to and within the scope of His will, then we can be assured what we ask for is ours.

Now, one last point of clarification. There are two ways to ask outside of His will.  The first is to ask for something that we know is not His will.  That would encompass such things as asking for something we know is wrong or sinful, or something that is not intrinsically wrong, but asking would be wrong for us, such as asking for something that may have a negative effect on ours or someone else’s life, such as if we win, someone else loses.  Remember what Paul said, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;“ Philippians 2:3. 

The other way to ask outside of His will is to ask for something that is not what God has in mind.  He has a better plan.  The basic idea is that we may ask for something, but God has something better for us.  For instance, we may ask Him to give us a ministry position at the church we attend, but He wants us to minister overseas.  This requires trust from us.  If we ask Him for something and He does not provide that specific thing, then we must understand it was not His will for us, He has another plan.  And we must be content when what we ask for does not come to pass.  God knows better, and we should learn to be content no matter which way it goes. 

Trust God that, because He knows the end from the beginning, that He understands who we are better than we know ourselves, and that He has been preparing us for His work even though we do not recognize all that He has done, He knows best, therefore rest in this truth.  

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

Psalm 147:3

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 147:3 

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” – Psalm 147:3        

This is a verse that speaks of the great love God has for Israel and for us as well.  It refers primarily to those who have returned from their captivity in Babylon.  “The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel.” Psalm 147:2.  Note the phrase at the end, ‘He gathers the outcast of Israel.’  When Israel returned from Babylon, two major works they did was to rebuild the temple which was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, as well as the walls of the city.  This speaks to the phrase; the Lord builds up Jerusalem.  Not only did the Israelites work to restore Jerusalem, but they were dealing with sorrow because of the condition the city was in.    

As stated above, those returning from Babylon were crushed and broken due to their long seventy-year captivity, and with the return march back to Jerusalem, which was 2700 kilometers, or 1678.2 miles.  And when they arrive back, the city was in ruins.  This was the beloved city of the Jewish nation.  I am sure also many of their family and friends did not return with them due to being settled in Babylon, probably intermarried, and chose to remain behind.  This also must have caused heartache to those who chose to go back.

God though did not leave them this way.  He healed their broken hearts.  He brought them back to their native land after many years.  And even though the Temple was destroyed, and the walls were torn down, He lifted their spirits by a safe trip back and with the assurance they could, and would, rebuild everything.  He brought back all who desired to return.  See verse 4. “He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.”  Psalm 147:4. The idea is that if He can count the number of stars in the heavens and give them each a name, He knows where each one of the exiles are that want to return.  No one was left behind. 

However, though this verse is referring to the captive Israelites, this is a general truth that is applicable to us as well.  All of us go through difficult times.  All of us go through periods of anxiety, pain, broken hearts, etc.  We may struggle in going through these times; however, we have a God who loves us and brings us through to the other side.  “Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. The LORD supports the afflicted; He brings down the wicked to the ground.” Psalm 147:5-6.  He understands and has compassion on us.  “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19.  Call out to Him, He understands and will not leave us here alone.  As our focus verse states, He heals us when our hearts are broken, and He binds up the wounds that come because of our trials.  “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7.  Cast all of our trials, anxieties and hurts on Him, for He understands, cares for us, and wants to pull you through.  I can say through experience, it is easier than going though them alone. 

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

2 Timothy 1:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: 2 Timothy 1:7 

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7       

The apostle Paul is writing to Timothy, a young man called to work within the Church in Ephesus.  “To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.” 1 Timothy 1:2-4.  Paul left him there to instruct certain men not to teach heresy. 

In the writing of the second letter, Paul is encouraging Timothy to remain strong and resolute in his faith.  “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”  He grew up in a family of faith, both with his mother Eunice and Grandmother Lois.  Paul knew Timothy had sincere faith, however, as a young man it appears there were things that held him back.  He had some reluctance , no doubt due to the message he was giving to the men regarding false teachings and the feedback he must have received.  Paul though tells him, “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” 2 Timothy 1:6. He must have felt some reluctance in declaring this message, however, Paul tells him to stir up once again the gift of God.  And this gift from God was the Spirit of God. 

Now, Paul goes on to declare that this gift was not a spirit of timidity or fear.  There was no reason to experience this because the Holy Spirit would grant him the power to encounter foes and dangers, as well as to combat those who no doubt came against him as he was fulfilling the calling Paul gave him to declare to those in Ephesus regarding not teaching false doctrine.  He was not to back down, but through the power of God working in him, he was to declare boldly the truth to all, even those who did not want to hear what he was saying.  And also, the Spirit would aid him in doing all this in love.  John explains this in 1 John, where he states, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18.  There is no fear in love, actually, true love casts out fear.  If Timothy truly loves God, which he does, this love  will cast out fear because He will protect him and be there in whatever he is called to do. And the Spirit will guide him such that he will be shown how to do all with discretion and wisdom. 

Now, this promise was not just for Timothy, but it is for us as well.  We must be bold and declare the truth, correcting where necessary, doing the work of the Lord through the power of God’s Spirit, not being timid but with love, declaring the truth.  Paul suffered much during his ministry, but in boldness, preached Christ wherever he went.  We may feel reluctance as Timothy did, but we also must apply the same words that Paul spoke to Timothy.  We must kindle afresh the gift of God in our lives and allow Him to do His work in us.  For as Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13. 

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

1 Corinthians 16:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: 1 Corinthians 16:14 

“Let all that you do be done in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:14        

Paul here is closing out his first letter to the Church in Corinth.  He spoke to them throughout this letter about what love is.  There are four basic words for love in the Greek language. First there is ‘Storge’ which refers to a family type of love, such as a love of a parent to their kids, and vice-versa.  Second there is ‘Philios’ which is a love between friends.   Third there is ‘Eros’ which is a romantic love.  And fourth is ‘Agape’ which is an unconditional God-like love; the love God has for us.  Remember, God loves His people, however He also loves those who are not His people.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  John 3:16. God loves everyone, and desires that all would be saved. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:17.

The Greek word translated love in our focus verse is agape.  What Paul is saying is that whatever we do, it should be done with unconditional, God-like love.  A love that transcends and persists no matter what our circumstances are.  Whatever we do for someone else, we should do with a love that is not lessened by what they do, say, or react.  In fact, what we do should come out of our love not only to the person, but also our love for God.  We should desire to do the most we can in our service to God, which includes our service for others.  “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:1-4. 

We should have the same love for others as Christ has when He came into the world.  “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. 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. 

So, what is our focus verse saying?  That everything we do should be done with an unconditional, sacrificial, God-like love that does not look at how we benefit, but how the recipient of our deeds benefit.  We should see others higher than we see ourselves, thus doing things in humility and not out of self-aggrandizement.  Anything we do for another should exhibit and, as much as possible,  be seen by them as an act of love toward them and that we are doing it because of our love for them and God.  When we do this, our brothers and sisters in Christ will be encouraged that God is bringing us there way, and those who are not saved will see the reality of this Christian life and the love God has for them. 

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