Romans 13:1-7

Verse of the Day Devotion – Romans 13:1-7

Submission to Authorities – Romans 13:1-7

Rom 13:1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 
Rom 13:2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 
Rom 13:4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 
Rom 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 
Rom 13:6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 
Rom 13:7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. 

v1 – We are all to be under submission to governing authorities.  This is an important question because:

  • Christians professed supreme allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ; he was their Lawgiver, their Sovereign, their Judge. It became, therefore, a question of great importance and difficulty
  • The kingdoms of the world were then “pagan” kingdoms. The laws were made by pagans and were adapted to the prevalence of paganism. Those kingdoms had been generally founded in conquest, and blood, and oppression. Many of the monarchs were blood-stained warriors; were unprincipled men; and were polluted in their private, and oppressive in their public character. Whether Christians were to acknowledge the laws of such kingdoms and of such men, was a serious question, and one which could not but occur very early.
  • Many of the early Christians were composed of Jewish converts. Yet the Jews had long been under Roman oppression and had borne the foreign yoke with great uneasiness. The whole pagan magistracy they regarded as founded in a system of idolatry; as opposed to God and his kingdom; and as abomination in his sight. With these feelings they had become Christians; and it was natural that their former sentiments should exert an influence on them after their conversion. How far they should submit, if at all, to heathen magistrates, was a question of deep interest; and there was danger that the “Jewish” converts might prove to be disorderly and rebellious citizens of the empire.
  • Nor was the case much different with the “Gentile” converts. They would naturally look with abhorrence on the system of idolatry which they had just forsaken. They would regard all as opposed to God. They would denounce the “religion” of the pagans as abomination; and as that religion was interwoven with the civil institutions, there was danger also that they might denounce the government altogether and be regarded as opposed to the laws of the land.
  • There “were” cases where it was right to “resist” the laws. This the Christian religion clearly taught; and in cases like these, it was indispensable for Christians to take a stand. When the laws interfered with the rights of conscience; when they commanded the worship of idols, or any moral wrong, then it was their duty to refuse submission. Yet in what cases this was to be done, where the line was to be drawn, was a question of deep importance, and one which was not easily settled. It is quite probable, however, that the main danger was, that the early Christians would err in “refusing” submission, even when it was proper, rather than in undue conformity to idolatrous rites and ceremonies.
  • In the “changes” which were to occur in human governments, it would be an inquiry of deep interest, what part Christians should take, and what submission they should yield to the various laws which might spring up among the nations. The “principles” on which Christians should act are settled in this chapter.

Submit. The word denotes that kind of submission which soldiers render to their officers. It implies “subordination;” a willingness to occupy our proper place, to yield to the authority of those over us. The word used here does not designate the “extent” of the submission, but merely enjoins it in general. The general principle will be seen to be, that we are to obey in all things which are not contrary to the Law of God.  They were told here by Paul to submit to the Roman leadership and hierarchy.

This is because their authority was given to them by God.

  • Dan 2:21  “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding. 
  • Dan 4:17  “This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And bestows it on whom He wishes And sets over it the lowliest of men.” 
  • Dan 4:25  that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. 
    • This does not mean
      • That he approves of their conduct
      • That what they do is always right
      • That it is our duty “always” to submit to them

The main thing to remember is what Francis Schaeffer once said, and I paraphrase:        “Obey the laws of man where it does not counter the laws of God”

“But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name. And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:17-20

“When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them,  saying, We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. But Peter and the apostles answered, We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Acts 5:27-32 

v2 – That is, they who rise up against “government itself;” who seek anarchy and confusion; and who oppose the regular execution of the laws. It is implied, however, that those laws shall not be such as to violate the rights of conscience or oppose the laws of God.

vs3-4 – The general principle is that if you do good works, then we have no need to fear it.  They are generally not a terror for good works.

v5 – As a matter of conscience, or of “duty to God,” because “he” has appointed it, and made it necessary and proper.

Christians professed supreme allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ; he was their Lawgiver, their Sovereign, their Judge. It became, therefore, a question of great importance and difficulty

  • “Keep the command of the king because of the oath before God. I say, Keep the command of the king because of the oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since the word of the king is authoritative, who will say to him, “What are you doing? He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure.” Ecclesiastes 8:2-5

vs6-7 – This is the same thing Jesus said to His disciples. “But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, Whose likeness and inscription is this? They said to Him, Caesar’s. Then He said to them, Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:18-21

Go Forward to Chapter 13 Part 2

Romans 13:8-14

Verses of the Day – Romans 13:8-14

Fulfilling the Law Through Love – Romans 13:8-14

Rom 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 
Rom 13:9 For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 
Rom 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 
Rom 13:11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 
Rom 13:12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 
Rom 13:13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 
Rom 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. 

v8 – After discussing the believer’s responsibility as concerning the government and civil magistrates, he moves on to our responsibility to our neighbor.  We are to owe no man anything but love.  We should have no obligations to anyone but to love them.  If we do not pay back a person, then we possibly hurt them and cause them to think wrongly themselves.  Plus, owing others may restrict what we may be able to do for our fellow man.

vs9-10 – We are to do love everyone, and if we do, then we will not deprive them of anything that is theirs, neither his wife, life or any of his possessions.  And if we truly love them, we will not even desire, or covet, what he has for we will want him to enjoy what he has.  He then ends this with reminding them that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.

vs11-14 – These things should be our focus, knowing that the time is getting close for the return of Christ.  We must lay aside all our deeds of darkness that do not show love and do those that please the Father and show love to everyone.  We must live the live out the life that Christ lived, through to the point of death.  Our salvation from the life is almost over, the new life with God in His kingdom is at hand. 

We must show all who see us that this what we believe is true and there is little time left in this present life.  And the only way they will see it is if we live it.  Therefore we must be a light in this dark world, showing them the beauty of living in the light and ridding themselves of the darkness.  Therefore we must put on Christ, live the life He showed us, and make no provision for the lust that the flesh pushes on us.

Go Back to Chapter 13 Part 1

Matthew 28:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 28:6 

“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” – Matthew 28:6              

Now, Jesus has been crucified.  And when it was time to bring His dead body down from the cross, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph who also had become a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered it given to him.  “And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.” Matthew 27:59-61. 

The next day, after the preparation, the chief priests and pharisees met with Pilate. “and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, After three days I am to rise again. Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” Matthew 27:63-64.  Pilate was not interested in this, for it was the Jewish leadership that was concerned about the idea of resurrection,  so Pilate essentially told them to place their own guards at the tomb, which they did.

“Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.” Matthew 28:1.  Now, it is understood that they came there not just to see the grave, but to see whether they could enter in and anoint the body with the spices and ointments which they had prepared and brought with them.  Suddenly a great earthquake hits.  According to Matthew, “for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.” Matthew 28:2b.  An angel of the Lord descended from Heaven, rolled the stone away and then sat on the stone.  The guards appears to have collapsed in fear, however, the woman seemed to be afraid but not to the same extent.  “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.”  I believe they said this to ease their minds.  Then, they say what the focus verse is, “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” Matthew 28:6.  After they saw that He was not there, they left quickly to go back and tell the disciples as the angel told them to. 

But there was a  surprise awaiting them as they were going back. “And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”  Matthew 28:10.  Then they left to deliver the message.

This is the picture Matthew draws for us regarding the resurrection of Jesus.  Everything was put into motion when both Mary’s arrived at the tomb.  The angel comes, the stone is rolled away, and the angel declared to them that Jesus was not there, even though there were many guards at the tomb and the stone had not yet been rolled away before they arrived.  Both ladies had incredible faith and were, both afraid and full of joy. “and they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.” Matthew 28:8.  And I believe that to remove any possible doubt regarding a resurrection because of the words spoke about taking the body to fake it, He appears to them with a message to the disciples. 

As I have said before, this was the greatest 3 days in history, and this event was its culmination.  Jesus was crucified for the sins we have committed, was buried in the tomb of a rich disciple, and then was raised in order to sit at the right hand of the Father for our sake, and soon to come back so we can be with Him forever.  So, let us rejoice and be glad for as the angel said, “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.”  Matthew 28:6.

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

Matthew 26:39

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 26:39 

“And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” – Matthew 26:39            

This verse takes place in Gethsemane.  After the upper room meeting and supper, he goes to the Garden in Gethsemane to pray.  He takes with Him the inner three of the disciples, those being Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John.  In our focus verse, and the others around it, we see the human side of Jesus.  He was troubled by what He knows is coming.  “Then He said to them, My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” Matthew 26:38. Walking on, He goes a short distance and then falls on His face and prays.  This was a traditional way of presenting oneself in humility to God when what is being asked for is major and difficult.  

He cries out, “My Father”.  Normally, He simply uses the word Father.  Even while on the cross He uses the single word “Father”.  However, during His times of anguish, He cries out with a more intimate relational tone.  Here with the words “My Father”, and while on the cross where He cries out, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”  Both of these are cries in extreme anguish and show forth His human side.  His cry here, in our focus verse, is one of desiring another way.   

His wording regarding this was “Let this cup pass from me”.  This is speaking of a cup of poison and it was the way many were executed.  Socrates died in this manner.  According to Adam Clarke in his commentary on Matthew, the idea here is perhaps the allusion to several criminals standing in a row, who are all to drink of the same cup of poison, but the judge extending favor to a certain one, will allow the cup to pass by that person.  However, Jesus knew this was the way it would go.  We see this in the gospel of Luke.  “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.” Luke 18:31-33. There was no question this was His future.  He knew this was why He was born, for it was the only way to pay the penalty for our sins. The anxiety of what was going to happen caused Him to make this rhetorical statement.  His love for His Father and ultimately us allowed Him to submit to what His Father required.   “Then He came to the disciples and said to them, are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” Matthew 26:45-46.

Not long after this, Judas came to Him with a large crown carrying swords and clubs.  Then one of those with Jesus pulled a sword out and cut off the ear of a slave of the high priest.  However, “Then Jesus said to him, Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:52-53.   He freely went to die for us.  He could have prevented it, but He submitted to the Father to die for us that we might be saved.  There is no greater picture of love than this.  

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

Revelation 20:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: Revelation 20:15 

“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”  Revelation 20:15             

Today, my wife, son and I were going through True Devotion Ministries doctrinal statement to make some minor adjustments where needed.  When we finally got to the eschatology section, this verse stood out in a major way to me.  It speaks of those who never accepted the work Jesus did on the cross; His death, burial and resurrection that paid the penalty for their sins. 

Here is the basic order of what will take place as written in Revelation 20.  First, Satan will be thrown into an abyss for a thousand years.  Then those who were killed because of their testimony of Christ and had not received the mark on their hand or forehead will come to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. .  (Revelation 20:1-6).

After the thousand years have been completed, Satan will be released, and he will gather together an army.  With them, Satan will surround the saints and Jerusalem, but will be defeated.  After this, he will be thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet already are. Then the dead are to be judged, every one of them are to be judged, after which  death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire.  (Revelation 20:7-14).

Next, we see our focus verse.  “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15.  The final verdict will be decided based on whether our name is found in the book of life or not.  Those whose names are written in the book of life are those who are saved.  Those who are destined for eternal life.  They believe that Jesus is the Christ. As Jesus put it, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. 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 3:14-16. 

Now, there is one important idea I want to bring out.  Those who do not believe, their names are not written in the Lambs book of Life.  We all know many people who are not saved.  Family, friends and acquaintances.  We see many people all over who are not saved.  Do we desire all our family members to have their names in the book?  Do we desire all our friends to have their names in the book?  It is up to us to make sure the names of everyone we know, and meet are found in the book of life.  We as Christians have a responsibility to share the gospel to as many as we have the opportunity to speak with.  Most unsaved have no idea what their future holds for them.  Make it a point to introduce them to the saving knowledge of Jesus.  God loves them and has called us to go out where He takes us and present the gospel.  “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.  And since no one can be a disciple unless they are saved, we are called to share the gospel.  Let us do what we can to introduce as many people as we can to Jesus, praying to get their names in the most important book in all of history.

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

Philippians 3:13

Verse of the Day Devotion: Philippians 3:13 

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,” – Philippians 3:13            

Paul in this verse is being very real with the Philippians in his encouragement to them.  He tells them that as far as he is concerned, he does not consider himself to have attained anything that he so strongly longs for.  And we see a picture of that in the previous verse.  “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12. He has not attained the perfection that will come after the return of Christ. He has not as of yet been crowned with the crown of victory.  He is showing a deep humility to those in Philippi.  

However, because he has not laid hold of this, there is one thing he does do and that is encouraging them to do the same.  He wants them to continue in the faith.  He does not want them to be bogged down with their past, for there is nothing that can be done regarding it.  Do not look back but look forward.  And there are two ways to look at this and we will examine both.

First, those who look back are seeing the sin and wrong they have committed before becoming a Christian.  Often, people will focus on these things and wonder how can they be worthy to do the work of God.  One thing we must remember is that it was God who accounts us worthy to do His work, not us.  He died on the cross to remove these past sins from us.  We are not accountable to them anymore for the price was paid by Christ, the perfect sacrifice.  And we are not that old person anymore.  “Therefore, from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.” 2 Corinthians 5:16.  We must not recognize anyone who is in Christ, in the flesh, and this must include ourselves.  We must not look back on who we were then, but look at who we are now.  And how can we legitimately do this?  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.  We are not that person anymore.  In fact, that person does not exist anymore.  It has passed away.  And if it no longer exists, then why should we look back?  We are a new creature, we must look at what lies ahead for us, a beautiful and glorious future.

And the second way, looking back at what we were and had and longing for it again.  This is not a good thing.  God does not want us doing this.  Remember what happened to Lot’s wife.  God told them not to look back, however she did.  “But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:26. Now I am not saying we can turn into salt but looking back at a former life that is not there anymore is not beneficial.  However, Jesus says if we do, then we are not worthy.  “But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62  If we look back in any way from following Him, then we can end up being unworthy.

Now that we are Christians, our past life is gone.  We are not that person anymore.  Therefore, we are called not to look back, but to look ahead to where we are going and that life which is eternal and glorious.  We are to accept the result of accepting the forgiveness for that past life, and then looking forward to the life to come.  I know I cannot wait to attain that wonderful existence, which surpasses infinitely that which I was before.

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

1 Peter 5:8

Verse of the Day Devotion: 1 Peter 5:8 

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8            

This verse paints a very clear picture of something many do not think about.  There are two who are watching us.  God, of course, whose interest is for our good. He knows us like no other, and He loves us with an everlasting love.  Then there is the other one.  It is known as the Devil, or Satan.  These words truly describe what he is.  The word devil comes from the Greek word ‘diabolos’ meaning false accuser and slanderer.  The word Satan comes from the Greek word ‘satanas’ meaning accuser, as found in a courtroom.  He is also referred to as the enemy. “and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.” Matthew 13:39.

This verse is telling us we must be on watch for his activities.  He is not going to come right out and say, “It is time to tempt you.”  He will come without us recognizing it.  His desire and goal is to destroy us because He hates us who love God, who love God and follow Him. As Peter Davids puts it in his commentary on 1 Peter, ‘there is a devil who wants to destroy those who are committed to God’.

And Satan has several methods to make us fall and possibly deny Christ. First there is persecution.  He will bring across our paths people or objects that will display incredible hatred toward us.  In many countries, this is a common lifestyle for Christians, such as China, North Korea, Islamic ruled countries and now much of India. And we are beginning to see it even more in the United States.  He tempts us using fear that we will be beaten, jailed or killed.  He uses various methods in order to scare us into denouncing Christ.  Sometimes he will use humiliation.  I once saw a person deny Christ in the midst of verbal abuse.  If it works, he will use it.  Another method is temptation.  This can be presented in several forms.  The first is to promise good things if we give in.  Payment for wrongdoing is one example.  Second, there is prodding our desires we have to sin.  He knows our weaknesses, and he will do what he can to exploit them so we fall.  And if he can make it happen, to give up our Christian walk for fulfilled desires, he will do it. 

There are so many things that could be said here, but just realize there are as many ways he tempts us as there are people.  We must stay on the alert for Satan’s ways, and we must resist him.  “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:7.  James gives us several steps to beat it.  First, submit to God.  We must give ourselves to Him continually, only doing God’s will, and not our own or the enemy’s.  And when we submit to God, we resist the devil.  There are two things that encompass most of his temptations: pride and envy.  And ways we resist are through faith, humble prayers and heavenly wisdom.  Also, stay away from areas that can tempt us. Whatever is tempting to us, we must avoid.  If you do all these things, James says the devil will flee from us.

And one last thing, we need to cast all our cares on Him.  (See 1 Peter 5:7.)  Many times we stumble because we are anxious about something and we will do whatever it takes to resolve it.  Cast all cares on God, trusting Him completely, and the enemy will lose a huge tool.  Again, be watchful and clear hearted.  When you see the enemy working, resist him.  And when he flees, life will get a bit easier.

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

Matthew 22:39

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 22:39 

“The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:39             

This particular verse is one of the two more important verses that speaks to what our Christian walk is to be like.  The first, of course, is two verses before the focus verse which says, “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.” Matthew 22:37. Jesus declared this the great and foremost commandment.  God is to be our greatest love.  We are to love Him with everything we have.  With all our heart, and soul, and mind, and as Mark adds, all our strength.  With everything that is in us, our very breath and understanding, along with all the strength we have.  This being the greatest and foremost commandment.

Then we see our focus verse, “The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39. The first thing we need to understand is, who is our neighbor?  According to the Jews of that day, it was any member of the Hebrew nation and/or commonwealth.  However, Jesus had a much broader perspective, which was any person irrespective of nation or religion with whom we live, or we chance to meet or cross paths with.  We shall use the perspective of Jesus throughout this post. 

So, how do we choose to be treated?  Regarding myself, with respect and tolerance; understanding that I am not perfect.  I also want to be helped when necessary and always love the opportunity to get to know people I currently do not.  This, of course, is not a perfect picture of what is intended.  There is much more.  Let’s start with the commandments given on Mt. Sinai that deal with our neighbors and see what if says.  “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:12-17.  This is a pretty good list of behaviors that do not show love to our neighbors.  Murder, adultery, lying, stealing, etc are not activities done to those we love.   

Matthew records in His gospel a more specific and helpful way of declaring this idea.  “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12. Now, of course we do not want to be lied to, killed or cheated on.  However, let me ask the following questions for us to think about. 

  • Do we want to be ridiculed?
  • Do we want to be hurt, either physically, mentally or emotionally?
  • Do we want to be falsely accused of a wrong?
  • Do we want to be assumed of doing something we have not?
  • Do we want to be ignored by people we care about?
  • Do we want to be encouraged when we are hurting or mourning?
  • Do we want to have others rejoice with us when something good happens or to be resented because it was not them?
  • Do we want someone to care for us when we are injured or sick?
  • And if we were unsaved, would we want someone to share the gospel with us so that we could accept the salvation offered to us?

Think about these questions, and others you may come up with.  How we answer them is what we should or should not do for others.  If you do not wish to be ridiculed, do not ridicule others.   If you are hurting and want someone to be there with you, be there for those who are hurting.  If someone is hungry but does not have means of getting food, provide them with it.  This is what love for our neighbors is all about, and more.  Do good to everyone even though they never have or possibly never will do it for us.  If they are our enemies or they hate us, we should love them anyway.  “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:44. Regarding them, who knows what impact we can have on them.  They could become our friend, and we may also, if they are unsaved, lead them to Christ.

Lastly, when we do this, we imitate what Christ did for us.  We could not pay the penalty for our own sins. So, Christ paid it for us.  “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” Romans 5:6-9.  This is true and pure love, and when we do to others those things, we know to be good and desire to be done for us, then we are displaying this type of love to them.    

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

1 Peter 5:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: 1 Peter 5:7 

“Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7            

This verse here is similar to one we find in the psalms.  “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” Psalms 55:22. Both have the idea that we do not need to be burdened by trials and troubles because God said He would bare them for us. 

First, lets examine the context to this verse.  Peter starts this chapter by exhorting the elders to shepherd God’s people.  He tells them to train and help those under their care to grow in Christ.  And specifically not to do it out of duty, but from eagerness, wanting them to grow and see them become stronger in the faith.  And not lording over them but being examples of how they were to live.  He then exhorts the younger men who are under these leaders to humbly place themselves under subjection to their teachings.  It is important that Christians allow themselves to be discipled so as to understand and grow in the faith.  He then adds the following, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,” 1 Peter 5:6. To submit patiently to what God allows or causes to happen.  Sometimes He uses difficulty to correct us and we must accept this, for God does love us and knows what is best for us.  And in the process we are to wait humbly and patiently for the time God determines these tough times are completed.

Now, back to our focus verse, which is tied to verse six.  In submitting to God, we should then cast on Him all our anxieties, cares and worries, knowing God is good.  The idea in the word casting is ‘once for all.’  In other words, we are to cast our anxieties on Him and never take them back.  Too often we give them to God, and are fine for a season, but then we take them back.  We cast them upon Him trusting that He has them covered, then we take them back and become anxious again.  Have we lost our trust in Him?  The reason Peter gives as to why we can cast our cares on Him is because He cares for us.  Does He not care about us anymore?  The answer to these questions are an emphatic “NO”. He will never stop caring for us because He loves us with a never-ending love.  He does not delight in our troubles, however as stated above, He has a reason for allowing them.  And we must trust that all will end for our good. 

Therefore, when we find ourselves anxious about something, we must permanently give it to Him and not be anxious about it anymore.  We must leave it with Him and trust that we will be OK.  He loves us too much to allow something that will cause us harm, but also loves us enough to allow things that may be difficult but will cause a good to happen to us.  Trust Him and do not let our situations make us anxious or worrisome.  If a good comes from it, then was it really a bad thing?

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

2 Corinthians 5:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: 2 Corinthians 5:7 

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7           

Growing up, I used to walk in our back woods and enjoy the trees and bushes that lined the trail taking me from the front to the back of the nine acres my dad owned.  There was not much back there but trees and lots of places where wild black and raspberries grew, which I enjoyed eating while out there.  Sometimes I would take a side path just to see where it went, however, most times it just took me to nowhere.  But I always looked where I was going because it seemed there was always a fallen tree or some hole dug by small foxes or an occasionally a coyote.

In this verse, Paul uses the term walking as another way of traveling through life.  It denotes to live and act and conduct our lives in a particular way that is normal for us.  It describes life as a pilgrimage where our journey from one type of life to another is like traveling from one country to another.

Paul is essentially saying that as we go through life, we are actually on a journey to some final destination.  We can walk it in one of two ways.  We can either walk by faith or walk by sight.  Let us look at both of these in reference to our life’s journey here.  We can walk by sight which in essence says our map is what we can see.  We look up at the stars and see the magnificence of the observable universe, but because we do not see anything that could have created it, we assume they came into existence on their own, with only the assistance of the laws we observe in the known universe.  There can be no God because we cannot see it, and therefore it is inconceivable to us that there could be one.  And so, since there is none, than all actions and behaviors are judged by the values man places on them.  And this brings into our lives a relative value system that can change based on how people change.

If we walk by faith, our map is in essence the Word of God.  We cannot see God, but we know He exists because our faith shows us that He must.  We are not guided on our journey by what we see, but what we cannot see with our eyes, but what we see by our faith.  And as the writer of Hebrews stated, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.  We are guided by what God says and we live our lives accordingly.  We do not see what our eternal life will be like, however, we believe this unseen person and live our lives in expectation of what He tells us will be.  The big difference that I can see of these two journeys are the ultimate destinations.  Those who walk by faith follow the path laid out by our loving God, who is real though we cannot see Him.  He guides us along the only path that leads to somewhere good, where those who walk by sight have no idea where that path is but follows many paths that lead to nowhere good.  It is our job to guide people to the only one who can take them to a place of real life, not to a delusional path that eventually leads to death.  And that path is seen by faith.

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