Philippians 1:21

Verse of the Day Devotion: Philippians 1:21  

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21

Paul in this verse is declaring his devotion to Christ.  He starts with “To live is Christ”.  His sole aim in life was to glorify God through Christ.  This was his reason for living.  His aim was not honor for himself, nor was it learning, riches, or pleasure.  It was only to glorify the Lord Jesus.  His purpose in life was to know Christ as completely as possible: to know His character and plans so that he would be able to live it himself and teach others this same thing.

This would allow him to imitate Christ as much as it was possible for him.  It is important to understand that people look at us to see if we are living the same life we are proclaiming to them.  It was through this that he was able to reach many and help them give their lives to Christ.  His goal was to truly be like Christ.  As the theologian Albert Barnes proclaims in his commentary on the book of Philippians, “a purpose to which he devoted himself with as much singleness and ardor as ever did a miser to the pursuit of gold, or a devotee of pleasure to amusement, or an aspirant for fame to ambition.” As much as anyone else sought fortune and fame, he sought a solid relationship with Christ whereby he became like his teacher.

And secondly, to die is gain.  This idea is frequently used by the Greek and Latin classic writers.  With them, the sentiment had its origin in the belief that they would be freed from all their suffering and sadness and would find themselves in a happy world beyond the grave.  However, what they believed with conjecture and uncertainty, Paul along with all Christians believe with assurance.  John in the Book or Revelation puts it this way for us.  “Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” Revelation 14:12-13.  When we die, we do not remain in the grave.  On the contrary, we are freed from this body and can now rest from all our labors.  We will no longer be working and becoming physically weary in our goal of doing good and promoting Christ by evangelizing all we come into contact with. 

Do we live in this same manner?  Do we believe to live is Christ and to die is gain?  What a beautiful way to see our life here, where we live in the presence of God through Christ, where His Spirit resides in us and we are in constant fellowship with Almighty God here on earth, knowing that when we die, it is actually a gain for us.  We will be freed from sin.  Here, we are subject to its sorrow, but in heaven there is no sin at all.  And we will be set free from the power of temptation.  We will be delivered from our enemies as well as our sufferings.  Indeed, this will be truly a gain for us all.

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

Mark 7:23

Verse of the Day Devotion: Mark 7:23 

“All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” – Mark 7:23 

This verse is the end of a discourse Jesus had with a group of people who met Him and the disciples after they landed in Gennesaret.  This was the same trip in the boat where Jesus joined the disciples by walking on the water.  Hear He speaks to them regarding what defiles a man.  “There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.” Mark 7:15. After the crowd left, the disciples asked Him what He meant by this teaching.  He then expounded on this to help them understand what they meant.  “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated? (Thus He declared all foods clean.)” Mark 7:18-19.  What He was telling them was nothing defiles them except that which might proceed from the heart. As our focus verse states, “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” Mark 7:23.

He then goes on to make it more clear by going into some detail.  “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.” Mark 7:22. When we look at this list of sins, every one of them has their start in the heart, and then ends in actions.  For instance, fornication and theft begins with lustful thoughts regarding people or things.  Deceit begins with the desire to hide something we do not want known.  And murder begins with hateful thoughts toward another.  None of these things begin with something entering our body.  This does not mean that which we allow to enter our heart, because note the wording above: “because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” Mark 7:19. If we allow ourselves to look at filthy images or listen to filthy stories or look at things and begin to desire them to the point that we will do anything to acquire them, they will most likely cause us to sin.

Therefore, it is of ultimate importance that we are careful what we focus our minds on. Our thoughts should always be toward what pleases God and what He desires of us.  Paul put it this way in his letter to the Philippians.  “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything, worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8. These are the things we need to think on: that which true and honorable, that which is right and pure and lovely (not meaning outward appearance, but what is amiable on its own account and on account of its usefulness to others, whether in your conduct or conversation).  These should be our focus.

How can we make this happen? Paul said, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2.  The way we can do this is to change our way of thinking away from the world and their ways to God and His ways.  Through Him, we can make this happen.  Therefore, let us be devoted to Him in everything and let Him makes us who we ought to be. When we do this, we stand a great chance of controlling our thoughts and the desires of our heart.

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

Galatians 5:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Galatians 5:1 

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1

Timothy George in his commentary on Galatians states the following regarding our life in Christ.  “Christian freedom is the precious birthright of every believer, an inestimable blessing.”  And I wholeheartedly agree with him.  Freedom is a wonderful gift bestowed upon us because of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  However, we must be careful how we interpret our focus verse because there are some things which we do not have the freedom to participate in and still remain obedient to Christ.  One way this is practiced is libertinism, which is the practices or habits of life, disregarding any authority in moral or religious matters.  As Paul says later in this chapter, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13. We must never think our freedom allows us to sin, on the contrary, we must realize that, through Christ, we are free from sin.  “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” Romans 6:6. And John puts it this way, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4.

Paul was not speaking of political freedom, as in the statement in our Declaration of Independence where it speaks of our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  It also does not mean we have the right to believe what we want to believe.  Nor can we interpret any verse any way we choose, for there is a specific idea expressed by God in His word that must be adhered to.  We must understand that for Paul, Christian freedom was always grounded firmly on our relationship with Christ.  Outside of Christ, human life or existence is based on bondage: bondage to sin, to the evil that dominates our world and culture. And very importantly, bondage from the law given to the Jews.  No matter what we try, we cannot do anything that will save ourselves and this is why God sent His Son to die to give us freedom from these things, and then sent His Spirit into our hearts as believers to awaken us to this new life and liberation in Christ.

Paul in Galatians quoted above the following.  “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.“  Galatians 5:13.  Paul is telling them that instead turning our freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but as an opportunity to share our love by serving one another.  As Christ served us by coming down and dying, we are called to serve others by lovingly helping them in whatever way needed.  This is what it is all about.

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

Matthew 6:34

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 6:34 

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matthew 6:34 

One thing I believe we do too often is we look ahead and worry about things that have no correlation with today but are specifically future issues.  We have no surety of what is going to happen in the coming days.  And many times we end up worrying about things that actually never occur.  I have to say when I was younger I fell into this trap, but as I have aged, and realized that this verse is true wisdom,  I now pray every morning that God will guide me through all the problems and issues I have for that day and leave what ‘could’ happen tomorrow for tomorrow.

The idea here is that we should not be concerned about, first, ‘what may happen tomorrow.’  We have no ability to know with surety that anything will happen tomorrow.  However, our God does.  And many times, as stated above, we worry about things in the future that turn out not to happen.  The evil and troubles, the anxiety of each day as it comes is sufficient without stressing ourselves with restless cares about another day.  One day’s troubles is enough to deal with, therefore, we should deal only with the troubles we have today and then be thankful for His help.

Second, we should not be concerned about ‘what we will need tomorrow’.  Now, needs are totally different from wants.  Jesus denoted our needs as the following. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”  Matthew 6:25.  These are our primary needs: food, drink and clothing.  We cannot live without food and drink, and clothing is needed in order to protect us from the elements.  Therefore, we must have these things in order to survive.

In both ideas, we actually have no need to be concerned at all.  In answer to the needs and desires, we read “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:32.  And, “O fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.” Psalm 34:10. It is important that we understand that if we diligently seek His kingdom, and fear and trust God in all our ways, then we have no reason to be concerned.  That is why we should only address those things that are currently happening in the present.  As our focus verse states, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34.  And the way we should address the issues of the day are to, while trusting God for everything, pray fervantly, hear what He says and then follow His leading.  And then have faith in Him because, as Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.

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

2 Corinthians 10:17

Verse of the Day Devotion: 2 Corinthians 10:17 

“But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD.” – 2 Corinthians 10:17 

One of the things we need to be careful of is boasting in ourselves and what we do.  This seems to be a recurring theme in Paul’s writings, especially in his letters to the Church of Corinth.  We know in our society that it can be common place to build up ourselves to help set us apart from others who do the same thing, such as in going for a promotion, seeking a new place of employment, or in anything where we strive to show ourselves on a higher ledge than anyone else.  This is the way the world thinks, but we as Christians should think differently.  “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2  And he then goes on with “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Romans 2:3.

As our focus verse states, if we do boast, we must boast in the Lord and not ourselves.  We must always remember that God is the one who uses us to do His work.  “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13.  Our role is to submit to Him, allowing Him to lead in the work He has for us.  He is not saying He forces us, but that He leads us.  He prepares us for every task set aside for us.  What we need to do is submit.

Now this idea is very deep and complex, there are many directions that can be taken here which would require a separate paper to address thoroughly.  What I am focusing on is that any boasting that would come from our work should be directed at God and not ourselves.  Jeremiah declares “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24.  He speaks of several areas where people then boasted of themselves, and they do today.  The wise and educated are not to boast of their wisdom and knowledge.  Those who are strong and brave are not to boast of their might, and the rich are not to boast in their wealth.  What we are to boast in has nothing to do with us, but that He understands and knows us, and that He loves us and exercises justice and righteousness, and through His Son, incredible mercy.  This should be the focus of our boasting: Him and not us. 

In closing, everything we have to boast about is because He made us the way we are, provided us with the experiences throughout our lives to prepare us for the work He has commissioned for us.  We are who we are because of Him.  “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10  His grace made us who we are.  And in this, we should always rejoice.

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

Matthew 13:44

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 13:44 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44

This verse addresses the idea of the importance this Christian walk has in our lives.  It speaks of a hidden treasure in a field.  A man discovers this treasure while walking. This treasure is no doubt far more than just a bag or pot of coins.  The idea is of a gold or silver mine which was found under the field, wherewith the only way to access it is to buy the field.  He considered this treasure so great and valuable and was filled with such joy, he left it as it was and goes back and sells everything he has and purchases it. 

This parable of Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God; but more specifically, salvation provided by the death of Christ.  This treasure is seen through the gospel presented, either directly by someone bringing the word to us, or via some other medium.  We all, in one way or another, have heard the  gospel.  And this gospel is of inestimable worth, having a value beyond anything we could ever imagine. But the question is do we see the value of this treasure?     

The basic idea is, are we willing to give up everything for the cause of Christ?   This can be a difficult question.  In our past lives, we all had many things that were important or of great value to us.  The question is, stated more specifically, are any of these things more valuable to us than our service and devotion to God?  Jesus in this parable states that we should be willing to sell everything, or put another way, to give up everything for Christ.  This has nothing to do with our means of salvation, since this is completely the result of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.  Works has no part in our salvation however, it is the proof of our salvation.  “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:18. 

There is a phrase I use to denote this idea in my life of selling all I have to attain the treasure.  “If we are not all in, then we are not In at all.”  We must be willing to put God first in every area of our life.  We must be willing to give up those things, ideas or activities that are not honoring to Him.  Also, we must make all things secondary that gets in the way of our service to God.  Now, I am not saying we cannot relax, enjoy a good book / movie or spend time with friends and family.  Jesus himself would relax in the company of His disciples and others.  He does not prevent us from enjoying these times.  However, these things must not be ungodly nor take precedence over our calling from God. 

Now, I want to close this with a message of encouragement.  God wants us to enjoy life.  His desire is that we will draw closer to Him each and every moment.  And if we put Him first, this will be the life we will lead.  He is the one who helps us be content in our service to Him and our lives in this world.  “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6-8.  Godliness and obedience to His will brings contentment which is the source of God’s peace.  God wants us to enjoy our lives here, and contentment is the means by which it happens.  Give your all to God and hold back nothing.  You will be amazed at how rich and beautiful your life will become.

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

John 4:24

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 4:24 

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:24 

Jesus is traveling from Judea to Galilee and verse four says something that went against the Jewish tradition.  “And He had to pass through Samaria.” John 4:4. Many Jews believed that it was absolutely wrong for them to pass through Samaria for it was populated by those who were forced to intermarry by the King of Assyria back when the ten tribes were taken captive.  I believe that John’s use of the phrase “had to pass through Samaria” was based on this being the shortest route and Jesus knew this opportunity to speak to the Samaritans was in the Father’s plan.

Now, a Samaritan woman meets Jesus at a well and He asks her for a drink.  The woman replies, “Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) John 4:9. Jesus used this opportunity as a means to open a conversation.  After some time, she sees He could be a prophet because He knew she has had five husbands and the one she was living with now was not her husband.  Then she brings up the topic of worship.  “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” John 4:20. She was telling Jesus that they worshipped in the mountain that was near them, and the Jews believed that only in Jerusalem can proper worship be done.  Jesus gently corrects her by saying that a time is coming where neither place will be used.  He tells her that she worships what she does not know, for the means of salvation, Jesus, came through the Jewish line.  And then He closes with our focus verse, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24.

What Jesus in essence is saying is that worship should be of a spiritual nature, not focused on things or rituals of men.  True worshippers worship God anytime, anywhere, and anyway that brings glory to God.  And in worshipping, they bring all their affection and attention to God.  We are not to be concerned that we wear the right clothing, bow in the proper way, or say the right words in the right way.  God is Spirit, He is everywhere at one time, so we can worship Him anywhere at any time.

And our worship should be real, and not simply a ritual.  We should reach out to our God and express to  Him how much we genuinely love Him, how much He means to us, and how much we rely on Him.  God wants us to be real with Him.  If we are hurting then express that.  And we all have different ways expressing love.  He understands this and knows our hearts.  As long as we present it in a righteous way that brings Him glory, the location and means by which we worship Him is irrelevant.  

This is what Jesus was telling her, and also is telling us.  True worship comes from our hearts, and we can express this true worship at any time in any place.  To focus on rituals takes our eyes off of Him and places them on our actions.  And since God is always near us, we do not need to wait till we get to a particular place.  What He is interested in is the fellowship between us and Him, the expression of love and adoration we have for Him, and our understanding of who He really is.  This is true worship, and it makes no difference where, when and how we do it. 

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

1 Peter 4:16

Verse of the Day Devotion: 1 Peter 4:16 

“But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” – 1 Peter 4:16 

This, and the verse before it, deals with suffering.  In the verse just before this we read, “Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;” 1 Peter 4:15.  We must make sure that we do not suffer because of something we did wrong.  He mentions several things in the verse such as murder or thievery which are illegal acts or meddling in the affairs of others.  In these things we should expect to suffer because we did wrong.  In the above, if we stole something that belonged to someone else, or we took the life of someone and thus denied them their future with family and friends or meddled in the affairs of another which causes them trouble, then we should expect to pay the penalty of what we have done.

However, as our focus verse states, “but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” 1 Peter 4:16.  We should not be ashamed when we suffer for the sake of Christ.  On the contrary, we are to rejoice.  “But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”  1 Peter 4:13. In other words, if we share in the same type of suffering Christ endured and if it was inflicted on us for the same reasons.  Paul, in his letter to the Colossians said the following, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” Colossians 1:24. What Paul is saying is that the leading desire of his soul was to be just like Christ; alike in moral character and in His suffering, as well as in Christ’s final destiny.  In fact, in his second letter to the church in Corinth he even boasts in his suffering.  “Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.” 2 Corinthians 11:24-30. 

Are we willing to suffer for the cause of Christ?  If someone ridicules us because of our faith and belief in Jesus and what He has done for us, will we be ashamed?  If we are arrested and demanded to deny Christ in exchange for our release, will we?   If we were threatened with death if we continue to believe in and spread the good news of Christ to the world, would we back away?  Or will we stand strong and take whatever comes our way.  This is a hard question, but it was required of His disciples back in the first century and it is also required of us in our time as well.  We are seeing persecution of Christians and the church throughout the world increasing because of Christ.  It is important that we stand firm in our belief and help our brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same?  For when we do, we show the reality of our Christian walk.  It declares we have no doubt that the Son of God came down from heaven in the form of a man and gave His life to pay the penalty for our sins.  Knowing this if we are ashamed of our Christian walk, or desire to save our pride and lives rather than stand up for Christ, then we truly do not love Him or have accepted Him.  He suffered incredibly in this world in order to provide salvation to us all.  We should therefore be willing to suffer to bring this eternal message to a world that needs to hear it, and ultimately bring glory to God.  It is the least we can do.

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

John 21:3

(Editor’s Note: Christiaan here, William has returned home from the hospital, he’s working on an update for everyone, so this will be my last time posting for him for a bit). 

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 21:3 (NLT)

“Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ ‘We’ll come too,’ they all said. So, they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.” – John 21:3 (NLT)

We’ve arrived at the end of our journey in John 21. And with it being my last time writing for a time, I thought it may be good to finish this exploration where it began at the beginning of the chapter. If you’d like to catch up on what we’ve explored so far you can click on the following links. John 21:22 we saw Jesus’s response when Peter was concerned about what other people’s callings were. In John 21:7 we saw how Peter zealously swam towards Jesus upon realizing it was him. John 21:9 we saw the lengths that Jesus went to restore Peter. Lastly, in John 21:11 we saw how God gave Peter strength to do what God called him to do.

Today in our passage, I wanted to look at what happened before all four of our previous verses. Jesus has died. Peter has denied. Jesus has shown up to Peter, individually once, and the disciples all together twice before. Lots of people have argued very different things to account for Peter’s going fishing after seeing the resurrected Jesus. Some argue that it was a move out of frustration, while others believe it was ‘unthinkable’ if not ‘one of complete apostasy’. Some see it as simple as an, ‘even disciples need to eat.’ Some argue that he was told or lead to do this because God wanted them to be ready for Jesus to act. I’m going to go from the point of view of: Peter a fisherman, after all he’s gone through, decides to return to being a fisherman. This is an extremely non-spiritual reaction, but it’s a very human reaction, and illustrates a very real truth.

When we don’t know what to do, we tend to do what we’ve always done.

Peter and the rest of the disciples are have been with Jesus for the last three years, following his lead. They haven’t been worrying about where to go and what to do, because Jesus has always told them. Jesus had told them of all the things they would do, he told them of the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) coming after he (Jesus) left, and they had to wait for it. I don’t necessarily blame them. I think they were operating in, “Let’s just survive until tomorrow” mode. The only problem with that is while you survive, you don’t take the opportunities to thrive. Us Christians today, who may write about this, have never known what it was like to not have Holy Spirit with us, so I think we have to give a special grace to Peter. He didn’t have the spirit to lead him in his next direction.

But what can we do? What should they have done? I think to answer this, we can take a cue from Princess Anna of Arendelle. In Frozen 2, Anna finds herself alone, separated from everyone that she’s known and loved, with no direction of what to do. While Peter and the Disciples weren’t in this position yet. In the song, “The Next Right Thing” she struggles with what to do (you can watch the video by clicking here):

I follow you around, I always have.
But you’ve gone to a place I cannot find.
This grief has a gravity, It pulls me down.
But a tiny voice whisper in my mind
“You are lost, hope is gone, But you must go on
And do the next right thing.”

The Next Right Thing – Frozen 2

More often than not, God gives tells us what we will do, we’ll have a calling on our lives, or something that we’ve pushed for, but he doesn’t tell us how we’ll do it or the steps to accomplish it. We may have people in our lives who can give us wise counsel, but outside of God directly telling us how to get there, we have to make a choice and like Anna, do the next right thing.

I’ve mentioned before about how it took 35 years for me to walk in my calling to be in full time vocational ministry, but until I got to do that, I had been volunteering, serving where I could, taking the advice of others to broaden my horizons. I went to school, prepared myself, and then pursued it. I cannot tell you how often I talked to my parents and lamented to them how I wish that God would just tell me what I should do, because I was pretty sure I was making all sorts of terrible choices, and I made decisions out of fear, or greed of some sort (choosing a high paying job, outside of my field) and it stunted my ability to serve God (required me to work weekends, and made my ability to serve in a church inconsistent). But I’ve seen God redeem those choices.

That may be it. Maybe, I don’t want to jump on the Peter is a heretic for going fishing because I’ve been in his situation. I know Jesus has a calling on me. I know God wants me to do X or Y, but I don’t know how to go about it, so I’m going to go and do something I know how to do and make money so that whatever I end up doing, I’ll be in a better place financially.

It’s also interesting to note that Peter made the statement about himself, that he was going fishing, and the rest of the disciples followed along. We don’t have any indication in the verbiage that Peter was trying to conscript them or anything, just that he was making an individual choice and others followed him. And it’s a good thing, in this case, that they did, because, whether by God calling Peter to go fishing or by Peter just choosing to go fishing himself, all the disciples got to see Jesus again, and witness the reconciliation, restoration, and re-commision of Peter in a way that changed the world.

When you’re stuck with what to do and where to go, remember that as Proverbs 15:22 (ESV) says, “Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” so make sure you ask your trusted friends, relatives, and pastors for their counsel. They may have opportunities or ideas you may not have thought of. Pray about it, ask Holy Spirit what you should do, and listen for the small voice. And when all else fails, follow the example of Princess Anna, and do the next right thing.

To finish out my tenure writing these verses of the day, I hope that through this, you’ve been able to learn some new things about Jesus, Peter, and John. I hope that you’ve been able to see how much depth even some of the seemingly most benign verses could have. And I hope that I’ve accomplished my mission in that I wanted to encourage you all to take heart by John’s account of what happened with Peter. If Jesus would do it for Peter, I have no doubt he can and will do the same things in your life.

God Bless!

John 21:11

(Editor’s note: Christiaan, still, here. William is finishing up his recovery and should be back soon!)

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 21:11 (NLT)

“So, Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.” – John 21:11 (NLT)

We’re in John again! You can check out the previous days by clicking on the verse. We’ve looked at how in John 21:22 how after being restored, reconciled, and ordained, Peter was still concerned about others, and Jesus had to remind him not to compare himself to others. In John 21:7 we see how, in spite of Peter’s past betrayals of Jesus, when he saw Jesus on the shore, he jumped out of the boat and went towards him. In John 21:9 we looked at the lengths that Jesus went to not only reconcile and restore Peter but did it in a way that removed all doubt from Peter, allowing him to commit to his calling without worrying about his past mistakes.

Today, I want to take a less academic approach to the effect that Jesus’ restoration had on Peter. But first, John chooses to mention how many fish the nets had caught. There’s a lot of jibba-jabber about what this could secretly mean, and biblical codes that spell out secret messages… I think the most simple explanation is the most correct. John was a fisherman and catching 153 large fish was a feat that isn’t achieved often.

In John 21:6, Jesus, after asking the disciples whether or not they had caught anything, said, “‘Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!’ so they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.” John realizes it’s Jesus, and Peter jumps out of the boat, heads over to Jesus, the rest of the disciples follow, and after Jesus and Peter have time to chat for a little, Jesus calls for Peter to bring over some of the fish. So he grabbed the net and pulled all the fish ashore.

It’s intriguing to me that prior to being with Jesus the disciples, including Peter, couldn’t haul the net in. Yet, after meeting with Jesus for a little Peter was able to haul in the net by himself. There’s some thoughts that this feat is even more amazing then it comes off. When the disciples have an issue bringing the fish in, they’re in the water, the fish are buoyant, it’s the lightest that the fish will weigh. However, when Jesus tells Peter to bring the fish in, he drags it onto the shore by himself, where the fish loose the buoyancy.

Solomon wrote in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” (NLT) being able to be welcomed and reconciled with Jesus lifted such a burden off Peter that he had supernatural strength. I believe that Peter showed us a literal example of Isaiah 40:31 (NIV), “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” I also believe this is a great example of how when God calls you to do something that seems impossible, he’ll give you the ability to do it, even if by your own strength, you’ve failed multiple times before.

To close out this devotion, I wanted to leave you with a few verses to hopefully encourage you in these times, so that like Peter, you’ll have faith and trust that whatever God calls you to do, you’ll be able to do it no matter what.

Psalm 138:3 (NLT), “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.”

Joshua 1:9 (NLT), “This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Philippians 4:12-13 (ESV), “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Psalm 18:39 (NLT), “You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.”

Psalm 27:1 (KJV), “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

So, to quote Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, “Now all glory to God, who is able, though his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Thanks for all your prayers and support as we petition God for the fully restoration of William so he can continue his work here and as God calls him!