Matthew 10:34

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 10:34 

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” –  Matthew 10:34

Some people read this verse and are confused because throughout the scriptures Jesus is referred to as the Prince of Peace, one who brings peace.  “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6.   The angels declared this at His birth.  “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Luke 2:14.  Note here that on earth, there will be peace among those who please God. 

Now, Christ was not saying that the purpose of His coming was to produce discord and content.  For He is called the Prince of Peace.  What is meant is that it is one of the effects of His coming.  Unfortunately, persecution would come.  “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues;” Matthew 10:16-18.  And then continuing this thought, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” Matthew 10:21-22.

Jesus did not come here to cause division but to bring salvation.  The wickedness of men, not the teaching of Christ and the gospel, is the cause for all the hostility.  It is the evil that exists in this world.  We as Christians are to strive to bring peace.  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9.  We are called to bring peace to everyone.  We are to do everything we can to prevent contention and strife.  Paul put it like this.  “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” Romans 12:18. 

When He returns, and His kingdom has arrived, then we will be in perfect peace with no end to this peace,  for all will be made right.  “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;  they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 

And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 22:1-5.  We can live at peace here because Christ is always with us.  However, eternal,  unending, and perfect peace will happen when He comes to take us home.

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

Matthew 16:24

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 16:24 

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” – Matthew 16:24 

Earlier in this chapter, Jesus asks His disciples an intriguing question.  “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Matthew 16:13b.  They answered with several names, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other Prophets.  Then He asks the same question, this one specifically to them.  “But who do you say that I am?”   Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:15b-16.   He then blesses Peter and says this was revealed to him by His Father in Heaven.

 Shortly after this, Jesus foretells His death and resurrection.  “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”  Matthew 16:21.  Peter than took Him aside and told Him “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” Matthew 16:22b. After which Jesus responded, “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Matthew 16:23.  This is a strong rebuke to Peter.  Not long before, Jesus blessed him because he heard from God and told all that He was the promised Christ, God’s Son.  Now, Jesus rebukes Peter for not looking at what God was doing through Him, but what man wanted.

Jesus had just declared what it would mean to fulfill the role of Messiah (Verse 21), that being to suffer many things from the Jewish leadership, and then be killed, but after this rise from the dead after three days.  Now, He addresses the disciples and spells out the consequences of following Him.  He does this in two parts.  The first is “If anyone wishes to come after Me,” Matthew 16:24a.  This question can be worded as “If you are really willing to follow me.”  He is with them now, but He will die at the hands of the Jewish leadership.  Were they truly willing to follow Him wherever it took them?  Then Jesus explains what truly following Him means.  “he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24b. 

First, they must deny themselves.  They must renounce any selfish pursuits that get in the way of pursuing Christ.  Second, they must take up their cross.  They must embrace any situation which God has appointed for them, and suffer through any trials, troubles or difficulties he may have to endure when walking the way of a true Christian.  Even if it means their death.   And they must follow Him.  They must imitate Jesus, do what He does, suffer all that is required to do the will of God and please Him and His Father. 

And He not only spoke these words to them, but to us as well who desire to follow Him.  These days are becoming more difficult.  Christians are being looked down upon, ridiculed, and sometimes enduring abuse at the hands of those who hate us.  And it will only get more difficult as we get closer to His return.  So, do we desire to follow Him more than anything else in our lives?  Do we submit our lives to Him, renouncing our own likes and pursuits when they get in the way of His desires for us?  Are we willing to endure anything no matter what to continue following Him?  These are difficult questions.  However, this should be our goal as Christians.  And remember, God will always be with us and give us the strength to endure anything if we sacrifice all for Him.  “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

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

John 8:32

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 8:32 

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” –  John 8:32 

This verse is the culmination of a statement Jesus made to Jews who came to believe in Him.  “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;” John 8:31  This is an important truth we all need to take hold of and not let go.  The key here is ‘continuing in His word’.  John is basically saying it is not enough to receive God’s truth by reading His word or listening to messages from the bible.  Just hearing it will not be enough: we must retain it and then walk in it.

Now, I want to say that the beginning of learning the truth is in being introduced to it, therefore it is critical that we read and study His word, and go places where His word is taught.  However, this is simply the beginning.  We must also retain it and walk in it.  The theologian Adam Clarke put it beautifully when he said, “And it is only when we receive the truth, love it, keep it, and walk in it, that we are the genuine disciples of Christ.”  We must see His word as the most important reading material we have.  In James we see a similar sentiment.  “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”  James 1:22.  The idea of deluding oneself is that by hearing the word, we deduce that this is all that matters, whereas the important thing is actually being  obedient to it.  I remember when living in a small town in North Carolina we attended a church that many of my co-workers went to as well.  They however did not live it out at work.  They would curse, speak in a rude and dirty manner, and thought nothing of it.  This is the deception spoken of by James.  They merely went there to hear His word, but not obey it.

Now, we come to our focus verse where Jesus tells us why the application of God’s word is important.  “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32  He is not saying that if they memorize His word, being able to speak it when applicable, that this is all that matters.  It is not to know it mentally, but to know it experientially.  If we love it and live it, making it who we are, it will go a long way in freeing us from the slavery of sinful ways.  Paul, in his letter to the Romans put it like this.  “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?  But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Romans 6:16-18.  Note the words, “you became obedient from the heart”

So, by studying and applying God’s word to our lives, being totally committed to living it out completely, we will know His truth.  And if we know His truth this way, then it will set us free from the bondage to sin.  There may be times we faulter, but if we do sin and hate that we did, we have an advocate.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9  He loves us this much to set us free if we desire to be free. 

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

Hebrews 8:13

Verse of the Day Devotion: Hebrews 8:13 

“When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” – Hebrews 8:13 

When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He set up a covenant with His people which was called the Mosaic covenant, because it was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  The roots of this Old Covenant actually can be traced back to Abraham, the forefather of Israel.  It was a conditional agreement that God made with the Israelites via Moses.  Under the Old Covenant the people were required to keep the Law and then God would protect and bless them.   And every year, the High Priest was to enter the Holy of Holies. Where God’s presence dwells, and to make a sacrifice, first for their own sins, and then the sins of the people.  The main idea of the Old Covenant was to keep the Law, and then offering a sacrifice if they fail to, for the sin of not obeying.

In the New Covenant, we have one sacrifice that will address all our sins, and the sins of all mankind.  No need for any daily or yearly sacrifice, but one sacrifice, already made by Jesus the Christ.  And since He was perfect, with no sin, there is no need for Him, our High Priest, to offer a sacrifice for Himself.  His death pays the penalty for all of our sins if we accept the work done for us through Christ dying on the cross and the rising from the dead.

And the new covenant is one where, as John wrote, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15.  Our love for Christ should be such that we desire with all of our being to obey Him.  As a Pastor friend of mine said many times, “It is not that we have to, it is that we get to.”  I have carried this word for a long time.  We should go to church not because we have to, but because we get to.  We should help our neighbor not because we have to, but because we get to.  We should study His word not because we have to, but because we get to.  This is a totally different idea than the Old Covenant.  We should be a servant of God because we desire to, we have a passion to, and that we would do anything to please Him.  If we only serve Him because we are simply following rules and do not desire or have a passion to, how different are we then the Jews who simply followed the law because they believed they had to?

I want to encourage us all to develop such a relationship with God that, regarding our service and worship of Him, our “have to”  turns into “get to”.  It is then that our life will be filled with more peace and joy then ever before. 

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

Mark 13:33

Verse of the Day Devotion: Mark 13:33 

“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.” – Mark 13:33

Our focus verse was said by Jesus just after He had given the disciples teaching on His return.  He spoke of times of tribulation and trouble, where many of His followers will be arrested and face incredible persecution.  He alerts them that troubled times will come, but He has told them so they will remember and be prepared: using the fig tree as an example.  “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” Mark 13:28-29  The idea is that when certain things happen, we are alerted that something is coming, In His example, when the branches of the fig tree becomes tender and sprouts its leaves, we know that summer is near. 

He, however, cannot tell them when these days of trouble will come, for He does not know.  “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Mark 13:32 The only one who knows is the Father.  The angels in heaven do not, and neither does He, only the Father does.  But Jesus does know the signs of His return.  “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” Mark 13:24-27 

Now, not only did He tell the disciples these things, but by virtue of the scriptures, He has told us as well.  And we are seeing some of these signs in our time.  I am not saying we see them all, but we do see the time of His return is no doubt drawing near.  And because we see these signs, we must be on our guard.  And this is what our focus is telling us.  “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.” Mark 13:33.  There are a couple reasons I want to point out as to why it is essential, we keep watch.  First, to make sure you are not deceived.  “And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many.” Mark 13:5-6.  We must stay in the Word so that we know the difference between what is true and what is not.  We must not allow the enemy to deceive us in this way.  And because we are studying His word, we should take it and tell as many as possible the truth of His coming.  “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.” Mark 13:10. This may very well be the last opportunity we have to evangelize to many in our culture.  The world needs to hear the truth, and it is our responsibility to allow God to use us for this purpose. 

And finally, we need to be on the alert so that we will be ready.  We have no idea when He will come, and it is easy to become indifferent about something we have been waiting a long time for but has not yet happened.  We must stay passionate about our faith, staying in His word, spending concerted time in prayer and conversation with God.  We must spread His word to those who do not know Him and encourage and train those who do.  We must do all we can to bring glory to God and listen to His leading.  He is giving us all the information we need.  We just need to see it and act accordingly.

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

John 17:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 17:14  

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” – John 17:14 

This verse is found in what is known as the High Priestly Prayer, because Jesus, who is praying here, took on the role of High Priest.  The office of High Priest started at Mt. Sinai when God gave the Law to the Israelites through Moses.  Aaron was chosen, along with his descendants,  to be priests who were responsible for interceding on behalf of Israel before God.  One priest was selected as the High Priest who would take it further by entering the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to offer the sacrifice that would temporarily cover the sins of the people.  “Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.” Hebrews 9:6-7.  Jesus came here to take the role of the perfect High Priest, one who did not need to address His own sins for He was and is without sin, therefore His was not a once a year requirement but a once for all eternity.

Now, in our focus verse, Jesus declares in His prayer a very definite truth that was not only applicable to the time He was in, but also today.  He starts with “I have given them Your word,” John 17:14a.  Jesus spent three years preparing His disciples by teaching them what is in His word.  He taught them what they are to do, and what they are not to do.  He also tells them why and why not, and how they need to be totally devoted to Him and His Father.   And we can see that this was successful for they went out into the world and brought many to Christ and then trained them in His ways, so they could go out and bring more into the kingdom.

He then ends this with, “and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:14b.  The Jewish leadership as well as many of the pagan gentiles were very devout in their beliefs and hated those who spoke against what they believed.  A perfect example of this was Jesus’ persecution and eventual crucifixion by the Jewish leadership because He was countering what they were teaching and undermining their instruction.  They were of the world, but Jesus and the disciples were not, therefore they taught against what the world loved and practiced.

Now we see this happening in the world today.  Many countries, especially North Korea, China and many Islamic countries already harshly persecute Christians in an attempt to convert them to their way of thinking.  Many times, this leads to the death of the Christian.  However, we are now seeing hatred of Christianity throughout the whole world, including the United States.  People want to do what they want, and they despise those who declare it as sin.  We need to understand that this was prophesied throughout the scriptures.  We will go through tough times because of our beliefs and devotion to Christ.  We need to pray that God will prepare us for these days so we can remain strong and true to our God.  He will never leave us alone but will always be with us.  We must trust in Him, for a beautiful eternal life awaits us after we stand firm in the faith.

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

James 2:26

Verse of the Day Devotion: James 4:26  

“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” – James 4:26

There are two basic ways to look at the concept of works as described in the Scriptures.  Unfortunately, we see both ideas be walked out today by those in our churches.  Many people believe that as long as they do good works, they will be OK when Jesus returns.  This was the way the Jewish people saw works.  However, this is not totally the truth.  Works is essential in our life as a Christian.  But not in becoming a Christian.

In ancient Jewish tradition, works was the way Jews believed they were able to please God.  We see this in how strictly they followed the law.  Micah lays out how this is basically flawed. “With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” Micah 6:6-7.  This was how the ancient Jews believed they showed their faith to God, by keeping the law.  But Micah goes on to state this in not the case.  “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.  Following the law was not what pleased God, but it was how we lived our lives

The law was not meant to address our sins, but to show us what our sins are, and ultimately our need for salvation.  “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, You shall not covet.” Romans 7:7. This shows that the law / works had nothing to do with us being declared righteous, it is faith.  In the Old Testament, we see essentially the same thing.  “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4. Those who are proud and haughty believe they themselves have addressed their sins, not realizing that it is faith in God that will address them, not anything we do. 

So, we see that the law simply shows us our sins but does not address them.  It is faith in God and the works He has done.  However, our declaration of faith is not enough.  We must live out our beliefs as well.  James lays this out perfectly.  “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and be filled, and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” James 2:14-16.  He then culminates this thought in the next verse, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” James 2:17

So, faith is proved by our works.  A declaration of our faith in Christ without a change in our lives that shows our love for Christ and our fellow man: a life that brings glory to God through our works, shows we do not really have faith at all.  It turns out only to be meaningless words.  And just as our focus verse says, faith without work is dead, just like the body without the spirit is dead.  True faith is giving up our old life with its sinful ways and replacing it with God honoring works that fulfills our calling as servants and children of God.  It is only then that the world will see our faith and desire to know more.   

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

Ephesians 4:32

Verse of the Day Devotion: Ephesians 4:32

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” – Ephesians 4:32

This last verse in chapter four of Ephesians is extremely critical when it comes to not grieving the Holy Spirit, because this is critical in displaying how we are to treat others.  Verses 26 through 31 deal with what we are not to do.  We are not to sin in our anger, steal from others, speak unwholesome words, as well as being bitter, slanderous, and filled with malice.  Paul ends this chapter by giving several positive things we need always to endeavor to do.

We are to be kind and tender-hearted to each other.  We are to be courteous and polite to all we meet and interact with.  True Christianity does not make us rough, crabby, or sour.  Neither does it make its followers violate the proper rules of social contact.  Our goal should be to make others happy by being kind to others.  There is nothing in Christianity that speaks of being foul tempered, rude, repulsive or in anyway negative.  First of all, why would anyone want us around if we are?  All we do is damage possibilities to minister to them in their lives.  And if we are interacting with an unbeliever, there is always the possibility of destroying the chance to lead them to Christ.  Also, we are not to hold a grudge against anyone.  Paul in his letter to the Colossians says it this way.  “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:12-14. 

God has called us to be compassionate to all people, just as God was compassionate toward us.  In the book of Romans we read, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.  We all have sinned, there is no one, except Christ Himself who has been or is perfect.  We all have wronged God.  However, what did God do?  He sent His son into the world to pay the penalty for our sins.  He paid the price we could not pay.  And through the death of His Son on the Cross, we have forgiveness.  All we have to do is accept it by accepting the work done on the cross and giving our lives to Him.  And we need to forgive all those who have wronged us, just as He has offered forgiveness to us because we wronged Him. 

It is important that we show the same love God showed us to all others we come across.  What better picture of love can we show to everyone we meet.  We may be surprised just how incredible our lives will become as we imitate Christ in the love He shared to this world.

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

Ephesians 4:31

Verse of the Day Devotion: Ephesians 4:31

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” – Ephesians 4:31        

Now, as Paul wraps up this section of Ephesians, he again speaks on how we are to treat each other.  And this comes after the verse that speaks of grieving the Holy Spirit.  Hence, this speaks regarding things that would be considered as grieving Him.  When we look at this verse, we see what Paul apparently sees as a major problem regarding actions of Christians, that being how we treat each other.

Let us look at these items mentioned by Paul.  He first speaks of bitterness.  There are several ways to look at this however, I will look at one which falls perfectly in what Paul is speaking about.  First, when someone is angry and unhappy because they cannot forget a bad thing that happened in the past.  As an example, feeling bitter toward someone in your school who won an award you really wanted and felt you deserved over the other person.  Bitterness occurs when we are either unable or unwilling to forget something we deem wrong.  We must put all things negative away and not think about them anymore.  Paul writes to the Church at Philippi what we are to think about.  “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. As you can see, bitterness is not included in this list.

Next is wrath.  This has the idea of passionate anger which lasts for a period of time which is opposed to being tender-heartedness toward the person we have wrath against.  Anger is similar to wrath but is more of a lasting resentment.   There is really nothing positive that comes from this.  In fact, a writer of Psalms says the following, “Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.” Psalm 37:8.  And James writes the following, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20. 

Next, we have clamor.  The idea here speaks of a loud and confusing noise, especial from people who are so angry they just shout and yell at each other.  It also refers to making a demand, yelling loudly over and over.  It speaks of a noisy outcry from a person or group of people in a loud and harsh matter.  Next, we have slander, which is essentially speaking in a bad or injurious manner which could cause others to look negatively at the person being spoken about.  And finally, malice.  This is a step beyond slander in that it is not just words spoken, but also deeds.  An example is when you hate someone to the point of desiring revenge or harm.

These are all things we need to watch out for in our dealings with others.  We cannot claim to love others if we engage in any of these actions or thoughts about them.  All of these are actions that can cause us to grieve the Holy Spirit.  We must always look at ourselves and give up those things that are ungodly.  In Lamentations we read, “Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the LORD.” Lamentations 3:40. And also, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23-24.  Let us call out to God and ask Him to remove these wrongs from us, that we may live according to His ways.

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

Ephesians 4:30

Verse of the Day Devotion: Ephesians 4:30 

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” – Ephesians 4:30     

I want to begin this discussion by illustrating the concept of grief.  First, we grieve when someone we love passes away.  This past January, I received a call from my aunt that my mother had died.  She had been ill for some time; however, it finally took its toll.  I had been separated from her for years, with her living in Washington State and myself residing on the U.S. east coast.  But our separation grew as she refused to talk with me: and it seems this was due to mental and physical issues that affected her behavior.  I flew up there for the funeral, and I learned that she had broken off communications with practically the entire family.  However, I was saddened by this, and it was nice to speak with family and old friends who comforted me.

However, there is a second type of grieving that can be just as difficult.  The best way to describe this is through an example.  A father is called down to the school by his son’s teacher.  She informs him that her son has become very unruly.  He steals from other students, and fights with many causing much injury to them.  He brings him home and tells him he is angry at him for all this bad behavior.  However, because he loves him so much, it hurts him so much to hear about all his son has done.  He is grieving over knowing who his son has become. 

This second example shows how we grieve the Holy Spirit.  I love the way Charles Spurgeon puts it, and I think this describes it wonderfully.  “for grief is a sweet combination of anger and of love. It is anger, but all the gall is taken from it. Love sweetens the anger, and turns the edge of it, not against the person, but against the offense.”  (From the Sermon “Grieving the Holy Spirit” by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, October 09, 1859).  God loves us so much that it grieves Him to see us acting in ways He has taught us not to engage in.  And just as the father loved his son, who did horrible things in school, did not reject him, neither will God reject us.  We may reject Him and walk away, but He will not reject us.   

Isaiah describes an example of this.  “For He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy, He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore, He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.” Isaiah 63:8-10.  God, who declared Israel his people saved them, and in His love, declared them His people.  But then they rebelled against Him, grieving the Holy Spirit.  After this, they remembered His mercy of old and they cried out to God.  “Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation: Where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds? The stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.” Isaiah 63:15. And how did God answer?  “Thus says the LORD, “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’ So I will act on behalf of My servants in order not to destroy all of them.”  Isaiah 65:8 Those who remember and come back, God would act on their behalf.

When we purposefully act in ways that are found in Ephesians 4:25-29, we grieve the Holy Spirit, just as Israel did in the above example in Isaiah.  We must remember that because the Holy Spirit enters us at salvation, we are sealed by Him through the Holy Spirit.  “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Romans 8:9 and because we have the Holy Spirit in us, we have the possibility of grieving Him.  However, He loves us so much, He will work to bring us back to the relationship we had before we grieved Him.  He has not rejected us, but if we do not repent and become who God has called us to be, we will have rejected Him.  I encourage you, and pray heartily for everyone including myself, that we give ourselves wholly and completely to God, desiring to be who He wants us to be, and committing to live a life of complete obedience to God.  This will help us be pleasing to God and refrain from grieving Him.  It is a beautiful way to live and honor the God who created us, loves us, and saved us so we can be with Him for all eternity.  What more could we possibly desire?

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