Isaiah 26:3

Verse of the Day: Isa 26:3 “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.” – Isaiah 26:3

This is a very well-known and popular verse I hear many times.  A more familiar version of this is “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

How often do we get worried or frustrated?  I wish I could say never, however that is not the case.  I think we all get that way at times.  However, the prophet Isaiah has given us the way to be at peace in every situation.  It is easy to understand but not necessarily easy to do.  God wants us to be in perfect peace, and He has provided a way.  That is to trust Him in everything.

Isaiah says, perfect peace comes to those whose mind is steadfastly focused on the Lord.  During these difficult times we need to continue to stay in touch with God, focusing on the fact that He loves us and will never leave us or forsake us.  Paul in his benediction in 1 Thessalonians said the following, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.  Why can we do this in the tough times?  Because we trust Him.  We know He has our best in mind.  And He will bring it about.

Remember what the Lord spoke through Solomon.  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5 Our own solutions do not work, only His will.  Just trust Him.

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

Nahum 1:7

Verse of the Day: Nahum 1:7

“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” – Nahum 1:7

This is another verse that speaks of the Lord watching out for His own.  However, those who are enemies of His or His own He will address.  Look at verses 2-3.  “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.  The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. “These verses show that He will not quickly become angry, however, if they do not turn to Him, they will suffer great consequences.

We who are His children, will be protected.  He watches over us and when we find ourselves in trouble, He is our stronghold.  Think of a great fortress where evil people are doing all they can to get to us, yet we are inside with no fear; knowing they cannot get to us.  When the enemy comes against us, having placed our whole life in His hands, he will never reach us for the Lord is our stronghold and fortress.  Always remember, when the enemy comes against us, we will overcome through the power of God.

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

Psalm 113:2-3

Verse of the Day: Psalm 113:2-3

“Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting.  The name of the LORD is to be praised.” – Psalm 113:2-3 

I absolutely love these verses.  They cover times and places regarding the praises of God.  We are to praise Him without ceasing.  Verse two says we are to praise God starting now and continue forever.  Note the wording ‘from this time forth and forever.’  We are always to praise God.   We can praise Him with our voice, we can praise Him by our deeds. We can praise Him in our sharing of Him to the lost, we can praise Him in our encouraging of the brethren.  We praise Him when we trust in Him completely.  Living our lives in complete and total submission to God is an act of praise and worship.

Verse three addresses where we are to praise Him.  In the Hebrew, the intent of the phrase ‘from the rising of the sun’ denotes anything to the east of our position, for the sun rises in the east.  In the same way, the intent of the phrase ‘to its setting’ denotes anything to the west of our position, for the sun sets in the west.  And because the earth is round and if you continue to travel to the east, you will arrive at the same place from the west, and vice-versa, it covers our current position as well.

The main idea of these two verses is clear.  God is to be praised always and in all places.  The apostle Paul said it as clearly as it can be.  “Whether then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31.  By giving God the glory, we are giving Him our praise as well.

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

Proverbs 17:17

Verse of the Day: Proverbs 17:17

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” – Proverbs 17:17

True and faithful friends love in the hard times as much as the good times.  There are many people who act like true friends when things are going well and does not cost anything (money, time, or anything else).  All too often, when there is a change in a person’s situation whereby there is a negative effect on the relationship, they forsake the person and look for someone else that will be more fun.

Paul wrote to the Romans the following, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”  Romans 12:15. As Christians, we are to stand beside our friends in all situations.  For instance, they receive a great promotion at their job, get together with them and rejoice, celebrating this great thing that has happened.  However, likewise, if they find out a close relative has died, go to them, comforting them by helping them deal with this great loss.  Weep with them, as they cry in their great mourning.

What a beautiful picture of true love.  Not envying or coveting what good they received, even though you would love it too.   And, not avoiding them because it is an uncomfortable situation.  Show yourself to be a true and loving friend by being there with them in the good times and for them in the bad.  You will honor God through it and show what a true friend really is.  Who knows, someone watching you may be positively changed by your actions.

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

Psalm 34:18

Verse of the Day: Psalm 34:18

“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” – 34:18

This is an encouraging verse.  The Lord will always be by our side when we are heartbroken.  We all experience these times.  And they are difficult times.

The idea of broken hearted is pressed and weighed down with afflictions, by intense sorrow.  So, during these times, we can trust that we are never alone.  The language is figurative.  As an omnipresent being, God is always equally near to all persons.  In fact, He is everywhere at the same time.  So, the idea is He is always with us.  Jeremiah put it like this, “Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off?  Can a man hide himself in hiding places, so I do not see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:23-24.

We serve a God who is always near and attentive to us.  He knows everything we do, think, and what we are going through.  And He loves us with a love that is so great it is incomprehensible.  Take comfort in this, for we can always cry out to Him and He is there to comfort us and help us through.  And trust Him that he is faithful to us.

Two more verses that is a comfort to me.  “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 and “The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.” Psalm 46:11

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

Genesis 15:6

Verse of the Day: Genesis 15:6

“Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” – Genesis 15:6

Abram was told by God not to be afraid for He would shield Him.  Moreover, Abram would be given a great reward.  However, Abram responded to God with by asking “What will you give me, for I am childless, and my heir will be Eliezer my servant.  (In nomadic tribes, if a man was childless, his heir was his chief servant).  Then we read in verse 4, “Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.’”  Then He tells Abram that if He could count the stars, that would be the number of his descendants.

What is amazing about this story is that Abram was somewhere between 75 and 85 years old, while Sara would have been between 65 and 75 years old, long after the age of childbearing.  However, as we see in our focus verse, Abram believed God, and because he believed, God declared Abram righteous.

There are two things we can glean from this.  First, God can do anything no matter how impossible it may look to be.  If God promises us something, it will come to pass.  There is no doubt.  So, you can look at the promises of God throughout the scriptures and know that they can and will be done.   And second, this is a beautiful picture of the gospel.  If we truly believe that Christ died, was buried and then rose again for us, then our salvation is sure.  Note Jesus’ words in John’s gospel, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16  Do you truly believe?  If so, then God has declared you righteous.  Rejoice!

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

Jeremiah 1:5

Verse of the Day: Jeremiah 1:5

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5 

Have you ever wondered why God works in you and through you the way He does?  We see the answer here in these words God spoke to Jeremiah; that being He knew Jeremiah even before He formed Him in His mother’s womb.  And because He knew Jeremiah, He consecrated Him and appointed Him to be a prophet.

God does not wait for us to be saved to determine what He will call us to do.  He knows us long before we are born.  In fact, long before we were made.   We see in Luke that John the Baptist was known before his birth.  “But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.  You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.  For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.”  Luke 1:13-16 We also see it with Samson in Judges 13.

From the beginning He knew what you would be doing for Him.  Do not be discouraged thinking you are ‘out of your league’.  He called you to your mission from the very beginning.  And remember, He will work through you to make it happen.  You are not alone.  Submit to Him, no matter what, and you will fulfill His purpose in your life and bring glory to God.  And that is a good thing.

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

Psalm 103:11

Verse of the Day: Psalm 103:11

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.” – Psalm 103:11 

This, to me, is a beautiful passage.

If we think about it, the height of the heavens is so great we cannot even begin to imagine it.  There are no boundaries.  It goes beyond stars, galaxies, and all things within this universe.  If we were to set out to go to the end of everything, we would never reach it.  First, we would get to the end of the universe God created and we reside in, however, after that is the realm of eternity where God resides.

What the psalmist is basically saying is that God’s lovingkindness is infinite.  There is no end to the love God has for us who fear him.  We can never conceive of anything greater than His love.  Isaiah uses the same picture describing God’s ways.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9.

Finally, Jesus stated it best when He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”  John 15:13 And who are His friends?  “You are My friends if you do what I command you.”  John 15:14

We who are totally devoted to Him and do what He commands us, His love for us is beyond measure.  It is so great, He Himself died for us, one who never had to die, but He took on the form of man so that He could pay for our sins by His death.  I reiterate, what a beautiful passage this is.

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

Jeremiah 17:7

Verse of the Day: Jeremiah 17:7

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.” – Jeremiah 17:7 

There are many things that we place our trust in.  Sometimes we trust other men to bring us through trials.  Other times we trust the law to bring about appropriate compensation for a wrong done.  And of course, there are times when we rely on ourselves.  Also, there are many who create their own gods and place their trust in them.  The problem with placing our trust in any man or man-made solution, such as a false god, is that we cannot always trust that the solution will work.

In today’s verse, the truth is that placing your trust in God will be a blessing to you.  You see, in the verses 1-4, God convicts the Jews of the sin of idolatry and shows them that any confidence in these idols will not be good.  Let us look at the next two verses.  “Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.  He is like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.”  Jeremiah 17:5-6 He now says that anyone who trusts man aside from God has placed his trust in the wrong things.

The idea here is that we are to understand that God is to be who we trust.  He will never fail us, even when it looks like things are going all wrong.  He will never let us down or cause us to wander aimlessly for a solution.  As the writer of Proverbs said, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6.  Acknowledge that the one you trust in any situation is God, and you will be guided straight to where He wants you.  And that place is God’s best for you.

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

1 Kings 8:61

Verse of the Day Devotion: 1Kings 8:61

“Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.” – 1Kings 8:61  

1 Kings 8 gives the account of the ark of the covenant being placed into the temple which had just been completed.  He offered a prayer to the Lord asking that any requests given earnestly and humbly by Israelites or strangers would be accepted by God.  At the end of this prayer, Solomon asks for His blessing over the people of Israel plus an exhortation for them as well.  This exhortation is the focus of our verse today, which is as much for us today as for the Israelites back then.

The first part says that our hearts should be wholly true to God.  Our love for Him should be unquestionable to all who see us.  We should desire with all our hearts to please Him, serve Him, and take time to fellowship with Him in prayer.  Our love and devotion should be unwavering, never lessening no matter our circumstances.  God said He would never leave or forsake us, showing His love is unwavering, therefore ours should be as well.

Second, we should walk in His statutes, always striving to keep His commandments.  Our obedience should be universal in that we obey all of them, and not just those we choose to.  With this, I say that His desires take infinite precedence over our own.   All that we do or think should follow the idea that He is supreme, and I am not.  Thus, we should not be divided in our loyalties.  We should be totally upright in our ways and submissive to His commands.

Jesus takes these two points in Solomon’s prayer and merges them into one concise statement.  “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  John 14:15.   As always with Jesus, His position on this could not be clearer.

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