Psalm 116:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 116:15

“Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.” – Psalm 116:15 

This is a beautiful picture of how God views the death of one of His children.  We see death as the end of a life. It means decay, absence and their removal, nothing that we prize.  We mourn over the death of someone we know because what we see is separation, the loss of the fellowship and love we have for and with that person.  We hold all these memories and are saddened that those days are over.  However, God knows the end from the beginning, and He has determined our days.  “Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.” Job 14:5. And since He knows our days, the end is not a surprise to Him as it is to us.

How does God see the death of the Godly ones?  Well, it is not separation, for we will be there with Him.  “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7. And we will be with Christ. “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” Hebrews 9:27-28.

And our new life will be everlasting.  “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. Our life will never end.  For we shall be with God, enjoying the blessed life forever with no end.  No longer dealing with the temptations and sins that so easily entangle us (see Hebrews 12:1).  No longer growing weary due to the problems and trials we face every day.  No longer going without and wondering how we will make it.  No longer mourning over hardships that come our way, for we will be at peace, and joy will pervade our existence.  No longer becoming tired and weary, for we will experience true rest.  “The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, each one who walked in his upright way.” Isaiah 57:1-2.

The trials we face here on this earth are not the product of God, but of man who rebelled against God.  However, through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, we as Christians will be delivered from the chaos wrought by the rebellion of Adam and Eve.  We will be with God who loves us very much and will provide a place for us with Him forever.  He does not like what we go through here, which is why He has prepared a better place on a new earth in a new heaven.

As stated above in Job 14:5, our times have been set.  And also His plans for us have also been set.  We are here to spread the gospel and bring others to the saving knowledge of Christ.  In these times there will be suffering for all saints.  “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12. Also, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.” Philippians 1:29-30.   In fact, Paul was told ahead of time that he would suffer for Him.  “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him (Saul) how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16

Unfortunately, reaching out to the lost will undoubtedly bring suffering.  However, at the end, either of our life or this era, we will no longer experience persecution or suffering, for we will enter our new life full of unending joy, peace and love. Revelation tells us what it will be like.  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4.

In looking at death the way God does, we can see that death for the Christian is not a sad event, but a time of rejoicing.  For they have been delivered from this life of trials, sickness, pain, persecution and the like, to a life that consists of eternal peace, joy, rest, contentment and love.  Yes, we will still mourn, for we are still here.  However, God sees one that He loves finding eternal peace and joy beyond comprehension.  And this is why the psalmist writes in our focus verse, “Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.” Psalm 116:15.

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

Psalm 90:12

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 90:12

“So, teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

This verse does not mean that we are to keep count of the number of days we have been here.  For instance, I have been here, on this earth approximately 22,700 days.  This means nothing in the grand scheme of life.  What it does refer to is that we should understand that our lives here are not limitless.  It more truly describes how we should live our lives going forward.  The idea is that we should estimate our days such that we understand they will pass quickly and then they will be over, and we should live these days with a heart in pursuit of wisdom and not folly.

Many people follow the path of the rich fool found in the gospel of Luke. “And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” Luke 12:19. He planned to take it easy, he would live well since the harvest that year was phenomenal. However, the story ends horribly for him. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared? So is the man who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:21. This man focused on himself and not on how to live a Godly life.  He assumed his life would go on for years, however, his life did not even last another day.

Then you have those who live by the saying, “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”  A twist on what we read in Luke, however, there is a definite distinction.  First of all, this phrase is normally has a derogatory meaning.  The idea here is they live their lives in a totally narcissistic way.  What does it matter what happens to us, what is important is that we enjoy life now.  There thought is not of doing what is right but doing what they enjoy.

However, neither of these ways are what our focus verse is calling for.  We are to understand that our lives are short.  That our remaining days will come to an end.  But this is not truly the end.  “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” Hebrews 9:27-28.   As the parable of the sheep and goats lays out, we will be judged, and we will either go to the right with all the sheep or to the left with all the goats.  Do we eagerly await His return?  If so, wisdom calls us to obey and honor God.  We must be wise and be led by God in every part of our life.  As the writer of Proverbs puts it, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7. Wisdom comes from the reverence and adoration of God, following His ways and spending time with Him. This should be our focus, and our priority.  And this is what we should do from this time forward.

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

Isaiah 53:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Isaiah 53:6  All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

This is a very important verse for us to understand, especially when it comes to our ministry to both the saved and unsaved.  It is important because of the first three words of this verse; ‘All of us.’  We must remember this in all aspects of our ministry.  This picture of sheep is a popular one within the scriptures.  “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.”  Psalm 119:176.  Also, “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:25.  And finally, this lesson from Jesus tells us, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying. If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” Matthew 18:10-14

We all have gone astray from God.  We all have walked away from Him and, as the verse says, have turned to our own ways instead of following after God.  This started in the Garden with Adam and Eve.  “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6.  They listened to the lies of the serpent rather than the truth from God.  And as it says in our focus verse, “… Each of us has turned to his own way …”.

We were not able, because of our iniquity, to resolve the issue ourselves since it required a perfect sacrifice, one without any spot or blemish.  But the Lord had an answer, which was to send His Son, to live a perfect life, and then die, paying for the iniquities of the rest of us.  The Messiah, the long-awaited promise, who came in human form as Jesus, paid the complete penalty for everyone, and we have our sins forgiven if we simply believe in Christ, and declare Him Lord.  “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Romans 10:9-10.  Also, there are times when we mess up and do things we should not.  He has a solution for that as well. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

However, we must not think differently about others than we do ourselves, except that we look at them more highly.  “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4   I have seen too often Christians who look down on others who do not have the knowledge or goodness they do.  We cannot think this way, because we at one time were in the position, and it was only by the grace of God that we were restored.  These learned the truth, and it is theirs and all of our jobs, as Christians to teach others and help them grow in Christ.

We must not decide there are people who are so bad or too low that we will not reach out to them.  They may do horrible things, but they deserve to be reached out to as well as we did and do.  Paul put it well, “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”  Romans 12:16.  We are called to go into world and make disciples of all men.  We are called to go into the highways and byways and compel them to come to the Lord.  Again, we all were lost.  We all went our own way.  However, someone came to us and showed us the truth and helped us understand.  We were saved by the blood of Christ when we accepted Him, and so it is our job to help others be saved by accepting Him as well.

No one is too far gone for us to ignore.  He has placed this calling on us, formerly sinners, who now understand.  We must reach out to all whom God brings our way.  It only takes one sin to corrupt, and we were corrupt.  So, as someone did for us, let’s go out and do for others.

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

Psalm 16:11

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 16:11

“You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” – Psalm 16:11

This is a very encouraging verse.  David here is speaking to the Lord and thanking Him for the goodness of the life to come.  First he is saying that God has shown to Him the path of life.  What he is referring to is that even though he may die in this life, God will not keep him in this state.  He would be brought back to the living world, that which is life everlasting.  David believed in the resurrection from the dead.  He believed that God had for Him a life that will no end.  “He asked life of You, you gave it to him, Length of days forever and ever.” Psalm 21:4. We see this same idea from Daniel.  “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.  Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:2-3.  The idea of everlasting life for the righteous is found in various places in the Old Testament, and David took comfort in this truth. Note, Daniel was after the time of David, however, it shows this truth carried forward to his time.)  Regardless of this, David rejoiced in knowing he would be resurrected when the end came.

He then says that in the presence of God is fullness of joy.  This is not a partial nor imperfect joy, intermingled with pain and sorrow.  This is a joy that completely satisfies the soul not in conjunction with anything that may minimize it.  This is not a joy as we experience here, but an unimaginable joy that will never lessen, nor will it end.  It will not be diminished by the idea we have in this life that all earthly joy must come to an end.  It will be a joy that will be understood as everlasting.  This is the joy we will experience in the next life.  “So, the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.”  Isaiah 51:11.

And lastly, David says that in His right hand are pleasures forever.  God’s right hand is the place of honor, where the saints will be throughout eternity.  It denotes that he would be raised up to exalted position; one filled with eternal happiness and exalted honor.  And this happiness will be forever.  This is not happiness as we find here in this life that comes and goes.  We will reside forever in happiness, for there will be nothing that can take it away.

This is the life we look forward to as Christians.  First, we will be raised from the dead to a life that is infinitely different from this one, and God will guide us into this new life, we will be in His presence forever where our joy will be full and never ending, and there will be great pleasure because of our exalted position in Christ.  And this will never end.  What more could we ask for, and what could ever be better than this promise from Him.

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

Job 9:10

Verse of the Day Devotion: Job 9:10

“Who does great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number.” – Job 9:10

This verse speaks to God’s all-powerful ways.  What Job is saying here is that there is nothing He cannot do.  This is important to remember when we go through difficult times, especially when there is nothing, we can think of to get out of the terrible situation.  There is nothing He does not know, there is nothing He cannot do, and there is no place He is not present.  And because of this, what Job declares is absolute truth.

First, God is omniscient.  He knows everything.  “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure” Isaiah 46:10.  From the very beginning of the universe, and even before it’s creation, He knew us.  He knew when we would be born, and everything about us.  He knew we would sin, and He provided the means for reconciliation before the world, and everything was created.  “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you. “1 Peter 1:20. He knows when we will be troubled or forlorn and is there to encourage us.  He knows when we will praise and lift Him up and will be there to receive it.  Nothing surprises God because we cannot be surprised by what we already know. There will never be a time when He is late or never shows up.

Next, He is omnipotent.  He is all powerful.  “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37 He created everything that exists.  “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:3. He has created all things we see and will never see.  No matter what we are going through, He will bring us through.  No one can defeat Him, and no one can prevent Him from doing anything or make Him do anything.  He divided at least two bodies of water such that His people walked across on dry land.  He saved the Israelites from many empires and will eventually deliver us from this world and take us to live with Him forever.

And finally, He is omnipresent.  He is everywhere.  “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.  Wherever we go, God is there.

Wherever we are not, God is there.  There is never a place He cannot hear our cries or our thoughts.  Moreover, He is in us as Christians.  He is never too far away that we must wait for Him to get to us.

Since God is all powerful, all knowing and everywhere at each moment, there is no reason we should be fearful, anxious, or worried.  This is why we can trust Him in everything.  “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 3:6. What a great life we can live if we take our focus verse to heart and be fully content no matter what. William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Psalm 12:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 12:6

“The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” – Psalm 12:6

This verse is written in contrast to the verses just prior to it.  “Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts” Psalm 12:1-3. These are sad verses, for what David is saying is the faithful and godly men are not around anymore. Those who profess faith and vow to be faithful to God and His ways; the true believers of that day, have fallen and are being false regarding the trust committed to them. They began to speak falsehoods themselves.  There was a sad disregard of the truth and they dealt falsely with their neighbors.  Their words could not be trusted by those to whom they were spoken. And they spoke with a double heart.  This essentially means that they spoke the words with one heart, but in the other was held a different idea.  This is generally what hypocrisy is; saying one thing but not what you truly think or believe.

David had arrived at the place where he called out to God to cut them off.  This is more a statement of a truth rather than a desire, designed as a warning that all such persons would be punished or cut off.  Those being the ones who speaks flattery without belief and boasting in their own ways. And the results of this way of thinking was they believed they were in control.  “Those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?” Psalm 12:4.

The actions of those who acted as such caused much harm to people and God came to protect them.  “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the LORD; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” Psalm 12:5. Through their lies, those who once were faithful had fallen away.  The people trusted them, yet they betrayed them. The formerly faithful left the truth behind; replaced by self-exaltation and greed.  And therefore, this was what was so sad.  The ones the people trusted, betrayed them.

However, God speaks in our focus verse that He was not like them.  His words are pure in their truthfulness, not mixed with any amount of falsehood. He compared them to silver, refined in the fire seven times.  Each time silver is refined, more and more of the impurities are burned away.  Also, the words seven in the scriptures denotes a complete or perfect number.  The sense is, that the words of the Lord are ‘perfectly pure.’ There is no deception in His promises.  There is no flattery in what He says.  Men’s words cannot necessarily be trusted, but God’s words can always be trusted. So, be watchful when listening to the words of men, even with those who profess a strong faith in God.  As Paul stated to the Bereans, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:11. Be careful to check out what is said, for what men say may have errors, but God’s words will not.  This will keep us in a place of safety, a place we desire so much, as designated in our focus verse.

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

Psalm 19:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 19:14

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14
These are probably the two most difficult areas of our lives to control.  When we lose control of our temper, we often speak things we would not normally say and think things that are not all that wholesome.
 
Often when there is stress or strife, we will say things we will regret later.  In these times we lose control and just say whatever comes to mind.  We do this out of hurt or extreme anger, and the results are most times not good.  James puts it this way. “Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also, the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. or every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:4-8.  The tongue can be used for good words or hurtful words.  We must be careful what and how we say things, for many a friendship or ministry opportunity has been damaged or destroyed by a simple sentence said out of anger or conceit.
 
We must always also guard our hearts.  The writer of Proverbs says it best.  “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23. In other words, the things we think about and how we think about them, will affect the way we act.  Think about it, we can say the same words to two different people, one we enjoy being around and another we would prefer not to fellowship with, and the inflexions and tones will be different.  We must also understand that often, we do not know how we feel, and we can show a different attitude then what is true.  “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9. Our hearts can fool everyone, including ourselves.  However, it cannot fool God.
 
As the psalmist writes, we must ask God to help us be loving in the words we say and how we say them.  However, he adds, that we let the meditations of our hearts as well be loving.  The former comes by way of the latter.  If our hearts are filled with anger, hatred or conceit, it will be made known by what and how we speak. It is extremely hard to tame the heart and our mouths.  Therefore, we must meditate on good, honorable and loving things, and allow only these things to come out in our words.  And we must ask God to help us during difficult times, because they will come.  And we must submit to God in all things, no matter what.  And when we do, we will exhibit what is acceptable in the sight of God, our Rock and Redeemer.
 
William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Genesis 28:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: Genesis 28:14

“Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” – Genesis 28:14

Here is another prophecy from the Old Testament which speaks of the coming Messiah.  Jacob has just departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran.  He had traveled quite a distance and the sun had set and he decided to stop for the night in order to refresh himself before he completed the trip the next day.  So, he took a rock and laid down, putting it under his head as a pillow.

“He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” Genesis 28:12. This is an interesting dream.  What he saw was a ladder that connected the heavens with the earth at the place he was.  And on this ladder were angels; some ascending back into heaven and others descending to the earth.  This is a picture of angels coming down and doing God’s work down here, and then ascending back upon completion.  This reminds me of a verse in Hebrews which speaks of the angels, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”. Hebrews 1:14.

Then Jacob sees the Lord, standing above this ladder on which the angels were ascending and descending, and declares to him the following, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.” Genesis 28:13b. He first tells Jacob who He is; the God of Abraham his grandfather, and of Isaac his father.  It was very important that Jacob knew who He was because He was prophesying about near and far future events.  The near event is that He would give to Jacob and his descendants the land on which he was sleeping.  This would be the promised land which God spoke of to Abraham.  He confirmed to Jacob what He had promised to his grandfather.

Then God addresses the far event, “our descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 28:14. Here God is saying that Jacobs descendants will be as the dust of the earth.  In other words, they will be so many that it will beyond the ability to count.  These descendants will spread out all over the world, going to the north and the south, to the east and the west.  But here is the defining part of this verse, ‘and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”  There will come from him, through the line of David, someone through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. They will spread throughout the world, via the disciples of this coming Messiah whose name is Jesus, the good news of the reconciliation of men with God, through the sacrifice of Jesus.

And we as Christians are the disciples of Christ who are to spread the Word of Christ.  Jesus was the one prophesied through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed.  And it is through us that the good news will be spread through a world that does not know Him.  Notice the phrase, ‘shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 28:14b.  Paul lays out how they will hear the word.  “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” Romans 10:14-15.  We are those who are called to tell the world.

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

Jeremiah 23:5

Verse of the Day Devotion: Jeremiah 23:5

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.” –  Jeremiah 23:5 

This verse speaks of the coming of the promised Messiah.  Isaiah speaks similarly when he said, “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. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

Both Jeremiah and Isaiah are telling those who will listen that the righteous one will be coming, from God, who will ultimately establish the eternal kingdom, bringing righteousness and justice to the land.  Daniel gave specifics regarding the timing here, “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.” Daniel 9:25. I will not go into the mathematics regarding His coming except to say that these are weeks of years; one week being 7 years. Therefore, it was not a secret, for the Lord made it clear to the Jews when, how and why He was coming.  When? Sixty-nine weeks of years after the decree to rebuild the Jerusalem. How? Through the Son of God, the Messiah. Why? To bring about the atonement for our sins through the death of the Messiah.

Unfortunately, most of the Jews at the time of Christ’s coming did not understand these prophecies.  It laid out the time of His coming, but they looked for what they expected, and not what the prophets said.  It was laid out so clearly here, “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.” Daniel 9:24. My guess is that either they lost the initiative to continue counting the days, or they had their own idea of what the Messiah would do, and Jesus did not meet their expectations. What a shame. So, this is what we celebrate during the Christmas season.  It has to do with the gift God gave us in His Son, the promised Messiah, who would sacrifice Himself for us all.  Let us not forget this when we celebrate Christmas, because this is the true meaning of this blessed holiday season.  There is nothing wrong with sharing gifts or decorating with lights and trees.  However, let’s make these secondary and remind our children, friends and family of what Christ did for us and the eternal rewards He made available to us, if we simply believe and live it out.

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

Isaiah 1:17

Verse of the Day Devotion: Isaiah 1:17

“Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.” – Isaiah 1:17 

Isaiah is speaking to Judah about its wickedness.  They are not living as they ought. “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me.” Isaiah 1:2.  Judah has revolted against God.  They are not following His ways but their own.  In fact, the Lord speaking through Isaiah declares that they do not even know Him.  “An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Isaiah 1:3. He compares His people to an ox and a donkey and basically says they know more than Judah, for at least they know who their master is.  He continues with, “Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.” Isaiah 1:4.

Based on verses 2-4, Judah has abandoned God, choosing to walk in their own way and not God’s way.  How sad that God’s people in the time of this writing, having seen all that God has done for them, would walk away from Him when, in their eyes, did not appear to believe they needed Him.

However, God has not rejected them.  He still loves them and has a purpose for them.  He now tells them what they must do.  “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,” Isaiah 1:16.  This verse, just prior to our focus verse, tells them what they must do because of their rejection of His way.  First, they must wash themselves, making themselves clean.  He is telling them to put away their sins, stop committing them anymore.  Sin is represented in the scriptures as defiling or polluting the soul, making it filthy.  This idea is alluded to by King David when he wrote, “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” Psalm 51:1-2  Sin is like dirt that makes us unclean, and we must wash this filth from us.

God then goes on to say through Isaiah, remove this sin from my sight.  Since He sees everything, and nothing can be hidden from Him, He is basically saying to cease from doing evil.  Stop it altogether.  Do not just wash yourselves, but do not get dirty again.

Now, this takes us to the focus verse.  He says to learn to do good.  They were obviously ignorant of what was good, so God was telling them to study to see what is good.  These include, but are not limited to, seeking justice.  This is to be done between 2 or more people when a wrong is done, without respect of persons.  They are to reprove those who are ruthless, those who take advantage of others or are cruel and heartless to others.  They must not allow them to continue in their evil ways but correct them and get them to stop.  They are to defend the orphans and plead for the widow. Both of these groups had no one to plead their case back in this time.  They were ignored and left to fend for themselves.

Today, we have similar situations.  Our county is moving toward atheism and rapidly at that.  Many in this country are defying God and living as they please.  And we, or those who come back must learn what it truly means to do good.  We must cleanse ourselves from sin and stop doing whatever evil we find ourselves doing.  We must protect those who need protecting and help those who need help.  We must see other more highly than we see ourselves (Philippians 2:3).  We must honor God in all we do.  Let us learn what is the right thing in everything and focus on doing them.  That is what He calls us to.

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