Psalm 8:4-5

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 8:4-5

“What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?  Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty!” – Psalm 8:4-5

I am sure that most Christians have heard this verse at least once.  This is believed by most scholars to have been written by King David.  He is kneeling in humility before God and asking the questions in this verse.

First, let us look at what caused him to pray this prayer.  “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained;” Psalm 8:3.  David has looked up into the heavens, sees the moon and the uncountable multitude of stars, and He attributes them to God.  He does not see this as a universe that either, naturally came out of nothing, or as an infinite universe that has no beginning.  (If you would like information regarding the universe coming into existence without God, do not hesitate to email me at william@truedevotionmin.org.)

Because of David’s awe of God’s amazing creation, he asked the question of why we are so important to God that He cares for us.  For you made Him a little lower than God.  The Hebrew for God here is “Elohim”, which is the plural for El, which is God and refers to a triune being, not many gods.  I see this as us being created in His image.  For God said, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” Genesis 1:26 We rule down here over all living things and have authority over them.  Compare with verse 6, “You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,” Psalm 8:6.  Therefore, we were made in His image and given authority.

Do we look up into the heavens and gaze in awe of God and His creation?  Do we come before Him in humility knowing how much lower we are, especially because of our rebellion?  Are we humbled by the fact that God sent His very Son who “…humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” for our sake?  Philippians 2:8b I sometimes look at myself and wonder why He cares about me.  Then I remember His love and grace.  And that says everything.

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

Romans 6:23

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23

Paul wrote this in order to finalize a section where he was writing about the difference of being slaves to sin and slaves of righteousness.  Before we are saved, we are slaves to sin.  This word translated slave is the Greek word doulos, meaning slave or bondservant.  We obey our sinful desires which is counter to obeying God.

When we accept Christ as savior, accepting the work Christ did on the cross, then our old man who was a bondservant to sin dies, which then releases us from our bondage to sin, and because of the resurrection we are a new creation, being a new man who has no ties to sin, and we now are slaves to righteousness.

Now, there are two ultimate endings based on our decision.  Let’s look first at our former life.  We read in a couple verses up, “Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.” Romans 6:21.  This is simple, if we remain in in our former life, not accepting Christ as our Savior, the “final result” is death.  There can be no other.  For we have nothing we can do to be declared righteous before God.  Only the work of Christ provides it.

Now, let’s look at our new life in Christ.  Paul said in the next verse, “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.” Romans 6:22.  The “final result” of accepting Christ is first, a new life focused on holiness since the old is gone.  However, even better, this life will be eternal, everlasting, never ending.  I would say this is infinitely better then if we remained separated from Him.

Now, to the focus verse.  Look at what is said.  “Wages of Sin” and “Gift of God”.  Wages are defined as something we earn by the works we do.  Therefore, if we do not accept Christ, the old man will get what he earned, what he deserves.  That being death.  However, if we do accept Christ, we earn / deserve nothing.  However, we get a “free gift” from God.  And that is eternal life in Him.

So, we either get what we earn, which is death, or what we do not earn, which is eternal life.  I’ll take what I did not earn.

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

Psalm 46:10

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 46:10

“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!” – Psalm 46:10

The idea in the first part, where it says ‘Be Still’ is to Cease Striving.  In the beginning of this chapter, we see the following, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;” Psalm 46:1-2.  The author of this Psalm starts off by declaring that God is our refuge.  He is where we can flee when we find ourselves in trouble.  He goes on to say that we shall not fear, no matter what happens.  Though there be catastrophic world calamities or major army attacks, we can trust God.  And why?  “The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.”  Psalm 46:7.

We need to think this way.  We need to remember that the Lord of Hosts is with us.  “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5.  God’s promise is that no matter what happens, we will be OK.  For He will be with us.  However, in looking at Paul and the disciples, He may take us home, but we will be OK.

When we get into any type of trouble, no matter how extreme, we must cease our striving against it, do what we can but remember that God is always with us.  Our God is almighty, all knowing, and fills our universe, both known and unknown.  He can deliver us from any trial, tribulation or persecution we may run into. It may be taking the situation away or bringing us safely through by giving us the strength to endure.   I have read many stories of Christians who were persecuted beyond belief.  People like Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand who suffered greatly at the hand of Russian controlled Romania, and eventually founded Voice of the Martyrs.  Or Aida Mikhailovna Skripnikova who was sentenced to three years in a Soviet prison camp because she witnessed to the Russians, but also because she told the Judge in her trial the following, “The Christian can’t be anything but confrontational.  Once you know the truth, this means following it, and if necessary, suffering for it.”  Or He may deliver us by taking us home, like Stephen in Acts 6-7, where Luke writes, “But being full of the Holy Spirit, he (Stephen) gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55-56.  And after this, they stoned him to death.

We have no idea how God will bring us through our trials.  However, what we do know is that He will.  So, as God spoke to the writer of Psalm 46:10, He also speaks to us, as our focus verse says.  “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!”

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

Matthew 19:26

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 19:26

“And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

A rich young ruler came to Christ and asked Him what good He needed to do to attain eternal life.  Jesus answered him saying, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.“.  Matthew 19:17.  He was not telling him that salvation is attained by works, but He answered him based on what the Law said.  He has not, at this time, died and paid the penalty, thus the reason as I understand it for His answer.  He then listed a subset of the laws to follow.  The young man then replies, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”  Matthew 19:20b.  Jesus then responds with this, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21.

What Jesus was saying was that nothing can take precedence over Him.  Salvation comes through giving up everything to follow Him.  When the young ruler heard these words, he walked away because He could not place Jesus above his belongings.  Then we read the following, “And Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  Matthew 19:23-24.

So, what was Jesus saying referring to camel through the eye of a needle?  There are several thoughts on this, however, the most likely explanation is that it is a hyperbole.  The Persians expressed the idea of impossibility by declaring that it would be easier for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle.  The use of camel was a Jewish form of this phrase, using the largest animal in Israel, that being the camel.  So, what Jesus was saying was simply it is seemingly impossible for a rich man to be saved because their riches mean so much to them.  Few if any would be willing to give up everything for Him.

“When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, ‘Then who can be saved?”  Matthew 19:25.   Then we come to our focus verse.  “And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26.

Man cannot save himself because it is impossible to be perfect.  Jews believed that through sacrificing an animal to God, their sins would be removed.  However, it is really through giving everything to God and following His Word and obeying His commands.  “but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:17b.  However, we cannot keep them perfectly, Jesus, the Son of God, came here and lived that perfect life for us.  And by doing so, and us accepting His work on the cross, we are justified, declared righteous.  He said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17.  He came to do what we could not and applied it to our situation if we believe in our hearts, mind, and lives.  What a mighty and loving God we serve.

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

Psalm 37:31

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 37:31

“The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.” – Psalm 37:31  

Before we go into our focus verse, let’s determine who ‘His’ is.  If we go a few verses back, we read the following, “The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.  The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. “Psalm 37:20-30 Our focus verse therefore is speaking of the righteous, those who follow after Him, following His ways, and who love Him above all things.  Jesus put it this way when asked what the greatest commandment is.  “And He said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’  This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’  On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40.  Adding on to this, Jesus also said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15.

So, putting these verses together, we see that the righteous are those who love God with everything they have; that loves their fellow man as he loves himself.  And because of the love he has for God, obeys His commandments.

If we are righteous as defined above, then we shall not slip.  In other words, our course will be firm and steadfast.  Everything He has promised us will come to pass.  We will trust Him and because we are righteous, our desires will be good and fulfilled.  “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”  Psalm 37:4-5.  We will be content in what we have, no matter how little it is.  For we are content with His provision here for He is with us.  “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 6:6-8.

I want to encourage everyone to seek His righteousness.  May it be the greatest desire of our heart.  The righteous will be taken care of.  Every need will be met.  “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’  For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:31-34.

God loves us with an everlasting love. and He shows it to us with everything He does.  He takes care of us, stays with us, protects us and fills us with His Spirit.  He gives us joy and peace, and our every need.  Let us show our love to Him, giving Him glory and honor and praise and thankfulness.  What an incredible relationship we have with our God.

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

Habakkuk 3:18

Verse of the Day Devotion: Habakkuk 3:18

“Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.” – Habakkuk 3:18   

Do we give God the glory in everything?  I imagine that when something we have been waiting for finally comes to pass, we rejoice in God that He has provided what He has for us.  When the big raise comes in, or the incredible promotion happens, or when our kids succeed beyond our expectations, I know I say, “Praise God!!”.  However, what happens when things do not work out as we desire?

In chapter 1, Habakkuk cries out to God regarding God’s supposed non answer to a prayer.  “How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save.  Why do You make me see iniquity, and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists, and contention arises.  Therefore, the law is ignored, and justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore, justice comes out perverted.”  Habakkuk 1:2-4.  God answers them by saying I am about to do something they would not believe if they were told.  “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs.  They are dreaded and feared; Their justice and authority originate with themselves.”  Habakkuk 1:6-7.

Habakkuk then responds, “Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, O LORD, have appointed them to judge; And You, O Rock, have established them to correct.  Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You cannot look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor on those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?” Habakkuk 1:12-13  He knows who God is and he knows He is good.  However, he is questioning what he sees.   He asks the ‘why’ questions. He knows God but sees something that is contrary to what he knows.  How many times in these situations do we call out Why, why?

Habakkuk then prays to the Lord.  He speaks of Him, declaring what good He has done in past times for His people.  “In indignation You marched through the earth; In anger You trampled the nations. You went forth for the salvation of Your people, For the salvation of Your anointed. You struck the head of the house of the evil to lay him open from thigh to neck. Selah.” Habakkuk 3:12-13.  He knows trouble is coming, and he is fearful.  “I heard and my inward parts trembled, at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us.” Habakkuk 3:16.

However, next he declares his trust in the Lord no matter what.  “Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls,”  Habakkuk 3:17.  What Habakkuk is saying is no matter what the results of the Chaldean attack is, if there is no food in the fields or animals in the barns and stalls.  If there is nothing left to meet their needs, God is still good.  “Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:18. What a beautiful picture of complete trust.  When we find ourselves in situations that appear hopeless; where our means of meeting a need does not look like it will happen, can we rejoice in God?  Do we rejoice in God?  Nothing is impossible for God.  “‘Ah Lord GOD! Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,’” Jeremiah 32:17.  We need to praise His name no matter what situation we find ourselves.  There is nothing He cannot do.  And if this is true, and He is a loving and faithful God, which He is, then there is nothing for us to be concerned with, and we should rejoice in the idea we shall see His hand work on our behalf.  Do we trust God in our difficulties and trials as Habakkuk did in his?

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

Deuteronomy 18:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: Deuteronomy 18:15

“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” – Deuteronomy 18:15

These words that Moses spoke to the people were prophetic words from God referring to a future prophet that would come out of Israel.  Notice the wording, “The Lord will raise up for you a prophet like ME”.  Many at that time believed that Moses must have been referring to Joshua who would be the one to lead the people into the promised land.  However, there are some intriguing words spoken by Jesus and the apostles that show who this prophet like Moses really was.

For instance, when Peter was witnessing to the Jews in Solomon’s Portico, he said, “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.” Acts 3:23. He is telling the listeners to repent and return to the true faith, so that when the end comes and Jesus returns, they will experience a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.  And if they do not return, they will see destruction rather than refreshing.  Note also that Jesus is referred to as the Christ about whom God spoke of through His prophets, particularly Moses.

Stephen as he was speaking to men from the Synagogue, referring to the same verse in Deuteronomy, shows that Moses was referring to Christ in a later verse, “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.” Acts 7:51-53.  The righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers they had become.

There are various verses in the gospels referring to “The Prophet”, using the definite article rather than the indefinite. This no doubt refers to this prophet declared to be like Moses.   In the first chapter of John, we see Jewish priests and Levites from Jerusalem going up to John the Baptist to confer with Him regarding the coming Messiah and to question all that he was doing.  “This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’  And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” John 1:19-20.  He knew what they were suspecting him to say, so he states emphatically that he is not the Messiah.  Continuing, “They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?’  He said, ‘I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.’” John 1:21-23.  Note the question “Are you THE prophet?”  John,  referring to the words of Isaiah, answers them saying,  “A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah 40:3.  He declared he is that voice declaring the coming of THE Prophet, not the Prophet Himself.

There are many references in the Old Testament, also known as the Jewish Scriptures, that point to the coming Messiah.  For instance, “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. And “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14. And lastly, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15. And there are countless others as well.   I know we are several months from celebrating Christmas; however, this is the most important event in all of time and space; so important that it is found throughout all of the Old Testament.  Without this coming Messiah, there would be no salvation, no reconciliation with God, and no justification, declaring us righteous.  It was so important that most of the prophets declared His coming, like Moses and Isaiah, Micah and Jeremiah.  The Jewish leadership refused to see Jesus as “The Prophet” because their presuppositions clouded their minds and they refused to accept what was so prevalent in their scriptures.

I encourage us all to remove any presuppositions that prevent us from seeing the truth of the scriptures, not just where it comes to our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah, but in other areas as well.  Who knows what we could understand in greater ways if we did.  Things would definitely come into greater focus.

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

Romans 1:16

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 1:16

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” – Romans 1:16  

Paul is a man who gave up everything for Christ.  And in his day, he was probably one of the least expected to do so.  He was a zealous Jew, who knew all the law and the components that came with it in regard to strict adherence to it.  Before he committed himself to the work of Christ, his name was Saul from the city of Tarsus.  Paul was a disciple of Gamaliel, a Jewish rabbi in the first century and a leader in the Jewish Sanhedrin, of which Paul would eventually become a member.  Gamaliel was well respected, being a grandson of the famous Rabbi Hillel who wrote a commentary on the Torah; the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.  This relationship with Gamaliel no doubt provided Saul much solid teaching of Jewish law and beliefs.  We see Him first at the stoning of Stephen for his supposed heretical belief in Jesus as the promised Messiah, where he held the robes of those throwing the stones and thereby approving of Stephen’s execution.  He was on his way to arrest many more Christians in order to rid the world of this cult when Christ made Himself visible to Saul who then realized all he had done was wrong and offered himself totally to the work of Christ.

Because of this Saul, who I will now refer to as Paul, was cast aside by the Jews as an apostate.  And by the wise of the Gentiles, “when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.” 1 Corinthians 4:13.  However, even though he was considered worthless to the Gentile leadership and the Jewish nation, where before he was regarded with much applause by both, he was not ashamed.  “According to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20. Hope in this context refers to that which is expected with assurance and conviction.  It is not something wished for.  What Paul is saying is that no matter what befalls him, he will, with boldness and a steadfast strength, not in any way deny the truth of the gospel or water it down, even before emperors or kings, Jewish or Gentile leadership.  He will never compromise even in the least.  Christ will be magnified and declared the only way of salvation.  What drives him forward in this boldness?  The fact that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation to everyone who believes, both to the Jews and the Gentiles.

This should be what drives us as well.  The truth of the gospel is the most important message ever given to mankind.  It shows the only way of salvation.  It is absolute truth, and we should not be ashamed of this message but should be ready and anxious to declare it to a lost world.  Just as Paul lived a life totally contrary to this truth prior to his conversion, we also lived a life contrary to the truth prior to our conversion.  And the life we live now is infinitely greater than before.  We should never be ashamed of the gospel.  The word “ashamed” has the idea of, in the past tense, embarrassed or guilty of one’s actions, characteristics, or associations.  And in the present tense, reluctant to do something through fear of embarrassment or humiliation.  Are we reluctant to share the truth in certain situations?  Have we been ridiculed and become ashamed of a time where we shared the truth?  We all need to examine ourselves and see where we are regarding this.  To share God’s truth with boldness should be seen as a great privilege because this is our calling from the infinite God who exists and is there with us.

In closing, let us remember the words of Peter, where he wrote, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 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.  If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.  Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” 1 Peter 4:12-16.  Whatever we suffer in this life for the cause of Christ will glorify God and will be a source of rejoicing when He returns.  We must not focus on its effect on us, but how it glorifies God and how we will rejoice in the end.

However, I cannot end without these words of Jesus, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38. No need to comment on this one, it pretty much speaks for itself.

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

Colossians 3:17

Verse of the Day Devotion: Colossians 3:17

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” – Colossians 3:17 

Let us first look at Colossians 1:7. “just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bondservant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.”  Colossians 1:7-8.  Paul refers to himself as a bondservant of Christ. The Greek word for bondservant is ‘doulos’ which translated is servant or slave. And since we are slaves to Christ, we are His and not our own.  For we became His when we accepted the work of Christ on the cross and the Spirit of God entered in and lives within us.  “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 we were bought with His blood.  “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20.

We are not our own.  When a slave does anything, it is at the command of his owner and master.  Anything we do for God we do because He has commanded us to do so.  It is not because we chose to do it, but we chose to obey Him.  This is important, for in reality not only does He command us what to do, but also helps us by working in us to do it.  “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13. His Spirit who resides in us will do the work He has called us to do, what we must do is submit to Him, and listen to Him so that we know what to do and how to do it.

And because He is our Lord and Master, anything we do must be in His name and not our own.  He is all knowing, and He knows exactly what is needed to fulfill His will not only in our lives, but in the lives of those He brings our way.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28. So, if He leads people to us, we must listen and allow Him to not only command us what we are to do, but also to submit to Him and allow Him to work in us to accomplish His good purpose.

So, as our focus verse tells us, whatever we do, whether it be in word by what we say, or in deed by what we do, we must do it in the name of Jesus.  This entails every outward thing we do.  And if we do it in Jesus’ name, then it must be what and how He would do it.  That is why we must submit to Him and allow His Spirit to guide us.  We must be humble enough to realize it is not our work, but His work that He does through us.  The knowledge we have is from Him.  The opportunities we have are from Him.  The timing of each work we do for Him is from Him.  And finally, the method by which we do this work is from Him.

We should be thankful to God every time we are given a task to do in the name of our Lord Jesus, for in accomplishing this task, we glorify Him in our submission to His Spirit and His will.  This is the greatest honor we could ever receive, being used by Him.

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

Matthew 5:9

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 5:9

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” – Matthew 5:9

This verse is part of what is commonly called the sermon on the mount.  After His temptations, Jesus began His ministry, which started with calling His disciples.  He also ministered wherever He went.  And great crowds became interested in what He was saying.  “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.” Matthew 4:23-25.

Notice what it says in verse 1, “When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.” Matthew 5:1. It looks here like Jesus intended this primarily for His disciples, however, as we read through the entire sermon in chapters 5-7, we see that it had things to say for the entire crowd.

Let’s look closer at our focus verse. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” One important characteristic of God’s true people is to seek peace and pursue it.  This is stated by David in the psalms.  “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34:13-14.  John Wesley in his commentary on the Psalms said this.  ‘Seek by all means possible to live peaceable with all men.  Pursue it.  Do not only embrace it gladly when it is offered, but follow hard after it, when it seems to flee away from thee.’  This is a great way to put it.  Do not just accept it when it comes to you but pursue it when it is gone.

Those of us who love God should do everything possible to do good to all people.  The word ‘peace’ in the scriptures implies all blessings both temporal and eternal.  And peacemakers are those who strive to prevent any type of contention and strife.  We are to use our influence to reconcile opposing parties.  This includes in the areas of church differences, legal matters, or any hostilities that come between people.  Strife and division do nothing positive anywhere it is found.  We have many opportunities to help reconcile opposing people.  We all can do much to promote peace.  And if possible, it should be addressed in the beginning, before animosity has a chance to grow and flourish.  Long and most hostile quarrels might often be prevented by a little kind interference in the beginning.

Jesus was referred to as the Prince of Peace.  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6. He is the prince that brings peace to all men.  He brought peace between us and God, and He desires peace among all men.  Paul says regarding God, “for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33.  And those of us who promote peace and tranquility and work hard in bringing peace wherever it is needed, these are those who do the work of God as Christ did and are worthy to be called God’s children.  So, let us focus our attention to eliminate all division and dissension and replace it with peace.  This is one of the more important work Christ’s disciples are called to do.

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