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.

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.

Luke 1:38

Verse of the Day Devotion: Luke 1:38

“And Mary said, “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” – Luke 1:38  

Mary, the chosen mother of Christ, was visited by the archangel Gabriel and brought a message from the Lord to her. “And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28. Now, this confused her, and she pondered in her mind what was said to her and what could it mean.  It appears she feared Gabriel. “The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Luke 1:30-33.

Now, this was again confusing to her, for she had never laid with a man up to this point, so she wondered how this could possibly be.  She had followed the law faithfully. So, what was he saying?  Therefore, “Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Luke 1:34.  In response to this question, “The angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35. It would not be Joseph who she was currently engaged to who would be the father.  She would be a mother not by any man, but by God Himself. This is prophesied by Isaiah when he said, “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. Matthew clarifies this by stating Immanuel in the Hebrew means ‘God with Us’. (Found in Matthew 1:23).  This child she will give birth to is God.  Now, she probably was questioning this in her mind, so Gabriel says to her, “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.” Luke 1:36.  This was probably told to her to give her confidence that if God could cause Elizabeth to have a baby in her old age, then He could cause her to have a child with the promise given her. He then ends his words with, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37.

Without any more questions, she says through the focus verse, “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:38. This was an expression of giving herself over to the will of God.  This shows us the commitment Mary had to God and why she was chosen for this purpose.  For her to have a child by someone other than Joseph, to whom she was engaged to, would have had her ostracized because she broke the law by committing adultery. She knew what this meant regarding her reputation, but she followed the will of God completely, no matter the consequences.  My question to all of us here is, would we do the same?  Would we follow what God tells us no matter how anyone thinks of us, or what we would look like in their eyes?  Are we willing to be humiliated before men to be found pleasing before God?  Something to think about.  Is how God sees us more important than how man sees us?  Sometimes He calls us to do things that are not acceptable to the ways of men.  And we, as Mary did, should be willing to go against the ways of man to obey Him.  It is hard but think about it.  Who is more important?  This will give us the answer we need.

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.

Deuteronomy 4:2

Verse of the Day Devotion: Deuteronomy 4:2

“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” – Deuteronomy 4:2 

We as Christians are called to keep the commandments of God.  And it is to be done not because we feel we have to in order to be righteousness, but because we love Him. Jesus told His disciples the following, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15. And again, “You are My friends if you do what I command you.” John 15:14. Notice, if we love Him and are His friends, then we are to keep His commandments.

Many obey the parts they want to obey and ignore the rest, or they add to His commands.  According to our focus verse, we must be careful that we only teach what is actually His commands, and do not add anything that He did not say.  Let us look at these a little deeper.  Both actions, adding to or taking away, can be done out of ignorance.  This is the reason we are to study His word and completely understand what He is saying.  Paul said it this way in his letter to Timothy.  “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”  2 Timothy 2:15. Along with reading His word, it is important that we spend time studying it as well.  We must understand what He is commanding before we can fully obey Him.

First, we will look at adding to His word.  This happens a lot when we begin to merge our past teachings, either from our times when we did not follow God, or when we add to His words that which we followed from a previous religion.  There are many cults out there that claim to follow Jesus but actually serve another God.  When I was in the Air Force, I unknowingly became involved in a cult that said we are not to read the Bible with understanding, but to pray read it, and rely on the leader of our particular church to explain any meanings in scripture.  I did not fall for it, but I was concerned about those in the cult.  Fortunately, I went to a great church and knew many strong Christians.  Other problem teachings which are additions to His word are confessing our sins to another so we may receive forgiveness and the idea that the LGTBQ lifestyle is acceptable to God.  God loves everyone but still requires from us all to obey the commands that He gave to us.

Also, we must not remove things from His commands.  In the word faith movement, they teach that if you pray for something and have faith He will give it to you, then He absolutely will.  However, James counters this. “You lust and do not have; so, you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.” James 4:2. Notice the last part of this verse, ‘You do not have because you do not ask.’ This is often the verse they quote.  However, they do not go any further.  The next verse counters their belief.  “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:3. Having attended several word faith services, I have heard them quote verse too many times, but not verse three.  When you leave off the second verse, you are teaching a falsity.  You are leading people in a direction God never intended. The above are a few examples of adding and taking away but are by no means the only ones.  We must be careful that we do not add things to His word or take away things.  When we do either one of them, we are not fully teaching His word for we are changing what His word is communicating to us.  We end up leading people in a wrong direction.  We must be very careful that we earnestly study His word and know what it says and what it does not say.  We may be asked to speak a message or help someone understand some passages.  We need to make sure we tell them exactly what His word says.  We do not want to lead anyone astray with what we communicate.

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

Psalm 9:9

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 9:9

“The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble;” – Psalm 9:9  

We all go through trials from time to time.  Times when we feel oppressed by someone or something, such as a government or corporation, or anything that brings anxiety to our lives.  The writer of this psalm, David, experienced this many times, especially during the period where Saul was king over Israel.  It is important that we realize that God is not unaware of our circumstances.  He is well aware of what we are going through and is there the help us through it.

The Lord is our stronghold and refuge.  This term refers to a place at a great height or altitude.  It is a place which is not accessible by our enemies or where they can see us; a secure place that provides protection from danger.  Note the wording.  He does not take us to a refuge, He is our refuge.  He states in another verse a similar idea.  “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:2-3.  And again, “They band themselves together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge.” Psalm 94:22.

And God wants us to do the same.  He wants us to trust in Him completely during times of trial, anxiety and oppression.  Call out to Him.  We must go to our prayer closets or other quiet place and call out to Him for help.  In fact, we must always focus on the Lord, for when we do it becomes easier to be at peace.  One of my favorite verses regarding this idea is also written by David in the psalms.  “I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:18.  David continually kept himself in the presence of the Lord, and this is how we must live as well. At all times, day and night.  During our private meditations as well as our public professions.  It must become a natural position for us; humbly in His presence.

Also, note in this verse, ‘He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.’  The right hand was regarded as the post of honor and dignity.  It was also mentioned as a position of defense or protection.  The idea is that to have someone at our right hand is to have someone near us who can defend us.  “For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.” Psalm 109:31.  He will save us from those who pronounce a harsh or wrong judgement against us; from those who condemn us in our innocence.

We must always remember that no matter how difficult things get, we have a place of refuge.  Regardless of how things look, We have a stronghold.  “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?” Psalm 27:1.  We have no reason to fear or be downcast, for we have a God who is on our side and can never be defeated.  We can take comfort in this and praise Him for all His goodness to us throughout our trials.  He will protect us, and who better to place our lives and trust in?

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

Psalm 11:4

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 11:4

“The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.” – Psalm 11:4   

This verse is a picture of how God watches over us.  This is worded so we, being human and not having a full knowledge of God, can have a reasonable understanding.  This starts off saying that God is in His holy temple.  He is seated in the temple of His holiness, and His throne is in heaven. Isaiah gives us this image.  “Thus says the LORD, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is my footstool. Where then is a house, you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?” Isaiah 66:1. His greatness is exhibited here in that heaven is His throne, the seat by which, as King, He holds His court, where He dispenses His commands and from where He oversees all His work.  Jesus reiterated this thought.  “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.”  Matthew 5:34-35.  Another verse that truly exemplifies how great God is.  “But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.”  2 Chronicles 6:18. He fills the known universe and the high heavens.  There is no place anywhere that He is not.

Proceeding to the second part of our focus verse, we see His eyes see everything within His vast empire, which is everything He has created, and also outside of this created universe.  He see all of our needs and all our desires.   God watches over everything; all we do, all we see, all we experience and all the dangers that may be near us. One thought here is that He is protecting us from whatever the enemy may do.  He is keeping us safe from whatever comes against us.  He knows what the enemy is planning long before he himself knew, for He does know the end from the beginning.  The theologian John Gill puts it this way.  “Knowing all this, we may be assured that he will interpose when it is best that he should interpose, and that he will suffer nothing to come upon us which it is not best that he should permit. When evil befalls us, therefore, it does not come because God does not know it, or because he could not prevent it, but because, seeing it all, he judges that it is best that it should thus occur.”  John Gill from his commentary on the Psalms.

And lastly, His eyelids test the sons of men.  In other words, He searches all men’s hearts, into the very depths of our beings, and knows our thoughts, intentions and designs, our wishes and desires.  He knows our emotional state and all that either brings us joy and peace, or sorrow and frustration.  There is nothing we can do to hide anything from Him.  And what does this tell us?  We can trust Him completely in everything.  We are safe in placing ourselves in His care.  In the next verse, the writer of this psalm adds, “The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates.”  What is intended here is that He hates the ways of this person and takes account of it.  This we cannot hide either.  He knows if our heart is filled with love or hatred, goodness or wickedness.  There is nothing He does not know about us.

In closing, I want to emphasize the idea that we are safe with Him.  We may not like what He allows us to experience, however, we must trust Him because He would never allow us to endure anything that was not going to have a good result.  “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. This is one of my favorite verses in the scriptures.

Take comfort in this focus verse.  It tells us that He fills all the heavens, in fact, the heavens are His throne, and He watches over us, not just in what we do, but the why’s and the how’s.  We can be content in knowing that we are safe and that nothing surprises Him.  And nothing can happen to us that He does not allow because of His great love.  Remember this during times of trial; it will help to brings us through.

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

Proverbs 19:21

Verse of the Day Devotion: Proverbs 19:21

“Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand.” Proverbs 19:21

All of us have plans for our future.  We have short-term plans; what we will do over the weekend.  Then there are middle-term plans; what will we do over the next couple of years.  Then there are long-term plans; what will we do in retirement.  There is nothing wrong with having plans.  They are important in order to determine what will guide us to its fulfillment.  However, we should not make those plans concrete, for there is always the possibility that God has something else for us.

There are many things that we may desire for our future.  Some of these are obtaining wealth, or the revere of others.  Maybe a long and enjoyable life.  For others it may be preparing for a livelihood that we enjoy and gives us fulfillment.  However, many times our plans, even as Christians may focus on our own pleasures and desires, and not on others and their needs, or even God’s desires.  “Then He (Jesus) said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions. And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?  Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 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. 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 12:15-21.  This is a bit rough, but this man’s plan in the parable did not look after others, but only for himself.  And note what God called him; “You Fool.”  ‘This word ‘fool’ has the meaning – properly mindless, that is, stupid, ignorant, egotistic, rash, or unbelieving: unwise.’ (From Strong’s Greek Concordance.)

Even if our plans are not selfish, they may not be what God desires.  Therefore, as stated above, they should not be cast in concrete.  We must always look to what He desires of us.  What if we want to teach science in high school, but God desires us to go out and care for the poor?  Quite different occupations, neither of which is sinful.  Or, what if we plan on reaching the lost in our nearby cities, but God desires us to preach the gospel in North Korea?  This is an extreme example, however, for some this could be reality.  We must not ignore God’s plans for us.  We as Christians must be open to any calling He has for us.

I remember the book by David Wilkerson, “The Cross and the Switchblade.”  This is the story of a country Pentecostal preacher who was called by God to go to Brooklyn, NY to minister to the gangs in that area. God used an article in Life Magazine about seven teenagers who were members of a criminal gang to communicate His will to David.  He was a Pastor who was content, and safe, preaching in this small church and would have been happy to stay there until he retired.  But God had other plans, and I am sure they did not agree with the plans David had.  However, he submitted to God and as a result, two high level gang members were saved and gave their lives over to God and preached to many still in the gangs: Nicki Cruz and Cookie Rodriguez.

Sometimes we do not know the plans God has for us.  But He does.  “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. This verse is regarding the Jews in Babylon; however, I am confident it is applicable to us as well.  He knows the end from the beginning; therefore, He knows all His plans for us.  I encourage us all to, when we make plans, to be open to something different if God leads us to another calling. Remember what James said, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” James 4:13-15.

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

Joshua 1:9

Verse of the Day Devotion: Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

Moses has died.  God now calls Joshua to take the Jewish people into the promised land. “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.” Joshua 1:2-4.  On a side note, this verse is interesting in that it can be interpreted in an intriguing way.  Albert Barnes says it best, “Moses, representing the law, is dead; Joshua, or, as that name is written in Greek, Jesus, is now bidden by God to do what Moses could not – lead the people into the promised land.”

I am pretty confident that Joshua was uneasy with this.  Thus, God then gives words of encouragement to Joshua.  “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.”  Joshua 1:5.  He assures Joshua that He will be constantly with him.  No one will be able to stand before him and prevent the work God has called him to do.  This is essentially the same promise He gave to Moses.  “No man will be able to stand before you; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you.” Deuteronomy 11:25. Here He explains why no man would be able to stand before him; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot.

He then tells Joshua not to fear this calling.  “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” Joshua 1:6. Here God ensures Joshua that he will lead the people and they will possess the land God promised them.  Let’s look at the focus verse again.  “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous!” Joshua 1:9a He is referring back to verse 6.  This tells me Joshua was definitely unsure about this.  He was around 100 years old, but had never led the anyone into battle before, especially with the goal of conquest.  And God was calling him to lead the Israelites into the promised land through conquering the current residents.  However, as a loving father does, He encouraged Joshua with these words.  “Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9b

There are going to be times where God will call us to do a specific work which we will feel totally unequipped for.  Now, I doubt it will be leading an army to overthrow a nation, however, many times the task will seem beyond what we believe we are capable of accomplishing.  God would never call us to do anything if He was not going to be there with us.  In fact, He will work through us to make it happen.  “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13. This will accomplish two things.  First, it will be done the way God wants it done. And second, we can rely on Him when we feel out of our comfort zone.  All we have to do is submit entirely to Him.  This is not always easy, but if we do, who knows what can be accomplished through us.

In closing, God gave Joshua a calling regarding entering the promised land in Joshua 1:2.  He then told him to be strong and have courage in Joshua 1:6, then comforted him in his fear in Joshua 1:9.  And He does the same with us in our callings.  He discloses this calling to us, encourages us and then guides us and actually works through us to do His good pleasure.  We know that Israel took over the promised land from Canaan and we also know that He will make us successful in our work for Him.  What we need to do is, as Joshua did, trust God that we can fulfill His calling and then submit to Him in all things.  Remember, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13.

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

Micah 6:8

Verse of the Day Devotion: Micah 6:8

“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

In verses 1 and 2, Micah is appealing to the people to hear Yahweh’s revelation to them, God’s grievance against them.  God is laying out a case like one of a legal nature.  This could be called “Yahweh” vs “Israel”.  He was basically initiating the legal proceedings.

This grievance can be seen in verses 3-5.  “My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you? Answer Me.  Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and ransomed you from the house of slavery, And I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam.  My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered him, And from Shittim to Gilgal, So, that you might know the righteous acts of the LORD.”  Micah 6:3-5.  They appear to have grown tired of God.  He then lists several events in history to show His goodness to them.

Moving into verses 6-7, we see that Israel saw that they were wrong and began to call out, one man after another, what they need to do to make things right.  One asked should he come before Him with burnt offerings of yearling calves, this being one of the choice offerings within the law.  Another asked are thousands of rams to be offered and rivers of the oil offered with the sacrificed.,  One asked should he offer his first borne.  Some of these things were acceptable sacrifices, other were not.

Micah then tells the people, in our focus verse, that God has told them what was good and what He desired of them.  We see this in the following verse  “Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?”  Deuteronomy 10:12-13.  They have heard this before; however, they had forgotten, and God brought it back to their minds.

So, let’s examine these three points found in our focus verse, which apply to us as well.  First, to uphold justice.  We are to judge righteously with no favoritism.  To judge fairly without improperly favoring any side in the judgement.  Jesus put it this way, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John 7:24. Something may look wrong; however, it may not be wrong.  We must investigate any situation and ensure that what we declare is righteous.

Next, to love kindness.  Other translations say love mercy.  We are to show our love by being kind and merciful.  We are to be kind to one another, not using severity toward our brothers and sisters, but being compassionate to others, especially when we are wronged.  Show everyone that we love them and desire God’s best for them.

And lastly, to walk with God in an attitude of humility.  Keeping a constant and loving relationship with our loving God.  Remembering that it is God’s will to be done, not our own which is the picture of arrogance whereby we believe our ways are better.  Keeping His commandments which is the proof of our love to Him.  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  John 14:15.

What God requires of us is love, toward others through upholding justice and loving mercy.  Then toward God by walking continually and humbly with Him.  Works done based on following rules is not what He desires.  He requires our love.  He showed us His through Jesus’ death for our sins to reconcile us with Himself.  Showing Him our love as Micah 6:8 tells us is not asking too much from us.

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