Luke 12:16

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 12:16 

“And He told them a parable, saying, the land of a certain rich man was very productive.” – Luke 12:16

Today we will look at the Parable of the Rich Fool.  Here is this parable as found in Luke’s gospel.

“And He told them a parable, saying, The land of a certain 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? And 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 lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21.

Jesus tells this parable in response to a question He received from someone who was listening to Him. “And someone in the crowd said to Him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” Luke 12:13. He answers him stating it is not up to Him to judge this issue. “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you? And He 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.” Luke 12:14-15. The key to understanding this parable is in verse 15 (and later summarized in verse 21), “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.” Luke 12:15. Jesus says this to the man who asked Him to arbitrate between him and his brother. In ancient times, the firstborn was guaranteed a double portion of the family inheritance. More than likely, the brother who was addressing Jesus was not the firstborn and was asking for an equal share of the inheritance. Jesus refuses to arbitrate their dispute and gets to the heart of the matter: Covetousness! Jesus warns this person, and all within earshot, that our lives are not to be about gathering wealth. Life is so much more than the abundance of possessions. 

And then from our focus verse, Jesus tells this man a parable.  “He starts it by saying that a man planted a garden which then produced an extreme amount of produce.  He then asks himself, “What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?” Luke 12:17. With this he had two reasonable answers; he could either share it with others in need or keep it all and create more storage facilities. In this parable, he chose the latter.  “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.” Luke 12:18-19. 

In what has he been a fool? Not in his foresight and planning; in these he has been exemplary. Nor was he wicked or unjust. His folly is his oblivion to God. There are many forms of pride, but the worst of them is to think that one has no need of God. He does not acknowledge the source of his blessings. Rather, he gathers to himself and serves himself. Having failed to recognize his wealth as a gift of God,  the rich man rests all his hopes in things. Investment in things never pays the dividends one hopes for. He may eat, drink, and be merry as the rich man said, but he is a fool, for tomorrow we shall die. This is the second and final time in Luke Jesus calls someone a fool, and in both instances was for confusing temporal earthly realities with eternal divine realities.

So, the point of the Parable of the Rich Fool is twofold. First, we are not to devote our lives to the gathering and accumulation of wealth. There is an interesting point made in the parable. God says to the man in the story, And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?  This same idea is found in the old testament. “Thus, I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. Therefore, I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:18-20.

The second point of the Parable of the Rich Fool is the fact that we are not blessed by God to hoard our wealth to ourselves. We are blessed to be a blessing in the lives of others, and we are blessed to build the kingdom of God. The Bible says if our riches increase, we are not to set our hearts upon them. “Do not trust in oppression, And do not vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.” Psalm 62:10. The Bible also says there is one who gives freely and grows all the richer. “The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. He who withholds grain, the people will curse him, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.” Proverbs 11:23-26.  

In closing, Paul speaks of this idea as well. “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8.  We are blessed by God, so we can in turn “abound in every good work” and be a blessing in the lives of others. So, if God has blessed you with material wealth do not set your heart on it but be rich toward God. That is the message of the Parable of the Rich Fool.

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

Mark 4:21

Verse of the Day Devotion Mark 4:21 

“And He was saying to them, A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?” – Mark 4:21 

Today we will look at the Parable of a Lamp under a basket.  Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“And He was saying to them, A lamp is not brought to be put under a peck-measure (basket), is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?  For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it should come to light. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.  And He was saying to them, Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it shall be measured to you; and more shall be given you besides. For whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” Mark 4:21-25.

In order to get a full understanding of this parable, we must look closely at our focus verse.  In the New American Standard Bible (NASB) which I predominantly use, along with most other translations, the wording is “A lamp is not brought”.  However, in the Greek the wording is much more interesting. It is literally saying, “The Lamp does not come”.  The imagery is of the Messiah, coming down to bring the truth to mankind.  We read the following in the Gospel of John. “Again, therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12.  And, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4. And again, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:4-5.  There are some who say the lamp represents the Kingdome of God.  But based on Christ’s claim in various places that He was the light of the world, I believe it must be Christ

Therefore, the way the Greek puts it makes sense.  He did not come into the world to be put under a basket or under a bed.  He did not come to conceal His message. He came to declare it, and He uses parables many times to present them.  Then He says, “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it should come to light.” Mark 4:22. This verse seems to contradict verse 21. However, Jesus and His kingdom were concealed temporarily, for He was not fully revealed until after the resurrection.  On earth He took on the form of man, just as any other man.  But after the resurrection, He was fully revealed for who He truly was, the promised Messiah, the Son of God.  However, the kingdom will not be fully revealed until the consummation of all things. 

Then next he says, “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:23. And then Mark clarifies what He meant. “And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure, it shall be measured to you; and more shall be given you besides.” Mark 4:24. Jesus was telling them to listen carefully to what they are taught.  However, they were not simply to learn themselves, but they were called to teach others what they learned.  Because the mere hearing and receiving cannot be seen as measuring out, what He is saying is that as you teach others the truth, the more diligence you give in this teaching then their knowledge will also increase, which will allow them to teach even more.  Basically, the willingness and effort that are necessary for paying close attention to Jesus’ parables will be proportionately rewarded. The next phrase and still more will be given you underscores the positive, rich reward that comes from careful consideration of Jesus’ parables.

In closing, Jesus came as a light to this world.  When He left, He placed that office upon us.  Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16.  The disciples were taught by Christ the truth of the gospel and were then called to go out and spread it.  We are now those who are called to tell our world the gospel message.  “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.  We are now the ones to reveal the truth of Jesus to all we come to.  Are we diligent in this work? 

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

Luke 6:47

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 6:47 

“Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My words, and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like.” – Luke 6:47 

Here in chapter six Jesus is taking time to instruct His disciples.  In verse forty-six, He asks the disciples a question. “And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46.  The definition of the word Kurios here translated “Lord” has various meanings, and the definition that fits best here in this context is the idea of a sovereign ruler or master.  Jesus was essentially asking them why do they not obey Him if He is their Lord. As the theologian Adam Clarke put it, “God judges of the heart, not by words, but by works. A good servant never disputes, speaks little, and always follows his work.”  Essentially, He is speaking regarding the contrast between confession and obedience.  The idea being you can say all you want, but if your deeds are not consistent with your words, you have fallen into the error of hypocrisy. And this is what Jesus was letting them know via the question, “And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

Then, in our focus verse, Jesus clarifies what He is saying by giving them two examples; one where they do what He says and then one where they do not. He starts with those who come to Him, hear His words, and then acts upon them, essentially doing what He told them. “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.” Luke 6:48. They had taken the time to build a strong foundation on the rock so that the house would not fall because of the storm.  On the other hand, the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:49. He built a similar house but did not lay a solid foundation, and when the storm hit, the house fell on account of the lack of a solid foundation, and Jesus finishes this with “and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:49.

Jesus was teaching them that they can follow Him all over the place, but if they do not hear what He is saying and act upon His teachings, they will not develop a solid foundation in the faith and could possibly turn away. This is what I believe happened to Judas. He was more concerned with the works of this world that He did not establish a firm base for His belief in Jesus as the Messiah. And unfortunately, we see many in our churches that fall into this category.  They read the word out of duty, but not to build a proper foundation.  They give their tithes, not because they want to, but in order to lift themselves up and get the tax credits. They sit in the pews and listen to solid preaching, but they do not apply what they have heard to themselves, however they become critics of others.

How often do we call Jesus Lord, but do not do what He says?  This is the reason His word was given to us, so that read it, understand, and fulfil His will for us. He is our Lord because we, as Christians, are His. “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 6:19-20.

If we call Him Lord, which He is, then we must obey Him completely.  This means from our heart and our deeds. And we can do this by hearing what He is telling us in His word and doing what it says. By doing, we are creating a strong foundation which will keep us truly in the faith by which we profess. We must not be hypocrites in saying Jesus is our Lord and yet not listening to Him and doing what He says. Let us make the decision to follow Him completely, doing what He says even if it is difficult. By doing this, we will show the world we are truly His disciples which can open doors to being a light in this dark world.

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

Luke 9:62

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 9:62 

“But Jesus said to him, No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62  

After spending some time speaking about the twelve with the disciples, Jesus now enters into conversations with three would-be followers.  These three brief exchanges differ from the classic ‘call to follow’ stories as laid out in the synoptic gospels.  In these earlier stories each call is issued by Jesus to named persons, and each individual follows without resistance or delay.  Here, contrary to the former stories, the first and third conversations are initiated by those desiring to follow Him, while the second is called by Jesus.  Let us look at each of these incidents and see what occurred, namely what Jesus laid out as the conditions of discipleship..

The first candidate, whose name is unknown tells Jesus He will follow Him anywhere He goes. However, Jesus’ response is, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Luke 9:58. Jesus was essentially telling him that animals can adapt to nature and survive and accept this lifestyle.  However, the Son of Man has not been sent into the world to adapt to it. And therefore, His followers should not adapt to it either.  How foreign this Jesus to the domesticated Jesus of nineteenth-century liberalism so comfortably conventional. The world may claim shelter as an inalienable human right, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head; it may claim the right to a better future, but the Son of Man offers hope only in the coming kingdom of God; it may claim the right to rest, peace, and justice, but the Son of Man finds only tribulation in the world.

The second man was invited by Jesus to follow Him; however, his response was, “Permit me first to go and bury my father.”  The question raised here is, was his father already dead, or was he in danger of dying soon?  We do not have an answer regarding this, but Jesus’s answer regards the aspects of the Law covering the burial of the dead. Jews regarded proper burial of the dead among the “decrees and instructions” commanded in Torah. Burial was a paramount example of a “work of love,” enjoining tears, mourning, and fervent wailing. To not neglect burial was for all ancients, Jews and Greeks, a virtually inviolable duty.  However, what He was telling him was the keeping of the law, and in this case the burial laws, must become secondary to following Him and His ways and work. 

And finally, another one comes to Jesus. “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” Luke 9:61. Jesus would later speak on this idea that anyone who chooses to follow Him must put Him above everyone else in their lives. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26.  Basically, His message is if you love anyone or anything more than me, than you are not worthy to be my disciple.

We must also remember that, as Christians, nothing else can take precedence over Jesus and the work He has called us to. And we should not look and think about how things could have been like.  And this is the basis of our focus verse, which is, “But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62. Jesus now points to commonsense farming wisdom to portray discipleship as single-minded detachment from the life and social systems one has known. A farmer who is plowing a field had best look ahead rather than backward. And Jesus means now; the field is already being readied for planting.  To look back at your former life can put us in a position of regret regarding what could have been.  We must believe that following Christ is the best life we could possibly have and want in the present and future, and what is in the past has no comparison.

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

Luke 10:36

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Luke 10:36   

“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” – Luke 10:36

This question was asked by Jesus to a lawyer who had previously asked the question, “Who is my neighbor?”  A lawyer as described here is different than our modern-day lawyers.  Both are experts in the Law, however,  to first century Jewish lawyers it referred to the Mosaic Law. They essentially fulfilled the same role as a Scribe.

So it starts by this lawyer asking Jesus a question. “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 10:25.  Notice the words in verse 21, “to put Him to the test”.  He was not asking Jesus because he wanted to learn something, but to confuse Him, wanting Jesus to, if possible, to contradict some of the requirements of the Law.  However, Jesus did not fall for it and answered him with two questions.  “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” Luke 10:26b. The lawyer then answers as you would expect as a teacher of the Mosaic Law.  “And he answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  Deuteronomy 6:4, Leviticus 19:18.  “And he said to him, You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” Luke 10:28.  “But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29.  The lawyer wanted to let Jesus know he was a righteous man and always kept the Law, just as a lawyer would do. 

Jesus answers this with a parable which tells the story of a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.  This man was robbed of all he had, including his clothing and was beaten nearly to death.  Along comes a priest who showed no love or compassion for the man by failing to help him and passing on the other side of the road so as not to get involved. The next person to pass by is a Levite who does exactly what the priest did: he passes by without showing any compassion. These are two people who would have known the law, but they chose not to follow it. 

Finally a Samaritan comes by, the one least likely to have helped him in the Lawyers eyes, because they were considered a low class of people by the Jews.  There is no indication as to whether the victim was a Jew of Gentile, but it made no difference to the Samaritan.  He saw only a person in dire need of assistance, and assist him he did, above and beyond the minimum required. He dresses the man’s wounds with wine (to disinfect) and oil (to sooth the pain). He puts the man on his animal and takes him to an inn for a time of healing and pays the innkeeper with his own money. He then goes beyond common decency and tells the innkeeper to take good care of the man, and he would pay for any extra expenses on his return trip.  Jesus then asked the Lawyer a question, as found in out our focus verse, which  disarmed his prejudice.   “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?“ Luke 10:36.  And honestly he had to answer, “He said, The one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, You go, and do likewise.” Luke 10:37. 

The Lawyer’s prejudice would not permit him to name the Samaritan, yet his conscience obliged him to acknowledge that he was the only righteous person of the three.  Jesus told him to be even as those whom he despised because they did the right thing, whereas those who were of his people did not.  However, his “Jewish” prejudice would not permit him to name the Samaritan, but there was no impropriety, even in his view, in saying that the man who showed so much mercy was really the neighbor to the afflicted, and not he who professed to be his neighbor but who would do nothing to help.   

The major thought here is that our neighbor is anyone we come across, just as the Samaritan came across the man on the side of the road.  It does not matter if we know them or not, if they are kind to us or a part of a group that believes contrary to our beliefs or has contempt for us and our views.  We are called to love everyone, no matter what.  We are to love as Jesus loved; to love everyone no matter who they are or what they have ever done.  If someone is in need, do what is necessary to help them.  Shake off all prejudices and love as Jesus did.  And if we can show the love we have, we can then make a difference in their lives that can bring them to Christ, or if already a Christian show them what this Christian life is truly all about. 

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

Luke 12:1

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Luke 12:1 

“Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” – Luke 12:1 

An important idea is found in our focus verse, in the last part, that being “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”  Luke 12:1b.  Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees were known to demand more from those who heard their teachings then from themselves who were the teachers.  There is an old saying that says, “Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say”. Another way this put it is, “We are to say what we do and do what we say.”  This is in essence what Jesus was saying.  Beware of those who say one thing yet do another. 

After this He gives them this warning.  “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.” Luke 12:2.  Do not do anything different from what you say, for when you do there is a good possibility it shall be found out and it shall be told to many.  And even if it is not discovered here in this life, it will be revealed in the next.  Many times the Jewish leaders would say it is wrong to do this or that, but then when they are by themselves they would practice the same things they declared as wrong.  No sin, be it ever so secret or privately done, is more covered than hypocrisy, but likely to be found out sooner or later; if not in this world, then in the world to come.  Jesus then continues.  “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.” Luke 12:3.  Hypocrisy has a way of making itself known. 

A Pastor I know fell into this and it did not end well for him.  He was having an affair and somehow, and I do not know how, the word got out regarding what was happening.  He lost his pastorship, almost lost his wife, and many lost faith in him.  We must remember that the enemy wants to destroy our message, and what better way to do this then to make public the hypocrisy of Christians.  

We must also remember that as we judge we will be judged.  “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-2.  How can we honestly judge others for what we ourselves are doing?  “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5.  If we tell someone that what they are doing is wrong and then go out and do it ourselves, possibly in a greater way than they do, how are we doing anything different than the Pharisees and Sadducees?  And if the other person finds out we are doing the same thing we denounced in them, we will be seen as a hypocrite and will probably lose the ability to speak into their lives.  And always remember that these things have a tendency to get talked about with others, which could destroy our impact and darken our light that should be shining bright in the world (Matthew 5:14-16).

It is important that, as Christians, we be real and genuine with people.  By doing so, people will be more inclined to listen and believe our testimony regarding the love of God and His desire to save them and develop a loving relation with them.  Many Jews lost confidence with the Pharisees because of their acts of hypocrisy.  Let us do nothing that will destroy our witness to a world that needs to hear it.

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

Luke 18:22

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Luke 18:22  

“When Jesus heard this, He said to him, one thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” – Luke 18:22

“A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 18:18.  This young man was a ruler among the Jews.  He was also a very rich person who essentially lacked nothing.  This man was not a Sadducee because he believed in a future eternal life.  He asked Jesus a serious question because he was concerned about what he should do in order to receive and enjoy everlasting life.  However, he was looking at this from a legal standpoint, figuring that all good things are given him by his good works.  Therefore, he said “what shall I do to inherit eternal life. 

Jesus then asks him about what he said.  “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Luke 18:19.  Knowing the young man was a Jew, Jesus knew this young man did not believe Him to be the Son of God.  He was one who believed keeping the Jewish law was important and helpful in attaining the favor of God.  And Jesus used this knowledge to open up the discussion regarding the Law.  “You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.”  Luke 18:20. 

The man then tells Jesus he has kept all these from his youth.  He was hinting that he knew it would require more than just following the Jewish Law, which it does.  But again, he believed their must be more that must be done.  Then Jesus tells the young man what he must do.  “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  Luke 18:22.  What Jesus was telling him was he had to give up those things which were more important to him then God.  Mark adds an additional idea to this.  “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him.” Mark 10:21a.  To many, money has become an idol, the thing they seek beyond everything else.  And this appears to be what was going on with this young ruler.  He responded by becoming very sad because of the great wealth he had.  These things he had accumulated along with the great wealth he had set aside was more important than the eternal life he asked about.

It is important that we examine our hearts and see if there is anything we would choose not to give up for the cause of Christ.  He is to be more important than anything else in our lives no matter what.  What is it that motivates you?  If it is other than doing God’s work or a relationship with Him, then, as Jesus said, we may have to give these things up.  We cannot allow anything to take precedence over God.  So, I want to challenge us, and I include myself in this as well, to look at what is the most important thing that drives us.  And if it Is not God, then we may have something we need to give up. 

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

Luke 14:27

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Luke 14:27  

“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” – Luke 14:27

This is a very difficult verse, and being tied to the verse prior to it, even more so. Jesus here is walking and a large crowd was following Him.  After a time He turns to them and says. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26.  This seems rather harsh, but when we look into it, we see what He means by this.  This same account is recorded by Matthew but the wording is slightly different.  “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:37.  

‘Hate’ as meant in verse 26 should not be understood in terms of emotion or malice, but rather in its Hebraic sense, signifying the thing rejected in a choice between two important claims. He was not saying that if we want to be a disciple, we must abhor our family.  What He was saying is that we are to reject the family if we must make a choice between the two.  So, what He is essentially saying is  if given a choice between Jesus and our family or our very life, and if we choose our family or our life over Him we are rejecting Him and we cannot be His disciple.  Nothing or no one can take precedence over our relationship with Christ.  For if it does, then we are not worthy to be His disciple for it was absolutely necessary they should prefer his service to everything in the world, and by their conduct show they hated father, and mother, and wife, and children, that is to say, loved the dearest objects of their affections less than him.   

Now, to our focus verse.  “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:17.  The meaning of this here is that if we are not willing to suffer for His cause, then we cannot be His disciple.  We must be willing to suffer all reproach, affliction, persecution and even death itself, cheerfully and patiently.  This does not mean that we are to be happy about it, but rather that we will not choose any other course if that means we deny our relation with Him, for this would show we see comfort preferable to suffering for the cause of Christ, and that there is no question regarding it.  We must be willing to bear that which is extremely heavy.  We must be willing to suffer whatever comes upon us because of our love for Christ and all that may entail. 

So, are we willing to do all this for Christ?  It is important that we periodically examine our  hearts to ensure that we have placed Christ and the work and life He has called us to over anything else.  The Christian life is far more than making a decision to accept Christ yet continuing on in the same way and life.  We must be willing to sacrifice everything we have for Him.  I pray we are all there, or as I have said many times, All In.  Halfway in or 99% in is not enough.  Either we are all in, or we are not in at all.  Think about this, and if necessary, make any adjustments necessary to be a solid disciple of Jesus Christ.  He gave everything for us, is it not reasonable that we give everything also for Him?

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

Luke 14:11

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Luke 14:11  

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke 14:11

This is the concluding verse of Jesus’ Parable of the Wedding Feast.  The parable was given to some invited guests who came together on the Sabbath to break bread. Jesus started this story after He noticed  each of them was choosing the places of honor at the table.  “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.” Luke 14:7-10. 

Jesus, in this parable uses the occasion of a wedding feast as an example.  This fit perfectly based on what He had observed.  He is laying out the idea that we should be humble in any situation we find ourselves in.  He starts off by saying when we are invited somewhere, the example being a wedding feast, we are not to take any place of honor when we seat ourselves at the table.  In fact, we are to take the least honorable seat.  For it is better that we be invited to take a higher seat of honor, then to be told to take a lesser place of honor. 

Now, what is interesting here is that the place He was invited to would be the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees. Not just a Pharisee, but one of their leaders. It was an honor to be invited to break bread with Jewish leaders, and all those who came were seeking out the best seats in order to feel a degree of importance.  This is a universal principle.  Men will always endeavor to bring down those who attempt to exalt themselves above what they believe they deserve.  God also works in a similar way.  In Matthew we read, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:12.  God will exalt or honor those who are truly humble and that seeks a less honorable position among people.  This is how we, as Christians, should act.  We are all equal in the sight of God, and we should see ourselves in the same way.  And the term ‘leaders’ was claimed by Jewish leaders who saw themselves in a higher order who should go before others and claim the  right to control them.

We as Christians are never to exalt ourselves above others, thinking that we are better than anyone else.  We may occasionally need to correct someone who is in error, but never in a way that pushes them down and ultimately tries to make us superior.  Humility can be a difficult thing to show, but it is imperative that we do.  Paul worded this well when he said, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:12-14.  We are to be in unity with all Christians, not trying to show how much more exalted or important we are.  And no matter what position we hold in our work environment or in the church, we must not see ourselves as better or more important then anyone else.  For remember the words of Jesus, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”  Mark 9:35.

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

Luke 15:10

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Luke 15:10

“In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” – Luke 15:10

This verse is a beautiful picture of how God reacts when anyone repents and becomes saved.  He starts this with a short story of a woman who loses a coin.  “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!” Luke 15:8-9.  Now, this is not much money, even at the time of this writing.  The conversion of these ten silver coins were around thirty-seven cents in today’s dollars.  This was not much but it was all she had.  So it was that she lost one-tenth of the money she had, and so she spent time lighting a lamp and searching for it.  When she found it she rejoiced greatly because this was a great portion of what money she had.  This was such a joyous time she invited her friends to celebrate with her. 

This story is very familiar to what is found in a similar set of passages just above this story.  “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” Luke 15:4-6. 

Now in both stories, we find the same basic statement telling us what this means in our focus verse.  “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  Luke 15:10.  When we truly gave our lives to Christ, there was a great celebration in heaven.  Just as the man who found the lost sheep, and the woman who found the lost coin, there is a great celebration in heaven over a lost soul that has been found. 

It is a principle of human nature that the “recovery” of an object in danger of being lost, affords much more intense joy than the quiet “possession” of many that are safe. This our Savior illustrated by the case of the lost sheep and of the piece of silver. It might also be illustrated by many other things. Thus we rejoice most in our health when we recover from a dangerous disease; we rejoice over a child rescued from danger or disease more than over those who are in health or safety. We rejoice that property is saved from destruction by fire or the tempest more than over much more that has not been in danger. This feeling our Lord represents as existing in heaven. “Likewise,” in like manner, or on the same principle, there is joy.

And this is a result of the great love God has for all of us. He wants us to come to Him, and will go after us to make it happen, but ultimately it is our choice. When we turn from our wicked ways and life by giving it to God because the penalty of our sins is paid for by the death of Christ on the cross, this is a time of great celebration in heaven.  We do not celebrate when something that we find is not loved; often we are glad to lose it.  So it is in heaven, when our soul was saved by our accepting this new life, the celebration is because a life that God loves came to salvation and now will live forever with Him.  This is how much we mean to God.

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