Isaiah 46:10

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Verse of the Day Devotion. Isaiah 46:10

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’ – Isaiah 46:10

Before we get to our focus verse, I want to go back a couple of chapters and look at what the Lord is saying through Isaiah. “Remember these things, Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me. “I have wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” Shout for joy, you heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; Break into a shout of jubilation, you mountains, forest, and every tree in it; For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And in Israel He shows His glory.” Isaiah 44:21-23. The things mentioned in the above verses are reasons for praise and rejoicing. And He also is their redeemer. “This is what the LORD says, He who is your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb: I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth alone,” Isaiah 44:24.

 Now, for all that is mentioned above, should they then trust Him to restore their nation? Absolutely they should trust Him. For He has fulfilled all that He declared He would do up to that moment. Therefore, why should they believe that He would not fulfill all that He promises for the future. In the following three verses, we see future events of that day that will be fulfilled. “Confirming the word of His servant And carrying out the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’ And I will raise her ruins again. “I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’ And I will make your rivers dry up. “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he will carry out all My desire.’ And he says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’” Isaiah 44:26-28. Notice what God says, that Jerusalem shall be inhabited as well as the cities of Judah. And that He will raise Jerusalem from ruin. But what is especially interesting is that God speaks of Cyrus by name, who will be His servant. Cyrus has not even been born yet and will not for at least 150 years, but God has already chosen him for a great purpose.

Now, going back to chapter 46 we read, “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you wrongdoers. Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,” Isaiah 46:8-9. God was telling His people to remember Him, and to serve and honor Him, and not the false gods and idols that He mentioned earlier in chapter 46. These idols man made, but the true God was never created for He has always been. God was telling His people to think about what He has told them and what He has done for them. He tells them to remember what He has told them as well as everything that has occurred in the past so they will always trust Him in all things.

I want now to apply this to us today. It is important that we remember all things God has done for us, those things that happened before and after we were born; how He has provided for our needs and has helped us through difficult times. Remember these things, no matter what happens. For God knows all things. “Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;” Isaiah 46:10. God knows all things; those that have happened, those that are happening, and those that will happen. What God has planned will come to pass, and everything He desires to do will happen exactly as He wants.

We all go through difficult times, some more than others. But always remember what He promised Joshua, and ultimately us. “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or in dread of them, for the LORD your God is the One who is going with you. He will not desert you or abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6. God is always with His people; therefore we can be strong and courageous, knowing God will never abandon or desert us. Or, as it is more popularly worded, He will never leave or forsake us. We have no reason to fear anything, for He knows everything and will help and bring us through everything. Remember what our focus verse says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” Isaiah 46:10. He knows the end from the beginning, and His plan has been established and this plan will accomplish all that is good and brings pleasure to Him. Therefore, what do we have to fear?

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

Isaiah 46:10

Verse of the Day: Isaiah 46:10

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;” – Isaiah 46:10

This verse should bring us all comfort.  Why you ask?  Because God knows all things; past, present and future.  God loves us and wants the best for us.  Moreover, His best for us cannot be thwarted because His purpose has already been established and thus His good for us will happen.

This is important because He cannot be surprised.  His love and goodness are not based on what we have done, because He knew everything about us before we were created.  He loves everyone, but only some return that love and He knew who those were before they were in their mother’s womb.

So, when you think that God has changed His mind about anything, this is an impossibility.  In this I take much comfort.  God told me a long time ago to prepare for what He had planned for me.  I have not been perfect, but I also know He has not taken back His command to prepare.  This brings much peace and contentment to me.  I pray it does the same for you in your walk.

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

Romans 8:28

Verse of the Day: Romans 8:28

“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 

As Christians, we have all struggled and gone through trials.  And I am sure we all have probably asked why we need to go through this.  A fair question, however, we must accept these times when they come.  God has reasons for everything He does and everything He allows.  It may be for our benefit, or it may be for another’s.

Francis Schaeffer once said the following, and I am paraphrasing.  ‘Too often we ask God to deliver us from a trial, when we should be praying that God will bring us through the trial.’  Persevering through will make us stronger and able to come through even more.

However, it could be for the benefit of another.  Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:3-4 the following, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

What a blessing we can be to so many if we keep this in mind.

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

Luke 4:43

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 4:43 

“But He said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” –  Luke 4:43 

I am going to start 2022 by looking at verses that are specific quotes of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today we will look at Jesus teaching in Capernaum, a city in Galilee, on the Sabbath.  “And there was a man in the synagogue possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, Ha! What do we have to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” Luke 4:33-34. These demons feared Jesus, who then dealt with them. “And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him without doing him any harm.” Luke 4:35. As you read on from verses 38-41 We see Him in the home of Simon Peter teaching and healing the people, including Peter’s mother-in-law, while also casting out demons from many who were there.  The demons knew who He was, for they would cry out “You are the Son of God! And rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.” Luke 4:41.

Now, when the next morning came, Jesus went to a place to be alone.  In Mark’s gospel, we see He specifically went out to pray. “And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place and was praying there.” Mark 1:35. Now when the people saw He was not there, they went out to look for Him.  When they found Him, they did all they could to keep Him there. “and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them.” Luke 4:42b.  The word ‘keep’ in verse 42 is the Greek word ‘katecho’ which has the idea to hold down; to detain or retain something, keeping it from going away. They, in essence wanted to keep Him with them rather than letting Him go to different places to teach.  However, even Capernaum’s desire to “be fed by” Jesus, as we say today, is self-serving and thus an overture of self-will over God’s will.

However, Jesus responds in our focus verse by clarifying the reason for His coming. “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” Luke 4:43.  He was saying to them He was not sent just to the people in Capernaum but to other cities as well. He was sent to bring this message to the Jews. The message was regarding the kingdom of God.  We see this message given earlier while He was in Nazareth. He quotes here from Isaiah, from the scroll of the Prophet.  This was given to Him to read, and it declares his purpose for being here. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19. 

This is the message He was given to present to Israel, and then for the disciples to present, and ultimately for us to share.  The central message of John the Baptist was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Luke 3:1-3.  But Jesus’ central message is the good news of the kingdom of God. And this kingdom will be an eternal one.  “You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. The LORD will reign forever and ever.” Exodus 15:17-18.

In closing, Jesus came in order to proclaim the Kingdom of God.  He Himself made this clear when the people tried to keep Him with them, however, He declared in our focus verse, “But He said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” Luke 4:43. He was sent to declare a new kingdom was coming, one that will be far superior to any kingdom we have today, one that will replace all kingdoms we have today, a kingdom which will last forever.  And all those who accept the message as truth and live by it, will be residents of this kingdom for all eternity.  What an incredible message he came to proclaim.

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