John 17:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 17:14  

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” – John 17:14 

This verse is found in what is known as the High Priestly Prayer, because Jesus, who is praying here, took on the role of High Priest.  The office of High Priest started at Mt. Sinai when God gave the Law to the Israelites through Moses.  Aaron was chosen, along with his descendants,  to be priests who were responsible for interceding on behalf of Israel before God.  One priest was selected as the High Priest who would take it further by entering the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to offer the sacrifice that would temporarily cover the sins of the people.  “Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.” Hebrews 9:6-7.  Jesus came here to take the role of the perfect High Priest, one who did not need to address His own sins for He was and is without sin, therefore His was not a once a year requirement but a once for all eternity.

Now, in our focus verse, Jesus declares in His prayer a very definite truth that was not only applicable to the time He was in, but also today.  He starts with “I have given them Your word,” John 17:14a.  Jesus spent three years preparing His disciples by teaching them what is in His word.  He taught them what they are to do, and what they are not to do.  He also tells them why and why not, and how they need to be totally devoted to Him and His Father.   And we can see that this was successful for they went out into the world and brought many to Christ and then trained them in His ways, so they could go out and bring more into the kingdom.

He then ends this with, “and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:14b.  The Jewish leadership as well as many of the pagan gentiles were very devout in their beliefs and hated those who spoke against what they believed.  A perfect example of this was Jesus’ persecution and eventual crucifixion by the Jewish leadership because He was countering what they were teaching and undermining their instruction.  They were of the world, but Jesus and the disciples were not, therefore they taught against what the world loved and practiced.

Now we see this happening in the world today.  Many countries, especially North Korea, China and many Islamic countries already harshly persecute Christians in an attempt to convert them to their way of thinking.  Many times, this leads to the death of the Christian.  However, we are now seeing hatred of Christianity throughout the whole world, including the United States.  People want to do what they want, and they despise those who declare it as sin.  We need to understand that this was prophesied throughout the scriptures.  We will go through tough times because of our beliefs and devotion to Christ.  We need to pray that God will prepare us for these days so we can remain strong and true to our God.  He will never leave us alone but will always be with us.  We must trust in Him, for a beautiful eternal life awaits us after we stand firm in the faith.

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

John 16:33

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 16:33 

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 

Our country has been thrown into turmoil.  A man by the name of George Floyd died because a police officer suffocated him as He held him down on the ground.  The officer, as well as the other policemen involved with the death of George have been arrested, with the officer who actually pushed his knee into his throat was charged with 3rd degree murder.  This is such a sad moment in our history.  Yes, it was absolutely outrageous what happened to this man.  Was he engaged in an illegal activity?  Maybe, but this does not excuse the outcome of the police officer’s actions.  This has brought about major protests that have moved into extremely violent actions.  Many major cities finding retail establishments being destroyed and robbed of everything found within.  There are cars being destroyed by setting the inside on fire and churches are being set on fire in the same way.

It seems like every time we turn around, there are people who are attacking for almost any reason.  This happens to individuals and groups.  It is getting to the point where if we do not totally agree with someone, we stand the risk of paying the price as they take out their anger on us, just as we see people destroying property and attacking those who stand between them and what they desire.  What a sad season we find ourselves in.

 So, in these times, we need to find peace in our lives.  In John 16, we see Jesus speaking with His disciples about His departure.  “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.” John 16:28.  He again tells them that He is leaving to go back to the Father.  They now have a greater understanding than before.  “His disciples *said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” John 16:29-30.  Jesus answers with, “Do you now believe?” John 16:31.  The idea here is, ‘ Do you finally understand and thereby believe? He then states, “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” John 16:32.  Their lives will be changed in ways they cannot imagine.  They will no longer be with Jesus here on earth, but they will be scattered.  He will be alone when they scatter to their own places, however not entirely, for the Father will be with Him. 

And then He comforts them with these words, which is our focus verse.  “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.  These are powerful words spoken to them, letting them know that difficult times were coming; they would suffer trials and tribulations that go beyond anything they have experienced up to this point.  The world will be against them because of Him, but He tells them He has overcome the world.  And because of this, they  can have peace.

And these words are also spoken to us.  The world hates us and the closer we come to the end it will hate us even more.  And we must always remember this, so we are not surprised when it comes, and also to remember we are also not alone.  He is always with us.  We must stand strong against the world and what it throws at us.  And because He has warned us, we can have peace because, in todays vernacular, we are on the winning team.  So, be at peace, because if we experience incredibly difficult times as the end draws near, always focus on what He has promised us.  “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9.  A beautiful unending future that far outweigh anything we ever experienced here.

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

John 14:27

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 14:27 

“Peace, I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” – John 14:27     

The words ‘peace I leave with you’ or various similar phrases, were used by the Jews to open and to close a letter, conversation, or any form of communication.  In this instance, it was used as a closing statement, however, not just regarding this conversation.  His time here was drawing to a close and He began preparing them for His departure.  Note the next few verses.  “You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.” John 14:28-29.  However, in the next sentence, He becomes more clear regarding His leaving.  “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;” John 14:30. 

Jesus here is preparing His disciples for His departure, and I am sure they understood this and thus were becoming anxious.  “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.” John 14:25.  In this statement He is alluding to the idea that He is preparing to go.  Note ‘have spoken while abiding with you’.  However, the next phrase makes it clearer.  “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” John 14:26.  The Holy Spirit will come after He departs and will remind them of His words. 

Then He gives the customary salutation, ‘Peace I leave with you.’  He wants them not to be troubled by this, for this is what He has been preparing them for.  He then reiterates this by stating it is His peace He gives them.  Jesus wanted them to have the same peace He had, which came through His friendship and fellowship with the Father.  It is what He wanted to give them before He leaves.  He then adds, ‘not as the world gives do I give to you.’  Many times when the Jews either opened or closed a conversation, they would simply say it because it was customary and polite.  These would be empty words they did not actually mean.  However, He was telling them He meant what He said.  Therefore, He urged them not to let His leaving, and ultimately their ministry He called them to, trouble their hearts or make them afraid.  For the Holy Spirit will be sent to them to be with them.  Again, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” Paul urged His brothers and sisters in Christ also to remain at peace, and he also showed through living accordingly.  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.  Jesus would provide this peace to them for He never spoke empty promises.   

Jesus here was speaking directly to His disciples; however I have no doubt He is speaking to us as well.  He wants us to have peace in this life just as He had peace during His time on earth. Through His word He speaks to us just as clearly as He did to the twelve.  So, let us accept and live the peace He gives us.  And the way we do that is by not allowing ourselves to be anxious about anything, knowing He is with us.  “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.  Trust Him in everything.  There is nothing anyone can or say against us that God has not known from the beginning.  And He is already doing what is necessary to help us through.  If we genuinely believe this with everything we are, and live accordingly, then we have nothing to be concerned with.

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

James 1:27

Verse of the Day Devotion: James 1:27 

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” – James 1:27           

In our focus verse, we see the word ‘religion’ used, which is seldom used within the scriptures.  The word here generally speaks regarding keeping the external requirements.  This is how the devout Jews of that day saw true religion, especially those who were in leadership.  James here does not see true religion this way.  He sees it as a much deeper idea.  For purposes of clarity, I will use the phrase ‘Christian Walk’ rather than religion going forward.

He starts out with the phrase ‘pure and undefiled’.  This refers to a genuine and sincere walk with Christ. We should strive for this type of walk which is real and sincere.  It should be one that God Himself sees as genuine.  The Jews believed that as long as they fulfilled all the rituals of the Law, then everything was OK.  They saw the outward expression as a picture of what was a true or false type of religion. However, James lays out the premise that there are two ideas regarding a genuine walk with God:  the external and the internal. 

In the verse prior to our focus verse we read the following, ”If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”  James 1:26. There is an external component with a genuine Christian walk.  James uses the words we say as an example; however, it encompasses all of our behavior.  As I heard many years ago, we must not only do the do’s, but we also must not do the don’ts.  Yes, we must focus on both sides.  We must not yell and curse at anyone, but we must also encourage and show others we love them. 

So, in our focus verse, James mentions two things that show a genuine Christian walk.  First, that we are to love and assist others where needed.  “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress,” James 1:27a.  In this we imitate God.  And this is what we should do.  “A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation.” Psalm 68:5.  In the days of James, the Jewish leadership did not regard the widows and orphans as important.  So, he uses this as a clear example of how we are to act.  We are to help those who have no means to help themselves, and in this we show them the love of God. 

In the same verse we see an internal component.  “and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:27b.  Paul put it like this, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2.  We must no allow ourselves to act as the world does, no matter what pressure is placed upon us.  We must strive for perfection, not just better.  “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48.  Unfortunately, we will not always be perfect.  But when we do sin, then we must confess it to God, and He will forgive us. 

It is important we see that our Christian walk must be lived both internally and externally.  This is the mark of a genuine relationship with God.  That we show love by meeting the needs of those who need us, and to strive to be like Him.  By fulfilling the internal, the external will come naturally.  This is what God desires of us, and He will be with us to help in making it happen.  He wants us to be genuine and real, both in our desire to have our heart changed, and in the love we have for Him and our fellow man.

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

John 15:18

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 15:18 

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” – John 15:18           

Jesus has just finished telling His disciples that He had chosen them to be His disciples and that He loved them.  “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:9-10.  He really wants them to understand how much love He had for them.

However, He now gives them a warning of what will happen to them when they are sent out into the world to spread the good news to all men.  He tells them that the world will hate them.  Now the focus verse above says, if the world hates you.  This is not saying that there is a chance the world will hate them.  He, in essence is saying, that the world will hate them, and if they do, remember they hated Him first.  By being His disciples, they were exposed to the hatred the world had for Him.  And the hatred would be proportional to their faith and holiness that they exhibit to the world.  He then explains why.  “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” John 15:19  The world would love them if they were still of the world.  They would be in unity in regard to their hatred of Christ.  But, because Christ took them out of the world by choosing them to be His disciples, they now profess what is contrary to their beliefs. 

We must also remember that we also are not of this world but are now children of God.  We are sent out to the world to present the truth, which goes against the ways of the world.  We can see now what the world thinks of us.  They hate us because we present the truth of Christ.  Look at the persecution that many Christians are enduring in countries like China, North Korea, many parts of India, the middle east and elsewhere.  These Christians suffer greatly at the hands of their governments and religious leaders.  They are hated because they believe and preach the truth, which runs counter to the atheistic and idolatrous people who live there.  These Christians need our fervent prayers to help them remain strong in the midst of this intense persecution.

But think about this, we here in America and other countries like Canada are beginning to face this hatred of us because of our strong faith and devotion to Christ.  We saw the bakery where the owners almost lost their business because they refused to create a cake for a wedding of two gay individuals.  Students at a prestigious law school were told they needed to intern at a law firm of their choosing, as long as it was not a Christian law firm.  We see Christians taunted and ridiculed for standing up and living their beliefs.  Much of the press speaks against the Christian faith, as well as many in our government who tell us that transgenderism and abortion are human rights and we have no right to speak against it because of our faith.

Lets all stand strong and profess and live out our faith before a world that hates us.  We are called to spread the good news to all nations and all people.  And because of this, we are speaking against their beliefs and life styles and thus, they do not accept what we say.  However, some will, and it is for these that we reach out to the world.  And we should rejoice for we are blessed.  “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”  Luke 6:22-23.  And also remember, the hated Jesus before they hated us, therefore, we are in good company.

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

1 Timothy 6:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: 1 Timothy 6:7 

“For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.” – 1 Timothy 6:7    

This seems like an obvious statement, however, when we look into this verse a bit, it says a lot more than what many have seen.  Let us first look at the verse just prior to this one.  “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.” 1 Timothy 6:6. When we live a godly life, we are living as He has commissioned us to live.  We make God our ultimate priority, we live as He has called us to live, we share the gospel with all who need to hear it, we love everyone, seeing them as more important than ourselves.  These are but a few of the characteristics of a godly life.  And when we find ourselves content in living this life then we receive great gain from our Father. However,  this is not mean in worldly possessions. 

What Paul is referring to is a life content with what we have, no matter how little that may be.  If we are satisfied with what God provides, then we will not be looking at how we can get more things, but how we can strengthen the relationship we have with God.  Looking forward we see a picture of what this means.  “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6:8. If we have these basic resources, then we should be happy and content, because we also have access to the almighty God who desires to spend time with us.  Contentment has the idea of satisfaction.  Whatever God’s provision is, in that we should be content / satisfied.  Remember God’s promise to us as stated again by Paul.  “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.  God will provide all of our needs.  If He does not provide it, then we really do not need it.  Often, we say we need something when in reality we just want it.  And He did not say He would provide our wants, though He may.  But He did say He will provide our needs. 

Now, back to our focus verse.  When we were born, we could not bring anything into this world.  He created us and placed us in our mother’s womb.  Everything we have then is provided after we are born.  And likewise, we cannot take anything of this world with us when we die.  No matter how much importance we place upon it, we must leave it behind.  This is so because these things are not actually necessary in the next life, whether it be in Heaven or the lake of fire.  And to be perfectly honest, they are not all the important here also. I am not saying our possessions are bad, I am saying that we place too much importance on them.  As Christians, what really matters is our relationship with God Almighty.  Things do not really matter that much, except for as Paul said to the Timothy food and covering. He will provide what we need to live here and to fulfill His calling on us. 

It is a good idea sometimes to examine ourselves regarding what we find important, and if we discover we desire or place too much attention on ‘worldly things’ than maybe we need to make adjustments with the help of or Father in heaven.  God is to be of ultimate importance, and we need to be content with what He provides us while here in this life.  He will provide our needs.  Let us not be dissatisfied because we do not have certain things found here.  Be content with God and His provisions.  The satisfaction we will have will be worth much more than anything the world has to offer.

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