Romans 15:13

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 15:13   

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 5:13

Here, Paul is writing to the Church in Rome, encouraging them to have hope. He starts this message with two verses that declare Christ to be servant to all people. In verse eight he speaks of the Jews. “For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers,” Romans 15:8. Those who were of the circumcision were readily understood to be the Jews.  He was showing the gentiles the importance of bearing with the often-troublesome Jews. He shows them here that they were under the greatest obligations to share with this people the gospel. And He showed this by Jesus confining his ministry to the Jews. And He did this to confirm the truth of God, contained in the promises made unto the patriarchs. But this salvation was not exclusively designed for the Jewish people as God by his prophets had repeatedly declared.

In the next verse we read, “and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” Romans 15:9. As the Jews were to glorify God for his truth, so the Gentiles were to glorify God for his mercy. In verse nine he quotes a verse in the psalms. “Therefore, I will give thanks to You among the nations, O LORD, And I will sing praises to Your name.” Psalm 18:49.  The ‘nations’, being plural, refers to all nations, which include the gentile nations. In the next verse he quotes from Deuteronomy the following, “Rejoice, O nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And will render vengeance on His adversaries, And will atone for His land and His people.” Deuteronomy 32:43. Then in verse ten, “Praise the LORD, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples!” Psalm 117:1. And finally in verse twelve, “Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.” Isaiah 11:10.  This one here is especially pertinent for it speaks of all people standing before the Root of Jesse, Christ, resting together with Him.

Coming to our focus verse, we read “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13. The discussion of the relations between strong and weak in the Church comes to an end with a brief prayer for the readers. The true content and goal of faith is not the right to eat and drink, but joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. There is not to be any division regarding beliefs in the Church.  The Jews and gentiles differed in the food they ate and various other beliefs. And today, we also differ in various ways, such as how we worship or what we do when we gather.  However,  our focus should always be in the hope we all share in Christ, knowing that He is our hope and the God of Hope. We may have differences at times, but we should never allow this to separate or drive us apart. For we all, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, older or younger; conservative or radical, as Christians we all share one God and one hope, that being Jesus Christ. Therefore, let us all join in this one hope, praying as Paul did. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13.

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

John 1:16

Verse of the Day Devotion John 1:16   

“For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” – John 1:16 

John chapter one speaks of the promised Messiah coming into the world.  First, He is the Word who was from the beginning with God and in fact was God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.  And he eventually came into this world as the promised Messiah. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14. Therefore, this one who has come to us is God in the form of man. John the Baptist spoke of Him saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.” John 1:15. Now remember that John was born before Jesus was, therefore, his reference to Him having existed prior to himself must refer to ‘from the beginning’.

Then we see our focus verse. “For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” John 1:16. What does this mean? There are many interpretations as to what this means.  But after much time looking into this, I want to present this viewpoint. But we must first go into the Old Testament for some background.  First, God created the heavens and the earth.  Then He created all the animals and plant life, and ultimately man in His own image. “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26-27. But man, disobeyed God and was then removed from the Garden of Eden and not allowed to return. Note, He did not kill them, but promised a way of reconciliation. “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15.

Then God, as recorded in Genesis twenty, gave the Law to His people.  However, again they broke His Law. However, they were given the means of repentance by way of sacrifices.  There were two mandatory sacrifices regarding sin. The first was the sin offering. The purpose of the sin offering was to atone for sin and cleanse from defilement. And the other mandatory sacrifice was the trespass offering, and this sacrifice was exclusively a ram. The trespass offering was given as atonement for unintentional sins that required reimbursement to an offended party, and as a cleansing from defiling sins or physical maladies.

In all these instances, both regarding Adam and Eve and the Jewish people, God provided grace to His people. Adam and Eve were not killed, but they were removed from the garden. And with the sacrifices, He provided a means by which they could be forgiven. But only past sins, not future also.

And now back to our focus verse, “For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” John 1:16. In verse fourteen we read, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. We see here the Jesus, the Word who became flesh, was full of grace and truth. And it is through this truth that we understand God’s grace as exhibited by Jesus. Grace used to come via the works of the law and the sacrifices they made for sin, however, Jesus took on the work of salvation for us, and we do not need to do anything but believe and become Jesus’ follower.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.

The primary focus is on this grace, as is evident in what follows the parenthetical reference in verse 15 to the Baptist’s witness. The Son is not simply full of grace; he has a fullness from which he shares with others. The verse reads literally, “For from his fullness we all (have) received even grace upon grace.” In part the image may be of an unending supply of grace like the water he will offer the Samaritan woman. The grace within the law was a grace that came through works. However, Jesus brings a grace that is a gift from God, which is infinitely greater than the former grace. This is a grace that we accept from Him which, in essence, replaces or ‘covers’ the grace that was offered before. This grace was technically offered from before creation for He knew we would fall. And remember what God spoke to Adam and Eve. “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15. The Christ will address the enemy and defeat him, and because of this, He will provide the grace we need through His death.  This is grace upon grace we now have access to grace that goes beyond what we do, and through His death and resurrection, we can receive grace unimaginable; the grace which covers all sins, past and future, through His work which completes the overall work of grace.

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

2 Thessalonians 3:13

Verse of the Day Devotion: 2 Thessalonians 3:13   

“But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:13 

Paul, in this section, is warning the Christians not to become idle regarding the works of God.  “For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.” 2 Thessalonians 3:11. We are not completely sure how Paul heard about this, whether by Timothy, or by someone else. He did not doubt its truth, and he seems to have been prepared to believe it the more readily from what he saw when he was among them. However, he was notified, it was related to Paul they were not doing the work for which they had, by God, been called.  On the contrary, they were simply being busybodies. The idea here regarding the term ‘busybody’ is going about doing useless deeds, to keep busy with trivial and useless matters.  Here, Paul is essentially saying they are doing none of what they should be doing yet overdoing and being involved in the business of others. In other words, busy about everyone’s business but their own. The well-known theologian Charles Spurgeon puts it this way. “Not doing their own business, and therefore putting their noses into everybody else’s business”.

Also, they did no real work but put forth the pretense they were. To put forth a pretense is to make something that is not true appear to be true. And taking this to a higher level, the problem of these declared as disorderly was not simply that they did not want to work, but that they refused to work. They did not want to help others, but rather to be helped by others. We do not know the exact reason why they opted to continue to live as clients. Manual labor was, as we have seen, despised by not a few, especially the social elite, but some philosophers and others considered such labor noble.

Now, Paul corrects these people in the next verse. “Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.” 1 Thessalonians 3:12. He is telling these that at the least, they should do whatever work is necessary to meet their own needs, and to do I quietly in a peaceful manner.  We read this idea in the first letter. “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you; so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12. Now this is interesting because what we read in this verse is exactly what He calls for the ‘busybodies’ to do, except in the second letter he makes this statement to those who refuse to work, whereas here it is meant for those who work to assist others. In other words, take care of your own needs while you assist others where they need help.

Now to our focus verse. “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.” 2 Thessalonians 3:13.  Here, Paul turns his focus from those who had grieved him in the church to speak to the rest of the brothers and sisters in Christ. He is telling them not to be discouraged in doing what is right and good.  The command not to be discouraged does not mean simply that they should not become weary with doing what is right but rather that they should not give up or abandon their efforts. Paul said a very similar thing to the Church in Galatia. “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” Galatians 6:9-10.  Although the apostle had absolved the patrons of their responsibility to those who did not want to work, this in no way implied that they should quit doing what was correct on behalf of those in genuine need. Just because there were some who did not participate, there were still many who needed their help, and thus they should continue to meet their needs. 

It Is important to understand that because we are called to be Christians through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, our calling does not end there.  For He has called us all to do His work in this world.  Becoming a believer and Christian is simply the beginning. Paul, in his letter to the Church in Colossae wrote, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.” Colossians 3:23-25.

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

2 Timothy 2:22

Verse of the Day Devotion: 2 Timothy 2:22   

“Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” – 2 Timothy 2:22

The thought in our focus verse is straightforward, even if the mandated response can be difficult: there are acts that are heinous, immoral, unlawful, or otherwise contrary to God and goodness, and regarding these actions Timothy is being urged to flee these things. Timothy is a young man and unmarried. And because of this, Paul is instructing Timothy to flee the evil desires of youth. The Greek word translated lust here is epithumia, which has the idea of an earnest longing or desire, especially for what is forbidden. Paul almost always uses this word as regarding negative behavior or impulses. This same Greek word is used by Paul in Romans where He said, “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.” Romans 1:24.

The idea is that if we do not flee these sinful desires, we may end up following these ways. So, what are these deeds?  “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21. Paul refers to these as the desires of the flesh. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” Galatians 5:16-17.  

But the ethic Paul calls for is not simply one of sin negation. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” Galatians 5:18.  This certainly is or can be true of Timothy.  But Paul is calling Timothy to go further.  He is to substitute these illicit longings with the pursuit of ‘righteousness, faith, love and peace’. This idea is as simple as what Paul wrote to the Church in Rome. “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21. In essence he is saying not to allow ourselves to be overcome by these desires simply by trying not to do it but overcome them by doing what is good in its place. Paul again wrote to the Galatians the following, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16. We are to live under the influences of the Holy Spirit and admit His influences fully into your hearts. And do not resist Him but yield to all His suggestions.

This is something we need to examine within ourselves. Is there something we do that entices us to sin? Are their questionable books or movies we pursue that cause us to indulge in sinful thoughts?  These could be illicit articles, or they could raise hate, anger, or other negative feelings in us. Do we focus on what people have done to us or against us? These also can raise improper desires in us. We need to look inside ourselves and see what causes us to sin. We then should pray about it, flee from these things, and focus on what the Holy Spirit calls us to do, that being pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. And notice the last part of our focus verse. “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22b. We do not need to do this alone. He is saying get with our brothers and sisters in Christ, where we can lift each other up in prayer and encourage each other in our Christian walk.

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

James 3:9

Verse of the Day Devotion: James 3:9  

“With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God.” – James 3:9 

James here is this section is speaking of the tongue, specifically regarding the speech of men. He starts off with two analogies. First, he uses the illustration of a bit. “For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well.” James 3:2-3.  Theologian Albert Barnes interprets this as follows. “The meaning of this simple illustration is, that as we control a horse by the bit – though the bit is a small thing – so the body is controlled by the tongue. He who has a proper control over his tongue can govern his whole body, as he who holds a bridle governs and turns about the horse.” And the second analogy refers to ships. “Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.” James 3:4. A ship is a large object. It seems to be unmanageable by its vastness, and it is also impelled by driving storms. Yet it is easily managed by a small rudder; and the one that has control of that, has control of the ship itself.

Now, James takes these two pictures and applies them to the human tongue. “So also, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.” James 3:5-6. Essentially, the bit and the rudder, small though they may be, are comparable to the tongue, a small part of the body that nevertheless makes great boasts. In verse 3 we see the tongue analogized and it’s impact on a community when the teachers use it wisely, just as a bit has an impact on the horse.  Now, in verse 6 we see the teachers impact as a spark loose in a forest and sets the focus on the destructive impact of loose and destructive words.  Now, as we see today, the tongue can be a world of iniquity as noted in verse 6.  We use the term in the same sense – a world of troubles, a world of toil, a world of anxiety, for great troubles, oppressive toil, most distressing anxiety.

How can so small an organ be great trouble? By the words we speak. Remember verse 2. “For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” James 3:2. James here is saying that if we do not sin through what we say, we are perfect because we are able to bridle our complete self.  However, if we say things we should not say, we are igniting a fire, as we see in verse 6. This begs the question; can we tame the tongue? “For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by humans. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.” James 3:7-8.

Now our focus verse is an example of, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God.” James 3:9. Here, James points out two contrary ways we use our tongue; to bless God and to curse people. It is such a common human thing to “curse” another person that we tend to dismiss it as not that big of a deal. “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me” is a common English proverb. And yet, James explains why abusive speech is a big deal: We are cursing a being made in the image of God! Going further, “from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.” James 3:10. We are called to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. Cursing and insulting people or gossiping about them behind their backs is not love, it is evil and destructive. Unfortunately, these actions have become natural to people, including some who are Christians.  

One last thing, in verse 8 we read, “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.” James 3:8. No man on his own can tame the tongue. For the tongue to be tamed, so must the heart. Jesus uses the following analogy regarding the Pharisees to bring out this point. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Matthew 12:33-34. The only way we can change our heart is to ask God to make the change. David prayed the following prayer when dealing with a transgression he was dealing with. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10. We cannot tame the tongue unless our heart is changed.  Therefore, if we find ourselves speaking hurtful or harsh things to someone, call out to God and submit to His ways. He can change anything in us if we are willing to be changed.

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

Colossians 2:8

Verse of the Day Devotion Colossians 2:8  

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” – Colossians 2:8 

Here Paul is warning the Church of Colossae that since they had received Christ as savior, they need now not just to believe it, but to live it as well. “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” Colossians 2:6-7. Too many people today rely simply on their declaration of belief to be the sole proof of their salvation.  However, a declaration of belief only allows people to see what you want them to see. To live it is to allow people to see who you truly are. And it is important to go beyond surface level living, but to be firmly rooted and built up in Christ, being strengthened in the faith. This idea is of a tree.  Our roots should grow deep and strong, spread throughout the entirety of our being. We must constantly study, thereby learning more and more about our new life in Christ.

However, in the next verse, which is our focus, we are to be careful what we study. “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8. The words ‘see to it’  has the idea of ‘watch out’. Paul wants those in Colossae to watch out lest they are taken captive by this belief. The verbiage translated in this way by is a rare one, used only here in biblical Greek and sparsely elsewhere. It vividly expresses the danger that the readers may be “carried off as plunder” by an alien and fundamentally anti-Christian form of teaching. These teachings are categorized as those philosophies and teachings that are empty of truth and are according to man’s traditions and not of Christ. The theological threat concern two major tenets of the Christian faith. These being ‘soteriology’, which applies to the person and work of Christ specifically related to His work on the cross, and ‘sanctification’ which is the application of the cross to the development of personal purity. Paul addresses both here in this chapter; the theology of salvation in verses 8-15 and sanctification in verses 16-19.

The enemy wants to lead Christians away from the truth of Christianity.  His desire is to pluck as many followers as he can away from Christ. Therefore, he has many teachers in this world who try to convince Christians they do not have it quite right.  A big deception today is Jesus+.  This idea is that it takes more than Christ’s work to save us. We need to do some works as well to solidify our salvation.  I unknowingly got involved in a cult that required their followers to read the Bible, but without understanding. They would provide all the understanding needed. They also wanted everyone to dress somewhat the same, very plain clothing and no jewelry. Most Christian cults follow the same path. Believe in Christ, but do not think what He did was all that was necessary.

That is why Paul wrote to Timothy saying, “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. We must take the time to study the scriptures so that we accurately know what it says. If you have any question as to what something means, do some research to see what the writer is saying.  And do not hesitate to ask someone you trust to help you understand the meaning.  God wants you to know exactly what He is saying in His Word. Pray if you run into questions you cannot answer, and then let Him lead you to the answer. The scriptures present the entire truth we need.

Sometimes some scriptures appear to say the opposite of each other.  I have a saying I use that goes like this.  “If two scriptures appear to contradict each other, it is because we either do not understand one of them or both of them.” This could be because of previous teachings that were confusing or it is something we have not studied before. If we run into this pray, and have God show us what it means.  And again, do not hesitate to ask someone else for assistance if needed.

God desires us to understand the Word He has given us. Take the time to read  it and study it. This is the best answer on how to avoid the deceptions that are prevalent in today’s culture. And lastly, never avoid asking someone you trust, questions that you cannot get answers to. Pray while studying, and if necessary, ask Him to guide you to someone who can help you. And do not just have them answer it, but thoroughly explain it as well. Doing these things will help each of us grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God’s Word and strengthen our relationship with Him.  And is this not our goal?

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

Job 42:2

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Job 42:2  

“I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted.” – Job 42:2  

Job was a man that endured more than I could ever imagine.  In chapter one, he loses everything that He owned.  He lost all his property and all his children. This is an amazing story of a man who withstood the greatest test imaginable. And after all that happened to Job in chapter one, it says “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” Job 1:22.

In Job up through chapter 37, Job is tested by Satan.  Then in chapters 38 through 41, God goes to Job and asks a series of questions, showing Job that he has no understanding of Him at all.  “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!” Job 38:2. God is informing Job that He does not truly speak what he knows. The theologian Adam Clarke puts it this way. “As if he had said, who art thou who pretends to speak on the deep things of God, and the administration of his justice and providence, which thou canst not comprehend; and leaves my counsels and designs the darker for thy explanation?” In other words, speaking without understanding what he is speaking about. How often do we see this happening today?

Then God tells Job to get ready for He is going to ask him some questions. “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!” Job 38:3. Notice the words “and you instruct me. Here are a few of the questions God asked him. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding,” Job 38:4. “Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it?” Job 38:5. And then finally, “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place?” Job 38:12.

Then after all the questions were asked, Job fully understood that he really did not understand. Then in an act of repentance we read in our focus verse, “I know that Thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted.” Job 42:2.  Now. remember the question asked by God in chapter thirty-eight where God started asking His series of questions, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?  well, Job now answers God.  “Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” Job 42:3. Then he says to God, “Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask Thee, and do Thou instruct me. Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask Thee, and do Thou instruct me. Therefore, I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:4-6.  The meaning of repenting in ‘dust and ashes’ has the idea of repenting in humility before the Lord and His greatness.

We must be careful how we view our knowledge of God and His ways.  Things we can know is that God loves us, cares for us, and desires a strong relationship with us. This is clear.  But do we know why God does one thing rather than another?  Not always, but we can trust that what He allows in good. “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. We do not have to know everything, for God does and He will protect us and make good come from bad. And finally, the prophet Isaiah puts it well when he declared, “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. 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, 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 46:8-10.

In closing, we cannot always know why things happen or why they do not. For only God knows all things.  But what we can know is that God is in control, and because He loves us, we can know that everything that happens is for our good.  Let us be careful that we do not assume what we deem as bad is bad, for God may mean it for our good. And alternately, let us be careful that we do not assume what we deem as good is necessarily good, we can pray that God will remove our trials and tribulations from us. However, we should remember the prayer Jesus prayed just prior to His arrest. “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.” Luke 22:41-42.

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

Romans 8:2

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Romans 8:2  

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” – Romans 8:2  

Paul here is writing this letter to the Church in Rome.  Now, this verse is a clarification of what he wrote in the previous verse.  ‘For’ or ‘because’ begins this verse. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1. When we accepted the work Christ did for us on the cross and became a Christian, there is no condemnation that we must suffer, for the payment has been paid. There is no reason for us to do anything, for we are pardoned. 

Now in our focus verse he gives the reason for this. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Romans 8:2. We see a similar verse in 2 Corinthians where Paul says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17. Again, in this verse, there are two laws that Paul is contrasting. The first is the Law of Sin and Death. This is  essentially the written law of Moses. It was intended to be kept perfectly by the Jewish people, and if it was not, then there was required a sacrifice to God to deal with this sin. What the law does for us is help us to understand what sin is. “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET. But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. And I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died, and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me.” Romans 7:7-10. If we rely on the law to please God, we will fail for if we violate this law even in one issue,  then we die.  Notice verse ten here. “and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me.” Romans 7:10.

However, the first law mentioned above, which is the law of the Spirit of Life takes the requirement of keeping the law to a different level. “because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. “Romans 5:5-6. And then, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” Romans 5:9.  Regarding the Jewish Law (Law of Moses), perfection was required. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” James 2:10. If we stumble in one point, and are not a true Christian, then we are required to pay the penalty. And since we cannot address our sins because it requires perfection to do so, there is no way to address it.  And this is where the first law comes in.  If we become Christians, and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, then He, being perfect, can address our sin. For in doing this, the requirement of us addressing our sin is removed for He, Christ, addressed them for us.

One more thing we need to see here. There are many people who believe that if they do what is good and follow God’s way, they are saved.  This is in essence, salvation by works, which is what the Jews believed in following the Law of Moses. But salvation cannot come by this means. The Old Testament law can be a good guidepost for knowing how to love God and knowing what goes into loving your neighbor. At the same time, to say that the Old Testament law applies to Christians today is incorrect. The Old Testament law is good for knowing how to love God and knowing what goes into loving your neighbor. At the same time, to say that the Old Testament law applies to Christians today is incorrect. The Old Testament law is a unit. Either all of it applies, or none of it applies. And we must be careful that we do not fall into this trap. The Old Testament law was never intended by God to be the universal law for all people for all of time. We are to love God and love our neighbors. If we truly obey those two commands faithfully, we will be upholding all that God requires of us.

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

John 11:42

Verse of the Day Devotion:  John 11:42  

“And I knew that Thou hears Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.” – John 11:42 

Over the next week we will be looking at seven miraculous signs performed by Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John.  These signs show that Jesus was not just some ordinary man but was truly the Son of God.  Today we will look at the last sign which is Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

There was a man who lived in Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.  And this is the same Mary who had anointed the feet of Jesus and wiping His feet with her hair. And these are the sisters of the man who was ill.  They send for Jesus to come, for Lazarus, whom He love is very sick.  However, Jesus responded by saying, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” John 11:4. Something special was going to happen that would bring glory to the Jesus.

After two days, Jesus left to go to Judea again.  The disciples were nervous and made this clear to Him. “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?” John 11:8. Jesus responds by referring to a comment in chapter nine. “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5. Note the wording here. “Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” John 11:10.  Then after saying this, Jesus gives some context. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep.” John 11:11.  He was saying, while I am here, I must do the work His Father sent Him to do. And this will become more clear further on. When the disciples heard Jesus say Lazarus fell asleep, they assumed he would eventually wake up, but Jesus then comes out and said, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” John 11:14b-15. Several Jews came to the house to console them, which provides an opportunity to see this miracle.

Jesus then arrives and Mary goes out to meet Him and says, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:32. Jesus then, seeing her and the Jews weeping, began crying Himself.  Some Jews that were present remarked that Jesus obviously loved this man, but some said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?” John 11:37. Then, being deeply moved, came to the tomb.  He told them to remove the stone, upon which Martha responds, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” John 11:39b. But Jesus counters by saying, “Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40. This is said above in verse four. His words here were probably said to the disciples to whom He had said it. 

Now we come to the critical verses which includes our focus verse. “And so, they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, Father, I thank Thee that Thou hears Me. And I knew that Thou hears Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.” John 11:41-42. Several things we see here.  First, his direct reference to God as ‘Father’ is characteristic of his praying. To say that the God He prayed to is His Father was quite revolutionary.  Second, the prayer assumes that Jesus has already asked for Lazarus’ life, and that all he must do is to thank his Father for the answer. That is not surprising for verse eleven also assumes that the raising of Lazarus had been determined for some time. Third, this prayer was not a matter of public playing to the people there, it is intended to show His intimacy with the Father. 

After this prayer, Jesus then cries out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” John 11:43b. After this we see the miracle. “He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:44.

The sign here shows that Jesus is truly the Son of God. And this sign was to be seen again by the Jews, which included Mary and Martha and the disciples.  Many of the Jews who were there had their minds changed. “Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.” John 11:45-46. However, the leadership for the most part was angry. “Therefore, the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” John 11:47-48. They called this miracle a sign, which it was, that showed proof that Jesus was the promised Messiah. In John 9, regarding the healing of the blind man from birth.  He there said that those Jews who see these signs and still do not believe are blind. “And Jesus said, For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind. Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said to Him, We are not blind too, are we? Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” John 9:39-41.

Jesus allowed Lazarus to die (fall asleep) so that He could show many the miracle and believe. “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hear Me. And I knew that Thou hear Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.” John 11:41b-42. Jesus came here to be a light in the world. And what better way to shine this light than to show people who He is and the power and glory He has from the Father. We see this in this miracle as well as the other six signs.  He wanted everyone to see who He was, for He loved them and desired them to believe in Him and be saved. 

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

John 9:5

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 9:5 

“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” – John 9:5  

Over the next week we will be looking at seven miraculous signs performed by Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John.  These signs show that Jesus was not just some ordinary man but was truly the Son of God.  Today we will look at the sixth sign which is Jesus healing a man blind from birth.

After Jesus walked out of the temple in Jerusalem to avoid being stoned, He was walking and saw a man who had been blind from birth.  The disciple asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?” John 9:2. Most Palestinian Jews at this time believed sin and suffering were closely connected.  Theologian D. A. Carson expands on this idea. “In this instance, the disciples presuppose the tightest possible connection. This specific individual is suffering from blindness; therefore, some specific, individual sin must have been the antecedent cause. Because he was born blind, it must be that either he sinned in the womb (certainly regarded as possible by some Jews), or his parent sinned in some way that implicated him.” However, Jesus states this is not the case. “Jesus answered, It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:3. Jesus essentially tells them he was blind in order that God’s work might be displayed.  And this is so that the world can see who He is.

And this work must continue. “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. The reality of God and His mercy, as well as Jesus being His Son, must be displayed as much as possible, for there is a time coming when He will no longer be there. After making this statement. He proceeded to heal Him. “When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). And so, he went away and washed, and came back seeing.” John 9:5-7. 

After the man came back seeing, the neighbors who knew he was blind and was a beggar said, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?” John 9:8. They was also questioning whether this was the blind man. “Others were saying, this is he, still others were saying, no, but he is like him. He kept saying, I am the one.” John 9:9. They asked where Jesus was, however the formerly blind man did not know. Therefore, they brought him to the Pharisees on the Sabbath, and they also asked him how he received his sight. The man gave them the specifics regarding applying clay to his eyes and when he washed off the clay, he could see. But because this was done on the Sabbath, some of the Pharisees said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs? And there was a division among them.” John 9:16b. They then asked the man about Jesus. He responded by saying He is a prophet.

The Jews decided they did not believe the man had been blind, so they called his parents in asking, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” John 9:19. And they answered clearly, saying “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age he shall speak for himself.” John 9:20-21. When they finally spoke with him, they then kicked him out saying, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” John 9:34b.

Then Jesus, hearing he had been kicked out found him and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” John 9:25b. “He answered and said, And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” John 9:36. And here we come to the crux of the matter. “Jesus said to him, You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped Him,” John 9:37-38. And finally, He addresses the Pharisees that were there. “And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind. Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said to Him, We are not blind too, are we? Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” John 9:39-41. They saw Him but refused to believe.

Instead of faith in the Lord, the Pharisees demonstrated the futility of faith in themselves. The Pharisees asked what they thought was a rhetorical question: Are we blind too? Jesus being the light declared them guilty of rejecting relief from their blindness. Every person who realizes his or her spiritual blindness becomes a candidate for seeing; those who refuse to recognize their spiritual blindness place themselves beyond help. We might paraphrase Jesus’ final words like this: “If you would only admit your blindness, you would not be guilty of sin because I would forgive it; but because you claim your own self-righteousness, your guilt remains.

The sign I see here is showing those who see the light and those who refuse to. Many were seeing that Jesus was the Son of God, and that He was not just an ordinary man.  He did miraculous things that proved He was the promised one, the Messiah, with the healing of this blind from birth man being the latest.  Those who were blind and now see the Christ will be saved, however, those who see and refuse to acknowledge the Christ will be lost.  This is what Jesus was getting across. 

And in closing, I want to put this statement from Kenneth O. Gangel where he said, “How many people enter church Sunday after Sunday thinking they must be good enough in God’s eyes since they assess themselves as righteous. Yet they desperately need the light of God’s truth to shine on their own wickedness so the light of the world can open their eyes and help them see his truth.”  

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