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.

Revelation 22:13

Verse of the Day Devotion: Revelation 22:13

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” – Revelation 22:13

Revelation is the last book in the Bible, God’s Word.  Chapter 21 through 22:5 describe the future abode of the redeemed, starting from the revealing of the new heavens and earth through the declaration that this life will endure forever with no end.  Then we read the following. “And he said to me, these words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:6-7.  Jesus speaking through the angel, declares that He is coming soon.  And blessed are those who believe the words of this book and keep them, living the life that shows they truly believe.

Then He declares the words of our focus verse.  Before we start, something needs to be clarified.  Any time a word is repeated three times, this denotes something very important, absolute and complete, something that needs to be emphasized.  For example, “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 4:8. Holy declared three times denotes His holiness is absolute and complete.  It will remain for He cannot be less then holy.

Ok, now back to the focus verse.  Note the three parts.  He says He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.  For those not familiar with the Greek alphabet, Alpha is the first letter and Omega is the last letter.  This is the same as the Holy, Holy, Holy in that it is the same idea expressed three times: “First letter” to “Last Letter”, “First” to “Last”, and “Beginning” to “End”.  These denote His eternality is absolute and complete, and it will remain that way because He cannot be less then eternal.

Only an eternal being can declare what is our everlasting future with complete accuracy.  Therefore, let us rejoice.  No matter how difficult things get here, or the trials we go through, or the persecution we endure, there is a beautiful life in store for us.  One that is wonderful beyond words, and endless beyond our comprehension.  So, stand strong and uncompromising.

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

Proverbs 14:12

Verse of the Day Devotion: Proverbs 14:12

“There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” – Proverbs 14:12 
Many people have a distorted view of Christianity. Much of this comes because of the culture we find ourselves in today.  For instance, many have professed they are Christians but have also stated that abortion is a good thing and should be a valid choice for the mothers to choose.  Their idea is that a woman should have the right to do whatever they choose with their body.  However, the problem with this statement is not regarding their own body, but the body of the child that is within their womb.  Some truly believe that God is OK with killing the unborn.  Unfortunately, they are wrong in this assessment. This distortion of the truth has been a problem long before our time.  Paul said the following regarding the Jews in the first century, and this was regarding not just their ideas of Christianity, but Judaism as well.  And these verses speak greatly about our time as well.  “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Romans 10:1-4.  Let’s look at each of these verses a little closer. First, Paul states his heart’s desire is for the salvation of the Jews.  Being an Israelite himself, he understands their situation.  They have a zeal for God, they desired to do His will, but they did not understand that righteousness, and ultimately salvation, does not come from the law, but because of the work of Christ on the cross.  The observed the law which they believed came directly from God.  However, they missed the idea of the coming Messiah who would make things right.  They sinned not because they chose to, but out of ignorance.  Not understanding that salvation comes through the death of Christ which, if believed and accepted, would have the righteousness of Christ imparted on them, they sought salvation through what they believed at that time, which was their own righteousness.  And because of this refusal to accept the truth, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of Christ because they felt the keeping of the law was the answer. If we look at the beliefs of some in our churches, we see a very similar idea.  That is as long as they go to church, read the word, and try to do good, then God will be pleased.  Often, their Christian life is separated from the rest of their life, which causes much hypocrisy.  Often, they have not been told that this life is an ‘ALL IN’ life.  They are not taught that the Christian life is one that is wholly devoted to Christ and the work He did on the cross.  They base their salvation on either what they choose or understand, or by what their leadership tells them.  It is important that we be as the Bereans were in the first century.  “Now these (the Bereans) were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11. We need to check and see if what we are told, and also what we have accepted as true really is truth. If we take the time to do this, then we can ensure that the way which “seems” right is not and make the adjustments to live the life that “truly is” right and pleasing to God. William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

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.

Matthew 24:14

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Matthew 24:14  

“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:14

Jesus, who when He came out of the temple, pointed out to the disciples the temple buildings and told them these would be totally destroyed to the point that not one stone shall be upon another.  Then when Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3b.

Jesus then refers to several issues in His answer, for instance false Christs, wars and rumors of war and nations rising against other nations.  He mentions famines and great tribulation against Christians.  He goes on to say, “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” Matthew 24:10-13.  In other words, many Christians will fall away from the faith, however, whoever fights through the deception and remains true to the faith, those will be saved and receive eternal life.  However, He ends this section with the following as found in our focus verse, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14. 

If there is any work that is absolutely necessary today and in the times to come, this is it.  The world needs to hear the truth of the gospel in a way that they can receive it.  And it must be preached in all four corners of the world.  Jesus said there will not be a place where it is not taught and defended.  In fact, this is commanded to the disciples.  Mark puts it this way.  “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15. Jesus told His disciples, aside from Judas who left, to go everywhere.  Matthew goes even farther in declaring what He said.  “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.  Jesus said the disciples were to make disciples in all nations.  And guess what.  We are His disciples and we became a disciple because of another Christian, who became a disciple because of another Christian, who also became a disciple because of another Christian.  And we can keep going back.  And what are we called to do, make disciples.

And one last thing.  We do not have to go to a foreign country to be a missionary.  We are called simply to make disciples.  If God calls us to go to Peru or Pakistan or any other county other than where we live, ­then we are to go.  However, if not then our mission field is where we are.  We must never think just because we are not going to a foreign county to share the gospel that our mission on earth is less valid.  There are people in every continent, country, city, town and neighborhood  that are lost and need to hear the gospel so they can be saved.  If we are not called to go somewhere else, then we are called to preach where we are.  We Christians are the church, and therefore we are the ones called to make disciples everywhere.  Note, the church is.  And since where we live is part of the world, then we are called to do His work either where we are or where He sends us.  So, I want to encourage everyone to go out to that place in the world you are and present the gospel through every means you can.  The lost need to be found, and the only we that is possible is if we tell them how to be saved and help them take this step.  And after this, help them to find a church body where they can grow in the faith and become another disciple who makes disciples for Christ.

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

1 Peter 4:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: 1 Peter 4:7 

“The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” – 1 Peter 4:7  

Peter is exhorting those he is writing to that they should realize the end of all things is near, that this world and its sinful ways will soon end.  Jesus spoke many times regarding this world as they know it coming to an end, that their suffering will be coming to an end.  The church during this time was under a two-fold attack.  First there was Rome.  If you did not worship Caesar as God, then you would be subject to punishment up to and including death.  Rome hated the early church and wanted it done away with.  A classic example of this is the death of the Apostle John’s disciple Polycarp.  He was arrested for his Christian faith, and because of this taken into the arena.  When they required him to denounce and reproach Christ, he said, “86 years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”  He refused to denounce Him, so they burned him alive.

The Jews also persecuted the Christians.  They would bring them in to be tried and if they did not renounce Christ, they would find themselves punished.  And as we see from several instances that happened to Paul, they worked with the Roman government, just as they did regarding the crucifixion of Christ.

This was the level of persecution the Christians endured during this time.  And it grew greater as time went by.  What Peter was telling the church was that these days would not last forever, that soon, this would end.  And he encouraged them to remain strong throughout all this.  He told them to remain sober, meaning serious and thoughtful.  Also to remain calm and collected.  Yes, these times will be difficult, but do not let it take away your serious expectations of what is coming.  Instead of losing control over what they are seeing, they were encouraged them to spend time in prayer, going before God and lifting up their concerns to Him.  They should abstain from anything of a sinful nature, so as to be ready for the time when all this is over. 

And this should be our answer to this as well.  Things today are getting very difficult.  We need to be encouraged as well that the end is coming soon, and we must remain calm, cool and collected.  We must not lose control of ourselves, but carefully remain in prayer with the one who will take care of us.  We are seeing the church ridiculed and looked at in negative terms, being called racist, sexist and the remover of people’s rights.  Just remain calm and do not give in to their desires, for God’s plan for us is right on time.  He is with you and in you.  No matter what they do, stand firm.  Your reward is coming soon, in fact, it is on the way. 

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