Psalm 107:1

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Psalm 107:1  

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” – Psalm 107:1

This verse is a call to mankind to give thanks to God for His amazing mercy He has bestowed upon us.  And not just mercy regarding certain things we may be going through, but everything that God has done for us, whether we find it personally pleasant or not.  We must always remember that we may not have chosen certain outcomes in our lives, however, God does everything for our good.  We have no idea how to pray explicitly for our needs and trials, so we must rely on God to do what He knows is best.  “Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26:27. We must trust that God knows everything, from the beginning of all things to the end of all things. “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” Isaiah 46:8-10. Because of this knowledge that God has, He knows exactly how to  help us in our times of troubles because of this infinite knowledge as He searches our hearts and intercedes on our behalf. 

And because of this incredible God we serve, the one as stated above, who has infinite knowledge regarding what is and what shall be, and also what should be, ensures that we Christians will always experience what we can trust is good.  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.  And this is not just in this life, but for eternity; never to end.  “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30.  God knew us, who have accepted Him, from the beginning of time.  And it promises that we shall be conformed to the image of His Son.  We have been called by God, are justified by Him, and we are also glorified.  And because of all that God has given us, comforted us in times of trial, and prepared us for an infinite life, how can we not give thanks to our God.  “When You did awesome things which we did not expect, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence. For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him.” Isaiah 64:3-4.  We cannot even imagine what we have to look forward to in eternity. 

So, back to our focus verse.  He has given us so much that we cannot begin to know and understand. He does everything for our good, even though we may not see it that way. He has prepared an eternity that we cannot even comprehend.  And He is always with us, for as He has told us through Moses, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6.  In all of this and so much more, how can we not be thankful for all His goodness.  “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Psalm 107:1.

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

Genesis 50:20

Verse of the Day Devotion: Genesis 50:20  

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” – Genesis 50:20

In the book of Genesis we find one of the best known and intriguing stories in the Old Testament, that being about Joseph the son of Jacob and Rachel.  Interestingly, this story is also found in the Quran, but with some very distinct differences. 

It starts with Joseph’s brothers being so jealous of him that they made a plan to kill him.  “When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.”  Genesis 37:18.  However, Judah convinced them to sell him to Ishmaelites rather than kill him. “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. And his brothers listened to him.” Genesis 37:27.  So they sold him and then went and told their father he had been killed. 

The Ishmaelites then sold Joseph to an Egyptian officer named Potiphar, the captain of the bodyguard.  Joseph was then given charge over all Potiphar’s property, and there was no issues because God made him successful in what he was assigned to do. “The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.” Genesis 39:2.  However,  Potiphar eventually cast him into prison because of false charges from his wife.  And again, God was there.  “But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.” Genesis 39:21. 

It then came about that the King of Egypt cast the chief cup bearer and baker into the same jail as Joseph.  He then interpreted dreams they had through the help of God.  The baker was told he would be hung on a tree but the cupbearer would be restored to his position, so asked that He would mention him to Pharaoh.  “Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.” Genesis 40:14.  The cupbearer forgot his promise, but when he remembered Joseph was ushered in to interpret Pharaohs dreams.  After hearing the interpretation, he was given a powerful role in Egypt.  “You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.” Genesis 41:40.  And in this role, he was able to save his family and all they owned from the incredible famine that hit Egypt and the surrounding area.  If interested, you can read the entire story of Joseph in Genesis 37 through 50.

Joseph had a very difficult life.  He was sold by his brothers to Ishmaelites around the age of seventeen, who then sold him to Potiphar as a servant/slave.  After a year or two,  he was thrown into prison because Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of indecent activity.  He spent approximately twelve years in the prison before Pharaoh called him and ultimately put him in the position where he was second in command.  All this took place over a span of approximately thirteen years.  And why did God allow all this?  Joseph starts by asking the question, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?” Genesis 50:19b.  This is actually more of an affirmative proposition rather than a question.  Then he continues with our focus verse.  “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Genesis 50:20.  God allowed it to happen in order to save Jacob and all who were with him from the famine that was to occur.

Many times we go through difficult time and wonder why God is allowing it to happen.  However, we should not be asking why, but rather ask Him what He wants us to do.  God brought me through all the things that happened to me as a child, while in the Air Force, and eventually throughout my years working: both in my own company and while working for others.  When I look back, I see an incredible journey that has made me who I am today.  And it was God who took me by the hand and guided me to the people, places, and experiences He had for me, one being studying and receiving my Master and Doctorate from a Christian Seminary.  It was not the path I would have taken if it were up to me, but I ended up in a good place, heading up a ministry where I can exhort people and help them understand what this Christian Life is all about.  It was not always easy, but it was always beneficial to my relationship with God. 

He has a reason for everything that happens, and we know it is for good.  It is His promise to us.  Two verses that show this reality.  “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.  Everything He allows to happen is for a good.  And the second, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.  Everything that happens is for a good, either for ourselves as told in Romans 8:28 or for another as found in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.  We should look at everything that happens as a blessing for us and many times for another.  For me, this makes it easier as I look forward to what God is doing through me.  “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.“ Philippians 2:13.

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

Psalm 118:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 118:1  

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” –  Psalm 118:1 

This is one of the more well-known verses in the psalms.  It is a call for us to think of all the blessings He has provided for us and to acknowledge that He has given them freely and to praise Him in all thankfulness.  When I think back on my life, many wonderful blessings come to mind.  How I grew up in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and remember being able to look out and see Mt. Rainier filling the sky.  How in some of the most difficult times in my childhood, I came out ok.  I knew of God but did not truly know Him, but now I realize that God was there all the time.

There are so many things to be thankful for, I never am able to list them all.  However, the greatest thing I have to be thankful for was when He revealed Himself to me during one of the hardest times  of my life.  I was in the Air Force in Homestead, FL and had put myself in a very difficult situation.  I had no idea what I was going to do.  I finally just cried out to God telling Him I needed proof He actually existed, for I was starting to seriously doubt it.  And at that moment, He made Himself known in a powerful way.  Soon after, He delivered me from these trials and brought me to a good place.  “From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.  The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore, I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.” Psalm 118:5-7.  When I look back, I found these verses became real to me.  He delivered me from the distresses I was going through and I realized that I need to trust in Him and not in men, for many times they had let me down.  Not to say that I do not trust people, but as verse eight says, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.” Psalm 118:8.  I came to learn that if I trust Him, He will provide what I need, and people I can truly trust.

I know that I am not the only one who has experienced something like this, and I can assure you I have had more than this one.  Each one of us, as children of God, can look back and see times when we find ourselves in difficult situations and had no idea what to do.  As stated above, I can look back and see many times where God brought me through trials, I found myself in.  And I know you all who are reading this can do the same.  Take the time to see all the wonderful things God has done for you when you struggled to know what to do.  And along with this, remember how He sent His only begotten Son to pay the penalty for our sins when there was nothing, we could do to pay it ourselves. 

In my life, and I am sure you can say the same, there is more that I have to thank Him for than I can recall. And I am so thankful that He is always near me, guiding me through all situations as only He can.  And as the writer of this psalm says, I also can testify, “You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You.” Psalm 118:28. And let us always remember our focus verse, which the writer made the first and last verse in this chapter, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting” Psalm 118:29  

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

 

Ecclesiastes 2:24

Verse of the Day Devotion: Ecclesiastes 2:24  

“There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God.” – Ecclesiastes 2:24

In this verse, we see the wisdom of the preacher as found in Ecclesiastes.  The preacher is no doubt Solomon, the son of King David.  He starts off in this chapter by describing some of the thing’s men do in order to bring meaning and joy to their lives, and he uses himself and his actions as the examples.  He describes how he tried laughter, wine, increased labor.  Also in planting gardens and making parks and ponds and a forest of trees.  He bought many slaves and through procreation increased the number as well.  He also collected an incredible amount of things as well as many concubines for his own pleasure.  He eventually became great and increased more than any other in Jerusalem.  Anything his eyes wanted he acquired (Ecclesiastes 2:2-10).  Then, after this was done, “Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:11. 

The above gave Solomon the conclusion that meaning regarding our lives is not found in wisdom, hard work or things: which was a prevalent and traditional belief of the teachers in Israel of that time period.  These things may give pleasure to the person pursuing these things, but only temporarily.  I remember speaking with a young lady who had just bought a new home in an expensive community, as well as a high-end automobile.  After some time, she bought a bigger home because she found a friend had purchased a bigger home in the same community.  She also purchased a fancier car.  The sad thing about this is that she did not have the money or income to purchase them, she just went further into debt, so much so that she had little money left over at the end of each month.  What this young lady had was very good.  But because her focus was on her status, she was never satisfied.  Solomon saw this and determined it was simply vanity.

Going back to our focus verse, Solomon came to the following conclusion.  “There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God.” Ecclesiastes 2:24.  He determined that this drive to do all that is possible to bring pleasure to his life was a truly fruitless venture, for the pleasure was temporary.  It is not self-indulgent pursuit of pleasure that brings satisfaction, but a contentment in the food and drink we consume and accepting the work we do now as being good, because these things are given to us by God.  He then tells us later a more detailed thought regarding contentment.  “Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.  Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.  For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.” Ecclesiastes 5:18-20. 

If Solomon, who is considered the wisest and richest man who ever lived, one who had the means to acquire anything he wanted and the ability to do anything he desired, found a good life to be in the contentment in all that God has given him, then we should apply this wisdom to our own lives as well.  I have found this to be the source of much peace, for all my needs are met.  I pray as you apply this, you will find the same thing for yourself.

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

Genesis 1:31

Verse of the Day Devotion: Genesis 1:31 

“God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” – Genesis 1:31 

This verse is the wrap-up of the creation of all things.  After He created the heavens and the earth and  all things on the earth.  He created light and darkness as well as the waters and every separation of the waters we see.

After this, He created all life that resides in the waters, along with the birds that fly above the earth.  He created the large animals in the sea, which the author calls the great sea monsters, that swim in the great seas.  Then He said “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:1:24-25.   Then He created man.  “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. 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.  After this, as our focus verse says, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31

After God did all this, man then fell.  All the good things that He prepared for them unfortunately was degraded through the temptation of the serpent and their acceptance of its words.  Suddenly, things were not as perfect as they were.  They were removed from the beautiful garden God had made and were not allowed to enter again.  Adam was now required to work hard for all they needed for God cursed the ground.  They would fight through weeds and thistles in order to gather their produce.  And the woman would now have increased pain in childbirth.  This was not what God originally created, but due to sin, it is what I has become.

Now, none of this was a surprise to God.  For He had a plan even before all this happened.  “All who dwell on the earth will worship him (the beast), everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” Revelation 13:8.  Those whose names are in the Lambs Book of Life from before the beginning are those who would accept Christ as Savior.  Remember, God knows the end from the beginning. “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.  Therefore, He knows whose names are there from the beginning.

So, because of all this, God will create a new Heaven and Earth for all believers.  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” Revelation 21:1.  Then “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4.  What God created in Genesis 1 and 2 was good and would have been a wonderful place had man not rebelled.  However, that which is written in Revelation 21 is far better.  Those destined for here have given everything to God and have accepted the work of Christ.  Therefore, this will be a far more wonderful place, for this is our eternal home of peace and love and joy. 

I believe that when this creation is finished, the beginning of our focus verse will occur again.  “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31a.

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

Psalm 14:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 14:1 

“For the choir director. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.” – Psalm 14:1      

This is a verse where, if it is read in the way our modern society understands it, we would miss the true meaning.  The Hebrew word fool has the idea of a wicked, vile, or contemptable individual: one who has an unclean heart and who rejects the idea of a loving, infinite, and all powerful being.  They do this by claiming, ‘There is no God, and only a fool or ignorant person would think there is.’    

Now, the word fool is not to be used in the same way we use the word atheist.  For it has a broader meaning than this.  An atheist is one who denies the very existence of God.  There are some who totally deny He exists, and this is the main thought communicated here.  However, there are other ways to look at this.  For instance, there are some who acknowledge the existence of a god, but not the true God.  The idea here is that they do not necessarily deny an infinite God, however they do not believe He has any role in their lives. They do not accept it as having anything to do here.  This is the idea of deism, which rejects revelation from God as a source of religious knowledge, for He simply created everything and then left it alone.  They assert that reason and observation of the natural world are sufficient to establish the idea that God exists.  However, there is no communication with God.  Then, there are those who choose a god with attributes that are more pleasing then the attributes of the true God.  Basically, they accept the idea there is a god, but they pick or create it based on what makes them feel good, or what they can accept.   

Isaiah states the following regarding the fool or unbeliever.  “For a fool speaks nonsense, And his heart inclines toward wickedness: To practice ungodliness and to speak error against the LORD, To keep the hungry person unsatisfied And to withhold drink from the thirsty.” Isaiah 32:6.  According to Isaiah, the vile person speaks of things that can be labeled nonsense.  He tends toward ungodliness, speaking falsehoods against the true God, and does not help those who need their assistance, but ignores their plight. 

Going back to our focus verse, David ends by saying ‘There is no one who is good.’  And he is correct.  Paul essentially quotes this verse in his letter to the Romans.  “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”   Romans 3:10.  None of us are perfect.  Paul again says it better than I can.  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”  Romans 3:23.  But Christ paid the penalty for our sins, and by accepting what He has done and living our lives fully devoted to Him, we are no longer a fool as David said above, but we are His handiwork.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10.  And one of the good works God called us to and prepared us for, is to live in such a way that we can be a witness to those who, in our focus verse were denoted as fools, so they can become His handiwork as well. 

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

Mark 3:4-5

Verse of the Day – Mark 3:4-5.

“Jesus asked them [the Pharisees], “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in Anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.” – Mark 3:4-5

To set the stage for this interaction, right after telling the Pharisees that he is Lord of the Sabbath in Mark 2, Jesus arrives at the synagogue and sees a man with a shriveled hand and the Pharisees who were lying in wait for Jesus to make a mistake. Jesus tells the man to stand up and then looks at the Pharisees, knowing their hearts, and asks them if it’s lawful to do good and save a life, or to do evil and kill.

They remain silent.

Jesus gets angry.

This story was originally told in the Greek, and the word Anger that was used is transliterated as, orgē which can be translated as; he was impulsively wrathful, or indignant. This wrath caused by injustice is in the “Aorist’” tense, which means it’s temporary, it exists and then goes away. Jesus has an emotional reaction to their silence – and it’s justified. And I think this shows us there’s nothing inherently wrong with anger, it’s what we do with it – how we respond to it, if we let it control us – that makes it right or wrong. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:26 (NLT), “Don’t sin by letting anger control you.”

Jesus takes this, orgē, this anger, mixed with disappointment, mixed with sadness at the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees, and tells the man to stretch out his hand and Jesus restores the shriveled hand to the way it should have been.

Mark tells us that in response to Jesus healing the man, the Pharisees began plotting about how to, “do away with” Jesus. The phrase “do away with” doesn’t begin to describe the unfettered rage they felt. In the Greek the phrase is, “apollymi” which means “to utterly destroy,” “to bring to naught,” or “to be made void.”

These are two complete opposite responses.

Jesus’ response made the world a better place – it brought healing, life, and restoration. The Pharisees responded with a fierce vengeance whose result would be to completely destroy Jesus.

How we respond to anger, injustice, and evil in the world matters. We must follow Jesus’ example:

  1. Jesus acknowledged that which needed to be changed and shined a light on it in a non-condemnatory way when he asked the man to step forward.
  2. Jesus asked questions to cause the Pharisees and his enemies to question their beliefs – calling them out without being insulting or accusatory.
  3. When their response angered him, he channeled that anger into creative, restorative power that brought peace into the world and made it a better place.
    1. His anger wasn’t selfish. He didn’t lash out allow that righteous anger to control him.
  4. He continued to unapologetically live his life and walk in his calling, unafraid of the repercussions. He did not let the instance and the Pharisee’s continued response affect his ministry.

When you respond to your anger does it make the world better? Do you channel that anger, that sense of justice, that innate feeling in your spirit that tells you something is wrong, into restoration and peace like Jesus or do you take that and fuel feelings of rage and destruction like the Pharisees?

If you’re struggling with following Jesus’ example in this situation amidst these times, please send a prayer request to us through the contact page or to our prayer request e-mail. We keep these requests confidential unless you give us permission to share.

  • Christiaan Funkhouser

Hebrews 13:16

Verse of the Day Devotion: Hebrews 13:16 

“And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. – Hebrews 13:16      

In this section, the writer of Hebrews speaks of acts that are pleasing to God.  First, the sacrifice of animals does not bring delight to our God.  Previously, the writer of Hebrews put it this way.  “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.” Hebrews 10:4-6.  The writer declares these two ideas in this section.  One, animal sacrifices cannot take away any sins, for they were only a picture of the coming Messiah as the perfect lamb who would take away their sins.  And two, God took no pleasure in them.  They did nothing regarding divine justice, they only fulfilled the law as though they could atone for their own sins.

So, if a sin offering is not pleasing, what is?  “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.  Micah mentions three things God requires of us.  To do justice, that is, at a minimum give everyone what is due them.  To love kindness, or mercy as other translations put it, that is to show mercy, benevolence and love to others.  And lastly, to walk humbly with God.  These are the things that please God.

Now, these three things are found in Hebrews.  First, we see the following.  “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15.  We are to continually offer up praise to God.  This is a sacrifice from the fruit of our lips.  We are to thank Him for all He has done, is doing, and will do for us.  We are to express this with a thankful and humble heart for He provides all good things which we cannot provide for ourselves, especially the remission of our sins through the actual sacrifice alluded to in the Law.  This is what Micah intended by walking humbly with your God.  True worship and praise is done humbly and with thanks before our almighty God, recognizing His Lordship and goodness to us.

Now, notice the first four words in our focus verse.  ‘Now do not neglect’.  Yes, we are to give all of our thanks, praise and worship to God.  However, we are not to neglect doing good to others.  We are not to neglect providing for the needs of others when we have plenty.  This may require giving more than we ever thought of giving, for this may be what God calls us to do.  But, as the end of this verse tells us, these sacrifices offered freely are what God is pleased with.  In the sacrifice of praise, we are showing our love for God.  In do good and sharing with others, we are showing our love to our fellow man.  In both, we are fulfilling the most important commandments God has given us.  “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31.  These are what truly  pleases God.

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

Isaiah 5:20

Verse of the Day Devotion: Isaiah 5:20 

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” – Isaiah 5:20      

This verse speaks as heavily to the culture today as it did back in Isaiah’s day.  This is the fourth woe God declared through Isaiah to the Israel.  There were men in that day who declared what was considered good was evil and what was considered evil was good.  John Wesley in his commentary on Isaiah put it this way, “To them – That take away the difference between good and evil; that justify wicked men and things and condemn piety or righteous persons.”  They glossed over evil deeds and habits and accept them as acceptable, while they look down upon those who cling to God and His works.

Isaiah goes on to add the following. “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:21.  This is how they concluded what was right and wrong.  By how they viewed the works as apposed to how God declared them.  They felt they knew better than the prophet and therefore rejected his warnings.  And in doing so, rejected God’s words in the process.  Because of this, the remainder of chapter five, verses 24-30 is the declaring the judgements upon those who sinned in this manner.  Here are verses 24-25 which gives an indication of the judgements declared by God through Isaiah.  “Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble And dry grass collapses into the flame, So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. On this account the anger of the LORD has burned against His people, And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down. And the mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets. For all this His anger is not spent, But His hand is still stretched out.” Isaiah 5:24-25.  

Today, we need to ensure that we do not fall into the same sin as our focus verse declares, those who call evil good and good evil.  There is much of this going on in our culture today.  Leaders in some of today’s churches affirming abortions as a good thing and acceptable to God.  Churches where transgenderism is taught to our children either in story times, or in church services themselves as was done in a church in Cincinnati, OH.  There are teachings heard in some church’s that are against what the scriptures teach and leads to causing members to go astray and believe false teachings. 

If we hear anything that falls into the sins of our focus verse; calling things that are good, evil and things that are evil, good, it is important that we raise this with the church leadership and have them deal with it.  We should address those who have taught it and help those who heard it to understand that this is wrong.  This is not easy to do, but to ignore and not address these issues will have the same result as accepting it.  We must stand against these things.  God did declare this woe to the people of Isaiah’s time, and I believe He will declare the same judgement to those today who do the same.  Let us be careful and study His word so we will know when others confound the distinctions of right and wrong, and we do not fall into this error ourselves. 

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