Matthew 13:24

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:24 

“He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.” –  Matthew 13:24

Today we will look at the Parable of the Weeds.   Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“He presented another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? And he said to them,  An enemy has done this!  And the slaves  said to him, Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?  But he  said,  No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers,  First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:24-30.

The parable of the wheat and weeds speaks of two different kinds of seed sown by two different individuals, a farmer, and his enemy.  First, the field is a picture of the world, not simply the Jewish nation.  The good seed is the children of the Kingdom of God sowed by God, essentially the true Christians, while the bad seed are those who are not of this Kingdom that were sowed by the enemy.  Now some time later both seeds sprouted.  “But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.” Matthew 13:26. Now, as they grew, the slaves of the landowner noticed that not everything that sprouted up was wheat. “And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?”  Matthew 13:27.  They were diligent servants who questioned him regarding how this could have happened.

He then answers them saying that an enemy has sowed these weeds in the field.  Then the slaves asked, “Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?” Matthew 13:28b. But the landowner says, “No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them.” Matthew 13:29. Just as the wheat and weeds were often superficially similar in appearance and if sown too close to each other were too intermingled in their root systems to be pulled up separately, so too God’s people are sometimes outwardly hard to distinguish from his enemies. They can be too interconnected with them in society for anyone to try to purify the world from evil without hurting those who are good. Unfortunately, during that time many Zealots, and at times even his disciples, were often eager for precisely this to happen. We see an example of this in the gospel of Luke.  “And it came about, when the days were approaching for His ascension, that He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him. And they went, and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make arrangements for Him. And they did not receive Him, because He was journeying with His face toward Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them? But He turned and rebuked them, and said, You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went on to another village.” Luke 9:51-56.  He then tells them, “Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 24:30.

There are definitely bad/evil people intermixed in this world with the people of God.  However, can we really tell the difference in all cases?  It is not our place to judge people by what we see for many times we cannot see their heart, nor can we see where they will be in the future. I have known many who were looking into the Christian life before excepting Him while still living a worldly life. But also, there are people who wish us to believe they believe. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.” Matthew 7:21-23.   

In closing, it is not our place to make judgements one way or another. Our job is simply to go out and live the Christian life openly so that all can see it, while declaring the truth of the Gospel. We may be able to help them give their lives to Jesus. And we are called to disciple Christians to understand this life more clearly. “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 28:19-20.

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

Matthew 22:2

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 22:2 

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son.” – Matthew 22:2  

Today we will look at the Parable of the Wedding Feast, the last of three parables, in sequence, that depict God’s indictment and sentence of the present Jewish Leadership, unless they realize their errors and turn to the truth. Jesus does not reject Israel as a whole, only the current leadership, which has rejected him. The contrast is not between Jews and Gentiles but rather between those who reject and those who accept Jesus.  Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, Tell those who have been invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.  But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged and sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire.  Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.  And those slaves went out into the streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes, and he *said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:2-14.

This parable regarding the Wedding Feast was given to a smaller audience than the others, but not because this was Jesus’ choice.  In Mark, just after the Parable of the Tenants, we read “And they were seeking to seize Him; and yet they feared the multitude; for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so, they left Him, and went away.” Mark 12:12.  Now, just because the audience shrunk does not mean Jesus changed the overall topic. 

As in most rabbinical parables, the king is an illustration of God.  It starts off by stating that a king was preparing to give a wedding feast for His son.  He sends out some slaves to tell those invited to come to the wedding feast.  When they get back, they tell him they were not going to come.  Then a second time, he sends out another set of slaves to tell the invited to come, for there would be a great feast, including his oxen and fattened livestock and that everything is ready. However, they refused to come and went about their business, with some of them mistreating the slaves and ultimately killing them.  Now this ticked off the King, so he sent his armies out to kill those who had done this and then destroyed their cities with fire.

“Then he said to his slaves, The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.” Matthew 22:8-9. The King cannot have a wedding feast with no guests; therefore, he tells his slaves to go out and invite all who would come to the feast. They were to go to places where the main highways go out from the city to the country, which was normally where the poorer people tended to get together.  These people could never have thought they would be invited to a banquet of this type.  But the wedding feast must go forward, so all from these regions were invited. 

But what of the man who came in his own clothes?  This requires God’s righteousness imparted on us and not our own.  This is the meaning of the man who was not dressed in wedding clothes.  He came in whatever clothes he chose to wear.  “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes,  and he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes? And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 22:11-13. The imagery here reflects the custom of a king providing festive dress for those he invites to a banquet. So, the king is understandably amazed and he rebukes this man, asking him why he has behaved as he has. The man offers no excuse. Only imprisonment and punishment—eternal judgment—remain in store for such people who rely on their own righteousness rather than the righteousness provided by Christ.

Again, as in the prior two parables, this is a picture of Jews, especially the leadership, rejecting Christ and His gift of righteousness.  To summarize the point of the Parable of the Wedding Feast, God sent His Son into the world, and the very people who should have celebrated His coming, the Jews, for they understood that the Messiah was coming, refused to accept it was Jesus.  Therefore, they rejected Him, bringing judgment upon themselves. As a result, the kingdom of heaven was opened up to anyone who will set aside his own righteousness and by faith accept the righteousness God provides in Christ. Those who spurn the gift of salvation and cling instead to their own good works will spend eternity separated from Christ.  Jesus desires His people, the Jews to come, but unfortunately they cling to the law and refuse to see He is the way, the truth, and the life.

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

Matthew 18:10

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 18:10  

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 18:10 

Today we will look at the Parable of the Lost Sheep.   Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven. “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?  “And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.  Thus, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” Matthew 18:10-14. 

This is an interesting parable for it addresses a situation that many of us have not learned to address properly.  The first sentence in this parable says, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10.  The Greek word translated despise has the idea of looking down upon or scorning, as well as disregarding them  so as not to be around.  John Wesley put it this way. “We must be careful to receive and not to offend, the weaker  believers in Christ: for as inconsiderable as some of these may appear to be, the very angels of God have a peculiar charge over them: even those of the highest order, who continually appear at the throne of the Most High.”

Now, when we come to verse twelve we read, “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?” Matthew 18:12.  This rhetorical question implies an affirmative response in the Greek: of course, that is the way one would act.  Jesus tells them that the shepherd in this story, being a ‘good shepherd’, would go after a lost sheep, leaving the other ninety-nine to find the one.  The straying sheep is a believer, one of these little ones, who wanders away from consistent obedience as well as intimate fellowship with God.  Now, the leaving of the ninety-nine does not assume they are left unprotected, for other shepherds would probably help them out.

In the next two verses, He expresses the reason for this. “And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.  Thus, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” Matthew 18:13-14.  God does not will for anyone to perish.  “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Many look at this verse regarding only the unsaved. However, this speaks of all, including those who are weak and walk away. “Thus, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” Matthew 18:14.

Jesus said to His disciples go out into all the world.  “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 28:19-20. Yes, we are called to spread the gospel to the lost, but we are also called to teach and strengthen those who are followers of Christ. We should never avoid any opportunity to help Christians, especially those who are new and/or weak in their faith. And if we see them beginning to shy away from the Church and ultimately God Himself, we need to go to them and encourage them to stay true to the ways of Christ and help them in areas where they are weak or are questioning Christianity itself.  And if we can turn them around, we can rejoice with God that they have come back to Christ and given up their sins and/or doubts.  For remember, it is the will of God that all of His sheep will stay true and not perish and fall away.

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

Matthew 13:45

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:45 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,” – Matthew 13:45 

Today we will look at the parable of the Pearl of Great Price.   Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46.

This is one of a series of parables Jesus speaks to the crowd; therefore, He uses “Again” as the first word here.  This parable is similar to the parable of the Hidden Treasure with one distinct difference.  In the parable of the Hidden Treasure, the one who found it was not looking for it but stumbled across it by accident.  In the parable of the Pearl of great price, he knows what he is looking for and then finds the best pearl, one of incredible price. 

Why is this significant?  Because it shows God is reaching out to everyone, both the spiritual seekers and the apathetic atheists.  Those who are not looking for truth are like the man who stumbles upon the treasure.  He finds it and realizes this is valuable and he needs to possess it.  Similar to an atheist who happened to hear the gospel and he becomes open to the truth.  He was not looking for it, but when he came across it, he realized this was important as well as a valuable truth that he needs to have.  So, he leaves it there and sells everything he has and with this money he buys the property wherein lies the treasure.

On the other side, those who are looking for truth are like today’s verse of the day.  He looks and looks and suddenly comes across a pearl that is excellent and of great value.  Similar to someone who knows there is more to this life then he has explored, he begins looking for the truth.  He looks and looks and finds this amazing pearl that he knows is incredibly valuable.  So, he also sells everything he has and buys it. 

In these two stories we have two people who have sold everything they have for a significant find.  And Jesus, in both parables, is speaking of the Kingdom of God.  And specifically, our ability to join Him in His eternal kingdom.  He is telling those listening that whether they are looking for God or not, they have the opportunity to enter into His kingdom, for He is presenting the truth to them and it is up to them to, in the words of the parables, buy it or not.

What Jesus was saying in this parable is that if we are seeking for the truth, honestly and deliberately seeking, we will find it.  For the man was seeking for a treasure of great price and in his diligence, found it. In the similar parable of the Hidden Treasure, we see that sometimes we are not looking for truth, but when we stumble upon it, we see the value regarding its truth and we accept.  But what is most important is in both of these, they valued what they found enough to sell everything they had for it.

God calls would-be disciples to give up everything to obtain the treasure He is offering.  Sometimes He calls them to literally sell everything, such as with the rich young ruler. “Jesus said to him, If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21.  But in all cases we must let go of anything that would stand in the way of wholehearted allegiance to Christ and the priorities of the kingdom.  I will close with this question.  Have we given all to follow Him?

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

Matthew 13:47

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:47 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea and gathering fish of every kind.” – Matthew 13:47 

Today we will look at the parable of the net.   Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:44.

In Matthew chapter thirteen, Jesus is sitting by the sea and teaching crowds through the use of parables. There were probably fishermen there which would have been able to understand the intent of the message. Starting with our focus verse we read, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea and gathering fish of every kind.” Matthew 13:47.  This parable addresses the intermingling of good and bad at that time, in our present time and the certainty of their separation at the end of the age upon Christ’s return.  The net referred to here was a large dragnet spread out over a considerable area of water. A good catch of fish would require strenuous effort to haul to shore.  This parable though does not focus on the net, but on the catch. The idea regards bringing all the people together, comprised of both what is valuable and what is valueless. There is no discrimination about netting fish; everything in the area, good and bad alike, is caught up.

Now, putting out the net is the first process, but then comes the gathering of the net to the shore with all the fish enclosed. The net is said to be filled, which was denoted as a good catch. It is drawn up on the beach, so Jesus is speaking of the hauling in of the fish at the end of the operation. Then they would sit on the beach and sort out the fish. The good ones would be put into baskets.  The bad fish were thrown away, for they had no value and there was nothing else they could do with them.

Now in the last two verses, Jesus explains what He meant in the first two verses. He starts by saying in the same way. In other words, this was a picture of the end times. It speaks of two very distinct groups of people.  Just as the net is drawn up with every type of fish in the sea, both good and bad, so will all the people be gathered together for judgement, both the righteousness and the evil.  It is important to remember that the division has nothing to do with merit, based on our own efforts.  The righteous are those who follow Jesus and depend on God’s mercy for they know their shortcomings can only be addressed through the shed blood of Christ. In contrast, the wicked are those who rely on their own merit and believe they can do enough to be saved. Jesus then says that the angels will come and take out the wicked from the righteous, just as the fisherman separated the bad fish from the good.  And just as the bad fish was discarded, the evil ones, those who did not accept the work of Christ and relied on themselves and other ways to be made right with God would be cast into the lake of fire, where it says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It is important that we do not rely on our goodness to save us. Just as a bad fish cannot become a good fish by what they do, wicked and unrighteous people cannot make themselves righteous based on what they do.  Only God, through the shed blood of Christ, can turn us from evil to good.  And He wants to do this for all people. But we must rely on Him to make it happen.  This message must be spread to all so they understand this truth.  And that is where we come in.

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

Matthew 13:44

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:44 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44 

The parable we will look at today is of the Hidden Treasure.  Here is this parable, which is also our focus verse as told in Matthew’s gospel.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44.

Jesus here equates the kingdom to a man who finds treasure, one that is buried in a field. Treasure could denote where valuables are stored, as is found earlier in Matthew. “And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11. However, in this verse it denotes the valuable item itself.  In a day when places for keeping things safe that we take for granted (like the safe deposits in banks) did not exist people had to make their own arrangements. One method they employed was to bury their valuable possessions (as did the unprofitable servant who hid his talent instead of investing it). If anyone did this before going off on a journey and failed to return, the possessions remained there and might be found later through a chance discovery like that in this parable. And what kind of field this was unknown.  Could have been anything, however many believe it was a field for crops.

And there have been questions as to the morality of finding a treasure there, and then hiding it so he can purchase it. However, this is irrelevant in the meaning of the parable.  Jesus is not dealing with the morality or legality of the man’s action but making the point that there can be treasure such that it is worth selling everything in order to possess it, such as with membership in the kingdom.

Jesus says that the man was very happy over his discovery; finding treasure must surely be a joyful experience.  And the man’s joy leads him to go off and buy the field, even though this meant he must first sell all he has.  The man realized this treasure far surpassed the value of the sum of everything he has.  Therefore, he determined living with this treasure was better then living with what he had.

Jesus is not saying that a man may buy his way into the kingdom; that would fly in the face of all his teaching. The selling of all he has is rather a way of bringing out the truth that one should count all we have as lost for the sake of the kingdom, for this treasure is the grace and forgiveness of God, through the death of Jesus Christ, whereby we will live for all eternity with Jesus.  This parable thus begs the question.  Do we view salvation and eternity with God worth giving up everything we have?  Are we willing to give to give it all up, including our things, property, friends, reputation, etc. to follow Christ? This is what He cal of us.  He is asking us what we value more, the treasures of this world, or the treasures of God? The answer is very clear to me, God’s riches. It may not appear to be riches from the world’s point of view, but membership in the kingdom has infinite value which all the worlds wealth could never come close to matching.

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

Matthew 13:31

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:31 

“He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field”. – Matthew 13:31

The parable we will look at today is the Mustard Seed.  Here is this parable as told in Matthew’s gospel.

“He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.” Matthew 13:31-32.

Jesus continues his parables with one that brings out the thought of growth.  This parable is important because over against the mighty numbers of the worshipers of heathen gods, along with the Jews who acknowledged the true God but not the Christ, those who proclaimed the kingdom Jesus spoke of were a small minority. He teaches them not to be convinced by size or numbers. These tiny beginnings would grow into something greater by far than any of the religions found in the disciples’ contemporary world.

The formula Jesus uses is one contrasting the smallness of the seed with the greatness of the plant.  He begins this parable by saying “The Kingdom of Heaven”.  This refers to the kingdom in which He, Jesus, is the King.  He predicts the amazing growth of this kingdom of heaven. The mustard seed is quite small, the plant that comes from it is quite large, up to ten feet in height, and Jesus uses this is a picture of kingdom growth.

The point of this Parable is that something big and blessed, the kingdom of God, had humble beginnings. Many were thinking, how significant could the short ministry of Christ be? He had but a handful of followers, He was seen as a man of no rank and without means, and He lived in what everyone considered a backwater region of the world. The life and death of Christ did not catch the world’s attention any more than a mustard seed would lying on the ground by the road. But God had an amazing plan. What seemed inconsequential at first grew into a movement of worldwide influence that no one could stop.  Gamaliel, speaking to the Council in Jerusalem said, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. And he was slain; and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away some people after him, he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. And so, in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” Acts 35-39.

And the kingdom is prophesied in the same way in Ezekiel. “Thus says the Lord GOD, “I shall also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I shall pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I shall plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the high mountain of Israel, I shall plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit, and become a stately cedar. And birds of every kind will nest under it; they will nest in the shade of its branches. And all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will perform it.” Ezekiel 17:22-24.

The influence of the kingdom of God would be such that everyone associated with it would find a benefit, pictured as the birds perched on the branches of the mature mustard plant. And in comparing the picture in Matthew with the prophesy in Ezekiel, we see that even large mustard bushes pale in comparison with the lofty cedars ; still Jesus may be employing deliberate irony. What may not look like much to the world will in fact fulfill all God’s promises.

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

Luke 18:22

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Luke 18:22  

“When Jesus heard this, He said to him, one thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” – Luke 18:22

“A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 18:18.  This young man was a ruler among the Jews.  He was also a very rich person who essentially lacked nothing.  This man was not a Sadducee because he believed in a future eternal life.  He asked Jesus a serious question because he was concerned about what he should do in order to receive and enjoy everlasting life.  However, he was looking at this from a legal standpoint, figuring that all good things are given him by his good works.  Therefore, he said “what shall I do to inherit eternal life. 

Jesus then asks him about what he said.  “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Luke 18:19.  Knowing the young man was a Jew, Jesus knew this young man did not believe Him to be the Son of God.  He was one who believed keeping the Jewish law was important and helpful in attaining the favor of God.  And Jesus used this knowledge to open up the discussion regarding the Law.  “You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.”  Luke 18:20. 

The man then tells Jesus he has kept all these from his youth.  He was hinting that he knew it would require more than just following the Jewish Law, which it does.  But again, he believed their must be more that must be done.  Then Jesus tells the young man what he must do.  “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  Luke 18:22.  What Jesus was telling him was he had to give up those things which were more important to him then God.  Mark adds an additional idea to this.  “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him.” Mark 10:21a.  To many, money has become an idol, the thing they seek beyond everything else.  And this appears to be what was going on with this young ruler.  He responded by becoming very sad because of the great wealth he had.  These things he had accumulated along with the great wealth he had set aside was more important than the eternal life he asked about.

It is important that we examine our hearts and see if there is anything we would choose not to give up for the cause of Christ.  He is to be more important than anything else in our lives no matter what.  What is it that motivates you?  If it is other than doing God’s work or a relationship with Him, then, as Jesus said, we may have to give these things up.  We cannot allow anything to take precedence over God.  So, I want to challenge us, and I include myself in this as well, to look at what is the most important thing that drives us.  And if it Is not God, then we may have something we need to give up. 

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

Exodus 20:4

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Exodus 20:4

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.” – Exodus 20:4

In the first commandment, God declared He was the true God, and everything else was not.  He commanded that He alone should be worshipped and here He makes clear what is unlawful worship.  In the next two verses He states, “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”  Exodus 20:5-6. 

In these three verses God shows that He is the one to be worshipped and non-other. We are not to make for ourselves idols.  We are not to make anything from any material into any image for the purpose of worship.  Under the leadership of Moses himself, figures of cherubim, brazen serpents, oxen, and many other things in the earth beneath, were made and never condemned.   What was condemned was making anything for the purpose of worshipping it.  And you see from our focus verse there is no exception for any image.  He states that we are not to make any likeness of things in the heavens, or on the earth, or in the seas.  This includes everything.  The things in heaven include but not limited to stars, planets, the sun and moon.  This can also include angels since they are in the heavens. In regard to the things of the earth again include but not limited to oxen, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, calves, etc.  Many animals were made idols/false gods in Egypt.  And of the water fish and crocodiles which were also gods of Egypt, along with anything else in the waters. 

They were told not to bow down to anything that they make and thus make it an idol.  They were not to serve them in a capacity or perform any religious activities to them.  For if they did, they were dishonoring the true God.   And He tells them He is a jealous God.  This shows in a most expressive manner the love of God to this people. He felt for them as the most affectionate husband could do for his spouse; and was jealous for their fidelity, because he willed their invariable happiness.  And if they did create an idol, their sons and remote descendants inherit the consequences of their fathers’ sin in disease, poverty, captivity, with all the influences of bad example and evil communications.  We see this idea from the writer of Lamentations where he said, “Our fathers sinned, and are no more; It is we who have borne their iniquities.” 

Now to those who love God and keep His commandments not because works provided anything, but because of their love for Him, He shows mercy and kindness.  He performs acts of grace and helps them by showing mercy to them.   And those who love Him will worship Him alone, and not creating anything else to worship instead of Him.  Remember the words of Jesus where He says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”. 

And we are called to do the same.  We are not to make anything that we will worship aside from the true God.  There are many religions today who create images of things to worship aside from God.  And we must be careful that we do not fall into this practice.  What can anything we create do to deliver us from our troubles, provide for our needs, or love us beyond what our God does?  We are called to worship the true God only, the one who created all things, including ourselves.  Can these idols do this?  If we choose to create an idol to worship, what we are saying to God is  we do not love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  (See Mark 22:30).  And if we do not, then do we really love Him?

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

Mark 11:25

Verse of the Day Devotion: Mark 11:25 

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.” – Mark 11:25

This idea is found in various places in the New Testament.  We are called to forgive others if we have anything against someone else so that we can be forgiven.  Jesus mentioned it also in the Lord’s prayer, where He spoke of asking God to forgive, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12.  He attached our forgiveness to how we forgive.  And then a couple verses down He leaves no question of what is intended.  “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” Matthew 6:14-15. 

The main reason Jesus came here was so He could pay the penalty we incurred because of sin.  And the only way this could have been done was to have someone who is without sin pay that penalty.  For we read in Romans the following, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.  We all deserve death for we all sinned.  However, one who has never sinned came here and paid our debt by dying on our behalf.  His love was so great for all of us He suffered through the most terrible and humiliating form of death imaginable, crucifixion.  This form of death was designed to cause the most pain possible over the longest period of time.  Many people endured this torture for over a week, while being humiliated due to their nakedness.  Peter put it this way, “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth, and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:22-24. 

So, as we can see, Jesus paid the penalty we could never pay.  He did what was necessary by dying for us so that we may be forgiven of our sins.  Therefore, this is why we are called to forgive the sins of others.  We should love others as He loves us.  “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.” John 15:12-14.  And just as we see with Jesus, no one can carry his love for his friend farther than when he gives up his life.  In other words, he gives up everything that he has.  And forgiveness of wrongs is the greatest gift He gave us, and He commands us to do the same.  

And note what our focus verse says.  “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.” Mark 11:25.  It is not just to forgive those who ask, but to forgive anyone of any wrong done to us.  And Jesus exhibited this in the greatest way possible when he said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:36.  They had not asked for forgiveness, for He was still on the cross.  But He asked for His Father to forgive them anyway.  And this is the greatest example of what our focus verse says, when you are praying, forgive anyone who has done you wrong.

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