John 14:27

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 14:27 

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

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

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

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

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

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

John 15:13

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 15:13 

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13   

To me, this verse is one of the most powerful in all of scripture, for it lays out clearly the greatest picture of love ever displayed.  Just prior to our focus verse, Jesus commands them to love each other.  “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” John 15:12.  This is not the first time He has commanded this of His disciples.  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:14.  In this instance, He is telling them that by so loving one another, and acting out this love before others, everyone will know they are His disciples.  It would not be like the Jewish leadership where they are known by their appearance, clothing, manner of speech or by the special customs they adhere to.  It will be by the genuine love they share with each other.

Now, in John 15:12, He tells them again that they are to love each other just as I have loved you.  But this time He takes it to a far greater level.  Instead of seeing acts of love such as sharing, encouraging, or as Paul said in Romans 12:15, weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice, which are all genuine acts of love, He tells them what the greatest exhibition of true love is, which is our focus verse, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.

No one can express their love for someone in a greater way than that they are willing to die for them.  By this act of dying they are sacrificing everything they have and are for the sake of another.  This is what Jesus did for us.  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.  God gave an example of this great love by Christ dying for us that we may be reconciled with the Father.  Notice the words ‘while we were yet sinners.  He loved us while we were still His enemies.  “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Romans 5:10

Now, who were/are Jesus’ friends?  “You are My friends if you do what I command you.”  John 15:14. Those who obey Him.  Those who give and devote their lives completely to Him.  Those who truly know Jesus.  And He knew who they were from the beginning.  “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30.  Those who throughout history chose Him to save them.  Those who committed their life to Him, those, as stated in Romans 15:14, do what He commands them to do. 

And we are to have the same love for each other as Jesus has for us.  “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” John 15:12.  The kind of love He has for us is the type of love we are to have for each other.  The type of love that is willing to give everything, up to and including our own lives.  This is the type of love Paul spoke of to the Philippians.  “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; “ Philippians 2:3.  This is what He has called us to, to have the same love for each other as He has for us.  Let us all pray that when the time comes where we are in this position, that we will be willing to do what Jesus did. 

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

John 15:18

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 15:18 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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