Jeremiah 1:5

Verse of the Day: Jeremiah 1:5

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5 

Have you ever wondered why God works in you and through you the way He does?  We see the answer here in these words God spoke to Jeremiah; that being He knew Jeremiah even before He formed Him in His mother’s womb.  And because He knew Jeremiah, He consecrated Him and appointed Him to be a prophet.

God does not wait for us to be saved to determine what He will call us to do.  He knows us long before we are born.  In fact, long before we were made.   We see in Luke that John the Baptist was known before his birth.  “But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.  You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.  For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.”  Luke 1:13-16 We also see it with Samson in Judges 13.

From the beginning He knew what you would be doing for Him.  Do not be discouraged thinking you are ‘out of your league’.  He called you to your mission from the very beginning.  And remember, He will work through you to make it happen.  You are not alone.  Submit to Him, no matter what, and you will fulfill His purpose in your life and bring glory to God.  And that is a good thing.

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

Psalm 46:10

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 46:10

“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!” – Psalm 46:10

The idea in the first part, where it says ‘Be Still’ is to Cease Striving.  In the beginning of this chapter, we see the following, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;” Psalm 46:1-2.  The author of this Psalm starts off by declaring that God is our refuge.  He is where we can flee when we find ourselves in trouble.  He goes on to say that we shall not fear, no matter what happens.  Though there be catastrophic world calamities or major army attacks, we can trust God.  And why?  “The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.”  Psalm 46:7.

We need to think this way.  We need to remember that the Lord of Hosts is with us.  “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5.  God’s promise is that no matter what happens, we will be OK.  For He will be with us.  However, in looking at Paul and the disciples, He may take us home, but we will be OK.

When we get into any type of trouble, no matter how extreme, we must cease our striving against it, do what we can but remember that God is always with us.  Our God is almighty, all knowing, and fills our universe, both known and unknown.  He can deliver us from any trial, tribulation or persecution we may run into. It may be taking the situation away or bringing us safely through by giving us the strength to endure.   I have read many stories of Christians who were persecuted beyond belief.  People like Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand who suffered greatly at the hand of Russian controlled Romania, and eventually founded Voice of the Martyrs.  Or Aida Mikhailovna Skripnikova who was sentenced to three years in a Soviet prison camp because she witnessed to the Russians, but also because she told the Judge in her trial the following, “The Christian can’t be anything but confrontational.  Once you know the truth, this means following it, and if necessary, suffering for it.”  Or He may deliver us by taking us home, like Stephen in Acts 6-7, where Luke writes, “But being full of the Holy Spirit, he (Stephen) gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55-56.  And after this, they stoned him to death.

We have no idea how God will bring us through our trials.  However, what we do know is that He will.  So, as God spoke to the writer of Psalm 46:10, He also speaks to us, as our focus verse says.  “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!”

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

Matthew 28:19

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Matthew 28:19

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19

This is a powerful verse that lays out our commission, as Christians. When the eleven remaining disciples saw Jesus they honored Him. However, there were some who still doubted. “And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.” Matthew 28:17. Now this does not say when they arrived to where Jesus was, but when they saw Him. From a distance they worshipped Him. Upon seeing Jesus, they immediately worshipped Him, for they knew He died, and seeing Him living again helped them in seeing the truth of His resurrection. Matthew here tells of their doubts showing their honesty, that they did not agree simply to say that he had risen. They only believed when they saw Jesus alive. Their caution in examining the evidence is proof that they were not deceived in regard to the fact of his resurrection. When the saw Him, they fully believed.

And Jesus, knowing where they were and, I am sure, knowing of their doubting, went to them. And He declared His immense authority given to Him. “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:17. This authority was given to Him by the Father. And because of this authority, He declares His command to the disciples, which includes our focus verse. “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. Because He has been granted universal authority, He begins by giving these eleven disciples their mission calling. They were to go out and make disciples, as He did when He selected them. Now, this baptism was not of water. John the Baptist said he baptized with water, but not the Messiah. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11. This baptism was not an outward work, but an inner work. Theologian Adam Clarke puts it this way. “Christ’s religion was to be a spiritual religion, and was to have its seat in the heart.”

The disciples were not called to bring men into traditions. They were called to help people understand the reality and purpose of Christ’s work here. And this did not stop at their acceptance of the truth, they were called to ‘make disciples’, not merely to make converts to Christianity, but teach them what it means to be a follower of Christ. This is one of the problems we face today. Many go out and get people to accept Christ, then leave it at that. They do not take the time to train them in the faith. Jesus spent three years training His, therefore we must take more than a few minutes to let them know what being a Christian is about. And too many churches do not take the time to train people. They have their several sermons every week, but do not help people grow in their own understanding of this new life.

In the last verse in this chapter, Jesus tells them to teach everything that He taught them. This is not a simple task that can be completed quickly, for there is much to learn and apply to our lives. This will take time, and He is commanding them to take the same time and attention He did in training them. This is not easy or quick, but it is required in order to help others become strong in their faith. We who are Christians must put forth all the effort we can to teach the truth, all of it and not just the favorable parts. We need to be ready to give loving correction as Jesus did, and also edification to encourage as Jesus did. True believers want to learn and grow in the faith. Unfortunately many so-called churches are falling short of this, preaching, and teaching what people want to hear, not necessarily what they need to hear. This can be difficult but it is our calling. Examine the writings of Paul and see how he taught. This will show how much we truly love Christ and His light will shine forth from us in ways we cannot even begin to imagine.

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

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. 

Isaiah 11:10

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Isaiah 11:10

“Then in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; and His resting place will be glorious.” – Isaiah 11:10

The Jews in their day believed that the Messiah would be the Savior of the Jews, and that the kingdom He would set up would be in Jerusalem as a Jewish nation. However, there are several verses in the prophet Isaiah which states that He would reach out to the nations of the world.  As our focus verse states, He will be a signal to the nations as well.  We also read further in Isaiah, “And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), He says, It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nation’s So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, “Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.” Isaiah 49:5-7.   

 However, He came for all the nations and all the people.  His birth in Bethlehem was not only for the Jewish nation, but for all the people in the world.  Note what was said in the above verse.  “He says, It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nation’s So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6.  John said it like this.  “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”  1 John 2:1-2.  The salvation provided through the death of Jesus was not just for the Jews, but the gentiles as well. 

I know this is fairly well known, but it is important that we can understand this so that we can present this truth to all who question this idea.  Jesus said the following early in His ministry.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:16-17.  And He also said, “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,  even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” John 10:14-16.  We are His sheep as well, and therefore He watches over us, protects us, and ultimately died for us so we may live eternally with Him.

So this Christmas, let us rejoice and celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ, who lived a perfect life so He could pay the penalty for everyone’s sins by dying on the cross.  Yes, He came from the line of King David.  Yes, He was born in a staunchly Jewish environment, and yes, His coming was prophesied throughout Jewish history.  However, we are all His people.  We are the children of God who has accepted His work of salvation for the remittance of the penalty we earned and deserved.  In history, there were many non-Jews who accepted the ways of Judaism and thus became proselytes.  We became one of God’s children when we accepted the work Christ did on the cross.  We were not automatically one. We need to accept what Jesus did for us.  As Christians, we are all God’s people.  He may have come through the line of David, but He came for us all.  Remember this and be thankful, and help others to understand this and be thankful as well.

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