Do you sow generously or sparingly?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
(2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV))

There are several other ways of saying this that are probably a little more familiar to most people.
Perhaps the best one is that you get out what you put in. With not too much of a stretch of the imagination, you could also apply the old saying, “Garbage in. Garbage out.” No matter how you look at it, the concept comes down to one simple, yet valid truth. A little effort will yield a little result and a big effort will yield a big result.

We understand this concept when it comes to work, but have you stopped to think about the universal truth to this. It applies to all aspects of our lives!

Relationships. School. Athletic endeavors. Careers. All of these, and many others, follow the concepts as espoused in 2 Corinthians 8:6. It also applies to Biblical understanding and our relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We can’t expect something for nothing. Everything requires an effort on our part before we see the fruits of our labors. If you love to play baseball, then you spend countless hours giving of yourself to the sport that you love. If you are madly in love, then you spend countless hours with the person that you love. If you love the Lord, then you spend all of the time that you can in study, prayer and communication so that you can get a better understanding of God’s heart.

“Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only 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 drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV))

It sounds like Jesus is telling people to sow generously in their relationship with Him.

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you weary in your walk with Christ?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
(Galatians 6:9 (NIV))

Do you get tired of seeing the terrible, ungodly things that happen in the world? Do you ever think that you are only one person and are not capable of changing anything on your own? Do you grow tired of doing what is right in the eyes of God and not seeing anything happen?

It is so easy to get discouraged by the events in this sinful, fallen world, especially when your only desire is to see God glorified through His Son, Jesus. Sadly, too many people rely on their strength to do what God has called them to do. Are you strong enough to carry the weight of sin on your shoulders? Are you strong enough to provide a way for people to escape their sin? Are you strong enough to bridge the gap between humanity and God?

None of us are strong enough!

Thankfully, we are not called to be strong enough. We are called to allow God to work through us. We are not the ones called to carry the burdens. We are called to be obedient and answer God’s call. If we become weary, there is a good chance that we are trying to rely on our strengths and not on God’s strengths. I can think of so many mental pictures for this concept, but the one that seems to represent this concept the best is the story about the footprints in the sand. In this story, we learn of Jesus walking side by side with an individual. Then, all of a sudden we see only one set of footprints. Jesus is asked why He abandoned them and He replies that He did not abandon them, but He was carrying them!

Do the things of this world make you weary? Keep in mind that Jesus bore all of this for us. It is not our calling to reinvent grace. It is not our calling to save people. Only Jesus can save. It is our calling to be willing to answer His call. He will equip the called. He will give you His strength and His peace to do what He has called you to do.

Don’t try to do it on your own!

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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There is definitely power in the Word!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:1 (NIV))

Have you ever heard that there is power in the spoken word?

Perhaps you’ve heard the saying that the pen is mightier than the sword?

If you stop to think about these two statements and what they convey, then it makes perfect sense if you fix the foundation for both of these firmly in the Word of God. Can you think of any other word that has the power that is contained within the Word of God? It can bring the earth, moon and the stars into existence. It can bring beauty out of a formless void. It can bring life with the mere mention of life existing!

I realize that we are far from being able to do what God can do with words, but we seem to be able to do a great deal of wrong with our words. Think about that for a moment. Humanity turned over dominion of the earth to the greatest liar of all time. We turned it over to the father of all lies.

We, as a fallen creation, are torn. We are divided. We are made in the image of God, and inherently, that means that we have the power to speak good into the world. We have fallen as a result of believing the lies of the enemy, and as a result, we have learned to lie. Our words can be used to lift up or they can be used to tear down. Even on our best days, we are not capable of firmly following good no matter how hard we may try. It is just not possible for a sinful creation to be perfect.

It is said that the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body. It’s wag can be extremely hurtful if we don’t control it. If we watch what we say and exercise it sparingly, the tongue can have the opposite effect. We must remember that we have the power to speak into existence either love or hate, wisdom or foolishness, peace or hostility. If we base all of our words on the Word of God, then the outcome is much better for everyone.

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you ashamed of or embarrassed by Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
(Romans 1:16 (NIV))

Have you ever been ashamed of something or someone? Have you ever been ashamed of your own actions and thoughts?

Think about that for a moment in relationship to the meaning of the word ashamed. It means to feel shame, guilt or disgrace. It also means a reluctance or unwillingness to do something because of shame or embarrassment.

Embarrassment!

Are you embarrassed by Jesus? Do you feel that Jesus does not fit in with your friends and that you have to make excuses, or even worse, you have to hide?

Are you embarrassed by the Gospel? Do you love your sin so much that you would choose to stay in your sin because you are embarrassed to admit that you need a Savior?

I have one simple, yet profound question to ask.

Are you willing to pay the price for your sin because you are embarrassed by the one and only way to receive salvation? Are you willing to go to hell because your are embarrassed? This sounds like a severe case of pride and ego. Too many people hate to admit that they are not capable of doing good on their own. They don’t want to publicly admit to anyone that they need Jesus. They would rather wallow in their shame because they are too afraid to face their embarrassment. Instead they hide the light from themselves and others.

Personally, I would rather be like Paul and proudly proclaim that I am not ashamed!

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you really lack for anything in order to spread the Gospel?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
(2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV))

Do you have all that you need?

Before you answer that question, step back and take a look at your life from both a worldly point of view and then a spiritual point of view. Hopefully, you recognize that the things that you think you need in the physical world are not needs. They are wants.

Has God blessed you with a family? Has He blessed you with a place to sleep and a place to call home? From a worldly perspective, all of us think that we need a bigger house and better cars. We all think that we need more money, but in all reality, what would we do with these things? The more worldly things we have, the more that we think we need to have. We all think that we would be more generous if we had an abundance. Ironically, studies have shown that this is not the case. It is true that there are always exceptions, but for the most part, people who have more are less willing to give freely. They get tied down and bound to their worldly possessions.

Take a look at your life from God’s perspective!

What do you see?

I bet that your understanding of needs are much different if you will only allow yourself to see things from God’s perspective.

Do you have a heart filled with love and compassion for your fellow man? Do you need to fellowship with others?

Do you have a love for God and His Word? Do you need God and His Word? Do you need to share His Word? Do you need to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

All that you truly need is God. If He is your priority, all of your other needs will be met. Don’t get me wrong and take this to mean that I believe that God will take care of us all in the same manner. God will use us where we are to reach out to those around us. He is not going to place all members of the Body of Christ in a single, upscale subdivision and ignore the rest of the world! He needs to have people in all walks of life to be able to minister.

There is an old saying to grow where God plants you. You have been equipped with all that you need to abound in good works where you are.

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you sarcastically reluctant or are you obedient?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
(Luke 5:5 (NIV))

Because you say so!

Those words go against every natural, worldly human reaction that I have ever seen or heard. Perhaps we should think of them slightly reworded to fully understand the sarcastic emotion that they normally convey.

If you say so!

Think back on the last time that you said these words. I would venture to say that they were uttered as a biting, sarcastic comment to something that someone had just told you. Come on! Admit it. We have all been guilty of saying these very words with this very attitude.

Now for the sixty-four thousand dollar question!

Were you ever completely surprised by what happened immediately after you said these words?

Think about Simon. Have you ever stopped to think about his reaction after the events that followed his comment to Jesus? Have you ever heard the saying that he ate crow? Literally, the expert fisherman had to swallow his pride and stand there completely and utterly amazed and confused when a carpenter showed him up. I admire Simon for his attitude. He was willing to humble himself. He was willing to acknowledge that because of his obedience, he was shown something amazing.

He was also willing to take a step of faith and see where that step would take him. He left his boats and nets and followed Jesus.

He became a fisher of men.

That is quite a big change in attitude from what was probably said in sarcastic frustration. I just love the way how Jesus can take our obedience, even our halfhearted obedience, and turn it into something amazing.

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you pray that you will be found faithful?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.
(1 Timothy 1:12 (NIV))

How do you react when you are asked to do something?

Typically, human nature can be boiled down to just a few basic types of responses. You get angry and proclaim that you already have too much to do. You run from the question. You say yes with the intent of not fulfilling your word. You say no and feel bad about your answer and do it anyway. You say yes and willingly step up to the task.

How do you typically respond to someone asking you to do something?

How do you respond when you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach and you have a feeling that God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit is calling you to service?

Saul, in his Damascus Road experience and his ultimate conversion to Paul, could possibly have responded with all typical human responses. Fortunately for us, the Gentile believers, Paul ultimately accepted that calling and responded. If Jesus can take someone who was persecuting the Body of Christ and turn him into the person who would be responsible for spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles, then why do we limit what Jesus can do in our lives?

We should proclaim our trust in Jesus. We should acknowledge that Jesus has given us strength to do the things that He has called us to do. We should be faithful in our calling as we serve Him!

Do you thank Jesus for the strength and the faith to be of service to Him?

Do you pray that you will be found faithful?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you someone for whom the law was made?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers–and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
(1 Timothy 1:8-11 (NIV))

Everyone knows that we are supposed to obey laws, but have you ever thought about why laws exist to begin with?

It took someone stealing something to make people realize that we needed laws against stealing. It took someone driving too fast to make people realize that we needed laws on how fast we could drive. It took Cain killing Abel to make people realize that we needed laws to keep people from killing each other.

Do you see the trend?

It took someone doing something bad that made others realize that type of bad behavior had to be prevented!

How many people do you know who have to be told not to murder anyone?

How many people do you know who have to be told not to steal anything?

As we are told in 1 Timothy, laws are not made for the righteous, they are made to remind people who don’t follow God and His Word how they should behave. They are made to set boundaries on people who will not set boundaries on themselves. Do you know someone like this? I know that it is human nature to rebel, but do we have to take it so far that we steal, kill and destroy? Does that sound familiar? If you stop to think about it, laws based on God’s Word are designed to make us stop and think about not following the lies of the enemy.

Are you someone for whom the law was made?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you pray for your enemies?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.
(Proverbs 24:17 (NAS))

The love of God encompasses everyone, even people whom we consider to be our enemies.

Remember that God does not wish for anyone to perish. He does not have people that He has singled out to destroy. His heart does not rejoice when someone sins.

A common definition of an enemy is someone who does not desire the same things as you. If you consider this as a starting point when you consider who are your enemies, then the best thing to do is pray that the enemy becomes a friend.

Rejoicing when someone falls is not what God would have you to do. Rejoice as the angels in heaven rejoice when someone who is lost becomes found. Remember the parable of the prodigal son. Jesus told us that God is like that father who greatly rejoiced when the lost son returned. Do not be like the other brother who was angered by the return. Pray for the return.

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you truly prepared to follow Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn

” `a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law–

a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
(Matthew 10:34-39 (NIV))

When most people think of Jesus, they think of peace and love. Even the modern church thinks of Jesus in this way, but there is a side to Jesus, or should I say a side to proclaiming a faith in Jesus, that is far from what the world thinks.

Jesus came to this world out of love for God’s creation. He came so that sinners could be set free from the bondage of sin and death. Sadly, though, not everyone will accept that free gift. Not everyone will acknowledge that Jesus has the authority to offer the gift of grace. It is this aspect that brings the sword. In most cases, it is only a figure of speech, but in some cases, it is a literal result of the rejection of Jesus.

We have all seen families where some members of the family are very firmly rooted in their faith in Jesus while other family members vehemently deny Jesus. They are at odds. They are at war with members of their own family. In some cultures, proclaiming that you are a Christian and follow Jesus is a death sentence. Contrary to societal beliefs, following Jesus is not all acceptance, love and Kumbaya.

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
(Matthew 13: 37-39 (NIV))

There is a growing hatred in this world for anything that points to Jesus. The enemy is planting weeds in the hearts of people while Jesus is planting good seed.

There is a battle taking place. That battle may divide families. It may divide friends. Don’t let that battle find you opposing Jesus!

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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