What have you become?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV))

We all had dreams of what we wanted to be when we grew up. If I took a survey, I would probably get such answers as professional athlete, musician or actor, but how many people make it a priority to become the righteousness of God? How many people have the spiritual maturity to say that they want to become like Jesus in all aspects of their lives?

Even though none of us probably thought of becoming the righteousness of God, Jesus always planned on taking on our sin!

Think about that!

All of the sin of every single person who ever lived and ever will live willingly accepted so that we can be righteous!

Can you imagine the weight and burden of all of that sin and the pain and anguish that Jesus endured in order to trade our sin for His righteousness? He willingly made the trade so that we could become redeemed children of God. All that we have to do to become righteous and redeemed children of God is to accept that gift. It’s as easy as ABC.

A is for admit that you are a sinner in need of a savior.

B is for believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Him from the dead.

C is for call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

What have you become?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What does your life show?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
(Luke 6:27-31 (NIV))

What has happened to these basic tenants of life?

These words were written as directions on how to live life for those who placed the value of others above themselves. Today, we have become a society of “me” oriented, selfish people who seem to have only one thing on their minds – What do I get out of this?

Is this what Jesus came to this earth to teach us? Did He come to tell us to place ourselves above all others and to hold selfishness, lust, greed and power as our primary objectives for living?

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
(John 10:10 (NIV))

How do we have a full life?

Take another look at the words of Luke 6:27-31. All of the actions that we are told to do have a very strong undertone to them. They all have the core fundamentals of love. This love is not the romantic type that our society has come to expect, but, rather, it is the self-sacrificing type of love that requires a spiritual commitment far above the hormonally induced “romantic” love that we see in our lives.

The mark of a true follower of Jesus is a purposeful and deliberate decision to do what Jesus would do. Jesus would offer love, yet He would also offer a way for redemption. We can’t offer redemption, but we can lead people to Jesus, who can give redemption. Perhaps it is this simple task that shows our love the most. We show a hurting world a means of grace and mercy.

What does your life show?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are we seeking the lost for Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
(Luke 19:10 (NIV))

What is your understanding of why Jesus came into this world?

His primary purpose was to bring restoration between God and a sinful, fallen humanity by offering salvation to anyone who would simply believe. This singular task was and still is intended to bring people back to the Father after the enemy deceived us in the Garden of Eden. When humanity allowed sin into the world, we lost the ability to be in relationship with the Father, for He is perfect and cannot associate with sin. Jesus came to offer humanity a way out of our sinful nature so that we can be in relationship once again with the Father. All of the problems that humanity faces are a direct result of our sinful, fallen nature. Poverty, greed, lust, and everything else are simply symptoms of the root problem and that problem is sin. Jesus didn’t come into the world to deal with the symptoms. He came to deal with the cause of all of the symptoms. He did not come into the world to be a social justice warrior, He came to destroy the root cause of social injustice. He did not come into the world to redistribute wealth. He came into the world to destroy the enemy and to turn people back to loving God instead of money.

Jesus came into this world to destroy the power of sin! He came to call people to a relationship with the Father through Himself. He came to redeem humanity for a loving Father.

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
(John 14:12 (NIV))

If Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and we are called to do the works that He was doing, are we fulfilling this calling? He even left instructions for this task with His disciples.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
(Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV))

If Jesus told His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, this is a self-perpetuating assignment. As disciples bring more people to Jesus, these new disciples are given the same task as those who discipled them. In essence, our primary task is the same as what Jesus proclaimed of Himself. We are to seek and to save the lost by showing them Jesus. We are to do what Jesus did!

Are we seeking the lost for Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Have you found true rest in Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:28 (NLT))

There is something about the words that the New Living Translation has used in translating this passage as compared to other translations.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:28 (NIV))

They say the same thing but with different words. The New Living Translation’s use of the phrase “carry heavy burdens” paints a more vivid mental image than the single word “burdened.” According to Merriam-Webster, burdened means heavily laden or encumbered. In essence, one translation uses what could be considered the definition of the word while most of the other translations simply use the word itself.

What do you think of when you hear the word burdened?

Is it different than what you think of when you hear the phrase “carry heavy burdens?”

Human nature is a strange thing. We try to simplify certain aspects of our lives, but when we do, we have a tendency to lose the full meaning behind what was simplified. Today, when we think of being burdened, we think of mental and emotional stress caused by work, finances or relationships. When you think of carrying heavy burdens, you switch your thinking to a physical stress. In our modern mind set, they paint completely different imagery. When Jesus spoke these words, life was physically hard. I am certain that it was also mentally difficult simply because of the physical difficulties. Today, many of us sit down for a living, or we do far less physical labor than our ancestors had to do. What we consider burdens now primarily tax our hearts and minds instead of our muscles.

No matter the type of burdens that we may face, Jesus still gives us rest.

Are you physically tired or are you mentally and spiritually taxed?

What burdens do you carry?

Have you surrendered them to the Lord?

Have you found true rest in Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you hopeful and confident in your faith?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
(John 14:3 (NIV))

Every believer clings to this verse!

Have you ever stopped to contemplate why we cling to this verse? I am certain that each of us have our own reasons, but everything truly comes down to how we view God and how we view this world. I honestly believe that we cling to this verse because we don’t like the sinful, fallen nature of the world in which we find ourselves living. We cling to this verse because we despise the fact that God’s goodness is called evil and what God calls evil is called good. We cling to this verse because we long for His righteousness to prevail over this fallen world. We cling to this verse because we long to be in the presence of the Lord! In just a few words, God has given us so much to reflect upon and so much to rejoice about.

These words are filled with a promise that we can trust.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
(2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV))

These words solidify in our minds the greatness of God’s love for us by providing details of how that love will manifest itself for all of eternity.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16 (NIV))

Perhaps the biggest aspect of this verse is the unbridled hope that it gives the person who professes a belief in Jesus, and from that hope, faith matures!

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
(Hebrews 11:1 (NIV))

In essence, if there is no hope, then confidence cannot develop. If there is no confidence, then faith cannot grow. Without hope, we are lost!

Jesus planted hope with these words. He gave us the confidence of His promises, and He instilled in each believer the seed of faith with the promise to prepare a place for those who believe. He didn’t stop there. He took it to the next level by proclaiming that He would return for those whom He has prepared a place! These few words give us a reason to persevere in the face of adversity. They give us a reason to face the world even when the world seems to be targeting us and has us directly in its cross hairs. These words help us to remember the power and the promise that Jesus spoke for those who believe.

With the events of this world, it seems that the enemy is doing his best to destroy the hope of everyone, but in particular, he wants to destroy the hope of those who profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. We must not lose the hope that we have through Jesus, for if we lose the hope that makes us confident, then faith is also lost. When the world is getting you down, look up! Look up and imagine the place that Jesus is preparing for you. Look up and pray for strength to continue to be faithful. Look up and pray to continue to be confident. Look up in hope!

Are you hopeful and confident in your faith?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you recognize His ownership?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
(Psalms 24:11 (NIV))

Do you know anyone who acts like the world is theirs? Are they arrogant and self-centered? Are they always demanding things of others because they think they are better and more important than everyone else? I realize that I am not painting a very pretty picture of this type of person. They fail to realize that they are just a small part of God’s creation and that all of us are equally loved by the Lord.

If you look at copyright laws, the creator of any work is in complete control of that work. They own it. They have all rights to do with that work whatever they choose to do. According to the creation account in Genesis, God is the Creator of all things and as such, He owns all things. He is Creator. He is eternal. We are like grass.

For,

“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
(1 Peter 1:24-25 (NIV))

Who is the Lord?

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
(Psalm 146:6 (NIV))

We can’t even claim to own ourselves! We are filthy rags.

We can’t save ourselves. We need a Savior.

Thankfully, God loves His creation. As a loving Creator, He is also a loving owner. Thankfully, God sent us a Savior.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
(John 3:16-18 (NIV))

When we acknowledge that we are not the center of our world and that we don’t own anything, we can take the next step and rightfully relinquish ownership of our lives. We can accept the gift of grace from the One who is the true owner of all things.

Do you recognize His ownership?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you finding strength while you wait?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
(Psalms 27:14 (NIV))

If you are like me, you are probably asking when the Lord will set things right, especially as we see things rapidly turning further and further away from righteousness and common sense. In fact, I am certain that you have seen or heard someone say something to the effect that common sense is no longer common. All that you have to do is look at the events unfolding in this world and you quickly can agree to this claim. You probably will come away with a perplexed sadness about the inability of far too many people to make any type of logical and intelligent thought patterns. Is this the beginnings of the powerful delusion?

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
(2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NIV))

God is unfolding things according to His timeline. If you truly follow the Lord and long for His righteousness, then you are probably like me and desire to see that sooner than later. Be patient!

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
(2 Peter 3:9 (NIV))

God is never early, and more importantly, He is never late. There is a moment in time when the Lord will increase the events and the rapidness of their timing as they unfold culminating in His return. We may be days away. We may be months, or we may even be years, but one thing is certain. We must take heart for we know that His promises will come to pass. We must pray for His strength. We must patiently wait for the Lord.

Are you finding strength while you wait?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Can you respond with joy when you are under trial?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:2-4 (NIV))

I was reminded of this today when I went to turn my primary computer on this morning. Apparently sometime during the night after the previous night’s devotional finished sending, it crashed BIG TIME! This computer was my work horse. It had a huge hard drive for all of the applications and the data. I have an automated backup that grabs any files that have changed or have been added since the previous night. The bad thing is that it took me ninety minutes to get the computer to load a desktop before I could see the full extent of the problem.

I was trying to work!

I was supposed to be on a call, but the virtual call information was on that computer. As you can imagine, I was not a happy camper. Needless to say, I missed the meeting and I ended up spending all day trying to reconfigure another computer with the software that I needed.

I realize that this is a minor trial in the grand scheme of things, but when you rely on something and it fails, you scramble. When you have work to do, you scramble. When you have a large readership, you scramble. Today, I was faced with not being able to work as well as not being able to write and send a devotional this evening. Fortunately, I will be able to work tomorrow, and as you can tell, I am able to send this tonight. This day reminded me that nothing in this world is guaranteed. I pray that this is the extent of my trials for a while, but I know the enemy all too well. We will all face trials in our lives!

When we face trials, we must not lose sight of the One who walks with us through the midst of these trials. We must also remember that the enemy does not attack those who belong to him. These aspects are probably the most important things to remember when we face trials. If we are under attack, then we can rejoice in the fact that we are following the Lord in our lives. The attacks, both small and great, are the enemy’s attempt to distract you and make you stumble and fall away from Jesus.

Today, I was reminded to stop and rejoice even in the midst of my trials.

Can you respond with joy when you are under trial?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you serving as a faithful steward?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
(1 Peter 4:10 (NIV))

Acts of faithful service always have an impact!

With the current state of the world and the uncertainty that everyone is feeling, when was the last time that you used your talent, your gift, to serve others?

Think about that question from an eternal perspective. What if your willingness to serve someone is the final act, the final witness to the reality of God’s love that brings them to a saving knowledge of Jesus? What if your willingness to serve shows them the hope that is theirs if they only accept it? Could you face eternity knowing that you failed to do something that would have changed eternity for someone else?

Every person who professes a faith in Jesus is called to share the Gospel.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
(Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV))

Not only are we called to share, but if we fail to warn someone of danger, we are held accountable. There is no greater danger than that of an impending eternity separated from the Father. If we fail to use our gifts to warn someone of the danger and show them the path to salvation, we are accountable!

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.
(Ezekiel 33:6 (NIV))

We must get over the attitude that I have my salvation and everyone else is on their own. Nothing could be further from the truth! God places people in our lives every single day who need to hear the good news of salvation that is only available through Jesus. We have a calling. We have a responsibility to faithfully use the gifts that we have been given to serve others, to bring them into the Kingdom.

Are you serving as a faithful steward?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you keeping His commands?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

If you love me, keep my commands.
(John 14:15 (NIV))

Is it just me, or are the last three words extremely difficult to achieve?

If you truly profess a faith in Jesus, then you should truly love Jesus for who He is and for what He has done, but human nature always creeps into the picture!

Ever since the fall from grace, human nature has been incapable of perfectly following God’s instructions. We always miss the mark. We always sin. Even after the grace and mercy freely given to us at the cross, we are incapable of perfectly following God’s instructions. But, if you truly stop to think about this, that is exactly why we were given the gift of grace and mercy. Even after acknowledging our sinful nature, we still sin. Accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior does not make you perfect on your own merit. It makes you perfect because you have exchanged your imperfections and sin for His perfection and righteousness in the eyes of God.

What does change is the desire to keep His commands!

What does change is the understanding that you will constantly fail.

What does change is your realization that He died to save you from the consequences of your sins.

What does change is your sinful, selfish attitude to a thankful, loving attitude.

What does change is your desire to strive to follow Him in all that you do.

Keeping His commands is not easy. If it were easy, Jesus would not have come into this world to die for our sins. What is easier is repenting when we fall short. What is easier is having a thankful heart for His grace and mercy. As I stated, keeping His commands is not easy, but striving to follow Jesus is the ultimate sign of your love for Him.

Are you keeping His commands?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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