Do you acknowledge such great love?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
(John 15:13 (NIV))

I know that this is a repeat, but some things are worth repeating.

It is that time of year when we remember those men and women who have given their lives for our country. I can’t attest to the relationships that each of these people had with Jesus, but I know one thing is certain. They valued the principles that placed the lives and well being of others above their own needs. Thankfully, I still see this in many people today.

There is a quote that I feel summarizes this willing sacrifice quite well.

“Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you; Jesus Christ and the American G. I. One died for your soul; the other for your freedom.”
Author: Unknown

Today, like every other day of the year, I am truly thankful for each type of sacrifice that has been made. I am prayerfully thankful for the grace and mercy that was freely given through the atoning blood of Jesus on the cross. For this I am eternally grateful.

I am also thankful for the men and women who have answered the call to defend the freedoms that we, as American citizens, have. It is through their sacrifice that we have the great opportunity to choose to worship Jesus as well as when, where and how. Sadly, there are people who reject both sacrifices. It is with humble heart that I present this request to the Body of Christ. The times are urgent. The need is great. We must be bold and do what we are called to do to spread the Gospel. We must be willing to lay down our lives so that others may know the freedoms that we know.

Do you acknowledge such great love?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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This is a must do!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
(John 4:24 (NIV))

All throughout human history since the fall from grace, man has wanted to be able to visualize what he has worshipped. Perhaps this is due to the limited capabilities of humanity to understand what he cannot see. Whatever the reason may be, God cannot be limited to physical dimensions such as time and place, size and shape. God is exactly what John told us. He is Spirit. We cannot see Him in our physical limitations. We must learn to see beyond what we are and learn to see God with our hearts and our spirits, and not with our limited physical bodies.

There is a saying that there is more to this world than meets the eye. How true this statement is. All around us is a spiritual world that we cannot see, but it interacts with us on a daily basis. God has reached out to us from this world that we cannot see by sending His Son, Jesus.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
(John 1:1-4 (NIV))

Jesus taught us how to worship God in spirit and in truth. He came as the ultimate example of God’s love to make it possible for us to make it back to God even from our sinful, fallen nature.

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))

Only through Jesus will we be able to stand before God. Only through Jesus are we made righteous to be able to stand before a righteous God. Until that day, we must keep our eyes on Jesus as the only way to the Father.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
(John 14:6-7 (NIV))

In all things that Jesus did, He always pointed to the Father. He came to earth to show us the way to the Father. How well have you learned the truth of that lesson that Jesus taught?

This is a must do!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you prepared for what is coming?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day I have spoken of.
(Ezekiel 39:8 (NIV))

Does it scare you?

I realize that your answer to this question relies on an understanding of what this passage is referring to as “it.”

To put is simply, it is the point in history when the Lord decides that enough is enough. It is the point in history when evil is running so rampant that all nations have turned against Israel. It is the point in history when Gog and Magog have attacked Israel and God supernaturally defeats those who would destroy Israel and Jerusalem. Many people believe that this event will happen first and then the seven years of tribulation spoken of in Revelation will soon follow. This time period is often referred to as the End of the Age and the Day of the Lord.

Does it scare you now?

God’s timeline is unfolding right before our eyes. Every day we see things happening that can be interpreted as signs of the times. We see nation rising against nation. We see wars and rumors of wars. We see every nation turning against Israel. We see the nations aligning themselves in the exact alliances that are prophesied in God’s Word. With all that is happening, most people are oblivious to the events unfolding. They are more concerned with returning to a normal life after COVID-19 while they completely miss what God is placing right in front of them. Nothing in God’s Word promises a life of “normal” in this sinful, fallen world.

Are we paying attention?

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
(Matthew 24:6-8 (NIV))

I want to ask some very direct questions and I want you to honestly take a look at your life and give yourself honest answers.

Do you believe that the Bible is God’s Word.

If you believe that the Bible is God’s Word, do you read and study prophecy for the Bible is more than life lessons from the past?

Do you believe that it is a forewarning of what the Lord is doing now?

Do you know God’s Word well enough to know the difference between His truth and the lies of the enemy?

Have you bought into the lie that says that prophecy is for some generation far in the future?

Have you decided that you don’t need to worry about the Day of the Lord?

What if you are wrong? What if you wake up tomorrow and find that it has begun? Now is the time to get ready. Now is the time to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior!

Are you prepared for what is coming?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Has your strength been renewed?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:31 (NIV))

With all that is going on in the world, I cling to these words!

If you focus on the events of the world, it is so easy to lose hope and once you have lost hope, the next step is to simply give up. As believers, we know better than that. We have a Savior who has overcome the world! We can rely on the promise recorded by John in these words.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33 (NIV))

There is a saying that when things look down, we are to look up. We look up for that is where Jesus is. He is our hope. He is our strength. He is our salvation. We are to turn our eyes to Him and renew our strength. Our hope and our strength are not based on some far off promise by someone who does not have the authority to keep that promise. It is based on the authority of the Creator of all things.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
(John 1:1-3 (NIV))

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:14 (NIV))

If you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, He is all that we need and with Him and through Him we will overcome anything that the world may send our way.

Do you need strength?

Turn to Jesus!

Do you need to soar above the troubles?

Turn to Jesus!

Do you need rest because you are weary and faint?

Turn to Jesus!

Has your strength been renewed?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you confident in your faith?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
(Hebrews 4:16 (ESV))

How confident are you of your salvation?

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

Such confidence we have through Christ before God.
(2 Corinthians 3:4 (NIV))

The early church leaders knew that we should be confident in our faith. Those who wrote these words had either seen Jesus or they knew those who had witnessed the events that we now cling to as strategic moments of faith. They had witnessed the miracles and were confident in what they saw. They had witnessed the severity of the scourging and the crucifixion and were then completely overwhelmed by the resurrection! They had witnessed the ascension and were given the promise that He would return the same way He left.

Think about that for a moment.

If you had witnessed someone beaten so badly that he was not identifiable after the beating and then they were killed by crucifixion, how confident would you be that the person was dead? If you heard that he was buried, yet was alive again, would you question your confidence in what you had witnessed? What if you met that person and he spoke to you about the things that you had done together, would you be confident that it was the same person? What if that person showed you the scars? How confident would you be that this person had died, was buried and then rose again? If you had witnessed these things first hand, you would not be able to keep quiet about what you saw and what you know. You would proclaim it with complete confidence.

That is exactly what the disciples and the early church leaders did! They were so full of confidence that they told everyone the good news of Jesus.

Sometimes I think that we, as the modern church, have lost our confidence. We read the words and we watch reenactments, but do we truly comprehend what happened? If we did, I feel that we would be doing what the disciples and the early church leaders were doing. We would be telling everyone about Jesus. I feel that we couldn’t be made to be quiet. Even the threat of persecution or death would not detract from what we boldly and confidently proclaimed.

Take a serious look at your faith. Do you believe without any doubt? Do you fully understand what you profess to believe?

Are you confident in your faith?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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We all need rest daily!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:28 (NAS))

I have sent this before, but I feel that it bears repeating. I am sure that you will agree that there are some days where the world just seems to overwhelm you even when you know that you have a Savior who is there for you and will give you rest. Jesus did not tell us that we can only turn turn to Him once. In fact, we are often told that we need to repent daily, so why should we not be able to turn to Jesus on a daily basis for rest?

At this very moment, I feel extremely heavy-laden. I am weary in body and mind, but my spirit still knows that I have a place of strength to which I can turn and I do turn. The world has a way of beating each of us down, no matter how much we desire to stay focused on Jesus. We must never forget that He is our source of strength when the world oppresses us in any manner.

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
(Psalms 9:9 (NIV))

It has taken me a long time to grasp this simple, yet profound truth. I know that I still have a long way to go in fully claiming this truth as my own, for in my humanity, I have times of weariness where it is difficult to stay focused. To be honest with you, I know that everyone does. It is only human nature. Rejoice, for we can overcome our nature if we keep our eyes focused on Jesus. Even in times of trouble, He is with us.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
(Matthew 28:20b (NIV))

It is comforting to know that we have a place of refuge where we can go; that we have a friend who stays closer than a brother. We can always turn to Jesus, and I pray that we always do. Isn’t it good to know that He is always there when we feel that we are weary. We can rest in His grace and mercy. We can rest in His love. We can rest in the assurance that He has overcome the world.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33 (NIV))

It is my prayer that everyone finds true rest in Jesus.

We all need rest daily!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Is the Lord your delight and desire?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
(Psalms 37:4 (NIV))

What do you delight in?

If you are like most people, the first thing that probably came to mind was family. If that is the case, your desires probably all focus on their happiness and well being. If you are truly delighted in your family, as a believer in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you desire for each member of your family to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. You desire for them to share in your delight in the Lord.

Just who do you consider as family?

If you have accepted Jesus, then you have become a child of God!

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
‭‭(John‬ ‭1:9-13‬ ‭(NIV‬‬))

Do you see God as your Father?

If you claim this relationship through Jesus, you should delight in the Lord. You should delight in the grace and mercy that you have been given. You should delight in His Word. You should delight in His Word made flesh! If this is true, and I pray that it is, then you should desire more of the Lord. You should desire more of what you take delight in!

Is the Lord your delight and desire?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Is the Lord truly your refuge?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The Lord is good,
     a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,
(Nahum 1:7 (NIV))

With the escalation of all that has been happening in the world over the last several years, and especially this last year, have you taken refuge in the Lord?

I find great pleasure in the fact that the Lord is our refuge in times of trouble, especially since we seem to be facing troubles like we have never seen before. Based on Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation, many people firmly believe that these troubles are just beginning. No matter what we may face in this world, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. We must remember the things that He has told us. We must cling to the promises that He has given us. We must turn our attention away from the troubles of this world and look to the One who created this world and the One who is unfolding His plan to restore this world.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33 (NIV))

How is your relationship with the Lord? Do you completely trust in Him? Do you turn to Him in times of trouble? Perhaps I should ask if that is the only time that you turn to the Lord. Do you go about your life with no thought of God until times get bad? Do you only turn to the Lord when you want something or when you need the Lord to rescue you? If this is your idea of a relationship built on trusting the Lord, you may find yourself in for a surprise.

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

Do you do the will of the Father? Do you spend enough time with the Father to even know what His will is? Do you spend enough time in His Word to truly know His heart? Do you truly know Jesus as your personal Savior and also as your Lord, for when you call someone Lord, they are in authority over you. When you call someone Lord, you have a responsibility to obey. When you call someone Lord, you can turn to them for refuge and shelter.

Is the Lord truly your refuge?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you pass this test?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
(2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV))

How did you do at taking tests when you were in school?

Personally, I did good with tests but I hated the prep work needed for the tests. You could spend days reviewing and studying for a test and in less than an hour it would be over. These type of tests were designed to see how well you are able to learn and apply the material in a given subject. To be completely honest with you, the material that I would spend days reviewing is all trivial when you consider the test that each of us must face. The most important test that you will ever take has eternal consequences. It is a test of your faith that is administered by you on you every single day of your life! In essence, this is the prep work for the final exam when each of us stand before God when we hope to hear these words.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
(Matthew 25:21 (NIV))

Just how do you test to see whether you are in the faith?

It starts with admitting that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. It starts with professing a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. It starts with surrendering your life to the authority and Lordship of Jesus. It starts with deciding to follow Jesus in all that you do.

To put it simply, it all starts with Jesus!

Each day I make it a priority to spend time in God’s Word. I look forward to my quiet time where I can cease my worldly striving and simply be still in His presence. I reflect on the meaning of the words and the lessons that the Lord is conveying. I look inward to ask myself if I am doing what I need to do with respect to the Scripture. That last aspect is of utmost importance, for if you only read the words and don’t apply them to your life, if you don’t learn and mature from these words, then you are only fooling yourself. This is how you examine yourself. You read and pray for insight and wisdom and then reflect and pray for maturity with respect to applying this to become more like Jesus.

I think I just stated the ultimate way to examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith. Do you desire to be more like Jesus in all that you do?

Do you pass this test?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you thirst for the living water?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

O God, you are my God,
     earnestly I seek you;
  my soul thirsts for you,
     my body longs for you,
  in a dry and weary land
     where there is no water.
(Psalms 63:1 (NIV))

All too often we hear words that speak of a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Is it just me, or have things gotten very dry and weary lately? There doesn’t seem to be any hope in this world and it is becoming a wearisome burden to simply watch things as they unfold. As members of the Body of Christ, we know that we thirst for God. We know that this thirst cannot be quenched by anything of this world, but still we long for a glimpse of His righteousness as the world sinks further and further into a spiritual dryness. Just as we long for a cool and refreshing taste of water when we are physically dry and weary, we long for a cool and refreshing moment in the living water!

Stop to think about this statement. Without water, we die. We start to lose consciousness and eventually lose all touch with reality because our body has started to shut down.

We can go for days and even weeks without eating, yet, we cannot go for much more than twenty-four hours without water. Just as our bodies need water to survive, our souls need God to survive. We need to drink deeply of the life-giving “water” that freely flows from God through Jesus Christ. This water is freely given. It is available to any and all who desire it. There is only one stipulation, and that it can only be received by receiving Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

We thirst for water to satisfy our bodies. Do you thirst for the living water from God to satisfy your soul? There is only one source!

Do you thirst for the living water?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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