Have you been blessed?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV))

Do you feel blessed?

I realize that this is a loaded question, and if you are like all of the rest of humanity, there are definitely times when you just don’t feel that you are blessed. Think about that for a moment in relation to the ultimate gift, to the ultimate blessing that you have been freely given through the atoning blood of Jesus, and then think about just how truly you have been blessed by the Lord. If you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you have already been blessed with salvation. You have been blessed with grace and mercy. You have been blessed with the redeeming love of God.

This blessing keeps you from the consequences of your sins and keeps you in the protective arms of the Lord.

This blessing allows you to enter into the throne of God and seek His grace and mercy.

This blessing allows you to approach the throne without fear of retribution.

This blessing gives you a peace because you know that you are a beloved child of God.

This was such an unusual concept. A king had complete authority. If you were in the presence of the king, it meant bad things would result. He was the ultimate authority and controlled life and death. If he didn’t like you, the results were not good. If he liked you and lifted his face to you, it meant life. These words from these passages were used to describe the best possible encounter with the one who was in ultimate authority. Not only did this type of encounter make your day, it possibly even saved you from a harsh punishment.

Does that sound familiar?

As believers, as members of the Body of Christ, we can rest assured of our Lord’s blessing because of all of the things that He has done for us. He has kept us from eternal separation from the Father. He has looked upon us with grace and mercy. He looks upon us with love, and He has given us a peace that passes all understanding!

Have you been blessed?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Repent and be saved!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,
     nor his ear too dull to hear.
But your iniquities have separated
     you from your God;
   your sins have hidden his face from you,
     so that he will not hear.
For your hands are stained with blood,
     your fingers with guilt.
   Your lips have spoken lies,
     and your tongue mutters wicked things.
(Isaiah 59:1-3 (NIV))

Have your iniquities separated you from God?

Think about that question for a moment. Sin separates each and every one of us from God. Sin has destroyed the relationship that God intended for each of us to have with Him. Sin keeps us from living life as God intended for us to live. Let’s face it, sin has left each of us with a huge deficit in our lives. We have lost our ability to have a relationship with our Father and our Creator and our God through our own actions.

When Isaiah recorded these words, he had an idea of what God was planning. He knew that God could not associate with sin, yet, he also knew that God had a plan to save His creation from themselves. God’s arm is not too short to save!

Today, the only way that our iniquities can keep us separated from God is if we allow them to do so. The plan that Isaiah knew would be coming has given each of us the ability to wash our sins clean. All that we have to do is accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. Unfortunately, we have to be able to accept the simple truth that God is willing to forgive us of everything that we have ever done wrong. For so many people, they cannot get past the idea that their sins are far worse than what other people have done. They think that God cannot love them because of what they have done. They are truly allowing their iniquities to keep them from God and His saving grace through Jesus.

I have known people who are ex-convicts. I have known people who were addicted to drugs. I have known people who were lost in a life of promiscuous sex. I have heard of people who have willingly taken the life of someone else. All of these people have realized that God’s arm is not too short to save and they have also realized that it was their decision to move toward a relationship through Jesus Christ. If these people, whom society claims to be the worst of all of us, can embrace grace and mercy, what is keeping you from doing it?

Again I ask a simple question.

Have your iniquities separated you from God? God has given you a way to change that. It is up to you to respond!

Repent and be saved!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you still dull?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
(Proverbs 27:17 (NIV))

This is a fantastic way of saying that members of the Body of Christ need each other. We hold each other accountable. We lift up each other when we need support. We encourage each other to stay strong in our faith. When we see each other faltering and straying, we can come in along side of each other and support each other as we repent and redirect our focus back to Jesus. We are there to encourage each other and lift up each other in our unique giftings as we all function as individual members of the unified Body of Christ.

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
(Romans 12:4-5 (NIV))

If we belong to each other, then when one of us trips and falls, all of us should hurt. When one of us brings glory to the Body, all of us should rejoice. When one of us is in pain, we should all bring comfort. Did you notice one very important word in all of these sentences?

Should!

These are things that we are supposed to be doing as members of the Body of Christ, but how well do we do what we should?

If our fellowship with each other is supposed to hold us accountable and sharpen our faith, are we truly sharpening each other?

Are you still dull?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Don’t wait any longer to accept Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
(Romans 11:25 (ESV))

What do you think of when you hear the word “full?”

Most of us associate this word with our appetites. We have no more room for anything else. We have taken in as much as we can possibly contain. Our appetite has been completely satisfied. If that is the case, then fullness, by definition, is simply the state of being full.

How does this relate to this passage? What does the fullness of the Gentiles imply?

I have never given this passage much thought beyond the obvious indications that God will change His focus back to Israel after the fullness of the Gentiles occurs. With all of the events that are transpiring in the world that many believe are direct fulfillment of prophecy, my attention was brought back to this passage. What happens if we are caught on the wrong side of the fullness of the Gentiles? I was instantly led to this parable of the ten virgins.

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight the cry rang out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!”

Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.”

“No,” they replied, “there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.”

But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

Later the others also came. “Lord, Lord,” they said, “open the door for us!”

But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
(Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV))

Biblical scholars have been studying these words for a long time. There are differing opinions on the text and what they mean, but I simply want to ask one question. What is keeping you from accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? Whether it be the possible fullness of the Gentiles, Jesus’ return, or your own mortality, now is the time to repent and accept the gift of grace that is freely given through the cross. It is 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.

Don’t wait any longer to accept Jesus!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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We must share the truth!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
(Romans 1:18 (NIV))

Have you ever just stopped and looked around at all that is going on in the world and wondered if all that is unfolding is all part of God’s plan because of the world’s godlessness and wickedness?

To the world, that question seems like the rantings of a lunatic, but for the members of the Body of Christ, that question makes perfect sense. What do you think of that question? Do you think that anyone who professes a belief that God is beginning to exact His wrath on a wicked world is insane, or do you understand God’s plan well enough in relation to what is unfolding to see things from His perspective?

We are told what happens to those who deny anything to do with God.

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
(Romans 1:28 (NIV))

Simply stated, this translation implies that they did not wish to hold God in their minds or in their memories so He gave them depravity. Another translation states it this way.

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
(Romans 1:28 (ESV))

This translation implies that they refused to recognize the authority of God so He lowered the quality of their minds. Perhaps the best translation of this passage that I have read comes from the Complete Jewish Bible.

In other words, since they have not considered God worth knowing, God has given them up to worthless ways of thinking; so that they do improper things.
(Romans 1:28 (CJB))

In other words, they were given a choice and they decided that God was not worth it! This results in worthless ways of thinking and improper actions. Is it just me, or does this sound just like what we are seeing in the world right now? Good is called evil and evil is called good. Sin is called a lifestyle and Biblical values are called bigoted and hateful. Anything and everything is accepted as long as it is not the truth.

When I see things like this in the world, I feel a wide range of emotions. I feel sadness. I feel pity. I feel anger. I feel helpless, hopeless and lost because these people don’t even recognize that they are making an eternal mistake.

Do you consider God worth knowing?

Do you recognize the authority of God?

Do you keep God in your memory and on your mind?

The time is short. From what I have seen, there is an increasing intensity and a rapidly increasing convergence of things happening in this world. Pray for your families. Pray for your city. Pray for you region, your country and the world. Pray that the hearts and minds of those who deny God will be softened and changed before it is too late! There has never been a more urgent time to share the Gospel!

We must share the truth!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you seek the stability and love of the Lord?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.
(Psalms 94:18-19 (NIV))

Have you ever been in a situation like this? Have you ever felt like this? There is a very good chance that not only have each of us experienced things like this, but we have probably experienced them in recent history.

What makes your foot slip? What gives you great anxiety?

It is probably a very safe assumption to say that both of these occur when we take our eyes off of Jesus. It is at that time when we look at the world and our circumstances in the world. When you are walking, most slips and falls occur because you have diverted your eyes and your attention from the path in front of you. It is at these very moments that you falter and possibly even fall to the ground simply because you lost focus on what lie ahead. Isn’t this just like what happens in your spiritual walk when you take your eyes off of Jesus? It is at these moments that you fail to follow the path in front of you. When this happens, our spiritual footing slips. We falter and fall into something that we don’t really desire to be in. When this happens, human nature seems to remind us of our shortcomings. The enemy drives the point home and we soon find ourselves in great anxiety.

What has made you take your eyes off of Jesus?

You are either lucky or lying if you say that you only have one thing that distracts you from Jesus! Even the most mature of us have too many things to place into this list. The good thing about this is that no matter your spiritual maturity level, the Lord walks with you and waits patiently for you to repent and return to Him. Just as He was waiting for us with open arms when we accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, He is waiting with open arms for us to repent and return to Him on a daily, and possibly even on an hourly basis. Some of us may even need to repent and return each minute of the day. He will be there! He will take us in His arms and wipe away the tears caused by our failures and our anxiety? He will pick us up and place us back on the path that leads to Him. He will walk hand in hand with us if we simply ask Him to!

I truly understand why the psalmist wrote that His consolation brought joy to his soul.

Do you seek the stability and love of the Lord?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Don’t listen to the world. Trust in the Lord!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

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))

What do you listen to most of the time?

Do you listen to what the world tells you? Do you fall prey to the fearmongering that the world tries to sell us? Does the world have you so worried and troubled that you have no peace of mind? With all that is going on in the world right now, it is so easy to focus on the troubles in this world, but we must never forget the one who has overcome the world!

Don’t get me wrong. We need to be aware of what is going on in the world, but we don’t need to make it the center of our attention. We need to focus on Jesus. We have all done something where we change our visual depth of field by focusing on what is far away. When that happens, what is close is still there, it is just out of focus. If we focus on what is close, then what is far away becomes out of focus. We also have a spiritual depth of field. When we focus on the troubles, they become the primary thing we see and Jesus gets fuzzy and unclear. When we focus on Jesus, He becomes the clarity that we need and the troubles in this world, even though they are still there, become less of a focus. We can acknowledge them, but at the same time we can rest assured that everything is in His control!

When we focus on Jesus, we listen to His voice. We listen to His truth. When we focus on Jesus, we hear His reassurances that He has overcome the world. It is time to change our focus. It is time to change what we truly listen to! What do you find yourself listening to?

Don’t listen to the world. Trust in the Lord!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Who do you need to tell about the Son?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
(1 John 5:12 (NIV))

If you ever go shopping, you are familiar with the concept of buying one, getting one free. I have to tell you that no matter what type of deal you may get when you do this, it is nothing compared to the amazing deal that you get for free by accepting God’s Son, Jesus, as your personal Lord and Savior! You get someone who is closer than a brother and you also get eternal life with Jesus in the presence of the Father. This is the ultimate deal considering our sinful nature.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 (NIV))

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 (NIV))

To summarize, we are all sinners and the penalty for our sin is death, but God…

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))

This message never gets old, especially if you have the Son and life. It is also a reminder to those who profess a faith in Jesus that this gift is too precious, too great to keep to ourselves. When we read about God loving the world, we must not forget the consequences for those who do not have the Son of God. They do not have life! Is that what we want to have on our conscience? Do we want to forever realize that because we did not share the Son with someone, they are lost for all eternity?

Having the Son and having life is by far the very best deal that anyone can ever make. It is 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.

Who do you need to share the ABCs with?

Who do you need to tell about the Son?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Instead of looking inward, we must look up!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
(Proverbs 3:5 (NIV))

Recent events should have me flabbergasted and extremely worried, To be honest with you, there was a time in my life when I would have been beyond worried as I witness and experience the ever increasing uncertainty and evil in this world.

But, now!

But, God!

With all of the events transpiring in the world, I am at peace!

With the never-ending saga of the pandemic, I am at peace!

When the state of the nation and the world seems to be rapidly declining, I am at peace!

When things are on uncertain ground with finances, jobs, health, and whatever else may arise, I am at peace!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
‭‭(Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭(NIV‬‬))

Do you worry? Do you find yourself in situations where you just can’t see any resolution? As prideful humans, we look inward to find solutions. We think that we can fix anything. We think that we are the masters of our own domains and our own destinies. As a result, we worry. We panic. We lash out at those we love, and nothing gets fixed. Nothing we can do will reduce our worry and give us peace. There is an answer! There is a source for true peace. We just need to look in the correct place.

Instead of looking inward, we must look up!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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What do you find yourself boasting about?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
(2 Corinthians 10:17 (NIV))

What do you think of people who always boast and brag about their accomplishments?

I could probably stop right there and just let you think about that for a while, but I want to ask you one more question, and you may not like your answer.

Have you ever been one of those people who always boasts and brags about the things that you have done?

We all are guilty of being human with a sinful, fallen nature, so I think that I can safely say that we have all done this at one point in our lives. We like to toot our own horn. We like to draw attention to ourselves. We like to feel important. We like to have others think that we are important, but we all know that this is a lie.

All of us have become like one who is unclean,
     and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
     and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
(Isaiah 64:6 (NIV))

In other words, we are nothing in the grand scheme of things. For most of us, time will only remember us for one or two generations after we are gone. We can do nothing, and therefore, we can boast of nothing that will matter fifty years from now.

The life of mortals is like grass,
     they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
     and its place remembers it no more.
(Psalms 103:15-16 (NIV))

What have we that we can boast about?

Truly the only thing that we can boast of is that we are loved by God even in our sinful, fallen state!

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))

What do you find yourself boasting about?

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