How is your attitude through all of the world’s troubles?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
(James 1:2 (NIV))

I think that the enemy is testing our ability to find joy under trial. Perhaps I should rephrase that to say that I know that the enemy is testing our ability to find joy under trial. Personally, I do not see how anyone who does not profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior can make it through what we have been through and what I am certain that we will be going through in the not too distant future.

When we face trials of many kinds, we must have joy.

When we face worldly uncertainty, we must have joy.

When we face persecution, we must have joy.

In all circumstances, whether good or bad, as believers in Jesus, we must have joy, for He is our joy.

“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))

If we profess a faith in Jesus and we do not have joy, what does that say about our faith? What does that say about our relationship with Jesus? Jesus told us to rejoice and be glad! Jesus told us that if we follow Him, we would face persecution. Thankfully, we have His promises to stand firm in.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV))

How is your attitude through all of the world’s troubles?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Why do people still try to find another way?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
(John 14:6 (NIV))

It couldn’t be said any clearer. There is only one way to the Father, only one way to heaven, and His name is Jesus!

Muhammad can’t save you. Confucius can’t save you. Buddha can’t save you. Mary can’t save you. Wealth can’t save you. Power can’t save you. Good works can’t save you, and you surely can’t save yourself.

The problem is that people don’t want to believe this or they think it is too simple. They think that something more must be done and they that must do it. In other words, they feel that they must earn salvation. That is where the other ways that people come up with all fail. Everything is based on works and salvation is a gift only given by God through Jesus.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
(Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV))

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
(Acts 4:12 (NIV))

By definition, a gift is something that is voluntarily transferred from one person to another without any payment or compensation. It is a one way transaction where the recipient receives what the gift giver is giving. Nothing is owed in return. Does this sound like we have to work for it? Does this sound like we have to earn what we have been freely given?

This gift is given out of love!

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))

I want to present a scenario if I may. Imagine that an invitation was sent out to everyone inviting them to attend a party in a glorious mansion. The invitation was sent out through the son of the owner, and the only stipulation was that the people invited had to accept the invitation from the son. The son would be checking the list at the door to see if he had recorded your name in the registry of attendees as having accepted his invitation. Nothing could be simpler, yet, there will still be those who try to crash the party. There will still be those who try to break in through a back door. Sadly, they will be rejected even though all that they had to do was accept the invitation from the son and they would have been able to gain entry.

Trying to get to the Father in any other way but Jesus is like trying to crash a party. You will not be able to gain entrance.

Why do people still try to find another way?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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We must learn to be a willing servant!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Mark 10:41-45 (NIV))

This is a lesson that we still have trouble with today. Every church has a few select people who feel that they have to run the whole church. They feel that unless they are involved, it isn’t done correctly. Perhaps it is simply a matter of ego or power. I hate to say this, but perhaps we are all guilty of just such behavior from time to time. No matter what the cause, it is not Biblical. Jesus spoke against this. He taught that we are not to desire authority, but to give of ourselves freely.

Where do you fall in the spectrum of authority? Do you long for people to cater to your every whim? Do you long to be pampered? Do you want people to jump to attention when you enter a room? What does this say about this type of person? Which of the following traits does this type of behavior exemplify?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV))

Jesus turned the world upside down. The Son of God, who has all authority, came to serve. How can we, who have no authority, desire it for ourselves? Do we think of ourselves as better than Jesus? In other words, we have elevated ourselves to a position of worship.

There is only one who is worthy of all worship. There is only one who is worthy of all praise. We must present ourselves humbly at His throne.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
(1 Peter 5:6 (NIV))

In all things that you do, do them as if you were doing them for God.

We must learn to be a willing servant!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you confident enough to be humble?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
(John 13:14 (NIV))

What is the most humbling thing that you have ever done?

Was it a voluntary action?

Imagine having so much confidence in who you are that you think nothing of doing what is considered to be the lowest legal task in society even though your position should dictate something far more fitting to your title.

That is exactly what Jesus did when He chose to wash the disciples feet. It was customary that a non-Jewish servant would be given this task for it was considered to be too low of a task for any Jewish person to perform, yet Jesus chose to do just that. From a worldly point of view, He was a Jew and this task was beneath Him. From a spiritual point of view, He was God with us and yet chose to be a servant to His creation. In other words, He willingly chose to humble Himself with multiple implications through this one act.

Do we truly understand just what Jesus did?

More importantly, do we truly understand what Jesus told us to do when He said that we should wash one another’s feet?

If you look at this just on the surface, the implications are not that bad. When you consider the time in history when this was said, you may come away with a different outlook. You may come away with a much better understanding. The common footwear was sandals. The common roadway was nothing more than dirt. This meant that a person’s feet were disgustingly dirty. Now you see why the task of washing feet was assigned to non-Jewish servants. If you look at this in context, we are called to help each other even if the things that a person needs help with are disgustingly dirty and looked upon by our society as a forbidden task.

What do you consider to be disgustingly dirty?

Adultery. Theft. Murder. Drug addiction. Alcoholism. Have I left anything out? Are these our society’s equivalent of washing feet? Are we willing to humble ourselves and help someone who is in need or are we still caught up in pride and legalism just like the Pharisees were?

Are you confident enough to be humble?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Is the Lord your shepherd?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
      He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
      He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
      for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
      I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
      your rod and your staff,
      they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
      in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
      my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
      all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
      forever.
(Psalms 23:1-6 (ESV))

David had a very honest relationship with the Lord, and it was very well documented in the prolific words that David gave us. I am so very thankful that these words were handed down to us. They show us so many aspects of the Lord that we probably would never truly think of without having these words in front of us. We know that God loves us, but David has managed to paint a very detailed visual image of some of the ways that His love was manifested in David’s life and how it can be manifested in our lives as well. I can’t begin to say it any better than what David wrote, so I won’t even begin to try. All that I ask is that you read and take to heart exactly what David gave us in the hope that you will learn to see our Lord in the same light that David saw him. With that said, I have but one thing to ask.

Is the Lord your shepherd?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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How is your strength?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

but those who hope in the LORD
      will renew their strength.
   They will soar on wings like eagles;
      they will run and not grow weary,
      they will walk and not be faint.
(Isaiah 40:31 (NIV))

I don’t know about you, but sometimes the weight of the world just seems to come crashing in. I know that we just celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, but I wonder how much of what we do could go away? I wonder how much of our “traditions” make us weary and burdened. I wonder how much of the “traditions” could simply stop so that we can focus on what is truly important. We need to focus on the fact that Jesus was resurrected from the grave!

I am tired! I am weary from and of the things that this world says that we have to do. Sometimes I feel like Elijah when he ran from Jezebel. I don’t fear for my life and want to die, but I do want to escape and find rest. I am sure that I am not the only one who feels like this, especially with all that has happened and is happening in the world. Even Jesus had to get away and reestablish His connection with the Father through prayer.

In much the same way that we plug in our cell phones to a power source to recharge so that we can take them back out into the world, we must plug into our power source and recharge. We must renew our strength. We must tap into the source that allows us to run and not grow weary. We must find ourselves hoping in the Lord. We must find ourselves turning to Him when we feel drained and unable to go any further. We must realize that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is also with us. We must realize that if we place our hope in the Lord then God is for us!

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
(Romans 8:31 (NIV))

How is your strength?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you believe that Jesus is Lord?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
(Romans 10:9 (NIV))

I can’t think of a better passage of scripture to follow up with after the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus!

The resurrection sets the stage for this passage, for without the resurrection, the claims made are nothing more than wishful thinking. But, because Jesus is alive, we can make this profession of faith knowing that it is absolutely true. We can say that “Jesus is Lord” without any doubt in our minds. We can believe, actually, we can know with absolute certainty that God raised Jesus from the dead. We can have the faith to not only say that “Jesus is Lord,” we can also have the faith to know that our salvation is assured because of His death, burial and triumphant resurrection.

What is faith?

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

Even though we live some two thousand years after the resurrection, are you truly confident that Jesus arose from the dead? Are you truly confident that Jesus is God’s perfect sacrificial lamb to atone for your sins? Are you truly confident in your eternal future because of this proclamation?

If Jesus is your personal Lord and Savior, then each of us are called to do one thing as we walk out our life of faith. Just as Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, He is telling us the very same thing.

“Go now and leave your life of sin.”
(John 8:11b (NIV))

If you profess that Jesus is Lord, then by definition a lord is one who has power and authority over you. If you profess that Jesus is Lord and He has told you to leave your life of sin, are you being obedient? I realize that we are only human and that we will fail, but we must possess a desire to strive for this sinless life. When we fail, we must repent. We must keep our eyes focused on Jesus for salvation is found in no other name?

Do you believe that Jesus is Lord?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Jesus is alive!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Jesus Has Risen
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
(Matthew 27:1 – 28:10 (NIV))

When the weight of your sin comes crashing in. Jesus is alive!

When you feel that you have no place to turn for help. Jesus is alive!

When you feel that you have lost all hope. Jesus is alive!

When you feel that you are completely lost in a sinful, fallen world. Jesus is alive!

When you turn your eyes to heaven and call upon His Name. Jesus is alive!

When He embraces you in His arms. Jesus is alive!

When He wipes away your tears. Jesus is alive!

When He whispers, “You are loved!” Jesus is alive!

In today’s world, we face many things that just don’t make sense. Through all that we face, we must remember that we have a risen Savior who is going to return soon and take us to be with Him to the place that He has prepared for us. We have the greatest hope in the world, for Jesus is alive!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Does it overwhelm you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
(Matthew 26:38 (NIV))

I hope that this puts the crucifixion into a more realistic context. Over the years, the church has so whitewashed this event that I honestly do not think that we realize just how excruciatingly painful and traumatic it was, even if the one going to the cross is the Son of God. We subconsciously think that because He was fully God that the pain and the fear were somehow less traumatic for the human aspects of Jesus. I have heard that people had speculated that He was able to disconnect from what He was going through, but this passage clearly indicates that this was not the case.

In order for God to forgive our sins, there had to be a man to live a perfect, sinless life. In order for God to forgive our sins, that perfect man had to willingly die in our place as a payment for our sins. We are familiar with God’s plan of salvation, but I want to emphasize one crucial word, one crucial aspect.

Man!

In order for God’s plan to be legally binding according to His Laws, the one who died for our sins had to be fully man. Jesus had to set aside his deity and fully embrace all of the sin, all of the pain, and all of the trauma of the crucifixion. He made a choice to be fully human, including all of the fear and all of the sorrow, as He faced the events of the crucifixion.

He did not take the easy way out! He did not abandon His fully human side in order to avoid the pain and the sorrow.

He bore all of our sin.

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))

To use a theater term, Jesus never broke character. He was fully God who came to the world to be fully man, and He did just that even to death on the cross!

Have you ever tried to put yourself into His shoes? Have you ever taken a very realistic look at all that Jesus faced so that He could be the sacrificial lamb that saves us from our sins?

It overwhelmed Jesus. Does it overwhelm you?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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We should pay it forward in prayer!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

   “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
      if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
   In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
(Romans 12:17-20 (NIV))

When Jesus was being beaten before His crucifixion, He could have been angry and vengeful. In the world’s point of view, He had every right to want to repay what He was receiving. Yet, Jesus did not exact revenge. Even though He was and is the Son of God, God With Us, He left the revenge to God the Father. It was not time. Jesus came to be a sacrifice so that many could live. If he had exacted vengeance at that time, it would have voided the reason that He came. If Jesus, who is Emmanuel, God with Us, can leave vengeance for God the Father, then we can too.

We need to treat our enemies as Jesus would treat them, for God loves everyone and He does not wish for any to perish, but when God’s vengeance does come, it will come swiftly. With that in mind, we must pray for our enemies. We must pray that they receive the same grace and mercy that we received when we accepted what Jesus did on the cross.

We should pay it forward in prayer!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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