Is God truly your strength and your portion forever?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
(Psalms 73:25-26 (NIV))

I have heard it said that when all else fails, turn to God. Just what type of a faith would you possess if this is how you looked upon God, how you treated God? Should you expect God to be your strength if He was the very last one that you turned to?

At what point do you actually turn to God?

Do you try to accomplish things through your own strength, and when that fails, do you turn to God? Is that how you decide to treat the Creator of all things? Perhaps you actually live out what you profess to believe. If that is true, then do you turn to God in all matters, no matter how small or how big? If you stop to think about how and when you turn to God, you might surprise yourself. You might find that you still try to face this world on your own power and authority, and we all know that none of us possess anything that even resembles power and authority. Placing God first in your life is a simple concept, but it is so difficult to actually accomplish. Human nature makes us place just about anything and everything above God, but when we realize that the psalmist was correct, we take a major step in maturing our faith. We come to the rightful conclusion that there is nothing or no one that is bigger than our God!

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

Is God truly your strength and your portion forever?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Will you perish?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

The LORD is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
(Psalms 10:16 (NIV))

Look back at your life and think about how many times you have heard of nations changing their boarders. Have you ever heard of a nation that used to exist when you were younger and doesn’t exist now? Are there any nations that didn’t exist when you were younger that do exist now?

We have a tendency to think that the nations of the world are fairly constant, yet, boarders change all of the time. Some nations go away and others come into existence. Nothing in this world is constant. Even the seas change the shoreline over a period of time. Rivers change course and erosion takes its toll on mountains.

There is only one constant in this world. There is only one constant in this universe.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
(Hebrews 13:8 (NIV))

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
(John 14:9-10 (NIV))

Nations will come and go. People will live and die. Only the Lord will remain.

We, as part of His creation, have been blessed to be given an option to spend eternity with Him. Grace and salvation can be your if you will simply repent of your sins and proclaim the name of Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Do this so that you do not perish.

Will you perish?

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Focus on Jesus in the new year!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
(Hebrews 13:8 (NIV))

Nothing is ever the same in this life. It is impossible to ground yourself in anything in this world. Just when you think things are as they should be, something terrible happens and things are a complete mess.

If you base your perspective of life on things worldly, then you are going to be let down many times. If you base your life on things that are of God, with the center of your focus on Jesus Christ, then you will never be let down. With the beginning of the new year already here, keep your perspective clearly focused on Jesus, for He never changes.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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God’s unchanging character!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
(Psalms 18:25-27 (NIV))

God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

As we face the prospect of an uncertain new year, it is nice to remember that God is unchanging. What we read about in Psalms is true even in this time when truth is relative and what is sin is now considered okay by society. It is His creation that is changing the rules. God, as Father and Creator, has not changed.

When we read about God’s unchanging character, we must ask ourselves how we would measure up to His standards. Would we be the faithful one? Would we be considered pure? Would God find us to be crooked? Would we be humble or haughty? What would your answers be?

If we find our answers are opposite of what God desires, we have a plan of salvation. He has sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Even believers sin. We all need a Savior. As we face the uncertain prospects of another year, we can rest assured that one thing is constant. God’s love, grace and mercy will never change. We must make a resolution, or perhaps I should say a promise to God, that we will strive to be more like Jesus in all that we do in this new year.

What is your plan?

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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The Lord, God Almighty!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
(Psalms 46:1-11 (NIV))

No matter what the future may bring, always rely on God as your firm foundation. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The events of this world may shake our physical foundations, but we should never let them shake our spiritual foundations, for they are built upon the Rock of Ages and nothing can move that.

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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God’s love stands faithful!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all
generations.

I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
(Psalms 89:1-2 (NIV))

Even before Jesus came to earth, people were singing the praises of God. They were preaching the good news before they knew what that news was. All they knew was that God had promised, and that was sufficient for them. What faith they had!

Today, we have the benefit of history to look back at and see that:
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.
(2 Corinthians 1:20a)

Is it no less appropriate to realize that what God has promised that has not yet happened, will happen. God has promised that His people would know the season for things to come. Even to the end, He is faithful and His love does stand firm forever.

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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