Where are you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Before them fire devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
behind them, a desert waste–
nothing escapes them.
(Joel 2:3 (NIV))

I believe that we are in a transitional place, a place of growth and maturity. Each of us may be in a situation that has us literally between a rock and a hard place. We may find ourselves in the midst of so much fire and waste that we do not see any potential end. When we, as believers, find ourselves in this place in our lives, we must remember that God uses these times in our lives to refine us like silver.

This third I will bring into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, `They are my people,’
and they will say, `The LORD is our God.’ ”
(Zechariah 13:9 (NIV))

It is in these times that one of two things may happen. We will either turn from God in our anger or turn toward God in our faith. It is God’s desire to purify us in our faith. He longs for us to mature into the image of Jesus.

I had a conversation not too long ago with someone who questioned whether being in the wilderness was a good thing or a bad thing. Take a look at Jesus after He was baptized. He went into the wilderness for 40 days. He did not do anything bad, yet He had to face the temptation before He could truly minister to those whom He came to seek and to save.

When we find ourselves in the desert or the wilderness, it is all a matter of our outlook, our perspective on the situation. We can either look at the situation and not see beyond our circumstances or we can see the “Light” of Jesus at the end of our journey. If we focus on the “Light,” then we should be able to stand firm in our desert and continually pray for righteousness.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
(Psalms 51:10 (NIV))

Where are you?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Are you effective and productive?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV))

Are you increasing? Are you growing? Are you maturing in your faith?

Looking back on my own faith journey, I can unequivocally say that I have grown, that I have matured in my faith over the course of my lifetime. I can also attest to the concept that we will never reach complete maturity while we are on this earth. I learn so much each and every day. I can read the very same passage that I read yesterday and discover new insight in the very same words. Nothing has changed in the words. The only thing that has changed is my comprehension of God’s ability to open up His Word into a whole new revelation.

Think about that in relationship to your faith and maturity. Think about your understanding in relationship to God’s unlimited understanding!

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
(Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV))

Doesn’t it make sense that we, in our limited understanding, would need to increase in our ability to understand? Doesn’t it make sense that we increase in our ability to understand by increasing our faith? After professing our faith, we increase our faith by striving to increase our righteousness, our goodness, in the eyes of God. We accomplish this by seeking His knowledge and by learning righteous self-control. We learn to persevere even in the face of adversity as we strive to mature into the likeness of Christ, who embodied true love in order to offer salvation.

None of us are there, yet, but we, as members of the Body of Christ, must strive to be effective and productive in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Are you effective and productive?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

What are you like on the inside?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
(Matthew 23:25-26 (NIV))

How many people do you know that put up appearances? The way they look from the outside is all righteous, but when no one is around, or they are in different company, they are completely different. Jesus spoke of people like this. There were people like that then and there are still people like it now.

What are you like on the inside? Do you change or do you stay consistent in your words and actions? Be sure that your motives are of God on the inside, and then what the world sees will also be of God.

I find it interesting that far too many people only look at the outside. They look at what the world sees. Have you come to the realization that worldly attitudes call for false facades? We try to be perfect on the outside because we, as a society, have been shown a picture of perfection all of our lives. This is a perfection that calls for the perfect body, perfect hair, the perfect job, the perfect house and the perfect attitude all the while we ignore what really matters.

In other words, we are all show and no substance.

What happens when age takes the body and the mortgage on the perfect house ties you to a job that has lost its perfection. Life is not about appearances. Life is not about looking good to the world.

When all of the outside trappings have lost their luster, what do you have?

You have what is on the inside. If you have spent your whole life focusing on the outside, then your world is easily turned upside down. Jesus called the Pharisees out for their teachings, but I think that we can also look at what society teaches us in the same manner.

The old saying, “You are what you eat,” comes to mind. If we fill ourselves with greed and self-indulgence, then we are nothing on the inside but greed and self-indulgence. If we fill ourselves with Jesus, then what are we on the inside?

I honestly believe that when we fill ourselves with Jesus, we bear fruit!

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. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
(Galatians 5:22-25 (NIV))

Once again, I think that I need to ask, what are you like on the inside?

Copyright 1998 – 2012 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery

Cultivate your faith!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
(1 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV))

This just about sums up a faith in Jesus. We have not physically seen Him, yet we love Him and trust in Him. We believe in Him even though we have not seen Him. We believe the words that He spoke are the truth. His words fill us with a joy and a peace that passes all understanding. We have developed a faith that Jesus is who He claims to be.

Let’s take a harder look at faith.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
(Hebrews 11:1 (NIV))

Are you sure of your hope in Jesus? Is your faith strong enough to withstand a trial by fire? Will you deny Jesus when faced with a situation that you don’t see any other way out of? Will you deny Jesus to save your physical life?

Are you certain that your salvation rests solely in the nail scarred hands that long to welcome you? Will you turn from salvation in your moment of fear?

Faith is like a muscle. It must be exercised in order to be made strong. Even just a little faith can grow. Don’t simply place your faith in Jesus and then never do anything to build that faith. Cultivate your faith through prayer, reading, study, and trusting in God as you put your faith into action so that it may grow.

Copyright 1998 – 2012 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery

Discernment

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
(1 Corinthians 2:14-15 (NIV))

What do you consider as foolishness?

Do you watch the news about removing the Ten Commandments from public buildings and think that this is wisdom or do you see the folly of our society and call it foolishness?

We, as a society, have turned our backs on the things of God. They are considered foolishness. What does that say about our society? What does that say about our so called leaders? More importantly, what does that say about us as believers? Are we too ashamed to call the folly of this world what it truly is?

We, as individual members of the Body of Christ must always strive to discern God’s Will for all things and not simply accept the will of the fallen world in which we live. We must not accept the lies of the prince of this world.

He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
(Daniel 8:24-26 (NIV))

Too many people will not discern the things from the Spirit of God, for they only want to see the lies of this world. We must pray for discernment for all.

Copyright 1998 – 2011 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery

Your weakness is God’s strength

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV))

Paul hungered to know God.

He was probably the single most influential person, besides Jesus, in spreading the Gospel. Yet, throughout all of his seeking, he was afflicted with what some believe to have been seizures. He prayed to have this affliction lifted from him, yet, God’s answer was one that we would have not liked in our own lives.

We must remember that it is through our weaknesses that God is glorified. If we are capable of doing things on our own, then people do not see God in these actions. People see God when they see things accomplished that are beyond the capabilities of the person involved.

It is a fine line that we must try to walk when we pray for an affliction to be lifted from us. Our earthly person wishes to be in comfort and without pain and fear. The spiritual side of life requires these to be present in our lives in order that we grow and learn. If we are to be effective vessels for Christ, then we must be willing to live with weakness so that our actions glorify God and not ourselves.

The same thing applies to others, also. We must pray for God’s Will in their lives, for it is through God’s Will that others will come to Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

Copyright 1998 – 2011 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery

Authority and surrender

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 28:18-20 (NIV))

Do you treat Jesus as if He has all authority in heaven and on earth, or do you treat Him as your personal servant – a servant who bows to your authority?

Sadly enough, too many people treat Jesus as their personal servant. They treat Him as if His only reason for existence was to take care of their every whim and desire. They have no understanding of who Jesus truly is and, therefore, they have no desire to do what He asks of us. They simply expect Him to do what they ask of Him. They will not relinquish the authority.

Who has authority in your life?

Do you follow Jesus or do you expect Him to follow you?

Do you tell others about Jesus and what He has done in your life, or do you tell others about “your” accomplishments and never mention Jesus?

Do others see Jesus in you, or do they express astonishment when someone tells them that you are a Christian?

Do you make disciples for Jesus or do you have to be reminded that you are a disciple?

Do you follow His teachings, or do you only acknowledge them for an hour on Sunday?

I know that these are tough questions, but they are questions that we must constantly ask ourselves. It is so easy to begin to believe that we are the ones in charge of our lives.

We have no authority.

Can we, by our own doing, extend the number of our days? Can we create life out of nothing? Can we stop the sun from rising or the winds from blowing?

If we are to truly fulfill the task that Jesus gave us in this passage, we must recognize that He is in authority and not us. He is not ours. We are His. I know that I have failed many times, but it is my desire to place Jesus in authority. I do not want to stand before Him and hear Him say that he does not know me.

Lord, help us to surrender all authority to you.

Copyright 1998 – 2011 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery

Spiritual consistency

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
(Romans 12:12 (NIV))

Joyful, patient and faithful.

Paul had a consistency in his message that we need to be reminded of as often as we call upon the name of Jesus. Paul did not simply preach a message that proclaiming Jesus as your Lord and Savior meant that you did not have to undergo spiritual growth. He knew that accepting Jesus into your life as your personal Lord and Savior would mean a desire to become more like Jesus. The characteristics that he spoke of in Romans 12:12 are also repeated quite eloquently in Galatians.

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))

There is a consistency!

Just as God never changes, the Word that He gives those whom He calls as apostles, prophets and teachers should never change. Test everything. Do not take something as the truth unless you have verified it against God’s Word. He will not change. Jesus will not change. He told us that He only does what He sees the Father do. He is consistent.

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

Jesus was joyful during His ministry. He came to give us this joy.

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))

Once again, consistency!

Are you consistent in your faith?

Copyright 1998 – 2011 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery

Press on!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
I will be careful to lead a blameless life–
when will you come to me?
I will walk in my house
with blameless heart.
I will set before my eyes
no vile thing.
(Psalms 101:1-3 (NIV))

Can you honestly say these words? Think about their meaning. This should be the desire of every single person who claims that Jesus is their personal Lord and Savior. These words renounce the sin of the world while focusing on the righteous things that God desires for us. We must praise God. We must lead a blameless life. We must have a pure heart, and we must keep our eyes focused on Jesus. We must not allow sin to catch our gaze. Can you do this? Can any of us do this perfectly?

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))

Through grace, we are forgiven. We are not perfect, but we can grow into maturity in our faith and in our actions. It is a matter of inner desire. If we desire to follow Jesus, then each day will bring opportunities to press on.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
(Philippians 3:12 (NIV))

Press on in praise. Press on for a blameless life. Press on for a pure heart, and press on in following Jesus.

Copyright 1998 – 2011 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery

What are you willing to endure?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
(2 Timothy 2:10 (NIV))

Paul was willing to endure anything and everything in order to spread the Gospel. It is his willingness to endure anything that allowed the Gentiles to be extended salvation. It is his willingness to endure everything that he faced that has allowed the spread of the Gospel and the rise of Western civilization. In essence, we owe our very history to the willingness of Paul to endure all for the sake of the Gospel.

One person can make a difference. Through the sin of one, all fell from grace. Through the grace of one, many are redeemed. Through the faith and perseverance of one, history was changed.

Humanity was doomed because of the sins of one. God came to earth, and as Jesus Christ, He redeemed the world. Paul was not the first person. He was not God made man. Paul was simply a man. He was a man who was willing to do whatever it took to achieve the task that he had been given. He was willing to endure all for the sake of the cross. He was put in prison. He was stoned. He was run out of towns. He did not waiver in his task. He knew that God’s Word is true. He was willing to do anything for the truth. He was willing to die for this truth.

Can we claim to be like Paul?

We live very comfortable lives. We close the doors to our homes and live in temperature controlled bubbles. We only venture outside of our bubbles to gather things to bring back into our bubbles. We are not willing to endure anything that draws us outside of our comfort zones that we have established within these “bubbles.”

Is this the way Paul would have lived his life? We have been given the very same good news that Paul was. He was willing to endure anything in order to spread the good news. Are we even willing to look beyond our bubbles to see the need of those around us? Do we see the lost souls in our own lives?

Are we willing to endure it all?

Copyright 1998 – 2010 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery