Are you deceiving yourself?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
(1 John 1:8 (NIV))

I find it interesting that human nature is so quick to point out the faults in others, yet so slow to recognize the faults in ourselves. It is not uncommon for people to not acknowledge that they are sinners. It is a completely different matter to think that you are without sin even when we are told differently.

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

Deception is just another name for a lie, and we all know who the father of all lies is. Satan would like nothing better to convince us that we are okay just as we are and that we don’t need someone to save us from our sins. I want to present you with a few questions. If the enemy is correct that we don’t need a savior, then why did he spend so much time trying to kill Jesus at his birth? Why did he try to tempt Jesus to give up on His mission? Why did he nail Jesus to the cross?

If you look at yourself and think that you are the exception to Romans 3:23, then you have been deceived, you have believed the biggest lie of all time. If you think that you are without sin, then you are placing yourself equal to Jesus and you are deceiving yourself!

Are you deceiving yourself?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you have the faith to be justified by Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

We who are Jews by birth and not `Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
(Galatians 2:15-16 (NIV))

. . . by observing the law no one will be justified.

If God calls for us to observe His laws, many people don’t understand why we cannot be justified if we observe His laws. Sadly, humanity is a fallen creation and we are not capable of perfection. God’s laws require perfection. No matter how hard we may try, we will fail miserably. We will miss the mark. We will sin!

It takes a confident person to admit that they are less than perfect. It takes a confident person to admit that they need help. Too many of us are stuck in the mindset that reminds me of my daughter when she was two years old. I am sure you know what I am talking about. I can still hear her saying, “I do it!”

“I do it!”

Except for the grammatical errors, every one of us has been guilty of saying something similar to this. We think that we are capable of much more than we truly are. We don’t like to admit that we lack the ability to do anything.

I know that it is human nature to learn from our mistakes, but do we really learn if we fail to acknowledge that we make mistakes? I often wonder what the scene is in heaven and if God is shaking His head in disbelief as He watches us. I picture the same scene as Jesus points out someone who has accepted Him as their personal Lord and Savior. I can almost hear Jesus saying, “See that one who is acting like a stubborn child. He has placed his faith in me. He is mine! He may fail, but since he has accepted me, he will eventually learn to do the right things.”

Do you have the faith to be justified by Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you willing to be despised and hated?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
(Mark 13:13 (NIV))

We see this very thing coming true in today’s society. People who call upon the name of Jesus as their Lord and Savior are despised, ridiculed and hated simply because they have the faith to believe the truth. They choose to look beyond what the world says is true and seek the truth for themselves.

Christians are considered to be uneducated, ignorant, and intolerable people who are a blight to the world. That is not true. Consider that many of the same scientists who, in the 1960s and 1970s were saying that God does not exist, are now believers themselves. They have proven, many times against their own desires, that the universe is too ordered to not have been part of a grand, master design. Christians are in every walk of life, and in just about every profession, except the illegal and immoral ones, I pray!

What is it about the name of Jesus that makes people hate someone so much? Jesus, Himself, stated that brother would turn against brother and children against their parents all over His name. However, the times that Mark is writing about have yet to come. As bad as the hatred is today, consider that during the Tribulation, hatred will be world-wide, and those who confess Jesus will probably be put to death. The battle lines are being drawn. What we face today is only the beginning of what is yet to come. The events in the news each day are troubling. Many of the things that we see are directed towards Christians or nations that have a Judeo-Christian heritage. Could this be part of what is spoken of in this scripture?

Choose sides prayerfully, and pray for strength in your decision. Pray that you may not waiver when you face adversity. Use the trials of today to test your faith and sharpen it for the coming days so that you may be saved.

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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