Are you ready to meet Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
(Luke 2:8-14 (NIV))

What an honor it must have been to be the first to hear the good news! The shepherds must have been terrified by the presence of the angels, after all, angels were not, and are still not an every day occurrence.

Luckily for us, God’s plan does not discriminate against us for not being there. In fact, it is probably with mixed blessings that we are embraced as part of God’s Kingdom. We do not have the first hand experience of having seen the angels, the star, or Jesus’ life. Sometimes, I wonder if I would have believed if I lived at the time of Jesus!

On the other hand, we have the faith of millions of people who have gone before us. We have the New Testament, the hundreds of years of prophesy study that proves Jesus is King of kings, the Messiah. It may be easier for someone today to come to faith than it was in Jesus’ day. Yet, through all of this “historical proof”, I sometimes feel empty. I think it is the desire of every believer to be able to go back in time and be a witness to the miracles and hear the teachings of Jesus firsthand.

We celebrate the birth of Jesus and look back in awe to the miracles. At the same time, we should look around us in awe of what God is doing today and look to the not-to-distant future and know what God is going to do. Yesterday we celebrated the First Coming.

Some day, some tomorrow, we will celebrate the Second Coming.

Are you ready to meet Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Don’t forget the true meaning of Christmas!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

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.
(John 3:16 (NIV))

I realize that I used this passage yesterday, but it is such a wonderful and truthful passage of grace, hope and love. It is one in which God sent His Son to redeem the world.

He first proclaimed this great news to shepherds.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
(Luke 2:8-14 (NIV))

As time progressed, Jesus fulfilled God’s purpose for His time on earth! It is such a simple, yet profound plan. God’s plan is based on love and restoration of a sinful, fallen creation.

Nothing is left to say, except one critical statement.

Don’t forget the true meaning of Christmas!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Be like Mary and do not be afraid of that calling!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
(Luke 1:30 (NIV))

Have you ever felt that you were being led by God to do something and your fear held you back?

I realize that none of us have ever had an experience like Mary did, but think about her fear. Think about her doubt. Think about her societal uncertainty.

Then, think about her faith!

God’s eternal plan of salvation all hinged on the faith of a teenage girl who would be called to be obedient at an age that we, today, think is too immature to make rational decisions. What if your thirteen or fourteen year old daughter or granddaughter was asked to do what Mary did? Would she have the faith to see it through? Would you have the faith to walk through it with her and her young husband?

Oh, to have the faith that Mary had. Oh, to have the willing and obedient nature that Mary had.

I realize that Christmas is the time that we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but we must remember that God’s plan called for an immaculate conception and a virgin birth. God’s plan called for an unwavering faith from the one who would give birth to the Messiah. In other words, God chooses to work His plan through those who have the faith to rely on Him and to trust in Him. Mary was the quintessential example of such faith and trust. Her obedience was the tool through which God was able to bring salvation to a lost and sinful world.

She stepped out in faith and all of humanity now has the promise of salvation fulfilled through Jesus.

We may not be called to be the one to do great things. We may be the one called to simply bring the good news to someone who will. That one act may be the great thing that God has called us to do.

Be like Mary and do not be afraid of that calling!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

God worked miracles to redeem us to Himself!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
(Matthew 2:13 (NIV))

Read this passage again and tell me that you don’t think the intrigue, the mystery, the suspense and the action are far better than any movie script that could ever be written!

Society flocks to movies that have far less viable story lines. Too many people will consistently follow these movies while saying that the Bible isn’t true. In one breath they claim that the events told of in the Bible couldn’t be true and in the very next breath they speak of fictional movie characters and their actions as if they were real. It is often said that the Bible is the greatest story ever told. Think about that for a moment. We have the ultimate good versus the ultimate evil. We have conflict. We have rebellion. We have the greatest falling away that has ever happened, and we have redemption. We also have the promise of the final victory over evil.

And, it’s all true!

What is written in Matthew tells us of the miracles that God performed when He came to this world to become our Savior. Humanity fell from grace and God came to save us.

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))

God worked miracles to redeem us to Himself!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Are you glad that God changes hearts?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
(Matthew 1:24 (NIV))

How many times have you gone to bed thinking that you needed to do one thing and woke up thinking something completely different?

Joseph had just such an event happen.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
(Matthew 1:18-19 (NIV))

Joseph wanted to do what was right according to God’s law so when he discovered that Mary was pregnant, even though he didn’t want to cause her harm, he felt that he couldn’t marry her.

But, God…

This was a huge “But, God…” moment. Not only would it change Joseph’s life, it would change the world and all of eternity!

Have you ever had a “But, God…” moment in your life? They are the moments where something so different than expected happens and it always glorifies the Lord. They are the moments that you look back on and recognize that God has His hand in the circumstances. They are the moments that you look back on and recognize as a pivotal, if not the pivotal moment in your life where following you decision, your path, would have resulted in disaster. That is when God stepped in and completely changed the course of your life to His glory!

Back to Joseph and his “But, God…” moment. This moment was not only pivotal in his life, but it was also pivotal in every life that has ever lived. Joseph had to be in the picture. It was through his lineage that God would fulfill His promise to Abraham and His promise to David. Joseph’s “But, God…” moment allowed him to step fully into God’s promises.

Are you glad that God changes hearts?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

We have a Savior and He wins!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
(Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV))

I am so very weary!

I don’t know just how much more of this world I can stand. Jesus is mocked and chastised while evil is declared truth. Common sense and civility no longer seem to exist.

The whole world simply seems to be upside down and getting worse!

Perhaps I spend too much time watching and reading about events in the world and the current state of what the world says is good. It is heartbreaking to see, but I believe that it is important to know what is going on so that I am at least aware and possibly prepared. We were told to know the seasons. We can’t live our lives in a vacuum where we are completely oblivious to what is going on around us. That is what the enemy wants us to do.

I am weary, or should I say saddened by the current state of the world. I am also very excited, for we have a promise from God. He sent His Son Jesus to be our Savior. Because of this, even when I am weary from what I see in the world, all I have to do is look up to see my Savior.

Don’t forget the promises that God has fulfilled in sending His Son!

I am eternally thankful for Jesus! Even in the midst of troubles, He is in complete control. Everything is unfolding just as the Lord planned. We have nothing to fear even when all seems lost.

“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))

Are you afraid of the events that are happening in the world? Are you weary and burdened by the things that you see unfolding? Are you saddened by the total rebellion against God? Does it break your heart to see evil being called good and good being called evil? There is an old saying that it is darkest just before the dawn. To put this saying into context – when it seems that things can’t get any worse, look up. When you can’t understand why things are happening as they are, look up. When you think that the world can’t do anything else that goes against God’s righteousness, look up. The dawn is coming!

Angels rejoiced when Jesus was born. The enemy rejoiced when Jesus was crucified for he thought that he had won. The disciples rejoiced at the resurrection. Each believer rejoices at the moment of accepting salvation. The enemy is rejoicing once again, but all of the heavenly host and all who call upon the name of Jesus will rejoice at His return.

We have a Savior and He wins!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Are you willing to pay the full price?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”
(1 Chronicles 21:24 (NIV))

Is this your attitude?

King David wanted to create an alter to the Lord at the site of the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Just a few verses before this, we learn that the angel of the Lord had appeared at this very site and was visible to David, to Araunah and to Araunah’s sons. Araunah did something that I am not sure too many today would do. He offered to give the property to David and to also provide David with all of the animals, the wood and the grain for the offering. In essence, David would not have had to make any personal sacrifice to build the alter on what would become the location of the Temple. By today’s standards, David would have been considered a shrewd businessman if he had agreed to these terms.

David was not there to get all that he could for little or nothing!

He knew the importance of personal sacrifice when worshipping the Lord. He knew that everything that he had been given and had attained belonged to the Lord. He was not about to approach the Lord to make a sacrifice when he wasn’t making a sacrifice at all. He wasn’t going to lie to the Lord and make a sacrifice of someone else’s property. David knew that the sacrifice, the gift to the Lord, had to come from himself.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
(2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV))

Do you give to the Lord? Do you sacrifice or do you give when someone gives to you or for you?

Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him.
(Deuteronomy 17:1 (NIV))

In other words, we are to give our best to the Lord! David understood this. He knew that if it was to be considered his best, then it actually had to come from him. David knew that he had to pay the full cost.

Are you willing to pay the full price?

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

Celebrate Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
(Luke 2:8-14 (NIV))

What an honor it must have been to be the first to hear the good news! The shepherds must have been terrified by the presence of the angels, after all, angels were not, and are still not an every day occurrence.

Luckily for us, God’s plan does not discriminate against us for not being there. In fact, it is probably with mixed blessings that we are embraced as part of God’s Kingdom. We do not have the first hand experience of having seen the angels, the star, or Jesus’ life. Sometimes, I wonder if I would have believed if I lived at the time of Jesus!

On the other hand, we have the faith of millions of people who have gone before us. We have the New Testament, the hundreds of years of prophesy study that proves Jesus is King of kings, the Messiah. It may be easier for someone today to come to faith than it was in Jesus’ day. Yet, through all of this “historical proof”, I sometimes feel empty. I think it is the desire of every believer to be able to go back in time and be a witness to the miracles and hear the teachings of Jesus firsthand.

We celebrate the birth of Jesus and look back in awe to the miracles. At the same time, we should look around us in awe of what God is doing today and look to the not-to-distant future and know what God is going to do. We celebrate the First Coming. Some tomorrow we will celebrate the Second Coming.

Merry Christmas!

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

How can we serve Him while we wait?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
(John 14:1-3 (NIV))

What imagery do you see when you read this passage? Do you focus on the splendor of the dwelling that you have the hope and the promise of attaining? Perhaps you focus on the shear number of dwellings that must exist. Perhaps you read that Jesus is preparing a place for you and then you realize that the Lord of all is personally taking care of your needs. These are all fantastic visions of what awaits, but I find solace in the last statement.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
(John 14:3 (NIV))

Isn’t that amazing? Jesus, in all of His glory, is not only personally preparing our future dwellings, He will also come back personally and take us to be with Him. He is NOT sending an angel to come and pick us up. He is not using a GPS system or Mapquest to send us directions so that we can find our own way. He is coming personally to take us to be with Him.

Think about that. Jesus – King of kings and Lord of lords – loves us so much that He is coming for us. In fact, all of history is unfolding because He loves us and died on the cross so that we can receive salvation, grace and mercy. God’s Word tells of God’s love through His creation and how we, through Adam and Eve, fell from grace. The Old Testament shows us how we should live, but how we fail because of sin. It also points to a savior who will change all. Then, Jesus comes and shows us how to return to God. We are given a choice. We are given a free gift. Finally, those who trust in Jesus will be welcome home.

Jesus is that gift. Even now, He is still fulfilling these words.

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 10:45 (NIV))

Jesus is preparing a place for us. Even in His Lordship, He is still serving us. How can we serve Him while we wait?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Have you spent time with God today?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
(Psalms 34:4-9 (NIV))

This paints a very beautiful picture in your mind. It makes you envision a very loving Father who is there for His children. All He asks is that you turn towards Him.

You must seek after Him and He will deliver those who earnestly seek. Your reward will be a radiant peace that passes all understanding. He does not discrimate based on wealth, power, position, age, sex, or any other factor that humanity uses. For those who call upon Him in truth, He will send the Holy Spirit to guide, direct, and protect you from things of the enemy. God wants to feed you with the fruits that are from Him.

It has been said that of the human senses, taste is the most intimate for you actually take something into your body to experience it. We are to taste and see that the LORD is good, for He can provide the sweetness of life that we all seek. We must also fear God. This is not a fear that He will destroy us if we do something wrong. It is a fear that is built on love and respect.

When you love and respect someone, you are fearfull of the consequences of your actions. If you love and respect your spouse, you will not seek after another for fear of hurting them and yourself. If you love and respect God, then you will not seek after another god for fear of hurting Him and yourself. People have given the term “the fear of God” a bad meaning. It has been used to strike terror into the hearts of people, and not instill in them a true sense of the nature of God.

God has told us to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a), yet, how many of us have actually take the time to do this. In any relationship, time alone with the other person is critical.

Have you spent time with God today?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook