Why do so many ignore judgment?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
(John 9:39 (NIV))

If Jesus states that this is why He first came, what do you think it will be like when He returns?

Too many people simply claim that Jesus is love, and they are correct. However, they have a distorted understanding of love. Love is not complete acceptance of sin. Love is desiring the best for those you love, and if that means what we call tough love must be administered, then love is not always acceptance.

Love can mean judgment, and to be honest with you, humanity does not like judgment!

Even though we may not like judgment, it can come in two forms. We have a choice to make as to which form we will see in our lives. The first is correction and teaching of what is right and wrong. The second is a punishment for not obeying the correction and teaching. All that you have to do is think back on your childhood for clarification. The first time that you did something wrong, were you punished or were you taught that it was wrong and that you shouldn’t do it again? What happened if you did it again?

Even though it is overly simplified, the concept applies to Jesus. When He walked the earth, He corrected and taught what we should do. He did this out of love, for He does not wish for any to perish. He did not wish for any to face judgment.

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. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
(John 3:16-21 (NIV))

Sadly, too many people stop at this passage and never go any further. They never come to a complete understanding of why Jesus came into the world.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
(Luke 19:10 (NIV))

This passage implies that there will still be lost people. They are the ones who will not accept fully what Jesus came to do. They will only see Jesus as love and then continue in their sin. They will ignore the judgment.

Why do so many ignore judgment?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

What do you desire to understand?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

As you do not know the path of the wind,
     or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
     the Maker of all things.
(Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NIV))

Worldly knowledge and scientific knowledge has greatly increased since this was written, but what does it matter if we can track the growth of a baby in a mother’s womb, or we can predict the wind and the weather?

We still cannot understand the work of God!

Humanity thinks that it is becoming so smart. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Humanity has gained knowledge but we have lost wisdom. When a big part of society simply cannot understand the classifications within the following passage, we have serious problems.

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
(Genesis 2:24 (NIV))

We may have knowledge, but we lack the wisdom to know what to do with it.

We may have knowledge, but we lack the understanding to know right from wrong.

We may have knowledge, but we can’t recognize truth when it is right in front of us.

Do you desire to understand the work of God?

Do you long for true wisdom?

It starts with a saving relationship with Jesus, and that starts with a very simple profession of faith. Some even say that it is as easy as ABC.

A is for admit that you are a sinner in need of a savior.

B is for believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Him from the dead.

C is for call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

What do you desire to understand?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Are you still an enemy of God?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
(James 4:4 (NIV))

Perhaps this is better understood in other words. Consider Matthew 6:24.

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
(Matthew 6:24 (NIV))

Money represents what the world has to offer: sin and death. God represents salvation, grace and mercy. You cannot follow both paths. They are mutually exclusive of each other.

This is a common teaching in the Bible, especially in the New Testament. It is a common teaching method to repeat what is important so that the student will realize and remember what is being repeated. Perhaps we should pay more attention to what is being told to us in these passages, after all, Jesus thought enough of the teaching to tell us more than once.

With this in mind, let’s use the repetition method ourselves and stress what God is telling us. In this teaching, we must also remember that Satan is the ruler of this world since we allowed him in through our disobedience.

Now, if we love the world, who do we love?

This gives us insight into God’s reason for these passages.

Are you still an enemy of God?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

What does Jesus see when He sees His bride?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
     but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
(Proverbs 31:30 (NIV))

Have you ever thought of this passage from the perspective that the church is called the bride of Christ?

Let that question sink in!

The church is not called to be charming in the eyes of the world. The church is not called to be beautiful in the eyes of the world. We are not supposed to change when the ideals of society change. We are called to be forever the same. We are called to be obedient to God’s Word and to His calling.

We are to be like Jesus!

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

In other words, we are called to fear the Lord each and every day and in each and every situation and circumstance.

We, as the church, are not to run after the world. We should not be charmed by the things that the world calls charming. We should not see the beauty in what the world calls beautiful. We are to live by a different standard.

We are to see the world through the eyes of Jesus!

What does Jesus see when He sees His bride?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Are you obedient to His commands?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

You are my friends if you do what I command.
(John 15:14 (NIV))

Do you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?

Everyone who has said that they have accepted the gift of grace claims Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, but how many look upon this gift as simply a get out of hell free card? How many people continue to do the very same things without any thought to the fact that Jesus calls out to repent, to leave our lives of sin. He tells us the very same thing that He told the woman caught in adultery when asked if anyone was still there who was condemning her.

No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
(John 8:11 (NIV))

He doesn’t condemn us if we leave our lives of sin. We have a limited number of days that we live in which to do just that.

This goes hand in hand with the rest of the wording behind John 3:16.

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))

Jesus laid down His life for His friends. He did this in order to save the world and not condemn it. Still, human nature gets in the way. Just as we like to say that someone we barely know is a friend, we claim that as well with Jesus.

Is Jesus truly your friend?

Do you know His heart? Do you know what breaks His heart? Do you know what He has commanded His followers to do?

More importantly, I have one more question to ask of you.

Are you obedient to His commands?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Where do your priorities lie?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

for they loved human praise more than praise from God.
(John 12:43 (NIV))

This was originally written about some of the Jewish leaders who believed in Jesus, yet were afraid to openly admit it. They were afraid that they would be put out of the synagogue. In other words, their position in society would be destroyed. They were not willing to give up earthly things for things of eternal value. They knew that if they publicly professed a faith in Jesus, their lives as they knew them would be over.

They were not willing to take up their cross and follow Jesus!

They claim to believe, yet all of their outward actions, all of their social circles, all of the earthly status is based on what others think of them.

Do you know anyone like this?

I have one more question for you and it requires serious self reflection.

Are you like this?

Do you live for human praise? Do you change your plans if you think someone will see you? Do you change your behavior around people who are not believers? Do you say and do things in order to “fit in” at work? Do you hide any reference to Jesus from those with whom you come into contact?

Think about those questions and your answers. If you find yourself doing any of these things, you may still be seeking the praise of people over the praise of God?

If you profess a faith in Jesus, then He must be your priority. You must not be ashamed of the Gospel or His name!

Where do your priorities lie?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Is Jesus your Good Shepherd?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
(John 10:16 (NIV))

Jesus is the Good Shepherd!

He has been bringing His sheep into His flock ever since He walked this earth. The question that you must ask yourself is whether you have heard His voice and chosen to follow Him?

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
(John 10:3-4 (NIV))

Are you listening to His voice? Have you heard Him calling? Are you following where He is leading?

I realize that these are simple questions on the surface, but they require each of us to perform an in-depth self assessment in order to truthfully answer. It is so easy to give a cursory response and not truly understand the full implications of a well intentioned “Yes.” They are not a one time question, just as choosing to follow Jesus is not a one time decision. We must choose Jesus every day. We must choose to listen to His voice. We must choose to hear Him calling. We must choose to follow where He leads.

Professing a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior requires daily decisions. As Paul put it, we must choose to run the race in such a way that we receive the prize. I realize that I am mixing metaphors, but the concept is the same. We must decide each and every day what we will hear. We must decide where we are going and who or what we are following as we go down that path.

Personally, I choose to follow Jesus!

If that decision makes the world see me as a sheep, then I gladly accept that label. I would rather follow Jesus into an eternity in His presence than anything else into eternal torment.

The decision is yours.

Is Jesus your Good Shepherd?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Always keep your eyes focused on Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV))

Do you do these three things?

Perhaps I should elaborate a little.

When was the last time that you were truly joyful, and how long did it last?

When was the last time that you prayed and how long did you pray for?

When was the last time that you were truly thankful, and did this change when your circumstances changed?

We read this passage, and as humans with limited understanding, we tend to overlook these three critical words.

Always

Continually

All

I personally believe that we ignore these words due to the simple fact that we don’t truly understand the concept of eternity. It is difficult to comprehend something that is never ending. Everything in our human existence is based on a clearly defined starting point and an absolute end. We even profess this through a common saying that nothing lasts forever. With this in mind, how does a believer in Jesus overcome this limited understanding and apply the concept of limitless, eternal thinking to our lives?

It takes practice!

We must be willing to accept that because of what Jesus did for us, we should be eternally joyful. We should desire to be in continual communication with the lover of our soul. We must recognize that as sinners in need of a Savior, we have been given something profoundly amazing. Because of this gift, even in the worst of circumstances, we must recognize that our hope is not of this world. Our hope, and our faith, are firmly and eternally placed in Jesus!

When this world seems overwhelming, remember that we have the assurance of something beyond comprehension. We have something of eternal value.

Always keep your eyes focused on Jesus!

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Does Jesus offend you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?
(John 6:61 (NIV))

We try to ignore this passage, this question, but it is something that each of us must answer.

There are many things that Jesus taught that are labeled as “hard teachings.” These are things that make us stop and truly examine our faith. All of these “hard sayings” are truths taken out of God’s Word. They make us feel uncomfortable. They may even make us feel like walking away, but we must realize that if we walk away from these “hard sayings,” then we walk away from Jesus.

We cannot separate Jesus from the things that He taught!

They are one and the same!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
(John 1:1-5 (NIV))

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:14 (NIV))

Jesus is the Word made flesh. If there are things that He says that offend you, then you are offended by Jesus.

I want you to take a long, hard look at your life and truthfully answer one question. Your answer may have eternal ramifications.

Does Jesus offend you?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Why are you still weary?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV))

Are you tired!

Are you weary!

I know that I grow tired and weary with what this world sends our way.

I realize that I have sent something similar before, but with what is going on in the world, we have a great need to be reminded that we can truly rest in Jesus!

This world piles burden upon burden on us in our daily lives. Our jobs, our obligations, our financial needs, and sometimes even our families and our church become burdens. We must step back and focus on the words of Jesus.

Rest!

Everyone desires it, but in this world, true rest cannot come. Rest only comes when one is at peace. Peace is a concept that the world wants but can not grant. True peace only comes from the source of all creation through His Son Jesus Christ. Trade burdens with Jesus and gain peace and rest.

The burden that Jesus bore has paid in full your burden of sin and death. Whatever you are carrying now, He carried to the cross about two thousand years ago.

Give Him your burdens and He will give you rest.

Why are you still weary?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook