February 15, 2023
Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
(John 4:24 (NIV))
Is it really this simple?
Humanity has made things so complicated. We go through the motions set before us by other people thinking that is what will bring us closer to the Lord. We have built grand buildings. We have employed elaborate services. We have developed a system of worship, but do these things really draw us closer to the Lord? According to the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew, they don’t.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.
(Matthew 15:9 (NIV))
Are we guilty of following human rules, too?
If you are familiar with what is happening on many college campuses right now, you know that God is moving, and the best part is that He is not following human rules. He is doing it when people simply humble themselves and seek Him through prayer and repentance. There is no set ritual. There is no set routine. There is only a true sense of submission. People are kneeling in prayer. People are prostrating themselves at the alter or in the aisles. They don’t care what people think. They only seek God in truth and sincerity.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
(Romans 12:1 (NIV))
We need to open our hearts in this manner. We need to freely and openly come to the Lord with only one thing in mind. That one thing is to be open to whatever the Lord has for us.
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
(1 Corinthians 14:26 (NIV))
What builds up the church? Is it man made ritual or Spirit filled leadings?
With that in mind, I want to ask a question. Would you be open to the leadings of the Holy Spirit if at your next church service nothing went as planned and people were praying, weeping tears of joy, and being healed? I pray that this sounds wonderful to you! Are you ready for such a thing?
Are you ready to worship in the Spirit and in truth?
Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Posted by dailylivingministries
April 13, 2020
Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
(Matthew 28:6 (NIV))
Looking back at the last several weeks and what the whole world has endured, we need some good news!
There is no better news that we can receive than a heavenly announcement and acknowledgment that Jesus is alive!
When the angels announced that Jesus was not in the tomb, those who followed Jesus probably had been thinking prior to this announcement that their hopes had been shattered at the crucifixion. Can you imagine the joy that these words brought to them? They probably went from a feeling of despair and hopelessness to a feeling of jubilation and a peace that they did not understand.
What type of feelings have you experienced over the last several weeks? Be honest with yourself. Have you focused on the events of this world instead of focusing on God’s promises to those who love Him? If you have focused on God’s promises, I would venture to say that this Resurrection Sunday was probably a unique one as well as a blessed one. We may not have gathered in our church buildings to celebrate, but this reinforces the fact that buildings don’t make the church. People do!
Jesus came into the world to bring salvation to people, to individuals who would place their faith in Him. No matter how many people may be around you, in God’s plan, it doesn’t matter. He can call you in the middle of a large crowd or He can call you in the middle of a desert. If the world tries to keep His people from meeting together, then the Lord can meet with each one of us individually as He sees fit. This can only be done because we have placed our faith in His Son, Jesus, as our personal Lord and Savior. This only matters because of one very important piece of good news!
The grave could not hold Him!
The stone has been rolled away!
He defeated the power of sin and death!
There are many ways to express this absolute truth, but perhaps the one that is best is also the simplest.
Jesus is alive!
Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Leave a Comment » | accept God's grace and mercy, celebrate the resurrection, do you believe in the resurrection, embrace the resurrection of Jesus, God's grace and mercy, God's grace and mercy saves us, grace and mercy, He's alive, Jesus is alive, rejoice in God's grace and mercy, resurrection, tell others of the grace and mercy, testify to the resurrection, thankful for the grace and mercy, Uncategorized | Tagged: Acknowledgement, alive, angels, announced, announcement, Be still, bring, buildings, church, come, crucifixion, death, defeated, despair, events, experienced, faith, feeling, feelings, focused, followed, good news, grave, heavenly, hold, honest, hopelessness, hopes, imagine, individuals, Jesus, joy, jubilation, lay, Lord, meeting, peace, people, personal, place, power, prior, Promises, risen, rolled, salvation, Savior, see, shatterd, sin, stone, thinking, tomb, understand, world | Permalink
Posted by dailylivingministries
May 14, 2019
Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:46-47 (NIV))
We must not forsake fellowship with other believers. God intended for this fellowship to strengthen us, encourage us, and enable us to reach others for Jesus. It is tremendous how the early church grew even under the persecution that they faced for their beliefs. This growth was made possible by the fellowship and strengthening that comes from sharing and encouraging others in the faith.
The church was not intended to be buildings as so many today think of it. The church is the Body of Believers, no matter where we may be gathered. The early church gathered in homes and grew strong in the faith. Today’s church meets in buildings once or twice a week and many see it as a duty, not as a time for fellowship with other believers and with Jesus.
“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
(Matthew 18:19-20)
Are we gathering in Jesus’ name or are we just gathering to be seen by man?
Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Posted by dailylivingministries
July 27, 2015
Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:42-47 (NIV))
This sounds very wonderful!
What do you think was the main reason why people were being saved?
Was it the short and concise worship service with everything spelled out in the bulletin?
Was it the music? Was it the lack of music? Was it the programs? Was it a new church building? Was it the food pantry? Was it the clothes closet?
Or was it simply the power of God as it was shown in true fellowship with the Body of Christ?
What are the basic fundamental aspects of life that we all share as human beings?
As someone pointed out this morning, we are created to be a part of a community. We long to be with others. We either find fellowship with those who are a part of the Body of Christ, or we find fellowship with those who are not. In short, the fellowships that we have will either lift us up and hold us to a higher standard or they will drag us down into the sin that we don’t want.
One of the basic aspects of life is that we all must eat. Eating is very much a social activity, especially when you gather with people who share your common interests. Breaking bread brings a bond. We simply don’t just sit there and stuff our faces in silence. We socialize. We laugh. We cry. We share ideas. We share thoughts, dreams and aspirations. We share parts of ourselves that may never see the light of day in any other way. We build friendships over meals.
It is said that it is easier to get people to come to your house for a meal than it is to get them to go to church. Think about that the next time someone hems and haws about accepting your invitation to go to church.
The early church did not have buildings. They met in people’s homes. They became friends. They built trust. They built relationships and they built the church through these aspects of life. They did not build the church through big buildings or great music.
Do we, the modern church, have something to learn from the early church?
Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Posted by dailylivingministries
Daily Living Ministries 