How do you look upon other people?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
(Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV))

There is that strange word, again!

Others.

We have instructions to look after the interests of those that are not ourselves. What a concept in this day of the “What’s in it for me” mentality.

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
(John 14:12 (NIV))

Do you have faith in Jesus?

Think about what He has done for anyone who is simply willing to receive. He was and is the Son of God, yet, He came to this earth to die for others. He did not have His interests in mind when He went to the cross.

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
(John 19:28-30 (NIV))

“It is finished.”

Three simple words that show that this was all part of a plan to save others. He thought of you and I while He was on that cross. What can we do to express our faith so that we do not become selfish and conceited?

How do you look upon other people?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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It all starts at the cross!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin– because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
(Romans 6:4-7 (NIV))

What a glorious statement! We, as believers, have been freed from sin!

This does not mean that we do not sin. We are still human. What this means is that we are free from the punishment of sin. We have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. He has paid the price for our sin. It has been washed away from us by His crucifixion. Through His resurrection, we have been granted the right to be born again, to be looked upon by God as righteous and spotless in His sight.

We will still sin. We are in the world. The world is controlled by Satan, the father of all lies and sin. But, we will not be condemned to suffer the consequences of sin, for we have a risen Savior in Jesus Christ! This does not mean that we can choose to sin all that we want. It means that when we do slip up, we can ask for forgiveness.

We can ask for and be shown grace and mercy in spite of our sins. This is the ultimate freedom!

Are you truly free from sin and death?

It all starts at the cross!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Have you surrendered your mind and your heart to Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).
(John 19:17 (NIV))

I just love the way that God works in symbolism!

As we approach Easter and the resurrection, we must remember that in order for Jesus to be resurrected, He first had to die. He had to go willingly to the place of the Skull to die to himself so that God’s plan could be fulfilled.

Isn’t it interesting how we, before we can embrace the resurrection, must also go to our own place of the skull. We must be willing to die to our reasoning and intellect and follow solely on faith. We must accept something that makes absolutely no worldly sense. We must die to our inability to believe in something without seeing it. We must die to our own place of the skull.

It is amazing how God will work in us and through us once we have willingly laid ourselves at the foot of the cross once we surrender our own place of the skull.

We are now ready to fully embrace the resurrection and the grace and mercy that it brings. This knowledge has not only transformed our minds, it is now ready to transform our lives. It can now travel the longest distance known to humanity – the eighteen inches from our mind to our heart – and truly have an impact on us.

Have you died to your place of the skull?

Have you fully embraced the resurrection?

Have you surrendered your mind and your heart to Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Have you taken up your cross and followed His example?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
(Mark 8:34 (NIV))

How are you at the task that Jesus set out before all who would follow Him?

How are you at denying yourself?

How are you at taking up your cross?

Easter is rapidly approaching. The day that we observe the yearly celebration of the resurrection of the crucified Jesus. It is something to celebrate. It is the culmination of all of God’s promises, for without the resurrection, the cross means nothing. Without the empty tomb, we are all guilty sinners without any hope.

Have you ever thought about why Jesus said that we must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him?

The world thinks that following Jesus is a joke. They look upon those who proclaim a faith in Jesus as less than intellectual, as someone stuck in childlike fantasy. Following Jesus is not always the easy thing to do. We have influences from all realms of society that mock us and try to get us to do things that we know are not right. We are called to stick to the path laid out before us as believers. We are to not only accept the grace and mercy but show this same grace and mercy to others.

Think about Jesus on the cross. Was it socially acceptable to do what He did? Was it politically correct to preach and teach as He did? Was it in His best interests as a human to be seen with tax collectors, adulterers and sinners of all types?

Jesus denied Himself in ways that we can only imagine. He said and did things that He knew would anger the Sanhedrin. He kept the company of those who were social outcasts. He did all of this without any regard for His well-being. He even went to the cross without any resistance. This was the ultimate act of denying yourself.

He placed others first!

We are to do the same. We are to seek the lost and offer them a path to grace. We are to see the hungry and feed them. We are to feel the pain of a lost world and pray. We are called to do things beyond ourselves.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
(John 13:35 (NIV))

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
(John 15:13 (NIV))

Think of the love that Jesus showed for all of creation.

Have you taken up your cross and followed His example?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Jesus didn’t say only on Sunday!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
(Luke 9:23 (NIV))

How much attention do you pay to Jesus on a Monday?

How about on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday?

Do you deny yourself on these days?

What about Friday and Saturday?

It is almost a given that most people do not deny themselves on these two days, especially starting when work is complete on Friday afternoon. Sadly, too many carry this over into Sunday. This is true even for some who profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. For far too many, all that they seem to be able to commit to the Lord is an hour on Sunday morning. Even then, they watch the time and pay more attention to the text message they just received than they do to what is being taught about God’s Word.

This is so far from what was intended with these words spoken by Jesus. Following Jesus is not an hour a week occurrence. We are to set our eyes upon Jesus every single moment of every single day. We are to deny the things that distract us from what we have professed as our first love. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus even when we are at work. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus during our best days. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus during our worst days. If you acknowledge that Jesus is the Word made flesh, then the following passage takes on a whole new meaning.

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
(Deuteronomy 11:18 (NIV))

We are to fix Jesus in our hearts and minds. We are to tie His teachings to our lives and bind them to our hearts and minds so that they are with us always, and not just an hour a week.

We can’t expect to take up our cross daily if we do not take up His Word daily. Take is an action verb. It indicates a willful grasping, a determined and premeditated action that results in possessing what was taken. Following Jesus is a set of daily, deliberate and willful actions that keep us focused on Jesus. We can’t stay focused on anything if we only devote one hour out of 168 hours that are in each week to what we profess to follow. We devote more time than that to eating. We devote more time than that to watching television. We devote more time than that to just about everything else in our lives. To the things that we love, we devote more of our time.

What does that say about your love for Jesus?

What does that say about your relationship with the Lord?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV))

It takes time to get to truly know Jesus. We are to take up our cross daily. We are to follow daily.

Jesus didn’t say only on Sunday!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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WE NEED REVIVAL!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV))

What do you consider as foolishness?

Over the last few days, I have read and heard some pretty foolish things from people who claim to be followers of Jesus. Just to provide some background information on what this is all about, there is a revival occurring on Asbury University and it is being received in all manner of various different ways, even among those who profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

The proper response for anyone who professes a faith in Jesus is a glorious AMEN! This should then be followed up with a desire for the flames of revival to be fanned so that it spreads far and wide!

Sadly, I have read and heard responses that are far from what should be the desire of every person who professes a faith in Jesus. I have even read comments from people who claim to be pastors and preachers that are derogatory to the events unfolding and spreading. Comments range from denominational vitriol to claims that this can’t be from God because it doesn’t mention social justice, or that it isn’t led by ordained clergy. I don’t know about you, but these reactions sound so much like what Jesus encountered with the Sadducees and Pharisees. From the reports that I have seen, it is a powerful move of God through the students and for the students. It is not led by the pastors. It is not led by the professors. It is not clinging to denominational doctrine, but to Biblical truths. People are praying and being delivered. They are surrendering to the power of the Holy Spirit and they are not waiting for an official church approval. From the reports that I have heard, it is spreading to other campuses and other cities,

AND, . . .

Students are coming from other college campuses by the bus load to be a part of what God is doing?

Do you want to be a part of what God is doing? Do you long for an honest and sincere revival from the Holy Spirit and not just one hour a day for a few days from a guest speaker?

I applaud the revival. In fact, I long for revival. I pray that it would break out on every college campus across the nation and the world. I pray that it would break out in every church across the nation and the world. I pray that it would break out in our governments, in our schools, at our jobs, and in our homes. I pray that the message of the cross would spread so fast and so far that those who see it as foolishness would be exponentially decreasing each and every day!

Do you see revival as foolish? Do you see surrendering to the power of the Gospel as foolish? Do you see salvation, mercy and grace as foolish? Do you see redemption and healing as foolish?

Are you stuck in the mindset that says it can’t be done that way because that has never been done before?

See, I am doing a new thing!
     Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
     and streams in the wasteland.
(Isaiah 43:19 (NIV))

John the Baptist was a new thing!

He proclaimed repentance, baptism and the coming of the Messiah.

Jesus was a new thing!

He upset the traditions of man by showing us what God had intended. All that you have to do is take a look at the following passage.

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
(Luke 19:39-40 (NIV))

I don’t know about you, but I long for the power of the Lord to be made manifest so that the stones don’t have to cry out.

WE NEED REVIVAL!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What is it that you do?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
(James 1:22 (NIV))

Are you content to hear a twenty minute sermon once a week and then profess to know how God desires for you to live?

If you want to learn how to be a better musician, you practice your instrument often. If you want to be a better tennis player, you practice and play often. If you want to run a marathon, you train and you run often. If you want to be good at your job, you go to school to learn the details about your chosen profession. Why do we think that we can do any different when it comes to living our lives according to God’s Word? Why do we think that we’ve got this “Christianity thing” down pat when we can’t even go one minute without failing miserably at putting our faith into action?

James tells us to do what the Word says, but how many of us actually spend enough time alone in God’s Word to know what it says? How many of us truly understand the concept of taking up our cross daily and following Him daily?

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
(Luke 9:23 (NIV))

If we don’t do what His Word says, if we don’t take up our cross daily, if we don’t follow Him daily, are we doing anything more than giving lip service to something that we truly don’t understand? Are we guilty of simply being a poser?

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV))

I long to hear completely different words when I stand before Jesus!

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
(Matthew 25:21 (NIV))

We know that only by professing a faith in Jesus will we be saved. Works will not do it. Associating with someone who professes a faith will not do it. Only by professing a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior will bring you the gift of salvation, but we are called to put our faith into action. We are called to live according to God’s Word. We are called to emulate Jesus in all that we do. We are called to walk with Jesus and imitate what we see in Him. If we profess a faith in Jesus, then our heart should desire to do what He calls us to do, but we must do it only as He directs. It is so easy to see things that we think we should be doing and go off and do them without Jesus in our lives. If you consider Jesus in context to the passage from James, it bring clarity. Jesus was God with us, yet, He didn’t do what He wanted to do. He only did what God’s Word instructed.

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
(John 5:19 (NIV))

What is it that you do?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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I will patiently wait as His plan unfolds!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

How long will the enemy mock you, God?
    Will the foe revile your name forever?
(Psalms 74:10 (NIV))

Have you ever let out a spiritual groaning in agony and asked God how much longer before those who hate Him will be dealt with?

I will say that even though I am at peace with God’s plans as they unfold, I have often asked something very similar. It is human nature to want to fix a problem as quickly as possible, and the amount of evil in the world is a huge problem. Since it is beyond our abilities, we still seek a quick remedy, but God does not work on our timetable. He will deal with the evil when His perfect time has come. He will complete His plan and bring judgment when it is the right time.

It is mine to avenge; I will repay.
    In due time their foot will slip;
their day of disaster is near
    and their doom rushes upon them.
(Deuteronomy 32:35 (NIV))

Why does the church avoid this topic? Why have we allowed society to fill the minds of people with the false teachings that the Lord loves and accepts everyone just as they are? Why do we believe that we can stay in our sin and still have salvation? We are told to leave our life of sin. We are told to follow Jesus. We are told to live our lives in such a way that we turn from our sin and not embrace our sin. We are also told one more thing that most of the world ignores.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV))

Jesus calls us to leave our life of sin. He calls us to take up our cross. He calls us to a true relationship with Him as we grow in spiritual maturity. He calls us to learn the very heart of God! When we learn the very heart of God, our heart begins to change. When our hearts change, it creates a complex relationship with the world. We long for God’s judgment, yet, at the same time, we long for those who will be judged to repent and accept salvation.

Even though I long for His return for His church, I will patiently wait as His plan unfolds!

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Does your life support your claims?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
(1 John 2:6 (NIV))

Did you just get blind sided by this passage?

Think about that question in relationship to how Jesus reacted to situations and how you react to similar situations. Perhaps that saying from a few years ago holds more merit than we gave it credit for.

WWJD?

What would Jesus do?

His reactions ran the gamut, but one thing was consistent. Jesus always responded based on God’s Word and not on human emotions. We have been given instructions on how we are to live in order to follow His example.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
(Galatians 5:13-26 (NIV))

In essence, if we claim to be followers of Jesus, then we must strive to follow His life. The very fact that Jesus came to walk among us in order to save us shows the great love that the Lord has for us. Jesus did not do anything contrary to what the Spirit instructed, even to the point of dying on the cross. We know beyond doubt that Jesus walked this world as a perfect example of what the fruit of the Spirit is to look like. If we claim to follow Jesus and our lives do not reflect these traits, then we must repent and refocus our lives so that they do.

Does your life support your claims?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you truly long to see Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
(2 Timothy 4:8 (NIV))

Do you long for the appearing of Jesus?

Are you looking for Jesus to come for His church? Do you read God’s Word and look for evidence of His soon return in the world around us? Do you have a strong desire to see Jesus, or are you apathetic about His return?

I know that I ask a lot of questions, but these are questions that most people don’t ask of themselves. The answers that you provide for these questions are telltale of what you expect. There is a concept that says that you will find what you are looking for. That may sound obvious, but think about it for a moment. If you are looking for treasure, you will only stop once you find it. What if that treasure is also looking for you to seek it? What if the very thing that we treasure also treasures us?

That is exactly what Jesus is doing! He is our treasure. He knows our hearts. We are His treasure. He died on the cross so that we could be called righteous because He is righteous. If we seek Him as our treasure, then He will find us as His treasure. If we do not seek Him, then we will not find Him as a treasure. We will know Him as the righteous Judge. We are at a point in history where we must decide to take Jesus as our treasure. We must long to see Him. We must call upon His name as our personal Lord and Savior. When we see Him and how we see Him depends on our desire to see Him!

We can desire to see Him as our personal Lord and Savior and we will see Him when He returns for His bride, or we can ignore Him and then we will see Him as Judge. It is our choice. It is a choice that cannot wait!

Do you truly long to see Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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