We need Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV))

Discipleship is relational. Spreading the Gospel is relational. Loving people is relational.

Neither Jesus nor His disciples developed programs that took the place of true and loving relationships with people. Why do so many churches today push programs over relationships when they are trying to lead people to Jesus? We have men’s programs. We have women’s programs. We have college, youth and children’s programs, but do we truly have Jesus?

We have lead pastors, administrative pastors, youth pastors, senior adult pastors, children’s pastors and worship pastors, but when the focus is the organization instead of people, we lose Jesus. We become like the very Pharisees that Jesus called a brood of vipers.

Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying.

If done correctly, these programs can become great ministry outreaches, but if we lose sight of how Jesus loved people, then all of the programs in the world won’t amount to a hill of beans.

When we stand before the Lord, He is not going to ask you how many programs that you participated in. He will ask you how well you did at sharing the Gospel. He will ask you how well you used the talents that He gave you. He will ask you these questions even though He already knows the answers. He will ask then just as He is asking now, and as He has always asked. He wants each of us to examine our own hearts, our own lives, in the light of the only thing that matters. Did you love the Lord as He loves you and have you loved others as He loves them?

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
(Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV))

This is what we are called to do.

We don’t need another program.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(‭‭‭John‬ ‭14‬‬:‭6‬ (‭NIV‬‬))

We need Jesus!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Have you thrown any mountains into the sea?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.
(Matthew 21:21 (NIV))

Every believer reads this passage and secretly wishes that they had a faith this strong. Far too many of us read this and get hung up on the laws of physics and the physical improbability of something like this happening, but we forget to take into consideration one important fact.

We profess a faith in Jesus!

He was crucified, dead and was buried. He was then resurrected on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God the Father. If we profess a faith in someone who has accomplished the ultimate physical impossibility, why do we ever doubt anything else?

Let’s take this one step further. I like to look at this in conjunction with this passage.

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
(John 14:12 (NIV))

Exactly what works did Jesus do?

The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.
(Matthew 11:5 (NIV))

Are you doing the works that Jesus did? If you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you are supposed to be doing these. If you faith is strong enough to do these things, then it is strong enough to move mountains. All that you need to do is realize one important fact.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
(1 John 4:4 (NIV))

With all of these scripture passages saying that if we have faith then we can do anything in His Name, I have but one question left to ask.

Have you thrown any mountains into the sea?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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What do these events mean to you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
(Matthew 26:39-42 (NIV))

Many people think that Jesus did not know anguish and pain!

These words show that on the day leading up to what we know as Good Friday, Jesus feared what was to come, yet, still was obedient to the Father’s Will for Himself and for us. Think about the events that we remember this weekend and welcome them into your lives as the key events that they actually are. Put yourself in the events.

What did Jesus feel? What made the crowds turn upon Him? Would you have been like Peter? Would you be at the foot of the cross?

With the knowledge that we have about what happened, are you at the foot of the cross now?

Looking back, we think that we know so much more than the disciples or the crowds, but in all honesty, we would probably have reacted the very same way. Thankfully, we live when we can look back on these events and we can reap the benefit of historical perspective. With that said, I have one question for you.

What do these events mean to you?

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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Are you offering the gift of mercy and grace that is only found in Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.
(Ezekiel 3:18 (NIV))

What do you think of when you see wickedness in the world?

Do you succumb to human nature and find yourself thinking that these wicked people will get what they deserve?

How does that attitude fit our basic job description that was given to us by Jesus?

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV))

Have you ever stopped to consider that these words from Jesus are His instructions to us to say “You will surely die” to a wicked person?

Think about that for a moment with respect to your salvation. What if no one ever told you what Jesus is asking you now to tell others? Where would that leave you? Wouldn’t you want to be told that you would die, but there is a way to escape this death? Wouldn’t you want to know that you have fallen short of what is expected of you?

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

Wouldn’t you want to know the consequences of this short coming, as well as the fact that God has already set things in motion to offer you grace?

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 (NIV))

Wouldn’t you want to know that God has set a perfect plan in motion to redeem you from these consequences and that it is a free gift of grace only available through accepting His Son, Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
(Romans 8:1 (NIV))

After reading all of this, we must go back to what was presented in Ezekiel. We are told that if we do not warn them, if we do not share that repentance and grace can be theirs, then we will be held accountable. With that said, salvation is not only for you and I. It is a gift that is to be continually given through the testimonies of those who have already received.

Are you warning others of what is to come?

Are you offering the gift of mercy and grace that is only found in Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you correctly doing your part?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
(John 18:36 (NIV))

Do you believe that what Jesus told His followers then still applies now?

Why do we think that we have to fight, when we are clearly told that all we must do is be still.

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
(Exodus 14:14 (NIV))

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
(1 Samuel 17:47 (NIV))

Why do we think that we have to take matters into our own hands when all that we can do is mess things up? We can’t guarantee the outcome of anything that we do, so why do we think that our feeble attempts at “helping” God will do anything at all? Why do we place our trust and our energy in human leaders when we should be turning things over to the Lord, for it is His Will that will be done?

We are told to put on the full armor of God, but that armor is not indicative of a physical battle. It is our call to prepare ourselves for a spiritual war that has already been decided because the Lord has planned it that way. When we try to put on physical armor, we are running the risk of making decisions that go against what the Lord has planned. When we put on the full armor of God, the spiritual nature of the warfare is outlined. We understand that our part in this battle is to rescue the lost and dying. Our part is to follow the leading of the Lord and do what we have been called to do since He gave us our orders.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV))

We are to take a stand for what is right and true. We are to reach out to those who are hurting. We are to share the good news of Jesus with those who are still in need of a Savior. In other words, our part of the battle is rescuing those who are trapped in the clutches of the enemy. Everything else is up to the Lord. Everything else will unfold as He has planned and when He has it planned. There is nothing that we can do of our own strength that will change what He has planned.

However, we can pray!

We can pray for His Will to be done. We can pray for those who are in need of a Savior. We can pray for the hearts of the leaders, and we can pray for His kingdom to come.

It has been said that our part of the battle is to fall to our knees in prayer.

Are you correctly doing your part?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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How does Jesus know you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
(Matthew 15:20 (NIV))

With this statement from Jesus, nothing could be clearer!

That only leaves the obvious next question.

Are you doing the will of the Father?

This requires a complete surrender to the Lord and an understanding of what His Will is in order to answer truthfully. Perhaps it is better to ask if it is your desire to do the will of the Father, for even after professing a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you will falter in your walk of faith. You will inadvertently give in to your sinful human nature even though you desire to live a righteous life. Even Paul had these moments.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
(Romans 7:15-20 (NIV))

Do you truly desire to do the will of the Father?

If you have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you have realized that you are a sinner in need of a savior. You have realized that you are not capable of perfection in the eyes of God, but through Jesus, God sees you as He sees Jesus. He sees a spotless, sinless person. With that in mind, I venture to say that one of the most important parts of doing the will of the Father is accepting the grace and mercy that He freely offers through the cross of Jesus. Since God does not wish for anyone to perish, it is His will that you accept the grace and mercy given through Jesus.

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))

How does Jesus know you?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you willing to answer the call?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
(Matthew 9:38 (NIV))

Have you truly stopped and given this passage thought?

Let me explain my question.

If you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, we have been given instructions. We have been given a job assignment that is supposed to be our primary task as believers in Jesus.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
(Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV))

In other words, we are supposed to be working the harvest field!

If we ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers, we are asking Him to send us! The most important question that we must then ask ourselves is how will we answer. Will we be as willing to go as Isaiah was?

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
(Isaiah 6:8 (NIV))

It is said that God loves a cheerful giver. That is true for so much more than just our finances. It involves our time! God longs for us to be willing to work the harvest field. He longs for us to tell others about the amazing grace that is available to anyone who will simply repent and receive. Are you willing to give of your time so that others may know of God’s great love? Are you willing to share the Gospel to a world desperately in need of salvation? Are you willing to work the harvest? Are you willing to put yourself out there in a world that is becoming more and more hateful of anything to do with the Gospel, with Jesus?

Are you willing to answer the call?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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We are to be faithful and diligent until the appointed time!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
    it speaks of the end
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
    it will certainly come
    and will not delay.
(Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV))

Are you tired of waiting?

If you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, then there are several things that you know will happen because we have been told that they would happen. Still, waiting is never easy, especially when you see the things that are happening in this world, and you know that the only hope that this world has is Jesus!

If you were taken in the rapture at this very moment, would you be upset? Are there things in this world that you don’t want to let go of? Take a good look at your priorities and be completely honest with yourself when you answer.

Most believers long to be with Jesus., yet, we are torn. We desire to be with Jesus in the presence of the Father, yet, we all have someone whom we love who has not come to the saving knowledge of Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. For this, I am willing to wait. For this, I am praying for friends and family to repent and come to salvation through Jesus.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
(2 Peter 3:9 (NIV))

I realize that I am being selfish when I long for the appointed time. I am guilty of seeing this promise through the eyes of someone who has already accepted their salvation. I need to open my eyes and see this as Jesus sees it. I need to realize that the Father does not wish for any to perish. If that is the Father’s wish, then it must be mine as well.

Still, there is coming a time, an appointed time, that will not delay. We must be prepared for that time as it rapidly approaches. We must also be diligent in our assignment, for we have not been given a reprieve.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV))

We are to continue to make disciples. We are to continue baptizing. We are to continuing teaching.

We are to be faithful and diligent until the appointed time!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do your deeds glorify God?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
(Matthew 5:16 (NIV))

How good are you at letting your light shine?

Let me rephrase that question and ask it like this.

Do others see Jesus in everything that you do?

Several years ago there was a big movement with WWJD – What Would Jesus Do? You would see wristbands and stickers and many other things with this prominently displayed. This did quite a lot in regard to reminding people how to act if they wanted to truly follow Jesus. I also think that this was also used by the enemy to trick believers into being submissive out of “love” when they saw something that was not right in the eyes of God. My favorite thing that I saw that someone created to clarify this statement reminded people that at one point Jesus fashioned a whip and turned over the tables of the money changers.

Does this sound like the type of “love” that the enemy has tricked us into believing about Jesus?

Jesus was compassionate toward the people lost in their sin as He encountered them, but He was also extremely passionate about the Father. He would never do anything that was contrary to what the Father instructed. He would never do anything contrary to God’s Word. His compassion for people, for us, was never to affirm them in their sin. It was to call them home to a loving Father. He was calling sinners to repent and return to the Father through Him!

With that in mind, I venture to say that there will be times when we are called to let our light shine and it will actually mean that we will be filled with the righteous passion for the Father and for His Word that made Jesus turn over tables.

Are you willing to take a stand for what is right in the eyes of the Father? Are you willing to make a public profession that you do not agree with the sinful practices that are being done? Sometimes shining your light means that you are to go into battle against the darkness and not simply try to make friends with it.

If Jesus said that only the Father is good, then in order to do good deeds, we must point people to the only one who is good. Our deeds must point to Jesus as the only way to the Father! That is how we glorify God.

Do your deeds glorify God?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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