Are you listening to your Father’s instructions?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
(Proverbs 1:8 (NIV))

I am afraid that we have become a society were the parents look to the children for answers. Too many parents allow the children to make the decisions for themselves and sometimes even for the whole family. We, as parents, have become afraid of losing our children’s friendship. As a result, we lose our children and the roles get reversed.

Society has become too permissive with respect to allowing things to get out of hand. We no longer teach our children right from wrong. We live in a society that tells us there is no absolute truth, so consequently, there is no absolute right and wrong. Truth is relative. What is correct in one situation may not be the correct thing to do in another situation. We no longer have a moral compass by which we can steer our lives. It is permissible to do anything as long as no one gets hurt. I want to know who is responsible for this idiotic idea.

All throughout the Bible we are taught that there is a way that we should live. If we don’t live in that manner, then we sin. We miss the mark that God has set before us. Sin is not only the actions that hurt others. Sin is also the private acts that only scar the individual. Sin never leaves anything as flawless and pristine as before it occurred.

I don’t know what you think, but it seems to me that we, as a society, have stopped trying to reach that higher standard. We no longer desire to better ourselves in the eyes of God. We have not only stopped striving for God’s standard, in far too many cases, we have turned one hundred and eighty degrees in the opposite direction. How can we face ourselves? How can we face God? We have allowed leniency to take the place of love. We have allowed permissiveness to take the place of instruction. We have allowed rebellion to take the place of respect.

We, as a nation, need to return to the basic principles that God has given us. Here is where we can start.

Train a child in the way he should go,
    and when he is old he will not turn from it.
(Proverbs 22:6 (NIV))

Are you listening to your Father’s instructions?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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How do you see others? How do you see yourself?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, `Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
(Luke 6:41-42 (NIV))

Isn’t it typical human nature to see the minor faults in others while we overlook the major faults within ourselves?

We simply like to point out the faults in others and exaggerate them so that our own faults are not noticed. We make others look worse than they really are so that we can make ourselves look better in the eyes of others.

How did Jesus handle this?

He simply pointed out the fact that we cannot be in any shape spiritually to “assist” others with their faults if we completely ignore all of ours. Jesus came into the world to teach and be an example of what we should be and how we should act. He never ridiculed or accused people of things. He simply taught by example. His example was flawless. He was perfect. He could point out someone else’s flaws and be justified in doing so publicly, yet, He chose to treat others with love, grace and mercy.

How can we, who are sinful, treat others as if we are sinless when He who was truly sinless treated others as if He were one of them?

How do you see others? How do you see yourself?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you able to be made perfect?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

With everything that I have been through in the last several days, I have been thinking a lot about physical imperfections and God’s perfection. This is a repost of something from 6 years ago that I feel is worth repeating.

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As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
(Psalms 18:30 (NIV))

Can you think of anything in this world that is perfect? Is there anything that has not been touched by the consequences of sin and death? If we take a close look at this thought process, then we can unequivocally state that, since the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, it has become the natural order for things to degrade and devolve and not evolve.

Why is this? If God is perfect, how can the world be full of imperfection? How can a perfect Creator create something that is imperfect?

God did not create the world in imperfection. He created the world in perfection and gave us free will to choose our own course of action. He did this so that those who seek Him would seek Him out of an honest desire and not out of a “pre-programmed” response. God has a plan. His plan takes into consideration the fact that we have a free will. It also takes into consideration that He will seek to call each of us to Him so that we will turn to Him out of our free will.

Through this plan, God has given us His Son, Jesus Christ as an atoning sacrifice who bridges the gap between ourselves in our sin and the righteousness of God. Again, God allows us free will in whether we accept this plan. Some people feel that they do not need this plan. Others feel that it is too simple and will not work for them. There is a design philosophy that states that less is more. In essence, the simpler things actually take more time to develop and refine in order to get to the point where it is simple.

We do not have to work for salvation. We do not have to suffer for our sins. We do not need to find our own way to salvation, for our salvation has found its way to us. All we have to do is accept the perfect way that God has provided and earnestly take refuge in it.

Have you accepted God’s perfection through Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Have you ever embraced perfection?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
(Proverbs 30:5 (NIV))

Have you ever held perfection?

Have you ever studied perfection?

Have you ever embraced perfection?

This is such an interesting point. It is one that I have read, but somehow I missed the implications of this passage until now.

When something is flawless, it is said to be perfect. God’s Word is flawless. It is perfect! We know God’s word as the Bible. I realize that there are numerous translations and that it is printed by man, but is not the vessel that is perfect. It is the message.

When we hold the Bible and when we study the Bible, as long as the translation is true to the original, then we are holding perfection. We are studying perfection. What is so profound is that God sent perfection to walk among us.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
(John 1:1-2 (NIV))

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

God sent His Son, Jesus, who is the Word made flesh. Jesus was and is flawless. Jesus is perfection.

Does perfection live within you?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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