In other words, don’t be a builder!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The stone the builders rejected
     has become the cornerstone;
(Psalms 118:22 (NIV))

People longed for and anticipated this prophecy being fulfilled for centuries. When it was fulfilled, the religious leaders did not recognize Him because they did not recognize how the scriptures were to unfold. In essence, they had built up their own interpretation to the point that it no longer represented the truth. When the truth stood right in front of them, they did not recognize Him.

I find it saddening that far too often people will be searching for something and when it is right before them, they do not recognize that what they have is what they longed for. When Luke wrote Acts, he alluded to this by referencing the passage from Psalms.

then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is
     “‘the stone you builders rejected,
          which has become the cornerstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:10-12 (NIV))

We often attempt to build our own truths. This is especially true in our worship and our faith. If you don’t believe that this happens, all that you have to do is take a long hard look at all of the man-made denominations. We are so intent on building up our man-made rituals, practices and ideologies that we often miss what is the common foundation, what is the common cornerstone for what we profess to believe.

It is my prayer that we can look beyond the man-made rituals and return completely to the truth that is only found in Jesus. We must tear down any man-made stumbling blocks that we have put in our way. We must strive to only seek God without any man-made add ons.

In other words, don’t be a builder!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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We are to recruit others into a citizenship that never ends!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
(Philippians 3:20 (NIV))

If someone where to ask you what your address is, you would undoubtedly be able to answer with an exact location. My father spent over twenty years in the U.S. Army, and our address constantly changed depending on his assignment. For this reason, he always used his parents home address as his permanent mailing address, even when he was out of country.

If they were to ask you what country you were a citizen of, you would also be able to answer, even if you are one of the few who possess a dual citizenship. Which one do you consider your primary address and citizenship?

In both of these types of situations, people will most likely claim a primary, or permanent residence or citizenship. If you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you don’t have two citizenships – one in heaven and one on earth. You only have one. You are a citizen of heaven first and foremost. Your time on this earth is only a visit, a walk of faith on your way to your true residence.

Do you truly feel that this world is not your home? Do you grow tired of the things that you see and experience as you walk through this physical life?

If you profess a faith in Jesus, then you should feel uncomfortable in this world. You should long for heaven!

For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.
(Hebrews 13:14 (TLB))

I long for the day that I will see Jesus face to face, but, until then, I have a task set out before me. It is the very same task that each person has that professes a faith in Jesus.

We are to make disciples!

We are to share the Gospel!

We are to recruit others into a citizenship that never ends!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Where do your possibilities lie?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
(Matthew 19:26 (NIV))

Most people recognize this passage and claim it when they feel that they are up against a wall and cannot possibly win. These are very encouraging words, but we often take them out of context and try to apply them to our desires and not God’s will. Jesus was not implying that God is a genii who will grant our every wish. They have taken this passage and completely ignored the discussion leading up to these words.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
(Matthew 19:23-25 (NIV))

It is a matter of priorities. It is a matter of where your treasure lies.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:21 (NIV))

In other words, Jesus was implying that salvation is always possible with God. It may take time, but it is possible.

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))

Too many people place their hope in the treasures of this world, but these things fade and rust. Too many people place their hope in things that are impossible instead of placing them firmly in the hands of God the Father. If He can create everything that was created in seven days, then His plan for salvation is more than possible.

Have you lost all hope?

If this is the case, then you are looking to man for your hope, for God is the only possible source of hope. He gave us Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We could never save ourselves. That was and is an impossibility. He gave us Jesus as our salvation hope!

Where do your possibilities lie?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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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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I pray that the new year brings a renewed relationship to Jesus.

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
(Mark 13:32-33 (NIV))

I am constantly reading and studying. I said the same thing in 2013 about 2014, but 2023 looks to be a very interesting year in God’s time table. I do not profess to know the day or the hour, but the season is rapidly changing.

There are things going on in this world and in the heavens that are too numerous to simply be coincidence. They are increasing in frequency and in magnitude. Even with this increase, we, as the Body of Christ, must test everything against God’s Word. We must not be found guilty of falsely proclaiming things that do not match what we are told through God’s Word.

None of us know what tomorrow will bring.

Pray for wisdom.

Pray for discernment.

Pray for understanding.

Pray for the strength to follow God.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
     “For your sake we face death all day long;
        we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:31-39 (NIV))

I pray that the new year brings a renewed relationship to Jesus.

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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How do you see the world?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
(Titus 1:15 (NIV))

When was the last time that you experienced something with a little child? Their innocence and wonder make everything like new. They see the wonder and amazement in everything. They see their world through innocent eyes and everything that they see is seen from their fresh perspective. They see things before the world has corrupted them and made them see the bad that this world can display. This is probably why Jesus told His disciples the following.

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 18:3 (NIV))

With all that is currently happening in the world, I honestly wish that more people where like little children and pure of heart. Unfortunately, that is not the case. If you take a look at the parable of the wheat and the tares, you soon realize that the tares are the corrupt influence. Everything that they touch becomes corrupted. People who are like this seek only to corrupt and steal. They desire nothing more than to exploit whatever they can get their hands on.

Paul, in writing to Titus, clearly expresses Biblical truth. What he wrote about is also true of faith. They seem to go hand in hand. If you are pure then you have the faith to believe. If you have the faith to believe, then you have the ability to recognize purity. If you are corrupted and evil, then you only see the world for the corruption and evil that it can provide. Ironically, someone who is pure and someone who is corrupted can look at the same thing and see completely different things. They see what is in their heart.

How do you see the world?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Where do you look for help?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
(Psalms 121:1-2 (NIV))

So many people today are so dismissive of anything coming from the Lord if they admit that the Lord exists at all.

How about you?

What is your outlook, your attitude toward the Lord?

With all that is going on in the world, do you deny God, do you blame God, or do you look to God for help?

Hopefully, you are not part of the group that denies the Lord, for denial is not an excuse for sin. For those who blame God, their arrogance and self-centeredness have condemned them. For those of us who look to the Lord, we admit our sinful nature. We understand that the world is not our home. We know that this world will never be perfect because of sin. We know that all of humanity’s attempts will end in disaster. We know beyond any doubt that there is only one hope for this world and His name is Jesus!

When the earth quakes and the waves roll, lift up your eyes!

When the rain falls and the mud slides, lift up your eyes!

When the enemy surrounds you on all sides, lift up your eyes!

The Lord is your help! Only He has the power and authority to fulfill all that He has promised.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
(2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV))

When it looks as if God’s promises will not be fulfilled, lift up your eyes. He never fails. He is our only source of true help, hope and love!

Where do you look for help?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Only God’s Word is eternal!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
(Matthew 24:35 (NIV))

We have this idea that our surroundings are a permanent fixture that we simply pass through for a few years, but are they truly permanent? From our limited perspective, they may appear that way for they were here when we were born, and unless Jesus returns soon, they will be here when we leave this world.

But, we have a very limited perspective!

Our days may come to seventy years,
     or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
     for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
(Psalm 90:10 (NIV))

God’s creation is much older than our limited life span, yet, His creation was made for us. If the fall from grace had not happened, we can only imagine what our world would be like today. Unfortunately, the fall from grace did happen and we are now living in a sinful, fallen world that we are promised will be made new when the Lord returns and makes His dwelling place among His creation.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
(Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV))

In essence, Matthew hinted at what we were given in detail in Revelation. Our God will make things new again and those who profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior will see His promises fulfilled.

Only God’s Word is eternal!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Lord, help us to surrender all authority to you!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

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))

Do you treat Jesus as if He has all authority in heaven and on earth, or do you treat Him as your personal servant – a servant who bows to your authority?

Sadly enough, too many people treat Jesus as their personal servant. They treat Him as if His only reason for existence was to take care of their every whim and desire. They have no understanding of who Jesus truly is and, therefore, they have no desire to do what He asks of us. They simply expect Him to do what they ask of Him. They will not relinquish the authority.

Who has authority in your life?

Do you follow Jesus or do you expect Him to follow you?

Do you tell others about Jesus and what He has done in your life, or do you tell others about “your” accomplishments and never mention Jesus?

Do others see Jesus in you, or do they express astonishment when someone tells them that you are a Christian?

Do you make disciples for Jesus or do you have to be reminded that you are a disciple?

Do you follow His teachings, or do you only acknowledge them for an hour on Sunday?

I know that these are tough questions, but they are questions that we must constantly ask ourselves. It is so easy to begin to believe that we are the ones in charge of our lives.

We have no authority.

Can we, by our own doing, extend the number of our days? Can we create life out of nothing? Can we stop the sun from rising or the winds from blowing?

If we are to truly fulfill the task that Jesus gave us in this passage, we must recognize that He is in authority and not us. He is not ours. We are His. I know that I have failed many times, but it is my desire to place Jesus in authority. I do not want to stand before Him and hear Him say that he does not know me.

Lord, help us to surrender all authority to you!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you love the world or do you love Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
(Philippians 3:20 (NIV))

Are you eagerly awaiting Jesus?

Your answer to that question is a direct result of how you look at the world and how you look at Jesus.

If you are focused on the world and look to the world for answers, then you are not eagerly awaiting Jesus even if you claim to believe. If you believe that everything is going to get better because you trust those in power, then your faith is not in Jesus, but in fallen humanity.

If you look at the world in disbelief as each ungodly decision is made as it falls deeper and deeper into complete rebellion against God, then you know beyond any doubt that your citizenship is firmly rooted in your faith in Jesus.

To put it simply, do you trust man or do you trust Jesus? Do you believe what the world tells you or do you believe what God told us long ago? If your answers are not what you expected, now is the time to repent and change your priorities. Don’t wait! Tomorrow may be too late!

Do you love the world or do you love Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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