Be very careful not to lose your focus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
(1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV))

How secure are you in your faith? How confident are you that you can resist temptation? Are you capable of standing firm in the face of the sin that used to hold you captive?

When answering these questions, it is essential that you don’t forget that you are human and have inherited a sinful, fallen nature. It is a nature that is hard to overcome on your own. Even if you have professed a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, it is still possible to fall back into the very sins that you seek forgiveness for. It takes discipline. It takes focus. It takes the grace and mercy that was freely given through Jesus!

No one is perfect. We may desire to walk in the confidence that we will always do what Jesus calls us to do, but we are only capable of claiming our righteousness because Jesus is righteous. Without Jesus, we are nothing.

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
(Isaiah 64:6 (NIV))

Walking with Jesus takes effort. It is not easy.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
(Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV))

The wide gate and the broad road are easier to travel than the narrow road and the small gate. Think of the difference between an interstate highway and a narrow and winding country road. Which is easier to travel on? Which gets you there faster? Which has the twists and turns that build your driving skills? Which holds surprise blessings along the way? If you are traveling the narrow road, you must maintain your focus or you can find yourself in danger of running off of the road. An interstate highway leads you rapidly to where you think you want to go, but is it truly the best way to go? It takes you on a journey that bypasses all of the great things that you would encounter if you focused on traveling the narrow road.

I realize that I took a small detour with the driving comparison. This is a prime example of just how easy it is to fall for a diversion. It shows us just how easy it is to lose our focus.

Be very careful not to lose your focus!

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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There is only one

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
(Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV))

I don’t know about you, but this pretty much clears up how to get to heaven!

Contrary to what society says, there are not multiple ways to God. According to my understanding of the word “one,” there is a distinct and singular quantity that is being discussed and defined. This concept clearly indicates that what some people call a god is not the one true God and Father of all. They are false gods.

All throughout the New Testament, we are given glimpses of oneness, and they all point to Jesus as that one true way.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:16 (NIV))

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
(Matthew 7:13 (NIV))

We are the Body of Christ and Jesus is the head. We should be moving in unison with the head and the Holy Spirit, just as the cells of our own bodies move in unison as directed by our own heads. We should be glorifying the one Lord as directed by the one Spirit. We should profess one faith that Jesus is the one true Lord, the only begotten Son of the one true God. We should stand firm in our faith and be ready to proclaim our faith in the one and only way to the Father.

Have you proclaimed your faith in the one?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What are the results of sin and its approval?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

“Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
(Romans 1:32 (NIV))

Does this sound like the current world view?

It takes no stretch of the imagination to see people rebelling against God’s righteous decrees. What they are doing is being practiced, tolerated and flaunted by society. Certain groups within our society seem to take great pleasure in thumbing their proverbial noses at those who seek after righteousness as well as God, Himself.

There is even division in the church!

Some people have embraced sin under the false concept that God loves everyone, and that since He created them, He must be okay with the sin. They erroneously think that God loving the individual and God loving the sin is the same thing. Nothing could be further from the truth!

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

In other words, no one is worthy to be in God’s presence because we are all sinners.

Where do we belong as a result of our sinful nature? How do we escape what is our rightful condemnation?

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

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
(Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV))

Jesus is the narrow gate!

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))

With it clearly spelled out for all to see, what I don’t understand is why anyone would choose the sinful nature? Why does anyone approve of the sinful nature?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What gate does your road lead to?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
(Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV))

Have you ever read Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken?” The symbolism and the parallels between the poem and this passage of scripture are definitely there. I do not know much about Robert Frost’s life, but I know the longing and searching that he portrayed through his words. They portray a person at a decision point in their life. In both pieces, we are encouraged to follow the path that is not as well traveled.

The differences between Matthew 7:13-14 and “The Road Not Taken” end there, though. The words in Matthew cause us to pause and reflect on the most important aspect of our lives, our salvation. Robert Frost’s words cause us to look at each aspect of our life, but do not point us directly to the salvation that is ours if we only make the right choice. It is good to reflect on your life and the decisions that you make, but, we must not lose site of the one and only decision that can effect eternity.

In addition, life decisions cannot be undone easily. There will always be consequences for our earthly decisions. However, a decision for salvation can be made at any time in our lives. no matter how far we go done the wide road, it is only a matter of the will to change our course and travel on the narrow road.

God allows U-turns!

What gate does your road lead to?

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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