Are you kind, compassionate and forgiving?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
(Ephesians 4:32 (NIV))

We are called to be kind, compassionate and forgiving!

So, just how hard can this be?

The last time that I looked, these characteristics go against anything and everything that we call human nature. They go against the very desires of the flesh that makes up our physical existence.

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.
(Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV))

We are called to be kind, compassionate and forgiving, yet our very flesh is doing all that it can to keep us from this calling. Our flesh calls us to focus on three individuals, me, myself and I. We must learn to desire the characteristics that God desires for each of us to possess. We must learn to shift our focus to others and learn how to see others as God sees them.

We must learn to shift our focus from the physical to the spiritual!

We must learn to shift our focus from ourselves to others!

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.
(Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV))

When you focus on what God desires for you, then you start to change from the inside out. You no longer see the world from the perspective of what’s in it for me. Rather, you start to see the world from the vantage point that we are all in the very same sinking ship. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. When this happens, you see in others what you know was at one point in you. You begin to see, and understand, that no one can do for themselves what Jesus has done for you. You realize that in order for them to be shown this great love, you must be the hands and feet of Jesus. You must share with them what was once shared with you. In essence, you need to show kindness. You need to show compassion, and you need to show forgiveness. It will be these characteristics that draw people to you. It will be these characteristics that allow you to show them Jesus.

Are you kind, compassionate and forgiving?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What is your house built on?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
(Matthew 7:24 (NIV))

It is important to have a firm foundation!

If you don’t believe this, try standing on a slippery floor in your socks, or try standing on an icy hill.

Stability is important in all aspects of life, both physical and spiritual. Everything that we do must have a firm foundation or it crumbles and falls out from underneath us. Too many of us look at the physical world and focus on our financial stability, yet we fail to even consider out faith as something that requires a firm foundation. We profess a faith in Jesus, yet we don’t act like it. When the least bit of trouble occurs, we start looking at our resources to figure out what to do. We look at our finances. We look at our jobs. We look at our health, but we never look to Jesus when He should be the foundation of all the things that we do.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
(Hebrews 11:1 (NIV))

What we turn to shows where we have placed our confidence. It shows where we have placed our hope. It shows where we have placed our assurance.

Think about that in relationship to the foundation of your house. Unless you were involved in the actual construction of your home, you have never seen its foundation. Yet, you trust that it will hold up your house. You have placed your confidence, your hope and your assurance on something that you have never seen. We trust the physical even when we cannot see what is there, so why do we not trust the spiritual when we also cannot see what is there? We have faith in the people who built our homes, yet we fail to have even that much faith in the One who gave us life, who gave us grace, who gave us mercy. When you don’t look to Jesus’ words and when you don’t put them into practice, you are standing on the slippery floor. You are standing on an icy hill. You are unstable in the very foundations of your life.

If you are reading this, you have probably professed a faith in Jesus, but do you truly live your life firmly rooted in His firm foundation?

What is your house built on?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Why are you still stumbling in the darkness?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
(John 8:12 (NIV))

Now is not the time to be living your life walking in the darkness!

What happens when you walk in darkness in the physical world?

You trip, stumble, fall and get injured!

What happens when you walk in spiritual darkness?

We know that spiritual darkness is sin. We now that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We know that the wages of sin is death. Do I need to go any further with this, especially with all that we see going on in the world?

Each of us has a choice to make. We can continue to walk in our sin, in our darkness, or we can repent and follow Jesus who is the bringer of light. Don’t wait until it is too late! The darkness makes you stumble and fall, and you never know just what will happen to you in the darkness. Too many people never make it out. They die in their sin. They never accepted the free offer of mercy and grace that would have lifted them out of darkness into His glorious light. If you haven’t accepted this offer of amazing grace, I have but one question for you.

Why are you still stumbling in the darkness?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Have you had your daily bread?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
(Matthew 4:4 (NIV))

What do you find yourself living on?

There is an old saying “You are what you eat.” Another way of saying it is “Garbage in, garbage out.” But, to be honest with you, what Jesus was talking about is not physical food.

What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
(Matthew 15:11 (NIV))

It is what a person puts into their heart, into their mind, and into their spirit that is the bread that Jesus was speaking about. In this case, it is very true that what you put into your life is what you will get out of your life. You can’t fill your life with garbage and expect to be able to produce something beautiful. You can’t fill your life with sin and expect to be righteous. You can’t fill your life with hatred and expect to be loved.

If you have ever tried to go on a diet, you know very well that it is difficult to change your habits in the physical world. It is also very difficult to change your habits in relationship to spiritual endeavors. Thankfully, we have help. We can turn to Jesus, profess our sins, and accept Him as Lord and Savior of our life. When we make this turn, when we choose to cast away the sin that has held us in bondage, we are professing that we desire to change our habits. We are professing a desire to fill our lives with what is of God. We are professing a desire to feast on the goodness of God.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
(John 6:35 (NIV))

We are to partake of the goodness and mercy that is freely given to us through the cross. We are to partake of the bread of life that is only found in Jesus. It is not just a once and done event. We are to feed on His truth and God’s Word every day of our lives from that moment on. We are to make time to sit in His presence and feast on the goodness of His promises. Are you in the habit of living off of His goodness each and every day? I pray that your answer is a resounding “Yes.”

Have you had your daily bread?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you still tripping over things in the darkness?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
     they do not know over what they stumble.
(Proverbs 4:19 (ESV))

Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night and the power was out?

You probably thought that you could walk through your house without a flashlight or by memory. I have been brave enough to do this a few times. More often than not, I end up tripping over something, or I stub my toe. Usually this happens because I didn’t count the number of my steps correctly to get around an object. This is a painful and stressful experience. It is at these moments that you are reminded just how important it is to walk in the light.

Walking in spiritual darkness is even more dangerous than walking in physical darkness. Our sinful, human nature has kept us in the dark for far too long. This darkness hides the dangers of the sinful existence that we all have lived. Each and every single one of us faces the consequences of our sin, for the wages of sin is death. No one can escape that death sentence, for we are not capable of doing anything on our own that will erase the stain of sin from our lives. When you walk in the darkness of sin, you are blind. When you turn to others who are also walking in the darkness of their sin, it is the blind leading the blind. This only results in more pain as you trip, stumble and fall in the darkness of your sin.

Thankfully, God provided a way out. He provided a light in an otherwise dark and dying world.

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. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
(John 3:16-21 (NIV))

It is so simple to have the light of the world light up your world!

Are you ready to walk in His light? It is as easy as ABC.

A is for admit that you are a sinner in need of a savior.

B is for believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Him from the dead.

C is for call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
(1 John 1:7 (NIV))

Are you still tripping over things in the darkness?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Where am I in the harvest?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
(Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV))

There is one thing about a harvest that most people fail to realize. Eventually, anything and everything that can be harvested has been brought in and the rest is either plowed under or burned. In other words, the harvest will come to an end!

This is true of a physical harvest as well as a spiritual harvest. You can only pick so many apples before all of the good ones are taken. You can only pick so many ears of corn before all that is left is only worthy of feeding to the pigs. You can harvest only the wheat that is ready before you end up with chaff. Eventually, what is being harvested is all taken!

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))

If you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you are part of that harvest. It doesn’t end there. God doesn’t want anyone to perish, so He has an assignment for you and for I. We are also called to work the harvest, but we know that God has hardened the hearts of those who only desire their sinful nature. We know that He has given them a delusional spirit because of their desires. They have rebelled against God for so long that He has given them exactly what they wanted. We know that in the end days, both the wheat and the weeds will grow up evenly. We know that at harvest time, the wheat will be brought into the barn and the weeds and chaff will be burned. This can only happen when the harvest is complete. This can only happen when the Lord of the harvest looks upon the harvest field, the earth, and sees that the harvest is complete.

Many people believe that the harvest is rapidly coming to an end. Once that end arrives, the field will be completely stripped of the wheat that was gathered during the harvest. Farmers throughout history have burned off the stubble and the chaff after a harvest. They have collected what was offered up and they have burned the rest to dispose of it. If we, as sinful humanity, are the harvest field, why would anyone choose to be left behind? Why would anyone choose to face the fires?

You need to ask yourself one very important question.

Where am I in the harvest?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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We must learn to see others through God’s eyes!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
(1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV))

How many times have you made a false judgment about someone simply based on their outward appearance?

If you are like me, you probably needed a little bit of time to be honest with yourself, especially when you come to the realization that we are all sinful, fallen creatures who are more concerned with the pretentiousness of the physical than any other aspects of our lives.

I believe that this happens as a result of our sinful, fallen nature. Let’s face the truth. We lost so much when humanity believed a lie and fell from grace. We lost the direct connection with God the Father, and as a result, we lost our ability to truly discern things based on God’s standards. Because of this, humanity has repeatedly fallen for the richest, the strongest, the tallest, the best looking, the most charismatic, and the most deceptive simply because we can only see the outer appearances. We can’t see people the way that God sees them. In fact, we don’t even see ourselves as God sees us. We see ourselves as worthless because we compare ourselves to what we can see in others. What we don’t see is the hidden secrets behind the veil of the outward appearance. We make the assumption that what is on the inside is just as good as what we see on the outside.

When you look in a mirror, what do you see?

I would safely assume that you see more in yourself than your outer appearance, yet, still not as much as what God sees in you. If we know that we are more than our outer appearances, why do we make the assumption that others are not like that? We falsely judge the proverbial book by its cover while completely ignoring the chapters contained within. We see a pretty face. God sees a shallow heart. We see a handsome athlete. God sees a self-centered arrogance. We see a rich young man. God sees a lost soul. We see someone who seems to love the spotlight. God sees a lonely heart.

Appearances can be deceptive. Things are not always as they seem. We must learn to look beyond the superficial and learn to see people the way God sees them. If you stop to think about it, when you hear someone say that a certain person has a good heart, that is usually a slight backhanded stab at their outer appearance. The same can be said for when you refer to someone as having a great personality. Have you ever said anything like that about someone? If so, have you repented for this and asked God to let you see them as He sees them?

We must learn to see others through God’s eyes!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you fully prepared for what tomorrow may bring?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
(Proverbs 27:1 (NIV))

Have your plans, like those of everyone else, been turned completely upside down this year?

Did you tell friends that you had a big vacation planned only to find yourself stuck inside your home for months on end? Perhaps there was a new activity that you wanted to take up, but couldn’t because of the uncertainty in this world. I remember sitting in a hotel on a little getaway with my wife when we started hearing that the stores were out of toilet paper near our home. By the time we left to head home, we decided that we should probably stop along the way to make a few purchases of our own! Every grocery store along the way was either sold out or almost sold out of toilet paper and paper towels. Only twenty-four hours earlier everything was normal.

If this year has taught us anything, it is the accuracy of this passage. We do not know what a day may bring!

I want you to consider another day that is coming. This day will find us waking up and going through our usual morning routines. It is possible that this day will begin just like any other day that any of us have experienced, but something will happen during the course of the day that will change everything. One scenario is that your physical life will end. If that is the case, are you prepared to stand before God and give an account of your life? Are you ready to face the consequences if you have not accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? The other scenario is that Jesus returns for His church. Will you be left behind to face the worst times in human history or will you be celebrating in heaven?

There is so much that can happen in the span of a single day!

Are you fully prepared for what tomorrow may bring?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Does the enemy ask who you are?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
(Acts 19:15 (NIV))

Have you ever felt like the odd man out?

You know what I mean. The last person picked for something. The only one who has not chosen a side. The person who is so quiet that you don’t know what they want. The person who tries to drop names in hopes of being allowed in with the cool kids, but it backfires completely.

Think about that with an eternal, spiritual perspective. Imagine dropping the name of Jesus in a situation where the evil spirit fights back because it recognizes the fact that you don’t truly know Jesus. You are just claiming His name because you think it will provide some sort of advantage or gain in the situation.

Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
(Acts 19:13-14 (NIV))

There is a difference between using the name of Jesus and truly knowing Jesus. There is also a difference that leads to the enemy recognizing your authority over them. They recognize the power that can only come through truly knowing the Lord.

Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
(Acts 19:16 (NIV))

Do you truly know Jesus? Can you boldly proclaim His name in the face of the enemy and know that the Lord will be with you through all that you face? All throughout history, truly knowing Jesus has had importance on an eternal level. We are getting to a point in history where a true relationship with Jesus is crucial in this physical world as well. We must be bold in our faith. We must stand firm in our convictions. We must proclaim the name of Jesus without fear and without shame. That is only possible if we truly have a personal Lord and Savior who stands with us closer than a brother. If this is true, then the enemy knows your name!

Does the enemy ask who you are?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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It is time to let your light shine!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
(John 1:5 (NIV))

Do you believe these words?

With all that is going on in the world, do you believe these words?

With all of the evil that is rampant and when the good is vilified, do you believe these words?

It is so hard to look at the things that are happening in the world, and in our own country. It is as if the whole world has gone mad. It is as if the whole world is upside down. Darkness is spreading and it seems as if it can’t be stopped. To be completely honest with you, it cannot be stopped in the natural. It is a spiritual war and it has spilled over into the physical reality that we call the world. Because it is a spiritual war, we have hope. Because it is a spiritual war, we know the final outcome.

Darkness will not prevail!

Have you ever been in a room so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face? What happens when you are able to light a small candle? The light from the candle prevails over the darkness. No matter how dark something may seem, it only takes a little light to bring hope. It only takes a little light to bring clarity and vision.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
(John 8:12 (NIV))

Perhaps this is why the powers that be want to remove any and all reference to Jesus. They are trying to remove the light. Perhaps this is why the powers that be want to push other beliefs. These beliefs are contrary to Jesus and are darkness. Contrary to what the enemy may think, darkness cannot drive out light. It can make it grow dim, but it cannot engulf the light. Light will prevail.

There are many books and passages in the Bible that speak of terrible times when the darkness will try to overcome the light, but we, as the Body of Christ, know what happens in the end. We know that the light of Jesus will defeat the darkness. The darkness will not be able to overcome what God has planned.

Do you feel that you are overcome with the darkness that is all around?

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
(Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV))

As a member of the Body of Christ, it is time to let your light shine!

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