Are you able to be content in all things?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
(Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV))

Sadly, this is a lesson that I am still learning just as I would venture to say that many of you are also still learning.

Have you ever considered what it means to be content? Basically, it means satisfied or pleased. If you stop to look up the word satisfied, one definition means paid in full! Where have we heard that proclamation before? Is your life paid in full?

If we have accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, our sin debt has been paid in full. Our debt has been satisfied and we should be content, for we have inherited so much more than the things in this world that can bring discontentment! Things like jobs, money, relationships, difficult times and ignorant people may get to us in the moment, but we have to keep our focus on Jesus. Our eternity with Him is not dictated by the things of this world. In fact, the things of this world should draw us closer to Him.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33 (NIV))

We, as members of the Body of Christ, should find eternal contentment in His arms no matter the situation!

Are you able to be content in all things?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Is the Lord delighted in you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
(Psalms 147:11 (NIV))

How do you think the Lord feels about society in today’s world?

Is He pleased? Is He delighted, or is He saddened by what He sees?

In all reality, our world is in a pretty disheartening state. Society states that anything goes, and it often does. It saddens me to say that some groups who claim to follow Jesus have allowed sin to infiltrate what they teach and preach. How do you think the Lord feels about this?

I want to ask those of you who are parents a few questions.

Do you love you children unconditionally? Would you say that your love for your children is unfailing? How do you feel about your children if they do something that is against all that you have taught them? Would it break your heart? Would you still love them if they rebelled against you? Do you think that your children fear you? Let me rephrase that last question if your children are adults. I realize that fear is a harsh word, but do you think that your children feared you when they were growing up? Is it possible for a child to love their parents yet still fear them? Is it possible to love someone and realize that the one who is the center of that love is also rightfully the one who is in authority over you?

Going back to the concept of parents with children, if you have a child who rebels, do you delight in them? You still love them, but they cause heartache and not delight.

Is the Lord delighted in you?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you offer God only your second best?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

“When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.
(Malachi 1:8 (NIV))

Let’s put this in a modern context.

When you give out of what you have left, is that truly giving with a cheerful heart?

When you give out of your rejects, are you truly giving or are you throwing away what you don’t want?

When you do less than what is expected, even though you can do much more that what is expected, is that right?

When you allow others to do for you and you take the credit, is that right?

When you give to God as an afterthought, what does that say about your motives and your heart?

I hope that you know exactly how God feels about this type of giving. Would you treat your family in this manner? Would you treat your friends in this manner? What if God had treated us in his manner? What if God had given us His second best? What if He had decided not to send His Son, Jesus, to walk among us and to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins?

What if God had decided that we weren’t worth His best?

Think about that. Where would that leave each of us? It took God’s best to atone for our sins. Why do we think that we can give less than our best to thank God for giving us His best?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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God loves you, but is He pleased with you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
(Psalms 19:14 (NLT))

If you have children, no matter the age, what is it about them that pleases you? Please note that I did not ask what is it about them that you love, for love is a natural thing for a parent to have for their children.

What is it about them that pleases you?

I can safely say that what pleases you as a parent are not the things that stir up anger. The things about your children that please you are the positive things in their lives. Things such as love, joy, peace, patience, and other such traits. You are pleased when you see their words and their actions reflecting things that are righteous in nature.

Do you like it when your children do something wrong?

You still love them, but you are not happy with their actions.

God is the same way with each of us. He loves us no matter what we do, yet, He is only pleased with us when we do things that honor Him. Contrary to what the world says, God is not pleased with us when we go against His design.

Think about that for a moment.

If you like to bake and you make a pie, you are pleased with the pie if it tastes good. What happens when you find that the results of your labor is not what you intended? You try to come up with a way to fix the results, such as adding ice cream, and if that doesn’t work, you throw it out.

God came up with a way to fix our sinful nature so that He could be pleased with us once again. He sent His Son, Jesus, to bring that fix, to bring salvation. It is up to us to accept that fix so that we can be pleasing in the eyes of God.

Do I even need to go to the end result if we do not accept the fix that God has sent?

Are your words and your thoughts pleasing to God?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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God has not turned His back on you!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.
(1 Samuel 12:22 (NAS))

Too many people feel that God has turned His back on them. They think that He has abandoned them in the middle of their troubles and simply left them there to flounder in their situation. What they don’t realize is that it is not God who has abandoned them, but they who have abandoned God.

God has made a covenant with His creation through the atoning blood of Jesus, His Son. This covenant means that He will always be there for those who call upon the name of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We have access to God the Father through Jesus, the Son. God’s covenant was made so that those who call upon the name of Jesus would have eternal life with God the Father. If God has given us a means to spend eternity with Him, why would He abandon anyone? Even those who have not called upon Jesus to be their Lord and Savior are under the covenant, they simply have not claimed it for themselves, yet.

It is us who has broken the covenant relationship with God. Even those who have claimed salvation through Jesus may loose sight of God occasionally. When this happens, God is not the one who has abandoned us. We have abandoned Him for earthly objectives and distractions. He is still there, we simply choose to not acknowledge His presence in our lives. He can never break His promise made through Jesus to be with us to the end of the age. God cannot lie.

The next time that you feel God has abandoned you, simply look around you. God is still there. He is still in covenant with you through the atoning blood of Jesus.

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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