Are you offended by the name of Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
(Matthew 24:10 (NIV))

As many of you may know, I like reading many different translations. The New International Version translates this as “turn away,” and the English Standard Version translates this as “fall away.” But, the following translation came across my computer screen today and it made me stop!

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
(Matthew 24:10 (NKJV))

Did you catch the word that caught my attention?

I don’t know about you, but we live in a time where everything about Jesus is offensive to those who are of the world. Whether they use the word “offended” or “triggered,” the meaning is clear, especially when you take into account the remaining sentences regardless of the translation.

and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
(Matthew 24:11-13 (NIV))

With this in mind, it is important that every person who professes a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior take a serious look at what they truly profess. This requires more than I can get into in just a few words, but it all comes down to an inner search with respect to who Jesus is, what He taught, and what His disciples have verified as they spread the good news. In essences, do you believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God? Do you believe that salvation is found in no other name? Do you believe that Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and to not tell us that our sin is okay? Do you believe that Jesus is calling us to repent of our sins, even the ones that we are comfortable with, and turn to Him?

Comfortable sins!

I believe that this is what the enemy has used to have people turn away or fall away. It is now what makes people offended. They don’t want to know the truth. They simply want to know their sin. If anything calls their sin what it truly is, they call that offensive. They become triggered and lash out at those who profess a faith in the One who is calling us to repentance.

They have turned away from the truth, and they have become offended by the truth.

It’s time for a reality check!

Are you offended by the name of Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you recognize His Lordship?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
     the world, and all who live in it;
(Psalms 24:1 (NIV))

What do you see when you take a look at everything that is going on in this world?

Contrary to what society claims, we are not in control. Contrary to what our politicians claim, they are not in control. Contrary to what the media thinks, they are not in control. Contrary to what the 1% believe, they are not in control. Contrary to what the enemy believes, he is not in control.

God is still sovereign!

It may seem as if things are falling apart, but in all honesty, they are actually falling perfectly into place to fulfill God’s plans as foretold by the prophets. Our only part in this is to decide which side we choose to be on. We can continue to live in our sin and suffer the consequences.

For the wages of sin is death,
(Romans 12:23a (NIV))

Or we can choose to repent and give our lives to the Lord.

but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 12:23b (NIV))

The choice is ours and ours alone. Being raised in church doesn’t do it. Being a good person doesn’t do it. Being the child of a believer doesn’t do it. Each person must make the decision for themselves. Each person must decide just who they belong to.

Who do you belong to?

Do you recognize His Lordship?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you being equipped or are you being held back?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
(Ephesians 4:11-12 (NIV))

The church is not a top-heavy, professional leadership only organization!

Too many people look at the church and think that it is the job of the professional pastors to evangelize others. Sadly, too many professional pastors believe that they are to do it all, and then they get jealous or mad when those whom they are supposed to equip do more than they do. This is not Christlike!

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
(John 14:12 (NIV))

Jesus did not put any disclaimers on who this applies to. He simply said “whoever believes in me!”

Do you believe in Jesus?

In addition, too many people look at the church as a place that they go to once a week and simply put in their time. Other people think that it is the job of the professional pastors to tell them what to do. With all of this in play, too many people never get beyond this simple infancy stage of their faith where they constantly rely on others for what they should know.

They never mature beyond spiritual milk!

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
(Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV))

It is time that we, as the Body of Christ, do what we are called to do. We don’t know the days that we have left. We don’t know the days that others have left. We don’t know when the Lord will return for His church. We don’t need to continue in our usual manner. We need to be equipped to reach those who need Jesus.

Are you being equipped or are you being held back?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you convinced and convicted?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”
(Luke 16:31 (NIV))

Have you ever noticed this passage in the story about the rich man and Lazarus?

I have often wondered if Jesus was predicting how the majority of the Jews would respond to His resurrection. He very bluntly spoke of the mindset that was far too prevalent where the people ignored the laws of Moses and the calls of the prophets for the people to repent. His next words basically put the nation of Israel on warning that something greater was coming and that they would ignore that as well.

Why do people ask for help when they had a means of help all of the time that they were digging their own graves?

The human race is a strange creation. I don’t know how Adam and Eve were before the fall from grace. All that I know is that the sinful, fallen human condition often cannot see the proverbial forest for the trees. We cannot see that what we need is literally right in front of us. We are too focused on the things of this world. We are like the dog in the animated movie that tries to be focused but is sidetracked by every squirrel that it sees. Each of us has our own little “squirrels” that keep us sidetracked. For the rich man in this story from Luke, it was his riches and his comfort.

What keeps you sidetracked?

What keeps you away from following the Lord and doing everything that He commands?

As believers, we like to think that if we lived when Jesus walked the earth, we would have been different from all of the other members of that society. We don’t have Jesus physically walking among us, but we do have His teachings. We do have God’s Word. To quote what Jesus said in this passage from Luke, we have Moses and the Prophets.

AND, . . .

We have a resurrected Savior!

Jesus rose from the dead and so many people ignore this miraculous event. Even this does not convince people to repent.

Don’t be so engrossed in the world that you miss what is right before your very eyes! It is time for the power of the Gospel to convince and convict you!

Are you convinced and convicted?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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How are you at treating each other with love?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
(Matthew 7:12 (NIV))

Do you like it when others mistreat you?

I realize that this question is one that appears to have an obvious answer, still we often treat others in ways that we would never want to be treated ourselves. I believe that this is rooted in the fall from grace. Humanity was lied to and told that we could be like God, so now we apply the power without the compassion. We apply the authority without the understanding, and we provide the condemnation without the love. Human nature wants to do exactly the opposite of what God calls us to do. We have a tendency to place ourselves above everyone else, and because of this, we mistreat each other because we think that we are better than they are.

Wrong attitude!

We are no better than anyone else.

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

No matter what you may think of yourself, God sees the real you. He knows all of your sinful past, yet He loves you anyway. When He looks at humanity, He sees a sea of sinful, fallen people who all need a savior. He does not see certain people as better than others. He doesn’t treat anyone differently. What He does do is provide an opportunity of redemption to all who will simply profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Once this happens, He sees you as a redeemed child, but that redemption is nothing that should make us feel superior to anyone else. All that it means is in the sea of sinful, drowning people, we have gotten on the life boat. We should be reaching out to others offering to help them receive what we have received. We must show them the same compassion, understanding and love that we were shown as we found our salvation.

I want to challenge you to look at your actions during the next twenty-four hours. Pray to have your eyes opened to the instances where you treat others in a way that you would not want to be treated. Pray to be able to show God’s love in those situations instead of your shortcomings. I want you to also pray for those who mistreat you, for they may not realize what they do. It is said that it is hard to hate someone when you are praying for them. I think that we can also safely say that it is hard to mistreat someone when you are praying for them.

How are you at treating each other with love?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Don’t be deceived because of your preconceived ideas!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
(Matthew 24:24 (NIV))

How well do you know God’s Word?

Can you tell the difference between the truth and a lie?

Do you think that you could be deceived by false messiahs and false prophets?

We think that we know Jesus, but does sitting in church for an hour a week bring you close enough to the Lord to be able to discern His voice over the many voices vying for your attention?

If a bank teller is taught how to recognize counterfeit money by becoming very familiar with the real thing, doesn’t it stand to reason that the only way for someone to truly recognize false messiahs and false prophets is to get to know the real Jesus, the true Messiah? In much the same way that money has a very distinguishable feel, Jesus has a very distinguishable truth to Him. You just need to take the time to know Jesus and not simply know a few sound bites that most people can relate to. Do you know why Jesus came into the world? Do you know what He taught about sin? Do you know what He taught about human traditions masquerading as worship? Do you know why He went to the cross? Do you know that the enemy knows God’s Word and will twist it to deceive you? Do you know that the enemy fears someone who truly relies on Jesus and who knows the power that is contained within the name of Jesus? Do you truly know Jesus?

There have been many false messiahs and false prophets throughout history. There will be a time when the ultimate false messiah will enter onto the world stage. Will you be able to recognize him when he performs his great signs and wonders?

We have all grown up hearing Bible stories. We have all heard preachers who put a twist to what they preach. Do you have any preconceived ideas because of these teachings? No one likes to be deceived. Now is the time to truly get to know Jesus. You must know Him as your personal Lord and Savior. You must know Him as the Lamb of God. You must know Him as the Mighty Warrior and the Prince of Peace. You must know that He hates sin but grace and mercy are freely given to all who will call upon His name and turn away from their sin. If someone or something does not call you to repent and turn away from your sin, then it is false. If someone or something doesn’t point to Jesus as the only way to the Father, then it is false. Do you have any preconceived ideas that are contrary to these two truths? It is time to know the real Jesus and not the sound bites.

Don’t be deceived because of your preconceived ideas!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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We must listen to God’s Word and repent!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’
(Jeremiah 44:4 (NIV))

The Lord spoke through Jeremiah and all of the other prophets and nobody listened. Is the Lord speaking to us today through His prophets? If so, have we become too jaded by our so-called intellectual superiority that we find ourselves doing the very same thing that was done by the people that God sent the prophets to? Do we keep doing the detestable thing that God hates? Can we even recognize when someone speaks God’s truth, or have we become so engrossed in our selfishness, ego and pride that we don’t even know His truth when it is right in front of us?

Do we, do you, look to Jesus?

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))

Have we become so comfortable in our faith in Jesus that we start slacking in our attention to His truth? Do we take our salvation for granted and assume that all is forgiven even if we continue to sin? Have we forgotten how to repent?

Think about that last question!

God sent the prophets to Israel when they started to fall away. Some people still thought that they were being faithful, but they still worshipped false gods. We profess a faith in Jesus, yet, do we worship false gods such as wealth, power, prestige, and personal choice? Aren’t these the very reasons that the Lord sent His prophets to call the people to repentance?

Are we missing His prophets today? Have we believed the lie that God doesn’t speak to us through His prophets anymore because that was an Old Testament practice? What about a New Testament passage that says He still gives us prophets?

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
(Ephesians 4:11 (NIV))

Is there someone in the world today that speaks God’s truth for this very moment in time? Is there someone in your life that speaks God’s truth into your life in such a way that you change directions, that you repent? Are you comfortable hearing from God and calling people to repentance?

We must listen to God’s Word and repent!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Even the powerful fulfill His Will!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
(Luke 2:1 (NIV))

If I were a betting person, I would say that Caesar Augustus probably thought that the census was his idea.

I love how the Lord makes things happen according to His purpose. I love how He uses people to fulfill His plans. Without the census, Joseph and Mary would not have had to make the trip to be counted. Without the census, Jesus would not have been born where the prophets had said that He would be born. Without this census, God’s timing would not have unfolded as we know it.

To Caesar Augustus, ordering the census was probably all part of an egotistical idea to see how many people fell under his rule, but to God, this was all part of His plan to accurately fulfill the many prophecies of the birth of Jesus. God is the master architect of all creation. He has been working His plan according to His purpose and His timing ever since the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. This census did not take God by surprise. He knew it would happen exactly when it happened. He knew that it would be the catalyst for Joseph and Mary to be in the right town when Jesus was born.

Do you think that Caesar Augustus understood all of the ramifications of his census? Do you think that he knew what God was using him to bring about?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
     neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
(Isaiah 55:8 (NIV))

We may not fully understand the details of things that God unfolds as He is unfolding them, but we do know that His plan is the victor in the end. We may not see every single little step or detail, but we know how it ends. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus and firmly place our trust in Him even when things look like they are completely falling apart. Think about that. The last thing that the Jews wanted to do was to be subjugated under Roman authority, yet it was that Roman authority that set in motion the very thing that allowed the birth of Jesus to fulfill prophecy.

Are we seeing anything in the world today that God could be using to fulfill His Will?

Even the powerful fulfill His Will!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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What do you believe?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
(1 John 4:1-3 (NIV))

In today’s world, deceit is everywhere. The prince of this world tries to deceive the faithful by wrapping his deception in a cloak that imitates the Truth.

Be careful in what you allow into your heart. Test everything. Satan can also appear as an angel of Light. If something does not acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, run from it.

All of God’s Truth throughout the history of the Bible has pointed to one man through many prophecies. If something professes to be from God, yet does not acknowledge that Jesus is the only begotten Son, it is not from God.

Jesus foretold of this and left us a warning.

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect–if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
(Mark 13:22-23 (NIV))

Do not be deceived, but keep your eyes focused on God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

What do you believe?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you sure you only want to hear pleasant things?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

They say to the seers,
       “See no more visions!”
and to the prophets,
       “Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
       prophesy illusions.
(Isaiah 30:10 (NIV))

Do you want to hear fairy tales, bedtime stories and other pleasant things, or do you want to hear the truth? Do you want to hear that the sinful things you do are okay, or do you want to hear the truth and repent of your sins? Do you want to be happy in your sin and lost for all eternity, or do you want to hear the truth that will lead you to an eternity with God?

Sadly, human nature seems to like pleasant things even if they are wrong. This seems to be getting more and more prevalent in the world today. Are we seeing what Paul wrote to Timothy coming to fruition?

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
(2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV))

Even Jesus experienced this with those who followed Him when He walked the earth. When He started teaching something that was difficult to hear, many would simply go home. At one point, He asked His disciples if they wanted to leave. I know that He already knew the answer to this question. He simply wanted them to search themselves and answer.

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
(John 6:66-68 (NIV))

How do you respond when you read or hear passages that state things that you don’t like? Do you get offended and go home, or do you dig in and look at yourself in relation to that passage so that you can learn and mature in your faith? Do you only read the pleasant parts of the Bible or do you read and study all of it?

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV))

I know that those who profess a faith in Jesus cling to the solid promise of salvation that is only available through Him. I know that we like to make wide-sweeping statements such as I know who wins in the end, but have you ever stopped to consider that the Bible is a story of the battle between God and Satan, between good and evil, and as such, there will be things that we do not like. In order to be fully equipped with the full armor of God, we must hear the truth. We need to know how to wage warfare against the enemy.

Are you sure you only want to hear pleasant things?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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