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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Fight the good fight! Finish the race! Keep the faith!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
(2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV))

Have you fought the good fight? Are you still fighting the good fight? Are you even aware of what fighting the good fight means?

Paul loved to use sports analogies. He often spoke of running the race, finishing the race, running in such a way as to get the prize, and fighting the good fight. But, just what did all of this mean according to the one who gave us the encouragement to do just that?

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
(2 Timothy 4:1-2 (NIV))

To put this in a nutshell, we are to never stop telling people about Jesus. We are to never stop shining His light to a dark and dying world. We are to live, eat, and breathe Jesus so that in all we do, others will see Jesus in us. We are to never let the enemy stop us. I realize that I indicated that I could rephrase Paul’s words and put them in a nutshell, but everything that I attempt to do gives me more that I feel needs to be said. Maybe I should just take a step back and ask one simple question.

Do you love Jesus with all of your heart, with all of your mind, and with all of your spirit?

If your answer to this question is a resounding “Yes,” then let the world see what you have. Let the world learn of the grace and mercy that is freely given to all who would simply accept. Let the world see that you are set apart from the world, that you choose to not follow the sinful ways of this world. It is said that the Word of God is sweeter than honey, and we know that Jesus is the Word made flesh. Share the sweetness of Jesus with the world. Let them see what He has done in your life. Let them know that what He did for you, He can and will do for all who will simply ask.

We are in a spiritual battle. If we choose to fight the good fight, that means that we do not simply sit on the sidelines. Professing a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior is not a spectator sport. We are called to go and share the good news. We are called to share the love of Jesus with a world that hates Him and us. We are to take the fight, with His help and His presence, to the very ones whom the enemy has blinded with his lies. We are to share with them a lifeline to salvation!

Fighting the good fight is living your whole life for Christ!

Fight the good fight! Finish the race! Keep the faith!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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How is your prayer life?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

pray without ceasing,
(1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV))

I love this translation of this passage. Most translations say to pray continually, but there is something in this translation that expresses the importance and the urgency of praying.

Think about this in the context of running a race. If you are running this race and you are told to keep running, what does that imply to you? In my mind, this comes across as a suggestion. It doesn’t give any hint as to the reason and the urgency. Now, imagine the same scenario, only this time you are told don’t stop! To me, this implies an urgency and importance to the fact that you must keep moving no matter what happens. Don’t give up. Don’t throw in the proverbial towel. Push through and finish!

The same is true in my mind of the urgency and importance of praying without ceasing. In other words, no matter what happens, keep praying!

Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying about the other translations.

pray continually,
‭‭(1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:17 (NIV))

This translation has a very valid meaning, but perhaps what the author was trying to convey is a combination of both translations.

Pray continually and don’t stop!

In other words, always be in prayer and always push through and finish! Don’t give up! Don’t throw in the proverbial towel. Don’t surrender to the enemy. Keep in constant communication with God the Father through Jesus. This is especially true if you realize that prayer is simply talking to God AS WELL AS listening to God. If this is your definition of prayer, then you fully understand the importance of praying without ceasing!

How is your prayer life?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
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Run the race!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
(Hebrews 12:1 (NIV))

How do you see your walk of faith?

Is it a leisurely stroll through life where you can stop and indulge in whatever you may encounter along the way, and then you end up where you end up without any direction? Is it a random chance of circumstances that lead you to your destination? Do you even have a destination in mind? If you have a destination, how do you plan on arriving there? Do you have a course? Do you have a plan that will bring you closer to that destination each day of your life?

If you have professed a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, then your destination should be maturity in Him. Each day you must focus on following Jesus in all that He desires for you and of you. Professing a faith in Jesus does not mean that the rest of your life will be easy. It does mean that He will walk with you and help you to overcome the troubles in this world. Let’s face the facts, you can’t run a race if you are hindered in any way. The same is also true of our walk of faith with Jesus. It is the worldly troubles and the sin that hinders us in our faith journey. Focus on Jesus and these things that once were so prominent in your field of vision, in your life, will grow strangely dim as Jesus becomes clearer and clearer.

I love how Paul used the race analogy to explain our walk of faith. Running a race requires self-discipline. Running a race requires commitment. Running a race requires daily preparation and training. Running a race requires us to be unhindered so that we can run. Running a race requires us to go the distance. Running a race requires us to keep our eyes on the finish. Running a race requires that we do not become distracted. Running a race requires that we follow the course marked out before us. Running a race requires that we want to finish the course well. Jesus is that course!

It is my prayer that we keep our eyes on Jesus and that we finish well.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
(2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV))

Do you desire to be able to make this claim?

Run the race!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you desire to persevere in the new year?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
(Hebrews 12:1 (NIV))

We have a decision to make. Do we want to proceed on our typical status quo for the new year or do we want to persevere in our faith? Far too many times it is just so much easier to keep doing what we are doing, even if it is not all that we should be doing. Faith is not a single decision and then the rest of your life is good. That single decision should start you on a path for the rest of your life. Paul referred to this path as a race. It is a race that those who profess a faith in Jesus should desire to complete. It is a race that we should desire to win, for every person who completes this race wins the prize!

How do you complete this race?

We complete this race by staying the course. That course is following Jesus. We are to follow Jesus each and ever day of our lives. We are to trust Jesus each and every day of our lives.

If you sign up to run a race and you stop running two minutes into the race, do you finish? You don’t receive a prize. Do you even receive the t-shirt that says you ran the race? Running a race requires commitment. It requires determination. It requires keeping your eyes on the prize and pushing through to the end. The very same thing is true of our walk of faith with Jesus. We can’t simply stop following Him two minutes, or at any time, after we make a decision to follow Him, and still reach the goal. Following Jesus requires perseverance. It requires commitment. It requires faith to take up our cross.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
(Luke 9:23 (NIV))

Daily!

We cannot decide to take a break from Jesus. We cannot decide to go spend the rest of our life following our sinful nature and still expect to hear these words from Jesus.

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
(Matthew 25:21 (NIV))

Being a good and faithful servant means that we persevere in our faith. It means that we run the race daily and that we strive to live our lives after what Jesus showed us. It won’t always be easy, but it will always be full of blessings, for He will lead you where you never thought about going. One day, your race will be finished and it is my prayer that you will hear these words from Jesus.

Well done, good and faithful servant!

Today is the first day of the rest of your race.

Do you desire to persevere in the new year?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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We must persevere as the race unfolds!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
(Hebrews 12:1 (NIV))

How has the last year or so been for you?

I could probably stop there and say something about keeping your eyes focused on Jesus, but I feel that there is so much more to say about being able to persevere. With all of the things that have happened in the last year, and all of the things that continue to happen, we must not lose sight of where our hope comes from. With prices soaring for basic materials and supplies can’t keep up with the demands, we appear to be facing the beginning of shortages. Now we are facing cyber attacks that threaten to bring us to a halt because oil and gas cannot flow. I honestly believe that things are going to get much worse than most people expect.

How does society handle this?

How do we, as the Body of Christ, handle this?

If ever there was a time to throw off everything that hinders, I believe that time is now. If ever there was a time to repent of the sin that entangles us, that time is now. We need to make sure that our lives are singularly focused on Jesus and not the world. If we look to the world, we will faint out of fear. If we look to Jesus, we can rest assured that He is our hope, that He is our strength, and that He is our strong tower!

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.
(Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV))

We can’t claim righteousness if we cling to things that hinder and to the sin that entangles us. We can only claim righteousness if we accept the gift of grace that was freely given at the cross. We must repent! We must persevere in our faith. We must hold fast to the promises that we have been given through Jesus.

No one knows what tomorrow will bring, but we can have a good understanding of what is to come by staying in God’s Word. We must be as diligent as watchmen. We must be constantly on guard for what the enemy is doing. We must not fall for the lies and the traps of the enemy. We must be alert and prepared. We must come together as the Body of Christ and hold fast to Jesus like never before!

We must persevere as the race unfolds!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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We must pick up our cross no matter the cost!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.
(Acts 20:22-23 (NIV))

How many of us would willingly go somewhere knowing that there is a very good possibility that you would face great danger? Would you be willing to stand up for your faith even in the midst of hardships and prison? Would you go headlong into the situation even if you knew that this would be the outcome?

Paul faced many hardships during his travels to spread the Gospel, yet nothing that he faced was able to convince him to stop sharing the good news of Jesus. It was more important to him than his own life!

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
(Acts 20:24 (NIV))

Can we make that same profession of faith?

For years I have been saying that a time is coming when speaking the name of Jesus would carry dire consequences from beatings to even death. That time is drawing closer. We are seeing things escalate at a rate that I would have never imagined being able to happen in my lifetime. Just look at what has happened in the last few years. What about the last few months? What will we be facing next? Are we ready, willing and able to have the same attitude as Paul did during his lifetime? Will we head into the hardships if that is where we are called? Are we ready to die to self and pick up the cross without counting the cost of our actions?

We must pick up our cross no matter the cost!

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
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Can you endure?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow . . .for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”
(James 1:3-4 (NLT))

What are you ready for?

Is your faith as strong as it should be? I cannot answer that question for anybody but myself. I can honestly say that I like to think that my faith is strong, yet, I doubt what my actions would be if I were to face certain situations. If someone were to hold a gun to my head and tell me to deny Jesus or die, I pray that I would have the faith to do what I know that I should.

Think about what I just stated.

If our faith were not tested and our endurance not given a chance to grow, I know exactly how I would react if I would be placed in the situation I described earlier. It is a learning process. When we are in school, we do not take college calculus in kindergarten. We start off with lessons that we can grasp fully and then we move on to another, bigger lesson. Our spiritual maturity follows a similar path. If, as a new believer, we are faced with major situations, we will fail. It is by God’s grace that we can be redeemed when we do fail, but we will fail. Each test of our faith gets us closer to what God desires for us, but we must embrace the faith lessons that we are being taught.

There will come a day very soon when each believer will face a test so big that we MUST fully rely on our faith to see us through. We must allow our Godly character to be developed now so that when we do face this test, we will know exactly how to respond. We must be ready to face the enemy head on and confidently denounce and rebuke his plans no matter what the consequences may be to us. We must embrace our faith and head fully into the power of Jesus’ name.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
(Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV))

Can you endure?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
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Are you focused on the task that all of us have been given?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
(Acts 20:24 (NIV))

Do you think that Paul’s task was any different from the one that each of us have?

If you say “Yes,” what is the task that God has given to you? Why do you feel that you are exempt from what He told His disciples to do and what we have inherited by becoming His disciples?

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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 28:16-20 (NIV))

If you say “No,” are you fulfilling that task? Are you telling others about Jesus? Are you living a life that reflects Jesus in all that you do? Are you boldly proclaiming the good news of God’s grace and mercy as it was made manifest through Jesus’ birth, His life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension? Are you boldly sharing that He will come again?

Paul’s only desire was to be faithful to the one task that the Lord had given him. Paul wanted to be found faithful in sharing the Gospel with the world. That is also our task. Just like Paul, we are not called to simply tell one person. We are called to tell everyone we meet. There are numerous ways that we can fulfill our task, but no matter how we do it, we are all called to share the good news of Jesus. Think of this as your full time employment. What we do for a living in this world is not our true calling. It is a means to an end. Paul used his skills as a tent maker to finance his evangelism. What skills do you have that can be the basis of your evangelism?

Paul was focused. He had one goal in mind.

Are you focused on the task that all of us have been given?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
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Are you on watch for bad fruit?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
(Matthew 7:15-20 (NIV))

Think about this the next time that you hear of something that is just too good to be true, or is just a little off of what God’s Word says that it should be. Most of the time, lies are obvious, but deception is a trick of the enemy. When things sound almost right with respect to God’s word, they are totally wrong.

It should be easy for believers to realize that the “fruit” does not match the source. We should be able to easily distinguish that the things the enemy tells us are too good to be true, especially when they contradict everything that we should know to be true according to God’s Word.

Why do people fall for the deceptions of the enemy?

Are we, as a fallen, sinful race, too far removed from the truth to even recognize it?

The words in Matthew are amazing and sadly amusing if you stop to actually understand what is being said. We have enough common sense to not look for grapes on an apple tree, yet, we easily fall prey to the small lies of the enemy in hopes that the promises are true.

Test everything against God’s Word. If something is supposed to bear goodness, but it lies to do so, does it really follow God’s Word? If you are promised that it is only a small digression and no one will know about it, can it be the correct fit?

We have been told what the things of God will bear.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV))

Think of this passage when validating the truth about something. Does it produce according to the fruit of the Spirit?

Are you on watch for bad fruit?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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