What are you waiting for?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
(Revelation 22:17 (NIV))

Think back upon the last invitation that you received. Maybe it was an engraved, formal invitation to a wedding. Perhaps it was an email telling you of an event, the time and place. Perhaps it was a televised invitation to a concert. Better yet, was it a simple exchange between friends where one friend willingly opened his heart and home to you as a simple act of fellowship and love?

Now, imagine the best invitation that you have ever received is nothing more than filthy rags. That is exactly what it is in comparison to the invitation that all of us are given. All other invitations are to events that are fleeting in nature and are soon forgotten. The invitation that we are given by the Spirit is one to an eternal celebration of grace and mercy!

“Come!”

There is no other invitation needed. There is no other explanation needed. God, in all of His infinite wisdom and glory is freely offering us grace and mercy through the redeeming blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. All we have to do is accept the invitation.

Are you thirsty?

Do you long to have the water of life?

What are you waiting for? Grace and mercy are yours through this glorious invitation.

“Come!”

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you living your life in this manner?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
(Romans 12:12 (NIV))

The world has a tendency to throw things at us that make us do things that we wish we wouldn’t do!

How you react during these times is viewed as a reflection of all of Christianity by the non-believing world. The world sees us at these times and judges all believers based on our shortcomings and then they call us hypocrites. What they fail to realize is that everyone is human and we will all make mistakes. The only difference between believers and the world is that we, as the Body of Christ, get judged quite harshly and ridiculed by the world while the rest of the world gets a much lesser judgment from their own.

Think about that for a moment!

The world receives some semblance of grace from those who follow the world, while those who follow Jesus receive judgment from the world. Those who follow Jesus will receive the ultimate grace from God while those who follow the world will receive the ultimate judgment from God. Personally, I prefer to receive grace from God. With this in mind, I don’t mind if the world judges me and ridicules me. I know that I am far from perfect. I know that I will make mistakes, but, I also know that my mistakes, my sins, are covered by the redeeming blood of Jesus. My hope lies solely with Jesus. Because of this, I know that whatever I face in this world is only temporary. I also know that prayer will keep me focused. I do my best to remain joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.

Are you living your life in this manner?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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It is impossible for God to fail!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

For no word from God will ever fail.
(Luke 1:37 (NIV))

You can look at this passage from several different perspectives.

God’s word is truth.

God never lies!

Anything that God decides to do will come to fruition.

God does not simply attempt to do something. He does it!

God’s word does not return empty.

I could go on an on, but I think that you understand the concept of the power of God’s word as truth.

If we can agree upon this, why do so many people find the following passages so difficult to believe?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:1 (NIV))

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:14 (NIV))

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.
(John 3:16-18 (NIV))

Jesus is God’s word made flesh! He was sent to redeem those who believe.

Think about that in context to the passage from Luke.

For no word from God (Jesus is God’s word made flesh) will ever fail. Jesus came into this world to redeem those who simply believe. He is calling people to God through a redeeming grace bought by His blood on Calvary. This act of redemption will not fail. God is calling His children to Himself through Jesus. God is washing away the sins of those He calls through the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus! I love the way that Paul conveyed this truth.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:38-39 (NIV))

It is impossible for God to fail!

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Why are you still sitting on the couch?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

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,
(Matthew 28:19 (NIV))

Everyone who professes a faith in Jesus knows this verse and the implications that it carries for us. Why is it that so few actually do anything to spread the Gospel? Think about this in relationship to your own life. How many people have you told about the Gospel and the redeeming power that can be theirs if they only believe?

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
(Luke 10:2 (NIV))

Perhaps why we don’t is found in the next words that are recorded in Luke.

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
(Luke 10:3 (NIV))

This is not a very pretty mental image. We are told that we will be facing danger when we go. To some people, the thought of being physically assaulted or killed is too much danger. To others, the thought of simply being in an uncomfortable situation is more than they can handle.

What if Jesus felt this way?

He paid it all so that you and I could have the free gift of salvation.

What if the person who led you to Jesus had felt this way?

Where would that leave you?

What about all of the people that the Lord has placed in your life who need to know about the saving grace that can be theirs simply by professing that Jesus is their Lord and Savior? Don’t have the attitude where you tell yourself that “I’ve got mine. They are on their own!” It is time that the Body of Christ does exactly what we have been called to do. We are to share the Good News. We are to share the Gospel that brought us grace and mercy with all who will listen.

Why are you still sitting on the couch?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Has God’s light overcome the darkness of your heart?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
(2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV))

Do you think that you are too big of a sinner to be saved by God’s grace?

Do you think that the things you have done are so bad that God cannot possibly love you?

Do you feel that your heart is so dark that God’s light could never penetrate it?

Do you think that your life is darker than the darkness of the void before God spoke to bring forth light?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have bought into one of the biggest, if not the biggest, lie of the enemy. If God can create light that can pierce the darkness, you are not beyond God’s reach. To be honest with you, if you answered yes to any of these questions, you have an issue with pride. You don’t want to admit that you are a part of God’s creation and are worthy of redemption. Instead, you elevate yourself to a place that is above God. If God is able to see all, do all and know all, then you have positioned yourself, at least in your mind, where you are more powerful than God. You have limited God by saying that He cannot do something, and that something is breaking through the darkness that you have in your heart!

God’s light is a redeeming force that is freely given to anyone and everyone who will simply ask.

Are you too proud to ask to be saved from an eternity of darkness where you are cast away from the presence of God?

God’s light can overcome anything.

Has God’s light overcome the darkness of your heart?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What is faith?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot see. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith.
(Hebrews 11:1-2 (NLT))

What is faith?

Perhaps I should ask it in this manner: What is faith to you?

If you are like me, faith has always been a vague concept where you probably confused faith with a wish. There is a very big difference, or at least there should be.

When you wish for something to happen, in most cases you realize that it is a long shot and will probably never happen. People make wishes all of the time such as “I wish I could win the lottery!” I want you to be honest with yourself and tell yourself what you think the odds are of this ever happening to you. They are probably astronomically high.

If a wish is what people think of when they think of faith, then what is the real meaning of faith?

Do you have faith that you will wake up in the morning, or is that still a wish?

Do you have faith that you can retire when you reach 65, or is that still a wish?

Do you have faith that the sun will rise in the morning?

What is it that you have faith in? What in your life are you confident beyond all doubt that it will happen? Is there anything in this physical life that you are confident of?

Besides my faith in God, I can say that I have faith in myself. I know beyond all doubt that I will fail to live up to my standards and, more importantly, I will fail to live up to the righteous standards that God has established for everyone who has or will ever live. I have faith that I will fail my God. I also have faith that God sent His Son, Jesus, to save me from my failures, my sins, and all that I have to do is accept the gift that was freely given on the cross!

I am so overwhelmingly glad that my faith in the redeeming power of Jesus is ultimately far greater than the faith that I have in my failure. I have faith that the redeeming blood of Jesus has saved me and I will see Him face to face.

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Give thanks every minute of every day of your life!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
(Psalms 100:1-5 (NIV))

If we can’t be thankful for the things that this passage tells us about, then what can we be thankful for?

Do you believe that God is good?

Give thanks!

Do you believe that God’s love endures forever?

Give thanks?

Do you believe that God is faithful?

Give thanks!

Do you believe that God sent His only begotten Son to this earth so that we could have redeeming grace?

Give thanks!

Have you accepted that redeeming grace as your own?

Give thanks!

I find only one thing that I believe that we, as the Body of Christ, can do. We are to give thanks! We are to give praise! We are to give God the glory for the great things that He has done. Don’t just give thanks on the one day a year that our country has set aside as Thanksgiving. Give thanks every minute of every day of your life!

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