In other words, don’t be a builder!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The stone the builders rejected
     has become the cornerstone;
(Psalms 118:22 (NIV))

People longed for and anticipated this prophecy being fulfilled for centuries. When it was fulfilled, the religious leaders did not recognize Him because they did not recognize how the scriptures were to unfold. In essence, they had built up their own interpretation to the point that it no longer represented the truth. When the truth stood right in front of them, they did not recognize Him.

I find it saddening that far too often people will be searching for something and when it is right before them, they do not recognize that what they have is what they longed for. When Luke wrote Acts, he alluded to this by referencing the passage from Psalms.

then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is
     “‘the stone you builders rejected,
          which has become the cornerstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:10-12 (NIV))

We often attempt to build our own truths. This is especially true in our worship and our faith. If you don’t believe that this happens, all that you have to do is take a long hard look at all of the man-made denominations. We are so intent on building up our man-made rituals, practices and ideologies that we often miss what is the common foundation, what is the common cornerstone for what we profess to believe.

It is my prayer that we can look beyond the man-made rituals and return completely to the truth that is only found in Jesus. We must tear down any man-made stumbling blocks that we have put in our way. We must strive to only seek God without any man-made add ons.

In other words, don’t be a builder!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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WE NEED REVIVAL!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV))

What do you consider as foolishness?

Over the last few days, I have read and heard some pretty foolish things from people who claim to be followers of Jesus. Just to provide some background information on what this is all about, there is a revival occurring on Asbury University and it is being received in all manner of various different ways, even among those who profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

The proper response for anyone who professes a faith in Jesus is a glorious AMEN! This should then be followed up with a desire for the flames of revival to be fanned so that it spreads far and wide!

Sadly, I have read and heard responses that are far from what should be the desire of every person who professes a faith in Jesus. I have even read comments from people who claim to be pastors and preachers that are derogatory to the events unfolding and spreading. Comments range from denominational vitriol to claims that this can’t be from God because it doesn’t mention social justice, or that it isn’t led by ordained clergy. I don’t know about you, but these reactions sound so much like what Jesus encountered with the Sadducees and Pharisees. From the reports that I have seen, it is a powerful move of God through the students and for the students. It is not led by the pastors. It is not led by the professors. It is not clinging to denominational doctrine, but to Biblical truths. People are praying and being delivered. They are surrendering to the power of the Holy Spirit and they are not waiting for an official church approval. From the reports that I have heard, it is spreading to other campuses and other cities,

AND, . . .

Students are coming from other college campuses by the bus load to be a part of what God is doing?

Do you want to be a part of what God is doing? Do you long for an honest and sincere revival from the Holy Spirit and not just one hour a day for a few days from a guest speaker?

I applaud the revival. In fact, I long for revival. I pray that it would break out on every college campus across the nation and the world. I pray that it would break out in every church across the nation and the world. I pray that it would break out in our governments, in our schools, at our jobs, and in our homes. I pray that the message of the cross would spread so fast and so far that those who see it as foolishness would be exponentially decreasing each and every day!

Do you see revival as foolish? Do you see surrendering to the power of the Gospel as foolish? Do you see salvation, mercy and grace as foolish? Do you see redemption and healing as foolish?

Are you stuck in the mindset that says it can’t be done that way because that has never been done before?

See, I am doing a new thing!
     Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
     and streams in the wasteland.
(Isaiah 43:19 (NIV))

John the Baptist was a new thing!

He proclaimed repentance, baptism and the coming of the Messiah.

Jesus was a new thing!

He upset the traditions of man by showing us what God had intended. All that you have to do is take a look at the following passage.

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
(Luke 19:39-40 (NIV))

I don’t know about you, but I long for the power of the Lord to be made manifest so that the stones don’t have to cry out.

WE NEED REVIVAL!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Don’t you think it’s time to accept this amazing gift of grace?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
(Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV))

Do you like gifts?

I realize that I just asked a rhetorical question. Human nature seeks things that are self gratifying, so I can honestly say that I have never met anyone who hates gifts. In fact, most people love to receive gifts. Since this is part of our nature, why do so many people fail to receive the greatest gift of all?

It simply doesn’t make sense!

Thankfully, there are people who have received this amazing gift of grace and are doing all that they can to share the knowledge of this gift to all who will hear, no matter where it may lead them. As I write this, I am tracking a flight that is going half way around the world so that a group of nine men, including my youngest son, can share the Gospel with an unreached tribe in a mountainous region of a country that I don’t want to currently name. They feel called to go and share the good news in a place that is so far outside of the comfort zones of most people in this country. They are flying for two days, and then hiking for three days just to reach this group of people. They know that this gift is so great that it must be shared!

And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
(Romans 10:15 (NIV))

Do you feel that you are being sent to share this amazing gift of grace?

Let me ask another question. Have you even claimed this gift for yourself?

In most of the westernized world, there are churches everywhere. There are preachers and teachers sharing the good news. You can find Bibles in almost every hotel room and in almost every major retail store. You can turn on the television or go to a video website and watch people sharing the Gospel. You can turn on the radio and hear people proclaiming the good news, yet, so many people still turn a blind eye to the truth that can set them free from the power of sin and death. If you are one of these people, don’t wait until it is too late! If people are willing to go half way around the world for people whom they don’t know, don’t you think that there is something to this good news that you need to look at?

Don’t you think it’s time to accept this amazing gift of grace?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Believe!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
(Romans 10:10 (NIV))

You have a choice!

Once you make that choice, your life will continue to be a series of choices. Some times you will make the right choice and follow Jesus. There will be many times that you will make the wrong choice and do what you know is not according to His will. Even then, you have a choice! You can recognize your sin and repent. Don’t make the choice that leaves you arrogant and unrepentant!

Following Jesus is not easy. We have His words telling us what we should expect.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
(Matthew 10:34-39 (NIV))

The reason for this is simple. Jesus calls us out of this world. He sets us apart from the sin in this world. As a result of this, we know how the world will react. We know that even family and friends who are of the world will hate the choice that has been made.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
(John 15:18-19 (NIV))

You have a choice!

You can choose to be loved by the world, or you can choose to follow Jesus.

Like I previously stated, following Jesus is not easy. Once you make the choice to follow Him, the world will try to do all within it’s power to cause you to fall. The world, and the prince of this world, will hate you because you have chosen to follow Jesus.

Personally, every day that I live, I choose to believe. Every breath that I take, I choose to believe. Every word that I type, I choose to believe in prayerful hope that you will make that same choice!

The choice is yours!

Believe!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

And everyone who calls
     on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
(Acts 2:21 (NIV))

As believers, we love this passage for it means so much to our faith, but have you truly stopped to look at this passage in its complete context?

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says,
     I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
     your young men will see visions,
     your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
     I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
     and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
     and signs on the earth below,
     blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
     and the moon to blood
     before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
     on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
(Acts 2:14-21 (NIV))

It is the closing remark that Peter referenced from Joel. It defines a time that has not come yet, but may be drawing closer than anyone knows. The last days are clearly defined as terrible times and we truly understand that calling on the name of the Lord will save us.

But, . . .

We don’t have to wait until the last days to call on the name of the Lord!

Don’t wait! Tomorrow may be too late, for none of us are promised tomorrow. It is better to trust in the saving grace of the Lord before you face troubles, for you may not survive the troubles. You may not have a chance to make that profession of faith by calling upon His name as your Lord and Savior. Life is precious, yet it can end in an instant. It can end before you have a chance to even think the words.

I realize that most people who read these devotionals have already accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Please excuse me while I address those who have not yet made that profession of faith.

Are you willing to gamble all of eternity on your ability to perfectly time you profession of faith in the last seconds of your life? I am not trying to be macabre, but there are numerous ways that this life can end before you can even process a single thought. Don’t delay in accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Don’t focus on the things of this world!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
(2 Thessalonians 2:11 (NIV))

Is it just me, or are more and more people believing the lies of the enemy?

Have you ever stopped to consider why God would send a powerful delusion? I recently heard an explanation for this, and it is not because God has forsaken these people. It is because these individuals have made up their minds and they have forsaken God and His truths. They have completely rejected God and His offer of salvation. They love their sin more than they love themselves, and more importantly, they hate God.

They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
(2 Thessalonians 2:10b (NIV))

In my lifetime, I have seen lifestyle choices go from an attitude of shock to one of encouragement. I have seen a faith in Jesus go from a public embrace to a public ridicule. I have seen far more than these things and all of them are so much on the increase that it makes my head spin. It is for these reasons that I asked if more and more people are believing the lies of the enemy. Are we seeing the parable of the wheat and the tares unfolding right before our eyes?

My heart is heavy for those who have rejected God. We are now seeing that those who reject God are not even willing to have a conversation. They are so completely overrun with hatred of anything that speaks of God’s righteousness. Sadly, it appears that they have made their decision. As followers of Christ, we are called to make disciples, but we are also told that we are to draw the proverbial line in the sand.

If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
(Matthew 10:14-15 (NIV))

Don’t focus on the things of this world!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you believe that Jesus is Lord?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
(Romans 10:9 (NIV))

I can’t think of a better passage of scripture to follow up with after the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus!

The resurrection sets the stage for this passage, for without the resurrection, the claims made are nothing more than wishful thinking. But, because Jesus is alive, we can make this profession of faith knowing that it is absolutely true. We can say that “Jesus is Lord” without any doubt in our minds. We can believe, actually, we can know with absolute certainty that God raised Jesus from the dead. We can have the faith to not only say that “Jesus is Lord,” we can also have the faith to know that our salvation is assured because of His death, burial and triumphant resurrection.

What is faith?

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

Even though we live some two thousand years after the resurrection, are you truly confident that Jesus arose from the dead? Are you truly confident that Jesus is God’s perfect sacrificial lamb to atone for your sins? Are you truly confident in your eternal future because of this proclamation?

If Jesus is your personal Lord and Savior, then each of us are called to do one thing as we walk out our life of faith. Just as Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, He is telling us the very same thing.

“Go now and leave your life of sin.”
(John 8:11b (NIV))

If you profess that Jesus is Lord, then by definition a lord is one who has power and authority over you. If you profess that Jesus is Lord and He has told you to leave your life of sin, are you being obedient? I realize that we are only human and that we will fail, but we must possess a desire to strive for this sinless life. When we fail, we must repent. We must keep our eyes focused on Jesus for salvation is found in no other name?

Do you believe that Jesus is Lord?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Now is the time to run to Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:12 (NIV))

No other name but Jesus!

Do you know anyone who has tried to replace Jesus with someone else? Perhaps I should ask with something else, after all, many of the things that humanity looks to as having the power to protect and to save them are not people, but things. Money and power are just a few of these things that come to mind.

So, what’s in a name?

You’ve heard the old saying that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but it still possesses all of the qualities of a rose at the end of the day. Its very essence is and will always be that of a rose. In essence, what I am getting at is that we only have one person in all of human history who has the power to save. At the end of the day, His name will still be Jesus. His power and authority will still be that of the only begotten Son of God. Each language has a different way of saying His name, but each name references the very same Lord and Savior. There is no other. He is just as sweet!

Sadly, too many people look to anyone and anything else to save them. For them, the results will be the same as for those who rejected Him when He walked the earth.

Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’
(Acts 4:11 (NIV))

Now is the time to turn to Jesus. Do not reject the salvation that is found in no one else. No one knows what tomorrow may bring. In fact, it is possible that either you or I will not live to see tomorrow. Do you know where you will be if that were to happen? Does that thought haunt you? Do you want to do something now to guarantee a different eternal outcome? 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 as your Lord and Savior!

Now is the time to run to Jesus!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you standing firm in your faith in Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
(Matthew 24:13 (NIV))

There is an old saying that if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.

I believe that Joshua had it right when he addressed the Israelites at Shechem. He challenged them to serve the Lord. He challenged them to stand with the Lord in all that they would do. He told them that they needed to make a choice and he told them what his choice was going to be.

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
(Joshua 24:15 (NIV))

Sadly, we know the history of the number of times that the Israelites did not stand with the Lord. We know the consequences of them going after other gods. We know the consequences of them forsaking His commands. We know the consequences of their rebellion. In essence, after a few generations, they no longer stood firm in their faith, and as we repeatedly read, they were divided, they were exiled and they were abandoned by the Lord because they had abandoned Him. They had experience the power and the truth and yet they fell for any and all distractions that they were presented with. They lost sight of the Lord and found that their eyes and their hearts wandered to the follies of the world.

The events of the last several years are ever present in our minds as we look to what can and probably will unfold in the future. If we don’t keep our eyes focused on Jesus, if we don’t stand firm in our faith, we can easily fall for the lies of the enemy. What do you see in your life as you look to the future? Do you see uncertainty, lies and trouble or do you see Jesus? We must not lose sight of the truths presented by Paul. We must stand firm in our faith in Jesus or we will fall for false gods just as the Israelites did.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV))

Are you standing firm in your faith in Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Call collect. He will accept all charges!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
(Romans 10:13 (NIV))

Do you know someone who feels that they are too far gone for God to care about them? Are you trying to share the grace and mercy that is freely given and their reply is that you don’t know what they have done? Do they think that what they have done is so bad that God could never forgive them? Perhaps that someone is you and you were given this to read. Rest assured that the only thing that God cannot forgive is a hardened heart. His forgiveness requires that you soften your heart and turn to accept His offer of grace and mercy.

God loves you. He never left you. It is we, in our sinful nature, who have left Him. Each of us have tried to fill that void where God should be with what the world has to offer. Nothing in this world will work! He has provided a way for this void to be filled with Himself. He has provided a way to return to Him. In fact, He is calling us to return to Himself.

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))

As you can see, God’s offer is on the table. It is up to us whether we accept it or reject it. It is as easy as ABC.

A is for admit that you are a sinner in need of a savior. Soften your heart and turn to the Lord.

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.

Something else for you to think about. He wants you to call on Him.

Call collect. He will accept all charges!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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