Christmas is the celebration of the sign!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14 (NIV))

Immanuel. God with us!

Contrary to what the retailers try to tell us, Christmas isn’t about gifts. Contrary to what movies try to tell us, Christmas isn’t about Santa, the Grinch, or any of those feel good stories. Christmas is about one thing and one thing only.

The birth of the promised Messiah! The birth of God’s Son! The birth of Jesus!

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))

This was and still is the greatest gift that has ever been given. Through Adam, we were lost in sin with no way out. Through Jesus, we can be redeemed. We can be made righteous in God’s eyes.

All of heaven rejoiced at His birth. The angels proclaimed the Good News and glorified God for giving us His Son.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
      and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
(Luke 2:11-14 (NIV))

The angels announced the sign at His birth! They did not announce a sale. They did not announce that Santa is coming to town. They announced the birth of the Messiah, the fulfillment of the sign foretold in Isaiah.

Christmas is the celebration of the sign!

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

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
(Luke 2:8-14 (NIV))

What an honor it must have been to be the first to hear the good news! The shepherds must have been terrified by the presence of the angels, after all, angels were not, and are still not an every day occurrence.

Luckily for us, God’s plan does not discriminate against us for not being there. In fact, it is probably with mixed blessings that we are embraced as part of God’s Kingdom. We do not have the first hand experience of having seen the angels, the star, or Jesus’ life. Sometimes, I wonder if I would have believed if I lived at the time of Jesus!

On the other hand, we have the faith of millions of people who have gone before us. We have the New Testament, the hundreds of years of prophesy study that proves Jesus is King of kings, the Messiah. It may be easier for someone today to come to faith than it was in Jesus’ day. Yet, through all of this “historical proof”, I sometimes feel empty. I think it is the desire of every believer to be able to go back in time and be a witness to the miracles and hear the teachings of Jesus firsthand.

We celebrate the birth of Jesus and look back in awe to the miracles. At the same time, we should look around us in awe of what God is doing today and look to the not-to-distant future and know what God is going to do. We celebrate the First Coming. Some tomorrow we will celebrate the Second Coming.

Merry Christmas!

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you believe in the virgin birth?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14 (NIV))

Do you believe in the virgin birth?

There are so many things that depend upon your answer to this not so simple question. Among those are key principles that influence your current life and your eternity. Was Jesus the fulfillment of this prophecy from Isaiah? Is Jesus the Son of God born of a woman? Does God have the ability to intervene in and through the created natural order of things? Did God have the birth of Jesus planned? Did God know exactly what would happen and does He know exactly what will happen in the future?

I suppose that it all comes down to one simple question.

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Everything in all of eternity comes down to your specific answers to this question, and to the previous ones.

There is one time of year when we focus on the birth of Jesus, but recently, society seems to have done their best to trivialize the most important birth that has ever occurred. It has become commercialized. It has become about giving gifts. Certain aspects of our society has even tried to completely remove the true reason for the season. At this Christmas, I have to ask one question once again. Your answer determines what you celebrate and why you celebrate. Your answer determines your eternal existence.

Do you believe in the virgin birth?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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What are the reasons for what you seek?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
He replied, “When evening comes, you say, `It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, `Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.
(Matthew 16:1-4 (NIV))

Ouch !

I often wonder how Jesus would have answered if they had come honestly seeking the truth instead of seeking to test him. They were asking for a sign to prove to them who He is. They came in their doubt. How would Jesus have reacted if they had honestly came in faith?

Think about that and then think of the following story told in Matthew.

The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, `Go,’ and he goes; and that one,`Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, `Do this,’ and he does it.”
(Matthew 8:8-9 (NIV))

What was the difference in attitude of the people coming to Jesus? What was Jesus’ reaction in both cases?

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.
(Matthew 8:13 (NIV))

Have you ever stopped to think that the way that we approach Jesus actually makes a difference? Have you ever approached Jesus and then later realized that you were testing Him, and not approaching Him in faith?

The Pharisees and the Sadducees came to Jesus seeking a miracle so that they could test him and then decide whether to believe. The centurion came to Jesus seeking a miracle because he believed.

Jesus could see within their hearts. He knew the reasons behind their requests. It was, and still is, a matter of priorities and faith.

What are the reasons for what you seek?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Will you be watching to see what God does?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
(Revelation 12:1-2 (NIV))

Do you believe in signs and wonders in the heavens? God does!

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,
(Genesis 1:14 (NIV))

He planned it that way!

How many noticed that they are to serve as signs for three distinct things? The first, and most prominent, is for marking sacred times. If that is the case, then when we are told that there will be a great sign, how should we react? How should we approach such an event?

For those who don’t know, there is a direct correlation between what is described and certain stars and planets in the zodiac. The woman is Virgo. The king planet, Jupiter, is the child that she carries. The crown is a combination of stars and planets, and the moon is under her feet. According to various sources, this has never happened before, will only happen once, and will never happen again. That one time that it will happen is later in 2017 and many are calling it the convergence. Everything lines up perfectly for this great sign to appear. It also lines up with the next Jewish feast in God’s timeline.

I, for one, will be watching this great sign with much fascination. I am not date setting. I am being observant, for as a follower of Jesus, we are to know the seasons. When God tells us that there will be a great sign, and we are also told by scientists and astronomers that this sign will only happen once in all of eternity, then we should pay attention. We should really pay attention since it will happen in our lifetimes. I just love how, as time passes, God unveils Himself and presents Himself just as He foretold. With that in mind, I will be watching the heavens as God’s plan unfolds.

He is giving us a great sign.

Will you be watching to see what God does?

(If you wish to study this for yourself, I recommend doing a search for Revelation 12 on YouTube as a starting point.)

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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God is faithful!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
(Genesis 9:12-16 (NIV))

God is faithful!

When God first created a rainbow, it was as a promise to those who had followed His commands. It was, and still continues to be, a visible reminder that God is faithful to deliver those who call upon His name; for those who place their faith and trust in Him.

With all that is going on in the world, we all need a gentle reminder that God is faithful and that what He has promised will come to pass. I realize that this sounds like a weak faith, but in reality it is a strengthening of faith, for it is a sign from God that what He has promised will come to fruition.

Have you ever needed a gentle reminder from God?

To be honest with you, I don’t think that there is a single person alive who does not need this reassurance every once in a while. God knows us intimately. He also knows that we face things in this world that can overcome us. He sent Jesus into this world to overcome sin and death. He sent the rainbow to show us that He is faithful to keep His promises. God has an everlasting covenant with His creation. That covenant is our hope and our faith. To those who believe in that covenant, we see signs all around us of the majesty that is our God. Sadly, those who do not believe see the same signs but miss the meaning. They miss the promise.

With all that I have that burdens my heart, today was a day that I was reminded of the faithfulness of God. The day was stressful with the typical news as of late. Other issues clouded my mind. Late in the day I decided to step outside for a breath of fresh air. My mind was racing trying to comprehend all of the events of the day. I turned to look back at my house, and there it was! The biggest rainbow that I have ever seen arching down from on high and disappearing behind the roof.

It is amazing how something that God sends your way can instantly change your day. I went from a heavy heart to a smile and joy in no time at all. I was reminded of God’s love for us and His faithfulness to those who love Him!

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Don’t hold on to your sin! Repent!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin– because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
(Romans 6:4-7 (NIV))

“So that the body of sin might be done away with!”

I find it interesting that far too many people believe that God would not condemn them for their sin because He loves them.

Did God love Jesus before He came to the earth?

Did God love Jesus when He was beaten?

Did God love Jesus when He was crucified?

Why would God put His only begotten Son through all of this if we could be with Him and still hold onto our sin?

Jesus did not go through everything that He suffered so that we can keep sin in our lives. Jesus came to bring forgiveness, but forgiveness requires repentance. To repent means to turn around, to turn away from what you are currently doing.

If you are driving and you see a sign that says that the bridge is out, do you defiantly keep going? Do you tell the people that you are with that you don’t believe the sign? Do you tell them that it no longer applies to the world because with today’s modern construction, why would the bridge be out? Do you keep ignoring the warnings and drive off into the chasm that the bridge was supposed to span?

I find it so ironic and sad that when it comes to salvation, far too many people are doing what I described the driver doing with the bridge.

We all sin. We all need redemption. We all need a way to escape the consequences of our sin. God has given us a way to turn away from the sin that leads to death. Don’t be like the driver who ignores the signs before him.

Don’t hold on to your sin!

Repent!

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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What do you look for and what do you seek?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.
(Mark 8:13 (RSV))

Do you seek signs from God?

In the days of Jesus, people wanted miraculous signs. They wanted something so grand that they would have no doubt about the origination of the sign. To be honest with you, I would not mind seeing such a sign myself !

The words of Jesus ring in my ears when I think that a sign would be great. They remind me that Jesus came not to bring people into salvation because it was an obvious choice from the physical perspective, but because they had the faith to believe. It is easy to believe when you see miraculous signs. Where is the faith in this? Faith requires much more. It requires believing in what you cannot see.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
(Hebrews 11:1 (NIV))

If Jesus had given that generation miraculous signs, how long would they have believed? It may have lasted a few days, or even months, but, just like the Israelites in the desert, they would have begun to grumble and their faith would have faltered.

God wants us to have faith in Him.

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
(Zechariah 4:6b (NIV))

God wants us to know Him on a personal level, not on a level of might and power. The generation that Jesus spoke to was looking for the might and power when He was offering them the Lamb and the Spirit. They missed the greatest gift of all time simply because they had preconceived ideas of what to look for.

What do you look for in Jesus? What do you seek from Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2011 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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