Are we understanding the urgency of our present time?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
(Romans 13:11 (NIV))

When Paul wrote these words to the Romans, he was warning them that the time had come to wake up from their sinful slumber for salvation was at hand. They had been living with no hope of salvation and Paul’s words were used as a proclamation that they now had hope, and that this hope was firmly grounded in Jesus!

Today, after two thousands years, we must be able to understand a different present time.

As believers in Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we know that salvation is ours if we profess this faith and call upon the name of Jesus. Salvation has been made available to a sinful, fallen world for two thousand years. Today, we must watch and wait for the fulfillment of God’s plans as He draws the church age to a close.

I have stated many times in recent years that I, like many others, feel that God’s plans are rapidly unfolding right before our eyes. The events that we watch are too numerous to list here, for they are many. Just as God used Paul to tell the Romans that salvation was then available, I believe that God is using many things in this world to tell us of this present time. He is telling us to wake from our slumber.

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
(Romans 13:12 (NIV))

Paul preached salvation and grace based on his Damascus Road encounter with Jesus. He was correct in spreading this good news, this Gospel, to a sinful, fallen world. He was correct in helping them to understand that their time to repent was upon them. Today, we are closer to the time when Jesus gathers His church to Himself. Today, we are closer to the time when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Today, we are in the times when we must do as Paul did and preach the Gospel to all whom we encounter.

Have we been woken up from our slumber?

Are we understanding the urgency of our present time?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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We must not keep silent in such a time as this!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
(Esther 4:14 (NIV))

I love Mordecai’s answer to Esther. He simply reminded her that God had placed her exactly where she was. God had orchestrated it so that Esther was in her position in order to be used by God to save her people, or should I say His people.

We read this story and we fail to recognize that we are also alive for such a time as this!

Each of us who profess a faith in Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior have a calling. We are placed into situations and into the lives of others so that God may be glorified, so that we can share the Gospel and lead people to salvation. Just like Esther, we are not called to sit back and do nothing when there is a threat. We are called to pray. We are called to go beyond prayer and respond to what God shows us when we pray.

What if Esther had not responded?

Mordecai told her that God would find another way, but he also reminded her that she had been placed where she was for a reason.

Where have you been placed?

Each of us has a circle of influence that includes family, friends, coworkers and many, many more. What are you doing where you have been placed for such a time as this? Are you sharing the Gospel? Are you praying for those around you? Are you showing kindness and love to all whom you see?

I am constantly seeing that more and more people believe that God’s plans are unfolding right before our very eyes. What are we doing to rescue those who are perishing and don’t even know it?

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))

Are you willing to go? Are you willing to not keep silent?

As believers in Jesus, we have been given an assignment. We are to go and share the gospel with a world that desperately needs Jesus.

We must not keep silent in such a time as this!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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You are His work in process!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 1:6 (NIV))

Is there anything that you have ever done that you did perfectly the very first time that you did it?

Let me ask a different question that poses a very similar type of response.

If you undertake something significant, do you finish it instantly? If you decide to learn how to play piano, do you sit down and immediately play the most beautiful and intricate composition ever? If you decide to learn how to draw and paint, do you immediately produce a work comparable to the Mona Lisa? If you choose to pursue a certain profession, do you simply open up a business saying that you are what you decided you were that morning?

Everything takes time!

In fact, there is a phrase that fits this quite well. Your piano playing capabilities are a work in process. Your artistic skills are a work in process. You professional skills are a work in process. You will never reach the full potential unless you stay actively in pursuit of the desired goal.

Why do we think that our spiritual walk of faith will not be a work in process?

Is your faith the same as the first day that you made that profession in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? Is your knowledge of God’s Word the same as it was the very first time that you picked up a Bible? Is your outlook on sin the same as it was before you asked Jesus to save you from your sins?

Life is a learning process. Faith is a learning process. This learning process will see you walk through many things in your life with the hopeful outcome being one of maturity in your faith, maturity in your relationship with Jesus, and maturity in your daily walk with the Lord. Faith is often referred to a a journey. Did the disciples have the faith to take the Gospel into all the world when they first met Jesus? Did Paul know how to reach the Gentiles immediately after his Damascus Road experience? Even these people whom we look to as pillars of the faith did not start that way, but they were lead to maturity by the loving hand of the Lord and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Today, as we live our lives, we are being matured in our faith. When you realize that each day holds something that the Lord wants you to experience and learn, then you realize that He is not finished with you.

You are His work in process!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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We are to be faithful and diligent until the appointed time!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
    it speaks of the end
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
    it will certainly come
    and will not delay.
(Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV))

Are you tired of waiting?

If you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, then there are several things that you know will happen because we have been told that they would happen. Still, waiting is never easy, especially when you see the things that are happening in this world, and you know that the only hope that this world has is Jesus!

If you were taken in the rapture at this very moment, would you be upset? Are there things in this world that you don’t want to let go of? Take a good look at your priorities and be completely honest with yourself when you answer.

Most believers long to be with Jesus., yet, we are torn. We desire to be with Jesus in the presence of the Father, yet, we all have someone whom we love who has not come to the saving knowledge of Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. For this, I am willing to wait. For this, I am praying for friends and family to repent and come to salvation through Jesus.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
(2 Peter 3:9 (NIV))

I realize that I am being selfish when I long for the appointed time. I am guilty of seeing this promise through the eyes of someone who has already accepted their salvation. I need to open my eyes and see this as Jesus sees it. I need to realize that the Father does not wish for any to perish. If that is the Father’s wish, then it must be mine as well.

Still, there is coming a time, an appointed time, that will not delay. We must be prepared for that time as it rapidly approaches. We must also be diligent in our assignment, for we have not been given a reprieve.

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 28:18-20 (NIV))

We are to continue to make disciples. We are to continue baptizing. We are to continuing teaching.

We are to be faithful and diligent until the appointed time!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Have you been redeemed?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
(Galatians 4:4-5 (ESV))

In just a few days, we will experience what believers in Jesus have set aside as the day to celebrate the fullness of time! We will celebrate the promise fulfilled of God sending us His Son to redeem us from the bondage of sin and death. Ever since the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, humanity has been helpless, hopeless and lost. We were condemned to eternal separation from the One who created us to be in relationship with Him.

But, God . . .

I love the “But, God” moments!

He sent Jesus to redeem us. He sent Jesus to free us. He sent Jesus to show us His love.

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 is why we celebrate Christmas. This is why we have faith. This is why we are no longer helpless, hopeless and lost. Because God saw that the fullness of time had come, all who call upon the name of Jesus are now joyful, hopeful and found in the loving arms of the Father. This gift is for all who will believe. It is as simple 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.

God’s fullness of time means that we have been given the greatest gift of all. We have been given grace. We have been given mercy. We have been given salvation!

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))

Have you received the greatest gift of all time?

Have you been redeemed?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Our faith in waiting will bring tremendous joy!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
     it speaks of the end
     and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
     it will certainly come
     and will not delay.
(Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV))

Are you anxious for the Lord to reveal Himself and set everything right?

To be honest with you, believers have been longing for His return since the very day that He ascended into the clouds. The appointed time had not come and it is still not here. With all that is transpiring in the world at this time, many people believe that the appointed time could happen very soon. Some believe that it could happen by the time that the season changes to Fall.

Before Jesus walked this earth, prophets were giving us a glimpse into the mind of God. They relayed a message from God to those who long for His return because the Lord knows that we are an impatient creation. He reassured us that it will happen and that we are called to wait.

I don’t like to wait!

Does that sound familiar? Are you like this as well? We want what we want and we want it now! Does that sound fair to all whom the Lord wants to bring to salvation before He returns?

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
(2 Peter 3:9 (NIV))

I have been writing for almost twenty-five years that I believe that His appointed time is drawing close. I know that sounds like a long time, but we have to remember that God’s timing is much different from ours. With what we are now seeing all around the world, even the most cautious and conservative Biblical scholars are saying that we need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus because all of the signs point to His soon return. Each day reveals more and more that we need to recognize as steps to the ultimate revelation at His appointed time.

Our faith in waiting will bring tremendous joy!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Wait for it!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
(Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV))

Do you await the appointed time?

Sadly, too many people who profess a faith in Jesus only look to Him as their assurance of eternal life once they die, but what about all of the other aspects of Jesus? What about the promise to return for His church? What about the promise to return as a mighty warrior who will defeat Satan and cast him into the Abyss for one thousand years? I know that I summarized all of these events, but we need to realize that Jesus is more than a get out of hell card that we can play if we profess a faith and belief in Him. I know that my wording may make some people question my understanding of Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but we have to look beyond our personal desires and look at what Jesus actually came to do.

Jesus came to bring salvation by living the perfect, sinless life that we are not capable of living. Every single human who has ever lived has been cursed with the results of the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. Jesus came to offer each of us a way out of the results of that sin by willingly paying the price that our sin merits. Jesus came to give us a gift! Jesus came to defeat death!

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 (NIV))

Human nature has made too many people stop there.

Not only did Jesus come to offer us salvation by exchanging our sin for His righteousness as He suffered the death that was meant for us, He also came to defeat and bind the devil so that the father of lies could not deceive anyone else. Jesus came to restore the perfect creation that God had planned.

We like to think of Jesus as a baby, as a teacher, preacher and a miracle worker. We also think of Jesus as crucified, resurrected and ascended to the Father. We also think of spending eternity in heaven with Jesus, but we have a hard time with the righteous warrior aspects of Jesus. We don’t like to think about the state of the world that will trigger His return for His church. We don’t like to think of the wrath that will be poured out on the earth because humanity has gone too far and God’s appointed time has come.

Does this frighten you, or, does it make you look up in hopeful anticipation of His return? It is a matter of perspective. If you look at His return through the eyes of one who has accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, the prospect of His soon return should excite you. If you look at His return through the eyes of one who has rejected Jesus, it is not too late to change your mind. 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.

Once you do that, I pray that you don’t stop there. Embrace Jesus in all aspects of His glory. Do not fear Jesus as the righteous warrior. Wait for the appointed time.

Wait for it!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you believe that it’s time to look up?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
(John 14:29 (NIV))

Have you ever been tempted to say, “I told you so”? Have you ever actually said it?

That is a human trait that is based on ego and pride. We want to let people know that we are right and if they would have only listened to us in the beginning, things would have turned out differently. What is it about human nature that makes us believe that we should always be on top? Does it have anything to do with our desire to overcome the fall from grace? Is it something inherited that tells us that everything is our fault and unless we point the proverbial finger and blame others, we are no better than the sin we are trapped in? We like to blame others and in the process, we tend to elevate ourselves so that we look like the good guy.

Jesus isn’t telling us “I told you so!” He isn’t providing information in hindsight for us to analyze and argue about. Jesus is telling us specifically what will happen. In fact, He told us about two thousand years ago what would unfold. He told us so that we could be on the lookout for these events and recognize them when they do begin to unfold.

Are you recognizing anything?

With all of the events in the world right now, many people believe that they recognize events unfolding just as we have been told. They, and I, see things that are escalating and getting more intense just as the birth pains that we are told about for comparison. The human mind focuses on it’s immediate surroundings and usually only is concerned with events that impact us directly. We have a tendency to quickly forget or even ignore events that don’t impact us. Perhaps we should open our eyes and look beyond our own little circle of life in this world. What will we see? Will we know enough about God’s plans as recorded in God’s Word to recognize what we see? Will we know how to respond?

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
(Luke 21:28 (NIV))

God has a time table that only He knows the exact days on which things will transpire. We are told that only He knows the exact hour and day, but that we can recognize the season.

Do you believe that it’s time to look up?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you claim to be wise?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
(Proverbs 3:7 (NIV))

Do you see any wisdom in the world?

Based on this passage, perhaps I should rephrase that question.

Do you see people shunning evil and fearing the Lord, or are they more interested in mocking and ridiculing the Lord and anyone who seeks to follow Him? Are these people trying to claim that they are wise? Contrary to what they may think, the Lord doesn’t agree.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
      and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
(Proverbs 9:10 (NIV))

The present state of the world reminds me of the parable of the wheat and the tares. The bad seed that produces the tares are those who do not fear the Lord. They are doing all that they can to disrupt God’s plans. We have known that this time would come. We have known what the people would be like who do not fear the Lord. They claim to be wise in their own eyes. They feel a false sense of self-worth. They feel that only they are right and anyone who doesn’t agree is an enemy.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
(2 Timothy 3:1-4 (NIV))

As members of the Body of Christ, we must pray that we not fall into the traps that the enemy has set. We must fear the Lord and shun all evil. We must not think that we are more than we are – filthy rags.

Do you claim to be wise?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you love this world?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
(1 John 2:15 (NIV))

The way that things are at this moment in time, I am pretty sure that most people will easily be able to say that they do not love the world.

What was your outlook last year? Did you love the world then? If everything suddenly became exactly as you long for, what would your outlook be? Would you love the world then?

Even in the very best of times, we still live in a sinful, fallen world. No matter what you may like in this world, it will fade, rust or die. Even the very best of friends will betray you. Thankfully, we are promised an eternal home that is so much better. It is so far beyond our ability to understand how good it will be. What we have in this world is as we are, filthy rags. We can trade our filthy rags for God’s perfection. We should desire to cast off the rags and leave them behind, for what we will receive is eternal grace, beauty, and peace in God’s presence.

Think about that for a moment.

We will no longer be confronted with wars, hatred, sin, riots, hunger, sickness and death. I realize that in the midst of all of this, we do have fleeting glimpses of beauty, love and peace, but they soon vanish. Why do we claim to love a place that seems to cause so much pain, when we can claim an eternal home free from all pain and suffering? All that we have to do is look beyond this world and acknowledge Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. He alone can change our eternity. He alone can fulfill the promises. The things of this world are fleeting. Don’t cling to what will fade!

Do you love this world?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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