God’s plan is for the fullness of eternity!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
(John 10:10 (NIV))

What do you think it means to have life to the full?

That is a question that has caused so much confusion among believers. Too many think that it simply means that we are to have a blessed life while on this earth, but I have my doubts about this interpretation.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33 (NIV))

Am I missing something, but to me a life to the full does not mean that we will have troubles. Even if we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, Jesus tells us that we will have troubles? I am not saying that the fullness of our lives while on earth will be limited, for we will be focused on Jesus, but I honestly feel that we are missing something when we talk about having life to the full, and it is all a matter of perspective.

Human nature looks upon our existence as a physical being with a potential eternal soul. The spiritual nature looks upon our existence as an eternal being with a temporary body.

Let’s take a look at the Garden of Eden. Nowhere before we are told of the fall from grace does it mention that we, as God’s creation, were not to be eternal beings walking with God in all things that we do. It was our sin, our fall from grace, that changed our perspective. After the fall, Adam and Eve and all of humanity since then have seen themselves as physical beings. We no longer grasped the concept that we were supposed to walk with God for all eternity.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 (NIV))

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

Before the fall, we were destined to have eternal life. That, I do believe, is the life to the full that we were all supposed to have until sin entered the picture. This life to the full was cut short, it was destroyed by the thief. He destroyed our relationship with our Father and he killed our eternal souls through his lies. Jesus came to restore what had been stolen. He came to bring new life to what had been killed. He came to repair what had been destroyed. All of this was done so that we could once again have eternal life. He came to return us to the Father’s original plan where we would have life to the full in His presence!

Does this change your perspective?

God’s plan is for the fullness of eternity!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you recognize His Lordship?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
     the world, and all who live in it;
(Psalms 24:1 (NIV))

What do you see when you take a look at everything that is going on in this world?

Contrary to what society claims, we are not in control. Contrary to what our politicians claim, they are not in control. Contrary to what the media thinks, they are not in control. Contrary to what the 1% believe, they are not in control. Contrary to what the enemy believes, he is not in control.

God is still sovereign!

It may seem as if things are falling apart, but in all honesty, they are actually falling perfectly into place to fulfill God’s plans as foretold by the prophets. Our only part in this is to decide which side we choose to be on. We can continue to live in our sin and suffer the consequences.

For the wages of sin is death,
(Romans 12:23a (NIV))

Or we can choose to repent and give our lives to the Lord.

but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 12:23b (NIV))

The choice is ours and ours alone. Being raised in church doesn’t do it. Being a good person doesn’t do it. Being the child of a believer doesn’t do it. Each person must make the decision for themselves. Each person must decide just who they belong to.

Who do you belong to?

Do you recognize His Lordship?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Why are you still stumbling in the darkness?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
(John 8:12 (NIV))

Now is not the time to be living your life walking in the darkness!

What happens when you walk in darkness in the physical world?

You trip, stumble, fall and get injured!

What happens when you walk in spiritual darkness?

We know that spiritual darkness is sin. We now that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We know that the wages of sin is death. Do I need to go any further with this, especially with all that we see going on in the world?

Each of us has a choice to make. We can continue to walk in our sin, in our darkness, or we can repent and follow Jesus who is the bringer of light. Don’t wait until it is too late! The darkness makes you stumble and fall, and you never know just what will happen to you in the darkness. Too many people never make it out. They die in their sin. They never accepted the free offer of mercy and grace that would have lifted them out of darkness into His glorious light. If you haven’t accepted this offer of amazing grace, I have but one question for you.

Why are you still stumbling in the darkness?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Why do you think Jesus came into this world?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
(John 3:17 (NIV))

Everybody, even nonbelievers, focuses on the passage just before these words.

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.
(John 3:16 (NIV))

I honestly believe that this well-known verse is also one of the root verses that make people profess that God is love. Too many people who profess this have taken this to the extremes by claiming that since God loves us, why would He condemn us? They twist the truth and falsely believe that since God created us then He loves us unconditionally, even when we are still in our sin. They are correct that He loves us unconditionally, but they fail to realize that He hates sin, and that He cannot associate with sin. We are destined, because of our sin, to be eternally separated from the loving Father who created us. They falsely extend their belief that our sin is acceptable to the point that He would not hate us for the sin that they mistakenly believe that He created in us. They fail to recognize that it was Satan who deceived humanity and caused sin.

We were not created to be sinful beings!

We were created to be in relationship with God, the Father.

With that truth fully prominent, we can embrace the preeminent truth behind Jesus being sent to save the world through His atoning actions. The problem is that too many people do not believe that they need to be saved. They don’t recognize the life saver that is being tossed to them as they descend further and further into sin. They are drowning in sin and don’t even realize it.

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

I love the words in John 3:16, but we must not stop there. We must realize how much He loves us by realizing one important fact.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
(Romans 8:1 (NIV))

If you profess a faith in Jesus, then you are no longer condemned, You have been saved from the wages of sin. But you may ask, how does this save the world? That is an easy question to answer, for it is the same way that He has been saving the world since He went to the cross. He is saving the world one life at a time!

I hope that this clarifies some things in your mind, especially with the single biggest question that you need to be able to answer for yourself.

Why do you think Jesus came into this world?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Does this describe the confidence of your faith?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

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

How is your faith?

Do you truly possess a hope and assurance that is only available through no other name but Jesus?

Depending on your answer, and I hope that it was a resounding “Yes,” just what does that mean to you?

We know that we are all sinners in need of a Savior. We know that the wages of sin is death. We know that there is absolutely nothing that we can do of our own strength that will change any of this. I started to write that there is one thing that we can do of our own strength, but I would be lying. It is not of our own strength, but rather out of our humility that we realize our situation. When we come to this realization, we have but one response!

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
(James 4:10 (NKJV))

It takes a confident person to humble yourself in the sight of the Lord. Please don’t confuse this confidence with human arrogance and pride. Human nature tells us that we can do it all on our own. Godly confidence tells us that we have no other option but to put our trust in the Lord. The world, and human nature, tells us that there are many different ways to God. When we cast aside all other ways and fully place our hope and assurance in Jesus as the only way, it shows the world that we are confident in our faith. More importantly, it shows the Lord that we are confident in our faith.

Are you confident in what you hope for in Jesus?

Are you confident in the assurance that you have in Jesus?

Are you able to proclaim His name in confidence no matter what the world may say in response? I sincerely hope that you remember the words of Jesus in response to this.

But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
(Matthew 10:33 (NIV))

With that last passage now presented for your consideration, I have but one more question about the confidence that your faith displays with respect to hope and assurance.

Does this describe the confidence of your faith?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you believe in the gift of God?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

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

I don’t know about you, but that is one wage that I do not want to collect, and if you don’t repent, it is one that you will collect.

I realize that this statement is rather harsh, but if you stop to think about the consequences of not repenting and accepting Jesus, then this statement is actually sugar coated.

Let me take a step back and ask one important question. What do you think of when you think of death? If you only think of the cessation of the physical body, you are missing out on the eternal aspect and consequences of your existence. Humanity is not simply a physical creature. We are not simply a temporary physical existence with a spirit and soul. We are an eternal spirit and soul with a temporary physical body. We are only passing through this world. This world is not our home! With this in mind, there is another type of death that is far worse than physical death. There is an eternal death that the enemy wants you to not know about. He will do anything that he can to make you think that it isn’t real. He wants to destroy you, both body and soul, for he hates humanity.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
(Matthew 10:28 (NIV))

If you have never heard this in this way, it may be time to pay attention. God doesn’t want any to perish, but that decision is your. He can’t make it for you. All that He can do, and has done, is offer a way for you to escape this death. He has provided a sinless, spotless sacrifice through Jesus to take all of the sin of everyone who has ever lived. All that you have to do is accept this great gift of amazing grace!

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
(Romans 6:18 (NIV))

All that you have to do is believe!

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))

I have one more very important question to ask.

Do you believe in the gift of God?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you believe this?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
(John 11:25-26 (NIV))

Does this sound too fantastic to be true?

According to the world, it is, but we don’t live according to the world. If you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you don’t need to live according to the world, either! It all starts with one basic truth that is clearly evident in the world today.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 (NIV))

We are all sinners and because of that, we can never be in the presence of God, for He cannot associate with sin. Because of this, we are condemned to an eternity without God. We are condemned to spiritual and physical 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))

But . . .

Did you notice that word in the middle of Romans 6:23? As humans, we often use this word to indicate that we have an excuse for what we have done. God uses this word to turn the tables on sin and death.

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))

God loves us enough to provide a way out of the consequences of sin and death. It all starts with the ABCs.

A is 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.

Do you long for life beyond what we know in this sinful, fallen world? Do you long for life in the presence of a just and loving God? Do you long for life without tears and heartache? Now is the time to make that confession of faith before it is too late!

Is Jesus your resurrection and your life?

Do you believe this?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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You don’t have to stay under condemnation!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
(Romans 8:1 (NIV))

Do you like to be blamed or held accountable when things go wrong?

That is exactly what condemnation is. We are blamed and held accountable for the sins that we commit. We are all guilty. We are all sinners.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 (NIV))

No descendants of Adam and Eve can escape the fate that we inherit due to the fall from grace. We are all born sinners and we inherit, we deserve, the consequences of our sins. There is none righteous on our own!

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

But, God . . .

God had another plan to redeem us, to restore us unto Himself. God has a plan to remove all condemnation from us as far as the east is from the west.

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))

If you profess a faith in Jesus, your sins are forgiven. You do not stand condemned. That is the greatest news that anyone could ever receive. With all that is happening in the world at this time, many people believe that His return is coming very soon. We do not want to be found still condemned by our sin when He does return. It’s 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.

It is your choice!

You don’t have to stay under condemnation!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Turn to Jesus for He is the bread of life!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
(Revelation 6:6 (NIV))

like this as they become a reality for far more people than isolated instances. Two years ago it was toilet paper and other paper products. Recent events see us facing infant formula shortages. A large number of large food processing plants have burned. International trade is uncertain with many of the countries that are the leading producers of grain unable to yield a crop. When was the last time that you actually walked through a grocery store that was fully stocked? When was the last time that you filled up your cars? Everyone is experiencing sticker shock and there appears to be no end in sight!

When this was written, wheat and barley were the basis of the diets for the common people. Oil and wine were a necessity, but many scholars believe this reference to mean that the wealthy will not be as impacted as everyone else. Still, shortages and prices are going up. I don’t believe that we are truly at the point that this passage speaks of, but just how close are we?

What do you see unfolding right before our eyes?

Are we having first hand experience of the beginnings of the events foretold of in this passage?

No one truly knows the exact unfolding of the events that God has planned. All that we can do is keep our eyes focused on Jesus! He is our rock. He is our fortress. He is our firm foundation no matter what we may face.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
(Matthew 4:4 (NIV))

When it takes all that you have to simply survive, look up!

Turn to Jesus for He is the bread of life!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you living the life of a healed sinner?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
(1 Peter 2:24 (ESV))

I don’t know about you, but this trade is very one-sided. And, no, I am not complaining, for I know what I deserve and I know what this trade has given me!

What about you?

Do you truly realize what has been given to you in this trade?

Do you truly realize the totality of the burden that has been lifted from you in this trade?

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 (NIV))

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

Based on these two passages, each of us are guilty of such serious transgressions that we have been sentenced to death without any hope of redemption or pardon through anything that we could ever do.

But, God . . .

Thankfully, He had other plans!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
(John 3:16-18 (ESV))

As believers in Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we must never forget what our Lord has done for us. We must always keep our eyes and our hearts focused on Jesus, for without the grace and mercy freely give at the cross, we would still be completely helpless, hopeless and lost.

Are you living the life of a healed sinner?

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