The choice to repent is yours!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“Even now,” declares the Lord,
     “return to me with all your heart,
     with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
(Joel 2:12 (NIV))

Even now!

There is no better time than the present, for we are not promised tomorrow.

We live our lives as if we have all of the time in the world, but we don’t. We live our lives as if we can do whatever we want and then, at the last minute, we can ask God for forgiveness. Most people never have that chance. We live our lives as if we will know when our time on this earth will end, yet we are caught off guard when it does.

With all that I see transpiring in the world, our own lives are not the only thing that is time sensitive. This world is facing things that seem to parallel end time prophecies, yet not many people are acknowledging this. We see satanic worship on TV, and at the same time, we have thousands of people worshipping Jesus. Is this part of the wheat and the tares happening right in front of us?

We are told that no man can know the hour or the day, but we can recognize the season. We are also told that many will be deceived. We are told that the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy. We are told that the enemy is the father of lies. We are told that his lies caused Adam and Eve to fall from grace. We are told much, but how many of us truly pay attention to what we have been told? Are we caught in a delusion?

Time is short!

Jesus may return for His church this very moment. Where would you be? Your life may end this very moment. Where would you be?

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))

We have a choice!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
     and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
     in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
     to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV))

We can return “even now” and experience grace and mercy, or we can bow when it is too late to escape the consequences of our sin.

The choice to repent is yours!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Don’t wait until it’s too late!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
(Joel 2:12 (NIV))

I am sure that you have read or heard people saying that the events we are experiencing are all part of God’s end time plan, and I honestly think that we are closer than most people realize. Regardless of where we think we are in God’s timeline, I want to ask a few questions that pertain to your personal relationship with the Lord.

If Jesus were to return this very moment to take His true church home, would you be part of that snatching away? Would your address change in the twinkling of an eye? Would all of your troubles go away or would the worst troubles that you could possibly imagine be about to start?

Most people simply put off ever thinking about this. They are afraid of what they will see if they take an honest look at their lives, so to avoid what they are afraid that they might find, they simply never look! I realize that it is human nature to shy away from conflict and from difficult subjects, but no one needs to be this type of person when it comes to their eternity!

God is calling us. He even sent His Son to reach out to us.

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))

All that we have to do is believe.

Don’t wait until it’s too late!

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Have you returned to God with your heart?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“Even now,” declares the LORD,
    “return to me with all your heart,
    with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart
    and not your garments.
  Return to the LORD your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,
  slow to anger and abounding in love,
    and he relents from sending calamity.
(Joel 2:12-13 (NIV))

The words written long ago in the book of Joel still hold true to this very day. I imagine that they will be true until Jesus returns in triumph to the Mount of Olives. Only then, will it be too late for those who have made the wrong decision.

God wants us to turn from our sin and return to Him.

All too often, we do things that are extravagant in nature because we feel that we must do something of great magnitude, or great outward appearance, so that God will know that we mean it this time. Perhaps these acts are more for ourselves and our neighbors than they are for God, after all, God sees our hearts. He doesn’t need to see the flamboyant antics of someone who will break the promises that were just made. This is why we are told to “rend your heart,” for God sees the heart and He knows when it is truth. We can forever rend externally to ourselves and it will never have a lasting impact. When we rend our heart, it is the very center of our existence. We have made the decision to change from the inside out. Perhaps this is why Jesus spoke about what makes a man unclean.

He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him `unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man `unclean.’ “
(Mark 7:20-23 (NIV))

Have you taken that ultimate commitment to God? Have you internalized the change by changing your heart? Have you returned to God with your heart?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you understand the depth of His love?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Jesus wept.
(John 11:35 (NIV))

Do you truly realize the implications of these two words?

Without going into detail to expound upon the fact that Jesus is part of the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, I want you to consider some basic word swapping. What happens when you switch Jesus as the subject of this short, yet powerful sentence with God, Father, or Holy Spirit?

God wept.

The Father wept.

The Holy Spirit wept.

It’s easy to think of Jesus weeping, after all He was fully human even though He was fully God. Swapping the subject out and replacing it with other incarnations of the Holy Trinity puts this verse into a different light? Have you ever thought of God weeping? Did you ever think that God’s heart could break? If you think of Him as Father, then perhaps you have considered how God’s heart breaks when we sin. Have you ever thought of the Holy Spirit weeping? If you have ever experienced that still, small voice, then you probably have felt the pain and the anguish that He feels when someone sins.

The original two words show the compassion and love that Jesus has, but if you extend to the obvious, it shows the deep compassion and love that is there in all incarnations of the Holy Trinity. I realize that each member of the Holy Trinity has a unique task that they perform, but they are all God. All three love. All three weep. All three are involved in the plan of redemption and grace. Think about that in context of these words in John 11:35. If Jesus wept, that means the very heart of God was broken and weeping.

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
(John 5:19 (NIV))

The Father wept!

I don’t like the fact that we break His heart, but I am so overjoyed that our God has compassion and love for His creation that He weeps when we do break His heart.

Do you understand the depth of His love?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Have you returned? Are you still returning?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
(Joel 2:12-13 (NIV))

Are you ashamed of where you have been?

Perhaps I should ask if you are ashamed of where you are?

Let’s face the hard, unadulterated truth. We are all human, and human nature means that we are not perfect. We have all done things that are far from what Jesus calls us to do. Most of us like to think that this is all in our past, after all, we have accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior! In reality, we still sin. Our human nature doesn’t go away. We must allow the Holy Spirit to influence our lives, to control the sinful nature that lies within all of us.

We must repent daily!

When we repent, we turn away from our sin and return to God. It is an act of obedience that we must do daily, if not more often, for our sinful, human nature will try to make us return to our sin.

Accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior is not the end of your walk with Jesus. It is only the beginning! When you go for a walk, do you ever find yourself making mid-walk corrections and adjustments to make sure that you end up at your ultimate destination. Sometimes you must turn left. Other times you must turn right. Along the way you may have to step over or around obstacles. Sometimes you must turn around or return. Walking with Jesus is much the same way. Our sinful nature will start to lead us down a path that is not right. We must be sure to listen for the call to return to the path that Jesus desires for us to walk.

Have you returned to the Lord to be able to begin anew? Are you returning to Him on a daily basis?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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God will hear!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
(Psalms 6:8 (NIV))

David was in anguish when he wrote this psalm. Anguish so deep that he wept uncontrollably. Still, he found comfort in the Lord. He found solace in knowing that the Lord was with him when he faced the evils that the world sent his way.

What evils do you face today? Do you turn toward God in those times?

What if the evils that we face grow tremendously? Will you and I still turn toward God in those times?

Think about those questions and reflect on these paraphrased stories from the non-mainstream news media.

A man was beaten because his party costume offended a Muslim man. The victim was lectured and the man who beat him was released without punishment by the judge. The victim was told that in certain countries, his act would have rightfully resulted in his death.

A government plan that mandates churches go against their beliefs and follow what the government dictates.

I am certain that you recognize the second summarized story, but sadly enough, the first one is also from this country.

Do these stories cause anguish within your heart? Do they cause you to weep because of the evil that they foreshadow? Are we ready to turn to God the way that David did in his times of anguish?

I have another piece of information for you to ponder. I have been reading some information from some historians and the consensus is that no country that has reached the point that we have as a nation has ever regained their former status.

Does that cause weeping and anguish? I know that it causes me some very serious distress. I know that I stand firmly in wanting to regain our faith, our values and our moral determination.

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
(2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (NIV))

Turn to God in prayer. Follow David’s example and let the Lord know of your anguish and your weeping. Pray for His will to be done.

God will hear!

Copyright 1998 – 2012 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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