What is your house built on?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
(Matthew 7:24 (NIV))

It is important to have a firm foundation!

If you don’t believe this, try standing on a slippery floor in your socks, or try standing on an icy hill.

Stability is important in all aspects of life, both physical and spiritual. Everything that we do must have a firm foundation or it crumbles and falls out from underneath us. Too many of us look at the physical world and focus on our financial stability, yet we fail to even consider out faith as something that requires a firm foundation. We profess a faith in Jesus, yet we don’t act like it. When the least bit of trouble occurs, we start looking at our resources to figure out what to do. We look at our finances. We look at our jobs. We look at our health, but we never look to Jesus when He should be the foundation of all the things that we do.

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

What we turn to shows where we have placed our confidence. It shows where we have placed our hope. It shows where we have placed our assurance.

Think about that in relationship to the foundation of your house. Unless you were involved in the actual construction of your home, you have never seen its foundation. Yet, you trust that it will hold up your house. You have placed your confidence, your hope and your assurance on something that you have never seen. We trust the physical even when we cannot see what is there, so why do we not trust the spiritual when we also cannot see what is there? We have faith in the people who built our homes, yet we fail to have even that much faith in the One who gave us life, who gave us grace, who gave us mercy. When you don’t look to Jesus’ words and when you don’t put them into practice, you are standing on the slippery floor. You are standing on an icy hill. You are unstable in the very foundations of your life.

If you are reading this, you have probably professed a faith in Jesus, but do you truly live your life firmly rooted in His firm foundation?

What is your house built on?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Jesus didn’t say only on Sunday!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
(Luke 9:23 (NIV))

How much attention do you pay to Jesus on a Monday?

How about on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday?

Do you deny yourself on these days?

What about Friday and Saturday?

It is almost a given that most people do not deny themselves on these two days, especially starting when work is complete on Friday afternoon. Sadly, too many carry this over into Sunday. This is true even for some who profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. For far too many, all that they seem to be able to commit to the Lord is an hour on Sunday morning. Even then, they watch the time and pay more attention to the text message they just received than they do to what is being taught about God’s Word.

This is so far from what was intended with these words spoken by Jesus. Following Jesus is not an hour a week occurrence. We are to set our eyes upon Jesus every single moment of every single day. We are to deny the things that distract us from what we have professed as our first love. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus even when we are at work. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus during our best days. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus during our worst days. If you acknowledge that Jesus is the Word made flesh, then the following passage takes on a whole new meaning.

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
(Deuteronomy 11:18 (NIV))

We are to fix Jesus in our hearts and minds. We are to tie His teachings to our lives and bind them to our hearts and minds so that they are with us always, and not just an hour a week.

We can’t expect to take up our cross daily if we do not take up His Word daily. Take is an action verb. It indicates a willful grasping, a determined and premeditated action that results in possessing what was taken. Following Jesus is a set of daily, deliberate and willful actions that keep us focused on Jesus. We can’t stay focused on anything if we only devote one hour out of 168 hours that are in each week to what we profess to follow. We devote more time than that to eating. We devote more time than that to watching television. We devote more time than that to just about everything else in our lives. To the things that we love, we devote more of our time.

What does that say about your love for Jesus?

What does that say about your relationship with the Lord?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV))

It takes time to get to truly know Jesus. We are to take up our cross daily. We are to follow daily.

Jesus didn’t say only on Sunday!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Let you words and your deeds speak the name of Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
(1 John 3:18 (NIV))

How much truth do you place in words?

I am sure that there are some people whom you trust to do what they say that they will do, and then there are others whom you know that their word is not worth anything.

What was it that made you learn that you could trust certain people?

Chances are that they earned that trust through their actions. They followed through on what they said that they would do. Perhaps they never even actually said anything. They just simply proved their heart by always being there for you. In essence, talk is cheap. I have known people who can look you in the eye, lie, and make you believe that what they say is true in that moment.

And, then the moment changes!

The truth comes out and you realize that the words that sounded so eloquent and convincing were not spoken in true love.

They were spoken in deceit!

Is that how the world sees people who profess a faith in Jesus? Does the world see us as spouting deceptive words while doing the exact opposite of what we say. In other words, does the world see believers as hypocrites? I think this is the motive behind the words attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. These words mean that we are to love with our actions. We are to share the Gospel through our actions so that the world sees that there is something different about us.

Preach always. When necessary, use words.
(St. Francis of Assisi)

Then, when someone recognizes the difference, tell them why you are different. Tell them about Jesus. Share the Gospel by telling them how Jesus has made a difference in your life. And, one thing that we must always strive for.

Let you words and your deeds speak the name of Jesus!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Are you praying for those who share the Gospel?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
(Ephesians 6:19 (NIV))

Did you realize that Paul coveted the prayers from those whom he had ministered and taught so that he could reach others for Jesus?

Think about the implications of that concept. Paul, even though we consider him to be the man who took the Gospel to the Gentiles, realized that he is not capable of anything in his own strength. He wanted, or should I say that he needed constant under girding through the prayers of others for his ministry. He specifically asked them to pray that he be given the words that will fearlessly make the Gospel known. He realized that he is nothing without the power and guidance of the Lord. He realized that his words were useless, but the words spoken by the Holy Spirit through him were powerful beyond anything that any human could comprehend.

Take a look at the times in your life when you felt inadequate, when you felt at a loss for what to say. If you are like me, you simply stop and pray to be given the right words to reach the people who need to hear them. That is probably what Paul did as well, but he took it up a notch and asked for others to pray the same thing for him. Paul realized the power of prayer and he earnestly asked for the prayers of others.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
(James 5:16b (NIV))

We don’t hesitate to seek the prayers of others when we need God to intervene in our own lives. Let’s use this same approach and join in praying that we can fearlessly make the Gospel known. We must pray for ourselves and others to be given the words that will lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus. If Paul, whom we consider to be a man who opened the Gospel to the world beyond Israel, earnestly asked for prayer to be able to fulfill his calling, then why should we think that we don’t need to do the same thing? Have we had Jesus appear to us in such a way that our whole life was changed? Are we stronger in our faith than Paul? Have we walked from country to country preaching and teaching the good news of Jesus? Are we as committed as Paul?

I know that I am nothing in God’s plans. He could easily raise up someone else to reach those whom He has called me to reach. My prayer for myself is that He continue to give me the words to share that will draw people closer to Jesus. In fact, like Paul, I covet your prayers for this. I ask for your prayers as I continually seek His wisdom each day. I also pray that you will open your heart to being prayed for. Every day that I sit down to do this, I pray for the Lord to give me the words that He would have me to say to reach whom He needs me to reach. In praying this, I also pray for the unknown-to-me individuals whom God has directed to what He has had me send.

I do not take these devotionals lightly. For the last twenty-five years, I have made it a point to not put my name front and center, for these are not about me. I take the following passage very seriously.

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
(James 3:1 (NIV))

With that in mind, I ask for each of you to pray for those who share God’s word, whether in full time ministry or in daily living. Pray that we seek His truth before we write or speak. Pray that we choose to use the words that God has given us. Pray that we stand firm in the seriousness of what we do.

Are you praying for those who share the Gospel?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Do you have the light that comes from God’s Word?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
(Psalms 119:130 (NIV))

The Word of God is many things. It brings wisdom, understanding, truth, and light.

Let’s take a look at this in a different context from what we normally think about with respect to God’s Word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:1-14 (NIV))

The psalmist hit the nail on the head when he wrote those words. The Word of God does give light. Jesus is the Word made flesh. Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus gives understanding.

Isn’t it amazing how God will pre-tell what He is going to do even through people who do not realize that they are His prophets. I doubt that the psalmist actually knew that these words would literally come true in the form of Jesus, God with us.

I am so very thankful that they did come to pass!

Do you have the light that comes from God’s Word?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

What is your house built upon?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
(Matthew 7:24 (NIV))

Is your house built upon the rock? Does your house have a firm foundation? Is there a solid cornerstone that ties the foundation together to give it strength?

Every single person who has ever lived has lived their life committed to something that they firmly believe in. Some believe in riches. Others believe in power. I could go on and on about the possible beliefs and goals that drive a persons life, but that is not the point. The point is that every single action that they take can be tied back to the foundation of their beliefs. If the foundations are selfish and sinful, then the life will be selfish and sinful. Jesus knew this all too well. He knew that it is what is in a man’s heart that makes him unclean. Jesus taught that there is a better foundation to base your life upon. He taught that living by His words would give us that firm foundation. He came to this world so that we could have life to the fullest, still people rejected Him.

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

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

Jesus is that cornerstone. He is that firm foundation. He is that solid rock upon which we all should build our lives.

Each of us have a choice to make. The religious leaders who lived when Jesus walked the earth chose to believe in a foundation that pointed to Jesus, yet they failed to make that connection. They built their house on tradition and legalism and not on the truth of God’s Word when He was right in front of them.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:1 (NIV))

There is a time that is coming where we must be able to stand firm in our beliefs. We must be able to anchor ourselves to that firm foundation that is the rock of our salvation in order to withstand the coming storm.

What is your house built upon?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

He is the eternal constant that we all need!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
(Matthew 24:35 (NIV))

With everything that is going on in the world, is there anything that is constant in your life? Is there anything that you can always count on to be the same no matter when you encounter it and where you encounter it?

If the last year or two has taught us anything, it has taught us that nothing in this world can be trusted to never change. We have seen this exact thing with basically everything that we took for granted being completely upended. Be honest with yourself. Is there anything that has remained constant for you over the last two to three years? Have you changed how you do your job? Have you changed where you do your job? Have you changed how you look at public events and gatherings? Have you changed how you interact with people in general? Do you find yourself saying that you wish things would get back to normal?

What if they never do?

What do you cling to when all around you is chaos?

What can we count on to provide us with that constant, eternal guidance and direction when all around us is constantly changing right before our eyes?

As for God, his way is perfect;
     the word of the LORD is flawless.
(2 Samuel 22:31a (NIV))

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
     but the word of our God stands forever.
(Isaiah 40:8 (NIV))

In this world of uncertainty and change, isn’t it good to have something that you can lean on not only in times of trouble, but also in times of good. God’s Word is our strength. It is our hope.

In God, whose word I praise,
     in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
     What can mortal man do to me?
(Psalms 56:4 (NIV))

Jesus is that Word. He is our hope. He is our salvation.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:14 (NIV))

Jesus is the Word made flesh. He has given us promises. He has given us hope. Even though He was crucified, dead and buried, He arose on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God the Father. He is our eternal King. He is our eternal hope. His words never change just as He never changes. He has told us that we would face troubles in this world, and troubles are ever increasing. He has also assured us that He has overcome the world. When this world overwhelms you, simply look to Jesus.

He is the eternal constant that we all need!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

What deceptive words do you need to let go of?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.
(Jeremiah 7:8 (NIV))

Why do we trust in things that are not true?

Jeremiah spoke to the Israelites what God wanted him to say. Many people were doing exactly that – trusting in deceptive words. I honestly think that we, as a nation, are doing exactly the same thing as the nation of Israel did. We are putting our trust in things that we should not trust. We are doing things that we should not be doing. We are living our lives as if we were the ones who decide what is right and what is wrong.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Stand at the gate of the LORD’s house and there proclaim this message:
       ” `Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever.
(Jeremiah 7:1-7 (NIV))

Deceptive words!

How can we expect God to bless this nation, when we don’t bless God with what we hear and what we see? Think about that for a moment. Think about the history of Israel and hopefully you will see God’s truth about deception and turning to other gods. When Israel lost sight of who they worshipped and whose they were, the nation suffered. Only when they turned back to God did the nation prosper. In recent years, this nation has turned to deceptive words and ways, and now we are suffering. The world, and false gods, have taken over our society. People worship money, fame, power and many other things. Many still profess a faith in Jesus, but what is the priority when we sit in church and think about how we can make more money than the next person? Do thoughts about a new car, or a promotion, or a vacation find their way into your mind when you are in worship? Our deceptive words may be our own selfish thoughts and desires.

`Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”–safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.
(Jeremiah 7:9-11 (NIV))

We all like to place our trust in many things. We want to trust in the economy. We want to trust in government. We want to trust in our family. We seem to place our trust in things that are human in nature, and as such, are prone to fail. We say that we trust in God, yet, we are removing Him more and more from our lives. When we remove God, we are doing the very things that Jeremiah spoke to the Israelites about. We can’t live our lives without God and contrary to God, and then put on a smile and attend church and expect everything to be a blessing.

We need to turn to God and follow His leading.

If someone like Jeremiah came today to this nation, would we listen? Would we believe? It is my prayer that we do listen and we do believe. God gave us His Word to guide us. We aren’t listening to His word like we should.

What deceptive words do you need to let go of?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Do you anxiously seek Godly knowledge?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the scroll until the end of time. Many will go back and forth and search anxiously [through the scroll], and knowledge [of the purpose of God as revealed by His prophets] will [greatly] increase.
(Daniel 12:4 (AMP))

Have you ever heard this passage translated in this way?

Perhaps you are more familiar with it from this translation.

But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.
(Daniel 12:4 (NIV))

Most of us think of this passage with respect to the last sentence and take that to mean that people will be able to go everywhere easily and that human knowledge such as technology will increase. To be honest with you, this is a perfect picture of our world today. We have seen more advancements in the last one hundred years with respect to travel and human knowledge than we have over the last several thousand years.

I have a question for you to consider.

What was in the original Hebrew scrolls that made one translation allude to this as traveling here and there to increase knowledge while another translator chose to indicate that people will be going back and forth anxiously searching the scriptures for knowledge of the end of time?

I realize that everyone has their personal favorite translation that they like to use, but unless you are capable of fluently reading the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, we are all at the mercy of the people who translated God’s Word. We must learn to go beyond our favorite translation and cross reference other translations. We are to search the scriptures in such a way that we eagerly seek His insight into His Word, and if that means comparing translations to help us understand the intent of the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, then we must do so with prayerful consideration. Even if we only read one translation, we must pray for God to open our eyes, our hearts and our minds so that we truly understand His Word. We must be like the Bereans.

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
(Acts 17:10-12 (NIV))

We must examine the scriptures!

We must be eager in our examinations!

Do you search anxiously through God’s Word? Do you cross-reference from one passage to another and from one translation to another? Let’s take that back to the context originally spoken of in this passage. Let’s look at the increase in the desire to understand the end of time. Have you seen an increase in the eagerness to understand this knowledge?

Daniel, I now command you to keep the message of this book secret until the end of time, even though many people will go everywhere, searching for the knowledge to be found in it.
(Daniel 12:4 (CEV))

God’s Word is much more than instructions on how to live our lives. It is an insight into the very heart and mind of the Lord. It is an insight into God’s very plan as it unfolds.

Do you anxiously seek Godly knowledge?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

These truly are reassuring words for tough times!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
(Isaiah 43:2 (NIV))

No matter what you may face in this world, you have this promise to hold on to.

God will not forsake us in our times of trouble. It is we who forsake Him. All throughout history, God has been faithful to keep all of His promises. It has always been humanity that breaks their promises to God.

Are you able to stand firm in your faith? Can you say with complete confidence that you will never stray from your faith and that you will never do something that breaks God’s heart? Sadly, human nature doesn’t have a very good track record, but God does! There are those two wonderful words…

But, God!

There was a time when the enemy thought that he had won, but God had another plan.

There was a time when the enemy killed Jesus, who was and is God’s plan, but God turned the tables on the enemy.

I could go on with many more examples. One thing that I do need to point out is the old saying that God is never late. He is also never early. Everything is according to His time. When things appear to be beyond all hope, look up! When things appear to be at the darkest that they can get, look up! We must remember the “but, God” aspect. Things always happen when the time is right so that it is obvious that it is not of our own doing. When we pass the the tough times in this world, when we pass through the waters, we must never lose sight of the hope that we have through Jesus!

We must cling to this passage, for these truly are reassuring words for tough times!

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook