Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

John 9:24-25 For the second time [the Pharisees] called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” The Pharisees were fuming. Jesus had just healed a blind man, and they were determined to prove that he hadn’t....

John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” Jesus spoke these words during the Festival of Tabernacles, which was a seven-day holiday at the end of the harvest. It was one of three pilgrimage festivals, so Jerusalem would have been heaving with people...

John 8:7 [Jesus said:] “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” By this time, Jesus had become a deeply controversial person in Jerusalem. The teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees were always looking for ways to trip him up. On this particular day, they brought a woman to him who had been caught in the act of adultery. They reminded Jesus that, according to the Law of M...

John 6:66-69 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” Until now, Jesus seemed to have been attracting more and more followers. In chapter four, we hear tha...

John 6:33-35 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said: “give us that bread every day.” Jesus replied: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” When I was a boy, bread was only offered to us in two forms. It was either brown or white! These days, it is off...

John 6:8-9 Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up: “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” I’m sure we’re all familiar with Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the 5,000. It must have had a profound effect on everyone who witnessed it, but I’m particularly interested in what happened before the miracle took place. Jesus asked Phil...

John 5:2-6 Inside [Jerusalem], near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him: “Would you like to get well?” I loved spending time in Jerusalem, but it is often impos...

John 4:13-14 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” Here, Jesus was talking to a Samaritan woman. Everything about their meeting was surprising. First of all, it would have astonished everyone that he had travelled throu...

John 3:29-30 [John the Baptist said:] “It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at [Jesus’] success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” John the Baptist knew his place. He knew that he was simply the one who was preparing the way, and that all the at...

John 3:16-17 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. I remember well the first time somebody, other than my parents, told me they loved me. I can recall everything about that moment, and it was simply amazi...

John 3:3 Jesus replied [to Nicodemus], “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus was an unlikely visitor to Jesus. He was a Pharisee, and Jesus was locked in a constant struggle with this group of Jewish leaders throughout his ministry. Perhaps that’s why he came to Jesus at night. He wanted to ask his questions without being spotted by his fel...

John 2:23-25 Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart. Whether we like it or not, the world knows a great deal about us. Organisations go to extraordinary lengths to store info...

John 2:15-16 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” The Gospels generally present Jesus as a calm, compas...

John 1:45-46 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Wherever you live, there is probably a town not far away with a dodgy reputation. For whatever reason, the place is held in suspicion, and you can...

John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” I love the simplicity of this verse. Jesus called Philip to follow him, and he did! From this moment onwards, Philip’s life was defined by following Jesus, right up until he was crucified upside down in Hierapolis about 50 years later. Throughout those years, he must have looked back to that...

John 1:40-41 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). There used to be a lot of talk about friendship evangelism – bringing people to hear the good news of Jesus through friendship. I never liked the sound of it. It seemed scheming a...

John 1:26-27 John [the Baptist] told them, “I baptise with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognise. Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.” We are familiar with the stories of Jesus and have probably all seen film portrayals of him. It’s hard for us to imagine that there was a time when people didn’t know...

John 1:16-17 From God’s abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. People have very different understandings of God. Some see him as being a strict disciplinarian, like a divine policeman. Others see him as a nice old man on a cloud with a flowing beard, very kind but...

John 1:10-12 [Jesus] came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognise him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. Rejection is always painful. If you meet with a new group of people and feel unwelcome, it is an uncomfortable experience, but if you are rejected by people who...

John 1:6-8 God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. John was determined to help people to see that Jesus, and only Jesus, is the Light of the World. John the Baptist had a really important part to play, but he wasn’t the light. He simply prepare...

John 1:4-5 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. There has been darkness on every page of human history, but the last century saw darkness on a colossal scale. During the terrible dictatorships of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and Mao, many tens of millions of people were kill...

John 1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. Can I be honest? I listened to these words for years without really understanding them. They are often used at Christmas carol services, and they seemed very mysterious to me. John would have been saddened by my reaction because for him and his readers, it was obvious. Everyone knew what he meant by ‘t...

Acts 2:44-45 All the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. The Holy Spirit transformed every part of the early Christians’ lives. Yes, they were committed to teaching, fellowship and prayer, but they also looked at their possessions with new eyes. They were eager to find opportunities to...

Acts 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper) and to prayer. The early weeks of the Church must have been amazing. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit had totally transformed everything. From a small group of disappointed and frightened believers, there was now a large number of believers fired up w...

Acts 2:37-38 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied: “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” A sermon is worth nothing if it doesn’t lead to action. Peter’s sermon o...