Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Philippians 2:1–2 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. One of the biggest problems with unity is that it looks so easy. If you listen to a...

Philippians 1:29–30 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. We don’t know the exact nature of the problems in the Philippian church. It had been planted in a hostile environment and was led by new Christi...

Philippians 1:27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. The residents of Philippi were very proud of their city. They had been rewarded by the Emperor Octavian after his defeat of Antony and Cleopatra and were designated a Roman Colony. The city was in Macedonia (now part of northern Greece), but the Philippians enjoy...

Philippians 1:21–24 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. During the two years that I lived in India a number of people...

Philippians 1:15 and 18 It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives…Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. From time to time we probably all think how nice it would be to live in a perfect world where everyone agreed with ever...

Philippians 1:12–13And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. My chief memory of prison visits is the huge bunches of keys and the slamming of doors and I am sure that would have been just the same in Paul’s da...

Philippians 1:9–10 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.  You may be a member of lots of organisations, such as the National Trust, a car breakdown service, a political party or a sports club...

Philippians 1:6 I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. I love the confidence with which Paul writes about the future. When you hear most people talking about the future, they are often hesitant and anxious, saying phrases such as: “Things just keep going from bad to worse,” or “What a terr...

Philippians 1:3–5 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. I love this Philippian letter because it is so full of bubbling joy. That’s particularly remarkable because Paul was in prison as he wrote these words! Pau...

Philippians 1:1–2 This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons. The apostle Paul was absolutely clear that it is not what you know but who you know that really matters in life. And so he began this warm and encouraging letter by focusing on Jesus. It was Paul’s...

Matthew 7:24–25 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.  Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.” The Sermon on the Mount closes with this powerful little parable about two houses. One built on rock and the other on sand. The...

Matthew 7:15–16 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.”  False prophets make an appearance in both the Old and New Testaments. Jeremiah had a particular problem with them. He believed that he was called by God to inform the people that, unless they turned back to him, a foreig...

Matthew 7:13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.” I am always fascinated to hear people tell me the story of their lives. Although their life journeys are all completely different, they have something in common; the importance of decision -making. It shapes our lives to a huge extent and so...

Matthew 7:12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” This statement is often known as The Golden Rule. The Jews were familiar with something like this but always in the negative form. Only Jesus expressed the rule positively. That is to say, we are not merely to stop thieving, lying and killing but to go out o...

Matthew 7:11 “If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Some years ago, I was travelling on a bus in Israel and heard some amazing pan-pipe music. I spoke to the driver and told him how much I enjoyed it. Without a moment’s hesitation he took the cassette tape out of the machine and handed it to...

Matthew 7:3   “Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” This comical illustration is taken from the carpenter’s workshop. Jesus used it to press home his teaching about being judgemental. It’s so easy to spot the shortcomings of other people. Jesus wasn’t suggesting that their inadequacies aren’t real, but rather was encouraging us to look at ourselves and rec...

Matthew 6:26–27 “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” The most useless thing that you can say to a person who is worrying is: “Don’t worry.” No doubt it is meant kindly, but you are actually increasing the person’s pro...

Matthew 6:20–21 “Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” What matters most to you in your life? It could be any number of things – your family, possessions, relationships, career, hobby, sport, reputation, political convictions or your faith. Jesus was highl...

Matthew 6:16–17 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and dishevelled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face.”  Fasting formed a significant part of Jewish life. Solemn fasts were held on particular days such as the...

Matthew 6:13 “Don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” When we pray for our sins to be forgiven and for us to forgive others we are looking to the past. In this verse, the Lord’s Prayer looks to the future. Once again, the prayer is fiercely realistic. Although we have had the privilege of our sins being forgiven, we haven’t overcome the problem of sin. Every day we will...

Matthew 6:12 “Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.” The Lord’s Prayer talks about our everyday life and here it faces up to the horrible but undeniable fact that sin forms a big part of our lives. But here’s the good news: through our faith in Jesus, sin is no longer an overwhelming problem. Before we met Jesus, sin defeated us but now, through his death on the cross,...

Matthew 6:11 “Give us today the food we need.” Have you ever wondered why we ask God for food on a daily basis? Why not ask him to supply us for a week or even a month? God wants us to live in continual partnership with him. Every day we need to turn to him to obtain the nourishment that we need. This applies in both a physical and a spiritual sense. Just as we need to eat each day so too we need...

Matthew 6:10 “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” The Lord’s Prayer, in common with the whole of Jesus’ ministry, is focused on the kingdom of heaven. So we need to have a very clear idea what this kingdom is. In essence, the kingdom of God comes wherever God is recognised as king. When his rule is accepted, the results will be immediately recognisable...

Matthew 6:9 “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.” The Lord’s Prayer is a wonderful model prayer and has been central to Christian worship from the earliest days. In the previous verse Jesus told his disciples that they didn’t need to inform God of anything in their prayers, because he already knows everything. Here he spells out what they should pray about. In the fir...

Matthew 6:7–8 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Prayer is often described as being like talking to a friend. There is much that is right about that description, apart from the fact that God is total...