Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Luke 19:26 In the parable of the talents, Jesus speaks of three servants who were entrusted with some money. Two of them multiplied the original amount enormously and, when the king discovered this, he was thrilled. But the third servant played it safe, hiding the money to ensure he could return it in full. The king was furious. He ordered his safely preserved money to be given to the servant who...

Luke 19:5-7 I think everyone loves to be called by name. I certainly do. And it is particularly special if you didn’t realise that the person speaking to you knew your name. Clearly, Zacchaeus was not only surprised that Jesus knew his name but thrilled when he offered to visit his house. This changed everything for Zacchaeus, who realised that he had to turn his life around. The fact that Jesus c...

Luke 18:35; 40-43 Jesus knew that he was heading to Jerusalem to die. But, even so, as he was on his way there, he had time for people. When he heard a blind man call out to him, he stopped and gave the man his full attention. From the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he had declared that he had come to bring sight to the blind, in fulfilment of Isaiah 61. But that didn’t mean he would impose hi...

Luke 18:31-33 Jesus’ death on the cross was only a few days away. He took his disciples to one side and gave them a vivid description of what was going to happen. But, incredibly, they didn’t understand a word of it. It was all a complete mystery to them. The coming days were a total shock. They understood that Jesus was an amazing teacher and healer, but they had yet to grasp the true meaning of...

Luke 18:16-17 Jesus continually surprised people, but his reaction to children would have been particularly astonishing to his hearers. In Jesus’ time, children had no status or protection in law. At best, they were regarded as potential adults who needed to be seen but certainly not heard. The disciples were keen to protect their rabbi, Jesus, from the children so that he could get on with the se...

Luke 16:10-12 We are all impressed by competent people. People who get things done. But competence isn’t everything. A person’s character is of far greater significance. Indeed, a person who has enormous competence but a bad character is very dangerous, and their activity is likely to lead to disaster sooner or later. Jesus’ words are wise ones. We need to listen to them carefully. Faithfulness is...

Luke 15:20-21 Of all the stories that Jesus told, the parable of the prodigal son is perhaps the most famous. It is a story that takes us to the heart of the good news. Can you think of anything worse than a son asking for his inheritance while his father is still alive? Having secured the money, he then went off and squandered it, ending up completely broke. In his desperation, all he could do wa...

Luke 15:8-10 Almost everyone has a moving story of a time when they lost something very precious. For me, it is normally my keys, glasses or mobile phone and, most of the time, the search concludes successfully within a few anxious minutes. I have never lost my wedding ring, but I have heard many heart-rending stories of people who have. The woman in this story has lost one of the ten silver coins...

Luke 15:4-5 This is such a beautiful story. You can picture the shepherd as he makes sure the 99 precious sheep are safe and warm, and then trudges out into the wilderness to look for the one that was lost. It’s a heart-warming story – but it doesn’t make any sense. Economically, why would you run the risk of endangering 99 sheep by leaving them all alone in the desert to search for just one sheep...

Luke 13:18-19 A mustard seed is tiny – between one and two millimetres. You would hardly notice it because it so small but, incredibly, it can grow into a huge plant, commonly three metres tall and sometimes even up to four metres. It’s understandable that Jesus described it as a tree. Inevitably, a mustard plant attracts huge attention from birds who love to feed on the little black seeds. Jesus’...

Luke 12:21 I love the fact that most of Jesus’ stories are told in very few words. Our verse today is the punch line to a very brief story that he told about a rich farmer who had such a successful harvest that he needed to build more barns. He concluded that he could now settle back and enjoy life. He could eat, drink and be merry. But Jesus called the man a fool. He had not taken into considerat...

Luke 10:41-42 Forgive me for a little pop psychology. It seems to me that some people are naturally activists. They are always up and doing. Other people are naturally reflective. They want to stand back from life and consider everything carefully. In this beautiful little account, we meet two sisters who are perfect examples of these different approaches to life. Martha was an activist. She knew...

Luke 10:33-34 I love the parable of the Good Samaritan, not least because it would have come as such a complete surprise to Jesus’ hearers. Jesus was being challenged by an expert in the law, who asked for the legal definition of the word ‘neighbour’. He was probably expecting a sophisticated technical response – and instead Jesus told him a story. For any Jew, the parable was deeply shocking. The...

Luke 9:51 There’s a wonderful description of the servant of the Lord in Isaiah 50:7 in which it says that he set his “face like flint”. That is to say, he was absolutely resolute in his obedience to the Lord. That’s precisely what we see here in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus knew that the Jewish leaders were determined to kill him and yet, even so, he headed into the city where his life would be under grea...

Psalm 23:6 David concluded this amazing psalm by looking to the future. He was confident that God’s love would be with him whatever it held. The Hebrew word that is translated as “unfailing love” is hesed. Unfailing love is a good translation but it does not carry the full weight of this word, which is rooted in the covenant relationship that God enjoys with his people. Because God has committed h...

Psalm 23:4 In the previous verse, David expressed his confidence that the Lord, his shepherd, would lead him in right paths. Now he declares that one of those right paths is the dark valley. It isn’t a mistake when we face times of loss, illness and bereavement. The dark times are part of the life of faith and, because our shepherd knows that to be the case, he is there beside us on the journey. I...

Psalm 23:2-3 Sheep have many fine qualities. They are highly social creatures and very sensitive to one another. However, one of their more troublesome characteristics is that they are inclined to stray. This is even more problematic when you factor in their desire to keep close to their friends. As every shepherd knows, sheep often wander off as a flock. This emphasises the crucial importance of...

Psalm 23:1 David knew what he was writing about when he used the word ‘shepherd’. As a young man, before his surprise selection by Samuel, that was his job. He knew what a tough and demanding task it was to care for sheep in an environment that was constantly hostile. A shepherd had to stay with his sheep in all weathers, knowing that there were always sheep rustlers and wild animals on the prowl....

2 Corinthians 7:8-9 Early on in my ministry, one of the most spiritual and sensitive members of my congregation said to me: “Very little truth is spoken in this church.” I was quite shocked by this statement, and thought a great deal about it. As I did so, I came to realise that, painfully, she was absolutely right. It was a very happy, growing church, but our relationships were largely superficia...

2 Corinthians 7:5-7 I was once chatting to two friends when the subject of encouragement came up. One worked in a bank and the other was an engineer. They both said that they couldn’t remember the last time their bosses had given them any word of encouragement. I was shocked. They were both great people, and I can only imagine that they were diligent and effective workers, but they had been denied...

2 Corinthians 6:11-13 It is possible for our relationship with other people to be incredibly superficial. Our words can often be a way of pushing other people away rather than revealing anything significant about ourselves. A friendly, smiling face and a warm greeting can easily be used to mask deep sadness and confusion. This happens in churches as easily as anywhere else. We can skate over the s...

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 We all take things for granted, but it’s a strange fact that often, it’s the most precious and amazing gifts. The love of our family and friends for example. Or the reliable supply of clean drinking water and nourishing food. Or the freedom to worship God and to declare publicly what we believe. Our lives would be very different if any of those privileges were denied us. But, h...

2 Corinthians 5:19-20 If you have ever visited an embassy you will know what a strange experience it is. Suddenly you find yourself in another country! You will see the flag of that country and find yourself looking at pictures of their royalty or head of state. In most instances, you will also hear a language that is different to that spoken on the street outside. That is, of course, the whole po...

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 I’m sure you can think of many moments in life when, suddenly, everything changed. Your first day at school, your wedding, the birth of your children, when you started your first job or moved into a new house. From that moment, everything looked slightly different. But those moments are nothing compared to the complete change that happens when we become a Christian. No part o...

2 Corinthians 5:4 Our society tries to avoid talking about death. Paul could not be more different! For Paul it was an incredibly exciting subject because he was convinced that his life was in God’s hands. Therefore, he was completely confident about the future. Paul uses two pictures in his teaching about death. First, he speaks of our bodies as being like a tent. Tents are temporary. The day wil...