Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

2 Peter 3:17-18 These words are particularly interesting when you remember that their author is Peter, the one who betrayed his Lord and who often seemed to wobble in his faith. Perhaps it was those very experiences that convinced him of the importance of having a firm and secure faith. Through the years the grace of God had helped him to have a rock-like faith and a determination to encourage oth...

2 Peter 1:14 This verse is a classic example of where the original Greek is a good deal more interesting and colourful than the English translation. The expression that Peter actually used was that he must soon leave this earthly tent. It powerfully describes the temporary nature of life, but also reminds us of the many times in the Old Testament when the people of God were tent dwellers. The writ...

2 Peter 1:5-7 When Peter wrote his letter, many of the people who received it were illiterate. So it was quite usual for instruction to be offered in the form of lists that could be easily remembered. The list that Peter provided here shows how determined he was to encourage his readers to grow in their Christian faith. He knew that growth wasn’t automatic; without our full cooperation and effort...

2 Peter 1:3 It is very tempting to compare ourselves with other Christians. We see their strong faith and compassion and end up feeling thoroughly depressed. We are aware of our shortcomings and think that we will never make it. Peter himself once fell to his knees before Jesus and said: “Oh, Lord, please leave me —I’m such a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). Jesus had just helped him to land an enormous ca...

2 Peter 1:2 This short prayer takes us to the heart of what it means to be a Christian. It makes it clear that Christian faith is about a relationship and, in common with every other relationship, it is dynamic. It is impossible for a relationship to stand still. It is either growing or declining, and Peter’s longing was that his readers should have a deepening relationship with God. The problem w...

2 Peter 1:1 Names are really interesting aren’t they? My own father was called Linley when he was born but people only ever knew him as Bob. The only time anybody tried to use his birth name was when he went into hospital as an old man, and it sounded ridiculous. Some people have names that have been passed down in the family or were given because of the day on which they were born. In the New Tes...

Psalm 25:4-5 Guidance is a recurring theme in the Psalms. David had a pressurised and complicated life. He knew that he was totally dependent on the Lord to guide him. That meant that he needed to keep close to God in order to hear his guidance clearly. The way some people talk about their relationship with God makes it sound as if it is simply a matter of obtaining impersonal information or advic...

Psalm 19:1-4 As soon as I hear these words the majestic chorus from Josef Haydn’s oratorio ‘The Creation’ fills my mind. David was rejoicing because he recognised that we only have to look at God’s amazing work of creation to know what sort of God he is. He wants to communicate with us, and his messages are plainly seen by looking at his handiwork in creation. The apostle Paul made exactly the sam...

Psalm 18:1-3 Think for a moment of the biggest success you’ve had in your life. It might have been a sporting, academic, business or family success but it’s a moment you will never forget. In this psalm we meet David as he reflects on the incredible success that he had had over the Philistines. He had won a series of battles over his fierce enemies and, in response, he burst out in song. This song...

Psalm 16:5-6 David wrote this psalm at a time when he was in constant danger. King Saul was after him and in human terms he was totally insecure. He had been driven away from his home, knowing that at any moment he might be killed by the king or his soldiers. But, in this dire situation, David learned where his true security was. He knew that God himself was his place of safety and his inheritance...

Matthew 7:9-11 This way of teaching was typical of the Jewish rabbis. It’s amusing and forces home the point with incredible power. Jesus was saying that if we, as very imperfect parents, manage to give good things to our children, it is absolutely certain that our perfectly loving heavenly Father will give us the best gifts imaginable. We can totally depend upon his generosity as his desire is al...

Matthew 7:7 It’s interesting to hear how often people say things like: “My problems were so great all I could do was pray”, as if prayer is an activity confined to desperate situations. But these words of Jesus make it plain that he is eager for us to be persistent in prayer, and not reserve our praying for moments of sheer desperation. He wants us to keep it up continually for the simple reason t...

Matthew 7:1-2 I wonder whether you have ever lived in an atmosphere of harsh criticism and even condemnation. It’s a horrible place to be and I have known many people whose lives have been disfigured by it. Tragically, the criticism has sometimes come from parents and teachers, who ought to have known better. Jesus made clear that this kind of attitude is totally wrong. It’s demoralising and under...

Proverbs 6:16-19 We spend a lot of time talking and singing about the fact that God is a God of love. That’s absolutely right, but we shouldn’t forget that God also has a list of pet hates. None of the things on this list come as a surprise. God hates arrogance because the arrogant person has no time or space for him. They believe they have already got all the answers, and are content with the way...

Proverbs 6:9-11 Fridge magnets often contain a lot of wisdom, and laziness is quite a popular theme. With pictures of slumbering cats, I enjoyed the following three: “If I won the award for laziness, I would send someone to pick it up for me”; “For some reason I feel tired tomorrow”; “I’m not lazy, I’m just highly motivated to do nothing.” You’ve got the point. Laziness is a common experience and...

Proverbs 4:18-19 All parents long for their children to be happy and to have a good life. Here a father gives loads of very practical advice to his children. At the heart of it is the need to make good decisions and to choose the right way. The writer describes the two possible ways of life and they are in marked contrast. One is a way of light and the other is one of darkness. God’s way is not ju...

Proverbs 3:27-28 Mark Twain, the American writer, said: “Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.” I suspect that we can all identify things that we love to put off. It may be an essay, or our tax return or repairing a door hinge, and we just love the idea of following Mark Twain’s advice and giving ourselves one more day. But there are some things that mus...

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 The church in Corinth had clearly got really excited about the spiritual gifts. The gifts of speaking in tongues and prophecy were being exercised with enthusiasm. We sense that, in their excitement, there was some competitiveness and confusion between members of the church. Paul certainly had to give them some very clear guidelines as to how these gifts should be used. He pu...

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 I have no doubt that we all aim to be loving people. So I wonder how accurately this list of love’s attributes describes you. I suspect that the truth is that we all find this list somewhat painful. Yes, we would love to be like this, but then things happen. We get tired; we feel frustrated; people annoy us and we end up being anything but loving. What we need to realise is th...

1 Corinthians 12:31 In this chapter, Paul spent a long time carefully describing the spiritual gifts that God has given to his Church. The church in Corinth had become very excited about the gifts but they needed clear guidance as to how they should be used. At this point, Paul pointed out that, exciting and important as gifts are, life at its best is quite simply a life of love. Paul was convince...

1 Corinthians 12:18-21 Yesterday we saw how Paul drew attention to the problem of inferiority complexes in the Church. In today’s verses, he centres on the problem of superiority complexes. He points out how absurd it would be for one part of the body to look down on another part and suggest that it wasn’t needed. Paul laughs at that kind of thinking, pointing out how ridiculous it would be if a b...

1 Corinthians 12:14-15 Many people struggle in life because of an inferiority complex. They are inclined to spend their lives comparing their attributes and abilities with others and convincing themselves that they are no good. This is incredibly sad in any situation and deeply damaging within the Church. Paul insists that every member of the Church is absolutely vital, and so there is never any g...

1 Corinthians 12:7 I want to continue focusing on the verse that we looked at yesterday because it is so crucial. I have been a church leader for many years and people have told me regularly that they don’t know what their gift is. Nothing could be more important than to know what your gift is, so let me spend a few moments trying to help you if you are unsure. And if you are absolutely sure what...

1 Corinthians 12:7 This short verse contains three incredibly important messages. First of all, the spiritual abilities that we have are a gift from God. They are an expression of his love and generosity and so when we identify a gift, whether in ourselves or someone else, our first response should be to give thanks to God. This is an important point because so often we focus attention on the rece...

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 These words are incredibly important. Remember, Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was written some years before the earliest Gospel. This is, therefore, the first recorded account of any of the words of Jesus. Paul never met Jesus in the flesh but he was convinced that this command had come from the Lord himself. These words are nearly 2,000 years old but they continue to be...