Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Mark 10:51-53 On the face of it, Jesus’ question would seem entirely unnecessary. Surely it was obvious what a blind man would want Jesus, the famous healer, to do. So why did he ask it? I believe he asked it because, in doing so, he gave the man dignity. Jesus didn’t barge into his life and do what he considered would be best for him; he listened to Bartimaeus. The blind man declared his desire t...

Mark 10:43-45 I find this one of the most embarrassing passages in the whole of the Bible. James and John were in what is often referred to as the inner circle of disciples. They had even been with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. However, it was James and John who came to make this foolish request. They had worked out that Jesus had huge authority and so they asked him to provide them with...

As Jesus moved towards Jerusalem and his death on the cross, he spoke increasingly about the costliness of discipleship. He did nothing at all to make following him sound glamourous and attractive. However, he also wanted to make it clear that the costly path of following him would be generously rewarded. Our generous God is no one’s debtor. Jesus’ words became literally true for those early disci...

Mark 10:24-25 There is a widespread disease in our society which is known as affluenza. It is the belief that peace and contentment can only be found in life by becoming increasingly wealthy. It is in fact not a new disease at all. The disciples were shocked by Jesus’ teaching that riches were a massive obstacle in the way of anyone becoming one of his followers. Jesus had just met a rich, young r...

Mark 10:15 It isn’t at all surprising that there were parents who wanted Jesus to bless their children. But it was surprising that Jesus made time to do so. We need to remember that, at this time, he was on the way to Jerusalem. He knew that within a few days, he would be crucified. The disciples were concerned that Jesus shouldn’t be bothered by such matters and so told the parents off. They were...

Psalm 130:3-4 The story of John Wesley’s conversion is well known. One day in 1738, he reluctantly attended a Christian meeting in Aldersgate Street, London. He was feeling thoroughly depressed but, during the meeting, someone read from Martin Luther’s Preface to the Letter of St Paul to the Romans and during this time, Wesley felt that his heart was “strangely warmed”. He saw this as the moment w...

Psalm 128:1-2 If we were sitting in a discussion group right now, I would love to ask you, and everyone else, what your definition of joy is. We will, I am sure, all agree that we want it, but I suspect we would come up with lots of different words to define it. Many would offer the word ‘happiness’; others might suggest contentment, peace, love, unity, freedom, wholeness, or many other words. I a...

Mark 9:50 As we all know, salt is incredibly powerful, and that fact has been known for thousands of years. It does three main things and Jesus applied each of these to his followers. Firstly, it gives flavour. Food producers make massive use of it. Indeed, British Salt produces over 400,000 metric tonnes of salt every year from its site in Cheshire. But salt only has any influence when it is used...

Mark 9:50 As we all know, salt is incredibly powerful, and that fact has been known for thousands of years. It does three main things and Jesus applied each of these to his followers. Firstly, it gives flavour. Food producers make massive use of it. Indeed, British Salt produces over 400,000 metric tonnes of salt every year from its site in Cheshire. But salt only has any influence when it is used...

Mark 9:42 In saying this, Jesus may be talking about children, but it’s quite likely that he is talking about new Christians. His concern is to protect the vulnerable, and he has some very challenging things to say. He is fiercely angry at the thought of anyone deliberately tripping someone up in their faith. Whether they are young, disabled, poor, illiterate or simply new to the faith, it is tota...

Mark 9:37 I often think that the most crucial ministry in any church is in the hands of the welcomers, those wonderful people who stand at the door of the church and welcome people as they arrive. This verse helps us to understand the importance of welcoming. When we welcome people what we are actually doing is welcoming the Lord himself, and if we are welcoming him then God the Father is also bei...

Mark 9:28-29 The transfiguration of Jesus was an incredible experience, but it didn’t last long. Jesus and his disciples needed to go back down the mountain and, sure enough, they were pitch-forked into the middle of a dispute. A man had come to the disciples with his son, who suffered from epilepsy. He had asked them to heal the boy, but they had failed miserably. Jesus was in despair and said: “...

Mark 9:5-6 Peter, James and John had just had the most incredible experience. They had been with Jesus as he was transfigured in front of them. We are told that this happened on a high mountain. This is often thought to be Mount Tabor in southern Galilee, although it may well have taken place on the constantly snowy Mount Hermon, which was not far from Caesarea Philippi, where they had just spent...

Mark 8:36-37 Our cynical, materialistic society was well summed up by Oscar Wilde as knowing “the price of everything and the value of nothing”. Like many one liners, it’s a bit harsh but he was making an important point. It’s very easy for our money mad society to overlook the most important things because of its obsession with the temporary things that have a price tag. Jesus pours scorn on this...

Mark 8:34-35 Jesus’ breath taking honesty is very striking. Day by day, we are constantly being encouraged to sign up to organisations which can improve our health, wealth or general well-being. Their marketing is slick, highly polished and calculated to get us to sign up to their products or services. They help us to dream of a happier and more successful life and cram in every attractive and glo...

Mark 8:33 I have a soft spot for Peter. When Jesus informed his disciples that he was going to suffer at the hands of the Jewish authorities and be killed, Peter did what any friend would do. He told Jesus off for saying such terrible things. He loved Jesus and hated the thought of him going through such suffering. But Jesus would have none of it. “Get away from me, Satan!” was as complete a repri...

Mark 8:27,29 As you look back through your life, I suspect that you will be able to spot turning points quite easily. At the time, the day was just like any other but, with hindsight, you realise nothing was quite the same afterwards. Jesus’ visit to Caesarea Philippi with his disciples was undoubtedly a major turning point in his ministry. Up until this moment, Jesus had been preaching and healin...

Proverbs 29:25 The posh word for fearing other people is ‘anthropophobia’, and it can happen for all sorts of reasons. Perhaps other people are threatening us. The psalmists often spoke of the people who were out to get them. They seemed to be surrounded by people who were trying to trip them up and make their lives a misery. But fearing other people may simply be based on our fear of what they mi...

Proverbs 29:20 The writer of Proverbs has a lot to say about fools. They live a dangerous and destructive life, and he does everything he can to encourage his readers to avoid foolishness and to live a life of wisdom. So when he declares that there is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking, he is clearly describing the most terrible disaster. And that’s because words are...

Proverbs 29:11 I love the down-to-earth realism of the Bible. It meets us where we are and engages in the sharp reality of our lives. Here the writer seems to assume that we all get angry from time to time - that’s probably a very wise assumption. No doubt we all have very different anger thresholds. Some people very rarely get angry, and others can get steamed up about the most minor issues. Wher...

Proverbs 28:27 The writer of Proverbs often refers to poverty. In his society there were no welfare state provisions and so poverty was an ever-present and terrible threat. If one’s family were unable to give support, then a person could become totally destitute. Begging would be the only option. It’s not surprising that many proverbs speak of the vital importance of giving to the poor and, in cha...

Proverbs 28:26 The book of Proverbs has a great deal to say about fools. Time and again the writer notes how stupid, ignorant and destructive they are. Many of his observations would be incredibly funny if they weren’t so serious and sad. In Proverbs 26 he wrote: “A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralysed leg and is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk”. Another says: “An...

Revelation 21:3-4 Here John gives us a wonderful vision of heaven. If our present world is characterised by the gap between God and humankind, heaven is the place where no such gap exists. God will live with his people, in an intimacy that we cannot fully experience here on earth. As a consequence, it will be a place where death, sorrow, crying and pain will be no more. All of those four words hav...

Revelation 5:11 Life is full of mysteries. The evil of our world is agonising, and the innocent suffer in ways that continually horrify and distress us. In this chapter, John shares his vision of a scroll which holds the answers to the mysteries of the world, but there’s a problem. There are seven seals on this scroll and nobody can be found to open it. John wept bitterly at this, but the 24 elder...

Revelation 4:8 During the last few days we have been challenged by the risen Lord’s messages to the seven churches. They have been extremely down to earth and have spoken directly into the lives of those very different churches. We have been given a very clear insight into their strengths and weaknesses and the sharp challenges that they had to face. But now our attention is moved from earth to he...