Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Mark 14:22-24 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.” And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifi...

Mark 14:8-9 [Jesus said:] “She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.” Jesus said this after a woman had anointed him in Bethany. It was clearly an amazing moment. It was quite usual for a house guest to be greeted by being given a f...

Mark 12:29-31 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” The Jewish teachers of the law were famous fo...

Mark 11:16-17 [Jesus] stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” The Temple in Jerusalem was an impressive building and occupied a vast 30-acre site in the heart of the city. The temple area was divided into distinct parts and the comm...

Mark 11:9-10 “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!” Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem shows us his extraordinary courage. He could easily have slipped quietly into the city, but in deliberately entering the city on a donkey, he was making a powerful statement. He was declaring fo...

Mark 11:1 As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. Jesus lived most of his life in the Galilee region, which was about a four-day journey north of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, he paid many visits to Jerusalem and had some good friends in the area. His particular friends were Mary, Martha an...

Mark 10:51-53 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked [Bartimaeus]. “My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. 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, s...

Mark 10:43-45 [Jesus said:] “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” I find this one of the most embarrassing passages in the whole Bible. James and John were in what is often referred to as th...

Mark 10:29-30 [Jesus said:] “I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and property – along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.” As Jesus moved toward...

Mark 10:24-25 Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” There is a widespread disease in our society 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...

Mark 10:15 [Jesus said:] “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” It wasn’t at all surprising that there were parents who wanted Jesus to bless their children. What was surprising was that Jesus had time to do so. He was on the way to Jerusalem and within a few days he would be crucified, and he knew that all of this was ahead of him....

Mark 9:50 [Jesus said:] “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavour, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” Salt is incredibly powerful, and that 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 m...

Mark 9:42 [Jesus said:] “If you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck.” In saying this, Jesus may have been talking about children, but it’s quite likely that he was talking about new Christians. His concern was to protect the vulnerable, and he had some very challenging th...

Mark 9:37 [Jesus said:] “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.” 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 and welcome people as they arrive. This verse helps us to understand the importance o...

Mark 9:28-29 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” Jesus replied: “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.” 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 o...

Mark 9:5-6 Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified. 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 t...

Proverbs 10:19-21 Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense. I love the straightforward and down-to-earth language of this amazing book. Written nearly 3,000 years ago, the words leap off the page as...

Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things the LORD hates – no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who sows discord in a family. 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’...

Proverbs 6:9-11 Lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. Fridge magnets often contain a lot of wisdom, and laziness is quite a popular theme. With pictures of slumbering cats, I enjoyed the following thr...

2 Timothy 4:1-2 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favourable or not. We are all aware that other people are looking at us, and this is particularly true of Christian leaders. Because of the public nature of the role, people are cons...

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. When we use the term scripture, we are referring to the Old and New Testaments. However, when Paul was writing, much of the...

2 Timothy 3:12-14 Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. Paul didn’t want Timothy to have any illusions. Following Ch...

2 Timothy 3:10-11 You, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love and my endurance. You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. On the face of it, this sounds like bragging. Paul appears to have an enormous ego and it all feels rather awkward, but he knew how crucial personal example was. He had just...

2 Timothy 3:1-2 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. The last days are often spoken about in the Bible, and they refer to the period in which we now live: the age of the Spirit. In the prophecy of Joel, we hear God saying that in the last days he would pour out his Spirit, and Peter declared t...

2 Timothy 2:25-26 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. It’s not easy to speak with those who oppose you. Many people in that position are likely to be forceful and strident in their tone. They want to win their arguments and convince their oppon...