Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Revelation 3:20 Holman Hunt’s painting ‘Light of the World’ is probably the best known of all biblical pictures. Jesus stands outside a door which is overgrown and clearly hasn’t been opened for a long time. Hunt painted no handle on the door; Jesus has to wait for the person inside to open it. The risen Lord was standing outside the door of the church in Laodicea. Although the people were self-co...

Revelation 3:19 This letter to the church in Laodicea was a wake-up call. They were full of self confidence but the Lord tells them that they have absolutely no reason for such confidence. In a city that prided itself on its wealth, they are told how poor they are. In a region famed for its wool, they are told that they are naked, and there was no humiliation more terrible in the ancient world tha...

Revelation 3:14 Nothing is more important in this life than to know who can be trusted. Every single day it’s an issue for us. Clearly it is fundamentally important within our family and among our friends, but it is also important with our work colleagues, garage mechanics, plumbers, electricians and all the people who play a crucial part in our lives. It is supremely important when it comes to ou...

Revelation 3:8 These words were written to the church in the prosperous city of Philadelphia. Most of the seven churches were criticised for some aspect of their life, but not this one. They were probably small in number, but they had persevered in the face of opposition and had been faithful. The Lord encouraged them by saying he had opened a door for them, and because he had opened it, no one wo...

Revelation 3:1-2 I love the fact that these seven letters to the churches are all completely different. Each church its own history, strengths and weaknesses, and the risen Lord addressed his words specifically to each situation. The church at Sardis seemed to mirror the city in which it was founded. Built on a very steep hill, it was assumed that Sardis would be impossible for an enemy army to su...

Revelation 2:18-19 This is the beginning of the letter to the church in Thyatira. It was the smallest and least significant of the seven towns which the risen Lord addressed, and yet they received the longest letter! Thyatira was a busy commercial centre and was particularly famous for the dyeing of wool. You may remember that Lydia, who Paul met in Philippi and who was the first European convert...

Revelation 2:14 These letters to the churches in Revelation are wonderfully straightforward and personal. The risen Lord didn’t beat around the bush! He identified that the Christians in Pergamum had much to commend them. They had been loyal to the Lord in the face of great opposition, but they weren’t perfect. They were living in a society that was full of idolatrous practices and they weren’t st...

Revelation 2:12-13 The city of Pergamum, whose church received this letter, was famous for its commitment to emperor worship. It had three temples that were exclusively devoted to the Roman emperor. Although it didn’t have the long history and grandeur of Ephesus, Pergamum was the Roman capital of this region and it was here that the proconsul, who had the power of life and death, lived. This was...

Revelation 2:10 It’s hard for most of us to imagine what it would be like to live with the continual likelihood of persecution, simply because of our Christian faith. The harshest treatment that we are likely to receive is to be laughed at because of our faith. But just imagine what it would be like to live with the fear that, at any time, there might be a knock at the door from the secret police....

Revelation 2:8-9 These words introduce the second of the letters to the churches, sent to the church in Smyrna. There was no surprise that the first letter went to Ephesus because it was definitely seen as the most influential of the cities. However, Smyrna was a close rival. It was a fine and busy commercial centre having its own well protected port. It had been founded long ago as a Greek colony...

Revelation 2:7 All seven of the letters to the churches end with these words. They make it clear that the letters have been written not merely to these specific churches but to anyone who has the ability to listen. They are the words of the Spirit and are words of life for anyone who will hear them. Tuning our ears into the voice of the Spirit is vital for all of us. The Holy Spirit is the source...

Revelation 2:4 Many of us will be more familiar with an earlier translation of these words which ran: “you have lost your first love”. The truth is that the Christians in Ephesus had done so well. They had been strong in the face of opposition but, in the process, they had lost their love for the Lord and one another. And without love, everything is lost. We don’t know what caused them to lose the...

Revelation 2:2 These words come from the first of the seven letters to the churches, and they were addressed to the church in Ephesus. Pergamum was the capital city of the province of Asia, but Ephesus was in every way the greatest city. It had the largest port in the area and many major roads converged on it. It was particularly famous for its religious significance. The city was home to the temp...

Revelation 1:12-14 In order to understand these amazing verses, we need to appreciate that the Church at the time was very small and facing the brutal and powerful opposition of the Roman Empire. This must have been incredibly scary. It looked as if the Church would be crushed, and so it was vital for them to understand exactly who Jesus was, and the reasons why they could be confident in him. Thi...

Revelation 1:10-11 For many years after Jesus’ earthly ministry, his followers continued to meet on Saturday, and those from a Jewish background maintained their attendance at the temple or local synagogue. However, by the beginning of the 2nd Century, the special day for Christians had become Sunday, the first day of the week, the day of resurrection. John’s reference here to the Lord’s Day is th...

Revelation 1:9 Unfortunately, we cannot be sure who this John was. Some people have thought of him as being the disciple who wrote the fourth Gospel, but that is highly unlikely. The style of the writing in Revelation is very different from that of the Gospel. However, what we do know is that he was clearly a significant Christian leader and, as a result of his ministry, was forced into exile in P...

Revelation 1:8 Everybody is interested in the future, and the book of Revelation is designed to help us as we prepare ourselves for it. If you are looking for a map, or a timetable of events, you will be sadly disappointed. But what this book does give us is a vision of God, who is so powerful that, however great and fierce the opposition, will be victorious. The book of Revelation is intended not...

Psalm 113:5-7 When you hear that God is enthroned on high, it’s easy to assume that he must therefore be totally disconnected from the harsh realities of our world. The psalmist makes it clear that the opposite is true. Mighty and exalted as he undoubtedly is, God is also intimately concerned about what is happening here in the world. So much so that he not only looks down at what is going on but...

Psalm 112:4 I will never forget my visit to Ruby. She was dying and knew that her end was very near. It was late in the afternoon when I went to see her in her cottage and the light was fading. But my overwhelming memory of that visit is of her radiant smile. On paper, the situation seemed so sad and hopeless, but Ruby didn’t see it that way. She knew God as a friend and was looking to the future...

Psalm 111:1-2 It is, of course, possible to praise God anywhere. But there is something incredibly precious about getting together with others to worship him, and it is wonderful to think of God’s people doing that for thousands of years. Whether it is in a small remote village church, a vast cathedral or a tent, the experience of worshipping God with other people is inspiring, encouraging and uni...

Mark 1:16-18 I will never forget the first time I saw the Sea of Galilee. I was with a friend and we had been travelling for a couple of hours up the Jordan valley. It was incredibly hot and our little car didn’t have the blessing of air conditioning. We greeted our first glimpse of the lake with great excitement. As we saw it, it was so easy to imagine Jesus walking beside the lake, coming across...

Mark 1:14-15 We all know what we need to do when we are driving in the wrong direction. We need to turn around. I did it only yesterday! I was carefully following the instructions of my satnav but ended up taking the wrong turning off a large roundabout. The road I took led, very swiftly, to a dead end. I felt very silly but there was no point in me arguing with the road or the satnav. I just need...

Mark 1:12-13 We would all like to think that if our lives were totally led by the Spirit - like Jesus’ was - then we would be able to avoid all challenges and difficulties. Life would be one long succession of blessings and smiling, happy people. But the experience of Jesus shows us that this isn’t the way the Spirit works. Led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus faced temptations, injustice, opposition and...

Mark 1:9-11 Here, in a gentle but spectacular way, we see God the Trinity at work. Having been baptised by John, Jesus saw the Holy Spirit descending upon him and God the Father spoke from heaven confirming his identity. As Jesus stepped into his new ministry, it was vital that it was clear the whole Trinity were involved, and that’s what we will see in the following chapters. Jesus continually so...

Mark 1:7-8 It’s always great to see people who know what their job is in life and are happy to get on and do it. I am thinking of the carpenters, car mechanics, ministers, nurses, carers, office workers and teachers that I know. All sorts of people who have discovered where their gifts are best used and who happily devote their time and energy to doing the very best that they can. That well descri...