Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

READ: 1 Corinthians 11.27-28 NLT 'So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.' If you are employed then you probably have the delight of an annual appraisal. The intention is to stand back from how things are going in order t...

READ: 1 Corinthians 10.31 NLT 'So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.' Life throws up many challenges for us in the 21st Century, and it was no different in Paul’s day. One of the issues that he had to face was that sometimes meat was taken to pagan temples as an act of worship before being sold by the butchers. Paul is quite clear that pagan gods were not...

READ: 1 Corinthians 9.19 and 22-23 NLT 'Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ... When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.'...

READ: 1 Corinthians 4.16-17 NLT 'I urge you to imitate me. That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.' The disciples learnt how to follow Jesus by looking at his example. They saw the way in which he responded to the constant demands of his ministry. They saw his kind...

READ: 1 Corinthians 3.5-6 NLT 'After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.'  Think for a moment about the Christian leaders that you have known. I’ve been a Christian a long time and I could easily come...

READ: 1 Corinthians 2.1-3 NLT 'When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.' I once heard about a church that regularly visited the houses nearby. They s...

READ: 1 Corinthians 1.18 NLT 'The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.' Paul was absolutely sure that the cross of Jesus stood right at the heart of his life and ministry. Nothing was more important than the fact that God showed his perfect love for us by sending Jesus to die the most excruciatingly pa...

READ: 1 Corinthians 1.4-5 NLT 'I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way.' If you know anything at all about the church in Corinth you will know that it was a disaster area. Everything seemed to be going wrong. They were divided. They had a case of incest in the church and n...

READ: Proverbs 5.3-5 NLT 'For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.' When you first hear that the Bible is a holy book you might expect that it would steer well clear of subjects such as murder, adultery...

READ: Proverbs 4.18-19 NLT 'The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.' I have spent most of my life living in towns or cities which means that I have had very little experience of darkness. However, when I lived in a village in In...

READ: Proverbs 3.13-14 NLT 'Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold.' Proverbs spends a lot of time reflecting on wealth and the question is – where can you find it? I find it fascinating that the writer often speaks of the preciousness of silver and gold. Some things don’t change. Last ye...

READ: Proverbs 3.9-10 NLT 'Honour the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.' If you have ever supported a charity by getting involved in a door-to-door collection you will, I am sure, have gained deep insights into the different way in which people give their money. A few people j...

READ: Proverbs 3.5-6 NLT 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.' Trusting is something we do all the time. We trust mechanics, electricians, gas engineers, teachers, police, judges, doctors, nurses – the list could go on and on. But the fact is that our trust in them can never be complet...

READ: Ephesians 6.10-11 NLT 'A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.' Just imagine if someone were to walk onto a battlefield wearing casual clothes and whistling a merry tune to themselves. The thought is absurd. No one would do that. If you knew that you were heading into b...

READ: Ephesians 4.22-24 NLT 'Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.' Do you like change? If I’m honest I have a love hate relationship with change and I suspect we’re all a bit like that. There is much a...

READ: Ephesians 3.20-21 NLT 'Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.' The resurrection of Jesus is so completely amazing that it needs to challenge every aspect of our thinking about life. It needs to take us...

READ: Ephesians 2.8-9 NLT 'God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.' I remember my first pay packet as a teenager. It was a small brown envelope and it contained what, at the time, seemed to me like a considerable amount of money. It wasn’t r...

READ: Ephesians 1.19-20 NLT 'I pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.' I love everything about Easter. Winter has gone and we can see evidence of new life springing up all around us. It is as if creat...

READ: John 21.20-22 NLT Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” Having received his commission from Jesus to care for his sheep and be...

READ: John 21.17 NLT A third time Jesus asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” We cannot be sure why Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved him. Many people have suggested that it mirrored Peter’s three denials before Jesus’ c...

READ: John 21.4-6 NLT At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. I was brought up by the sea and so it isn’t...

READ: John 20.25 NLT The disciples told Thomas, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” I suspect that we all have some sympathy for Thomas and are not inclined to blame him for his reluctance to believe that Jesus had risen from death. We know that there was oft...

READ: John 20.19-20 NLT That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! John records three occasions when Jesus met with his disciples after...

READ: Luke 24.30-32 NLT As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” Isn’t it a great moment when the penny drops? Suddenly e...

READ: Luke 24.13-16 NLT 'That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him.' It’s getting towards the end of Easter Day and the lig...