Open the Bible UK Daily

My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. Philippians 1:23 Jesus said to the thief, “ Today you will be with me in paradise”—immediate, conscious enjoyment of the presence of God! Now, some have seized on the fact that the Bible sometimes describes death as sleep (1 Cor. 15:51) and have suggested that the souls of believers go to sleep when they die. Please remember that w...

“Today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 What was death like for the thief? And what does the experience of a Christian believer look like immediately after death? Jesus promised that the thief would be with Him, and He said that it would be today . In other words, Jesus was saying, “For you, death will be an immediate translation into the joyful presence of the Father in heaven. You wi...

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34 Today the thief is in heaven and the reason he’s there is not because he was without sin, or that he lived a good enough life. The thief is in heaven because Jesus paid the price for his sin and gave him eternal life. What Jesus did for the thief, He is able to do for you. But remember, there were two thieves, and while one was sav...

“You will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 This is the promise of the Saviour to every person who places their trust in Him. So turn to Him, ask of Him, and take Him at His word. Trusting Jesus will involve trusting Him in three very challenging circumstances: 1. Trusting Jesus in the darkness Immediately after the thief trusted Jesus, “there was darkness over the whole land” (23:44). This dark...

“Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Luke 23:42 This was an audacious request. The thief did not say, “I know I’ve made some mistakes, but nobody’s perfect, and I’ve done a lot of good things in my life.” He said, “We are receiving the due reward of our deeds” (23:41). This man asked Jesus with honesty and humility. He faced the fact that he was a sinner. He had sinned against God and ag...

The robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. Matthew 27:44 One thief continued to hurl insults at Jesus, but a change came over the other. The Bible calls this change repentance . Every change has a beginning, and the story of the thief shows us where repentance begins. The thief had been hurling abuse at Jesus, but then a stillness came over his soul as he thought abo...

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. Luke 23:32 The day you die may be a long way off, but nothing is more certain… it will come. One day you will wake up and it will be your last day on earth. What will happen to you then? The story of the thief on the cross tells us how we can be sure about heaven. We are not told much about this man, except that while he wa...

“I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” Luke 12:19–20 Sooner or later, your last day on earth will come. It may come this week, this month, or this year. Or it may be a long way off for you. But one day you wi...

“Salvation belongs to the LORD!” Jonah 2:9 Perhaps you would say today, “I’m not sure that I have been saved.” Or, “I’m not sure that I am being saved.” Or, “I’m not sure that I will be saved.” In your heart of hearts, you wonder: If salvation comes from the Lord, what can I do? Doesn’t this leave me without hope? No. It is precisely the opposite. When Jonah says, “Salvation belongs to the LORD,”...

The Son of God... loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 What difference would it make if you came to see, like Jonah, that salvation comes from the Lord? Here are three ways this conviction will change your life: 1. It deepens our worship God set His love on us before we were born. David says, “In your book were written… the days that were formed for me” (Ps. 139:16). While Paul says, “...

By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 Consider how the Bible talks about salvation in the past, the present, and the future: 1. Completed Transaction (this is often called justification ) “By grace you have been saved through faith…” (Eph. 2:8). The Bible often uses this kind of language. “Since we have been justified by fa...

“I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.” Jonah 2:1 Jonah is a wonderful model for us here. Notice, he gives God all the glory for his salvation. “Salvation belongs to the LORD!” (2:9). C. H. Spurgeon says, “Jonah learned this sentence of good theology in a strange college…. Most of the grand truths of God have to...

“The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head. To the roots of the mountains I went down.” Jonah 2:5-6 If salvation is something we do for ourselves with moral effort, good works, family values, and the Ten Commandments, then why did Jesus have to die on the cross? God sent the fish because Jonah couldn’t save himself. And that’s why God se...

“I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. Jonah 2:2 Maybe you have the idea that you need to clean up your life before God can save you. That’s like saying, “If you swim to shore, God will send you a lifeboat!” Jonah shows us a better way. God saves guilty sinners “You cast me into the deep… your waves passed over...

“Salvation belongs to the LORD!” Jonah 2:9 If you want to emphasise something important, you could put it at the beginning, like in a headline; in the middle, like in a climax; or at the end, like in a conclusion. If you want to sum up the book of Jonah in one sentence, it would be when Jonah says, “Salvation belongs to the LORD!” (Jon. 2:9). God brought Jonah to the place where he wanted people t...

“Should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left?” Jonah 4:11 Imagine that you are responsible for parking at the Super Bowl. Your job is to clear the parking lot as quickly and as safely as possible. When the game ends, you motion the front row forward. Nothing happens. You walk over to the first car, and th...

“Should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left?” Jonah 4:4-11 Here are three ways we can grow in compassion: 1. Rejoice in God’s unique creation Every person you meet is God’s unique creation. When you see someone on a train, at the store, or in school, say to yourself, God cares about this person, and He h...

When God saw… how they turned from their evil way, Godrelented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them. Jonah 3:10 Here we have a wonderful window into the heart of God. He relented and had compassion on the Ninevites… and that made Jonah angry! Jonah said, “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful…” (Jon. 4:2). But Jonah was not a gracious and merciful prophet. God was concern...

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:3 Think about the vine, the worm, and the wind in the life of our Lord Jesus. Jesus chose twelve disciples and called them to be with Him (Mk. 3:14). He had the comfort, joy, and blessing of their companionship. He sent them out and their ministry was blessed with such s...

The LORD God appointed a plant… to save him from his discomfort… God appointed a worm that attacked the plant… God appointed a scorching east wind. Jonah 4:6-8 It’s easy to see why God provided the vine for Jonah. God is good. All good gifts come from Him. But why did God send the worm and the wind? What possible good could come from that? It’s helpful to understand two important Bible words: Just...

Jonah went out of the city… and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Jonah 4:5 Put yourself in Jonah’s shoes. You are feeling miserable and resentful. And here you are, sitting in the sand outside a city you really don’t like. The sun is beating down on you, so you make a shelter. Then God steps in. The Vine “The LORD God a...

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says… “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.” Romans 9:14-15 Here are three common reactions to the grace of God: 1. God’s grace makes some people angry Some folks believe that God must treat everyone the same, opening the door of salvation and waiting to see who will come in. But the Bible speaks of a greater love, in...

“That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish.” Jonah 4:2 Why is Jonah complaining to God? What is going on in his heart? “That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish.” This is a marvellous example of undermining your own repentance. Jonah repented, and God forgave him, but now Jonah wants to explain why he went to Tarshish. He feels that there was some justification, some defence for what he did...

“O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country?... I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” Jonah 4:2 Let’s begin by noting something that Jonah did right. “He prayed to the LORD” (4:2). In chapter 1, Jonah was unhappy with God, and he ran from the Lord. In chapter 4, Jonah was unhappy with God, and...

It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. Jonah 4:1 You would think that a man who had seen miracles of grace in his own life and in his ministry would be full of praise and thanksgiving. Here we see something different. Jonah was a mature believer. He was a prophet. He was a missionary. You would think that he would be filled with joy in serving God. But he is angry and frustrated and ou...