Open the Bible UK Daily

Colin Smith
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3 minute daily Bible reflections from Open the Bible UK, authored by Colin Smith, read by Sue McLeish.

  1. 5h ago

    Two Dangers of Money

    No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and money.Matthew 6:24If money is a blessing, how can it also be a danger? Because money is a power. It lures us as a rival god and then makes increasing demands. It will seek to take control of your life. Money is a great servant, but it is not a good master. We must all give an account for what we did with the money God has entrusted to us. The more we have, the greater our responsibility. So, we need to know the dangers. What dangers does money bring? Money can ruin youAn inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end (Prov. 20:21). This proverb focuses on the dangers of money that comes quickly. What would be the effect on your children if suddenly they inherited a large amount of money? Think about the capacity of a person to handle the responsibility that comes with it. The same applies to lottery winnings and lawsuits, other ways to gain wealth hastily. Instead, Proverbs commends the value of money saved over time. “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it” (13:11). As your money grows, your wisdom can grow with it. Money can’t save youRiches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death (11:4). Money makes us comfortable in this world. It distracts us from the reality that none of us will be here for long. “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mk. 8:36). Money is fleeting. The only solid and lasting things are things that are unseen! “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is” (Col. 3:1). Which of these two warnings about money did you need to hear today?

    3 min

  2. 1d ago

    Where Riches Come From

    A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich… The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.Proverbs 10:4, 22Solomon affirms the reward of hard work. But then he goes on to say that the blessing of the Lord makes one rich. So, which is it, Solomon? Does it depend on our hard work, or does it depend on the Lord? If you put these two statements together, they remind us of the important truth that God works through means. And the normal means by which God prospers us is the diligent work of our hands. So, while our work may be the means of blessing, God is the source of blessing. “The blessing of the Lord makes rich.” Psalm 127 says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain” (Ps. 127:1). Sometimes people who have money are not able to enjoy it. Some sorrow came with it—either they have guilt over how they got it or they have fear over how they might lose it. But when you know that what you have came through the blessing of God, you have freedom and peace to enjoy it, and no sorrow is added. Proverbs celebrates the blessing of money as a good gift from the Lord. Reflect on this statement: “While our work may be the means of blessing, God is the source of blessing.”

    2 min

  3. 2d ago

    How Jesus Approached His Work

    “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”John 17:4If we want to have the joy that Jesus had, we need to live like Jesus lived. This was His approach to the work the Father gave Him to do: Jesus began earlyThe sluggard was slow to start but at the age of twelve, Jesus was in the temple (Lk. 2:49). He gave Himself to the Father’s business, and He did it out of love for the Father and out of love for us. Is there something you’ve been putting off? Are you aware of your need to get right with God and seek the new life Jesus offers? C. S. Lewis says that the devil has many ways of ruining souls, and his most effective way is to make people think that they have plenty of time. But the Bible says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart!” (Heb. 3:15). Jesus stayed focused“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work” (Jn. 9:4). Where in your life do you need to stay focused and to persevere? Jesus set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. When you are discouraged, do not be distracted from doing the will of the Father no matter how costly it may be. Jesus completed His workI glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do (John 17:4). Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and He has done it. Everything that is needed to bring you from where you are to the eternal joy of heaven has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus entered His restRight now, He is seated at the right hand of the Father where He is ready to save all who look to Him in repentance and faith. May it be that each of us becomes like Him. Is there something God is prompting you to do? Start early, stay focused, and persevere until you enter His rest.

    3 min

  4. 3d ago

    A Powerful Description of Laziness

    Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.Galatians 6:9Author and professor Rebecca DeYoung describes laziness or sloth as “resistance to the demands of love.” Then she talks about what can all too easily happen in a marriage—a husband and wife get into an argument, and they retreat to different parts of the house. It’s easier to stay at a miserable distance than to do the hard work of reconciling. As DeYoung says, “Do they want the relationship? Yes… But do they want to do what it takes…? Well maybe tomorrow. For now at least, each spouse wants the night off to wallow in his or her own selfish loneliness.” Look honestly at your own life: Where are there sins that need to be confessed? Where do the broken walls of trust need to be repaired? Where have you neglected the care that God has called you to give, the work He has called you to do? Repentance is hard work. You may say, “There’s no point. Nothing I do will make any difference.” But God says, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (6:9). It is a great sin to let love die because you are too lazy to do what it takes to keep it alive. And it is a tragic loss to miss eternal life because you are too lazy to do what it takes to find it. Is there a relationship in your own life that needs repair? Are you willing to do what it takes to keep it alive?

    2 min

  5. 4d ago

    The Surprising Motive of the Hard-Working Person

    I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.Proverbs 24:30–31Picture a wise man walking in the countryside. First, he goes past a field of ripening corn. Then he goes past a vineyard with clusters of grapes on the vine. Then he goes past a little vegetable garden. It’s going to be a good harvest, he thinks, and when it comes, these people will be blessed. But then he comes to a property that looks very different. This field is overgrown with thorns, and the stone wall is broken down. The tragedy of the neglected field is not just that the sluggard has failed to provide for himself but that he is not able to contribute to the needs of others. “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labour. All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back” (21:25–26). God gave the sluggard a field that would produce all that he needed for himself and more that he could have given to others. But he did not use what God had entrusted to him, so the field became overgrown, and the wall was broken down. Love is the great biblical motive for work. “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph. 4:28). Love is the great motive for all of our work, and it begins with our love for God. How might your attitude toward work change if you were motivated by love for God and for others?

    3 min

  6. 5d ago

    The Profile of an Unproductive Person

    The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.Proverbs 20:4Here is how Proverbs describes the sluggard, or the unproductive person: He is slow to startThe sluggard does not plough in the autumn (20:4). This draws attention to the long-term effects of putting off the things we need to do. There is a season for ploughing, for sowing, and for reaping. Ploughing is hard work, and the sluggard does not want to do it. He procrastinates. “It’s not good weather today. I’ll get around to it tomorrow.” He is easily distractedHe who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty (28:19). The sluggard lacks focus. The person who is fascinated with everything achieves nothing. Through a thousand small concessions to his own flesh, he never gets around to doing what God has called him to do. He doesn’t finishWhoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth (12:27). Clearly, the person who is slow to start and is easily distracted won’t be able to finish. The pattern of his life is that he is always moving on to something else. Something new catches his eye and off he goes, leaving a trail of unfinished business. He never restsThis is surprising because he is hinged to his bed! But the irony is that the person who keeps putting off what needs to be done never rests. God rested when He had completed His work. And the price of putting off what God has called you to do is that you never really rest. “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied” (13:4). Laziness will empty your wallet, but it will do something worse: Laziness will destroy your soul. Would you say you struggle more with getting started, being distracted, or finishing the job?

    3 min

  7. 6d ago

    Wisdom for Work

    The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.Proverbs 19:24We are looking today at the theme of work, or more precisely, its opposite. The book of Proverbs introduces us to a tragic character whose life ends in ruin. The name of this character is the sluggard. He is referred to 14 times. The sluggard is presented in comic terms, like when you see a caricature of a politician or a celebrity. Some aspect of their face is exaggerated, but you immediately know who it is. So, for example, we read “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth” (19:24). The sluggard loads the food onto his fork, but lifting it to his mouth is just too much effort. Then we read, “As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed” (26:14). The problem is not just that he likes to lie in bed, the problem is that he is seemingly hinged to his bed. He turns one way and then the other, but he can’t get up! The sluggard is also full of excuses. He always has a reason for not doing the work that needs to get done. The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” (22:13). We are meant to smile at this, but we are also meant to be warned about the dangers of laziness. If you are a person who works hard, your natural reaction will be, “This is a message for others but not for me.” Well, not so fast! There is something here for all of us. What is your initial reaction to the sluggard?

    2 min

  8. Jun 20

    How You Can Bless Others with Your Words

    Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.Psalm 19:14Your words will be a blessing when you have: An open earLet every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger (Jas. 1:19). Having an open ear means listening to the words of others. It also means listening to the Word of God. “Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips” (Prov. 22:17-18). The “words of the wise” are the words of Scripture. What are you listening to? Open your ear to the wisdom of God. A pure heartThe heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips (Prov. 16:23). Our words reveal the state of our hearts. Angry words are the fruit of an angry heart. Gracious words are the fruit of a grace-filled heart. No human can tame the tongue (Jas. 3:8). Only God can do that, and God changes the tongue by changing the heart. That is why David said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10). A cleansed mouthWhen Isaiah saw a vision of God, he was overwhelmed by His holiness. He felt his own sin as never before, especially his sins of speech. “I am a man of unclean lips” (Is. 6:5). An angel picked up a burning coal from the altar of God and pressed it onto Isaiah’s mouth. Jesus died on the altar of the cross for all of our sins, including the sins of our lips. And God’s provision for sin touched Isaiah where he needed it most. “This has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” (6:7). Ask God to open your ears to His Word, ask Him to purify your heart, and ask Him to touch your lips with the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood.

    3 min
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About

3 minute daily Bible reflections from Open the Bible UK, authored by Colin Smith, read by Sue McLeish.

Information

  • Creator
    Colin Smith
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.1K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Colin Smith
  • Show Website
    Open the Bible UK Daily

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