Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

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Bring some Spirit-filled peace into your hectic schedule every weekday morning with this new Daily Devotional.

  1. 14h ago

    June 20th - Philippians 2:12-13

    Philippians 2:12-13 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. If you have given your life to Christ, confessed your sins and received His forgiveness, then you have the gift of salvation. This is the amazing good news that Paul was so desperate to share. But he was equally concerned that his readers should understand that they now had work to do. The situation is much the same as in marriage. Getting married is just the start of the journey. Advertising always reveals a great deal about a society. These days we often hear products being promoted because they will offer us a quick and effortless route to making life easier, smoother, happier and more fulfilled. It’s very tempting to speak of the Christian life in the same way. But it would be a lie. I have not the slightest doubt that living for Christ is the most wonderful and fulfilling life that exists here on earth. But nowhere does Paul ever suggest that following Christ requires no effort, pain or hard work. I fully recognise that hard work doesn’t sound very attractive, but we should never fear it. Jesus once invited his followers to take on his yoke, explaining “my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:30). A yoke is simply a wooden beam normally used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs. Jesus doesn’t deny that His followers will have burdens to bear, but He makes the incredible promise that as they take His yoke they “will find rest” for their souls (Matthew 11:28). I know exactly what Jesus means. Over the years I have seen many people working incredibly hard for God and it has been beautiful to see their peace and contentment because they have done their work yoked to Jesus. Question What is the hard work that God is calling you to do? Prayer Thank You, Lord Jesus, that as we accept Your yoke we find perfect rest. Amen

    3 min

  2. 1d ago

    June 19th - Philippians 2:5-7

    Philippians 2:5-7 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. These amazing words form the beginning of what many people consider to be a first-century hymn. They beautifully express the fundamental truth that God’s desire is to turn our thinking upside down! Our natural inclination is to seek power, prestige and recognition, but Jesus came to this earth and did precisely the opposite. And that, said Paul, was the attitude that the Philippians needed to have towards one another in the church. He wanted to see them ditch all traces of arrogance and to consider others better than themselves. It’s all very challenging for us today, too. The humility of Jesus is truly astonishing. He, above everyone else, was entitled to have power and influence and to enjoy a life of ease and comfort, but He gladly accepted the opposite. He was willing to endure the ultimate powerlessness of being hung upon a cross and to experience the agony of rejection by His own people and even by His Father. The outcome of His humility was that God exalted Jesus to the highest place of all and gave Him the name above every name. Truly, Jesus turns all our thinking about life on its head. And that is now the approach to life that Paul encouraged his friends in Philippi to adopt. The only way to be blessed by God is to learn what it means to be truly humble. So how are we going to grow in humility, since everything depends upon it? Probably the most important thing to remember is that we cannot become more humble by our own efforts. There is nothing more sickening than someone who, like Dickens’ character Uriah Heap, manufactures an artificial pretence of being “everso ‘umble”. Humility results from us getting closer to God and allowing His Holy Spirit to do deep work on our character. The grace of humility will grow unselfconsciously and gradually as we love God more. As we get to know God better we will find, miraculously, that we are starting to have the very same attitude as Jesus. Question Whose example of humility do you find most inspiring? Prayer Loving God, thank You that by Your Spirit You are helping me day by day to have the same attitudes as Jesus. Amen

    4 min

  3. 2d ago

    June 18th - Philippians 2:1-2

    Philippians 2:1-2 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. One of the biggest problems with unity is that it looks so easy. If you listen to a fine orchestra playing harmoniously or watch a top football team playing with skill and precision, it all looks so very straightforward. Surely anyone could do it! But I then recall the hours that I spent in our school orchestra and those regular Saturday afternoons when I played football, and I can assure you that unity doesn’t come easily. Paul was equally clear about this. He knew that the Philippian Christians had received the gift of unity in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. But they still needed to work incredibly hard to ensure that their lives reflected the unity that Jesus had achieved for them. In these verses, the apostle Paul pleaded for unity. He told the Philippian church that if they had been touched by Christ’s love in any way or experienced the fellowship of the Spirit, then it was their responsibility to do everything possible to build up the unity of the church. In the course of normal life this is often extremely difficult. Agreeing wholeheartedly with one another might be easy if we were the same age and had similar backgrounds, but churches are never like that. And they never should be! Agreeing together is the product of lashings of love, grace and patience. Working together with one mind and purpose is vitally important for every fellowship. However, it only occurs when there is an atmosphere of encouragement and forgiveness. Our task is not to dream of a distant vision of harmony, but to think through everything we say and do to ensure that we are only ever contributing to the unity of the Church right now. Question What are you able to do to build unity among the Christians you know? Prayer Dear Father, thank You that You are the source of all unity. Help me to work hard to preserve and strengthen the unity that You give us by Your Spirit. Amen

    4 min

  4. 3d ago

    June 17th - Philippians 1:29-30

    Philippians 1:29-30 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. We don’t know the exact nature of the problems in the Philippian church. It had been planted in a hostile environment and was led by new Christians, who were doubtless still trying to get their heads around Christian doctrine and practice. I often hear people say that it would be good if we could get back to being like the early Church, but I’m not so sure. The early Church may have had the blessing of newness and enthusiasm, but they battled with many critical problems that we will never have to face, and we have the blessing of huge resources of Christian experience and literature to draw upon. Paul offered the Philippian church the huge encouragement that they were not alone. Paul knew exactly what they were going through, and they had the benefit of seeing him at work. They knew the struggles that he had experienced and were also aware that he continued to be up against huge challenges. To use a much-used word these days, Paul [itals]empathised[end itals]. He could enter into the experience that they were going through because of what he had been through. From time to time, I hear people say that they don’t need to go to church because they can worship perfectly well in their back garden. I am, of course, absolutely delighted that their garden is so inspirational, but nothing can take the place of Christian fellowship. We need one another. Churches aren’t perfect – they are often agonisingly imperfect – but sharing life with frail human beings just like ourselves is exactly what we need. As we face up to the challenges and sharp edges of life it is so helpful to hear, as the Philippians did, someone say: “we’re in this struggle together”. Question When have you been particularly aware of the empathy and support of other Christians? Prayer Loving God, thank You for the blessing of Christian fellowship. Amen

    3 min

  5. 4d ago

    June 16th - Philippians 1:27

    Philippians 1:27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. The residents of Philippi were very proud of their city. They had been rewarded by the Emperor Octavian after his defeat of Antony and Cleopatra and were designated a Roman colony. The city was in Macedonia, which is now part of northern Greece, but the Philippians enjoyed the same privileges as if they were living in Italy. Citizenship was a big issue for them, and they were delighted to enjoy the legal and tax advantages which came with their status. But Paul told them that far more significant than this was the fact that they were citizens of heaven. Being a Philippian was a temporary arrangement – unlike their eternal citizenship of heaven. Paul was not saying that it was unimportant that they were Roman citizens. He had much to say about the importance of Christians living as responsible members of their community, as we have seen. In his letter to the church in Rome, at the heart of the empire, he wrote that those who followed Christ had a responsibility to submit to the governing authorities because they had been established by God (Romans 13:1). Christians should do everything in their power to support their communities and to live as responsible citizens, but they should do so with the knowledge that their principal identity is their heavenly one. There were many pressures upon the church in Philippi. Although Paul’s letter is particularly positive, it is clear that there were plenty of challenges – both from people outside and people inside the church who were squabbling with one another. Paul knew that the church must live by the highest standards, and so he urged them to live lives worthy of the good news of Christ. The church wasn’t their little private club, but a group of people drawn together by the Spirit to proclaim the amazing news of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever our churches might be facing at present, we all need to hear the same challenge to live a life that is worthy of Christ. Question What does it mean to you to be a citizen of heaven? Prayer Dear Lord, thank You for the eternal security that I have in knowing You. Help me to contribute positively to my temporary home here on earth. Amen

    4 min

  6. 5d ago

    June 15th - Philippians 1:21-24

    Philippians 1:21-24 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. During the two years that I lived in India a number of people in our community died and I deeply appreciated the way in which their deaths were handled. Soon after the person passed away, their body was prepared and laid out on a bed in the middle of the main room of the house. Visitors would then come and pay their respects, light candles around the body and say prayers. This would continue until the body was taken in an open coffin to church for the funeral service, which normally was held the day following the death. It was all so very different from the way in which I had seen death being handled before. When I returned to the UK, I deeply regretted the way in which we seem to be kept well away from death. In our verses today, Paul talks about death in a way that would probably shock many people. He is totally open about death and reflects on the varied benefits of being alive or dead. Paul’s confidence in Christ shines through his words. He knew the Lord so well that he was absolutely convinced that death is the preferable option. For Paul, death was bound to be much better than life, because he would be set free from all those things that obstruct our relationship with Christ here on earth. But he realised that he had responsibilities on earth and so was content with staying alive. One of the greatest blessings of being a Christian is that we need have no fear of death. Not long ago a friend of mine died of motor neurone disease. The disease progressed very fast and it was alarming to see how speedily he lost all muscle control. But through it all he kept rejoicing. His confidence in God was so strong that on not a single occasion did I hear him complain. He knew that he was secure in God’s hands for time and eternity. I do hope you look to the future with a similar confidence. Question Do you share Paul’s thoughts about death? Prayer Lord God, thank You that my relationship with You will not be brought to an end by death. Amen

    4 min

  7. 6d ago

    June 14th - Philippians 1:15,18

    Philippians 1:15,18 It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives…Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. It would be nice to live in a perfect world where everyone agreed. We could then get on with living our Christian lives with the confidence that what other people said was a mirror image of our own thoughts. But the reality is, people disagree on almost every subject and Christian faith attracts the complete spectrum of reactions. There are people who love every word we speak, and others who hate it with a passion. And, as Paul observed, people speak in a whole variety of ways. Some are loving and gracious, others are bitter and divisive. Yet, amid all the confusion, Paul recognised that what really matters is the name of Jesus being preached. Of course, he would have much rather everyone spoke of Christ in the same way as he did, but in the real world we have to continue with our witness despite the confusions that can come. I am really grateful that throughout the world a lot of attention is still given to Christmas and Easter. There is often very little understanding of what these events signify. It’s a noisy and confusing world so we need to understand that there will be many people trying to resist our message. However, just like Paul, we need to grasp every opportunity to speak up for Jesus and to declare the good news that He came to bring. Question How do you react when people speak about Jesus in a way that you dislike? Prayer Loving Father, help me to do everything I can to help people to hear about Jesus. Amen

    3 min

  8. Jun 13

    June 13th - Philippians 1:12-13

    Philippians 1:12-13 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. My chief memory of prison visits is the huge bunches of keys and the slamming of doors. The lack of liberty must be terrible, and we have every reason to think that Paul’s years of incarceration would have been a degrading experience. But Paul has no time for moaning! He reflects that his time in prison actually enabled the good news of Jesus to be spread. Even the palace guard recognised that he was in prison because of his faith in Christ. Paul’s various times in prison must have been desperately hard to bear, but he consistently focused on the fact that God had brought blessing through these times. This reminds me of Joseph’s experience in the Old Testament. His brothers hated him so much that they intended to murder him, but they eventually decided to sell him to some passing traders. They then went back to their father with Joseph’s coat of many colours drenched in goat’s blood, claiming that he had been tragically killed. Joseph was taken to Egypt, where his ability to interpret dreams finally led him to become one of the leaders of the land during a time of famine. In one of the most dramatic moments of the Bible, Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt in search of food and the official that they met was none other than Joseph himself. He summed up what had happened by saying this: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so that I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph wasn’t saying that what they had done was acceptable. They had clearly acted in a terrible way. But their actions hadn’t stood in the way of God’s purposes. We all face many difficult times in life. We confront tragedies, illnesses and setbacks. But as we trust ourselves to God He is able to keep working miraculously in us and around us. Question Can you think of a bad experience in your life which God was able to turn into something good? Prayer Dear Father, thank You that You are at work in my life even when times are hard. Amen

    3 min
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Bring some Spirit-filled peace into your hectic schedule every weekday morning with this new Daily Devotional.

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  • Channel
    Premier Plus
  • Creator
    Premier
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    2K
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    Clean

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