Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Proverbs 22:13
The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!”
I love the book of Proverbs. There is so much blunt truth, and here the writer laughs his socks off at the sluggard or lazy person who has always got an excuse for doing nothing. On this particular day, he fears that there may be a lion outside and is concerned that he may get killed. He considers that he’s got the perfect excuse for staying at home and doing nothing.
The writer of these Proverbs spent a lot of time reflecting on lazy people because he was so fearful of the disease of laziness. He saw that it led to poverty and distress and was keen for everyone to focus their attention on ants, who were the exact opposite. In Proverbs 6:6, he wrote: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” Ants are always busy and effective in their work, and we can all learn from them.
I’m not accusing you of laziness! I’ll leave you to reflect on the issue, although I’m inclined to think that we all have areas of our lives where we can let laziness creep in – but maybe that’s just me! However, it’s good for us to recognise that God has got work for us all to do, and His blessings will only pour into our lives as we fully commit ourselves to working for Him. It’s no wonder that the writer is so anxious that people shouldn’t waste their lives on being lazy!
Question
Are you ever lazy, and if so what do you learn from the book of Proverbs?
Prayer
Lord God, help me to learn from the example of the ants, and to work effectively for You. Amen

Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
On the face of it, it seems really surprising that Jesus should be describing His followers as the light of the world. Surely that was His role? But Jesus was recognising that the only way in which people can see His light is if His followers reflect it into their communities.
How then will people see this light shining from our lives? Jesus says that it happens as people see our good deeds. I have seen this happening time and again through Christians getting involved with the work of food banks, street pastoring, homeless projects and neighbourhood befriending schemes, to name but a few. It is important that our actions are complemented by talking about Jesus, but it is so often the actions that show our message has credibility.
We all have very different opportunities to shine the light of Christ. Your unique network of relationships will enable you to bring the light to places which may not be reached by anyone else. So, however minor and insignificant your good deeds might seem to you, keep them up and thank God that His light will shine through you.
Question
How has God enabled you to share His light with others?
Prayer
Dear Lord, strengthen me each day so that I will live in such a way that others will see Your light. Amen

Matthew 5:13
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
I have often heard people say that they are happy for individuals to have a Christian faith so long as it’s a private matter. For Jesus, it was unthinkable that following Him could be kept private. It can’t be done, because those who live close to God will be fundamentally affected by their faith, and this will inevitably exhibit itself in the way they conduct themselves. Like salt, their influence will have an impact on all those who come into contact with them.
Salt is very different from the foods that it accompanies. It is useful and tasty precisely because it is different. So too as Christians we are encouraged to be different from the society in which we live. Our morality and standards are not shaped by our society but by God, so it should never be a surprise when we stand out from the people around us.
One of the key characteristics of salt is that it is a preservative. With refrigeration, we are hardly aware of this function of salt, but until recent history it was of crucial importance. Jesus calls on His followers to get deeply involved in the life of society in order to uphold high standards.
It is high praise when someone is described as ‘the salt of the earth’, and we should all aim to be precisely that.
Question
In what way are you able to be salt in your community?
Prayer
Lord God, help me to live so close to You that Your loving, gracious influence touches those around me. Amen

Matthew 5:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The life to which Jesus calls us is one of blessing. This is life at its very best. But Jesus never tried to disguise the fact that His followers would face rejection and persecution just as He did. Jesus assures His followers in every age that if they stand up for the truth, there will inevitably be many people who have a vested interest in bringing them down.
Persecution is normally subtle. For the majority of Christians in Eastern Europe during the communist era, the challenge was not the likelihood of imprisonment or martyrdom. That happened from time to time for a few, but the ever-present daily challenges were in areas such as education and employment. I recall visiting Romania during those tough years and hearing about the relentless daily pressures on Christians because they weren’t card-carrying communists.
In our society, the challenges are very different, but they are inevitable. In a society that has long since rejected Christianity, it can be exceptionally hard to speak about personal faith. We will often be accused and even mocked for our faith. Many Christians live with a continual barrage of sarcasm. And if you find yourself in a position where you believe your organisation is acting unethically, it can be incredibly tough to stand up for truth and justice.
Jesus is not encouraging us to go looking for persecution and suffering, but rather to be totally unsurprised when it happens.
Question
In what ways have you faced resistance because of your Christian faith?
Prayer
Loving God, give me Your strength day by day so that I will be able to stand strongly for You, whatever the challenges. Amen

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
In this beatitude, Jesus isn’t talking about being peace-lovers but peacemakers, and that’s something very different. A peace-lover will often do anything to avoid conflict. They will even allow bad behaviour to continue because of the desire to ‘keep the peace’. Sadly, that kind of attitude does nothing to bring healing to the situation and can easily lead to it becoming far worse. Peacemaking is the tough task of not turning away from conflict but, in the name of Christ, deliberately facing it and seeking to bring His miraculous gift of peace. Robert V Taylor, the president of the Desmond Tutu Foundation, wrote: “If you want peace, don’t talk to your friends, talk to your enemies.”
I suspect we all dislike conflict. We hate it when voices are raised and people storm out of meetings or fall out with one another. It’s exhausting, discouraging and sad. But it’s also very common and always has been. That’s precisely why Jesus recruited followers 2,000 years ago and still does. He needs you and me to get to know Him well enough to have the courage to walk towards conflicts and not away from them. If we always run away from places of anger and brokenness, we will never be able to make Jesus’ offer of peace, and we will deny ourselves the joy of seeing people find unity and a new future. As the children of God, peacemaking is God’s way for each one of us.
Question
Where is God calling you to be a peacemaker at the moment?
Prayer
Loving God, thank You for Your gift of peace. Give me renewed determination to bring Your peace wherever I go. Amen