Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Proverbs 12:15-16
Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.
The language of Proverbs is very black and white. The writer refers to wise people and does everything he can think of to illustrate how wonderful it is to live in this way. It’s a life of happiness, prosperity and peace and is marked by humility, grace and generosity. It stands in complete contrast to the fool, whose way of life is miserable, poor and full of conflict. We all lurch between these two extremes. We can see the huge blessings of being wise but have to admit that we are still capable of foolishness at times. The value of Proverbs is that it gives us some clear practical pointers on how to live wisely.
These verses give us two pieces of valuable advice. Firstly, we must listen to others with care because this allows us to be blessed by their experience and wisdom. I am delighted that mentoring has become so popular in recent years, and I find it an enriching part of my own life both as a mentor and mentee. However confident you may be about a course of action, you need to check your thinking with others.
Secondly, we need to stay calm when we are insulted, which is incredibly tough. If someone is rude to us, the instinct is to hit back immediately for self-preservation, but it is wiser to keep calm and respond in a measured way when we have had time to think things through. A quick-tempered outburst is bound to make things worse. I’m so glad that we can read this wise advice through the perspective of the New Testament, knowing that God has given us His Holy Spirit to strengthen us and give us His wisdom amid the rough and tumble of life.
Question
In what way do you need the Holy Spirit to help you to be wise in your relationships with others?
Prayer
Lord God, pour out Your Holy Spirit upon me so that I will become increasingly wise and gracious each day. Amen

Mark 16:6-7
The angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
Long ago, an old man told me about an experience he’d had as a teenager during the first world war. Many of the young men from his village had gone off to fight in France. Some families received the terrible news that their sons had been killed, but one family heard that their son was “missing believed killed”. Everyone encouraged them to believe their boy would be found, but as weeks turned to months, all hope was lost. Then, much later, at the end of the war, my friend was cycling into his village and saw that a huge crowd had gathered. Such a thing was unheard of in that sleepy community. In the centre of the crowd was the mother of the missing soldier. She was dancing and shouting “he’s alive” as she held above her a telegram informing her that her son had been taken prisoner and would soon be returning home.
Just imagine the joy of that mother and the celebrations that followed, then multiply it by 1,000 to understand some small part of the amazement of the women who found the empty tomb on Easter morning. They had actually witnessed Jesus being killed. They knew that the Romans were professional killers. They had no doubt that Jesus was dead, but the angel told them to completely change their thinking. Jesus had conquered death and was alive. This staggering news changed everything. The world would never be the same again.
My greatest fear when we talk about the resurrection is that we can get used to it. Many of us have heard about it since we were children, but we need to allow it to shock us and amaze us as if we were hearing about it for the first time. Our hope for the future is totally founded upon the fact that Jesus rose from death. As John Stott wrote: “Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion. The concept of the resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove it, Christianity is destroyed.”
As Christians, we are a resurrection people. And that should fill us with joy, peace and hope not just at Easter but every day.
Question
How has the resurrection of Jesus impacted your life?
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, I praise You because You are the same yesterday, today and forever. Amen

Mark 16:1
Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body.
As soon as the Sabbath came to an end, these three women started their preparations for anointing the body of Jesus. The Sabbath ends about 40 minutes after sunset, as soon as three stars are seen in the sky. That was probably between 5:30 and 6:00pm. They knew that they wouldn’t have time to do the anointing – that would need to wait till the Sunday morning – but they had enough time to go out to the market to purchase the spices they needed.
The women’s minds must have been in absolute turmoil. Jesus, their master and friend, had been taken away from them in the most violent and disturbing manner. The disciples all seemed to have gone into hiding, but the women knew what needed to be done and were determined to do it. They were incredibly courageous – the Romans would have been unhappy to see them giving attention to Jesus’ body, but they knew they could and should. Like the woman who anointed Jesus in Bethany only a few days before, they did what they could.
The following morning, these women would be the first to witness the empty tomb. They had the front seats for the resurrection. It would have astonished any Jewish observer that women should have the key role. There was a Jewish saying that ran: “Happy is he whose children are male, and alas for him whose children are female,” and in the Jewish morning service, one of the prayers was: “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has not made me a woman.” They prayed this after similarly thanking God that they were not heathens or slaves. Clearly, with the death and resurrection of Jesus, a completely new chapter had opened up.
Question
What impresses you about the willingness of the women to anoint the body of Jesus?
Prayer
Loving Father, help me to be willing to serve You, however difficult it might be. Amen

Mark 15:37-39
Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
I am very struck by the fact that just before Jesus breathed His last breath, He let out a loud cry. This is the last thing that you would have expected of a man dying on the cross. It would have been hard for Jesus to breathe at all, but He gave a shout of triumph. His work of salvation was finished. He had won the final victory over sin and death.
The tearing of the curtain of the Temple confirmed that a new era had opened up. In the past, only the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies, but now, through the death of Christ on the cross, a new way was opened up for anyone who would turn to Him. The old barriers and restrictions was torn down as Jesus opened wide His arms to the world. Everyone was now warmly welcomed.
The fact that the first person to comment on the death of Jesus was not a Jew is hugely significant and very surprising. Who would have thought that the Roman soldier responsible for overseeing His death would identify exactly who Jesus was? It was as if he were speaking on behalf of the world. Jesus Himself was indeed a Jew, but He came to bring life to all who would accept him, then and now.
Question
What is your reaction to the crucifixion of Jesus?
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, I praise You for dying for me so that my sins can be forgiven. Thank You for loving me completely and offering me the gift of eternal life. Amen

Mark 14:22-24
As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.” And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.”
There are many different ways to convey a message. The most obvious is to use words, but there are times when they are not enough. In the Old Testament, we often see the prophets acting out their message. One such dramatic moment was when Ahijah tore his robe into twelve pieces and gave ten of them to Jeroboam to demonstrate that ten of the tribes would make him king (1 Kings 11:29-32). Jeremiah also used dramatic actions to emphasise his messages. He fastened a yoke to his neck with leather straps to show how the Babylonians would conquer the land (Jeremiah 27:2). Nobody could have misunderstood his message.
In our reading today, Jesus shared a special meal with His disciples. Using the powerful imagery of the broken bread and the wine, Jesus told His bemused disciples that these symbols spoke of His own body and blood. Jesus had already clearly told them that He was going to die, but now He demonstrated it through sharing a simple meal with them.
I wonder what the disciples made of that meal. At the time, it must have been very confusing. Alarmingly, it began with Jesus telling them that one of them was going to betray Him. They knew that there was an increasing tide of opposition to Jesus’ ministry and must have been nervous. In the midst of it all, they met Jesus their friend, their master and their Lord.
When we celebrate Communion, we are in a very different place from the disciples. We know that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that on the third day He rose again and is still alive and in heaven. But just as the disciples shared that last supper with the Lord in an atmosphere of tension, so too we meet with the living Jesus in a world in which there is still much brokenness, violence and sin. Jesus meets with us where we are, just as He met with His disciples long ago in that Upper Room.
Question
What does the service of Communion mean to you?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You that You meet with me day by day in the midst of the challenges and opportunities of life. Amen