Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Philippians 1:3-5
Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.
I love this Philippian letter because it is so full of bubbling joy. That’s particularly remarkable because Paul was in prison as he wrote these words! Paul had three spells in prison and we can’t be sure which one this was, but most scholars think that he was in Rome at the time. His life was on the line and on a number of occasions he wrote as if his end might be very close. But nothing could stop his torrent of joyfulness.
In this letter, Paul is particularly grateful for his Christian brothers and sisters in Philippi. He was there when the church was founded so only had to think about them to feel joyful. Christian fellowship is always an amazing and miraculous gift. The only reason we have a relationship with our Christian brothers and sisters is because of our relationship with Jesus. There is much to be joyful about, but it is all too easy for us to focus on the negative side of church life. Paul was fully aware of the problems facing the Philippian fellowship, but they were insignificant compared to the blessing of their unity in Christ.
The partnership that Paul enjoyed with the Christians in Philippi had a very specific purpose: to share the good news about Jesus. Churches exist for many purposes –including worship, fellowship and service – but, if we are to remain faithful to Jesus’ Great Commission, we are always under an obligation to share the gospel as widely as possible. The people of Philippi, like our own society, would have had little or no knowledge of the Christian message and the only way they were going to hear it was if the Church committed themselves to spreading it. What activity could possibly be more joyful than that – for the Philippian church or for us?
Question
What is the main focus of your partnership with other Christians?
Prayer
Dear Father, thank You for the blessing of my Christian brothers and sisters. Help me to work effectively in partnership with them and always to be full of joy. Amen

Philippians 1:1
This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.
The apostle Paul is absolutely clear that it is not what you know but who you know that really matters in life. And so he begins this warm and encouraging letter by focusing on Jesus. It was Paul’s relationship with the Lord that compelled him to write this letter and he identifies the fact that, as a community, they belong to Jesus. So far as Paul is concerned, everything turns on knowing the Lord Jesus Christ personally.
Paul describes his own relationship with Jesus as being that of a slave. Philippi was a busy Roman colony and there would have been huge numbers of slaves, probably about 20% of the population. Everyone would have understood what Paul was saying. Slaves were owned by their master, who totally controlled their lives to the extent that they didn’t even possess their own bodies. They had no ancestors, no name and could have no possessions. On the face of it that all sounds pretty grim, but Paul’s discovery was that to be a slave of the best master of all, the Lord Jesus Christ, was the most joyful and liberated way of life. He was delighted to be entirely controlled by Christ and His agenda.
Paul first visited Philippi on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:11-40) where he met Lydia, who became the first Christian convert in Europe. Lydia opened her home to Paul and that’s where the first church in the city was established. He describes the Christian community there as being “God’s holy people who belong to Christ Jesus”. In effect he was affirming the fact that they were also the slaves of Christ. They had deliberately chosen to commit themselves to the Lord and to be a holy people.
Every day we are all under pressure from many directions, just like the Philippians. And the same is true for us as it was for them – it’s not what we know, but who we know that counts. Knowing Jesus as our Saviour and Lord is everything.
Question
Do you consider yourself to be a slave of Christ?
Prayer
Loving God, thank You for the freedom and joy that You give to those who commit themselves to You as Lord. Amen

Proverbs 20:29
The glory of the young is their strength; the grey hair of experience is the splendour of the old.
Tension between the generations is not new. Aristotle in the 4th-century BC once commented: “When I look at the younger generation, I despair of the future of civilisation.” Long after Aristotle’s day, in the year 1237, a monk named Peter gave his reasons for despair when he looked at the youth of his day. He wrote: “The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they know everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness to them.” In every age there is a huge gulf between the generations and today’s proverb encourages us to look for the strengths of each age group. Everyone has something special to contribute. The young are unquestionably stronger than older people, and grey hair is a clear sign that the old have more experience of life than the young. Strength and experience are both wonderful gifts and need to be celebrated.
The Church is God’s way of enabling us to bring the different generations together in a way that edifies everyone. There is no question that there will be tensions between people of different ages. There will be different perspectives that don’t always sit easily with one another. You can hardly imagine a family of three generations all sitting together tapping their feet with pleasure as they listen to the same music. And yet in church we do seek to bring people together in worship and that can be hard to achieve. I love worship which intentionally embraces old and young. It doesn’t apologise for using a traditional hymn or the latest worship song but affirms that both are wonderful expressions of praise to God. Musically, there might be moments when we wince in worship because the style isn’t our own, but we must graciously accept that and rejoice that the hymn or song is a blessing to others.
At the end of the day, we have a choice. We can either moan about other generations and their shortcomings, or we can look for the different strengths, gifts and blessings which God has given to each generation.
Question
What blessings does your own generation give to the life of your church?
Prayer
Lord God our Father, thank You for the blessings that You give to each of us. Help me to value other people, whatever their age or background. Amen

Proverbs 20:20
If you insult your father or mother, your light will be snuffed out in total darkness.
Family relationships were of central concern to the writer of Proverbs. The incredibly harsh language that he uses in this particular proverb shows his complete contempt for those who insulted their parents. No punishment was too great for those who were able to sink to such depths. Later in Proverbs the writer speaks with even greater passion: “The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother’s instructions will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures” (Proverbs 30:17). The whole Bible speaks with one voice on this subject so it is not surprising that honouring parents was one of the Ten Commandments, standing alongside the commands not to murder, commit adultery or steal.
All family relationships will be strained at times, but nothing can change our fundamental responsibility to our parents. The commandment is followed by the promise that if you honour your father and mother: “then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). That is to say, everything good follows from caring for your parents and showing them the respect that they deserve.
Every society handles family relationships differently. When I lived in India I had the amazing privilege of living with an Indian extended family. We lived, ate and worshipped as a three-generation family and that seemed to work well, although it would be misleading to suggest that there weren’t times of tension. In the West such living arrangements are relatively uncommon and that presents us with many challenges, particularly caring for elderly parents. This challenge has become even greater as people’s lifespans have increased. But the principle remains the same: caring for parents is a fundamental responsibility, however demanding it might be.
Question
In what way does the command to honour parents shape your life?
Prayer
Lord God our Father, we thank You for our parents. We praise You for every way in which they have blessed our lives, and ask You to help us to forgive them for the ways in which they let us down. Amen

Proverbs 19:28
A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
Justice is a persistent theme throughout the Bible, because it is one of the characteristics of God. He loves justice. This is beautifully described in Deuteronomy 32:4: “He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!” It is because of God’s love of justice that He gave His people a very clear framework of rules. The first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, gave the Israelites the law, which would guide every aspect of their lives. There were rules about the way in which they worshipped, but also about their relationships with one another and rules of hygiene. God is interested in every part of life and so the rules were comprehensive.
The Bible is clear that justice is fragile and needs to be carefully looked after. It can easily be perverted. The prophets showed particular concern about the evil of market traders tampering with their scales. By adjusting the scales in their favour, they were able to defraud their customers with every sale, and the Lord hated it. The prophet Amos observed that they couldn’t wait for the Sabbath to be over so that they could get back to cheating the helpless. He wrote: “You measure out grain with dishonest measures and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales. And you mix the grain you sell with chaff swept from the floor” (Amos 8:5-6). There was no end to their deviousness and the prophet said that the result of their unjust actions was that God was not willing to hear their prayers. He detested their worship because it simply didn’t ring true.
God still loves justice and so we have the responsibility to fight for justice whenever it is under attack. Injustice happens to some extent in every country, but laws have been developed over the centuries to ensure that many forms of exploitation are now illegal. However, the fact is that we trade internationally and so we need to be aware of the exploitation that is still rife in many parts of the world. We may enjoy buying cheap products but when they are produced through the abuse of vulnerable workers, we can be sure that God is deeply unhappy. Justice is not an optional extra for Christians but a fundamental part of our obedience to Christ.
Question
In what ways are you working for justice?
Prayer
God of justice, help me to stand up for those who are unjustly treated in this country and throughout the world. Amen