Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

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

Philippians 1:9-10
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.
I’m sure that we are all members of lots of organisations, such as a car breakdown service, a political party, a sports club etc. If I asked you whether your relationship with those organisations was growing, you would probably think that was a very odd question. You would probably just think of yourself as a member. The idea of having a developing relationship with the organisations wouldn’t seem relevant. The problem is that many people look at the Church in exactly the same way. They are members of the Church but would never think of it as a relationship that needs to develop.
Throughout Paul’s writing, he sees his relationship with Christ as being something that is constantly developing and, in this letter, he describes particularly powerfully his desire that it should change more and more. Here, at the beginning of the letter, he describes his passionate desire that the Philippian Christians should move on in their faith. He wanted their relationship with Christ to become increasingly strong, because in that way their life together as a church would become more united and resilient.
Paul prays that the Philippians will overflow with love as they grow in knowledge and insight. In that way they will be able to make increasingly good decisions. It is right that we should pray for one another’s health and challenges, but we need to ensure that we also pray for one another to grow in our relationship with Christ. Standing still is never an option in any relationship. If we are not growing stronger in our faith, then we will be getting weaker and that makes us more vulnerable in every way. Let’s listen to Paul’s words and use them to inspire us to pray for one another with passion and commitment.
Question
What is your prayer today for two of the Christians you know best?
Prayer
Lord God, I pray that these two people will grow strongly in their Christian lives. Help me to be a support and encouragement to them. Amen

Philippians 1:6
I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
When people talk about the future, they are often hesitant and anxious. I’m sure you will have heard people saying: “Things just keep going from bad to worse,” or “What a terrible world to be brought up in.” Paul is so different. He looks at the Philippians’ future from God’s perspective and is confident that God won’t let them down. He believes God will complete what He has begun.
Isn’t it wonderful to know that our future is absolutely secure in God’s hands? But that knowledge shouldn’t cause us to become complacent. Later in this letter Paul writes about pressing on like an athlete (3:14) so that he could get to know the Lord better.
One of the most valuable ways of getting to know God better is through reading the Bible. I hope these notes are helpful to you, but I would always encourage you to read more of the Bible. You might find it helpful to read through the Bible in one year. Having done so myself a few times in recent years, I strongly recommend this. But I know it’s not for everyone. What matters is that we each find effective ways of getting to know the Bible better and give time to listening to God. When Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy he told him that: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16). The only scripture available at the time was the Old Testament – how much more blessed are we! If you want to become stronger in your Christian life I encourage you to read the Bible, enjoy it and get to know the Lord much better.
Question
Are you looking to the future with confidence?
Prayer
Thank You, loving Lord, that my future is entirely secure in Your hands. Amen

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