Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

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May 1st - Colossians 3:2-3
Colossians 3:2-3 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Paul’s message was a matter of life and death. In the previous chapter, he referred to baptism as being an act of burial (Colossians 2:12). Through baptism, one life comes to an end and another one, focused on Christ, begins. That’s why Paul encouraged his readers to make sure their primary focus was on heaven and not on the things of earth. Many of us know the description of someone being ‘so heavenly-minded that they are of no earthly use’. Paul would absolutely disagree with that, believing that the person who was focused on heaven would be of the greatest possible use on earth. Paul had a very clear idea of the dangers of allowing our earthly, sinful nature to be in the driving seat. He told his readers to put to death sexual immorality, impurity, lust and evil desires, and warned them against greed. He observed that a greedy person was an idolater, worshipping the things of this world. He knew that a life that was totally focused on earthly things was bound to end in disaster and told his readers to strip off their old sinful nature. They needed to put on new clothing, the things that flowed from a life that was renewed in Christ. Paul specified the new clothing that Christians need to put on. They are the qualities which flow from the heart of God: tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12). When we live that kind of life, the world around us will be blessed. Indeed, people will be touched by heaven itself. Question Would you describe yourself as heavenly-minded or earthly-minded? Prayer Loving God, thank you that you have made it possible for me to live a new life in Christ. Amen
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3:01
April 30th - Colossians 2:16-17
Colossians 2:16-17 Don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Throughout history, religious people have been famous for their rules and regulations. We see it particularly clearly with the Pharisees of Jesus’ time. They lived meticulously according not only to the law of Moses but also to layers of other regulations which had been introduced by the rabbis. It isn’t surprising that in the early Church, one of the greatest challenges came from those who wanted to impose complicated regulations upon the new Christians. These came from many places, particularly from the Gnostics, whose religion was built upon complicated rules about eating and drinking and the observance of special days. Paul was not saying that all rules were bad. A well-ordered family, church or society will only work smoothly if there are rules. Paul’s concern was that people would never find forgiveness and salvation through them. The message of so many religions is that you will achieve liberty and harmony by following a certain number of regulations, but Paul decisively rejected this. Rules are not necessarily bad, but at their best they will only ever be shadows of reality. They will never set us free, because only Jesus can do that. We all live our lives according to certain rules. They may have come from other people, or we may have devised them because they work well for us. But we must never believe our rules and the way in which we live will earn favour with God. The rules may be helpful but they cannot save us. Only Christ can do that, so we need to keep our eyes fixed on him. Question In what ways have you found rules helpful in your Christian life, and in what ways have they been a problem? Prayer Lord Jesus, I thank you that life is found in you and in you alone. Amen
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3:11
April 29th - Colossians 2:14-15
Colossians 2:14-15 [Christ] cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. The cross stood right at the centre of Paul’s understanding of the good news. Put simply, if you want to understand Jesus, you have to see him through the lens of the cross. John Stott, in his book [itals]The Cross of Christ[end itals], summed this up when he wrote: “There is then, it is safe to say, no Christianity without the cross. If the cross is not central to our religion, ours is not the religion of Jesus.” For this reason, Paul focused his preaching on the cross even though he was fully aware that the message didn’t always go down well. Jews found it a stumbling block because the law of Moses declared that anyone who hung from a tree was cursed. Meanwhile, non-Jews just found the idea of someone dying on a cross completely foolish. How could anyone find anything commendable in the brutal death of a good man? However, Paul wasn’t fazed by these reactions because he had discovered that the word of the cross was both the power of God and the wisdom of God. It is always challenging and tough to think about the cross. None of us can fully imagine the intense pain that Jesus had to endure. Even if we have experienced severe pain, none of us has known the agony of being cut off from God. What we do know is that no one will suffer for another person unless they love them intensely. So, as often as we reflect on the awful pain of Jesus’ death, we need to realise that we are staring at love in its purest form. As John Stott wrote: “If we are looking for a definition of love, we should look not in a dictionary, but at the cross.” If you ever feel unloved or unlovely, the very best thing you can do is look at the cross. What more could anyone do for you? Question What’s your reaction to the fact that Jesus died on the cross for your sins? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you were willing to give your life so that I can be free. Amen
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3:17
April 28th - Colossians 2:8-9
Colossians 2:8-9 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. Paul didn’t believe in beating around the bush! He was so convinced that Christ was the complete answer to the human predicament that he saw every other philosophy as a waste of time. That didn’t mean he was unwilling to spend time listening to people with other beliefs. He simply didn’t believe that they had anything to offer when compared with Christ. When Paul visited Athens, he spent a great deal of time speaking with the philosophers and gladly accepted an invitation to address the Areopagus, which was the forum where the Greeks held debates. He sensitively referred to their own poets and thinkers, but his focus was always to proclaim Christ. It is the fact that Jesus was both fully man and fully God which marks him apart from other great teachers. I love the words of Victor Hugo, the French novelist and poet, who stated: “Pythagoras, Epicurus, Socrates, Plato, these are the torches of the world; Christ is the light of day.” Great thinkers and philosophers have contributed insight and wisdom through the ages, but they pale into insignificance alongside the Light of the world. We live in a society which wants to suggest that every philosophy and religion is of equal significance, but Paul would robustly disagree. Only of Jesus can it be said that the fullness of God dwelt in him. He alone can be described as “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). Everyone should be able to believe what they want, and it is our Christian duty to protect their right to do so. At the same time, I believe we are called to be faithful to the truth that we have received. Jesus came to bring life to the world, and we need to seize every opportunity to share this good news with the people we meet. Question How do you respond when you are faced with false philosophies? Prayer Lord God, keep me strong when I face up to people who reject your truth. May I always be both clear and gracious when I disagree with others. Amen
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3:22
April 27th - Colossians 1:22-23
Colossians 1:22-23 You are holy and blameless as you stand before [Christ] without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. What Christ has done for us is absolutely amazing. Failed and sinful as we are, he has totally forgiven us and made us right with God. He has made it possible for us to stand before him, holy and blameless and without fault. But that doesn’t mean we can now take it easy and do what we want. We need to stand firm in our faith and ensure we don’t slip away from the truth. In my experience, very few people who drift away from Christian faith do so because they suddenly disbelieve it. What normally happens is that they become distracted and busy with other things. Gradually, their work, family, sport or hobby claims their attention and they find it inconvenient to attend worship. Sometimes they move house and find it difficult to find another church in which they feel at home, or their children join a sports team on a Sunday morning and they find it impossible to get to church. They simply drift. At first, they are conscious that they are drifting, but after a while, their minds move on and they totally forget about their faith. This can happen surprisingly quickly, so we all need to be alert to the need to maintain strong and helpful rhythms in our Christian lives. God has given us the gift of a weekly Sabbath, which is an opportunity to refocus our lives on him. We all need the refreshment and renewal of that day, but we cannot wait the whole week for God’s blessing. Amid the busyness of our lives, we need to ensure that each day we find opportunities to praise God and listen to him. The way that you find this refreshment may differ from other people, but making time to meet with God and allowing him to bless and equip you for the challenges of life is essential. Drifting away is so serious that we need to ensure we do everything possible to avoid it happening. Question What are you doing to ensure that you don’t drift away from your faith in Christ? Prayer Loving God, help me to stay close to you throughout this and every day. Amen
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3:31