Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Verfügbare Folgen

5 von 1800

May 17th - Proverbs 26:14
Proverbs 26:14 As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed. The writer of the Proverbs has a great deal to say about laziness, and he is terrified of it. He sees it as the surest route to poverty and, in a society without a welfare state, that could easily spell starvation and even death. Fighting the war against laziness starts at the very beginning of the day when we decide to stop turning over in bed and actually get up! Laziness will try to lure us into its trap if it possibly can. A Latin proverb says: “As worms breed in a pool of stagnant water, so evil thoughts breed in the mind of the idle.” I don’t believe that there is anything wrong with times of relaxation. The problem that the writer of the Proverbs identifies is that without a clear sense of direction and purpose, evil thoughts can take root and breed. CH Spurgeon, the famous Victorian Baptist preacher, wrote: “Some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations attack the idle.” Laziness is clearly something to fear, but I don’t believe that God invites us to sit in judgment on other people’s supposed laziness. I suspect we would all be very good at identifying laziness in other people, but we can, and should, look at our own lives and ask whether we are being as busy and fruitful as God wants us to be. God certainly isn’t calling us to be over-busy and to neglect to have times of relaxation and ease. That would be as destructive as laziness. If you have a wonderfully comfortable bed then I am delighted for you, but there comes a time when we must leave it behind us and get on with the work God wants us to do. Question When are you tempted to be lazy? Prayer Lord God, I thank you for all that you are asking me to do each day. Help me never to miss out on your blessings through being lazy. Amen
--------
3:11
May 16th - Proverbs 25:28
Proverbs 25:28 A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls. It’s always tragic to see someone who is drunk. They stagger around with no clear sense of direction, their speech is slurred and you worry that they’ll fall over and hurt themselves. There are many other less obvious examples of a loss of self-control. Some people lack self-control in their spending or eating and the results can be disastrous. The writer of Proverbs compares the person without self-control to a city with broken-down walls – a city that is open to attack at any moment. It is completely vulnerable, and the citizens are right to live in fear. What city would want to live like that for a single day? The New Testament identifies self-control as one of the fruits of the Spirit. These fruits naturally grow when the Holy Spirit is in charge of our lives. They are the characteristics of a life that is lived to the full. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). None of the fruit can develop where there is an absence of self-control. Each of the gifts is intimately related to the others. Self-control can only develop when God is allowed to be in control of our lives. He is the one who enables us to find the wisdom and strength to live in line with his will. As we grow in our faith, we will see self-control growing and enabling us to be increasingly effective and fruitful for God. We all need to seek this, not least because the alternative is so depressing. To live like a city with broken-down walls is to live a life of complete vulnerability, where you cannot relax for a moment because every day you are living under threat. Question In what ways have you learned the importance of self-control? Prayer Lord God, I thank you that your Holy Spirit is at work in my life helping me to become increasingly self-controlled. Amen
--------
3:14
May 15th - Proverbs 25:25
Proverbs 25:25 Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty. This wonderful proverb doesn’t make much sense in our modern world where communications across the globe are instant. However, I remember the days before such impressively instant communications. When I lived in India, we had to communicate by post, and it could take a couple of weeks for letters to arrive from the UK. The highlight of my day was when the postman cycled onto our compound proudly ringing his bell. When I discovered that he had letters for me, it was just like being given a glass of cold water on a hot day. When the writer of Proverbs was putting together his wise words, it was incredibly difficult and dangerous to send news over a big distance. To receive any news was amazing, and to receive good news from a distant place was absolutely wonderful. The Bible is full of good news. It tells us that we are made in the image of God, and that we are loved by the creator of the world. At times we might feel unimportant and unloved, but God has a completely different view of us, and he showed us his love supremely when he sent Jesus into the world. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, we are offered forgiveness and eternal life. This is surely the best news the world has ever heard! I’m so glad to share these reflections with you. It’s a privilege to bring you a verse or two each day, but I warmly encourage you to sit down with the Bible and read longer chunks of it. I particularly commend Immerse, the Bible Reading Experience. It has no chapter and verse divisions which you find in most Bibles, so you read it like any other book, and there are many groups who meet around the country to read Immerse together. Good news needs to be shared. Question In what way has the Bible brought good news into your life? Prayer Loving God, we thank you that you understand us so completely that you are able to meet our deepest needs. Amen
--------
3:15
May 14th - Proverbs 25:20
Proverbs 25:20 Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather or pouring vinegar in a wound. This is a painful proverb because we all have the capacity to be insensitive. Singing cheerful songs is obviously lovely, but to impose this on someone who is depressed is the very last thing that we should ever do. We can all do the wrong thing. We can all say things that are inappropriate and act in a way that we later realise was extremely unhelpful. The question we need to ask is: How can we avoid getting it so agonisingly wrong? Let’s begin with humility! We need to be aware of our capacity to get things wrong. We are always learners in the area of human relationships. Am I the only person who has called another person by the wrong name? Probably not! It’s horribly embarrassing, but while moments like these are humbling, they are thoroughly good for us. Secondly, we need to be quick to admit our mistakes and seek forgiveness. If we are living humbly, this will be a natural response and will normally enable a relationship to be restored. Finally, we need to work on our listening skills. If we don’t listen carefully to other people, we will continually be at risk of responding inappropriately. Listening may sound easy, but it is hard work and demands our full attention. If we listen to others with care, it is highly unlikely that we will do and say the wrong things. All of these responses are summed up in the word ‘love’. We need to step into each day with a healthy dose of humility, praying that the God of love will so fill us with his Holy Spirit that we will respond lovingly to every situation. Question What have you learned from those times when you have said completely the wrong thing? Prayer Lord God, I confess that I have often got it wrong. Fill me with your Spirit so that I will act with love in every situation. Amen
--------
3:22
May 13th - Proverbs 25:19
Proverbs 25:19 Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot. Being able to trust reliable people is so important, especially when we are going through a tough time. I thank God for the privilege of working with people over the years who have been totally trustworthy. Their word was their bond. I knew that if they promised to do something, it would not only be done, but done well. However, I’m sure we’ve all encountered people who promised generously to help, but simply didn’t get round to it, or did it so half-heartedly that it would have been better for everyone if they hadn’t started. The powerful and painful imagery of chewing with a broken tooth and walking on a lame foot comes easily to mind. We all want to be reliable people. We don’t want to make others suffer through our unreliability. How are we going to ensure that we remain reliable? It is good to be determined, but not enough. We need God’s daily strength to help us stand by our commitments whatever the weather, however we are feeling and whatever pressures there are upon us. When the writer to the Hebrews was encouraging those in the Church to be strong in their Christian commitment, he reminded them that they were in a race which they needed to run with endurance. The Christian life isn’t a short sprint but a marathon, and we need to be equipped for the long haul. He urged his readers to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, who wasn’t diverted from his calling – even when he had to pay the ultimate price. Let’s praise God for those who we see serving God reliably and faithfully, and allow their example to inspire us so that we will never cause others pain by our unreliability. Question What can you do to ensure that you are always reliable? Prayer Lord God, I thank you that I can rely upon you completely. Help me to be reliable in all of my relationships. Amen
--------
3:19