Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

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July 2nd - John 8:12
John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” Jesus spoke these words during the Festival of Tabernacles, which was a seven-day holiday at the end of the harvest. It was one of three pilgrimage festivals, so Jerusalem would have been heaving with people. On the first evening, there was a ceremony called The Illumination of the Temple. Four great candelabra were placed in the centre of the Court of the Women and, when darkness came, they were lit. It is said that the light from them was so great that every courtyard in the city was illuminated by their brilliance! This was a powerful backdrop to Jesus’ claim that he himself was the light of the world. In the Old Testament, God is repeatedly identified as light, so there is no doubt that in this bold statement, Jesus was claiming to be the Son of God. The great candelabra were impressive, but however amazing a candle might be, there comes a time when it runs out. Jesus offers himself as the light that will never go out. Whatever difficulties and challenges we face, he will continue to shine. All we need to do is follow him and keep our eyes fixed upon him because the darkness is never far away. At any moment if we head out into the dark we are likely to stumble and fall. When I lived in a village in India, I often experienced deep darkness. It was dark by about 6pm, and the Indian family with whom I lived rarely ventured out after that time. They knew it was too dangerous. However, I sometimes needed to go out after dark, and I remember running across our compound fearful of the snakes and huge rats that were lurking all around. It was all so very different in the daylight when I could walk with confidence. That’s exactly what Jesus offers to us. We don’t need to fear the darkness when we allow his light to shine in our lives. Question In what specific ways are you conscious of the need for Jesus’ light in your life? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, light of the world, help me to follow you more and more closely each day. Amen
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4:00
July 1st - John 8:7
John 8:7 [Jesus said:] “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” By this time, Jesus had become a deeply controversial person in Jerusalem. The teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees were always looking for ways to trip him up. On this particular day, they brought a woman to him who had been caught in the act of adultery. They reminded Jesus that, according to the Law of Moses, anyone who committed adultery should be stoned to death. This was a clever trap – if Jesus suggested he disagreed with the Mosaic Law, they would have all the proof they needed that he was a heretic, and if he took a hard line and encouraged the stoning of this woman, his reputation for kindness and compassion would be shattered. He would also have run into difficulties with the Romans who were proud of their exclusive right to execute people. Jesus’ response was incredibly wise. He said nothing at first but stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. We have no idea what he wrote, but his response clearly frustrated the religious leaders. His brilliant final answer was that the one who was sinless should throw the first stone. Then, one by one, her accusers slipped away. Once everyone had left, Jesus asked the woman where her accusers were. “Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” he asked. “No, Lord,” she replied, to which Jesus responded: “Neither do I. Go and sin no more” (John 8:10-11). Jesus wasn’t suggesting that what the woman had done was OK. He identified it as sin, and told her not to continue in this way. The woman must have been amazed by the grace and gentleness of Jesus, which stood in such sharp contrast to the harshness of her accusers. Jesus wasn’t condoning her sin or treating it lightly, but he was lovingly encouraging her to live a life in line with God’s will. Question How should we respond to people who flagrantly disobey God’s rules? Prayer Lord Jesus, forgive me for times when I have been harsh and judgemental towards others. Help me to reflect your loving heart in all that I say and do. Amen
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4:01
June 30th - John 6:66-69
John 6:66-69 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” Until now, Jesus seemed to have been attracting more and more followers. In chapter four, we hear that he was attracting more disciples than John the Baptist and people were believing in him even in the hostile territory of Samaria. In the Galilean region in the north, he had miraculously fed thousands of people, but the next day, the mood was very different. He spoke seriously to his followers about the nature of the bread that he was offering them, calling it his flesh. They concluded: “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?” (John 6:60). As a result, many of his followers turned away and deserted him. Jesus’ question to his remaining disciples is heart-rending. “Are you also going to leave?” he asked. As he often did, Simon Peter spoke up for the others. He bluntly summarised the situation by saying that they had no desire to leave Jesus because there was nowhere else to go. Only Jesus had the words of eternal life. No other philosophies or religions were offering that. In our society, there are so many people and organisations wanting to attract our attention and get us to sign up. They make bold claims and offer glossy publicity for their philosophies, but only Jesus makes the offer of eternal life. If we want to receive this amazing gift, there is nowhere else to turn. When Peter made his response, he wasn’t saying he understood everything. He likely had as many questions as those who had turned away, but he was declaring that he was committed to Jesus himself and that he trusted him for the future. When we make a commitment to follow Jesus, we are not claiming that we have a full understanding of who God is and his plans for our lives. We are simply saying that we trust Jesus and know that he can be entirely relied upon. Question Why are you committed to Jesus? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, I worship you because you have the words of eternal life. Amen
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3:43
June 29th - John 6:33-35
John 6:33-35 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said: “give us that bread every day.” Jesus replied: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” When I was a boy, bread was only offered to us in two forms. It was either brown or white! These days, it is offered in a huge variety of ways – brioche, ciabatta, focaccia, multigrain, naan, pitta, rye, sourdough and wholewheat to name but a few – but however interesting it may be, it never ultimately satisfies us. We will always need more! When Jesus identified himself as the bread of life, he was claiming that we would never need to look for anyone else to satisfy us. He could meet all our needs. This is the first time in John’s Gospel that we hear Jesus using the expression “I am”. These words are a clear echo of how God spoke of himself in Exodus 3:14: “I am who I am.” Jesus was acknowledging who he was as the Son of God. Jesus describing himself as bread made it clear that he was for everyone. If he had called himself the caviar of life, we would have got the message that he was reserved for the wealthy and that the majority of people would miss out, but bread is ordinary. Bread is for everyone. Jesus was identifying himself as the one who could satisfy the needs of everyone, whatever their background or circumstances. Today we will need to be nourished and have our thirst quenched, and Jesus offers himself to us. We can come to communion and receive bread and wine to remind us of Jesus’ offering of himself on the cross, but we can also receive him as we pray amid the rush and noise of our lives. As we go to the shops, or eat, or work or play, we can reach out to the bread of life and receive his peace and love. Question In what ways is Jesus the bread of your life? Prayer Lord Jesus, thank you that you offer me bread which will always satisfy my deepest needs. Amen
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3:39
June 28th - John 6:8-9
John 6:8-9 Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up: “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” I’m sure we’re all familiar with Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the 5,000. It must have had a profound effect on everyone who witnessed it, but I’m particularly interested in what happened before the miracle took place. Jesus asked Philip where it would be possible to buy food for the people, and then John added that Jesus knew exactly what he was going to do and was merely testing Philip. Philip gave the not unreasonable answer that even if they worked for months, they wouldn’t have sufficient money to pay for enough food. Andrew then emphasised the hopelessness of the situation by pointing out the young boy with his packed lunch. With despair he observed: “what good is that with this huge crowd?” This all feels very familiar. When we look at the problems of our world, or even our local community, it is very easy to get depressed. There is so much to be done. The needs are not only vast but also extremely complicated. We look at our resources and, like the disciples, conclude that there is absolutely nothing that we could do to make a difference. The boy’s packed lunch didn’t contain enough to satisfy the needs of one grown man, let alone a vast crowd of hungry people. Jesus’ miraculous feeding of this enormous crowd was a lesson that the disciples needed to remember throughout their lives. In the years to come, they were all going to face great challenges as they served God, and they needed to keep their eyes on Jesus rather than the problems. We should apply our logical thinking to the challenges that we face, but we must never forget that we are serving a God of miracles who is able “to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Question In what way do you find Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 an encouragement? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, I place my faith in you. Forgive me for those times when I become overwhelmed by the problems and forget that you are a miracle worker. Amen
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3:31