Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

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Bring some Spirit-filled peace into your hectic schedule every weekday morning with this new Daily Devotional.

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Dec 10, 2025 · 3 min
December 10th - Revelation 3:14
Revelation 3:14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen – the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation.” Nothing is more important in this life than knowing who can be trusted. It is fundamentally important within our family and among our friends, but it is also important with our work colleagues, garage mechanics, plumbers, electricians and all the people who play a crucial part in our lives. This is supremely important when it comes to our faith. Who can we trust with our lives and our eternal future? This letter begins with a firm affirmation that the risen Lord Jesus Christ is totally reliable. He is the Amen, the God of Truth, and he will never let us down. His witness is absolutely true, and he is the one who has ushered in the new creation. For all of these reasons, the Laodicean church needed to listen hard to the words of the risen Lord. What they received certainly weren’t the words they wanted to hear. Laodicea was a successful and wealthy city, and it seems that the church was full of affluent and self-confident people. They thought they had everything they needed, but the Lord told them that they were “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17). In short, they couldn’t have been more wrong. We all need to know the truth about ourselves, and the only one who can be completely relied upon to tell it to us is the Lord himself. We need to open the Bible and let God speak to us, and when we hear what he has to say, we need to let it change us. In his letter, James talks about the person who listens to the word and fails to do it as being like someone who looks in a mirror and immediately walks away and forgets what he looks like (James 1:23-24). We need to ensure that when we listen to God’s voice, we then allow his words to change our lives. Question How are you going to find out the truth about yourself? Prayer Loving Father, thank you that you know everything about me, and that your words are always full of love. Help me to listen carefully to your voice. Amen
Dec 9, 2025 · 3 min
December 9th - Revelation 3:8
Revelation 3:8 [The risen Lord said:] “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.” These words were written to the church in the prosperous city of Philadelphia. Most of the seven churches were criticised for some aspect of their life, but not this one. They were probably small in number, but they had persevered in the face of opposition and been faithful. The Lord encouraged them that he had opened a door for them, and because he had opened it, no one would be able to close it. What an encouragement this must have been for them! It was clearly tough going for the Christians in Philadelphia, and the danger at such times is that we turn in on ourselves. We just try to survive. I believe that God wants us to keep our minds and hearts open to new possibilities and opportunities. God is always in the business of opening new doors for his people. I love how the apostle Paul constantly looked and prayed for new opportunities. In his letter to the Colossians, he said: “Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains” (Colossians 4:3). Most other people would have seen their chains as the closing down of all opportunities, but not Paul! He was so eager to serve the Lord that even being in prison struck him as offering amazing opportunities for his ministry. I often speak with people who look back at the wonderful opportunities they had to serve God in the past, but now feel that these openings have narrowed down by reason of age or illness. Life constantly changes for all of us. Sometimes it is obvious that we have amazing opportunities open before us, and at others it feels more like staring at a brick wall. We can be sure of this: as we open our lives to God, even today, he is longing to show us new ways to serve him. Question What are the opportunities that God is giving you today to serve him? Prayer Lord God, thank you for this day and for the privilege of serving you. Help me to grasp every opportunity you give me and use them for you. Amen
Dec 8, 2025 · 3 min
December 8th - Revelation 3:1-2
Revelation 3:1-2 This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive – but you are dead. Wake up!” I love that these seven letters to the churches are all completely different. Each church had its own history, strengths and weaknesses, and the risen Lord addressed his words specifically to each situation. The church at Sardis seemed to mirror the city in which it was founded. The city was built on a very steep hill and it was assumed that it would be impossible for an enemy army to attack it successfully. However, on two occasions, attacking forces managed to scale the precipice and conquer the city. They succeeded because the over-confident residents hadn’t felt it necessary to have any guards. Their laziness was their downfall, and now the church was being accused of exactly the same failing. The church in Sardis had a great reputation. They were seen as successful, but the Lord knew the truth: they were almost completely dead. He encouraged them to go back to basics. They needed to repent of their lifelessness and return to the teaching upon which the church had been established. These verses say two important things to us. Firstly, we should never be misled by our reputation. Our church might have a wonderful name in the area. It might be known as a loving, joyful, successful and united church, but what matters is the truth, and that might be very different. Secondly, we need to make sure that we stay awake. Being overbusy, disappointed or successful can all cause us to fall asleep spiritually. There’s a wonderful little hymn in Ephesians 5:14 which was probably sung at baptismal services: “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Paul encouraged his readers to make the most of every opportunity because they were living in evil days, and he urged them to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Only in that way can we be sure that we won’t nod off to sleep like the church in Sardis. Question What do you need to do today to ensure that you stay awake spiritually? Prayer Loving God, help me to be spiritually strong and alert for you today. Amen
Dec 7, 2025 · 3 min
December 7th - Revelation 2:18-19
Revelation 2:18-19 This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze: “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.” This is the beginning of the letter to the church in Thyatira. It was the smallest and least significant of the seven towns which the risen Lord addressed, and yet they received the longest letter! Thyatira was a busy commercial centre, particularly famous for dyeing wool. You may remember that Lydia, who Paul met in Phillipi and who was the first European convert to Christianity, was a trader in purple cloth and came from Thyatira. There was much to praise in this church. Not only were they loving, faithful, servant hearted and patiently persistent in their faith, but they were also constantly improving. What more could you want? Sadly, they had a problem. They had allowed somebody to infiltrate the church who had encouraged sexual immorality and the eating of food offered to idols. It is highly likely that this happened through the trade guilds, of which there were many in Thyatira. Indeed, there were more trade guilds in this town than anywhere else in the region. In order to trade, it was important to belong to one of these guilds. At their famous guild banquets, people would be expected to eat food which had first been offered to idols. These banquets were also known for their immorality. It was therefore all too easy for the Christians of Thyatira to become ensnared in evil and destructive practices. They needed to address this and take decisive action. In every society, Christian values are under attack, and it is always tempting to compromise. We need to be on our toes to ensure that we are living so close to God that we are aware of the dangers and ready to respond wisely and decisively. Question In what ways are you tempted to compromise your Christian faith? Prayer Loving God, help me to stand up for you and never to compromise. Fill me with your Spirit so that I will be strong and wise, whatever challenges I have to face. Amen
Dec 6, 2025 · 3 min
December 6th - Revelation 2:14
Revelation 2:14 [The risen Lord said:] “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel.” These letters to the churches in Revelation are wonderfully straightforward and personal. The risen Lord didn’t beat around the bush! He identified that the Christians in Pergamum had much to commend them. They had been loyal to the Lord in the face of great opposition, but they weren’t perfect. They were living in a society that was full of idolatrous practices and they weren’t standing up against them in the way that they should have been. I wonder what the risen Lord makes of your church. What would he be commending, and what might his complaints be? Your church, good as it may well be, isn’t perfect. It has room for growth, and every church needs to be willing to hear the truth so that it can come up with a plan for its development. Over the years, I have been involved in a number of consultation processes to help churches to stand back from their life and hear how they could move forward. In my experience, this needs to be done with the help of people from outside the local church. Those who know a church really well can rarely make honest and objective observations. If a review is done in a loving and encouraging way, it can be rejuvenating for the life of a local church. Many of us are inclined to get settled into a pattern of life and become very defensive when someone suggests we should change. I recall a church which met at a very unusual time – I think it was 10:15am. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I found it curious, so I asked why. It was related to the time that the train arrived at the nearby railway station. Good answer, apart from the fact that the train hadn’t come at that time for about 30 years! We all need to listen to the truth, however sharp its edges. We need to be gracious enough to receive the words of encouragement but, at the same time, humble enough to hear how things need to be changed. Question What do you think the risen Lord would want to say to you today about your life and the life of your church? Prayer Loving God, thank you that you always speak to me with love and grace. Help me to be willing to listen to you and bring my life in line with your will. Amen
Dec 5, 2025 · 3 min
December 5th - Revelation 2:12-13
Revelation 2:12-13 This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword: “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me.” The city of Pergamum was famous for its commitment to emperor worship. It had three temples that were exclusively devoted to the Roman emperor. Although it didn’t have the long history and grandeur of Ephesus, Pergamum was the Roman capital of this region. It was here that the proconsul lived, who had the power of life and death. This was a supremely difficult place for Christians to live and worship, so the commendation from the risen Lord was all the more powerful. Even though Satan appeared to be in charge, they had remained loyal to the Lord. JRR Tolkien, the author of [itals]The Lord of the Rings[end itals], wrote: “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” It is easy to be loyal and faithful when times are good and the going is easy, but the test is what you do when night comes. The Lord looks for followers to be loyal whatever the circumstances, whatever the weather and however great the opposition. The Christians of Pergamum had stood the test and continued to be faithful. The most beautiful illustration of loyalty in the Bible is that of Ruth in the Old Testament. When her husband died, her mother-in-law, Naomi, encouraged her to go back to her family home in Moab, but Ruth steadfastly refused. Ruth was committed to Naomi, whatever happened. She said: “Wherever you go, I will go, wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried” (Ruth 1:16-17). Nothing would break her loyalty to her mother-in-law, and she stayed true to her word. Loyalty in all relationships is wonderful to see, but no loyalty is more important than our loyalty to the Lord. Question Why is loyalty so important? Prayer Loving God, thank you that you have always been faithful to me. Help me to always be faithful to you, however great the distractions and pressures of life. Amen
Dec 4, 2025 · 3 min
December 4th - Revelation 2:10
Revelation 2:10 The risen Lord said: “Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.” It’s hard for most of us to imagine living with the continual likelihood of persecution for our Christian faith. The harshest treatment we are likely to receive is being laughed at because of it. Just imagine what it would be like to live with the fear that at any time there might be a knock at the door from the secret police. For those of us who have never had such an experience, we need to be aware that there are millions of Christians in many parts of the world who live today with exactly that threat. Throughout the past 2,000 years, there has been a constant tide of persecution. The Lord told the church of Smyrna not to be afraid because there would be an amazing reward for their suffering. They would receive the crown of life. This wasn’t the crown of a king, but the trophy awarded to someone who was a champion in athletics – particularly apt in Smyrna, which was famous for its Games. Smyrna has a very special place in the history of persecution because of one particular martyr in the 2nd century. His name was Bishop Polycarp. He was required to curse the name of Christ and make a sacrifice to Caesar or face being burned to death. Even the proconsul appealed to him to avoid death, but Polycarp replied: “Eighty and six years have I served him and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” After offering a prayer, Polycarp was put to death. Such suffering is hard to hear about, but it needs to drive us to pray for those who are still being called to pay the ultimate price for their faith. Revelation makes it clear that God has the final word, and those who stand strong will receive the crown of life. Question What do today’s reflections say to us about the way we should live for God in this country? Prayer Lord God, I thank you for those Christians around the world today who are suffering so badly for their faith. Help me to stand strongly for you, whatever pressures I face. Amen
Dec 3, 2025 · 3 min
December 3rd - Revelation 2:8-9
Revelation 2:8-9 This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive: “I know about your suffering and your poverty – but you are rich!” These words introduce the letter to the church in Smyrna. There was no surprise that the first letter went to Ephesus – it was viewed as the most influential of the cities. However, Smyrna was a close rival. It was a busy commercial centre with its own well-protected port. It had been founded long ago as a Greek colony, but in about 600BC it was largely destroyed by an invading army. Hundreds of years later, it was reconstructed, and it became a finely planned city with broad straight avenues and pavements. It was truly a city that had come back to life, so it was more than appropriate that they received a message from the Lord who had passed from death to life. The Lord’s message was that he totally understood where they were coming from. He knew just how much they had suffered and how grindingly poor they were. The word used for suffering describes someone who is crushed under a heavy weight. The word used here to describe their poverty does not refer to having nothing extra, but having nothing at all. They were in a bad way, but the risen Lord assured them that he knew all about it, and he also knew that they were rich. They might not have had riches in worldly terms, but they had real wealth: the Holy Spirit and the blessing of faith. We are continually bombarded with images of human riches. Advertisers have a very clear idea of what it means to be rich, and it has to do with the latest technology, fast cars, grand property, expensive holidays and the like. None of these things are necessarily bad, but they have nothing to do with real wealth. The treasures that last are the ones which only the Lord can give to us, and the Christians of Smyrna needed to look beyond their suffering and poverty to see and enjoy their real wealth. Question In what ways do you consider yourself to be rich? Prayer Loving God, thank you that you know my situation completely and that you show me how to be really rich. Amen
Dec 2, 2025 · 3 min
December 2nd - Revelation 2:7
Revelation 2:7 [The risen Lord says:] “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” All seven of the letters to the churches end with these words. They make it clear that the letters have been written not merely to them specifically but to anyone with the ability to listen. They are the words of the Spirit, words of life for anyone who will hear them. Tuning our ears into the voice of the Spirit is vital for all of us. The Holy Spirit is the source of life and wisdom, and without him we will never be able to discern God’s will. However, his voice is only one of the innumerable voices with which we are continually bombarded. Listening to the Spirit is an activity which will only take place when we deliberately give him our attention. Most people don’t listen with the intention of understanding, but of replying. We are all looking for the opportunity to share what matters to us and often have no real interest in what the other person has to say. True listening is when we give our full attention to the speaker with the intention of receiving openly and humbly whatever they have to say. The Holy Spirit’s words will always be full of truth. Listening to them will often be challenging and sometimes painful, but they will always bring us life. He does want to hear from us as well, and in our prayers we should certainly bring our concerns to him, but we also need to ensure that we are good at not speaking. He wants us to be quiet in his presence, and that’s where we so often fall down. Our prayers are so full of noise that there is no space for him to share his wisdom and truth. Mother Teresa once said: “God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” The advice that many of us may need to receive in prayer is to speak less and listen more so that we can truly hear what the Spirit is trying to say. Question How good are you at listening to the voice of the Spirit, and what could you do that would help you to listen more carefully? Prayer Holy Spirit, thank you for loving me so much that you want to speak with me. Help me to listen carefully to your voice today. Amen
Dec 1, 2025 · 3 min
December 1st - Revelation 2:4
Revelation 2:4 [The risen Lord said:] “I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” Many of us will be more familiar with an earlier translation of these words: “you have lost your first love”. The Christians in Ephesus had done so well. They had been strong in the face of opposition but, in the process, they had lost their early passionate love for the Lord and for one another. We don’t know what had caused them to lose their first love, but we all know how easily it happens. The normal cause is simply distraction. Life gets busy, and even the most important things can be crowded out. In Ephesus, the Christians had had to work really hard to survive amid all the opposition. They had been infiltrated by false teachers, but they had tested them and found them out. The Lord commended them for standing up so strongly for their faith and particularly for the way they had resisted a group called the Nicolaitans. All of that was excellent, but along the way they had lost sight of love. Paul emphasised the priority of love in his first letter to the church in Corinth. Once again, it was a church where there was much to commend. The church had received some amazing spiritual gifts, but Paul assured them that however great their gifts, they were all a complete waste of time without love. Even if they could speak like angels, understand every mystery and have the faith to shunt mountains around, they were missing the point if they didn’t have love (1 Corinthians 13). Love is so important that we all need to keep on our toes. We need to watch out for those things that can push it away so easily. Love is the key, and without it we cannot do God’s work. Question What can we do to keep our love for the Lord and one another alive? Prayer Loving God, thank you that you love me perfectly. Help me to keep on loving you and those around me, however busy I become and whatever the pressures. Amen
Nov 30, 2025 · 3 min
November 30th - Revelation 2:2
Revelation 2:2 [The risen Lord said,] “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people.” These words come from the first of the seven letters to the churches, and they were addressed to the church in Ephesus. Pergamum was the capital city of the province of Asia, but Ephesus was in every way the greatest city. It had the largest port in the area and many major roads converged on it. It was particularly famous for its religious significance. The city was home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world – the Temple of Artemis. It was a vast structure measuring 130 by 60 metres, and with 120 columns. Ephesus was also a notorious centre for pagan superstition. In short, it wasn’t the easiest place to establish a church, and the Christians were commended for their hard work and endurance. They could so easily have buckled in the face of the challenges, but they hadn’t. The word from the risen Lord to the Ephesian church was that he knew exactly what they had been through. He knew how tough it had been and commended them for how they had endured. Much of the Christian life is about ‘hanging in there’. This might not sound exciting or like the way we would want it to be, but the Lord calls us to be faithful. I have so often seen people faithfully serving God in small struggling churches, in villages, on housing estates and in city centres, and where it has been incredibly hard work just to keep the doors of the church open. I have seen people working in children’s and youth work with no thanks, and often much discouragement, but they have hung in there through good times and bad. We have all seen people caring for others in really tough circumstances, maintaining their loving care through the years with grace and incredible patience. Maybe that has been you. You’ve hung in there, and the risen Lord wants you to know that he has seen exactly what you have been doing and he wants to commend you. Question Think about your own church. In what way do you think that the Lord would commend it? Prayer Lord Jesus, help me to stand strongly for you, whatever the challenges and pressures and however great the temptation to give up. Amen
Nov 29, 2025 · 3 min
November 29th - Revelation 1:12-14
Revelation 1:12-14 John wrote: “When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow.” In order to understand these amazing verses, we need to appreciate that the Church at the time was very small and facing the brutal and powerful opposition of the Roman Empire. This must have been incredibly scary. It looked as if they were going to be crushed. So, it was vital for them to understand exactly who Jesus was and the reasons why they could be confident in him. This whole book told them that Jesus had won the final victory, so, even though there might be tough times ahead, they could be confident in him. The picture of Jesus that John gives us here sounds very strange to our modern ears, but what he was doing was bringing together lots of language from the Old Testament which showed that Jesus, the Son of Man, was nothing less than God himself. He wore a long robe like a priest, although no priest was important enough to wear a gold sash, and he had hair that was as white as wool, which reminds us of the picture of the Ancient of Days, God himself, as he was described in Daniel 7:9. The seven gold lampstands stood for the churches to which John was writing, and he wanted them to know that right in the middle of them stood Jesus himself. They might have felt scared and even overwhelmed at times, but they were not alone. Jesus was always with them and always would be. Our circumstances are different from the 1st century, but we still need to hear the same message. As we face the particular challenges and threats of our day, we need to remind ourselves constantly that we are not alone, and that Christ stands with us. Question You might not want to describe Jesus as looking like someone with a long robe, a gold sash and white hair. How would you describe him? Prayer Lord Jesus, thank you that you stand in the midst of your Church. Thank you that you promise never to leave us. Amen
Nov 28, 2025 · 3 min
November 28th - Revelation 1:10-11
Revelation 1:10-11 It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshipping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said: “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” For many years after Jesus’ earthly ministry, his followers continued to meet on Saturday, and those from a Jewish background maintained their attendance at the temple or their local synagogue. However, by the beginning of the second century, the special day for Christians had become Sunday, the first day of the week, the day of resurrection. John’s reference here to the Lord’s Day is the only time this expression is used in the Bible and almost certainly refers to his practice of worshipping on a Sunday. The first manual of Christian worship and instruction was called the Didache, and it observed: “On the Lord’s Day we meet and break bread.” Ignatius of Antioch described Christians as “no longer living for the Sabbath, but for the Lord’s Day”. The practice of meeting on Sunday began in Asia Minor, which is roughly equivalent to modern Turkey, and that’s where John was living. As John worshipped, God spoke to him and directed him very specifically to write to the seven churches nearby. Of course, God can speak to us at any time, but it is not surprising that he often speaks with special clarity on a Sunday when we set aside time to worship and listen to him. Specific messages, such as John heard, are not received all the time. Often, we will hear God speak words of general help and encouragement, but we should always be ready for whatever God wants to say to us, however new and surprising it might be. Question What has God said to you recently during Sunday worship? Prayer Loving God, I thank you that you are a God who speaks to me. Help me to listen carefully to what you have to say. Amen
Nov 27, 2025 · 3 min
November 27th - Revelation 1:9
Revelation 1:9 I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. Unfortunately, we cannot be sure who this John was. Some people have thought of him as the disciple who wrote the fourth gospel, but that is unlikely. The writing style in Revelation is very different from that of the gospel. However, what we do know is that he was clearly a significant Christian leader and, as a result of his ministry, he had been forced into exile in Patmos, a Greek island that lies off the coast of Turkey. He had probably been sentenced to work in the quarries on the island. John revealed himself both as a brother to his readers and also as a partner in their suffering. He was not writing this book from an ivory tower but standing among them, recognising that they were part of the same family and going through similar trials. In short, he understood their situation. He was encouraging them to stand firm to endure, knowing full well how demanding and costly that was. It’s always an incredible blessing when we meet people who understand us because they have had similar experiences. I had a knee replacement a little while ago, and it was so comforting to meet people who’d had the same operation. I need to add that I was also very grateful for the kindness and consideration of people who had perfect knees and never needed such an operation! Shared experience is inevitably powerful, and I am sure you will remember times of change, illness or bereavement when someone else’s experience brought instant support and encouragement. The book of Revelation is remarkable in many ways but, as you read through it, it is important to remember that it came from someone who was coming alongside his readers as a brother and friend in order to encourage and strengthen them. Question Who has given you encouragement as you have gone through difficult times? Prayer Lord God, I thank you for those wonderful people who have given me support and encouragement when I’ve been struggling with life’s challenges. Amen
Nov 26, 2025 · 3 min
November 26th - Revelation 1:8
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come – the Almighty One.” Everybody is interested in the future, and the book of Revelation is designed to help us as we prepare ourselves for it. If you were looking for a map or a timetable of events, you will be sadly disappointed. What the book gives us is a vision of God, who is so powerful that however great and fierce the opposition, he will be victorious. The book of Revelation is intended not to scare us or tantalise us but to give us confidence in our God, who has the whole of history in his hands. Our verse today beautifully describes how history is embraced by God. Using the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, God is described as being the Alpha and the Omega. He was there before the dawn of creation, and he will have the final word. He is described here as the Almighty, a description that is used nine times in this book, and only once in the rest of the New Testament. Writing at a time when the Church was experiencing desperate persecution, John wanted to make it clear that all power and might was in God’s hands. His readers could place their lives in his hands with confidence. Our society today is racked with fear as it looks to the future. There are multiple layers of fear ranging from climate change, social unrest and economic uncertainty to anxiety about pandemics and the possibility of nuclear war. This world is a precarious place and so it is all the more important that we put our faith and trust in a God who has the whole of history in his hands. Question Do you feel fearful or confident as you look to the future? Prayer Lord God, I worship you because you are the Alpha and Omega. Thank you for the confidence and peace that I can have as I look to the future. Amen
Nov 25, 2025 · 3 min
November 25th - Romans 16:3-5
Romans 16:3-5 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home. This final chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans contains greetings to a number of specific people. It gives us a fascinating window into the early Church. We find that the Roman church was incredibly diverse in terms of race, social rank and gender. We can see in the following verses that it was composed of people from both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds. Some of the people have names that were common among slaves, but alongside them we meet people like Aristobulus who, many scholars suggest, was the grandson of Herod the Great and friend of the Emperor Claudius. Particularly notable is the fact that of the 26 people named, nine of them were women. It’s also interesting to note that six of these women are described in terms of their ministry, whereas only three of the men are described in this way, and two of the men ministered alongside their female partners. These verses reveal how generously inclusive the early Church was. Paul’s conviction was that in Christ, all human divisions came crashing to the ground. In Galatians 3:28, he wrote: “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Our society, like Paul’s, is full of divisions between people. We erect walls along lines of age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, wealth, health and education, to name but a few. When we become Christians, we don’t suddenly lose an awareness of these distinctions because they are so hard-wired into the thinking and life of our society, but when we join Christ’s Church, we come into a transformed community. This is no easy task but, in the power of the Holy Spirit, it is miraculously possible. Question Is your church truly welcoming to every kind of person? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, thank you the miracle of your Church. Help me to reflect your love and welcome to every kind of person. Amen
Nov 24, 2025 · 3 min
November 24th - Romans 15:30
Romans 15:30 Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. It is an incredible privilege to belong to the Christian family. As soon as you become a Christian, you have brothers and sisters who are part of your new worldwide and eternal family. I treasure that moment recorded in Acts 9:17 when Ananias went to meet Saul after his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. Ananias knew of Saul’s violent reputation and he was clearly surprised at the news that he had met the Lord, but we read that Ananias went into the house where Saul was staying, placed his hands on him and said: “Brother Saul.” What a miracle! In today’s verse, Paul speaks of how his brothers and sisters could join him in his struggle. There is no doubt of their love and respect for Paul, and I am sure that they were eager to do whatever they could to support him. Paul told them that the way to do so was through prayer motivated by the love for him that the Holy Spirit had given them. When we see someone struggling, we want to do something practical to help them, but often the greatest support that we can give is in prayer. There are many Christians struggling today. Millions of believers live in countries where the government is opposed to Christianity, and life is a continual challenge for them. I am sure that there are also Christians in your own community who are struggling. Perhaps their struggle is with health issues, or the care of relatives, or relationship difficulties, or challenges at work, or problems in their church. We won’t need to look far to find people who are struggling, and I pray that because of the love that the Holy Spirit has put in our hearts, we will commit ourselves to praying for them. Question Who do you know who is struggling at the moment? Take some time to pray for them right now. Prayer Lord God, I pray for those I know who are struggling at this time. Please show me how I can bring them your love and encouragement. Amen
Nov 23, 2025 · 3 min
November 23rd - Romans 15:23-24
Romans 15:23-24 But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you. I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my journey. Paul’s love for the church in Rome is very clear, and he couldn’t wait to visit them. I love how he sets out his strategy so clearly. He was always looking to develop the mission of the Church, so, having paid them a visit, he then aimed to go to Spain to preach the gospel. In order to enable that mission to succeed, he would be looking to the Roman church to support him. These few verses give us an insight into Paul’s heart and his plans, but, as we all know, it didn’t work out in the way that he had hoped. His first task was to go to Jerusalem to take the money he had collected for the relief of the famine victims. He knew that it would be a potentially dangerous journey. His presence in Jerusalem was never going to be widely welcomed. He was arrested, and for the next few years, he was a prisoner. When he did finally arrive in Rome, it was under armed guard. We can learn so much from Paul. We should be inspired by his passionate mission heart and his careful planning, but we should also remember that things don’t always work out in the way that we plan. We need to be humble before God and recognise that even if things don’t work out in the way that we hope and plan, God is still God and his plans will triumph in the end. When things go in the opposite way from our plans, it can be deeply discouraging. We can feel that we have failed. In such times, we need to keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Lord, knowing that we are ultimately secure in his hands. Question How would you respond if your life plans suddenly changed? Prayer Loving Father, thank you that our lives are in your hands. Help us to have complete confidence in you, whether or not life works out in the way that we had expected. Amen
Nov 22, 2025 · 3 min
November 22nd - Romans 15:13
Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Hope is a slippery word, so we need to be quite clear what Paul means by it. When we use the word ‘hope’, there is normally a ‘maybe’ in our voice – we are not confident. When I say “I hope it will be sunny tomorrow”, you know that I mean well and would love to think that it might be sunny, but I also realise that it might not be. Or if I say I hope the train will arrive on time, once again you know that I’m not absolutely sure it will. In order to understand Paul’s use of the word ‘hope’, we need to get rid of any suggestion of doubt, because he was absolutely confident that the future was secure in God’s hands. His future hope was built on the solid rock of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He didn’t have any trace of doubt that what God has promised would come true. The language of confident hope was so important for the Christians in Rome. Their daily life was a continual battle. They were few in number and surrounded by a sea of cynicism and opposition. Paul knew it was crucial that they should be inspired and strengthened by their hope in Christ. His language is amazing. He doesn’t merely say they should be full of hope as they lived for Christ – he goes much further by suggesting that they should overflow with hope! They wouldn’t merely have enough hope to keep them going, but have hope to spare to share with those around them. In our society, there are not many people who speak about hope as they look to the future. The normal language is one of threats and fears, but we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and in the power of the Spirit to overflow with his hope. Question Are you hopeful as you look to the future? Prayer Holy Spirit, I invite you to fill me to overflowing with hope as I live in your strength today. Amen
Nov 21, 2025 · 3 min
November 21st - Romans 15:5-6
Romans 15:5-6 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You don’t need to be a genius to work out why Paul so often spoke about the issue of unity! He knew how hard it was to achieve. If the early Church had always enjoyed harmonious relationships, he could have kept quiet on the subject. His continual reiteration of the message of unity was because he knew that it was the demanding daily work of the Church – and it still is! It is often very small issues which cause huge disputes in churches. It’s just the same in marriage. When I’ve had the privilege of walking with couples who have encountered difficulties, almost always when I ask them to trace back to the original dispute, they fall about laughing at the absurd triviality of the issue. If a small disagreement is not resolved, it can soon turn into an agonisingly vast and unbridgeable chasm. The only way to live in complete harmony is by recognising that we cannot do it by ourselves. We need the God of patience and encouragement to accompany us. We need to commit our difficulties to him in fervent prayer so that we can find his Spirit’s way of resolving the situation. The outcome that we are looking for is united worship. When our eyes are fixed on the Lord and we can sing together with one voice, we will know that we have found true unity. Always remember that unity is fragile, so you and I need to make our contribution to unity if it is to flourish. Question In what way can you contribute to the unity of the Church today? Prayer Lord God, I thank you that you are the source of true unity. Thank you for your endless patience with me and your constant encouragement. Amen