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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July 14 · 2 min
July 14th - 1 Corinthians 9:19,22-23
1 Corinthians 9:19,22-23 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible…To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. I love meeting people who are passionate about something, whatever it is. It may be their love of horses or of a particular football club, or their devotion to gardening. You sense that their whole life is tuned into their passion. Paul was clearly passionate about people finding salvation in Jesus, and here he gives us a very clear insight into how he was wired. He lets us see his strategy for spreading this amazing message: getting alongside people whatever their background or their way of life. Whether they were a Jew or a Gentile, weak or strong, he would look for the common ground as a starting point for him to share the good news of Jesus. It's always the most incredible privilege to talk with other people about Jesus, but the conversation will never get anywhere unless we can find common ground. Paul’s intention was never to force his faith on another person, and it should not be ours. But he was passionate about giving everyone a chance to hear just how great God is, and that would surely be a great objective for all of us. Question In what way can you find common ground with the people you see regularly who don’t know Christ? Prayer Thank you, Lord, that we have such good news to share. Amen
July 13 · 2 min
July 13th - 1 Corinthians 4:16-17
1 Corinthians 4:16-17 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. The disciples learned how to follow Jesus by looking at His example. They saw how He responded to the constant demands of His ministry. They saw His kindness and patience and how He welcomed every kind of person. They were often shocked by the things that He said and by the sorts of people with whom He spent His time. Paul didn’t have the privilege of observing Jesus’ ministry, but he recognised the crucial importance of people learning by example, and he offered his life as one to be imitated. How else would people learn how to put Christian teaching into practice? In our verses today, he tells the Corinthian church that he is sending his young friend Timothy to them so he can remind them of Paul’s example. I suspect that we would all become rather coy at the thought of people copying our example. But every day, as we live for Christ, we are being watched. There is no way in which we can hide away, so we need to ensure that we are setting a good example which is well worth following. Question Who will be looking at your life today, and what example will you be setting? Prayer Dear Lord, thank you for all the people who have set a good example for me to follow. Help me live a life which will help others to follow You. Amen
July 12 · 2 min
July 12th - 1 Corinthians 3:5-6
1 Corinthians 3:5-6 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. Think for a moment about the Christian leaders that you have known. I’ve been a Christian a long time and I could easily come up with a long list of leaders who have helped me to understand the Christian message. I am so grateful to God for them. To be honest, I can remember very few words that they have spoken even though I must have heard thousands of sermons. However, I can easily remember how they lived their lives – their sincerity, kindness, humour, love, compassion, thoughtfulness and their strength of faith. Their godly example still lives with me. It is important that we should love and support our Christian leaders, but it is vital that we don’t exaggerate their importance. Their role is simply to point to the God whom they serve. All leaders are frail and vulnerable like the rest of us. They are on the same rollercoaster of life as us, and they have their ups and down. We need to rejoice in their good days and forgive their bad ones but ensure that our focus continually is supremely on the One whom we all serve. Question What have you learned from the leaders that you have known? Prayer Loving Lord, thank you for all the leaders that You have used to teach and support me in my Christian faith. But most of all I thank you that You are the one who, by Your Spirit, enables me to grow. Amen
July 11 · 2 min
July 11th - 1 Corinthians 2:1-3
1 Corinthians 2:1-3 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. I once heard about a church that regularly visited the houses nearby. They sent out people two by two and many people got involved. A young girl nervously agreed to join in. She went to one house and a large man came to the door asking in a gruff voice what she wanted. She struggled to speak and then, in a quivering voice, she blurted out: “I’ve come to tell you that Jesus loves you.” The man didn’t know what to say, so he slammed the door in her face. He went inside and slumped into a chair weeping. He could hardly believe what had just happened. He thought deeply about the bravery of the young woman and out of curiosity he went to church, where before long he made a commitment to follow Christ. I love that story because God often speaks through our weakness more easily than through our strength. That was certainly Paul’s experience. Most of us feel unsure of ourselves when we are given the opportunity to speak about our faith, but we are often at our most powerful when we are feeling nervous and weak. Question Can you think of a time when God used you particularly powerfully in a time of weakness? Prayer Lord, help me to be willing to speak up for You, even when I am feeling weak and tongue-tied. Amen
July 10 · 2 min
July 10th - 1 Corinthians 1:18
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Paul was absolutely sure that the cross of Jesus stood right at the heart of his life and ministry. Nothing was more important than the fact that God showed His perfect love for us by sending Jesus to die the most excruciatingly painful death for us. It was, if you like, the lens through which Paul saw everything. So Paul was determined to take every opportunity to speak about the cross. But Paul was more than aware that the message of the cross sounded like nonsense to many people. The Greeks were looking for wisdom. They were very happy to listen to carefully reasoned arguments and to enter into learned debate. But the idea of a man dying at the hands of the Romans, showing that He was totally powerless and completely beaten by His enemies, didn’t sound at all wise. It sounded like foolishness. And to the Jews, Jesus’ own people, there was a fundamental problem. In Deuteronomy it was specifically stated that anyone who hung on a tree was cursed by God (Deuteronomy 21:23). The cross was, therefore, a total stumbling-block for Jews. It made belief almost impossible. Paul was well aware of how foolish and problematic his message appeared. But he didn’t try to change it to make it sound acceptable to his hearers. He simply declared that if you want to know the power and wisdom of God there is only one place to look – to the cross of Jesus. Question What does the cross mean to you personally? Prayer – Thank You Lord that when you went to the cross you showed us the full extent of Your love. Amen
July 9 · 2 min
July 9th - 1 Corinthians 1:4-5
1 Corinthians 1:4-5 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way – with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge. If you know anything at all about the church in Corinth, you will know that it was a disaster area. Everything seemed to be going wrong, but look how Paul starts this letter. He gives thanks for them and for the way in which God has blessed them, and rejoices in the ways that, through Jesus, God has enriched them. I love this! He could have kicked off the letter with a long list of moans, but he doesn’t. He begins with encouragement. My junior school was very small, so I found my huge secondary school a very bewildering place. I had never been a part of anything like it before. I struggled with the work and didn’t do very well at first. I will never forget the piece of work that I did for a Geography teacher when I was twelve, which he marked as “excellent”. Nobody had ever told me I’d done anything excellent before, and his words changed everything. I saw myself in a new light. Words of encouragement don’t normally need to be long. They may be communicated in a quick text or on a card or in a brief email. But they can be of amazing importance. They can turn people’s lives around. I wonder what you might be able to say today which will give solid encouragement to someone else. Question What was the most significant encouragement that you have ever received, and what did you learn from the experience? Prayer Lord, help me to become more encouraging day by day. Amen
July 8 · 2 min
July 8th - Psalm 123:3-4
Psalm 123:3-4 Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt. We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant, of contempt from the proud. To be treated with contempt is a horrible experience. To be written off as worthless is agonising, and the Bible tells us about many people who knew just how painful it is. Nehemiah certainly had this experience when he worked to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Many scholars think this might be the background to this particular psalm. Nehemiah was convinced that God Himself had commissioned him to undertake the rebuilding of the city, but that cut no ice with Sanballat and Tobiah, who did everything they could think of to ridicule his efforts. If you have ever been treated with contempt, you will know what a depressing and discouraging experience it is. Very easily it can dominate all of our thinking and make life a complete misery. It can happen to any one of us, so it is good to see what the psalmist did: turn his attention to the Lord. The psalm begins with these words: “I lift my eyes to you, O God, to you who sits enthroned in heaven.” The psalmist chose to focus his attention on the Lord, and we need to do the same. He alone, the God of mercy, can set us free from our destructive reactions to life and enable us to face our critics with grace and love. Question How have you responded to those who have treated you badly? Prayer Loving Father, I realise that I need Your loving care every moment of my life. Please grant me Your strength, grace and wisdom today. Amen
July 7 · 2 min
July 7th - Psalm 122:1
Psalm 122:1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” This verse has a very special place in British history. It has been used upon the entrance of the monarch at every coronation since that of King Charles 1. Since 1902, Hubert Parry’s magnificent choral setting of the psalm has been sung. It captures beautifully the joy and celebration of this special occasion. The roots of this psalm go back thousands of years, to the time when pilgrims would use these words as they climbed up the hill to Jerusalem and anticipated the incredible joy of worshipping God in the temple. You can sense their excitement as they got closer and closer to the holy city. There is no building in Christianity which is the equivalent of the temple in Jerusalem. With the coming of Christ, a new covenant was established in which God sought to build a new temple, not with stones or bricks and mortar but in the lives of those who worshipped Him. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Our circumstances are very different from those of the psalmist, but we can still experience the same joy of meeting together with God’s people for worship. We can still look forward to the experience with gladness and anticipation because, as we meet together, God will be there with us. Question What are the things that make you glad to worship with other Christians? Prayer Loving God, I thank You for the blessing and encouragement of worship. Help me never to take this privilege for granted. Amen
July 6 · 2 min
July 6th - Psalm 121:1-2
Psalm 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. This is one of the best-known and best-loved of all the psalms. The answer to the psalmist’s question is a resounding: “No!” The mountains might look strong and confident, but our help certainly doesn’t come from them – it comes from the Lord. It’s impossible to know what exactly was in the mind of the psalmist when he referred to the mountains. He might simply have been reflecting on their impressive grandeur and strength. But it is quite likely that he was thinking of the fact that people often went to high places like mountains to worship false gods such as Baal. The psalmist wanted to make it absolutely clear that only God Himself is able to meet our needs. Our God is always on the job. He never slumbers or sleeps. He is continually watching over us. Our family and friends may well be wonderfully supportive and caring. They would do anything for us, but sooner or later they get tired and need to get some sleep. Their support is great, but it’s well short of 100%. God is different. He can be relied upon to be there to support us night and day. The psalm challenges us all to look hard at our lives and to ensure that we are looking in the right direction for the help that really matters. We need to look to the Lord Himself who made heaven and earth. Question Where do you get your help from? Prayer Loving God, I thank You for being my constant help and strength. Help me to lean on You today. Amen
July 5 · 2 min
July 5th - Psalm 120:1-2
Psalm 120:1-2 I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me. Save me, LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues. I love the psalms because they span the full range of human experience. Some are full of praise and worship, but others burst out with anger and disappointment. However you are feeling, there are psalms that will be just right for you, because God meets us where we are. We don’t need to pretend to be something that we are not. We can come to Him with our struggles, fears, passions and hopes and know that He will understand us completely. I’ve had the privilege of visiting a number of Benedictine monasteries in England and France. I have been thrilled to live as part of their worshipping communities for a few days of retreat. Every day there are eight times of worship, and you need to know that I didn’t attend them all! Each week all of the 150 psalms are read or sung, and that seems to me a wonderful rhythm of life. What has often struck me is the ruthless honesty of the psalmists. They hid nothing when they came into God’s presence. They told Him exactly how they were feeling and used language that makes us wince at times. God wants us to come to Him with exactly the same ruthless honesty and to be confident that He will always answer our prayers. He may not answer us in the way that we want or expect, but He will always answer us. Question What experience have you had of God answering your prayers? Prayer Loving God, I thank You for the privilege of prayer. Help me to place it at the centre of my life. Amen
July 4 · 2 min
July 4th - Psalm 119:1-2
Psalm 119:1-2 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. This is the beginning of what is by far the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. It is made up of 22 sections, each one of which begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of those sections is made up of eight verses, and the whole psalm is beautifully designed like a piece of intricate tapestry. It is nothing like those psalms in which the psalmist pours out his emotions of anger, sorrow and joy. The whole purpose of the psalm is to declare the blessing of God’s laws, because they are the key to living life to the full. It’s as if the writer sees God’s instructions as being so beautiful that, like a diamond, every single angle of them needs to be identified and celebrated. When we first hear the word ‘law’ we are inclined to think of restrictions, and no one likes the thought of that. We want to be free to do what we want. But God’s laws are given so that we can be protected from the things that can only damage our lives. The psalmist was convinced that God’s law offered the path to the deepest blessings and joys of life. He summed it up by declaring: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105). Question In what particular ways have you found God’s laws to be a blessing? Prayer Lord God, I thank You that You love me so much that You have given me rules to enable me to enjoy life to the full. Amen
July 3 · 2 min
July 3rd - Psalm 118:5-6
Psalm 118:5-6 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; He brought me into a spacious place. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Duke of Wellington said: “The only thing I am afraid of is fear.” He had good reason to say this. Doctors tell us that fear can have a huge effect on our lives. It can lead to accelerated ageing and even premature death. The psalmist knew all about fear. He reflected on the experience of being surrounded by hostile nations. He graphically described them as swarming around him like bees, and they did their best to kill him (Psalm 118:10-13). Such experiences are far away for the majority of us but, whoever we are, we all face scary situations. Perhaps it’s a health issue, or concerns about our families, our work or our finances. When fear takes hold, it can have devastating effects, so we need to listen carefully to the psalmist. The fundamental discovery of the psalmist was that God was stronger than his opponents. Powerful as they were, God was stronger. He was able to put his human threats in a proper perspective and concluded today’s verse with a rhetorical question: “What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). He didn’t need to be afraid because of the absolute security that he had in God. Life will throw many challenges at us. There is no way in which we can avoid them. But, if we give our lives to God, we don’t ever need to be fearful. Question What do you do when you are tempted to be fearful? Prayer Lord God, I praise You that I can look to the future with confidence because of Your constant presence with me. Amen
July 2 · 2 min
July 2nd - Psalm 117
Psalm 117 Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. So reads the whole of Psalm 117. It’s the shortest psalm, but it has an enormous message which embraces the whole of the Bible. Every single person needs to join in praising God. Praising Him isn’t confined to a little group of fervent believers. He is God of the world, so He needs to be worshipped by everyone. I love the fact that all the churches I know draw together people from a number of different nations. Some of them choose to display the flags of the countries that are represented in the congregation and this seems to me a wonderful way of affirming this great psalm. Although God had a very special relationship with the people of Israel, it was never His intention that they alone should worship Him. God’s heart was always for the whole world. In the book of Revelation, we see the climax of history, when a vast crowd will gather together so great that no one could count it: “from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9). Worship is important because it puts everything and everyone in their right place. When we acknowledge the supremacy of God, our creator and saviour, we see our lives in a true perspective and can then enjoy them to the full. Question What has been the importance of worship in your life? Prayer Loving God, thank You for the way in which worship blesses and strengthens my life. Amen
July 1 · 2 min
July 1st - Psalm 115:1
Psalm 115:1 Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. It is said that William Wilberforce marked the passing of the bill to abolish slavery in the UK by meditating on this psalm. However great our human successes, it is always our first duty to worship God and to praise Him for His greatness and provision. Everything we have and are comes to us as a gift from God, so we need to make sure He is the first one to get the praise. From our modern perspective, the slave trade appears so obviously evil that it is hard to believe the struggle was so great. However, Wilberforce and his friends fought a very long battle against huge vested interests including, not least, within the Church. He deserves much credit, but he knew that it was God Himself who really deserved the praise. I really don’t want to detract from your successes in life. If you are an amazing pianist, successful businessperson, fine painter, loving parent, excellent church leader or talented dancer, I would like to congratulate you on what you have achieved. It is right that your successes are recognised and that you receive some praise. However, there is One who deserves recognition and praise in advance of you. Without God, you would be nothing and have nothing. Question In what way do you seek to give glory to God day by day? Prayer Lord God, I praise You for all that You have given me. Forgive me for the times when I have failed to give You the glory that is rightfully Yours. Amen
June 30 · 3 min
June 30th - Philippians 4:11-13
Philippians 4:11-13 I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Advertising is a major influence in the modern world. Its deliberate intention is to stir up discontent. We are continually urged to buy newer, trendier, brighter, faster and more efficient products. Being consistently pounded with these messages means it can be difficult to live contentedly with what we already have, but that must surely be the most desirable life of all. To live with contentment is to live a life without strain and stress because we aren’t fixated on trying to get things to change. Epicurus, the Greek philosopher, said: “He who doesn’t find a little enough, will find nothing enough.” There is wisdom in this quotation, but Paul wouldn’t have agreed with it. His contentment didn’t flow from a particular philosophical understanding of life but from his relationship with Christ. Because he was completely secure in his faith it didn’t matter what his personal circumstances were. Because of the continual pressures of society and of the changing circumstances of our own lives, it is a daily challenge to live with contentment. However, it can be done just so long as we keep our lives focused on Jesus. I have met many people over the years who have been wonderful illustrations of this. For one reason or another, their lives have suddenly changed. Sometimes it is because of a change in their relationships or their finances, but I have been particularly moved by those who have suddenly seen their health taken away from them. This is probably the biggest shock of all. How is it possible to continue to be content after the sudden loss of mobility or of eyesight, for example? Miraculously, it is possible – but only when we have learned to focus on Jesus rather than our circumstances. Question Are you content with your present life and, if not, what do you think you could do to become contented? Prayer Thank You Lord for the blessing of knowing You. Help me to live so closely to You that I will always be content. Amen
June 29 · 3 min
June 29th - Philippians 4:8
Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Never in history have those words been more important than right now. When Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the world wide web in 1989 no one could have foreseen the way in which it would completely transform the way in which we access information. Our mobile phones are the gateway to a world of information and that has incalculable benefits. But the downside is undeniable. It has never been easier to view destructive and depraved information which is able to ruin lives. In such a situation we desperately need to hear Paul’s words. We need to become fixated on those things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Paul lived in the real world. He wasn’t inviting the Philippian Christians to hide away from their society. Being a prisoner, Paul, of all people, knew about the dark side of Roman life. He had no illusions about the world in which he lived, and probably that served to reinforce his conviction that Christians needed deliberately to focus their attention on the true, the pure and the admirable. This is a big challenge for all of us in modern society. Paul knew that what goes on in a Christian’s mind is the most crucial issue of all. In Romans 12:2 he urged the Roman Christians not to “copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but to let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think”. As we welcome the true, honourable, right, pure, lovely and admirable influences into our minds, God is able to bring about that amazing transformation. Question How do you ensure that you are focusing your attention on things that are excellent and praiseworthy? Prayer Lord God, I invite You to guide my thoughts by Your Holy Spirit. Help me to become fixated on those things that will make me stronger in living for You. Amen
June 28 · 3 min
June 28th - Philippians 4:6-7
Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. The most unhelpful thing you can say to a person who is worrying is: “Don’t worry”. I am sure it is meant in a kindly way, but it actually increases the problems of the person who’s worrying. Not only have they got all their worries but they also feel guilty about it now too. Paul doesn’t fall into the trap of giving useless advice because he shows us the way out. He tells the Philippians that there is no need to worry because they can pray about everything. If you place your concerns in God’s hands then you can look to the future with confidence and thanksgiving. Jesus also recognised that worrying was a significant issue for His followers. He pointed out that it was a waste of time. He asked the question: “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:27). Worrying never achieves anything. I rather like the poster which reads: “Worrying is stupid. It’s like walking around with an umbrella up waiting for it to rain.” But Jesus went further and observed that there is absolutely no need to worry because God provides perfectly for all our needs. In Matthew 6, He pointed to the birds and the lilies of the field and reasoned that if God could look after them then He could clearly look after human beings. The outcome of trusting God is not merely that the worries disappear, but that they are replaced by peace. Those are amazing words and I hope that is your personal experience. I was rushed into hospital a few years ago with sepsis. My blood was poisoned and my heart was racing at an unsustainable speed. As the medics treated me it was clear that I was in serious danger and I thank God that I was overwhelmed with peace. That isn’t something that I could have produced because there was nothing peaceful about the situation. It was God’s gift and I pray that you will experience that peace whatever you face. Question How do you deal with the worries that come your way? Prayer Loving God, thank You that You can replace our worries with Your miraculous gift of peace. Amen
June 27 · 3 min
June 27th - Philippians 4:2-3
Philippians 4:2-3 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. There’s nothing new about people falling out with one another! It has been a feature of life from the very beginning, as we learn from the account of Cain and Abel (see Genesis 4). The question is: “What do we do when it happens?” Paul here offers some helpful advice. The first step is for those who disagree to seek to resolve their differences. We have no idea what the women disagreed about. It must have been fairly serious for Paul to go to the trouble of referring to it in his letter. He reminded the women that they belonged to the Lord and that was the crucially important fact. Belonging to the same family doesn’t mean that disagreements won’t occur, but it does mean that we are not alone in seeking to resolve the situation. We can pray together and seek God’s guidance. Normally, in my experience, if there is a willingness to find a way through a disagreement, it can be found. Sometimes, however, the best that can be done is to agree to disagree. We agree to respect one another and affirm our love and commitment to one another as family members. Sometimes no amount of conversation between the people who disagree resolves the situation. Paul clearly sensed that Euodia and Syntyche needed some help and asked his “true partner” to offer assistance. This isn’t an easy role, but it is a vital one and as a good news community it is important that every church can identify people who can act as peacemakers. This requires much love, grace and wisdom. There are times when even the most able peacemaker cannot resolve a situation and there needs to be an agreement to part company. This was Paul’s own experience when, after a difference of view with Barnabas, they decided to go off in different directions (Acts 15:36-41). What is vital is that disagreements are addressed and not allowed to rumble on for years, causing pain and yet further division. Question What have you found to be the best way of resolving disagreements? Prayer Lord God, help me to be a peacemaker today.
June 26 · 3 min
June 26th - Philippians 3:17-18
Philippians 3:17-18 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. Paul didn’t pull his punches did he? He declared that some people were enemies of Christ. This is very harsh language, but he knew that it was essential for the Philippian Christians to know the difference between those who were true followers of Christ and those who were fighting against him. Paul said that he himself was the person they should be following. I don’t interpret this as arrogance but as a matter of necessity. The Christians in Philippi, most of whom would have been very young in their faith, needed to have a clear example of what it meant to live for Christ in everyday life. As Paul wrote this he was in prison, so he invited them to pattern their lives on those who had followed his example. This all begs the question of where Paul got his example from and in 1 Corinthians 11:1 he explains “you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ”. It's good to follow the example of other Christians. I know that my Christian life has been massively affected by the example that has been set for me by Christians that I have known. I was given the example of carefulness from Peter, gentleness from Frank, graciousness from Victor, faithfulness from David, cheerfulness from Fred, courage from Tim and so on. I wonder who has inspired you, and I encourage you to keep actively remembering and thanking God for their example. But this works in the other direction as well. People are looking at you and me, whether we like it or not. We are also setting an example of what it means to follow Jesus and we need to make sure that it’s a good one. Question Whose Christian example has been particularly important to you? Prayer Thank You, Lord, for the people who have shown me what it means to follow You. Help me to set a good example for others. Amen
June 25 · 3 min
June 25th - Philippians 3:12
Philippians 3:12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. Perfection is a word that makes most of us shudder, because we are so well aware that we fall very far short of it. But the danger with that kind of response is that we give up even trying. We come up with endless excuses to explain why we are the people we are today. I’ve heard people say that they have a bad temper because that’s exactly how their father used to be. Or they blame their impatience on their bad back. Paul fully acknowledged that he had a long way to go on the road to perfection, but he was determined to travel further on that journey and not to excuse his shortcomings. Wonderfully God accepts us just the way we are, but He loves us so much that He doesn’t want us to stay as we are. He longs that we should change and take steps forward towards perfection. “Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time,” commented Voltaire, the French philosopher. I find that a helpful observation, but he missed out the vital factor of Christian faith. By ourselves we will never make much progress. But when we commit ourselves to Christ we discover that, as Paul said, the very reason that He took hold of our lives was to make us perfect. And that’s the reason why Paul was so determined to put all his energies into making progress. Like a runner who is always checking their times to ensure that they are making good progress, so too Paul was focusing on becoming everything that Christ wanted him to be. That’s our challenge today. We aren’t perfect but we must strive each day, in the strength that God gives us, to become more fully the people Christ want us to be. Question What progress are you making towards perfection? Prayer Lord God, thank You that You lovingly accept me just the way I am, but that You love me so much that You want me to change each day. Amen