Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Philippians 1:27
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.
The residents of Philippi were very proud of their city. They had been rewarded by the Emperor Octavian after his defeat of Antony and Cleopatra and were designated a Roman colony. The city was in Macedonia, which is now part of northern Greece, but the Philippians enjoyed the same privileges as if they were living in Italy. Citizenship was a big issue for them, and they were delighted to enjoy the legal and tax advantages which came with their status. But Paul told them that far more significant than this was the fact that they were citizens of heaven. Being a Philippian was a temporary arrangement – unlike their eternal citizenship of heaven.
Paul was not saying that it was unimportant that they were Roman citizens. He had much to say about the importance of Christians living as responsible members of their community, as we have seen. In his letter to the church in Rome, at the heart of the empire, he wrote that those who followed Christ had a responsibility to submit to the governing authorities because they had been established by God (Romans 13:1). Christians should do everything in their power to support their communities and to live as responsible citizens, but they should do so with the knowledge that their principal identity is their heavenly one.
There were many pressures upon the church in Philippi. Although Paul’s letter is particularly positive, it is clear that there were plenty of challenges – both from people outside and people inside the church who were squabbling with one another. Paul knew that the church must live by the highest standards, and so he urged them to live lives worthy of the good news of Christ. The church wasn’t their little private club, but a group of people drawn together by the Spirit to proclaim the amazing news of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever our churches might be facing at present, we all need to hear the same challenge to live a life that is worthy of Christ.
Question
What does it mean to you to be a citizen of heaven?
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for the eternal security that I have in knowing You. Help me to contribute positively to my temporary home here on earth. Amen

Philippians 1:21-24
For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
During the two years that I lived in India a number of people in our community died and I deeply appreciated the way in which their deaths were handled. Soon after the person passed away, their body was prepared and laid out on a bed in the middle of the main room of the house. Visitors would then come and pay their respects, light candles around the body and say prayers. This would continue until the body was taken in an open coffin to church for the funeral service, which normally was held the day following the death. It was all so very different from the way in which I had seen death being handled before. When I returned to the UK, I deeply regretted the way in which we seem to be kept well away from death. In our verses today, Paul talks about death in a way that would probably shock many people. He is totally open about death and reflects on the varied benefits of being alive or dead.
Paul’s confidence in Christ shines through his words. He knew the Lord so well that he was absolutely convinced that death is the preferable option. For Paul, death was bound to be much better than life, because he would be set free from all those things that obstruct our relationship with Christ here on earth. But he realised that he had responsibilities on earth and so was content with staying alive.
One of the greatest blessings of being a Christian is that we need have no fear of death. Not long ago a friend of mine died of motor neurone disease. The disease progressed very fast and it was alarming to see how speedily he lost all muscle control. But through it all he kept rejoicing. His confidence in God was so strong that on not a single occasion did I hear him complain. He knew that he was secure in God’s hands for time and eternity. I do hope you look to the future with a similar confidence.
Question
Do you share Paul’s thoughts about death?
Prayer
Lord God, thank You that my relationship with You will not be brought to an end by death. Amen

Philippians 1:15,18
It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives…Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.
It would be nice to live in a perfect world where everyone agreed. We could then get on with living our Christian lives with the confidence that what other people said was a mirror image of our own thoughts. But the reality is, people disagree on almost every subject and Christian faith attracts the complete spectrum of reactions. There are people who love every word we speak, and others who hate it with a passion. And, as Paul observed, people speak in a whole variety of ways. Some are loving and gracious, others are bitter and divisive. Yet, amid all the confusion, Paul recognised that what really matters is the name of Jesus being preached. Of course, he would have much rather everyone spoke of Christ in the same way as he did, but in the real world we have to continue with our witness despite the confusions that can come.
I am really grateful that throughout the world a lot of attention is still given to Christmas and Easter. There is often very little understanding of what these events signify. It’s a noisy and confusing world so we need to understand that there will be many people trying to resist our message. However, just like Paul, we need to grasp every opportunity to speak up for Jesus and to declare the good news that He came to bring.
Question
How do you react when people speak about Jesus in a way that you dislike?
Prayer
Loving Father, help me to do everything I can to help people to hear about Jesus. Amen

Philippians 1:12-13
And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.
My chief memory of prison visits is the huge bunches of keys and the slamming of doors. The lack of liberty must be terrible, and we have every reason to think that Paul’s years of incarceration would have been a degrading experience. But Paul has no time for moaning! He reflects that his time in prison actually enabled the good news of Jesus to be spread. Even the palace guard recognised that he was in prison because of his faith in Christ.
Paul’s various times in prison must have been desperately hard to bear, but he consistently focused on the fact that God had brought blessing through these times. This reminds me of Joseph’s experience in the Old Testament. His brothers hated him so much that they intended to murder him, but they eventually decided to sell him to some passing traders. They then went back to their father with Joseph’s coat of many colours drenched in goat’s blood, claiming that he had been tragically killed. Joseph was taken to Egypt, where his ability to interpret dreams finally led him to become one of the leaders of the land during a time of famine. In one of the most dramatic moments of the Bible, Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt in search of food and the official that they met was none other than Joseph himself. He summed up what had happened by saying this: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so that I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph wasn’t saying that what they had done was acceptable. They had clearly acted in a terrible way. But their actions hadn’t stood in the way of God’s purposes.
We all face many difficult times in life. We confront tragedies, illnesses and setbacks. But as we trust ourselves to God He is able to keep working miraculously in us and around us.
Question
Can you think of a bad experience in your life which God was able to turn into something good?
Prayer
Dear Father, thank You that You are at work in my life even when times are hard. Amen

Philippians 1:9-10
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.
I’m sure that we are all members of lots of organisations, such as a car breakdown service, a political party, a sports club etc. If I asked you whether your relationship with those organisations was growing, you would probably think that was a very odd question. You would probably just think of yourself as a member. The idea of having a developing relationship with the organisations wouldn’t seem relevant. The problem is that many people look at the Church in exactly the same way. They are members of the Church but would never think of it as a relationship that needs to develop.
Throughout Paul’s writing, he sees his relationship with Christ as being something that is constantly developing and, in this letter, he describes particularly powerfully his desire that it should change more and more. Here, at the beginning of the letter, he describes his passionate desire that the Philippian Christians should move on in their faith. He wanted their relationship with Christ to become increasingly strong, because in that way their life together as a church would become more united and resilient.
Paul prays that the Philippians will overflow with love as they grow in knowledge and insight. In that way they will be able to make increasingly good decisions. It is right that we should pray for one another’s health and challenges, but we need to ensure that we also pray for one another to grow in our relationship with Christ. Standing still is never an option in any relationship. If we are not growing stronger in our faith, then we will be getting weaker and that makes us more vulnerable in every way. Let’s listen to Paul’s words and use them to inspire us to pray for one another with passion and commitment.
Question
What is your prayer today for two of the Christians you know best?
Prayer
Lord God, I pray that these two people will grow strongly in their Christian lives. Help me to be a support and encouragement to them. Amen