Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

1 Corinthians 11:27-28
So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.
If you are employed, you probably have the delight of an annual appraisal. The intention is to stand back from how things are going in order to acknowledge what went well and what went not so well, and to reflect on how things could be strengthened for the year ahead. Conducted well, appraisals can be a great blessing, and I have always been grateful for the ones I’ve had. Here, Paul is suggesting that we need to conduct a self-appraisal on a regular basis before we meet together to remember Christ’s death for us on the cross.
The Corinthian church had clearly made a huge mess of their services. When they had a meal together to celebrate Jesus’ death, some of them ate so much that there was nothing left for others. It makes their services sound like a riot! Paul concluded that their services actually did more harm than good, so he urged the church to have a time of self-examination before coming to worship.
When we examine ourselves, we need to be ruthlessly honest. We are all sinners, so as we shine the light on our lives, we need to acknowledge our failings and seek God’s forgiveness and renewal as we rededicate our lives to Him. We come with empty hands so that He may fill us again with his blessings.
Question
When and how do you examine yourself before God?
Prayer
Dear Lord, help me to be totally honest with You as I look at my life. I seek Your forgiveness and ask You to fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit. Amen

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Life throws up many challenges for us in the 21st century, and it was no different in Paul’s day. One of the issues he had to face was that sometimes meat was taken to pagan temples as an act of worship before being sold by the butchers. Paul was quite clear that pagan gods were not true gods, so it really didn’t matter if the meat had been waved in front of them. But if someone were to point out that the meat had been presented in the temple, he concluded that it would be better not to eat it, out of respect for the informant’s conscience. It was a tricky issue but clearly a live one in Paul’s day, and he had to find a careful way of handling it. The key principle in all of this was that whatever you do, it needs to be done for the glory of God.
Every day we have to make decisions. Most of them are simple and straightforward but, like Paul, the key question is: “What will be most pleasing to God?” On the face of it this might sound restricting and limiting, but, because of the nature of God, it is in fact the opposite of that. As we discover God’s will for our lives, we find true liberty. God’s desire is always to enable us to be more alive.
Question
As you make decisions today, how will you test whether the outcome will be for the glory of God?
Prayer
Lord, help me to share every decision with You so that I might bring glory to You today. Amen

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

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

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