Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Mark 11:9-10
“Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Blessings
on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!”
Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem shows us his extraordinary courage. He could easily have slipped quietly into the city, but in deliberately entering the city on a donkey, he was making a powerful statement. He was declaring for all to see that he was indeed the Messiah, the one who had come to save his people. Their praises show that they were entirely clear what was happening. Some may even have recalled that this was exactly what Zechariah had prophesied: “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey’s colt” (Zechariah 9:9).
The people were delighted to welcome their Messiah, but there were clearly very different ideas of what such a person would do. Jesus wasn’t offering himself as the one who would kick out the occupying Roman forces, and that was probably the kind of liberation that most people were looking for. The thought that their Messiah was going to face crucifixion within a week wasn’t in their minds at all. Not even Jesus’ closest disciples had understood how the week would unfold.
As we celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, it is good for us to remember that he is the one who sets us free, but not always in the way that we expect or want. We may want him to be the powerful authority figure who comes on an impressive war horse to sort out the problems of our lives and of our world, but he comes on a donkey and gently shows us how we need to forgive, love and support the people around us. Jesus’ ways are not our ways but, like the people of long ago, we need to welcome him with enthusiasm and joy because he is coming to us in the name of the Lord.
Question
What kind of Messiah are people looking for these days?
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, I praise you. You are the one who has come to give me peace and salvation. I welcome you into my life today. Amen

Mark 11:1
As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.
Jesus lived most of his life in the Galilee region, which was about a four-day journey north of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, he paid many visits to Jerusalem and had some good friends in the area. His particular friends were Mary, Martha and Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, just outside the city. In one of his visits there, he had clearly prepared the ground for his final triumphal entry into Jerusalem, so he was able to send two of his disciples on ahead to get hold of a donkey with the instruction that if the owner asked why they were taking it, they were to say that the master needed it and would return it soon.
Jesus had prepared the way for this decisive journey to Jerusalem, and that was an important principle for the disciples to remember in the years to come. When they went on their missionary journeys around the world, they needed to know that the Lord had gone ahead of them. His Spirit had prepared the way. As they headed out in search of the donkey, the disciples simply had to have faith in their master. Sure enough, it worked out exactly as Jesus had promised.
Whenever we set off to do God’s work, it is just the same. As we go forward in obedience to him, we will find that he has prepared the way. At the moment, I’m working with a church on a new venture and we are facing lots of questions about how it will work out. I need to keep reminding myself of this fundamental truth that Jesus has already prepared the way.
It's significant that Jesus sent two disciples on this mission. He had done the same in chapter six, sending out his twelve disciples two by two. This is an important and encouraging reminder that the Lord does not send us out on a solitary journey but on one in which we have a relationship of support and shared faith.
Question
In what ways have you seen the Lord going ahead of you to prepare the way?
Prayer
Lord God, help me to trust you and to listen carefully to you as I live for you each day. Amen

Mark 10:51-53
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked [Bartimaeus]. “My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
On the face of it, Jesus’ question would seem entirely unnecessary. Surely it was obvious what a blind man would want Jesus, the famous healer, to do, so why did he ask it? In doing so, he gave the man dignity. Jesus didn’t barge into his life and do what he considered what would be best for him. Instead, he listened to Bartimaeus. The blind man declared his desire to be able to see again, and Jesus, recognising the man’s faith, healed him.
Jesus never barges into our lives. He asks us what we want him to do for us. Yes, we all need forgiveness, but he will only give it to us when we are serious about our request. Many people want to hang on to their sins. Sin has become such a part of life that they can’t imagine being separated from their bitterness, selfishness, anger, sexual sin or whatever it happens to be. The offer of forgiveness from Jesus is real and definite, but he won’t give it as a sticking plaster to place over our ongoing sin. He forgives us only when we repent and declare our willingness to live in a new way. The decision lies entirely with us.
God longs to be our guide, but once again, that is never imposed on us. We can get guidance from so many different sources. The internet, friends, the media, newspapers and books are fertile ground for guidance. It is only as we surrender to God and tell him that we want him to guide us that he is able to lead us in his way. He may well use material that we have gained from other sources, but he is the one who shows us the way to go, if only we are open to his voice.
Bartimaeus’ life was transformed because that’s what he asked for. James, in his letter, observed that many of the people he was addressing hadn’t received the blessings of God for one simple reason: they hadn’t asked. Let’s not make the same mistake.
Question
What are you going to ask God for today?
Prayer
Thank you, loving God, that you love to bless me. Help me to always be ready to welcome you into every part of my life. Amen

Mark 10:43-45
[Jesus said:] “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
I find this one of the most embarrassing passages in the whole Bible. James and John were in what is often referred to as the inner circle of disciples. They had even been with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. However, it was them who came to make this foolish request. They had worked out that Jesus had huge authority, so they asked him to provide them with the very best seats when he launched his kingdom (Mark 10:37). They thought they would get in there first and bag the seats on his right and his left. Jesus gently responded that they didn’t know what they were asking and then slowly and carefully explained that the kingdom of God was not about power, influence and the best seats but about powerlessness, service and taking the worst seats. Indeed, Jesus himself came as the ultimate servant and had no authority to hand out special seats in heaven (Mark 10:40).
We can all easily understand where the disciples were coming from. Everybody likes to be served, but Jesus wants to turn our thinking upside down and show us that service is the way to perfect freedom. This will involve us in a continual process of challenging our natural self-centredness. Mother Teresa expressed this well when she wrote: “Love is a one-way street. It always moves away from self in the direction of the other. Love is the ultimate gift of ourselves to others. When we stop giving we stop loving, when we stop loving we stop growing, and unless we grow we will never attain personal fulfilment; we will never open out to receive the life of God. It is through love we encounter God.”
Our society will always tell us that what we really want is to be served and to be given the best seats, but Jesus loves us so much that he offers us a better way: a life of service.
Question
Why is being a servant so important and so blessed?
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, you have shown us what it means to be a servant. Help me to be willing to pour out my life for you in loving service. Amen

Mark 10:29-30
[Jesus said:] “I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and property – along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.”
As Jesus moved towards Jerusalem and his death on the cross, he spoke increasingly about the costliness of discipleship. He did nothing at all to make following him sound glamourous and attractive. However, he also wanted to make it clear that the costly path of following him would be generously rewarded. Our generous God is no one’s debtor. Jesus’ words became literally true for those early disciples. Many of them would be rejected by their families, but as they entered the family of God, they suddenly discovered brothers and sisters wherever they went, and homes were flung open to greet them. This was the apostle Paul’s experience. In his final greetings in the letter to the Romans, he spoke of Rufus’ mother as being like a mother to him (Romans 16:13). In another place, he referred to Onesimus as his son (Philemon 10).
The certainty of reward was also matched by the guarantee of persecution. Jesus saw it as inevitable. This was the experience of his own life, and he was sure that it would characterise his followers’ lives as well. This may all sound very heavy and forbidding, but we need to remember the words of Hebrews:12:2: it was for the joy that was awaiting him that Jesus endured the cross. There is nothing pleasant about persecution, but it was the certainty of joy that kept him going.
The ultimate reward is eternal life. Life here on earth is very brief. As James put it in his letter, “your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14). God offers us a new life which begins now and which will never come to an end. When we see our lives as part of the big landscape of eternity, we can view our present challenges and difficulties in their proper context. Following Christ will be tough at times, but when we keep our eyes on the big picture, we can be full of joy and hope.
Question
How does the promise of eternal life affect your thinking about today?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for your generosity to me today and for all eternity. Amen