Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Available Episodes

5 of 2005

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
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3:38
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3:38
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
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3:23
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3:23
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
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3:34
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3:34
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
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3:26
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3:26
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
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3:27
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3:27