Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Proverbs 21:23
Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.
Speaking is such a huge part of our daily lives that we need all the wisdom we can find to guide us. The book of Proverbs comes back to the subject time and again, precisely because it is so important. We need to be constantly learning how to use our tongues more effectively, and part of that is to learn when to speak and when to be silent. Benjamin Franklin wrote: “Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” Those are wise words.
The trouble with speaking is that we do so much of it, and it just happens. It normally isn’t the product of a long process of reflection – we just open our mouths and the words flow out. The writer of the Proverbs is clearly encouraging us to put more thinking into our talking. He commands us to watch our tongue, and that clearly involves reflecting on what we are saying and how we are saying it. This is undoubtedly best done prayerfully, before God. As we do so, we need to reflect not only on our choice of words but also on those times when not saying anything at all would have been the best response!
Questions
What might help you to use your tongue more effectively, and can you think of times when silence would have been the better response?
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for the gift of my tongue. Help me to use it in a way that will constantly be helpful and encouraging to other people. Amen

Proverbs 21:3
To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
The offering of sacrifices lay right at the heart of Old Testament worship. Strange as it may seem to us, it was what God wanted from His people. This led many to conclude that all they needed to do was offer sacrifices, and they could then act in whatever way they wanted. Time and again, God had to remind His people that the mere offering of sacrifices and worship was not enough. He was looking for them to act justly and fairly in their business relationships and with their neighbours, and if He didn’t see it, He wasn’t interested in receiving their sacrifices.
In any age it is possible for our worship to be merely an act. Almost anyone can sing hymns and songs and even raise their hands in worship. What God is looking for is people who live out their faith in the cut and thrust of everyday life. In James’ letter, he is supremely concerned about people living out their Christian faith in a practical and down-to-earth way. He wrote: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).

I believe that God wants us to enjoy worshipping Him and having fellowship with other Christians, but if our faith never leads to action then we have totally missed the point.
Question
In what way is God calling you to fight for what is just and right?
Prayer
Loving God, thank you for the privilege of worshipping. Please help me to ensure that my worship always leads to actions that will please You. Amen

1 Corinthians 14:1
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
1 Corinthians 13 is a really famous chapter, and rightly so, but Paul didn’t write in chapters. Chapter divisions arrived about 1,200 years later! Whenever we see a chapter division, we need to at least peer at what happens next. This is really important in this particular letter, because if you only look at chapter 13 you might think love is so important that you can forget about the gifts of the Spirit. After all, they have a limited shelf life, as Paul has just explained. But here at the start of chapter 14, he makes it plain that we all need to make love the goal of our lives while also seeking after the wonderful gifts the Holy Spirit wants to give us.
The church in Corinth had got into a horrible muddle on so many fronts. Paul knew that if they were to thrive they would need to focus their church life on love at the same time as using and enjoying the gifts of the Spirit. Churches are made up of sinners, so we shouldn’t be surprised that they can still get in a muddle and slip up. The answer hasn’t changed. We need to be full of love and seek to use the gifts that the Spirit has given us to build the Church.
Question
What gift has God given you to build up the Church?
Prayer
Thank you Lord for the gifts that You have given to Your Church. Help me to use my own gift enthusiastically and wisely so that it will help to build Your Church. Amen

1 Corinthians 13:8-9,13
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part…And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like throwing things away. Whether it’s a kettle, iron, car or laptop, I’m always inclined to hang on to it for as long as possible. However, the truth is, of course, that all our possessions have a limited life. Much as we might love them, they don’t last for ever.
The same principle exists in the spiritual realm. Our spiritual gifts are a wonderful blessing, but they come to an end. Speaking in tongues, prophecy, preaching and words of knowledge are all amazing gifts of God, but the day will come when they are silent. There will be no more need for them. However, some things do last forever. Paul lists them as faith, hope and love. One shines above them all, and that’s love.
Isn’t it a wonderful thought that the love we show day by day never comes to an end? It is a reflection of God’s eternal nature, so every time we reach out to another person and truly love them, we are sharing in the stream of His eternal love. There is, therefore, nothing more important that we can ever do than love.
Question
In what way are you encouraged by the fact that love never ends?
Prayer
Thank you Lord that Your love never ends. Help me to devote more of my life to sharing the eternal gift of love. Amen

1 Corinthians 13:11-12
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
When I was young, I was very confused when I met new people. I presumed that they had just been made, because I had never seen them before! I came up with a theory that God probably took the bits of dead people and used them to make the new people I had just met. It was all very logical and, in its way, quite impressive. It just happened to be wrong!
When we are children, our minds struggle to understand the world around us, and that’s absolutely fine – we are children! If I told you that it is still my view that God makes people out of those who have passed away, you wouldn’t think that was fine at all. You would, in your kindness, feel desperately sorry for me and, I trust, start praying for me.
I draw two conclusions from this. Firstly, we need to be humble, because we’ve all got more to learn. And, secondly, we need to be excited by the thought that one day we will understand the whole picture. We will see God face to face.
Question
What new things have you learned about God over the last month?
Prayer
Lord God our Father, thank you that You are constantly revealing more of Yourself to me. Amen