Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Acts 4:29-30
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Having been ordered by the Jewish council to keep quiet, Peter and John returned to their Christian friends to update them. Their response was to pray, and what a beautiful prayer it is. You would have understood if they had asked God to sort out their opponents, but they didn’t. They simply asked God for more boldness so that they could continue their ministry, and they prayed for yet more miraculous signs and wonders. The pressure of the authorities wasn’t going to silence them for a moment.
I have had the privilege of meeting with a number of Christians who have suffered greatly for their faith. During the communist era, I visited Romania and met Christians who faced repeated threats because of their faith. In Pakistan, I recall meeting a man who had been rejected by his family and thrown out of his village when he became a Christian. He had been threatened with death if he returned. I have so much respect for those who have had to exhibit real courage and boldness to maintain their Christian witness.
Such threats are not typical of our society, but it still requires considerable boldness to speak up for Jesus when people are instinctively suspicious and even nervous of those who have strong religious convictions. We need to pray for godly boldness so that we speak up for the Lord, whatever reaction we face.
Question
Do you consider that you need more boldness to speak about your faith?
Prayer
Loving God, help me to share the good news with grace and boldness. Amen

Acts 4:18-20
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied: “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
The miraculous healing of the lame man attracted great attention, so Peter found himself with a further opportunity to speak to the crowd. He explained that the healing had been done in the name of Jesus. This was too much for the Jewish authorities, who were desperate to find a way to shut Peter up.
He responded by making it clear that if it was a choice between obeying the Jewish council or obeying God, he would choose God. Nothing would be able to stop him from witnessing about his faith in Jesus. It is worth reminding ourselves that this bold, confident speaker is the Peter who only a few weeks before had denied ever knowing Jesus. He was clearly a changed man and his pathetic denials were a thing of the past.
In Romans 13, Paul teaches that we should all submit to the governing authorities which derive their authority from God. However, when rulers abuse their power and stand in the way of God, our duty is to obey God. In many countries today, to obey God is to stand in opposition to the government. May God grant them and us the boldness to obey Him, however great the cost might be.
Question
What would you do if you were told to disobey God?
Pray
Lord God, help all Christians today to stand strongly for You, however high the price. Amen

Acts 3:4-6
Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said: “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said: “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
At 3pm one afternoon, Peter and John went up to the temple for the service at which one of the daily sacrifices was made. As they walked through one of the city gates, they met a beggar who was strategically placed to receive people’s money as they came to worship. Peter told him that he didn’t have any money, but in the name of Jesus he healed the man. With these few words, Peter made it plain that what he was doing was continuing the ministry of Jesus who, only a few weeks before, had walked through these same streets.
Nearly 2,000 years have passed, but it is still our privilege to continue the ministry of Jesus on earth. In the name of Jesus, we can pray for people and seek their salvation and healing. We need to find a new boldness to speak out in the name of Jesus and to offer them the life that He came to bring. So often the Church has hidden away its message of good news, which is the exact opposite of what Jesus asked us to do! Jesus is still telling us to go, with His risen authority, and share His life with others.
Question
In what way does Peter’s boldness challenge you?
Prayer
Lord God, I thank you for Peter’s example. Help me to find many opportunities to bring Your healing and salvation to others. Amen

Proverbs 21:26
All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.
Longing for more money and possessions is a terrible disease, but our materialistic society is built on the assumption that this is how we should all live. Long ago, the Greek philosopher Epicurus wrote: “Nothing is enough to the man for whom enough is too little.” The place of true peace and contentment is where you know you have enough and have no desire to find more.

God’s desire for us is that our focus should never be upon seeking to acquire more, but to become better at giving. I love seeing generosity, and I hope that I am always learning from the example of others. I have a friend who always carries a significant number of bank notes with him. The explanation he gave me was this: “You never know when the Lord might give you the opportunity to bless another person.” I love that! He not only has a generous heart but has the money in the right place to be able to act.
Of course, generosity isn’t all about money, but the way in which we use our money will often reveal what is going on in our hearts. What is exciting is that God makes it possible for us to always be generous. Paul wrote: “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion” (2 Corinthians 9:11).
Living generously is the most exciting way to live. It may or may not involve money, but we can be sure that God will always make it possible for us to be generous.
Question
In what ways can you be generous today?
Prayer
Loving Father, help me to live more generously as I get to know You better. Amen

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