Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Acts 1:24-26
Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven.
After the ascension of Jesus, the eleven disciples needed to find a successor to Judas Iscariot. They identified two candidates whom they considered to be suitable, Barsabbas and Matthias. We don’t know anything about them, but clearly they had spent time with Jesus and were part of the wider circle of His followers. It seems strange that, having committed the decision to God in prayer, they then cast lots. This certainly isn’t a method that I have ever employed, but it was their way of leaving the decision up to God. They played their part in choosing two people who they believed to be appropriately qualified, but then they let God decide.
We don’t hear of anyone else casting lots in this way elsewhere in the New Testament and many people assume that the practice belonged firmly to the period before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Once the Spirit had been given, the Church could look to Him to guide all decision-making. That isn’t to say that decision-making is now easy! But we can confidently lean upon the Holy Spirit and seek His guidance in every detail of our lives, without resorting to apparently random measures like casting lots.
The rest of Acts gives us an amazing account of how the Holy Spirit guides people. Step by step He led this small, weak and confused group of ordinary people into becoming a large missionary movement, which turned the world upside down.
Question
In what way are you seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit today?
Prayer
Loving God, thank You that You have given me Your Holy Spirit to enable me to make good decisions today. Amen

Acts 1:12 -14
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying…They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
The days between Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost were filled with prayer. All the disciples knew was that they had to wait and didn’t want to do this alone. We read that they met together in an upper room, which may well have been the same place they had gathered for the last supper. What matters is that they were together and it is interesting to note that the eleven disciples were joined by Jesus’ mother and brothers. We know little about Jesus’ brothers, but John records that, prior to His death, they did not believe in Him (John 7:5).
What an amazing time of prayer it must have been! Jesus had told them that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on them, but hadn’t said when this would happen. They simply had to wait in expectation, with the confidence of knowing that God had a perfect plan. In one sense prayer is always like this. Although we live in the privileged days of the Spirit, whenever we pray there is much that we do not know. We only partly know God’s plans for our lives, our church and our world. As we pray, we open ourselves afresh to the breath of God’s Spirit and invite Him to meet with us.
Prayer is the privilege of every Christian and we will often pray by ourselves. But there is something very important about praying with our Christian brothers and sisters. Jesus said, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). As we pray together the risen Lord Jesus Christ stands with us, strengthening and inspiring us. What could be more exciting than that?
Question
Why is waiting so important in our Christian lives?
Prayer
Gracious Lord, teach me more about the importance of expectant prayer, and help me to treasure the opportunities You give me to pray with my Christian brothers and sisters. Amen

Titus 3:1-2
Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarrelling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has 38 member countries and it regularly runs surveys to discover the level of trust that people have in their government. Overall, it has discovered that about 44% of people have little or no trust in their government. This result is not that surprising. People are endlessly critical of political leaders and deeply cynical about the whole political process. However, I am sure that the situation in Crete when Paul wrote to Titus was a great deal worse. And, to add to that, Cretans were notoriously turbulent and quarrelsome and were inclined to challenge every kind of authority. So Paul’s words would have come as a huge challenge to them.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul gave his fundamental reason for encouraging obedience to the government. He believed that their authority came from God and so rebelling against the government was, in fact, a form of rebellion against God Himself. Paul reasoned that the authorities struck fear in people who were doing wrong, not those who were doing right, and so the general public should have no reason to be afraid of them. Indeed, he argued that if the people did what was right then the authorities would honour them. The authorities were God’s servants and were sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do wrong. For all of these reasons Paul was convinced that Christians should live as good, responsible citizens and should pay their taxes willingly (see Romans 13:1-7).
These challenging words should cause us to reflect on our own relationship with the authorities in our society. Paul would certainly urge us to live as good citizens and to give thanks for those who give us security and an ordered society. I don’t believe that Paul was suggesting we should simply accept everything the government does. Rather, as good and responsible citizens, we should find ways to encourage and support those who bear such heavy responsibilities.
Question
In what ways should we show our support for our government?
Prayer
Father God, I pray for those who govern our country. Grant them Your wisdom and peace, and help me always to serve You well as a citizen. Amen

Titus 2:9-10
Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive in every way.
The idea of slavery is so appalling that it is hard for us to imagine what it would be like to live in a world where it was normal. However, this was clearly the case in the Roman empire. It was simply an accepted part of everyday life and at no point do we hear about anyone in the Bible attempting to dismantle or even challenge the system of slavery. Paul’s concern was that Christian slaves should live in a way that commended the good news. Most slave masters would have known nothing of the Christian faith and so the best opportunity for them to learn about it would be through their slaves. Good conduct and reliability would convey an important message to the slaves’ masters, and show the attractiveness of the gospel.
Paul’s advice is no less relevant today in the world of employment. Most people, and therefore most employers, do not attend church so have little or no idea about the Christian message. Therefore, the most effective way of communicating with them is through the lives of Christians who work with them. In the workplace, there are constant pressures and challenges and the way in which Christians handle them will communicate more than any sermon. When everyone is stressed and tempers get frayed, the patience, grace and peace of a Christian worker can be incredibly powerful.

If the workplace is where many people will get their best opportunity to see Christianity in action, we need to give strong support to one another as we go to work. It won’t always be easy to live for Christ in organisations which are often focused on making a profit. But if that is where God has called people to serve Him, church leaders need to make sure that sermons and services equip people to live out their faith at work. And we all need to encourage one another, so that we will live up to the high standards Paul expected of slaves so long ago.
Questions
In what ways could we do more to encourage people to live out their Christian values at work?
Prayer
Loving God, help me always to give my best in everything I do, so that other people may be drawn towards You. Amen

Titus 2:1
As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching.
Paul’s letters are incredibly down to earth. He was very concerned to ensure that everyone understood the basic elements of Christian doctrine. They needed to know who God is and why He sent Jesus into the world to save us from our sins. But he knew that Christian teaching also needed to be turned into action. In this fascinating chapter, Paul guides his young friend Titus in the way in which he should teach and guide the church members. His guidance was coloured by gender and age in a very interesting way.
The older men needed to live wisely and carefully, to have sound faith and to be full of love and patience (v2). The older women were told not to slander other people or be heavy drinkers and were encouraged to train the younger women to love their husbands and their children (vv3-4). Young men were also encouraged to live wisely (v6). Alongside all this, Paul urged Titus to be an example “by doing good works of every kind” (v7). Titus had his work cut out!
Paul’s teaching challenges us to reflect on what it means to serve God in terms of our age and circumstances. We are, of course, all called to be loving, wise, patient and faithful, but that will demand different things of us depending on our circumstances. Christian leaders need to reflect carefully on the teaching that they give, working out what its implications will be for the range of people in their congregations. Living for Christ will mean very different things for teenagers, parents, middle-aged people, old people, the sick, the employed, the unemployed and the retired.
Thoughtful, practical teaching will always need to sit alongside the personal example of the church leader. Paul described Titus as his true son and we may presume that Titus was younger than many of the people in the Cretan churches. But everyone was looking to him, so he needed to ensure that he was walking closely to the Lord and setting a really good example.
Question
What advice do you think needs to be given to people of your own age?
Prayer
Lord God, help me to apply my Christian faith to the way in which I live for You today. Amen