Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
This daily devotional podcast offers a moment of peace and reflection each weekday morning. It aims to help listeners incorporate Spirit-filled calm into their busy routines. The episodes provide spiritual nourishment and encouragement. Listeners can start their day with a brief, uplifting message. This podcast is suitable for anyone seeking a daily dose of Christian inspiration.
Episodes
October 16th - Psalm 141:3-4
Psalm 141:3-4
Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.
David knew that his worship couldn’t stand apart from everyday life. If he worshipped God, he knew it had to affect the way in which he spoke to other people. He
October 15th - Psalm 139:23-24
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
One of the reasons many people love to read daily newspapers is to find out what terrible things other people do in order to feel a little bit better about themselves. I won’t ask you whether that has ever been your motivation! In
October 14th - Psalm 139:13-14
Psalm 139:13-14
You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Our bodies are simply amazing. Here are a few random facts: every second, our bodies produce 25 million new cells; the tongue is covered in about 8,000 tastebuds, each containing up to 100 cells helping u
October 13th - Psalm 139:1-2
Psalm 139:1-2
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
We are incredibly sensitive these days about protecting our personal data. Quite rightly, we don’t want everyone to know everything about us. We’ve likely all had the experience of getting emails and letters from organisations who know far more about us than we woul
October 12th - Psalm 138:8
Psalm 138:8
The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.
When you sing about or listen to a sermon on the subject of guidance, it can often sound very straightforward. But life rarely runs in a straight line, and King David, who wrote this psalm, was definitely aware of that. He got himself into endless scrapes and was always up against
October 11th - James 5:19-20
James 5:19-20
My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Churches are not made up of perfect people. Far from it! This surprises those who assume Christians live lives of near perfection. For such peo
October 10th - James 5:16b
James 5:16b
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Some years ago I contracted whooping cough. To be honest, I thought it was only something children got and was amazed when my GP told me I had caught it. From time to time over a number of weeks I struggled to breathe. The worst episodes were in the middle of the night, and I will never forget those desperate attempts to br
October 9th - James 5:16a
James 5:16a
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
How are you? I wonder how you normally respond to that question. Probably, like most of us, you smile sweetly and summarise your life with one word: “Fine”. It’s a good word and if it’s true, that’s wonderful, and one can only hope that it will continue to be the case. But, if we’re honest, it is some
October 8th - James 5:14-15
James 5:14-15
Is anyone among you ill? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Jesus was both a healer and a teacher. You cannot divide up His ministry. He ministered to the whole range of pe
October 7th - James 5:13
James 5:13
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
I once heard a well-known preacher tell the story of a young woman who said she often didn’t feel like praying. His response was that prayer is not a glandular condition! Prayer is something we need to do whatever our feelings. That’s precisely the point that James is making here. In short,
October 6th - James 5:12
James 5:12
Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No”. Otherwise you will be condemned.
James isn’t talking here about bad language but about the very common practice at the time of trying to strengthen a statement by taking an oath. Jews made a distinction between oaths made in the name of God
October 5th - James 5:11
James 5:11
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
We don’t know exactly what James’ readers were facing, but clearly it was tough for them to live as Christians. They needed to persevere. Amid all the temptations, distractions and persecution th
October 4th - James 5:9
James 5:9
Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
The Bible introduces us to lots of grumbling people. Most famously we hear the people of Israel having a whinge after God had miraculously led them out of slavery in Egypt. They had been there for 400 years and, at last, had been set free by the mighty hand of God. The y
October 3rd - James 5:7-8
James 5:7-8
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
Waiting sounds easy until you have to do it! As we all know, waiting can be incredibly difficult and demanding, especially if you d
October 2nd - James 5:1-2
James 5:1-2
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.
You can almost see the steam coming out of James’ ears, can’t you? He is furious at the way in which the rich people are abusing their position. His very specific gripe is that they have failed to pay their workmen for mowing their fields
October 1st - James 4:13-14
James 4:13-14
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
We are constantly encouraged to plan for the future. Whether we are looking at our family, our housing, our holi
September 30th - James 4:7-8
James 4:7-8
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Life can often feel like a battleground. There is great evil in the world, and any newspaper will illustrate that in agonising detail. But there is also immense kindness and goodness all around if we have the eyes to see
September 29th - James 4:6-7
James 4:6-7
Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Did you know that God is capable of hatred? Perhaps you think God is so nice that He couldn’t bring Himself to hate anything. However, the Bible is quite clear that God seethes with hatred at times. In Proverbs 6:16, we learn that God hates seven things, and top of the list is
September 28th - James 4:2-3
James 4:2-3
You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Dream for a moment. If you could have anything in the world, what would you choose? A beautiful large home; a yacht; a luxurious holiday; perfect health; world peace? Read on its own, James 4:2 suggests that we just nee
September 27th - James 3:17-18
James 3:17-18
The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Many churches observe that they have very few people in their 20s and 30s. Whenever I’ve asked people in that age group what they are looking for, one theme dominates:
September 26th - James 3:3-5
James 3:3-5
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a smal
September 25th - James 2:15-17
James 2:15-17
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
You’ve probably noticed that Christians use a lot of words! Preaching, singing, praying and fellowship all in
September 24th - James 2:1
James 2:1
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism.
Do you have any favourites? Or do you look at other people in exactly the same way whatever their age, education, wealth, beauty, race or religion, irrespective of whether you know them or not? The first question suddenly got more difficult, didn’t it? We would all be keen to claim that we
September 23rd - James 1:23-24
James 1:23-24
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like
I love the way James writes, but I’m not sure he would make easy company. He is so incredibly blunt! Here he makes the obvious but powerful point that there would be no use in looking in a
September 22nd - James 1:5
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Life constantly throws challenges at us. How should I be spending my time and money? Should I move to a different job? How can I resolve the dispute that I’ve got with my neighbour? Should I tell my colleague that he’s annoying me? How should I go about tell
September 21st - James 1:2-3
James 1:2-3
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Having problems, trials and difficulties hardly sounds like the best way to create joy – let alone pure joy! So what is James talking about? He’s taking his readers to the heart of the Christian faith, which turns everything up
September 20th - Psalm 137:3-4
Psalm 137:3-4
Our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?
This is an agonising psalm. The people are in exile far from their homes. Sitting by the rivers of Babylon, they were about 1,000 miles from their beloved Jerusalem. In their misery, they couldn’t bring t
September 19th - Psalm 136:1-3
Psalm 136:1-3
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
Those are just the first three verses of this psalm. It has 26 verses in all, and they all end with the refrain “His love endures forever.” You have to feel that the psalmist is trying to make a
September 18th - Psalm 133:1-2
Psalm 133:1-2
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe.
It’s always inspiring to see unity at work. Whatever the organisation, it is encouraging to see a group of people working effectively and happily together. Whether it’s a football
September 17th - Psalm 132:3-5
Psalm 132:3-5
[David vowed:] “I will not enter my house or go to my bed, I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
When David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel, it was a major political event. However, for him it was far more than a political moment. David saw the city as a spiritual centre for the nat
September 16th - Psalm 131:1-2
Psalm 131:1-2
My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.
CH Spurgeon, the great Victorian Baptist preacher, commented that this is “one of the shortest psalms to read but one of the longest to learn
September 15th - Psalm 130:3-4
Psalm 130:3-4
If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
One day in 1738, John Wesley reluctantly attended a Christian meeting In Aldersgate Street, London. He was feeling thoroughly depressed, but during the meeting someone read from Martin Luther’s Preface to the letter of St Paul to the Romans and W
September 14th - Acts 28:30-31
Acts 28:30-31
For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with all boldness and without hindrance!
Paul’s journey to Rome was an amazing adventure. It was long and difficult, and during it, he and his companions survived a shipwreck. We would love to know far more de
September 13th - Acts 24:24-25
Acts 24:24-25
Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
Here we meet Paul on the Mediterranean coast
September 12th - Acts 23:11
Acts 23:11
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
Paul was going through an incredibly difficult time. His arrival in Jerusalem had sparked a riot and the Roman authorities struggled to know what to do with him. They didn’t know how to handle religious disputes, so they tried to hand t
September 11th - Acts 22:1-2
Acts 22:1-2
[Paul said:] “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defence.” When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.
Paul faced intense hostility when he reached Jerusalem. People had heard reports of his ministry among the Gentiles, and he was accused of telling people to disobey the Jewish laws. A riot broke out and the crowd demanded that Paul should be killed.
September 10th - Acts 21:13
Acts 21:13
Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
There was no stopping Paul! He was absolutely determined to go to Jerusalem, and no one was able to stand in his way. That’s not to say they didn’t try. When he arrived in Tyre in Syria, he spent a week with the believers there
September 9th - Acts 20:36-38
Acts 20:36-38
When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.
There was clearly a very strong bond between Paul and the Ephesian elders, and this moment of parting was painful. Paul had an absolute conviction in the wonderful future t
September 8th - Acts 20:28
Acts 20:28
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
I suspect most people would not choose to be compared to sheep! It would hardly be seen as a flattering description. Sheep are rarely viewed as the brightest of animals and are generally understood to be easily led. Howe
September 7th - Acts 20:24
Acts 20:24
[Paul said:] “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
What’s the purpose of your life? We all have to agree that this is an excellent question, but most of the time we are far too busy to be able to ask it. We may be busy with our work, family
September 6th - Acts 20:18-20
Acts 20:18-20
[Paul] said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears…You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.”
I want to tell you about something which regularly happens in ou
September 5th - Acts 19:11-12
Acts 19:11-12
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
I have no personal experience of my own handkerchiefs being a blessing to anyone else, and those close to me suggest they probably wouldn’t be! But that’s not the point. God will work in the
September 4th - Acts 18:9-10
Acts 18:9-10
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
Throughout the Bible, we hear God telling people not to be afraid. When God made a covenant with Abram, the father of the nation of Israel, He spoke to him in a vision and told h
September 3rd - Acts 17:32-34
Acts 17:32-34
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council. Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed.
Paul received a complete range of reactions to his speech to the Areopagus. Some laughed, others wanted to hear more and yet others became believers. You co
September 2nd - Acts 17:22-23
Acts 17:22-23
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.
Paul must have been delighted to get an opportunity to speak to the Areopagus. This was a highly respected body which
September 1st - Acts 17:17-18
Acts 17:17-18
[Paul] reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him.
We have much to learn from Paul. When he went to a new place, he normally visited the synagogue first. There he would find not only Jews but also people who were
August 31st - Acts 17:16
Acts 17:16
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
We have no reason to think that Paul intended to spend time in Athens. He was merely there for a few days while he waited for Silas and Timothy to catch up with him. The threats to his safety had got too serious in Berea, so he had been escorted south to the relative safety o
August 30th - Acts 17:11
Acts 17:11
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Every preacher longs to meet people like the Bereans. They were really open to the Christian message, but they didn’t simply accept everything that Paul and Silas had to say. They looke
August 29th - Acts 16:25-26
Acts 16:25-26
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.
The ministry of Paul and Silas in Philippi soon hit the buffers when they healed a slave girl who was a fortune teller. She had made good money for her owners until the mo
August 28th - Acts 16:15
Acts 16:15
When Lydia and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Paul’s first convert in Europe was a businesswoman. Lydia came from what we now know as western Turkey and was a dealer in the purple cloth for which her home area was famous. As Paul travelled
August 27th - Acts 16:9-10
Acts 16:9-10
During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia.
We should never put a limit on the ways in which God might choose to speak to us. Yesterday, we saw God putting a block on Paul’s plans. Today, He makes it crystal clear where Paul shoul
August 26th - Acts 16:6
Acts 16:6
Paul and his companions travelled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
This is a remarkable moment. Paul clearly had a carefully worked out plan for his missionary journey but, at the same time, was intensely sensitive to the guidance of the Spirit. He was travelling through what we now know
August 25th - Acts 16:2-3
Acts 16:2-3
The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of [Timothy]. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
This is a fascinating moment. Paul had just come away from the council of Jerusalem, where the decision had been made that it was unnecessary for Christians to obey
August 24th - Acts 15:37-39
Acts 15:37-39
Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.
This is a painful moment, but I’m so glad Dr Luke recorded it. He could quite easily have airbrushed it out of his account, but he d
August 23rd - Acts 15:28
Acts 15:28
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements.
The council of Jerusalem, which we read about in Acts 15, had a massive problem to resolve. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost, it came upon a huge gathering of Jews, so the first Christians brought with them the richness of their Jewish traditions
August 22nd - Acts 14:23
Acts 14:23
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Paul’s first missionary journey is incredibly impressive. Having been nearly killed in Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went on to Lystra where Paul was stoned so badly that some people thought he was dead. However, he summoned the strength
August 21st - Acts 14:14-15
Acts 14:14-15
When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you.”
After Paul and Barnabas were rudely bundled out of Iconium, they fled 19 miles south to the small Roman city of Lystra. A man who had been lame from birth had been healed while Paul was speaking, and
August 20th - Acts 14:2-3
Acts 14:2-3
But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
Paul and Barnabas were having an amazing time on their first missionary journey. A large number of peop
August 19th - Acts 13:5
Acts 13:5
When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
This is the start of the first missionary journey. It was an incredibly important moment for the Christian gospel. Saul (who from this point on was known by his Roman name, Paul) was happy to preach about Jesus anywhere, but it was his usual practice to start in
August 18th - Acts 13:2-3
Acts 13:2-3
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
This book of the Bible is often referred to as the Acts of the Apostles. A much better title for it would be the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Important
August 17th - Acts 12:14-15
Acts 12:14-15
When she recognised Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
What do you expect to happen when you pray? Does it occur to you that God might dramatically and immediately answer your prayer? Clearly
August 16th - Acts 12:11
Acts 12:11
Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
At this time, the early Church was growing fast, and this was making King Herod increasingly nervous. He was determined to tighten the screws, so he arranged for the killing of Jame
August 15th - Acts 11:25-26
Acts 11:25-26
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch…The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Barnabas’ famous gift of encouragement was not only expressed in words. He also took action. He could see that the church in Antioch desperately needed a good leader, and he was convinced that he knew the right man. Antioch, in S
August 14th - Acts 11:22-23
Acts 11:22-23
News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.
When the church leaders in Jerusalem heard about the rapid growth of the church in Antioch, they had lots of questions. Because the church in Jerusalem was str
August 13th - Acts 11:2-3
Acts 11:2-3
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticised him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Criticism always stings. It must have been so hard for Peter to face a barrage of criticism when he returned home to Jerusalem. God had given him a vision and opened his eyes to a new world in which He wanted to welcome everyone t
August 12th - Acts 10:44-45
Acts 10:44-45
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.
This has often been described as the Gentile Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in Jerusalem, it was on the occasion of a major
August 11th - Acts 10:34-36
Acts 10:34-36
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”
This might not sound revolutionary, but we need to understand that Peter’s world
August 10th - Acts 10:1-2
Acts 10:1-2
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
Cornelius is a fascinating character. He wasn’t a Jew and neither was he a follower of Jesus. He was a God-fearer, and the most positive things are said about him. He wa
August 9th - Psalm 127:1
Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
The psalmist isn’t merely talking about house building in this famous psalm. He is talking about everything we build – a life, relationship, family, organisation, city or society. There is no point in building anything without God, because it is bound
August 8th - Psalm 126:5-6
Psalm 126:5-6
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.
If you know anything about farming, you will know that it is hard work, but just imagine how incredibly tough it was in the psalmist’s day without the help of modern machinery. Planting was back-breaking work, but year by y
August 7th - Psalm 125:1-2
Psalm 125:1-2
Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.
I love these Psalms of Ascent, which the pilgrims used as they travelled to Jerusalem. In this particular psalm, we almost get the feeling that we are travelling with them as they gaze at the mou
August 6th - Psalm 124:8
Psalm 124:8
Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
I wonder if you ever have “what if” conversations. You know the sort of thing: “What if I’d had a different career? What if I’d gone to a different school? What if we’d moved to a different town?” In this psalm, David reflected on an even bigger question: “What if the Lord had not been on our side?” As the pilgrims m
August 5th - Acts 9:27
Acts 9:27
But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
Friends are a precious gift, and we all need them. Saul found himself in a delicate position when he visited Jerusalem for the first time after his conversion and he desp
August 4th - Acts 9:17
Acts 9:17
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said: “Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
I consider this to be one of the most moving sentences in the whole of the Bible. Ananias had been asked by God to go and meet Saul. He
August 3rd - Acts 9:3
Acts 9:3
As Saul neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
Saul was a deeply committed Jew and his mission was quite simply to destroy the Church. He was acting with the authority of the high priest in Jerusalem to search out any followers of Jesus and take them as prisoners. But suddenly everything changed as he travelled on the road to Damascus. A brill
August 2nd - Acts 7:59-60
Acts 7:59-60
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Stephen was one of the seven men who were appointed to handle the distribution of food to the widows. Chapter 7 reveals that he was also a very fine preacher. He delivered a careful
August 1st - Acts 6:1
Acts 6:1
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
From time to time, every human organisation will experience rumblings of discontent. They are simply a part of life; exhausting but inevitable. It isn’t open warfare, but it isn’t som
July 31st - Acts 5:38-39
Acts 5:38-39
Gamaliel said: “I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
The success of Peter and John’s healing and preaching ministry was deeply irritating to the Jewish authorities. They were anxious t
July 30th - Acts 5:1-2
Acts 5:1-2
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
This is a chilling story. Ananias and Sapphira were not obliged to give all the money from their property sale to the apostles, but they made the false claim that they
July 29th - Acts 4:29-30
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 praye
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