Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

February 2nd - Galatians 6:14

Galatians 6:14

There was clearly a lot of boasting going on amongst the Galatians! There were those who boasted of the fact that they continued to keep the Jewish law. They continued to practice circumcision and to stand by the Old Testament law. They
were convinced that they were doing extremely well, and looked down their noses at Paul, who was firmly opposed to circumcision for Christians and who spoke constantly about the inadequacies of the law. Paul was keen to do his own boasting but that was focused entirely upon the cross of Christ. For him, what Christ had done on the cross was all important. Through the cross he had found true freedom and a wonderful new life.

I wonder when you last boasted. You were so proud of something that had happened in your life, or in someone close to you, that you just couldn’t wait for the opportunity to tell other people about it. I visited a couple yesterday and they couldn’t wait to tell me all about their grandson and his progress. He is two years old and extremely bright and they were thrilled to tell me all about his recent exploits. It was delightful and I was happy to hear all about it. Boasting is a natural activity when we are thrilled about something, and that describes Paul perfectly. He was so thrilled about the new life he had found in Christ that he was eager for everyone to hear about it.

Boasting is encouraged in many parts of the Bible. In Jeremiah we hear God saying: “But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth” (Jeremiah 9:24). In Psalm 34:2, King David proclaimed: “I will boast only in the LORD.” Boasting of how wonderful we are and of our great achievements is always foolish, but boasting of the Lord is always a blessing.

QUESTION

How could you become better at boasting about the Lord?

PRAYER

Lord God, thank you for all that you have done for me. Help me to become increasingly proud of all that you have done. Amen

February 1st - Galatians 6:7-8

Galatians 6:7-8

The principle of “you reap what you sow” is both obvious and profound. If you sow a field full of wheat you would be crazy to expect a crop of potatoes. It’s so obvious that it hardly needs saying, but the message fundamentally challenges the way in which we live each day, because each word that we speak and action that we perform will have consequences. If we are kind, gracious and loving then there will be one kind of outcome, and if we are spiteful, angry and destructive there will be a completely different result.

Paul drew the conclusion that we should, therefore, not become tired of doing good things, knowing that sooner or later there will be a good harvest. Of course, the problem is that it often takes a long time to see any positive outcome from doing good. It is possible to work in a children’s or youth club for years before you see any positive outcomes. I have known people work
in local churches for decades without seeing any tangible successes. Indeed, sometimes people are unkind and critical of the things that we do, and it all feels like terribly hard work.

All of this means that we need to focus our energies on ensuring that we plant good seed. That was precisely Paul’s situation with the Galatian church. He faced fierce opposition and many people wanted him to believe that he had got it all wrong. But he knew that the seed he was planting was the best. The good news of salvation was a message of hope and liberty that would never let people down, and so he kept preaching it, however cruel and resistant people were. Similarly, we will often find ourselves in situations that are tough and unrewarding. But if we are convinced that we are doing God’s good work, he would encourage us to hang in there, knowing that a good harvest will definitely result one day.

QUESTION

In what situations or relationships are you needing to “hang in there” at the moment?

PRAYER

Lord God, thank you for the work that you call me to do. Help me to keep doing good even when it is tough and unrewarding. Amen

January 31st - Galatians 6:6

Galatians 6:6

It’s not surprising that Paul spoke so clearly about the need to care for teachers in the early Church. They had a crucial role and, if they were not supported by the financial gifts of the church members, they would starve. The Galatian Christians needed to be reminded of their responsibilities. When Paul wrote to his young colleague Timothy, he referred to the need to show respect for church leaders and ensure they were well paid. He used an interesting verse from the Old Testament to support this view. “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain” (Deuteronomy 25:4). Perhaps you hadn’t thought of comparing your church leader to an ox but the point was clear – the church members needed to accept the responsibility to provide for their teachers and leaders.

Churches are far more organised these days and most churches have a thoughtful and responsible way of supporting their ministers. But it is still important for church members to be alert to their responsibilities. I have known many ministers suffer significantly because of the thoughtlessness of their congregations. Church members have simply assumed that their leaders were well provided for, and have been unaware of financial and housing needs. Some have even thought that it was appropriate for their church leaders to suffer as part of their Christian calling. Such immoral thinking is deeply shocking but, happily, increasingly rare.

Whatever their work, everyone needs to be well cared for in order to be truly effective. Christian teachers and leaders are no different. In the words of the apostle Paul, we all need to accept our responsibility for ensuring that all good things are shared with them.

QUESTION

Are you confident that your own church leaders are well provided for?

PRAYER

Lord God, I thank you for my church leaders. Help me always to do what I can to ensure they receive the support and encouragement they need. Amen

January 30th - Galatians 6:4-5

Galatians 6:4-5

In the previous couple of verses, Paul spoke of the importance of us helping other people to carry their heavy burdens. Now he reminds the Galatians that they have their own burden to bear. The word he uses is also used of a soldier’s pack; that is to say we all have a certain amount that we have to carry. We have responsibilities to bear and sometimes, we just need to get on with it and do the very best that we can.

When our lives come to an end, the Lord will not ask us whether we lived like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Martin Luther or Mother Theresa. He will ask us whether we lived the lives that he called us to live. Perhaps you have the awesome responsibility of being a shop worker, a cleaner, a teacher, an accountant, an MP or a carer. Whatever it is, God wants us to be the very best that we can be. Comparing ourselves to other people totally misses the point because the Lord is not calling us to be anybody other than the person we are.

Spending energy comparing ourselves with others, or feeling like a failure because we are not more like someone else, is a complete waste of time. Each of us has our own pack to carry. Imperfect as it inevitably is, we need to get on and make the very best of what God has put in our hands. That’s exactly what the apostle Paul did. He was faced with a continual barrage of criticism and sometimes violent opposition. He had to live with the thorn in his flesh, which was a continual burden for him. But he knew he had a job to do and he got on with it. May God bless us today as we seek to do just the same.

QUESTION

What is the work that God has called you to do?

PRAYER

Lord God, thank you that you are with me every moment of every day. Help me always to give my best to you. Amen

January 29th - Galatians 6:2-3

Galatians 6:2-3

We live in a society that appears to be far more interested in rights than responsibilities. That is not to say that rights are unimportant, because they are clearly crucial. The right to free speech, health, safety, care and justice are fundamental to society. However, none of them will ever happen unless we are all willing to take responsibility. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks powerfully put it: “Without responsibility, rights are a cheque on an empty account.” Here Paul describes the church as a community of people, each of whom needs to take responsibility for carrying each other’s burdens. He had no thought of the church as being there for us to gain inspiration and support so that we can live independent lives.

Sharing other people’s burdens isn’t something that happens quickly. It is a tragedy that for so many people the experience of church is confined to attending worship services. Good as it is to worship with other people, such occasions are rarely an opportunity to get to know people well, let alone learn what their burdens are. Having refreshments and meals alongside worship can start to open up opportunities to get to know others, but it is normally only in small groups or one to one conversations that such deep sharing takes place. I am delighted to hear that some people are using these daily devotional thoughts as a basis for meeting with a small group of people. As they meet together it gives an opportunity to share the joys and struggles of life and give real support to one another.

Paul identifies one reason we might not want to help someone else: thinking we are too important. But there’s another, possibly more common reason: because we feel we are too unimportant and assume we could never be of help to the other person. The truth is that we all need to be willing to listen, learn and stretch out a hand to help.

QUESTION

In what ways are you able to bear other people’s burdens?

PRAYER

Loving God, thank you for those people who have been so willing to support me. Help me always to be willing to stretch out a hand to help others. Amen

January 28th - Galatians 6:1

Galatians 6:1

Sadly, in every organisation of human beings things sometimes go wrong. It’s sad but also an inevitable fact. I love the gracious and positive way in which this verse addresses the issue. When someone sins it is not the end of the world. We don’t need to make a drama out of it, but action needs to be taken, and quickly. The goal is always restoration, but that needs to be done really carefully. The three major qualifications of people who help with restoring someone who has done wrong are godliness, gentleness and humility.

A godly person has their mind fixed on serving God and not themselves. They get involved in helping someone who has slipped up because of their love for God and their desire for his honour and glory. Clearly it would be disastrous if a person got involved because they were looking for their own glory, or because they just loved getting involved in the action.

Gentleness is a crucial quality. Strong arm tactics will never achieve God’s purposes. Gentleness might be thought of as weakness at times, but it is in fact enormously strong. Frances de Sales got it right when he said: “Nothing is as strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.”

Humility is possibly the most vital quality. The only real way to help someone who has sinned is to remind yourself not only that you are also a sinner, but that you are vulnerable and could fall into exactly the same sin yourself.

Restoration is a wonderful blessing, so we need to give thanks for those godly, gentle and humble people who are willing to bring it about. Every church and organisation needs them.

QUESTION

Who do you know who could be described as godly, gentle and humble?

PRAYER

Lord God, I thank you for those who have the gift for bringing about restoration. Help me to recognise and celebrate their gifts. Amen

January 27th - Galatians 5:25-26

Galatians 5:25-26

Living in step with the Holy Spirit sounds wonderful doesn’t it? Just imagine a life which is full of love, joy, peace and all the other beautiful fruit of the Spirit. This must surely be life at its best. But the apostle Paul knew that the life of the Spirit had to be lived out in a world in which sin is still alive and well.

I often hear people express disappointment in their church. They have found that there is a big gap between the pure life of the Spirit and the attitudes and actions of their Christian brothers and sisters. Paul was clearly well aware of this, and it is significant that he follows this challenge to live by the Spirit with the reminder that the Galatians needed to stop being conceited, jealous or provoking one another.

We cannot be sure what was in Paul’s mind as he wrote these words but it is probable that he was concerned about those who had become conceited because they believed that they were more spiritual than others. Those who continued to obey the Jewish law strictly looked down on those, like Paul, who believed that faith in Jesus was all that was necessary. Tensions easily spring up in any community and Paul knew how important it was to act before they became totally destructive of the fellowship. Paul had his feet firmly planted on the ground. He knew both how wonderful it was to live a life directed by the Spirit and, at the same time, how easily that life could be disrupted. We need to be alert in just the same way.

QUESTION

What are the challenges you are facing as you seek to live in step with the Spirit?

PRAYER

Loving God, thank you for the strength you give me each day as I seek to live in step with the Spirit. Amen

January 26th - Galatians 5:22-23

Galatians 5:22-23

These beautiful spiritual qualities are the inevitable result of the Holy Spirit taking control of a person’s life. You can be sure of the genuineness of a person’s spiritual experience when you see these qualities flowing. It’s interesting that Paul speaks here of the fruit of the Holy Spirit but makes no mention of the gifts, which are also the result of the Spirit being at work in someone’s life. Perhaps the reason for this is that the gifts of the Spirit can be mimicked, but the fruit cannot. Jesus spoke of those who, on judgment day, would say: “Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.” And Jesus added that he would have to reply: “I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws” (Matthew 7:22-23).

Nobody would doubt the beauty of the fruit of the Spirit. We all want our lives to be characterised by these beautiful qualities - but whether or not we display them is in our own hands. There need be no doubt that the Holy Spirit wants to give us this kind of wonderful fruitfulness. The question is whether we are willing to open ourselves up to him. Paul was clear that our lives will be a battle ground for as long as we live and breathe on this earth. The voice of the Spirit will not be the only one that we hear, and so we need to spend our days deliberately tuning in to the Spirit amid the clamour of other voices.

Spiritual fruit is crucially important in our own lives, but it is also an important way of working out those who are genuinely working for God. In a situation in which there were many false teachers, the Galatians needed to be able to tell who they could trust. Jesus had addressed exactly the same situation in his Sermon on the Mount when he helped people to recognise the difference between true and false prophets by saying: “You can identify them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16).

QUESTION

How are you seeking to grow the fruit of the Spirit in your own life?

PRAYER

Loving God, thank you for the gift of your Spirit. Help me to open more of my life to his influence each day. Amen

January 25th - Galatians 5:16-17

Galatians 5:16-17

It’s always refreshing when you meet someone who is completely honest. The apostle Paul was such a man. In Romans 7:18-19, he gave an astonishingly frank account of how he ticked. He talked about the way he struggled with his sinful nature, summing it up this way: “I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” That all sounds rather bleak doesn’t it? However, whoever we are, we all know how easy it is for our selfish nature to dominate our lives, even when we know that that’s the wrong way to go. But we don’t need to despair because God offers to lead us by his Holy Spirit. He is able to give us the wisdom and strength to choose a better way.

Paul then gave an agonising list of the destructive consequences of leaving our selfish nature in the driving seat. What’s fascinating is that he wouldn’t need to come up with a different list if he was addressing us today. Look at it. “Sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties and other sins like these” (Galatians 5:19-21). You might have thought that, after 2,000 years, the world might have come up with some new sins. But no, the tired old ones continue to get dragged out, undermining and destroying their victims.

Paul’s excitement was that it doesn’t have to be this way. The Holy Spirit has set us free so that we can live a new life that is characterised by love and all the fruit of the Spirit. Such a life is open to all of us, but only if we are willing to be, like Paul, absolutely honest about our own weakness and our absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit to help us to live this new life. We will never make it by ourselves.

QUESTION

How will you deal with your natural desire to be selfish today?

PRAYER

Loving God, I thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. Help me to put him in the driving seat of my life today. Amen

January 24th - Galatians 5:7-9

Galatians 5:7-9

We all know what is to be disappointed. It may be that someone has let you down, or that things just haven’t worked out in the way that you had hoped. Paul’s letter to the Galatians is dominated by his deep and agonising disappointment that they had allowed false teaching to mislead them. He wondered whether his ministry to them had been a complete failure. This was clearly intensely painful for Paul, because he longed to see them become joyful and fruitful Christians and it had all gone horribly wrong. They had gone back to following the rules and restrictions from which Christ had set them free.

It’s easy to understand how quickly and easily false teaching spread in the early Church. Christianity was new and very few people had a deep knowledge or experience of it. Many people came from a Jewish background and they found it very difficult to understand the radical nature of the changes that Christ had brought about. Others came from a background in other religions and they were easily persuaded by the latest eloquent speaker. Paul was eager to help them to resist the false teaching and to stand strong in the freedom that Christ had brought them.

Our context is very different from the Galatians but we should be no less concerned about false teachers. Paul describes their teaching as being like yeast. It may have seemed small, but it was able to have a huge and damaging effect. In these days, false teaching can spread instantly around the world through the internet, so we need to be on our toes. And the very best way in which to prepare ourselves is by sticking close to the Bible’s teaching. Through spending time reading, reflecting and praying through the Bible, we arm ourselves to face the latest false teaching.

QUESTION

What have you found to be the most helpful ways of getting to know the Bible better?

PRAYER

Loving God, thank you for the gift of the Bible and for the way in which its light shines on my life. Amen