Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Mark 2:5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralysed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” I love this story. Four men had decided that, however difficult it might be, they were going to get their paralysed friend to Jesus. They knew it would be a challenge because Jesus was already very popular and large crowds were following him. On this particular day, Jesus was preaching in a house in Capernaum where he had been staying. The house was already crammed with people, so there was no possibility of the men getting their friend to Jesus through the door. They needed to use their initiative, and for them the obvious answer was to break through the roof. The owner of the house probably wasn’t quite so thrilled with their conclusion but it was, nonetheless, effective, and the paralysed man was brought to the feet of Jesus. Everybody could see what the need was. The man was paralysed and needed healing, so surely Jesus, who had already acquired a reputation as a miraculous healer, would reach out his hand and heal his paralysis. However, Jesus’ first response was not to heal the man but to pronounce forgiveness. This really wound up the religious teachers, who knew that only God could forgive sin. They were still a long way from recognising Jesus’ true identity. When we look at other people, it is often very easy to spot their immediate problem. They may be ill, poor or anxious. Understandably, we are eager to fix their problem as quickly and effectively as possible, but everybody’s first need is forgiveness. Only when we have a restored relationship with God can we move forward into the new life that he wants for us. Until we have received God’s forgiveness, we will continue to lug around sin, guilt and failures from the past. God’s miraculous forgiveness is on offer to anyone who will own up to their sin and receive his gift for themselves. Question How has God’s gift of forgiveness affected your life? Prayer Loving God, I have let you down in my thoughts, words and actions and through those good things that I have left undone. Please forgive my sin and set me free to live for you. Amen

Mark 1:35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Although Jesus’ ministry had only recently begun, he was already very busy. His authoritative preaching and miraculous healings were attracting great interest and he had little time to himself, but he knew that his authority came from God his Father, so he needed to keep in close contact with him. He had to work hard to find a special time and place to pray. He knew that his ministry relied upon it. As we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we need to work just as hard to find our special times and places to pray. One thing is certain: personal prayer won’t happen without discipline and determination. We will always be able to fill our time with other activities. The key thing is for us to become convinced that prayer is our priority and that other activities, however worthy and enjoyable, are of lesser importance. That’s often hard to accept because we tend to judge ourselves, and others tend to measure us, by our activities. For the person who doesn’t understand how God works, prayer could easily look like a complete waste of time. The place where we pray is often very important. You may have a special place in your home where you can sit and pray. In a busy household, this might be hard to achieve. I once heard someone claim that the only quiet place they could ever find in their home was their loo! Maybe you have a park where you can walk. Wherever your special place is, you need to cherish the opportunity to meet with God in quietness. William Wilberforce, famous for his involvement in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, once wrote: “Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer.” Whoever we are, and whatever our life looks like, we all need to listen to those words and make prayer a priority, just like Jesus did. Question What is your special time and place of prayer? Prayer Loving Father, thank you for the privilege of being able to pray to you. Help me to always make it a priority. Amen

Mark 1:16-18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. I will never forget the first time I saw the Sea of Galilee. I was with a friend and we had been travelling for a couple of hours up the Jordan valley. It was incredibly hot and our little car didn’t have the blessing of air conditioning. We greeted our first glimpse of the lake with great excitement and, as we saw it, it was so easy to imagine Jesus walking along beside it, coming to a couple of fishermen and inviting them to follow him. The truly incredible thing is that nothing has changed. Two thousand years ago, Jesus invited people to follow him, and he still does! It's the personal nature of Christianity that makes it so different from other religions and philosophies. Religions normally have a set of beliefs and rules that you have to subscribe to, and then you’re a member, but for Christians, it’s all about a person, and living a life that follows and pleases him. Life is instantly redefined when you follow Jesus. Nothing looks the same. Someone once described the difference as being like seeing life in colour after only seeing it in black and white. I find it fascinating that as soon as Jesus invited the fishermen to follow him, he gave them a job. You might have thought that Jesus would have given them a while to get to know him and understand his teaching first, but no – following Jesus always involves finding others to follow him. And that’s the way Jesus’ earthly ministry concluded as well. When Jesus ascended to his Father in heaven he commanded his followers to make disciples of all nations. Whatever you are doing today Jesus says two things to you. He invites you to follow him and asks you to recruit other followers as well. Question Who might you be able to encourage to follow Jesus today? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for inviting me to follow you. Help me to follow you more closely each day and to encourage others to do the same. Amen

Mark 1:14-15 Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” We all know what we need to do when we are driving in the wrong direction: turn around. These days, I rely on satnav for most of my journeys, but every now and again, I trust my memory. Most of time that works brilliantly, but I have had a number of embarrassing experiences when I got things wrong. I remember one time when I was driving home at the end of the day. I wasn’t far from home, but I suddenly realised that I was driving north when I needed to drive south. All I could do was swallow my pride and turn around! That’s repentance – turning from the wrong direction to the right one. Just like John the Baptist, Jesus preached a message of repentance because he knew that it was the only way for people to discover the good news of God’s forgiveness. Repentance is much more than merely regret or remorse. It’s being sorry enough to stop and walk in a new direction. On the day of Pentecost, the punchline of Peter’s sermon was that the people needed to repent. That day saw the birth of the Church as people turned to God in repentance and were baptised. As they did so, Peter told them they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we turn our backs on the way we have been living, we need enormous encouragement and strength to head in a new direction. It’s not something we can possibly do by ourselves. No amount of human effort will be enough. We are completely reliant upon God’s Holy Spirit to fill us each day and to help us to walk in a new way. Question What has repentance meant for you personally? Prayer Lord God, I repent of the fact that I have so often gone my own selfish way. I ask you to forgive my sins and for the power of your Holy Spirit to help me live a new life in your strength. Amen

Mark 1:12-13 The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him. We’d probably all like to think that if our lives were totally led by the Spirit like Jesus’ was, we would be able to avoid all challenges and difficulties. Life would be one long succession of blessings and smiling people. The experience of Jesus shows us that this isn’t how the Spirit works. Led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus faced temptations, injustice, opposition and violence, but as he did so, he was given the wisdom and strength to face every challenge. The New Testament is incredibly candid about the challenges which face those who follow Jesus, and he himself was very clear about this. He saw it as an inevitable consequence of living in a broken and sinful world. In Jesus’ teaching to his disciples before his death, he said: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). If you look back through the past couple of years, you can likely identify many temptations, challenges and difficulties that you have had to face. That’s life! The same will be true in the months and years ahead, but we need not be afraid because as the Holy Spirit leads us through these experiences, he will also give us the wisdom and strength to cope with them. When Jesus sent his disciples out on their first mission, he assured them that it would be tough. He said he was sending them out like sheep among wolves. He told them they would be handed over to the courts and flogged with whips in the synagogues. On the face of it, everything would go wrong, but Jesus told them not to be fearful because God would perfectly equip them. He told them not to worry about what they would say when they were arrested because the Spirit would give them the right words. I totally understand why we all shrink from the idea of temptations, problems and opposition, but with the Holy Spirit, we have nothing at all to fear. As we trust him, we will have all the wisdom, strength and words we need. Question How does this teaching help you as you look to your own future? Prayer Loving God, I invite your Holy Spirit to fill me, and to guide me every step of my life. Amen