Be Still And Know

Proverbs 11:13 I suspect we have all had the experience of someone saying to us: “This is just between you and me. It must go no further. It has to be kept within these four walls.” Because we are human, we get excited. This person has trusted us with important information. But this is dangerous territory. It may well be that they are passing on information with such care because they have promised not to share it. They have proved that they cannot keep a confidence. You’d do well to remember that when speaking to them in future! Gossip is incredibly attractive. The writer of Proverbs refers to it as being “like dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart” (Proverbs 18:8). When we hear gossip, for a fleeting moment we feel flattered that the person was willing to share it with us. Then we realise the horrible destructiveness of what they have done. We can be quite sure that our secrets will never be secure with that person. We all need people with whom we can speak with complete confidence.

Luke 19:26 In the parable of the talents, Jesus speaks of three servants who were entrusted with some money. Two of them multiplied the original amount enormously and, when the king discovered this, he was thrilled. But the third servant played it safe, hiding the money to ensure he could return it in full. The king was furious. He ordered his safely preserved money to be given to the servant who had made the most money. Jesus’ message is clear. Don’t play it safe! If God has given you a gift, use it. If you have a gift of caring, studying, administrating, teaching, healing, praying or writing, whatever it may be, make sure that you are using it as productively as you can. One day the Lord will ask you what you have done with the gift – and you should expect a severe response if your answer is that you played it safe, and did nothing. It’s tempting to look at our gifts and think they don’t amount to much. We can all look at others and reflect that they are so much more gifted than we are. But that

Luke 19:5-7 I think everyone loves to be called by name. I certainly do. And it is particularly special if you didn’t realise that the person speaking to you knew your name. Clearly, Zacchaeus was not only surprised that Jesus knew his name but thrilled when he offered to visit his house. This changed everything for Zacchaeus, who realised that he had to turn his life around. The fact that Jesus came into the world to save sinners is wonderful, but it means little until you realise that this offer is extended to you personally. 
You matter to God. Incredibly, if you had been the only sinner who had ever lived, Jesus would have died for you. As a teenager, I really struggled to believe that I could be that important to God. It seemed so unlikely. But it’s precisely the good news that Jesus came to proclaim to the world. When you accept it for yourself, it cannot fail to turn your life upside down. The crowd in this story did not approve of Jesus’ choice. They couldn’t believe he would go to the ho

Luke 18:35; 40-43 Jesus knew that he was heading to Jerusalem to die. But, even so, as he was on his way there, he had time for people. When he heard a blind man call out to him, he stopped and gave the man his full attention. From the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he had declared that he had come to bring sight to the blind, in fulfilment of Isaiah 61. But that didn’t mean he would impose his healing. He came to offer healing and that’s what he does when he meets the blind beggar in Jericho. Jesus never barges into our lives telling us what’s best and imposing his will on us. He simply offers himself. On the face of it, it seems strange that Jesus would ask a blind man what he wanted him to do because it seems so obvious. We know nothing of this man’s circumstances, but we might well presume that his blindness was connected to his begging. He lived a life of complete vulnerability and so he needed to receive his sight. Even so, Jesus respects him as an individual and lets him make the de

Luke 18:31-33 Jesus’ death on the cross was only a few days away. He took his disciples to one side and gave them a vivid description of what was going to happen. But, incredibly, they didn’t understand a word of it. It was all a complete mystery to them. The coming days were a total shock. They understood that Jesus was an amazing teacher and healer, but they had yet to grasp the true meaning of his life, and they didn’t want to think about his death. We live in a society that is equally unaware of the significance of Jesus’ death. This is a great tragedy. As we approach Easter, we need to reflect on the ways in which we can help people to grasp the importance of this time. I think we should be glad that Easter eggs are still a focus of huge attention. 80 million boxed eggs are sold every year in the UK – and more than 500 million cream eggs! I am not for a moment suggesting that this leads to deep spiritual enlightenment, but the symbol of an egg does convey a clear and powerful picture of n

Luke 18:16-17 Jesus continually surprised people, but his reaction to children would have been particularly astonishing to his hearers. In Jesus’ time, children had no status or protection in law. At best, they were regarded as potential adults who needed to be seen but certainly not heard. The disciples were keen to protect their rabbi, Jesus, from the children so that he could get on with the serious business of instructing the adults. But, as so often was the case, Jesus turned their thinking upside down. Not only did Jesus welcome the children but said that they provided the role model for his disciples to follow. What was Jesus getting at? He clearly wasn’t encouraging his followers to be childish. He was affirming that he wanted them to come to him with a spirit of openness and simplicity. The beauty of children is that they haven’t lived long enough to make life complicated. He wanted his followers to come to him with that simple trust. I feel sure that he also wanted to encourage a spi

Luke 16:10-12 We are all impressed by competent people. People who get things done. But competence isn’t everything. A person’s character is of far greater significance. Indeed, a person who has enormous competence but a bad character is very dangerous, and their activity is likely to lead to disaster sooner or later. Jesus’ words are wise ones. We need to listen to them carefully. Faithfulness is a key quality and, if someone has proved unfaithful in one area of life, it is likely they will be unfaithful in other areas as well. If someone shows dishonesty in a trivial matter, it should come as no surprise if they are dishonest on a bigger scale. Our core character determines the way in which we live our lives – whether the issue is large or small, involves our family, business or church. This emphasises the importance of continually growing our Christian character. As we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives, our character will gradually change. His fruit will become increasingly evident

Luke 15:20-21 Of all the stories that Jesus told, the parable of the prodigal son is perhaps the most famous. It is a story that takes us to the heart of the good news. Can you think of anything worse than a son asking for his inheritance while his father is still alive? Having secured the money, he then went off and squandered it, ending up completely broke. In his desperation, all he could do was to find a job feeding pigs – and, for a Jew, you couldn’t imagine a worse job because they were banned from eating pork. The people would have listened to Jesus with rapt attention. But they also knew how the story should end. When they heard that the son planned to return home and ask his father for a job, they knew that any self-respecting father would give him a hiding. He would punish him severely. Everyone could see that’s what he deserved. But this father was different. Even though he had been horribly abused, he threw his arms around his wayward son and welcomed him home. He then gave him the

Luke 15:8-10 Almost everyone has a moving story of a time when they lost something very precious. For me, it is normally my keys, glasses or mobile phone and, most of the time, the search concludes successfully within a few anxious minutes. I have never lost my wedding ring, but I have heard many heart-rending stories of people who have. The woman in this story has lost one of the ten silver coins that formed part of her headdress, given to her when she got married. There was no point telling her that she still had nine coins! Each and every coin was of huge sentimental value and losing one caused her great distress. The pain of losing something precious is massive. Its gut wrenching and can dominate life. We struggle to settle to anything else. When the moment of discovery comes, the joy is overwhelming. It would be unthinkable to keep that joy to ourselves. Everyone needs to know about it! Jesus says that’s exactly how it is in heaven when a sinner repents. When even one person turns to G

Luke 15:4-5 This is such a beautiful story. You can picture the shepherd as he makes sure the 99 precious sheep are safe and warm, and then trudges out into the wilderness to look for the one that was lost. It’s a heart-warming story – but it doesn’t make any sense. Economically, why would you run the risk of endangering 99 sheep by leaving them all alone in the desert to search for just one sheep, who constitutes only one per cent of your business? Surely, the shepherd should protect 99 per cent of his business and hope that the silly lost sheep would somehow wander home. The only explanation for a shepherd acting in this way is love. He sets out to search for the lost sheep because
he really cares for each of them. This gives us an insight into the way in which Jesus lived and worked. He spent a lot of time with people who everyone else considered to be lost causes. He could have spent it comfortably, in Jerusalem, having interesting conversations with the religious people. But Jesus chose t

Luke 13:18-19 A mustard seed is tiny – between one and two millimetres. You would hardly notice it because it so small but, incredibly, it can grow into a huge plant, commonly three metres tall and sometimes even up to four metres. It’s understandable that Jesus described it as a tree. Inevitably, a mustard plant attracts huge attention from birds who love to feed on the little black seeds. Jesus’ point is clear. When we see God at work in the world, it may not look impressive. It may appear incredibly small. But the kingdom of God is always in the growth business and so, even though it might seem tiny, it will keep growing. In many parts of the world, the Church is small and struggling. I’ve visited many towns and even cities around the world where there is only one Christian or just a small group. I’ve always been incredibly impressed when I’ve met such people. In human terms, their situation looked impossibly challenging, but they have faith that God can grow his kingdom against all odds. W

Luke 12:21 I love the fact that most of Jesus’ stories are told in very few words. Our verse today is the punch line to a very brief story that he told about a rich farmer who had such a successful harvest that he needed to build more barns. He concluded that he could now settle back and enjoy life. He could eat, drink and be merry. But Jesus called the man a fool. He had not taken into consideration the fact that his life might come to an end that very night. I don’t believe for a moment that Jesus wants us to go through life with long faces, dwelling on the morbid realisation that any day might be our last. Far from it! He wants us to live our lives fully every day, to enjoy the wonders of his creation and the miracle of being alive. But he wants us to do so in the light of eternity. He wants us to invest in the things that last, not the things that will pass away. Nothing is more enduring than our relationship with God. There is nothing wrong with making money, but there
is something hi

Luke 10:41-42 Forgive me for a little pop psychology. It seems to me that some people are naturally activists. They are always up and doing. Other people are naturally reflective. They want to stand back from life and consider everything carefully. In this beautiful little account, we meet two sisters who are perfect examples of these different approaches to life. Martha was an activist. She knew Jesus had a very busy ministry and it was obvious to her that he needed a good meal. Martha was therefore appalled when she saw her sister skiving. Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening carefully to him and, meanwhile, Martha was fuming. Mary should have been working as hard as she was! In a complete strop, Martha went to Jesus and told him to order Mary to help her. Jesus’ response must have been devastating. She was so sure she was right, but Jesus gently informed her that she was completely wrong. Mary was right: listening to Jesus was a much higher priority than getting the meal ready. What ar

Luke 10:33-34 I love the parable of the Good Samaritan, not least because it would have come as such a complete surprise to Jesus’ hearers. Jesus was being challenged by an expert in the law, who asked for the legal definition of the word ‘neighbour’. He was probably expecting a sophisticated technical response – and instead Jesus told him a story. For any Jew, the parable was deeply shocking. The fact that a man had been ambushed on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho wasn’t surprising. The winding road that connected the two communities made it an ideal place to attack a traveller. But what was shocking was that the priest and Levite did nothing. Of course, they had perfect excuses, since touching a dying man could have made them unclean and therefore unable to perform their duties in the temple. But, even so, anyone with a heart would realise that they should have responded to the helpless man. What is astonishing is that Jesus chose to make the hero of the story a Samaritan, of all peop

Luke 9:51 There’s a wonderful description of the servant of the Lord in Isaiah 50:7 in which it says that he set his “face like flint”. That is to say, he was absolutely resolute in his obedience to the Lord. That’s precisely what we see here in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus knew that the Jewish leaders were determined to kill him and yet, even so, he headed into the city where his life would be under greatest threat. If anyone had done a risk assessment of the situation, Jesus would have been advised to avoid the area and head back up north to Galilee. Jesus’ complete commitment to his Father’s will is awe-inspiring. He could have chosen to avoid the dangers,
but his desire was to be obedient and, so, he headed south to Jerusalem. He had no fear and took a route that no Jewish person would ever have taken, walking through Samaria (whose people despised the Jews). Predictably, the Samaritan people kicked up a fuss when they heard Jesus was heading to Jerusalem. This angered James and John, who suggeste

Psalm 23:6 David concluded this amazing psalm by looking to the future. He was confident that God’s love would be with him whatever it held. The Hebrew word that is translated as “unfailing love” is hesed. Unfailing love is a good translation but it does not carry the full weight of this word, which is rooted in the covenant relationship that God enjoys with his people. Because God has committed himself to live in covenant with us, his mercy, love and kindness are absolutely secure. We can therefore live our lives full of hope and confidence, not because there will be no challenges or difficulties in the future, but because we know that God’s unfailing love will pursue us whatever
it holds. This profoundly affects the way we live today. Knowing that our future is secure in God’s hands enables us to live calmly and confidently, unburdened by anxiety about anything that might be to come. This idea was also a key theme in Paul’s letters. So much so that he told the Philippians this: “For to m

Psalm 23:4 In the previous verse, David expressed his confidence that the Lord, his shepherd, would lead him in right paths. Now he declares that one of those right paths is the dark valley. It isn’t a mistake when we face times of loss, illness and bereavement. The dark times are part of the life of faith and, because our shepherd knows that to be the case, he is there beside us on the journey. It is significant that David moves from talking about the shepherd to addressing him directly. He doesn’t merely rejoice that the Lord is with him but says: “you are close beside me. Your rod and staff protect me” (my emphasis). Passing through dark valleys is an inevitable part of being alive. It is vital that we know that our shepherd is there to accompany, protect and strengthen us. He is our companion on the road and has exactly the right equipment. The shepherd’s rod was a cudgel attached to his belt with which to fight off predators. And the staff – or shepherd’s crook – would help direct the sheep a

Psalm 23:2-3 Sheep have many fine qualities. They are highly social creatures and very sensitive to one another. However, one of their more troublesome characteristics is that they are inclined to stray. This is even more problematic when you factor in their desire to keep close to their friends. As every shepherd knows, sheep often wander off as a flock. This emphasises the crucial importance of the shepherd. Without a shepherd’s support, sheep are incredibly vulnerable. It’s not hard to understand why the Bible so often compares human beings with sheep! We too have an inclination to wander from safe paths – and that’s why we need the Lord to be our shepherd. A shepherd is continually concerned with finding pasture for their flock and ensuring the sheep have access to good water supply. This must be particularly demanding in an arid area such as Palestine. The Lord knows our need for constant nourishment and refreshment. These things are not luxuries but crucial to our spiritual health. He contin

Psalm 23:1 David knew what he was writing about when he used the word ‘shepherd’. As a young man, before his surprise selection by Samuel, that was his job. He knew what a tough and demanding task it was to care for sheep in an environment that was constantly hostile. A shepherd had to stay with his sheep in all weathers, knowing that there were always sheep rustlers and wild animals on the prowl. A shepherd needed to be strong, wise and alert. So in calling God his shepherd, David was saying a great deal about the relationship he had with his Lord. Many of the descriptions that David used of God were strong and powerful but, ultimately, could seem distant. Calling God a fortress, a high tower or a rock tells us much about the mighty power of God and the security that he gives, but there is little warmth in them. The use of the term ‘shepherd’ was completely different. David was no doubt recalling his own relationship with his sheep. He knew them intimately. He knew the ones most inclined to w

2 Corinthians 7:8-9 Early on in my ministry, one of the most spiritual and sensitive members of my congregation said to me: “Very little truth is spoken in this church.” I was quite shocked by this statement, and thought a great deal about it. As I did so, I came to realise that, painfully, she was absolutely right. It was a very happy, growing church, but our relationships were largely superficial. We were all extremely friendly with one another, but we rarely discussed the challenges and tensions that we were facing. We carefully avoided the sharp edges of truth. However, if we are truly to grow as churches, there needs to be a great deal of honesty and a willingness to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Paul had shared a lot of truth with the Corinthian church and, clearly, his words had hurt them. He now reflects on the letter he wrote and acknowledges that, at first, he was sorry that they had found it so painful. However, he was now glad he had sent it because his strong words helped