Be Still And Know

Luke 10:33-34 Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 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 must have been expecting a sophisticated technical response, and instead Jesus told him a story. To 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, all so different from the large straight highway that we see today. What was shocking was that the priest and Levite did nothing. No doubt they felt that t

Luke 9:51 As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. There’s a wonderful description of the servant of the Lord in Isaiah 50:7, which says he set his face like flint. He was absolutely fixed on heading in one definite direction in obedience to the Lord. That’s precisely what we see here in this verse in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus knew exactly what was going on. He knew that the Jewish leaders were determined to kill him, and yet he headed to the city where his life would be under greatest threat. If anyone had done a risk assessment of the situation, Jesus would have been told to avoid the area and head back up north to Galilee. Jesus’ complete commitment to his Father’s will is awesome. He could have chosen to avoid the dangers, but his desire was to be obedient, so he strode down south to Jerusalem. He had no fear and took a route which no Jewish person would ever have been advised to take. He walked through Samaria, whose people hated and despised the Jews. Sure

Psalm 77:5-7 I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? These are painful verses. Asaph, the psalmist, is in the pit of despair. He feels that God has rejected him completely. He looks back at how things used to be, but those memories are painful in themselves because his present predicament appears hopeless. His complete honesty is precious. There is no pretence. He tells God exactly how he feels. There is something incredibly healthy about this because strong relationships can only grow where there is honesty. Asaph feels completely let down by God, and he lets him know it. Christian worship can very easily be less than honest. When we sing of our complete confidence in God, does that always reflect the way we feel? It was the great Christian writer A W Tozer who wrote: “Christians don’t tell lies – they just go to church and sing them.”

Psalm 73:21-24 Then I realised that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. The psalmist had been struggling with his thoughts. In this psalm, he admits he has become very envious of wicked people who seem to enjoy a really easy life, avoiding many of the problems which good people face. He wonders whether following God has been a complete waste of time for him. However, the more he reflects, the more he recognises the foolishness of his thinking, because the wicked people are on a slippery path which is bound to end in their destruction. In our verses, Asaph the psalmist wakes up to his foolishness and recognises that what really matters is his faith in God. God has kept him secure and will guide him through the rest of his life. At the end of the psalm, he draws the conclusion: “But as for me, ho

Psalm 71:17-18 O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. Now that I am old and grey, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. Over the years, I have heard a number of people say they felt that in their ideal life, they would do whatever they wanted. Then, on their death bed, they would commit their life to God and receive eternal life. In this way, they figured, they would get the best of both worlds. King David would have completely disagreed with them! For him, the whole of life was made more special and precious through knowing God. He saw his life, from beginning to end, as an opportunity to proclaim how great God was and, in so doing, to ensure that future generations would also worship God. Succession planning is an integral part of any effective organisation. If there are no plans for the future, there is every possibility that the organisati

Psalm 69:16-17 Answer my prayers, O LORD, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble! Waiting is never easy. Whether it is for a phone call, a parcel or medical results, waiting can be exhausting. If life is going really badly, waiting is even more agonising. That’s exactly how we find King David in this psalm. Things are going disastrously for him. He begins by saying that the floodwaters are up to his neck. He feels that he is sinking deeper and deeper into the mire and he can’t find a foothold. We’ve all had times like that, and it isn’t pleasant. David clearly felt overwhelmed and disorientated and, in his despair, he cried out to God. In his long life, David had learned to be completely honest with God, and this is one of many psalms in which he held nothing back. He is absolutely exhausted, and he gives a graphic account of his condition. He says that his eyes are swollen with weepi

1 Timothy 6:20 Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. The name Timothy is Greek and literally means ‘he who honours God’. As Paul drew his letter to an end, he challenged Timothy to live up to his name by looking after what had been entrusted to him. It was as if he had been called to look after a treasure chest, and he needed to ensure that it was passed on to others and wasn’t spoilt. We all have exactly the same responsibility. Our Christian faith is so precious and important that we need to look after it so we can hand it on to others, especially to the next generation. Looking after our Christian faith sounds simple enough, but Paul often reminded Timothy that his faith would continually be under attack. Timothy needed to keep away from time-wasting conversations. The Greeks loved nothing better than to engage in philosophical debate. There was one particular school of Greek philosophers called the Aca

1 Timothy 6:17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. If you have a look at the world’s stock markets over the past century, you will know exactly what the apostle Paul meant! They have gone up and down. Money is completely unreliable. The downs have often been dramatic and have led to misery for millions of people. The 1920s were a time of huge economic expansion. They were known as the Roaring Twenties and saw the advance of many technological innovations in radio, automobile, aviation and telephone. However, the growth was unsustainable, and in the Great Crash of 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 40 per cent, leading to the deep economic depression of the 1930s which caused incredible misery right around the world. More recently, the crashes of 1987 and 2008 saw massive losses on the stock markets with huge implications for the world economy

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. As Paul draws towards the end of his letter to Timothy, he gives his young friend a huge amount of encouragement. He describes him as a man of God and urges him to be the best that he could possibly be. Paul, of all people, knew the frailties of Timothy, but he tells him to run as fast as he can from anything that might hold him back. Encouragement is so important, isn’t it? We all need it in whatever we do, especially when we are facing challenges, and Paul has no doubt that Timothy is going to face enormous difficulties and intense persecution. Many people see the expression “fight the good fight” as a reference to the Olympic Games, but Paul may well have been using military language. Either way, the challenge is clear. The journey ahead was going to be tough, and Timothy needed to be totally dedicated to his faith. The Christian li

1 Timothy 6:9-10 People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. This is one of the most misquoted verses in the whole Bible. It is often said that money is the root of all evil, but it isn’t. It’s the love of money that’s the problem. Money is part of the world that God has made, and like everything that he has given us, it can be used well or badly. Time, sex, possessions, creation and anything else you care to name can be used to build or to destroy. Money is the worst possible love affair. It promises so much and delivers so little. It promises happiness, security and peace, and it cannot buy any of them. Indeed, the problem with money is that for the lover of money, it becomes like salt water. It leaves you permanently thirsty. It’s no wonder th

Timothy 6:6-8 True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. Everybody can see that to be contented is a wonderful way to be. Oscar Wilde wrote: “True contentment is not having everything, but in being satisfied with everything one has.” Those are wise words, and they well reflect the thinking of the stoics, whose philosophy was so influential at the time Paul was writing. However, the apostle goes a step further. Contentment is thoroughly good, but it is best when combined with a life that is focused on God. The person who has found a relationship with God can have confidence that they will have peace, whatever their circumstances, for time and eternity. We live in a society that is fundamentally discontent. The advertising industry works hard all the time to convince us that our contentment relies on us buying the late

1 Timothy 6:1 All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching. It’s hard for us to imagine what it must have been like when slavery was normal. Between ten and 20 per cent of the population were slaves in Roman times, so it was an issue with which everyone was familiar. Because the members of the Church were largely drawn from the poorer members of society, it is likely that the proportion of Christians who were slaves was much higher. It was vital, therefore, that Paul handled the question of how Christian slaves should act towards their masters, and the fact that he did so in many of his letters shows what a major issue it was. Here, he told slaves to give their masters full respect, whether they were Christians or not. That must have been tough, especially if their masters were unreasonable and cruel. However, Paul knew that if Christian slaves acted aggressively and rudely towards their masters, it would give the faith a bad name.

1 Timothy 5:19-20 Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others. It is always sad when accusations are made, and it’s particularly tragic when a church leader is the one being accused. However, that’s all a part of being human. I often hear people say things like: “You wouldn’t expect such things to happen in a church.” My question would be: “Why? If a church is made up of sinners, then surely such things are sadly inevitable.” I do not find bad behaviour in any way acceptable. I simply believe that it’s inevitable, and the whole history of the Church indicates that this is true. We should all be extremely disappointed when things go wrong, but at the same time, we should ensure we have effective procedures in place to cope when they do. That was precisely why Paul wrote to Timothy in the way that he did. Paul followed the usual Jewish legal po

1 Timothy 5:17-18 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” As the early Church grew, it inevitably had to face the issue of caring for its leaders. One of the very practical issues was that of pay. Paul had often supported himself through his work as a tent maker, but he had always insisted that it was appropriate for churches to take responsibility for paying for their leaders. Here he refers to the Old Testament law concerning oxen. When the sheaves of corn had been harvested, they would be laid out on the threshing floor and oxen would walk across them, often tethered to a post. The farmer was obviously keen not to lose too much of his crop, but he was commanded not to muzzle the ox. That wasn’t out of kindness to the ox so much as to ensure that he kept workin

1 Timothy 5:8 But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. In days before the welfare state, caring for relatives could be a massive responsibility, but Paul was clear that it was fundamental to Christian faith. It was usual in his society for families to care for one another, so it was crucial that the Christian Church didn’t lag behind. He could hardly have been stronger in his language. If anyone neglected their family responsibilities, they were worse than an unbeliever. It was unthinkable. Caring for our families is very different today. The state provides a huge range of care and pensions ensure that families are not alone in providing financial support for older people. Even so, the responsibility that families bear is still very great, and we should be grateful for the many charities that seek to help. One of them is Care for the Family, which offers a wide range of support for parenting, m

1 Timothy 5:1-2 Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. In recent years, endless investigations have revealed that abuse exists throughout our society. Upon the publication of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse report in 2021, the BBC’s Mark Easton wrote, “There is barely a corner of this country’s institutional, cultural or spiritual life untarnished by the activities of abusers.” Easton noted that wherever the inquiry looked, it found abuse. Tragically, the churches came in for severe criticism, and every Christian denomination has had to take a hard look at itself. Treating people lovingly, graciously and wisely is a responsibility that we all have, but Paul was particularly concerned for his friend Timothy to get this right. Church leaders find themselves in a vu

1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity. By the time Paul wrote these words to Timothy, they had been colleagues for about 15 years, so Timothy wasn’t particularly young. The Greek word for youth used here can describe anyone of military age, which went up to 40. Timothy was probably in his 30s, but his older friend Paul knew that there would be people looking critically at the relative inexperience of Timothy, and Paul wanted him to do everything to resist it. Interestingly, Paul clearly wasn’t intending for Timothy to rebuke those who looked down on him. Timothy needed to respond to his detractors by the sheer quality of his life. By setting a good example in his speech and conduct, his critics would be silenced. His love, faith and integrity would let them know what sort of a man he was. I am sure that Paul would have thoroughly approved of our society’s sensiti

1 Timothy 4:8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” There is a great deal of emphasis on physical fitness in our society, which is a good thing. Gym membership is higher than it has ever been, but just because people are members of a gym, it doesn’t mean they ever attend! One survey in the USA revealed that 67 per cent of people didn’t make any use of their gym membership, and suggested that gyms build their business models on the assumption of huge non-attendance. If you are into keeping fit, that’s great. Our bodies are a gift from God, and it’s important that we look after them. Paul acknowledged that physical training has some value, but it is vastly outshone by godliness, which he saw as being valuable for all things, bringing blessing both for this life and the one to come. If godly training is so important, we need to know what it looks like. Paul would have seen it as a combination of good teaching, worship

1 Timothy 3:1 This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honourable position.” One of the key tasks for Paul and Timothy was to find good leaders. Without godly and effective leadership, the Church was never going to thrive. In this chapter, Paul spelt out the qualities that a church leader needs, and this list hasn’t really changed much over the past 1,900 years. A church leader still needs to have good relationships within their family. They must be faithful, hospitable, able teachers and gentle. It’s interesting that Paul felt the need to say that a leader shouldn’t be a heavy drinker, violent, quarrelsome or a lover of money, but no one could disagree with him. Paul also stated that a leader should not be a new Christian, and that people outside the church should speak well of them. Paul began these comments by speaking of those who aspired to be a church leader, and he wanted to encourage them. They were desiring an honourable position. I believe that is sti

1 Timothy 2:8 In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. Lifting up hands in worship has happened for thousands of years. The psalmists often referred to it. In Psalm 63:4, King David proclaimed: “I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.” However, by itself, lifting our hands in worship says nothing at all about what is happening in our hearts. A person could be living the most immoral life and thrust their hands into the air. Paul wanted to know that those who worshipped God in this way were doing so in the right spirit – that their hands were holy, and that they weren’t angry or stirring up controversy. When we worship God, we must come in holiness. Our minds must be focused on God. It is so easy for us to come to worship with our minds distracted. For that reason, it is often very helpful to make sure we have a time of quietness before we worship God. In that time, we can deliberately lay down all the