Be Still And Know

John 13:14-15 At no time in the history of the Church has foot washing been a regular practice, and I don’t believe that Jesus was suggesting that it should be. He was simply giving his disciples an example of costly service. If we want to live in step with Jesus, we need to be willing to serve others - even though that will often prove difficult and unpleasant, and come as a surprise to those whom we serve. In Jesus’ teaching, the supreme illustration of costly service was that of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). He was willing to expose himself to considerable danger by helping the man who had been attacked by robbers. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho wound its way through rocky desert, and was well known as a place where bandits operated. But he was willing stop and help the wounded man in this potentially hazardous area. He was willing to offer his own donkey, to take the injured man to a place where he would be cared for. And when he got there, he offered to pay the inn keeper enough mon

John 13:8-9 For Peter, everything seemed wrong about Jesus washing his feet. The task of foot washing was such a lowly role that a Jewish slave had the right to refuse to perform it! Peter’s refusal was as strong as he could make it, and totally understandable in the context. He would never let it happen! But then Jesus explained how vitally important it was that Peter should allow him to do so. If Peter were to refuse, he could never be said to belong to Jesus. Peter’s complete devotion to Jesus was such that these words changed his mind instantly and, with predictable enthusiasm, he invited Jesus to not merely wash his feet but the rest of his body as well. This beautiful story makes a very important point which we all need to understand. We can only serve the Lord effectively when we have, first of all, allowed him to serve us. We may be full of ability, energy and enthusiasm but, before we serve God, we need to allow him to first nourish and strengthen us. It takes considerable humility to

John 13:6-7 Everything was surprising about the fact that Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. First of all, this was a job for a junior slave, not a rabbi of Jesus’ standing. It was also a job that was done as soon as people entered a house, not when they were sitting down for a meal. So when Jesus approached his disciples to wash their feet, Peter asked what many of the others may well have been thinking. Was Jesus really going to wash their feet? What I find interesting is that Jesus didn’t offer an explanation. He seemed content with the fact that they couldn’t understand what was going on, and simply reassured them that, one day, they would. Very often, this is the way in which the Lord works in our lives, too. So often we want a complete explanation of the way things happen. When we experience failure or rejection, we want to understand why. Or we face some unexpected good news and just can’t understand that either. Peter and the disciples needed to learn they could trust Jesus completely. Even

Psalm 149:4-5 As we read through the book of Psalms, we see that they are full of declarations of how great God is. They constantly remind us that he is the creator of heaven and earth, and is therefore worthy of all our worship and praise. But we also learn a great deal about God’s understanding of us. Even though he knows absolutely everything about us, he looks at us with love and delights in us. He honours us. No wonder the psalmist says that God’s people sing for joy as they lie on their beds. I love that! He is saying that we can praise God wherever we are. As we relax at the end of the day, we can do so joyfully. We can sleep peacefully and calmly because we are in God’s hands. The blessing of the psalms is that they are constantly pushing the boundaries. However great you think God is, the psalmists want you to know that he is much, much greater. But, at the same time, the psalmists also want you to understand that you are more loved, accepted and treasured than you ever imagined. The psal

Ezekiel 37:4-6 The prophecy of Ezekiel isn’t an easy read. It records the complete failure of God’s people, and the details of God’s judgment are spelt out in vivid and terrifying detail. When Ezekiel was given a vision of a valley filled with dry, dead bones he must have felt that is was a very apt summary of all that God had said to him. It was a scene of total lifelessness. But God hadn’t given up on his people. He was still longing to breathe on them and bring them back to life. Imagine the scene. The whole valley was full of bones. Nothing else. And then, suddenly, there was a rattling noise. It echoed across the valley as the bones started to come together and form complete skeletons. And then, as he watched, he saw muscles and flesh form over the bones. Finally, skin was stretched in place. This was all very encouraging, but the newly constructed bodies still couldn’t live. They needed breath. And so the Lord breathed on the bodies and they came to life, standing up on their feet like a great a

Ezekiel 16:62-63 These words come at the end of a long and agonising chapter in which God reminds Jerusalem of its rebellion against him. He recalls the fact that the city had heathen roots. Before it became the holy city for the people of Israel, Amorites and Hittites lived in the city. God paints the picture of the city of Jerusalem as a baby, unwanted by its parents and cast out, left to die. This appalling custom was quite common at the time. But God came to this abandoned child and lavished his love and care upon her. The child became a beautiful woman, with whom her rescuer fell in love. She was given status and security, but was unfaithful and freely offered herself to other men as a prostitute. It’s a tragic story, and tells of the way in which God had been consistently rejected and mistreated by his people. God was furious with Jerusalem for the way in which they had treated him, but he was also a God of covenant. He longed for restoration. This reminds us very strongly of the parable of

Ezekiel 14:6 If you had visited Jerusalem in the days leading up to King Nebuchadnezzar’s attack on the city in 597 BC, you might not have thought their problems were all that great. The Temple was still functioning and, on the surface, nothing seemed to be going wrong. But it was a bit like picking up a juicy apple which looks perfect on the outside. Take one bite and you immediately realise that it’s a very different story on the inside. Jerusalem could put on a good show but, when the Lord shone his light on the situation, it was a complete mess. In their hearts, the people had firmly rejected God and given themselves over to idolatry. The problem with idols is that they push God out. They demand attention and devotion, making it impossible to give God his rightful place as first in our hearts. Unfortunately, the word ‘idolatry’ makes one immediately think of strange ancient statues. This is dangerous, as it can lead to us assuming that idols are no longer a problem these days. But nothing coul

Ezekiel 3:16-17 Most towns and cities in Ezekiel’s time were protected by thick walls. They lived with the continual possibility of attack and so the role of the watchman was crucial. When Nehemiah rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, watchmen played a central role because of the opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem the Arab. When the walls were fully rebuilt, watchmen were one of the first appointments that he made (Nehemiah 7:1). When God called Ezekiel to be a watchman, it was very clear what he was saying. He needed to fulfil the spiritual role of watching out for attacks against Israel and warn the people when they came. The Church today has exactly the same role. Because of our love and care for our society, we need to be willing to speak the truth and warn others of the consequences of disobeying the Lord. This is a tough role, and we won’t often be thanked for performing it. Our responsibility is to ensure that, whatever we say, it is motivated by love. If we speak with anger or with an air

Ezekiel 3:10-11 This is a crucial point for every Christian teacher and minister to hear. Before you dare to tell other people about God, you need to make sure that you have first received the message for yourself. This was precisely where the Pharisees and Sadducees fell down. On the surface, they appeared to be impressive adverts for the Jewish faith. There is no question that they were deeply committed to their religion, and were meticulous in the way that they followed the requirements of the law. But they missed the point. On one occasion, the Sadducees posed a legal puzzle to Jesus. They believed in the resurrection, but they wanted to know who a woman would be married to in the afterlife if all seven of her husbands died. It was a crazy question and Jesus didn’t even attempt to answer it. Jesus said: “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). The Sadducees were very bright people who knew a great deal about their faith, but the le

Ezekiel 3:8-9 God has just told Ezekiel how tough his job is going to be. He tells the prophet that the people don’t listen to him and so they are unlikely to listen to Ezekiel either. God describes them as being hard-hearted and stubborn, and that made Ezekiel just the right man for the job! He had all the qualities needed for the tough role that he had been given. I don’t believe we all have the gift of being obstinate and hard-hearted, but I do believe that God knows what he is doing and that he perfectly equips us for the work he calls us to do. Some of the work that God calls us to do requires people who are gentle and sensitive. Other tasks will require people who are determined and strong. We are all different, but God will make sure we have the gifts to do what he has called us to do. If we have the kind of challenges that Ezekiel had to face, God will no doubt give us foreheads that are as hard as the hardest rock, too! It is important to know these things because the greatest fear is tha

Ezekiel 3:1-3 This is all rather weird isn’t it? I’m certainly not going to suggest that you start eating your Bible in order to get closer to the Lord! I think it might have the opposite effect! However, I believe that Ezekiel was commanded to take this rather strange action to show that the word of God on the scroll was absolutely a part of him. He needed to learn that he had to be completely obedient to God’s commands even when they seemed rather strange. The result was wonderful. The scroll tasted great! There’s something really important for us to take from this. If we are to serve God effectively, we need to let his word become a part of us. We need to learn it, memorise it and meditate on it. Memorising the Bible is an excellent thing to do, but it is perhaps not widely done these days. When I was young, there was far more attention given to memorising scripture. I can still remember great chunks of the Bible that I learnt as a boy. It is also good for us to give time to meditating on the B

Ezekiel 2:6-7 We all want to be loved, and listened to with joy and appreciation. But any servant of God also needs to be ready to keep going whatever the response to their message. Ezekiel was told by God that he needed to be ready for the worst possible reaction. I have very little experience of living with threats, but I can imagine how painful and trying it must be. To be surrounded with threats “like nettles, briers and stinging scorpions” sounds terrible - and if you have ever lived in the tropics with the constant potential threat of scorpions, you will get the point! They are often very small, but their sting is terrible. God told Ezekiel not to be afraid or dismayed, both of which seem like perfectly reasonable responses to overwhelming threat. Ezekiel needed to know that he was doing God’s work - and so he had no need to be afraid or dismayed. If ministering to the exiles had been his own idea, and he had been doing it in his own strength, fear and dismay may have been the inevitable consequ

Ezekiel 2:3-4 God certainly didn’t do anything to make Ezekiel’s ministry look attractive! Like Isaiah, he is informed that he will have a really tough time serving God and will meet with constant resistance. Serving God in a world which largely ignores or rejects him is always hard work. Earlier today, I was reading a biography of John Newton, the slave trading captain turned Christian. Newton was convinced that God had called him to be a minister and had his eyes wide open to the challenges of doing so. In his journal, he noted that he expected to face “opposition on all sides... censure and ridicule...a larger measure of trials than others.” I’m not going to disagree with any of that. It is hard work being involved in God’s work and, after 40 years of being a minister, I know from personal experience that this is true. But serving God has also been the greatest joy and honour that could be imagined – and I am sure both John Newton and Ezekiel would agree with me. Having the privilege of spe

Ezekiel 1:1-2 Ezekiel gives us some very specific information at the start of his prophecy. This is helpful as we try to understand the man who wrote this amazing, important book. In 594 BC, five years after he had been exiled to Babylon along with the King and the cream of Jerusalem society, Ezekiel has a vision from God. He was a priest and so, probably led worship for the people of Israel. Living in exile, about 1,000 miles from home, many were struggling to cope with their new circumstances. They were living in Babylon and their job was to till the land which belonged to the state. Being accustomed to the healthy mountain air of Jerusalem, it must have been hard work to adjust to the sweltering marshlands of Babylonia. There can be no doubt that this was a time of anguish for Ezekiel. He loved his people and was distressed to see the way in which they had been humiliated. He knew full well that they were in Babylon because they had disobeyed the Lord. How difficult it must have been for him to ser

Psalm 148:1-3 In short, everything and everyone needs to praise God. These verses are particularly interesting because they specify angels and stars. Throughout history, there have been those who thought it appropriate to worship angels. When he wrote to the church in Colossae, Paul wrote about the problem of angel worship (see Colossians 2:18). However, although angels have a special role, they too need to share in the worship of Almighty God. And, once again, throughout history people have looked to the stars to give them guidance. Astrology first took hold in about 1800 BC in Mesopotamia and has had an extraordinary grip on people all around the world ever since. But the psalmist puts the stars in their rightful place. They need to bow in worship to God their creator, just like everyone and everything else. Worship is vital for everyone, because only when we put God in the place that is rightfully his, will we see our own lives in a proper way. Only then will we find what it is to live our li

Psalm 147:3-5 This psalm specifically rejoices in the return of the exiles to Jerusalem. It was a momentous time for the people after many years of exile in Babylon. Their captivity was a punishment for the way in which they had disobeyed the Lord, but now, finally, they were free. In response, the Israelites praised God for the way in which he had met with them and restored them. He had healed the brokenhearted and bandaged their wounds. But, at the same time, this great God was also the King of all creation. He was able to count the stars and even address them all by name. This reference is particularly significant, because God promised Abraham that he would make his descendants “as numerous as the stars in the sky” (Genesis 26:4). Our amazing God is everywhere! There are no limits to his power and understanding. These verses are a helpful reminder not to put limits on God. He is our saviour, our friend and our Lord, but he is also the creator of the universe. The moment we feel we have understo

Titus 3:1-2 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has 38 member countries. It regularly runs surveys to discover the level of trust that people have in their government. In the UK, that level is about 40 per cent, lower than in the majority of countries. This result is not that surprising. People are endlessly critical of our political leaders and deeply cynical about the political process. However, I am sure that when Paul wrote to Titus, the situation in Crete was a great deal worse. And, to add to that, Cretans were notoriously turbulent and quarrelsome, inclined to challenge every kind of authority. So Paul’s words would have come as a huge challenge to them. In Romans 13:1-7, Paul gave his fundamental reason for encouraging obedience to the government. He believed that their authority came from God and, so, rebelling against the government was a form of rebellion against God himself. Paul reasoned that the authorities were feared by people who were doing wrong, not t

Titus 2:9-10 The idea of slavery is so appalling that it is hard for us to imagine what it would be like to live in a world where it was normal. However, in the Roman Empire, it was an accepted part of everyday life. In this passage, Paul is not attempting to dismantle or even challenge the system of slavery, but instead seems concerned that Christian slaves ensured their lifestyle commended the good news. Most slave owners at the time would have known nothing of the Christian faith, so the best opportunity for them to learn about it would be through the slaves who had already converted. Their good conduct and reliability would convey an important message, and show the attractiveness of the gospel. Times have, thankfully, changed but Paul’s advice is no less relevant in today’s modern workplace. Most people, and therefore most employers, do not attend church and have little or no idea about the Christian message. Therefore, the most effective way of communicating with them is through the lives of

Titus 2:1 Paul’s letters are incredibly down to earth. He was very concerned to ensure that everyone understood the basic elements of Christian doctrine. That is to say, they needed to know who God is and why he sent Jesus into the world to save us from our sins. But he also knew that Christian teaching needed to be turned into action. In this fascinating chapter, Paul guides his young friend Titus in the way in which he should teach and guide the church members. His guidance was coloured by gender and age in a very interesting way. The older men needed to live wisely and carefully, to have sound faith and to be full of love and patience, said Paul. The older women were told not to slander other people or be heavy drinkers, and were encouraged to train the younger women to love their husbands and their children. Young men were also encouraged to live wisely. Alongside offering this instruction, Paul urged Titus to be a good example by doing good works of every kind. Titus had his work cut out! Pau

Titus 1:15 These words may well feel familiar. They closely echo the words of Jesus when he said: “A good person produces the good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45). Paul’s particular challenge in Crete came from those who were insisting that all Christian men should be circumcised. This teaching was proving extremely destructive and was driving whole families away from the Church. Paul was convinced that the only reason they were teaching this was to make money. In response, he quoted a Cretan prophet, who said: “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals and lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). This sounds incredibly harsh, but Paul was desperate to protect the young church from those who were bent on its destruction. Paul was convinced that what mattered more than anything was the purity of a person’s heart. If their heart was right, everything that flowed