Open the Bible UK Daily

We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Romans 8:26

Imagine a teenage computer geek writing software in his basement: “How can I get this in the hands of the people at Microsoft?” He doesn’t know anyone there, and he has no idea how to introduce his ideas to them. Who knows how many requests they receive in a day.

One day there’s a knock at the door, and a man in his late sixties, with gre...

[Pray] in the Holy Spirit...

Jude 20

Once you’ve grasped that there’s one God, and that He’s not whoever you want Him to be, the next question is “How do you come to Him?” That depends on what you want to receive.

The Bible uses the picture of a throne to help us understand. There is one God, but more than one throne. That’s easy for us to understand in the United Kingdom. There is one king in Britain, but he has several thrones, and each throne relates to a different...

[Pray] in the Holy Spirit…

Jude 20

Imagine meeting with your minister at church. The minister places a number of envelopes in front of you and says, “We can talk about anything you want. But here are some envelopes with questions written on them. Go ahead and pick one.”

The topics range from faith to spiritual growth to fellowship, but you choose the envelope on prayer. The question on the envelope reads: “How would you describe your prayer life?” and inside there are a number of cards with various words—some positive, some negative. Duration: 00:02:38

[Look] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith...

Hebrews 12:2

Faith grows by looking at Jesus. Faith becomes strong as you fill your mind and soul with how trustworthy He is.

Imagine yourself as a younger child, attending a professional sporting event with your family. Your parents get tickets about twenty-five rows from the game. The people are packed in like sardines, and they’re standing in front of you, so you find it very difficult to see.

You eventually find a solution. Instead of sitting in your chair, yo...

[Build] yourselves up in your most holy faith…

Jude 20

Faith is like a muscle. It grows strong when it is used. If you want to develop a particular muscle, you pull or push against a weight. Faith grows when it has to push against a great burden.

That’s what happens when God allows trials in your life. You lose your job, a relationship ends, or the bottom line of your business is the wrong colour, and suddenly you’re in the gym. This is the moment. God is handing you the weight...

[Build] yourselves up in your most holy faith…

Jude 20

Jude is talking about the same faith here that he mentions in verse 3: “The faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” You can build up your faith by affirming what you believe. That’s why Christians throughout the centuries have recited creeds in their worship: “I believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth…”

C.H. Spurgeon preached to vast crowds in London over a hundred years ago. When the time came for him to enter the pulpit, he often felt...

[Build] yourselves up in your most holy faith...

Jude 20

There will be times when you seem to be making little progress, and you wonder, “What’s wrong with me? Am I a Christian at all?” Jude says, “You need to build up your faith.” How do you do that?

Satan loves to point out how puny, pathetic, and embarrassingly small your faith is. You should counter by recognising that the faith you have—however small—is a miracle, a gift from God, and by giving thanks for it.

When you begin to thank...

I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith...

Jude 3

Evangelicals often emphasise spiritual life and the importance of the new birth. We rejoice when people give testimonies of how they came to faith in Christ. But spiritual life is no guarantee of spiritual health. You may be spiritually alive, but are you spiritually fit?

We know what it’s like to be out of shape physically. What does it look like when we’re out of shape spiritually? Here are some symptoms:

But you, beloved, [build] yourselves up in your most holy faith...

Jude 20

Jude’s message is very simple: Keep yourself in spiritual shape. It is also very practical, because Jude breaks this down into seven workouts for a healthy Christian life.

You may be committed to some kind of fitness programme. You may work out with a coach or a personal trainer who gives you an exercise routine to help you get in shape.

A good exercise routine will get you working on different muscle groups: “This one is for your...

Certain people have crept in unnoticed... who pervert the grace of our God...

Jude 4

The book of Jude was written to a group of believers who were discouraged because of a growing number of church leaders who were marked by moral compromise and doctrinal error. Jude describes the quality of leadership (verse 12) in many churches:

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

John 18:37

Pilate had so many voices ringing in his ears. He had the voice of his wife, who said to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream” (Mat. 27:19).

Much louder were the voices of the chief priests who had handed Jesus over to him. Pilate also had the voice of his own conscience. Three times he declared that Jesus was innocent (Jn. 18:38; 19:4, 6).

And then there was the voic...

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews.

John 18:38

Some suggest that this was a genuine question, but Pilate didn’t wait for an answer. It seems that he spoke these words as an exit line. Pilate asked, “What is truth?” And he said this as a judge charged with bringing justice.

Imagine yourself standing in a court of law on false charges, and your only hope is that the judge will uncover the truth.

The judge asks if you have a...

“I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

John 18:37

Jesus tells us here that there is a realm where all truth is known. It is not in this world. Jesus came into the world to “bear witness to the truth.”

The Bible tells us that in this world, we know “in part” (1 Cor. 13:12). That is why we often feel that we are only getting part of the story. Where on earth is the truth fully known?

Jesus tells us...

“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.”

John 18:37

This is the last statement of Jesus about why He came into the world. The chief priests have brought Jesus to Pilate’s house, and Pilate has to make a decision about Him.

The religious leaders “began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king’” (Lk. 23:2). So Pilate’s first question to...

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

If you follow Jesus, you will never be in total darkness.

He may lead you through some dark places. One day, He will lead you through the darkest valley, the valley of the shadow of death. But even there, He will walk with you.

His light will shine in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it. Follow Jesus, and you will be able to say with...

“The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.”

John 12:35

There is a profound sense in which these words of Jesus speak to us today. The light of Jesus comes to us through the Scriptures, and each of us has it for “a little while.” What will you do with the light you have received?

Suppose that you and some friends decide to explore a cave. It is like a labyrinth. Every few yards there is a fork, and you have to decid...

“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

John 12:46

The human story can be described in four eras. And in each of them, the light of Jesus shines in a different way.

Moonlight
“You search the Scriptures... and it is they that bear witness about me” (Jn. 5:39). In the Old Testament era, Jesus was there, but He was not seen directly, like the light of the sun reflected by the moon. The law shows us why we need Jesus. The sacrific...

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

John 10:10

What does a more abundant life look like? It is a life with:

More peace. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (14:27). Jesus can give more peace than any of us has yet received.

More love. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (15:13). Jesus has more love to give than any of us has yet known.

More joy. “These th...

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

John 10:10

Jesus came so that you may have life. If you are in Christ, you have it. Life is in Christ, and if Christ is in you, life is in you.

But Jesus does not stop there. He adds these four marvellous words: “and have it abundantly.” What does this mean? It would be easy to say, “Jesus wants you to have a life of total fulfilment, health, wealth, and satisfaction. He came so...

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life... ”

John 10:10

Picture your life as a house. You are sitting in your living room, and there is a knock on the door. You pull back the curtain to see who is outside.

Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20).

If you fear that Jesus may be a thief...

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

John 10:10

Notice that alongside Jesus, who has come into the world to bring life, there is also a thief who comes to steal. The thief takes away what was yours and leaves you with less than you had.

The thief has also come to kill and destroy. Once you had faith and hope and joy, but your faith is now a flickering candle. Your hope has been crushed. Water has been pour...

“This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”

John 6:39

Someone might hear that Jesus has come into the world, and say, “So what? What difference is that to me?” Here are two reasons to rejoice:

1. Rejoice in the goodness of God
Suppose that this world was ruled by some dark power who sought our destruction. Suppose that this enemy sent his son to get his will done. There would be no Chris...

“This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life.”

John 6:40

Maybe you are not sure if what God wills is really for you. Let’s consider the words of Jesus together:

“This is the will of my Father…”
Some of us could be described as strong-willed. Once you get hold of something, you won’t let it go. How strong is the will of almighty God? When He determines to do something, nothing will stop Him.

“Eternal Life” Duration: 00:03:17

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

John 6:38

How did Jesus get the will of God done? Here are two ways:

Jesus came down from heaven
Notice Jesus tells us that He came “down from heaven.” His life did not begin in the manger. Before He lay in the arms of Mary, He was at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

He says, “I have come down from heaven.” No prophet, no religious le...

“I have come... not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”

John 6:38-39

Here is another reason Jesus came into the world: to do the will of the Father. Jesus gives us an inside look at God’s will for every believer.

1. All who come to the Son are gifts from God the Father
If you are a...

I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

Luke 5:32

Why doesn’t everyone respond positively to Jesus’ call to follow Him? Here are three different ways people respond:

1. I am too good to need repentance
Let’s accept for a moment that you are living a good moral life. Are you sure that you have nothing to repent of? Does your conscience never trouble you? Have you loved God with all your heart and have you loved your neighbour as yourself?

Stop kidding yourself! “All have sin...

Levi made [Jesus] a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.

Luke 5:29

What comes to mind when you hear the word repentance? Do you imagine humiliation, shame, and being hard on yourself?

Here are three things about repentance that people often find surprising:

1. Repentance brings joy, not regret
If repentance is being hard on yourself, why would Jesus say that there is joy in heaven whenever a sinner repents (Lk. 15:7)? Repentance is something to celebrate...

Leaving everything, [Levi] rose and followed him.

Luke 5:28

This was an irreversible decision. Peter, Andrew, James, and John had a trade to return to, but the Romans would not have welcomed back a man who left his tax booth.

Jesus called Levi to a completely different life—not to add believing in Jesus to his old way of life, but to leave his old life for something new. When you follow Jesus, here’s what you will have:

A new identity
This man was known as a tax collector. Now...

[Jesus] said to him, “Follow me.”

Luke 5:27

Notice that this command of Jesus is completely open-ended. “Follow me.” What will this mean for Levi? Jesus gives no specifics.

When students are looking around universities, the admissions department will say, “Here’s our course. And here are all the marvellous facilities we have on campus. And here’s what we can offer by way of bursary or future career options.”

If you are being recruited for a job, human resources will say, “Here is the mission of our company, and here is where you can c...

[Jesus] said to him, “Follow me.”

Luke 5:27

Why would Jesus choose a man like Matthew the tax collector to be a disciple? Wasn’t it obvious that a man like this, known for his collaboration and corruption, would be a liability?

Luke tells us that the Pharisees “grumbled at his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’” (5:30).

The disciples were probably asking the same question: “Jesus, why don’t you stick with fishermen? We may not have a fancy education like Levi, but we are known as hard...

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:32

Luke records the story of Levi, who became one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. His is a remarkable story. We are told that Jesus “went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth” (5:27).

The fact that Levi was a tax collector tells us two things about him. The first is that he was brilliant. He was likely an educated man who spoke three languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. He would have been a skilled ac...

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Matthew 10:37–38

Jesus is speaking here about a family member who puts pressure on you to stop following Jesus. Will you listen to Jesus who says, “Follow Me”? Or to a loved one who says, “Give Him up”?

Jesus tells us how to make this decision. We must count the cost, and there...

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Matthew 10:34

Jesus never endorsed or promoted violence. The gospel can never advance by violence or conquest. So, what did Jesus mean when He said that He came to bring a sword? The meaning of any passage of Scripture will often become clearer when we look at the context.

What went before
Jesus said to His disciples, “Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog y...

They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

Isaiah 2:4

Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace” (Mat. 10:34), but these words are really good news. Here’s why: God has promised that one day, there will be peace. Crime and violence will cease. A world of wars will give way to a world of love.

When will that day come? “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes...

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Matthew 10:34

Jesus, the master teacher, again anticipates a misunderstanding. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.” It would be entirely natural for those who believe in Jesus to think that was why He came.

God had promised a day when a Messiah would come, a child would be born, a son would be given. The government would be on His shoulders, and His name wou...

God... condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:3-4

This is good news. The reason Jesus came is that you may be able to live a new life that is pleasing to God. And this life is made possible for you by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A man was serving time for theft. In prison, he heard the good news of Jesus Christ and was...

God has done what the law... could not do. By sending his own Son... he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:3-4

It is a wonderful truth that Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law for us. But what Paul says here is that God sent His Son into the world so “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.”

How is t...

“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:20

This is an astonishing statement. The scribes and the Pharisees devoted their entire lives to the pursuit of righteousness. How could our righteousness ever exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees?

Jesus was scathing in His critique of the Pharisees, first, because their righteousness was arrogant. The Pharisees liked to pray where they could be seen. Jesus said to His disciples, “When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pr...

“I have not come to abolish [the Law or the Prophets] but to fulfil them.”

Matthew 5:17

Jesus came into the world to fulfil the law and the prophets, and He did so in His life and in His death.

1. In His Life
Isaiah said that a virgin would conceive and bear a son (Is. 7:14). And when Mary bore Jesus, that prophecy was fulfilled. Micah said that the One who would rule and shepherd God’s people would come out of Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2, 4). And when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that prophecy was fu...

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.”

Matthew 5:17

A good teacher always anticipates misunderstanding, and here, Jesus corrects a false assumption about why He came into the world.

Perhaps you have thought the message of the Bible is that we are all sinners, but Jesus paid the price of our sins, so now we can get on with our lives much as we did before. This would be a complete misunderstanding.

Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or...

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

John 1:14

At Christmas, we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. God came down from heaven and entered our world. Why did Jesus come? The entire New Testament answers that question.

Paul tells us that Jesus came to reconcile us to God. “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Cor. 5:19). John tells us that “the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 Jn. 4:14).

Hebrews tells us that He came...

A leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.”

Mark 1:40

This man knows that Christ has the ability to make him clean, but does He want to? So the man comes to Jesus and asks. He begs Jesus—on his knees.

There’s humility here. This man is not saying, “Why did you let this happen to me? You owe me.” And he isn’t saying, “Jesus, if you do this for me, I’ll do something for you.” What does the Son of God need...

In every one of Jesus’ promises, He tells us something about our relationship with Him.

Let’s review the rock-solid commitments that Jesus Christ has made to us:

1. He will give you rest
“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mat. 11:28). This is the promise of forgiveness. Jesus will reconcile you to God and cleanse you.

2. He will never drive you away
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). This is the promise of security. Jesus will never give up on you. Yo...

“I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may... see my glory.”

John 17:24

Will you see Jesus’ glory with your eyes, or will you simply understand it more fully in your mind? One of the great Puritan writers, Thomas Manton, says it will be both.

There is a glorified eye as well as a glorified mind. Job said, “Though... worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:26, KJV). You will see the Son of God as the disciples saw their risen Lord.

But there’s mo...

“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory.”

John 17:24

John 17 records the prayer of Jesus, immediately before His suffering. This prayer is divided into three parts: First, Jesus prays for Himself (17:1–5). Second, Jesus prays for His disciples (17:6–19). Third, Jesus prays for all believers (17:20–26).

John 17:24 is part of our Lord’s prayer for us. Here is something amazing to think about: the Son of God, on His knees, praying for you. Did you know that Jesus prayed for you?

“I do n...

“I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am.”

John 17:24

The Son of God is saying to the Father, “I want these believers, those You have given Me, to be with Me in heaven.” Jesus wants you in heaven.

Jesus is about to go to the cross. He is going to wear the crown of thorns. Nails will be driven into His hands and His feet. He is going to be plunged into utter darkness. If you were to ask Him, “Jesus, what do You want t...

“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself”

John 14:3

Jesus explained the purpose of His death and resurrection when He said, “I am going to prepare a place for you.” That’s why He went to the cross. That’s why He went to the grave. That’s why He rose on the third day.

Jesus did these things to open heaven for His people. He did it to remove all that would keep us out, all that would stand in our way of ent...

We who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

Jesus will take all His people to the Father’s house. He gives you His word on this, and He will do it in one of two ways.

If you die before Christ comes, He will take you to the Father’s house without your body: “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lo...

I go to prepare a place for you.”

John 14:2

We are not to imagine Jesus working around the clock to get heaven organised before the second coming. If He can create the cosmos out of nothing with a word, then He can get heaven ready for believers with a single command.

When Jesus says that He is going to prepare a place, it means that through His going, the place will be prepared. He is going to the cross; He is going to the grave. He is going to die; He is go...

“In the world you will have tribulation.”

John 16:33

Where do people get the idea that if you follow Jesus you can expect a life that is free from failure, disappointment, and loss?

This is precisely the opposite of what Jesus Himself said. Jesus confronted His disciples with the realities of life: “In the world you will have tribulation” (16:33). Then He established their hope in another world: “I go to prepare a place for you” (14:2).

If your hope is established in this world, you will be shattered by failure, disappointment, and loss. What a...

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”

John 14:1-2

When Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” He is not saying, “I will make this world a better place for you. It will get better over the centuries.” Or “As you get older, the experience of failure, disappointment, and loss will recede.”

This fallen world will always be what it is—a falle...

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

John 14:23

The Bible speaks in several places about Jesus living in us. In Ephesians, Paul prayed that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph. 3:17). And in Colossians, Paul spoke about “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Knowing that Jesus is with you and in you by His Spirit, here are three encouragements to take with you today:

1. You are never alone.
There is...

“You know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

John 14:17

Suppose you go to the doctor, and you are diagnosed with some serious condition: “This will need treatment, and there are two ways we can go. The first is surgery, but there is an alternative, and it’s noninvasive.”

At this point, most people would be focusing on the second option. Most of us would like to avoid surgery, if at all possible. We want the noninvasive option, and if that’s not possible, then give us the minimally in...

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth.”

John 14:16-17

How do we know the presence of Jesus in our lives today? In what way is He with us? And how exactly does He help us?

After Jesus rose on that first Easter morning, He appeared to His disciples multiple times over a 40-day period. Then He was visibly taken up into heaven as the twelve disciples watched (see Acts 1). After He returned to the Father in heaven, the...

“Everyone who acknowledges me before men...

Matthew 10:32

Obedience to Jesus here is not simply calling yourself a Christian. The hardest days of your life will be your greatest opportunity to confess Him. Here are five ways to confess Jesus:

1. Confess the glory of Christ in costly obedience
The Bible tells the story of Mary pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet. Mary could not think of a better use for this treasure, so she poured it on Jesus, and in doing so, she confessed His glory.

2. Confess the pres...