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Open the Bible UK Daily

3 minute daily Bible reflections from Open the Bible UK, authored by Colin Smith, read by Sue McLeish.

religion & spirituality christianity

All Episodes

02:56

Did You Know That God Saves Guilty, Believing People?

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/23

“I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.Jonah 2:2Maybe you have the idea that you need to clean up your life before God can save you. That’s like saying, “If you swim to shore, God will send you a lifeboat!” Jonah shows us a better way.God saves guilty sinners“You cast me into the deep… your waves passed over me” (2:3). Inside the fish, Jonah thinks, “God did this. God sent the storm.” Behind the human events, Jonah

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02:36

#7: Restrain God’s Praise on Account of Your Pain

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/22

“Salvation belongs to the LORD!”Jonah 2:9If you want to emphasise something important, you could put it at the beginning, like in a headline; in the middle, like in a climax; or at the end, like in a conclusion.If you want to sum up the book of Jonah in one sentence, it would be when Jonah says, “Salvation belongs to the LORD!” (Jon. 2:9). God brought Jonah to the place where he wanted people to know what God had done in his life. And when he did, he put a song of praise right at the centre. For

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02:27

Parking at the Super Bowl

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/21

“Should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left?”Jonah 4:11Imagine that you are responsible for parking at the Super Bowl. Your job is to clear the parking lot as quickly and as safely as possible.When the game ends, you motion the front row forward. Nothing happens. You walk over to the first car, and the driver says, “I got in the car, and everything went dark. I can’t drive. I’m blind.”You go to the next

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03:27

Three Ways to Grow in Compassion

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/20

“Should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left?”Jonah 4:4-11Here are three ways we can grow in compassion:1. Rejoice in God’s unique creationEvery person you meet is God’s unique creation. When you see someone on a train, at the store, or in school, say to yourself, God cares about this person, and He has placed me next to them. This doesn’t mean God will save all people. It does mean that He cares about all

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01:55

#6: Receive God’s Mercy and Withhold It from Others

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/19

When God saw… how they turned from their evil way, Godrelented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them.Jonah 3:10Here we have a wonderful window into the heart of God. He relented and had compassion on the Ninevites… and that made Jonah angry! Jonah said, “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful…” (Jon. 4:2). But Jonah was not a gracious and merciful prophet.God was concerned about the city. He said, “There are 120,000 people in Nineveh, and these people matter to Me!” But Jonah

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02:17

See God's Love for You

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/18

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.Hebrews 12:3Think about the vine, the worm, and the wind in the life of our Lord Jesus.Jesus chose twelve disciples and called them to be with Him (Mk. 3:14). He had the comfort, joy, and blessing of their companionship. He sent them out and their ministry was blessed with such success that he said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning” (Lk. 10:18).Then the worm came. The disciples, who

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02:58

Two Signs That You May Be Living a Vine-Centred Life

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/17

The LORD God appointed a plant… to save him from his discomfort… God appointed a worm that attacked the plant… God appointed a scorching east wind.Jonah 4:6-8It’s easy to see why God provided the vine for Jonah. God is good. All good gifts come from Him. But why did God send the worm and the wind? What possible good could come from that?It’s helpful to understand two important Bible words: Justification is how God forgives us through Jesus. Sanctification is how God makes us like Jesus. The first is

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02:51

#5: Rejoice in God’s Gifts As If They Were Rights

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/16

Jonah went out of the city… and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.Jonah 4:5Put yourself in Jonah’s shoes. You are feeling miserable and resentful. And here you are, sitting in the sand outside a city you really don’t like. The sun is beating down on you, so you make a shelter. Then God steps in.The Vine“The LORD God appointed a plant… that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort” (4:6). The vine

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02:56

What Is Your Reaction to God’s Grace?

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/15

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says… “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.”Romans 9:14-15Here are three common reactions to the grace of God:1. God’s grace makes some people angrySome folks believe that God must treat everyone the same, opening the door of salvation and waiting to see who will come in. But the Bible speaks of a greater love, in which God takes the initiative. Why did God set His love on you? Because He loved you. No other reason. God

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02:54

How to Undermine Your Own Repentance

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/14

“That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish.”Jonah 4:2Why is Jonah complaining to God? What is going on in his heart? “That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish.” This is a marvellous example of undermining your own repentance.Jonah repented, and God forgave him, but now Jonah wants to explain why he went to Tarshish. He feels that there was some justification, some defence for what he did. As soon as you start explaining why you sinned, you undermine your own repentance.Repentance says, “I did

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02:40

If You Think God Is Too Slow in Dealing with Evil

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/13

“O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country?... I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”Jonah 4:2Let’s begin by noting something that Jonah did right. “He prayed to the LORD” (4:2). In chapter 1, Jonah was unhappy with God, and he ran from the Lord. In chapter 4, Jonah was unhappy with God, and he prayed to the Lord. That’s progress.But Jonah’s prayer is a complaint against God—not just about what

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02:48

#4: Resent God’s Providence in Ruling the World

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/12

It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.Jonah 4:1You would think that a man who had seen miracles of grace in his own life and in his ministry would be full of praise and thanksgiving. Here we see something different.Jonah was a mature believer. He was a prophet. He was a missionary. You would think that he would be filled with joy in serving God. But he is angry and frustrated and out of sorts with the God he served.Jonah was not the only one to experience this. Asaph was the director of

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02:34

God Chooses His Moment to Change the City

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/11

The people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.Jonah 3:5What happened in Nineveh was remarkable. This kind of transformation does not always happen when we bring God’s message. Why not?There’s God’s Word, and there’s God’s man or woman, but there is also God’s time. You can’t force that. But you can pray for it. You never know when He is going to change a person’s life.Some may say, “We should just sit back and let God

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02:46

God Uses His Man or Woman to Change the City

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/10

“As Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.”Luke 11:30Did Jonah tell the people of Nineveh about his own experience? It seems likely he did, for two reasons:1. The words of the king“Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish” (Jon. 3:9). Where did the king get that idea? How would he have had any hope in the mercy and compassion of God? If the king knew Jonah’s story, he could say, “If God saved

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02:49

God Sends His Word to Change the City

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/09

Jonah… called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”Jonah 3:4Nineveh was a large city. People in the great cities of the world live relentless lives. We are consumed with what is happening now: running businesses, raising families, enjoying sports.Jonah arrives and says, “Let me tell you what’s coming. Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed.”Authentic gospel preaching always engages people with eternal issues. That is where Jesus began: “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent

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02:54

#3: Resign God’s Work in the Light of Your Experience

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/08

The word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”Jonah 3:1It was not a foregone conclusion that Jonah would go to Nineveh when God called him a second time. Nothing had changed in Nineveh, so Jonah still had at least four objections to overcome:1. FearThe Assyrians were still known for terror and torture. Jonah still had to face his old fears.2. ShameJonah had failed the Lord greatly. His sin had

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02:43

How to Pursue a Life That Is More Receptive to God’s...

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/07

Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.Jonah 1:16Here are three things we learn from the ship’s crew about pursuing a God-centred life:1. Turn to God and ask Him for mercy“They called out to the LORD” (1:14).The crew saw that their religion was worthless. They abandoned all other gods. What mattered was finding peace with this God who made the land and the sea, who sends storms, and who speaks through prophets to save them! So, they cried, “O

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02:49

#2: Refuse God’s Provision Through Someone Else

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/06

“Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you.”Jonah 1:12How did Jonah know that the sea would become calm if the crew threw him out of the boat? There can only be one answer: God revealed it.When Jonah’s sin was exposed, God’s silence was ended, and Jonah spoke as a prophet again. This prophetic word was a command from God: “Sacrifice Jonah and you will be saved.” The sacrifice of Jonah will be the salvation of the crew.Notice that the crew’s first instinct is to refuse

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02:49

Where Hope Begins

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/05

The LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest… so that the ship threatened to break up.Jonah 1:4Notice, it was God who sent the storm. In Jonah’s life, the storm was an intervention to save him from a life wasted in disobedience. At the same time, God was stepping in to redeem the ship’s crew who knew nothing about Him. Even God’s judgements are a means of His mercy.Each crew member “cried out to his god” (1:5). A lot of “gods” were being asked to help, but it wasn’t

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02:42

Never Trust Circumstances When You Are Resisting God

Open the Bible UK Daily ·

2026/02/04

Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish.Jonah 1:3When Jonah refused God’s call, he knew that God would no longer give him prophetic revelations. If he made up his own prophecies he would be a false prophet. If he stopped prophesying, his rebellion against God would be exposed.So, his choice was either to obey God or to quit being a prophet and start over in a new place. That is what Jonah decided to do. He “found a ship

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