Posts from April 2021 (Page 3)
Daily Devotions
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” vs. 18 1 John 3:18-22 From the beginning faith communities have known that there are some who are adept at talking the talk, but who don’t come close to walking the walk. And sadly, these are the ones who are mostly responsible for the widespread opinion that all Christians are hypocrites. Even though they’re a minority among believers, their inability or unwillingness to love in…
Daily Devotions
How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help?” vs. 17 1 John 3:16-17 Sometimes the words of scripture are so plain and obvious that it’s impossible to miss their point. There’s no way to squirm out of the spotlight they shine on our lives. That’s the way it is with the epistle writer, John, today. We don’t know the situation precisely but he…
Daily Devotions
How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” vs. 1 Psalm 133 The psalmist nails it today! His dream has been around for a long time and describes one of our deepest yearnings. There is nothing that can be any better than unity in the life of our communities. When Jesus was completing his mission John tells us that he told his disciples that he was giving them just one commandment, that they should love…
Daily Devotions
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.” vs. 4 Acts 4:32-35 There are some folks who have a hard time figuring out what to do with passages like this in scripture. The rejection of private ownership in favor of holding all things in common seems somehow wrong to our ears. At the very least it sounds…
An Easter Message
Rev. Steve Holm, retired pastor and Spirit in the Desert daily devotions writer, shares the good news of Christ’s resurrection in a scripture-based Easter message for a pandemic-weary world.
Daily Devotions
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,” vss. 3-4 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Toward the end of his letter to the Corinthians, after having touched on any number of topics that were causing dissension in the congregation, Paul takes time to review…
Daily Devotions
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” vs. 5 Isaiah 52:13-53:12 When the prophet wrote these words about the Servant, he likely had in mind the nation of Israel, and the horrible suffering that had been endured by his people. They’re powerful words, and likely helped his readers come to terms with the punishment their ancestors had endured–perhaps there had…
Daily Devotions
The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” vss. 23b-24 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Paul’s account of the Last Supper was written before those found in the gospels and shows that followers of Jesus practiced Holy Communion in their congregations from the very beginning. And the words that he…