Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 153)
Daily Devotions: March 13, 2019
March 13, 2019 Psalm 27:1-6: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” vs. 1 Fear is probably the greatest obstacle any of us face in the course of our lifetimes. It stifles our curiosity, undermines our adventures, and sabotages our good intentions. Fear paralyzes! While the benefits of healthy fear are obvious and prudential living is to be encouraged, too often fears…
Daily Devotions: March 12, 2019
March 12, 2019 Genesis 15:7-12, 15-16: “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates…’” vs. 18 There is no doubt that the Hebrews who emerged from the wilderness and forcibly occupied the land of Canaan believed that they had been given that land by the Lord. Their tribal narratives make that very clear. In their eyes they were…
Daily Devotions: March 11, 2019
March 11, 2019 For full passage click: Genesis 15:1-6 …“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’” vs. 1 Almost all the “big name” folks in our scriptures relied on direct encounters with God for direction and strength. Abram is no exception. His connections with the Lord came through a series of visions; the same was true for Isaac,…
Daily Devotions: March 10, 2019
March 10, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 4:1-13 …“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.” vss. 1-2 Our forty days of Lent are intended to replicate the time Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism. It may even be…
Daily Devotions: March 9, 2019
March 9, 2019 For full passage click: Romans 10:8b-13 …“For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” vs. 10 Everything that is necessary for universal salvation has already been done, and it’s all a gift from God. God’s love and forgiveness is by grace and it is for everyone–no exceptions. That does not mean however, that everyone is currently enjoying the good gifts of God. In fact, too…
Daily Devotions: March 8, 2019
Excuse our lateness on this; our internet was down last night so this is a few hours late this morning. Thanks for your patience! March 8, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 …“Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.” vss. 9-10 The psalmist was clearly confident in the benevolence of the Lord. He believed that when we make God…
Daily Devotions: March 7, 2019
March 7, 2019 For full passage click: Deuteronomy 26:1-11 …“you shall make this response before the Lord your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.’” vs. 5 Sometimes Christians have a negative reaction to creeds and some congregations don’t use them in their liturgies. They don’t want any human devised doctrinal statement to stand in the…
Daily Devotions: ASH WEDNESDAY – March 6, 2019
March 6, 2019 For full passage click: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 …“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” vs. 21 Today is the first day of Lent, the 40 day liturgical season set aside for reflection on the suffering and death of Jesus. It’s a time for special worship services and maybe even some experimentation with spiritual disciplines. Some of us will be thinking about discipleship and what it really means to take up the cross and…
Daily Devotions: March 5, 2019
March 5, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 51:1-17 …“The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” vs. 17 The news that we are created in the image of God and are by nature the crown of creation, oozing with goodness, has long been stifled in the proclamation of the church. Instead, our leaders have focused on an opposite metaphor, a picture of a fallen and depraved…
Daily Devotions: March 4, 2019
March 4, 2019 For full passage click: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 …“Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.” vs. 13b A plague of locusts had descended upon Israel and Joel believed that they were a sign that the day of judgment was near. He pleads with the people to return to God with genuine repentance and not empty ceremonies. He wants them to know…
Daily Devotions: March 3, 2019
March 3, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 9:33-36 …“While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.” vs. 34 The disciples had seen Jesus in all his transfigured glory and they were stunned; they didn’t know what to make of the experience. Sometimes that’s what it’s like when we glimpse the Divine Presence in the course of journeying with Jesus. We’re befuddled and struggle to find a…
Daily Devotions: March 2, 2019
March 2, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 9:28-32 …“And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.” vs. 29 Jesus had invited the inner core of his disciples to join him on the mountain for prayer, but it appears they came more as observers than participants. The kind of meditation that Jesus practiced was intense and involved more than going through a list of friends and family that were having problems.…