Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 155)

Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 155)

Daily Devotions: January 25, 2019

January 25, 2019                                                                                                             To view full passage click: 1 Corinthians 12: 20-31a …“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” vs. 26 Contemporary culture, particularly in the Western World, is marked by a strong preference for rugged individualism, an attitude that has crept into the way we articulate our faith. Often we hear talk of personal relationships with Jesus and the resulting individual salvation that is ours. It’s…

Daily Devotions: January 24, 2019

January 24, 2019 To read full passage click: 1 Corinthians 12:12-19 …“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” vs. 12 Paul uses the human body as a metaphor to help the Corinthians understand the nature of the church, which is, in turn, the Body of Christ. It’s a simple illustration, one easily understood by most readers. We know that…

Daily Devotions: January 23, 2019

January 23, 2019                                                                                                                                           To read full passage click: Psalm 19 …“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” vss. 1,3-4 Pastors, jealous of nature’s hold on our imagination, will often disparage those who would rather go to the mountains than sit in…

Daily Devotions: January 22, 2019

January 22, 2019 To read full passage click: Nehemiah 8:8-10 …“So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.” vs. 8 The Bible isn’t an easy read. Written by scribes in different languages, reflecting the culture and family systems of ancient times, it provides a real challenge to all who struggle to figure it out. In fact, with 66 different books, each the product of…

Daily Devotions: January 21, 2019

January 21, 2019 To read full passage click: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6 …“all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel.” vs. 1 It was a big day for Israel. The exiles had brought with them from Babylon, scrolls containing what was likely portions of the book of Deuteronomy, and Ezra the scribe arranged to have it…

Daily Devotions: January 20, 2019

January 20, 2019  To read full passage click: John 2:5-11  …“Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” vs. 11 Oenophiles have long rejoiced in John’s assertion that God’s glory was first revealed in Jesus through the turning of water into wine. In their estimation, it marks wine as the world’s most divine beverage and destroys whatever similar claims brew-masters might make for their products. Of…

Daily Devotions: January 19, 2019

January 19, 2019                                                                                                                                     To read full passage click: John 2: 1-4 …“And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’” vs. 4 The gospel writer John choose seven signs to show how the glory of God was made known to observers in the life and ministry of Jesus. In his record, the first of these divine epiphanies took place at a wedding celebration in the village of Cana,…

Daily Devotions: January 18, 2019

January 18, 2019                                                                                                                      To read full passage click: 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 …“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” vs. 7 Paul believed that, in Christ, every congregation would thrive as individuals were given opportunity to use their spiritual gifts. He had experienced the differences that exist among disciples and knew that no one person is exactly like another. Each had been gifted in a particular way. He even mentions some of those gifts in his…

Daily Devotions: January 17, 2019

January 17, 2019                                                                                                                      To read full passage click: 1 Corinthians 12:1-6 …“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.” vss. 4-6 Paul had been touched by the Spirit in a big way in his encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus. From that point on, his…

Daily Devotions: January 16, 2019

January 16, 2019                                                                                                                                   To read full passage click: Psalm 36:8-9 …“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” vs. 9 For the material-minded, life in this world can be pretty dismal. Pleasure is connected to accumulation and success is measured by financial portfolios. There’s a game to be played and massive energies are exerted to be on the winning side. Little attention is paid to compassion or service–everything depends on power and domination.…

Daily Devotions: January 15, 2019

January 15, 2019                                                                                                                                     To read full passage click: Psalm 36:5-8 …“Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.” vs. 6 It’s not unusual for one of our pets or animal companions to die. In fact, for many children, this is their first experience with the pain, tears, and sorrow that death can bring. Sometimes in their grief they’ll ask if their beloved cat or dog has…

Daily Devotions: January 14, 2019

January 14, 2019                                                                                                                                  To read full passage click: Isaiah 62:1-5 …“You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.” vs. 3 The prophet is ecstatic about the possibilities ahead for the people of Israel. He was preaching to a people living in exile, a defeated nation, and he plants in their imagination a vision of a royal future. This was more than a politician’s campaign…