Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 167)
Daily Devotions: September 29, 2018
September 29, 2018 Mark 9:38-41 …“But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.’” vs. 39 The disciples had a territorial streak in them. They wanted to be the sole proprietors of the Jesus movement and they didn’t want anyone else horning in on their business. And Jesus could care less! He didn’t even care particularly if people joined his…
Daily Devotions: September 28, 2018
September 28, 2018 James 5:16-20 …“Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” vs. 16 In the estimation of James, there was a strong connection between forgiveness and healing. Therefore, the prayers of the community would deal with both sin and illness, the two really couldn’t be separated. Most of us probably wouldn’t agree that there is a direct correlation between…
Daily Devotions: September 27, 2018
September 27, 2018 James 5:13-15 …“Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.” vs. 14 James opens a window into the life of the early Christian community and gives us a glimpse of an early faith practice that has persisted until our time. Always, in every place, followers of Jesus have offered prayers for the sick. We wonder…
Daily Devotions: September 26, 2018
September 26, 2018 Psalm 19:7-14 …“Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults.” vss. 11-12 Those of us who have been steeped in grace sometimes develop a subtle disdain for the law. We just don’t see the point of all the ordinances and commandments of scripture when salvation comes by grace through faith. The psalmist would have been amazed at our thinking! He…
Daily Devotions: September 25, 2018
September 25, 2018 Numbers 11:16, 24-29 …“But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’” vs. 29 Whatever else might be said of him, Moses was not a slow learner. He’d had enough of shouldering the burdens of the people all by himself, and when the Lord showed him a better way, he jumped on the bandwagon. Even when a…
Daily Devotions: September 24, 2018
September 24, 2018 Numbers 11:4-6, 10-15 …“Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me.” vss. 13-14 Moses had discovered that being the leader of the Hebrew people wasn’t the glamour job that it at first promised to be. It had been nice in those first weeks…
Daily Devotions: September 23, 2018
September 23, 2018 Mark 9:33-37 …“But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.” vs. 34 Those who listen to sports talk shows are accustomed to loud, opinionated men (usually) arguing about GOATs–just which athlete in any particular sport is the Greatest Of All Time. While that’s not particularly surprising in our sports obsessed society, it is surprising to see that the same sort of conversation took place among Jesus’ disciples as…
Daily Devotions: September 22, 2018
September 22, 2018 Mark 9:30-32 …“But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.” vs. 32 The arrest and crucifixion of Jesus came as a jolt to his disciples. They had anticipated triumph and success, a great victory over the dominating oppressive powers. But after the resurrection, when it became apparent to them that Jesus was indeed the Christ, some of them remembered that he had talked about persecution and suffering while he was…
Daily Devotions: September 21, 2018
September 21, 2018 James 4:1-3, 7-8a …“Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you?” vs. 1 James saw so clearly how life ought to be lived and he wished that all believers could live in gentleness and peace, with no partiality or hypocrisy. He was irritated that many didn’t live that way and blamed internal cravings or covetousness for the discrepancy. We don’t talk much…
Daily Devotions: September 20, 2018
September 20, 2018 James 3:13-18 …“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” vs. 17 The early Christian community embraced this definition of divine wisdom and made it the cornerstone of their life together. It remains for us a perfect description of our highest aspirations as followers of Jesus. Some might consider its sentiments as an ideal, a way of life…
Daily Devotions: September 19, 2018
September 19, 2018 Psalm 34:11-22 …“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” vs. 18 Occasionally we will hear reports of horrendous things that have happened in the lives of friends and acquaintances. Bad things have piled up. There has not just been one death, but multiple loved ones have died in a very short time. Cancers and heart attacks strike without warning and we wonder that these suffering folks can possibly find the resources…
Daily Devotions: September 18, 2018
September 18, 2018 Psalm 34:1-10 …“O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.” vs. 8 It’s not unexpected when children balk at the sight of some new food that has been placed on their plate. They’re reluctant to even try something whose color and texture is not familiar. Parents often respond with encouragement that could have been paraphrased from this psalm, “Just taste it, and you’ll see how good it is!”…