Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 171)
Daily Devotions: August 13, 2018
August 13, 2018 Proverbs 9:1-6…‘“You that are simple, turn in here!’ To those without sense she says, ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.’” vss. 4-5 A large section of the book of Proverbs is devoted to pointing out the differences between wisdom and folly. Here Wisdom (always portrayed as a woman) is throwing a party and she sends out a special invitation to those who are simple and without sense. It’s not that…
Daily Devotions: August 12, 2018
August 12, 2018 John 6:45-51…“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.” vss. 48-49 In the first century there had been a struggle between those Jews who had embraced Jesus as messiah and those who clung to the old traditions. Ultimately, that conflict led to a split and the separation of church and synagogue. As John writes his gospel, he wants his readers to know that in Jesus they will find…
Daily Devotions: August 11, 2018
August 11, 2018 John 6:35, 41-44…“They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’” As far as the people in the crowd were concerned, Jesus had human origins. They knew his father and mother. For him to say that he had come down from heaven was too much to swallow. Even if he did claim to be the bread of life.…
Daily Devotions: August 10, 2018
August 10, 2018 Ephesians 4:29-5:2…“Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” vs. 29 Paul’s picture of Christian community seems almost Utopian, almost too good to be true. We’ve grown so accustomed to coarse, bullying and degrading talk, that we are hard-pressed to imagine a world in which each word is carefully weighed and gracefully used.…
Daily Devotions: August 9, 2018
August 9, 2018 Ephesians 4:25-28…“Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.” vs. 28 There’s something delightfully naive about this verse from Ephesians. Usually the writers of scripture come down hard on sinners; thieves are given warnings to change behavior or face harsh consequences. But here there are no threats or condemnation, just a heartfelt admonition for thieves to stop stealing and…
Daily Devotions: August 8, 2018
August 8, 2018 Psalm 34:4-8…“O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.” vs. 8 There are a multitude of grocery stores and restaurants that advertise organic and natural foods. They’re seeking to profit on the recent surge of interest in what is called “clean eating,” the desire to avoid processed foods and eat only what is whole or natural. Such eaters assiduously read labels and try to find products that have…
Daily Devotions: August 7, 2018
August 7, 2018 Psalm 34:1-3…“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” vs. 1 Occasionally we will meet people who regularly include words of praise and thanksgiving in their conversation. They’ll say, “Praise God,” or “Thank you, Jesus,” without any hesitation or sense of irony. They really mean what they say and aren’t at all reluctant to give public testimony of their faith. Like the psalmist, they want to keep the praise…
Daily Devotions: August 6, 2018
August 6, 2018 1 Kings 19:4-8…“He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.” vs. 8 Elijah was on a pilgrimage of sorts. He’d gotten involved in a fierce struggle with Ahab, the king of Israel, and his pagan queen, Jezebel. Just when it seemed things were going well the tides shifted, and Jezebel focused her attention on revenge–she wanted Elijah dead.…
Daily Devotions: August 5, 2018
August 5, 2018 John 6:30-35…“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” vs. 35 As followers of Jesus, we are rightly involved in programs to address the massive hunger problems that our world faces. The food supply, even on our fertile and productive planet, is often in jeopardy, and no one quite knows what the effects of global warming will be…
Daily Devotions: August 4, 2018
August 4, 2018 John 6: 24-29…“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” vs. 27 Jesus was no fool. He knew that the crowds gathered at every stop because the people wanted something from him; mostly they were looking for healing but now they were also expecting to be fed.…
Daily Devotions: August 3, 2018
August 3, 2018 Ephesians 4:11-16…“The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” vss. 11-12 Sometimes when a congregation is involved in the call process and candidates are being considered for the position of pastor, there’s some confusion about what pastors should be expected to do. Suggestions are received from members and the resulting job…