Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 179)
Daily Devotions: July 29, 2019
July 29, 2019 For full passage click: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14 …“I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.” vs. 14 When we buy into the values of our culture and its prevalent definition of success, sooner or later we’re likely to be overwhelmed by a sense of futility. Like the Teacher in the book of Ecclesiastes, our eyes will be opened and we’ll see that all is…
Daily Devotions: July 28, 2019
July 28, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 11:4-13 …“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” vs. 13 According to Luke, Jesus says some important things about answered prayer to his disciples. Evidently they had the same questions as many of us. As soon as we start talking about prayer the conversation often shifts to the…
Daily Devotions: July 27, 2019
July 27, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 11:1-4 …“He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’” vs. 1 There is a poem by James Montgomery that has been set to music and can be found in many collections of hymns. The lyrics speak to the essence of prayer: “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed, the…
Daily Devotions: July 26, 2019
July 26, 2019 For full passage click: Colossians 2:11-15 …“when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” vs. 12 People have argued for centuries about the proper mode of baptism, whether it should be by sprinkling, pouring or immersion. In general, those practicing infant baptism have used sprinkling or pouring, but even they have to admit that immersion symbolizes one of…
Daily Devotions: July 25, 2019
July 25, 2019 For full passage click: Colossians 2:6-10…“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” vss. 6-7 Continuity in faith is one of our great challenges as the people of God. There are points in life where there is a flurry of excitement, perhaps a new class at our church or a…
Daily Devotions: July 24, 2019
July 24, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 138:6-8 …“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” vs. 8 Many people wonder, and some worry about God’s plan and purpose for their lives. The worriers are concerned about the possibility that they’re missing something important, that God wants them to do something bold and heroic while they’ve been doing the routine and boring. They want…
Daily Devotions: July 23, 2019
July 23, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 138:1-5 …“On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.” vs. 3 This psalmist was a man of faith. He believed that there were many gods but he had made worship of the Lord a part of his daily life. Wherever he was, he would take time to turn toward the Jerusalem temple and offer his prayers of thanksgiving and praise. And he felt the benefits! Many…
Daily Devotions: July 22, 2019
July 22, 2019 For full passage click: Genesis 18:20-32 …“Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” vs. 25 Out of love for his nephew, Lot, Abraham bargains with the Lord about the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. It’s an old story, a part of Scripture…
Daily Devotions: July 21, 2019
July 21, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 10:41-42 …“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’” vss. 41-42 It’s not unusual to be overwhelmed by distractions in our fast-paced world. Tasks and responsibilities related to work and leisure come at us from every direction every day. And always, there’s that cultural…
Daily Devotions: July 20, 2019
July 20, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 10:38-40 …“But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’” vs. 40 We all know the feeling! Martha had a million things to do in providing hospitality for her guests, and her sister wasn’t doing a thing to help. While Martha hustled…
Daily Devotions: July 19, 2019
July 19, 2019 For full passage click: Colossians 1:21-23 …And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him—” vss. 21-22 The Church has done a good job of proclaiming the death of Jesus as the means of our reconciliation to God. We’ve heard that story year after year in our worship. It’s the core…
Daily Devotions: July 18, 2019
July 18, 2019 For full passage click: Colossians 1:15-20 …“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created…all things have been created through him and for him.” vss. 15-16a, c These words from Colossians remind us of the prologue to the gospel of John. They paint a picture of the Christ that challenges our imagination in its breadth and mystery. Here we are reminded…