Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 198)
Daily Devotions: September 24, 2017
Matthew 20:11-16 “‘Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” vss. 15-16 The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard seems designed to provoke lifelong believers. The story Jesus tells is, by our standards, profoundly unfair. It undercuts all of our convictions about equal pay for equal work and would be bound to destroy…
Daily Devotions: September 23, 2017
Matthew 20:1-10 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.” vs. 1 The parables of Jesus are a fertile source of information about kingdom living. It’s not that they’re straightforward or easy to understand…many of them have twists that seem designed to obscure…at the very least they are cause for debate and conversation. The one about the laborers in the vineyard is certainly one of those.…
Daily Devotions: September 22, 2017
Philippians 1:27-30 “Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,” vs. 27 Paul wants the community in Philippi to know that bearing the name of Christ carries with it a certain amount of responsibility. Accordingly, he…
Daily Devotions: September 21, 2017
Philippians 1:21-26 “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” vs. 21 Whatever we might think of Paul’s theological writings, there is no doubt that his personal faith testimony in passages like this one from his letter to the Philippians, continue to bring comfort and hope to millions. Here, in just a few words, he introduces a “can’t lose” attitude that perfectly reflects the serenity of life in Christ. As followers of Jesus we know that the future…
Daily Devotions: September 20, 2017
Psalm 145:1-8 “On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.” vs. 5 Some people have an amazing ability to capture the beauty and the majesty of creation with their cameras. They have an eye for lighting and perspective and their photographs, whether of plants, animals, or landscapes, are breathtaking. And it’s more than having skill with a camera or knowing the proper speeds and settings. The artists who produce such pictures will have…
Daily Devotions: September 19, 2017
Jonah 4:5-11 “And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?” vs. 11 Jonah was an angry man, angry that the Lord had spared Nineveh, angry that the bush sheltering him from the sun had suddenly died, angry because he was having to sit in the sun with no shade. And the…
Daily Devotions: September 18, 2017
Jonah 3:10-4:4 “And the Lord said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’” vs. 4 This section of the Jonah story gets at an essential truth about human nature with both precision and humor. Jonah reluctantly does as the Lord has commanded him. He goes to Nineveh, Israel’s enemy, and preaches that people should repent or be destroyed…and they do! His mission is successful and the Lord calls off the planned destruction…which seems the proper thing to do. But…
Daily Devotions: September 17, 2017
Matthew 18:31-35 “Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?” vs. 32 Some of Jesus’ parables need explanations…they can be difficult and obscure. That’s not the case with the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.” It’s obvious to anyone hearing the story that this servant is about as insensitive and cruel as anyone could possibly be. His actions following forgiveness are reprehensible and he deserved the torture that was his punishment. And Jesus’…
Daily Devotions: September 16, 2017
Matthew 18:21-30 “Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’” vss. 21-22 When Peter suggested that he might be willing to forgive a brother or sister as many as seven times, he likely thought that he was being generous, perhaps even going beyond what the law demanded. But…
Daily Devotions: September 15, 2017
Romans 14:7-12 “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” vs. 8 Living together in harmony with our brothers and sisters in the community of faith is harder than we might expect…and Paul knew this from experience. Wherever he went he was embroiled in controversy for one reason or another. But he couldn’t simply say “that’s just the…
Daily Devotions: September 14, 2017
Romans 14:1-6 “Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.” vs. 2 While it may appear that Paul is weighing in on the side of carnivores against vegetarians with these words, he’s actually not speaking about proper diet at all. Instead, he has in mind those for whom eating and drinking has a spiritual significance…and he’s reminding the Romans that quarreling about such things can be bad for the community. Many of us have seen the effects…
Daily Devotions: September 13, 2017
Psalm 103:8-13 “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” vs. 10 Israel’s justice system could be quite precise in laying out prescribed punishments for particular crimes…”an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” comes to mind. But the psalmist finds little consolation in that retributive prescription and says instead, that God operates by another standard. He says that God is merciful and gracious and does not repay…