Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 54)
Daily Devotions
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe…” vs. 28 Hebrews 12:25-29 As the writer to the Hebrews continues his argument for the centrality of Christ, he makes frequent references to interpretations of the scriptures that are bewildering to most of us. His images and worldview don’t resonate with what we have come to believe and know. Many times his…
daily Devotions
You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them.” vss. 18-19 Hebrews 12:18-24 The writer of Hebrews had a deep and profound appreciation for the scriptures, and the ancient stories had been the foundation of his faith. But as he wrote to early Jewish Christians, he…
Daily Devotions
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” vs. 1 Psalm 103:1-8 The word “bless” is familiar to us. Some use it as a closing in their letters to friends and family, while others might use it as a quick response to a sneeze, as in “bless you.” In those instances it’s a prayer for the person addressed, a desire that good things might come to them. But the psalmist uses it…
Daily Devotions
If you call the sabbath a delight … if you honor it, not going your own ways … or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth …” vss. 13b-14a Isaiah 58:13-14 The prophets of Israel consistently pointed to sabbath-keeping as the center of the Jewish faith. In their eyes it was the most important of all the commandments given at Sinai. And early…
Daily Devotions
If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.” vss. 9b-10 Isaiah 58:9b-12 It is so easy to “drink the lemonade” of the times and take delight in its tangy flavors. And the politicized moments of these last months have offered plenty…
Daily Devotions
You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” vs. 56 Luke 12:54-56 Jesus had such contempt for the people of his day. They could predict rain and scorching heat by watching the wind directions, but they failed to see what was coming to pass in the present. We wonder what he might say to us. We have made incredible advancements in science and…
Daily Devotions
Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” vs. 51 Luke 12:49-53 Not everything that we read in the gospels brings joy to our hearts. Oh, there is much that is beautiful and inspiring, but Luke wasn’t in the business of censoring Jesus. Even when his words were disquieting and disturbing, Luke included them because they were a true reflection of what life in Christ is like. Jesus…
Daily Devotions
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…” vss. 1-2a Hebrews 12:1-2 The record of faithfulness outlined in Hebrews 11 is impressive. Scribes had preserved nearly two millennia of stories and regarded those records as their holy scriptures. By…
Daily Devotions
Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.” vss. 39-40 Hebrews 11:29-40 As he continues his teachings, the writer to the Hebrews recounts the great people of faith from Israel’s history, from Rahab, the prostitute, to unnamed prophets tortured and maligned in every horrible way. All had faith in common, it was their strength and…
Daily Devotions
Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” vss. 3-4 Psalm 82 This psalmist imagines God sitting in the divine council and holding judgment. And from that throne God calls out, “Give justice to the weak…maintain the right of the lowly…rescue the needy.” The psalmist has no doubt about God’s priorities–indeed we hear this refrain throughout scripture,…
Daily Devotions
How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back—those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? … Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” vss. 26, 29 Jeremiah 23:26-29 The prophets in Jerusalem drove Jeremiah to distraction. Many had the ear of the king and were crafting their message to his desires. They recommended alliances and treaties that could only bring…
Daily Devotions
Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.” vs. 24 Jeremiah 23:23-26 Twenty-five hundred years ago Jeremiah refused to believe that God could be manipulated or avoided. God was no idol of stone or wood hanging out in temples and having no connection to daily life. Like many of us, Jeremiah believed that the Lord filled the universe, that God was present in…