Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 77)
Daily Devotions
If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.” vs. 16 Deuteronomy 30:15-18 People who live by grace are often puzzled by the conditional descriptions of God’s love that figure so prominently…
Daily Devotions
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 20 Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus wasn’t interested in having his followers be “law-abiding citizens.” He wanted them to be better than that! There were already plenty of scribes and Pharisees in the land, and they were obsessed with keeping every commandment of law. They were known for their righteousness. There was no need for more people like them.…
Daily Devotions
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden… In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” vss. 14, 16 Matthew 5:12-16 There is a power in these words from Jesus that goes beyond human understanding, and we can only begin to grasp their significance as we realize that Jesus is talking about the light…
Daily Devotions
Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” vss.6-7 1 Corinthians 2:6-12 Even though Paul did not use lofty terms and eloquent language in talking with the Corinthians, he was a learned man and nobody’s fool. But he wasn’t interested in the…
Daily Devotions
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” vs. 2 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Corinth was the San Francisco of its day, a bustling seaport full of immigrants from all over the Mediterranean area, and new religions were popping up about every other day. People were jaded, sophisticated, and wise in the ways of the world. When Paul showed up and connected with the fledgling Christian community, he decided to put the crucified Jesus Christ…
Daily Devotions
It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.” vss. 5-6 Psalm 112:1-9 Life goes well with people who are righteous and generous; their love of justice and mercy will be remembered forever. That’s the way it’s always been, the psalmist assures us, and that’s the way it will always be. Some would call this ancient observation a universal truth, a…
Daily Devotions
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house…?” vss. 6-7a Isaiah 58:5-9a In the last couple of weeks, authorities have been conducting homeless counts. Volunteers scatter across the Valley and seek out the people living in the streets,…
Daily Devotions
‘Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’ Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.” vs. 3 Isaiah 58:1-5 The prophet lived among people who had carefully preserved all the trappings of religiosity. They worshiped regularly and kept all of the prescribed fasts. Their external piety was beyond approach–yet God remained remote to them. So the prophet tells them in no uncertain terms…
Daily Devotions
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” vs. 11 Matthew 5:7-12 Most servants of Jesus have the expectation that they will be appreciated and loved as they walk in his way, especially if they treat others with kindness and maintain a spirit of humility in their interactions. So they wonder why he implied in this Beatitude that at least some of his followers would be…
Daily Devotions
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 3 Matthew 5:1-6 When Jesus looked over the motley crew he’d gathered as disciples during his first weeks of ministry, he knew he didn’t have the cream of the crop. He begins his teaching by describing them as poor in spirit. Not only had they been gathered from the lower classes of their society, they likely weren’t known for their spiritual riches either. They may have…
Daily Devotions
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.” vs. 17 1 Corinthians 1:14-18 Pastors who can preach with eloquence are highly prized in our congregations, and if they can throw in a dash of humor they are exalted. The best of them have their sermons live-streamed into multiple settings so that even more folks can be enthralled…
Daily Devotions
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” vs. 10 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 The news that Paul had gotten from Corinth after his departure was disheartening. Because members of the congregation had come from different cities and had come to faith through the influence…