Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 88)
Daily Devotions
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” vs. 1 Revelation 21:1-4 Events of the past months have reawakened the fear of atomic war in the hearts of people. It seems that even in these “enlightened” times there are those who would willingly wreak havoc and destruction on their fellow human beings. Some believe that as weapons become more deadly, life…
Daily Devotions
The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.” vss. 6-7 Psalm 67:3-7 There is no doubt that as inhabitants of the earth we have been blessed by God in unbelievable ways. There are now more than 7.7 billion people in the world and every day all those persons have to be fed, clothed, and housed–and all the resources come from our…
Daily Devotions
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.” vss. 1-2 Psalm 67:1-2 The psalmist believed that if the Lord would continue to be gracious to Israel and shower blessings on the people, it would be a witness to the nations of God’s favor. Perhaps, he reasoned, they would be so impressed that they too would begin to…
Daily Devotions
When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’” vs. 11 Acts 11:11-18 Luke leaves us with the impression that this one conversation was enough to change the minds of the Jerusalem believers and open their hearts to the uncircumcised. Of course we know from Paul’s letters that it took years for the gospel to be seen in an inclusive way. Judaizers dogged…
Daily Devotions
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’” vss. 2-3 Acts 11:1-10 Oh how hard it is for the community of faith to actually practice inclusion! In Peter’s day the circumcised believers found it impossible to believe that the uncircumcised could be included among the faithful. When word came to them that Peter had been seen having table fellowship with Gentiles, they were appalled…
Daily Devotions
My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” vss. 27-28 John 10:27-30 We’ve entered into the primary season in our election cycle and politicians of every stripe are spending millions of dollars to craft messages that they believe will attract the most voters to their cause. Sometimes the process isn’t pretty. It doesn’t seem to be necessary…
Daily Devotions
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe.’” vss. 24-25a John 10:22-26 Because the gospel of John was written at a time of intense conflict in synagogues between those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah and those who did not, the writer regularly refers to Jews as the enemies of…
Daily Devotions
…for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” vs. 17 Revelation 7:13-17 Even though death is a regular visitor on the journey of life, and every one of us will one day die, many people seem surprised when it comes near. Some seem to have never considered that it will happen to them.…
Daily Devotions
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.” vs. 9 Revelation 7:9-12 While certainly not to be taken literally, John’s vision, as seen through heaven’s open door, provides an expansive glimpse at the never-ending resurrected life that is ours in Christ. Here there are no great…
Daily Devotions
He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.” vss. 2-3 Psalm 23 We live in a grimy and confused world, and our souls are easily sapped by the continual pressures of daily living. Bit by bit anxieties and worries chip away at us and fear steps in to take center stage. Before long, joy is a distant memory and we…
Daily Devotions
Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.” vs. 40 Acts 9:40-43 From our reading of the gospels we know that healing miracles were a regular part of the ministry of Jesus. In fact, that’s why most of the people flocked to hear him preach–they knew he could work wonders for their ailing relatives…
Daily Devotions
Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity.” vs. 36 Acts 9:36-39 Women have always played an integral part in the mission of Christ. Luke even names the ones who traveled with the little troop of disciples that surrounded Jesus during his Galilean ministry–some of them provided much needed financial support. They were present at the crucifixion and were the first to…