Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 89)
Daily Devotions
But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” vs. 18b John 21:15-19 We’re not sure who it was that added this chapter to the gospel of John but we can be glad that they did. Not only does it give us insights into the nature of the resurrection, it’s a reminder of the cost of discipleship. We know…
Daily Devotions
Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” vs. 4 John 21:1-14 Sometimes even followers of Jesus have trouble with the resurrection because they have been taught by well-meaning preachers and teachers that when Jesus was resurrected he was reanimated, i.e. he got back the same body he had before he died. But that’s not the testimony of scripture. In every post-resurrection account of Jesus’ appearances, his closest followers at…
Daily Devotions
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, ‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’” vs. 13 Revelation 5:11-14 When we read the book of Revelation our little minds are overstimulated by John’s visionary account of heavenly happenings, and it’s easy to get caught up in apocalyptic thinking.…
Daily Devotions
What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?” vs. 9 Psalm 30:6-12 At his lowest point the psalmist tries to convince God that his death will be pointless, that if he’s gone the dust will surely not sing praises or bear witness to God’s faithfulness. Obviously he’s right, and his point wins the day; he recovers and gives thanks for his life before…
Daily Devotions
For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” vs. 5 Psalm 30:1-5 The psalmist has had a near death experience and wants everyone to know his triumphant story. We don’t know what had happened, perhaps it was a serious illness, but he had prayed to the Lord for deliverance–and his prayers had been heard. And now his praise is effusive. He wants…
Daily Devotions
He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’” vs. 5 Acts 9:4-6 Saul was a proud practicing Jew. He had studied the precepts and the commandments of the Law since his youth and believed that it gave the Jews an advantage over the other religions of the time. It was a moral code that covered every part of life; nothing was left unregulated. Worship in the temple was at the core of…
Daily Devotions
Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.” vs. 3 Acts 9:1-3 Saul was on a mission. He was so full of contempt for the little band of disciples known as the Way that he volunteered to hunt them down. As he headed for Damascus he was likely itching to confront and capture them. Ironically, as he was on the way to catch members of the Way, he was confronted by…
Daily Devotions
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.” vs. 30 John 20:30-31 By the time John wrote his gospel toward the end of the first century there were doubtless many stories about Jesus circulating among the congregations. Some were oral traditions but it’s likely a good number were in book form. Most of these documents have been lost to us, but for John there were a wide variety of…
Daily Devotions
Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’” vss. 28-29 John 20:26-29 While John does make mention in his gospel of the anonymous “Beloved Disciple,” the disciple most beloved by many Christians is Thomas. After all it’s his story that most closely resonates with their own as they seek to make sense of Jesus’ resurrection.…
Daily Devotions
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” vss. 22-23 John 19:20-25 After the resurrection the disciples were amazed and uncertain. They didn’t know what to do with the good news that had exploded into their lives, and they didn’t know if Jerusalem was safe for them. Isolated by their…
Daily Devotions
‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” vs. 6 Revelation 1:4-8 John was moved by his extraordinary vision of the Risen Christ to write letters to seven congregations scattered through the western part of present day Turkey. It had been a powerful experience, a glimpse of the heavenly precincts, and an encounter with the Divine Presence. Vocabulary fails us in such circumstances and John…
Daily Devotions
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” vs. 24 Psalm 118:24-29 Over the last decades praise songs have been slowly making their way into the worship services of most congregations. At first they were resisted by liturgical purists who insisted they lacked the depth of the old chorales. Because of their repeating choruses they were called by some, “the songs without an end.” Often the words for praise tunes come…