Daily Devotions by Steve Holm
Daily Devotions
John 3:11-17… “If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” Nicodemus didn’t get it, and there were no words to explain what he was missing. Sometimes that’s how it is when we try to share our deepest feelings and ideas with a curious questioner. We can know something so intimately in our hearts but when we try to share that truth all the words…
Daily Devotions
John 3:1-10… “Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’” vs. 4 There is nothing like being a literalist to hinder a person from grasping the Truth!Nicodemus, a teacher of the law, was eager to talk to Jesus. He’d been watching hisministry from a distance, but was reluctant to show his interest publicly. He comesunder cover of darkness with his questions, and…
Daily Devotions
Romans 4: 13-17… “If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither isthere violation.” vss. 14-15 There is much to be said for operating under the rule of law in our world. It’s whatenables businesses to flourish and governments to be trusted. Without it marketsare quickly taken over by cartels and politicians rake in billions…
Daily Devotions
Romans 4: 1-5… “But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.” vs. 5 Most people have a pretty good sense of how they have lived their lives. Oh, we forget some things, but in general we know exactly what we have done and what we have not done, and we’re particularly aware of our shortcomings. That’s why many folks find it really hard to believe that they are worthy in…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 121:5-8… “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.” vs. 7 Sometimes it’s hard to believe the things we read in scripture, and that’s particularly true with verses like this one. We wonder how the psalmist could speak with such certainty! Surely he must have known people whose lives had been turned upside down by the evils of this world. Sometimes good and decent people have awful things happen to them and to their…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 121:1-4… “I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” vss. 1-2 Humans take great pride in being self-sufficient. We’re taught from an early age to take care of ourselves, and, if we have a problem, to find a solution. We like being in charge of our destiny and love being able to choose professions or careers. Those same feelings even carry over…
Daily Devotions
Genesis 12:1-4a… “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” vs. 3 Some have experienced what it’s like to have a “chosen one” among our siblings. This is the child who, at least from our perspective, has gotten all the advantages while growing up. They’re pampered, protected, and given the best of everything. That seems to have been the position…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 4:1-11… “Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” vs. 10 Having savored the love and the goodness of God in his baptism Jesus was led into the wilderness for a taste of the world’s brokenness. And as he prayed and fasted, he pondered the direction of his ministry. There were so many possibilities. We know this part of the story well. Everywhere we look there…
Daily Devotions
Romans 5:12-19… “For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” vs 19 While we may not agree with Paul’s interpretation of Genesis 3, we have to rejoice in the way he uses the story to proclaim the gospel of grace. His logic is impeccable. As in Adam the many were made sinners, in Jesus Christ the many are made righteous. He recognized that…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 32… “Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit, there is no deceit.” vss. 1-2 There is perhaps nothing better than having a clean conscience! It just feels so good to have no burden of guilt weighing down our walk through this complicated world. It’s bad enough to have worries and anxieties, and we’ll always have plenty of those. But to have…
Daily Devotions
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7… “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.” vs. 6 One of the great tragedies of life in our world has been the continuing relegation of women to a subservient…
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21… “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” vs. 1 When Ash Wednesday arrives there is a sense among believers of all stripes that we are entering a season of opportunity. We know that this is a fixed time during which we can practice spiritual disciplines and take time to reflect on the state of our souls. Perhaps in previous…