Daily Devotions by Steve Holm

Amos 5:21-24…“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” vs.24 It’s hard to believe but election day is finally here. Those who have not voted by mail will be flocking to the polls to cast their ballots, not always an easy matter when there are propositions and judges to be considered! For some this is an exciting day, and they’ll be staying up late to check the returns, sometimes into the early morning hours. Others…

Amos 5:18-20…“Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear;” vss. 18-19a It’s amazing how the church calendar works. We’ve just gotten by Halloween and are setting our sights on Thanksgiving, when out-of-the-blue Amos shows up for a visit. Amos was a prophet in Israel at a time of great prosperity and…

Matthew 5:1-12…“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” vss. 3-5 The passage known as “The Beatitudes” has long been the gospel text for All Saints’ Sunday because it provides the perfect description of those who walk faithfully in the way of Jesus. These descriptors are not to be considered as commandments or as the…

Revelation 7:9-17…““for the Lamb at the centre 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 It really is sad that the Eve of All Saints’ Day has been transformed into Halloween. It was once a time when the white-robed saints of the book of Revelation were remembered and celebrated. Some thought of it as one of the…

1 Thessalonians 2:13…“We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” vs. 13 When Paul came to Thessalonica he believed with all his heart that the gospel of Jesus Christ that he was proclaiming was the Word of God. This message had come…

1 Thessalonians 2:9-12…“You remember our labour and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.” vss. 9-12 Paul could have taken advantage of people’s hospitality in the cities that he visited. Even Jesus told his disciples that they could stay in people’s homes as they conducted their ministry. But Paul wanted to put no burden on the people as he proclaimed…

Psalm 43…“Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; from those who are deceitful and unjust deliver me! vs. 1 It almost sounds as though the psalmist were running for election and had discovered that his opponents were unleashing a barrage of well-funded attack ads at the last minute, ads that were both deceitful and unjust. Of course there were no elections during the time of the psalmist but his words are a reminder that ungodly…

Micah 5:10-12…“Its rulers give judgement for a bribe, its priests teach for a price, its prophets give oracles for money; yet they lean upon the Lord and say, ‘Surely the Lord is with us! No harm shall come upon us.’” vs. 11 One of the reasons the people didn’t pay attention to Micah was because Judah was experiencing an economic boom. The king was making good money from the bribes of contractors, the temple was busy and priests were doing…

Micah 3:5-10…“But as for me, I am filled with power, with the spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.” vs. 10 When God called prophets to bring a word of judgment to the rulers of Israel and Judah they seldom found a sympathetic ear at the court. Instead they were uniformly opposed and even persecuted. The prophets who served as the king’s advisors were totally in lockstep…

Matthew 22:18-22..“They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” vs. 21 Just when the Pharisees thought their “gotcha” was going to work, Jesus turned the tables on them again. His response to their question was brilliant, and they could do nothing but creep away shaking their heads. Later, as they reconvened they may have wondered what his enigmatic statement meant.…

Matthew 22:15-17..“Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” vs. 17 The Pharisees and the Herodians were likely quite pleased with themselves. Ever since Jesus had started teaching on the Temple Mount his parables had honed in on them and left them on the defensive, and they were tired of it. As they schemed together they came up with a “gotcha” question. These are the seemingly innocuous questions that are asked…

1 Thessalonians 1:6-10..“And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” vss. 6-7 During his ministry in Macedonia Paul and his companions knew that they were being watched carefully, not only by their opponents but by those who had come to believe in their message. At this time…