Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 112)
Daily Devotions
Psalm 25:1-9 … “Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.” vss. 2-3 There are some who say that this psalm reflects a quite primitive view of God, a throwback to a Thor-like god who throws his hammer to produce the lightning and thunder of a summer storm. And it’s true that our ancestors,…
Daily Devotions
Ezekiel 18:25-32 … “Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!” 31a The legal system of Israel was uncomplicated and relatively easy to understand. If people lived according to the law and did what was required by God they would be blessed. If they broke the law and lived according to the ways of wickedness they would be punished. The prophet believed their life choice…
Daily Devotions
Ezekiel 18:1-4 … “Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die.” vs. 4 There was a proverb popular among the Israelites, “The parents have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth have been set on edge.” The point was clear: sometimes children end up paying for the sins of their parents. We would probably agree. We’ve all…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 20:10-16 … “And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’” vss. 11-12 Folks weren’t much different in Jesus’ day than they are now. No one liked it when hard-workers didn’t get credit for their labor, particularly when those perceived to be slackers received equal compensation. Everyone could relate to the…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 20:1-9 … “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.” vss. 8-9 Where God is in charge surprises abound. Jesus says that it’s like someone laboring in a vineyard for an hour, and then receiving a full day’s wages. Imagine what that…
Daily Devotions
Philippians 1:27-30 … “Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit…” vs. 27 Paul was consistent in his proclamation of the pure Gospel, and insisted that salvation came by grace, and not through obedience to the law. But he also believed with all of his heart that it makes…
Daily Devotions
Philippians 1:21-26 … “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” vs. 21 Paul had visited Philippi on his first missionary journey somewhere around 50 AD and managed to stay in touch with periodic letters, including this one written about 58 AD during one of his frequent imprisonments. He loved this little congregation and bares his soul as he openly shares with them deep feelings about living and dying. Many in our time have difficulty talking about the…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 145:1-8 …“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.” vs. 5 With the world living on the edge of crisis and battling a pandemic, while nations rise against nations, it’s easy to be distracted from the wonder of life in this universe. Every day we awaken to new possibilities and fresh evidence of the Lord’s goodness and mercy. The sun and the moon travel in their appointed courses bringing light and dark…
Daily Devotions
Jonah 4:4-11 … “Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night.’” vs.10 The parable of Jonah continues with a conversation between Lord and Jonah about the loss of Jonah’s shade tree, an event that has made Jonah very angry. A contrast is then made between Jonah’s concern for his tree and the Lord’s concern…
Daily Devotions
Jonah 3:10-4:3 … “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry.” vss. 3:10-4:1 Most folks associate Jonah with the great fish, and many find the story hard to swallow, which is regrettable, because the book of Jonah is an amazing parable of…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 18:23-35 … “And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” vss. 34-35 The parable of the unforgiving servant hits us squarely in the middle of our righteous indignation! The point is so clear. This rascal of a man had been forgiven a great debt and…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 18:21-22 … “Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’” vs. 21 Peter has had some ups and downs in his role as messianic advisor and wants Jesus to know that he has been paying attention. Following a conversation about forgiveness, he posits a plausible question, along with what he considers to be a generous possible answer. Poor guy! He…