Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 117)
Daily Devotions
For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.” vs. 10 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 We find great comfort in the persistent theme of grace in our scriptures. Because we don’t live as we ought, we love hearing that we have forgiveness in Christ, and that our guilt has been taken from us. We’re less excited in hearing about the…
Daily Devotions
The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap…” vss. 12, 14 Psalm 92:12-15 This psalmist had been around the block a few times and knew that folks shouldn’t be discounted just because they had grown old. He believed that there was a connection between righteous living and longevity and that people could flourish and bear fruit even in their…
Daily Devotions
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night…” vss. 1-2 Psalm 92:1-4 The psalmist had a rhythm to his life that strengthened his relationship to the Lord, and many of us could learn from his daily practices. He obviously lived with thanks in his heart and on his lips–he was glad to be alive and knew that…
Daily Devotions
Thus says the Lord God: I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of a cedar; I will set it out. I will break off a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.” vs 22 Ezekiel 17:22-24 Ezekiel wrote at a time when it appears that Israel had seen its last days. Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed and the remnants of the royal…
Daily Devotions
And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’” vss. 34-35 Mark 3:28-35 Promoting the nuclear family wasn’t part of Jesus’ platform as his ministry continued in Galilee. In fact, he realized that what he was teaching could actually threaten family unity–at one point he told his followers, “I have come to set a man against his father and…
Daily Devotions
and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.’” vss. 20-21 Mark 3:20-27 According to Mark it took a while for Jesus’ family to adjust to his popularity as he began his ministry. And that’s probably to be expected. He had had what seems to have been a normal childhood and adolescence in Nazareth–there…
Daily Devotions
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” 16 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1 Whether we like it or not, every day each of us are getting older. Now there is a time in our lives when we appreciate the aging process, and we can hardly wait to get to the next stage, those times of graduation, leaving home, or reaching our physical maturity. But then comes…
Daily Devotions
Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” vs. 15 2 Corinthians 4:13-15 Paul had endured significant suffering in the course of his ministry to the Gentiles. There had been numerous beatings and imprisonments and his body had been worn down–he’d been rejected even by those he’d considered friends. But he never gave up! When he was released from prison in one city,…
Daily Devotions
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.” vs. 7 Psalm 130 The psalmist was at the end of his rope! Overwhelmed by a deep sense of sin and alienation from God, with all religious resources exhausted, he poured out his heart. Speaking for himself and for his nation, he reminds his readers of two things: with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with the…
Daily Devotions
The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.’” vs. 12 Genesis 3:11-15 The ancient storytellers nailed it in this account of divine-human interaction in the Garden of Eden. When the man is confronted by the Lord there isn’t a hint of remorse and certainly no acknowledgement of guilt. Already alienated, the man shifts the blame to the woman, and ultimately to God. This big mess is…
Daily Devotions
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” vs. 8 Genesis 3:8-10 Every ancient civilization had creation myths, stories that were told to successive generations describing how the world had come into existence, and how human beings ultimately made their appearance. We’re familiar with many of these tales,…
Daily Devotions
Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” vs. 17 John 3:9-17 We are regularly reminded by scripture that followers of Jesus are to be “in the world, but not of the world.” It’s a distinction that can be difficult to maintain as we live out our lives. The world is full of temptations and offers multiple deceptive possibilities for finding happiness and…