Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 135)
Daily Devotions: December 22, 2019
December 22, 2019 For full passage click: Matthew 1:22-25 … “All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’” vs. 22-23 Matthew’s use of Isaiah 7:14 in his story of Jesus’ birth has had enormous significance in the elevation of Mary to almost divine status in the development of Christian thought. Some…
Daily Devotions: December 21, 2019
December 21, 2019 For full passage click: Matthew 1:18-21 … “Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” vs. 18 When Matthew set about to write his account of Jesus’ life, he found material from a variety of sources. Others had written about Jesus and they provided Matthew with the basic…
Daily Devotions: December 20, 2019
December 20, 2019 For full passage click: Romans 1:5-7 … “To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” vs. 7 Pastors love Paul’s greeting to the Romans and many begin their sermons echoing his words, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” What more could we possibly want for one another than grace and peace!…
Daily Devotions: December 19, 2019
December 19, 2019 For full passage click: Romans 1:1-4 … “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,” vs. 1 In Greek, the word used by Paul to describe his relationship to Jesus was “slave,” a somewhat harsher term than the “servant” many translators have chosen. He wanted his readers to know that he was completely bound to Jesus, and that he had no choice but to follow in his…
Daily Devotions: December 18, 2019
December 18, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 80:17-19 … “Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.” vs. 18 With the kingdom in shambles, the Psalmist knows that Israel needs the help of the Lord and asked that the king be empowered to lead his army to victory. He promises that if the Lord will act to restore the people, they will never again turn away from faith. Many…
Daily Devotions: December 17, 2019
December 17, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 80:1-7 … “O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?” vs. 4 Horrible things had been happening in Israel. External enemies had attacked and overrun the country. People had been praying that the Lord would appear and lead their armies to victory, but nothing had happened. There had been no rescuer or savior, so the Psalmist assumes that the Lord is angry with the prayers. He…
Daily Devotions: December 16, 2019
December 16, 2019 For full passage click: Isaiah 7:10-16 … “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” vs. 14 Isaiah was so frustrated with King Ahaz of Judah. Two armies were on the march to besiege Jerusalem, and Isaiah had received a word from the Lord that Judah had nothing to fear. But Ahaz refused to ask for a sign of…
Daily Devotions: December 14, 2019
December 14, 2019 For full passage click: Matthew 11:2-6 … “When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’” vss. 2-3 “Are you the one who is to come?” John wanted to know. He’d heard what Jesus had been doing, and while it didn’t quite accord with what he thought the Messiah would do,…
Daily Devotions: December 15, 2019
December 15, 2019 For full passage click: Matthew 11:6-11 … “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” vs. 11 In Matthew’s estimation, there is a great divide between John and Jesus. John was the best and the greatest of the prophets; he was articulate and spoke the truth to those in power. He announced that the kingdom…
Daily Devotions: December 13, 2019
December 13, 2019 For full passage click: James 5:9-10 … “Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!” vs. 9 James was fed up with the grumbling among the local followers of Jesus and he wasn’t above using scare tactics to straighten them out. He mentions that the Judge is near at hand and if they don’t want to be judged, they should stop the squabbling.…
Daily Devotions: December 12, 2019
December 12, 2019 For full passage click: James 5:7-8 … “Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.” vs. 7 Followers of Jesus in the early church fully expected him to come again and they believed that it would happen soon. Many thought that this would be the occasion for the restoration of the kingdom…
Daily Devotions: December 11, 2019
December 11, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 146:5-10 … “The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” vs. 9 During the time of the Psalmist, people were on the move. When drought or famine came, families didn’t stay where they were, they went to the places where they could find food and shelter. There were no fixed borders and no one worried about national identity…