Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 140)
Daily Devotions: August 16, 2019
August 16, 2019 For full passage click: Hebrews 12:1-2 … “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” vs. 1 It’s hard to overestimate the influence of those believers who have walked in the way of faith before us. Sometimes it’s fathers and mothers who have brought us to…
Daily Devotions: August 15, 2019
August 15, 2019 For full passage click: Hebrews 11:29-40 … “Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised…” vs. 39 The writer of Hebrews was well aware of the proud history of his people. He could recount the stories of judges, prophets, and kings in great detail. And it wasn’t only the notable folks who had caught his attention. There had been countless others, too, who had been faithful to the Lord,…
Daily Devotions: August 14, 2019
August 14, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 … “The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.” vs. 13 In 1520, Pope Leo X quoted from this Psalm in a papal bull called Exsurge Domine in which he officially condemned Martin Luther and 41 of his teachings. According to Leo, Luther was a wild boar from the wilderness of Germany who was ravaging the Church, the choice vineyard of…
Daily Devotions: August 13, 2019
August 13, 2019 For full passage click: Isaiah 5:4-7 … “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!” vs. 7 We frequently read Scripture from an individual perspective, looking for guidance and hope in our own changing circumstances, and often the verses speak directly to our hearts. Isaiah however, wasn’t speaking to individuals, he was…
Daily Devotions: August 12, 2019
August 12, 2019 For full passage click: Isaiah 5:1-3 … “Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.” vs. 1 As Isaiah began his work in Jerusalem, he took pains to remind the people of the special love relationship that existed between them and the Lord. It wasn’t just an accident that things had worked so well for them in their long history as a nation. They…
Daily Devotions: August 11, 2019
August 11, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 12:15-40 … “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.” vs. 39 Preparedness has been a part of the Christian life from the beginning. Jesus talked about it with his disciples, and later believers took up the theme as they looked for the coming Christ. Later on, even as the expected imminent…
Daily Devotions: August 10, 2019
August 10, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 12:32-34 … “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” vs. 32 Whether we like it or not, we are treated to hourly reports, Monday through Friday, on how the stock market is doing. There is generally no rhyme or reason for the daily fluctuations but we can’t escape knowing how it’s doing. Some folks like that! They have multiple investments and…
Daily Devotions: August 9, 2019
August 9, 2019 For full passage click: Hebrews 11:8-16 … “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.” vs. 8 For the early Christians, it was obvious that the community of faith included more than just those who were acquainted with Jesus and his teachings. They were happy to embrace Abraham and Sarah and all those…
Daily Devotions: August 8, 2019
August 8, 2019 For full passage click: Hebrews 11:1-3 … “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” vs. 3 Our faith ancestors had a strong conviction that the universe came into existence by the Word of God. It wasn’t something that they could prove or even explain very well, but it was the foundation of their belief system. Through the…
Daily Devotions: August 7, 2019
August 7, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23 … “Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God.” vs. 23 Even though Scripture is clear in saying that God is displeased with the pomp and ceremony of religious rituals, we also learn that God is honored by those who take time to offer heartfelt thanksgiving. Each of us are in this universe, not of…
Daily Devotions: August 6, 2019
August 6, 2019 For full passage click: Isaiah 1:16-20 … “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” vss. 16-17 Isaiah not only railed against the political and religious leaders in Jerusalem, he told them in no uncertain terms what God required of them. It couldn’t have been hard for them to understand,…
Daily Devotions: August 5, 2019
August 5, 2019 For full passage click: Isaiah 1: 1, 10-15 … “When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.” vs. 15 Isaiah had harsh words for Jerusalem and its rulers during the years of his ministry. He was filled with the Spirit of the Lord and saw clearly the hypocrisy of their religious posturing. It wasn’t that they…