Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 153)
Daily Devotions: March 16, 2019
March 16, 2019 Philippians 3:20-4:1 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” vs. 20 When Paul wrote to the Philippians he could scarcely contain his excitement as he talked about their future in Christ. He knew there was more to come and that we are moving toward transformation beyond our imagination. It’s not that he believed that life on this earth is just a training camp…
Daily Devotions: March 15, 2019
March 15, 2019 Philippians 3:17-19: “Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things.” vs. 19 Not everyone bought in to the message Paul was bringing to the people of God on his missionary journeys and he doesn’t hesitate to use harsh language to describe his detractors. Like Jesus he believed that there are two basic ways to live in this world: we can either tend to…
Daily Devotions: March 14, 2019
March 14, 2019 Psalm 27:7-14: “If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.” vs. 10 It would be wonderful if every person born in this world would be welcomed into a family that oozed with love and kindness. And wouldn’t it be terrific if all children would have parents who were slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love? Unfortunately that’s not the way it is! Too many children grow up in an atmosphere of…
Daily Devotions: March 13, 2019
March 13, 2019 Psalm 27:1-6: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” vs. 1 Fear is probably the greatest obstacle any of us face in the course of our lifetimes. It stifles our curiosity, undermines our adventures, and sabotages our good intentions. Fear paralyzes! While the benefits of healthy fear are obvious and prudential living is to be encouraged, too often fears…
Daily Devotions: March 12, 2019
March 12, 2019 Genesis 15:7-12, 15-16: “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates…’” vs. 18 There is no doubt that the Hebrews who emerged from the wilderness and forcibly occupied the land of Canaan believed that they had been given that land by the Lord. Their tribal narratives make that very clear. In their eyes they were…
Daily Devotions: March 11, 2019
March 11, 2019 For full passage click: Genesis 15:1-6 …“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’” vs. 1 Almost all the “big name” folks in our scriptures relied on direct encounters with God for direction and strength. Abram is no exception. His connections with the Lord came through a series of visions; the same was true for Isaac,…
Daily Devotions: March 10, 2019
March 10, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 4:1-13 …“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.” vss. 1-2 Our forty days of Lent are intended to replicate the time Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism. It may even be…
Daily Devotions: March 9, 2019
March 9, 2019 For full passage click: Romans 10:8b-13 …“For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” vs. 10 Everything that is necessary for universal salvation has already been done, and it’s all a gift from God. God’s love and forgiveness is by grace and it is for everyone–no exceptions. That does not mean however, that everyone is currently enjoying the good gifts of God. In fact, too…
Daily Devotions: March 8, 2019
Excuse our lateness on this; our internet was down last night so this is a few hours late this morning. Thanks for your patience! March 8, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 …“Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.” vss. 9-10 The psalmist was clearly confident in the benevolence of the Lord. He believed that when we make God…
Daily Devotions: March 7, 2019
March 7, 2019 For full passage click: Deuteronomy 26:1-11 …“you shall make this response before the Lord your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.’” vs. 5 Sometimes Christians have a negative reaction to creeds and some congregations don’t use them in their liturgies. They don’t want any human devised doctrinal statement to stand in the…
Daily Devotions: ASH WEDNESDAY – March 6, 2019
March 6, 2019 For full passage click: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 …“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” vs. 21 Today is the first day of Lent, the 40 day liturgical season set aside for reflection on the suffering and death of Jesus. It’s a time for special worship services and maybe even some experimentation with spiritual disciplines. Some of us will be thinking about discipleship and what it really means to take up the cross and…
Daily Devotions: March 5, 2019
March 5, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 51:1-17 …“The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” vs. 17 The news that we are created in the image of God and are by nature the crown of creation, oozing with goodness, has long been stifled in the proclamation of the church. Instead, our leaders have focused on an opposite metaphor, a picture of a fallen and depraved…