Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 154)
Daily Devotions: March 30, 2020
March 30, 2020 Isaiah 50:4-9a … “I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.” vs. 6 Those called by God as prophets in Israel weren’t welcomed with open arms. Even though they came teaching and proclaiming the word of the Lord, most of the time they were persecuted and sometimes killed. They didn’t come with weapons or armies and…
Daily Devotions: March 29, 2020
March 29, 2020 John 11:32-45 … “Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’” vss. 35-37 The underlying motivation behind the current worldwide shutdown is the fear of death. No matter how much comfort we might find in the certainty of the resurrection, death has never become a friend to us, except in…
Daily Devotions: March 28, 2020
March 28, 2020 John 11:17-31 … “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live…’” vs. 25 Contrary to what we might expect, according to recent polling, most people believe in life after death, even those who self-identify as atheists or agnostics. It’s not surprising then that almost all funerals or memorial services make reference to the continuing life the newly departed now enjoys. For the most…
Daily Devotions: March 27, 2020
March 27, 2020 John 11:1-16 … “But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’” vs. 4 These words of Jesus seem contradictory. Whoever heard of an illness that could bring glory to God, especially one that was deadly in nature? And yet that’s what happened: Lazarus died, but his death provided an opportunity for folks to celebrate…
Daily Devotions: March 26, 2020
March 26, 2020 Romans 8:10-11 … “But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” vs. 10 Sometimes when we read words like this in the Scripture, we long for the life which they promise, and we wonder what it might be like if Christ were actually in us. And we wish someone would tell us how we could actually make that happen. Does it take a…
Daily Devotions: March 25, 2020
March 25, 2020 Romans 8:5-9 … “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” vs. 6 It’s easy to lose focus during troubled times. We can’t even check our social media without being reminded of the latest rumor or report from the CDC. Everyone is talking about the pandemic, and no one knows how long it will last or what its effects will be. The one blessing…
Daily Devotions: March 24, 2020
March 24, 2020 Psalm 130 … “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!” vss. 1-2 None of us have ever endured times such as these! It’s a disaster, but there have been none of the usual accompanying signs: no earthquakes, explosions, fires, or winds. The enemy is unseen and subtle, there are scarcely any signs of its attack. Everything seems so normal,…
Daily Devotions: March 23, 2020
March 23, 2020 Ezekiel 37:1-14 … “I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.” v. 10 As folks around the world have battened down the hatches in response to the COVID-19 virus that has so changed our lives, we’ve been hyper-vigilant in looking for symptoms of the disease. Some seem similar to those of colds or the flu, and may not even catch our attention.…
Daily Devotions: March 22, 2020
March 22, 2020 John 9:26-41 … “They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.” vs. 34 The Pharisees were not lacking in confidence or knowledge. They had laws for every contingency and explanations for every mystery, and they could not tolerate testimony that contradicted their airtight theological system. We can understand their feelings. Many of us have faith convictions that we’ve nurtured for a lifetime. Pastors and…
Daily Devotions: March 21, 2020
March 21, 2020 John 9:13-25 … “He answered, ‘I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’” vs. 25 The Pharisees were throwing all kinds of questions at the man who had once been blind, implying that he hadn’t been blind in the first place, and then claiming that Jesus had been a sinner. The man’s responses are plain and to the point. He doesn’t know…
Daily Devotions: March 20, 2020
March 20, 2020 John 9:1-12 … “Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.’” vs. 3 Some might conclude from this passage that God made the man blind so that Jesus could come along and heal him, which isn’t even close to what the Gospel writer, John, had in mind. God does not randomly assign folks to get dread diseases or cancers so that there…
Daily Devotions: March 19, 2020
March 19, 2020 Ephesians 5:11-14 … “For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light.” vss. 12-14a Darkness can be a comfortable place to live. Folks can do what they please, not worry about who they hurt, and shamelessly gratify every passion and desire, while living totally for themselves. But the moment light shines in that darkness, everything is up for grabs.…