Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 165)
Daily Devotions: January 6, 2019
January 6, 2019 To read full passage click: Matthew 2:1-12 …“On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” vs. 11 Officially, the season of Christmas ended yesterday. Presumably trees and decorations have been taken down or stored away, and folks are ready to get on with the new year. The gift-giving is over and…
Daily Devotions: January 5, 2019
January 5, 2019 To read full passage click: Ephesians 3:7-12 …“Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power.” vs. 7 While many question whether Paul was the actual writer of the book of Ephesians, there is no doubt that its content is consistent with what we know of his life. He was completely committed to the message of inclusive grace that had…
Daily Devotions: January 4, 2019
January 4, 2019 To read full passage click: Ephesians 3:1-6 …“that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” vs. 6 Paul’s gospel insight changed everything in those exciting Spirit-directed and chaotic early days of the Church. The promise of life and forgiveness that had been given to the children of Abraham through the revelation of the prophets was intended for all people. No…
Daily Devotions: January 3, 2019
January 3, 2019 To read full passage click: Psalm 72:10-14 …“He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.” vss. 13-14 There are over 65 million displaced persons in the world today, and more than 25 million refugees and more than half of these are children. They’ve been forced from their homes by oppression and violence…
Daily Devotions: January 2, 2019
January 2, 2019 To read full passage click: Psalm 72:1-7 …“Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.” vss. 1, 4 The people of Israel always had high expectations of their rulers, and even sang about their hopes in temple rituals. The psalmist might have composed this psalm for an enthronement ceremony, and there…
Daily Devotions: January 1, 2019
January 1, 2019 For full passage click: Isaiah 60:1-6 …“Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” vs. 1 Epiphany is the season of light, a time to celebrate the dawning of the good news in a world of darkness. It’s a time to rededicate ourselves to our calling as children of light and focus on the many ways we can let that light shine before others. Way back in the time of the…
Daily Devotions: December 31, 2018
December 31, 2018 To read full passage click: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 …“He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” vs. 11 We’ve come to the end of another year, and many are thinking about the months that have just slipped away. Some will recall it as the best year ever, full of…
Daily Devotions: December 30, 2018
December 30, 2018 To read full passage click: Luke 2:48-52 …“He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’” vs. 49 It appears that parenting Jesus was a challenge for Mary and Joseph. They had every right to be upset with him. He had deliberately stayed behind in Jerusalem when the group from Nazareth had begun their journey home. There’s no mention that he said a…
Daily Devotions: December 29, 2018
December 29, 2018 To read full passage click: Luke 2:41-47 …“After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” vs. 46 Among his sources, Luke found a story about the 12 year-old Jesus that has become one of the best known passages in his gospel. It describes the aftermath of a family trip to Jerusalem for the Passover. Mary and Joseph somehow lost track of him on the…
Daily Devotions: December 28, 2018
December 28, 2018 To read full passage click: Colossians 3:12-17 …“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” vs. 12 Imagine what an impact Christianity could have had on the world if God’s chosen ones had actually sought to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Suppose these had been our identifying marks rather than doctrines about the nature of Christ, or a proper understanding of the Trinity? Of…
Daily Devotions: December 27, 2018
December 27, 2018 To read full passage click: Psalm 148 …“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!” vss. 1, 7-8 The psalmist is so in love with God and the wonders of creation, that he offers a song of praise and thanksgiving that encompasses all of existence. And more…
Daily Devotions: December 26, 2018
December 26, 2017 To read full passage click: Isaiah 61:10-62:3 …“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.” vs. 1 In recent weeks we’ve been reading about the city of Jerusalem and the controversy that has erupted over whether it should be recognized as the capital of Israel, given that it is also the most important city…