Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 191)
Daily Devotions: December 17, 2017
John 1:19-28 “He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’” vs. 20 “Know thyself!” is a bit of ancient wisdom sometimes attributed to Socrates, though it probably even predates him. It’s an important truth, a maxim that can guide our efforts at personal growth, but probably the first step in such self-knowledge is knowing who we are not, and that’s where John the Baptist is the perfect model. When people came asking who he…
Daily Devotions: December 16, 2017
John 1:6-8 “He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.” vs. 8 There are times in this world of intrusive darkness, when we would very much like to brighten the day for someone caught in the depths of sadness and despair. And so we try! We test jokes and witty sayings, or maybe try out some little bit of fluff and pablum that we’ve picked up from the internet. Sometimes we might coax a…
Daily Devotions: December 15, 2017
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” vs. 23 Paul closes his first letter to the Thessalonians with a benediction that reveals the depth of his love. He prays that God would sanctify them entirely and that they might be found blameless when the Lord Jesus returns. In offering this blessing, he mentions their…
Daily Devotions: December 14, 2017
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.” vss. 19-22 The little congregation huddled in the Greek city of Thessalonica was pretty much on its own. They had no constitution or synodical guidance. There were no rostered leaders or seminary trained pastors. The gospels hadn’t even been written yet and many of them were unfamiliar with the Hebrew…
Daily Devotions: December 13, 2017
Psalm 126 “Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.” vs. 6 The third Sunday in Advent arrives on the scene during the darkest time of the year, those days when the sun seems reluctant to show itself and the long nights can bring tearful thoughts of absent loved ones. By tradition, and probably not by accident, this is also the Sunday when we light the pink candle…
Daily Devotions: December 12, 2017
Isaiah 61:8-11 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” vs. 10 The people of Judah didn’t have much when they came back to the Land of Promise…the years in exile had depleted their energy and resources…but…
Daily Devotions: December 11, 2017
Isaiah 61:1-4 “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;” vs. 1 From Luke’s gospel we learn that Jesus chose this verse from Isaiah as his mission statement. We can infer from his choice that his followers are sent for the same purpose: “to bring good…
Daily Devotions: December 10, 2017
Mark 1:6-8 “I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” vs. 8 These words from Mark’s gospel are familiar…we hear them every year during Advent…but they’ve been ever so confusing to followers of Jesus. Our different perspectives on water and spirit baptism have led to endless debates and occasional division. During the darkest periods of church history, believers have even been killed because of varying baptismal practices. All Mark is trying to say…
Daily Devotions: December 9, 2017
Mark 1:1-5 “And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” vs. 5 For Mark the beginning of the good news of Jesus begins, not with dreams and angel visitations, but with the wilderness ministry of a fiery prophet with a message of repentance. John the Baptist was a significant figure and he attracted major crowds–he even caught the…
Daily Devotions: December 8, 2017
2 Peter 3:8-15a “But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.” vs. 13 Peter’s vision of the future includes devastating fire and total destruction of the present world, very much like we might expect from a series of atomic explosions or what people have experienced recently in California. But after the fiery disaster he also sees a new beginning, a re-creation so to speak, in which there will…
Daily Devotions: December 7, 2017
2 Peter 3:8-10 “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.” vs. 8 Like other New Testament writers Peter believed that Christ would be returning soon, and he too encourages his readers to be patient in their waiting. He tells them that time is mysterious and the Lord operates beyond its influence. It can crawl along so slowly that it seems…
Daily Devotions: December 6, 2017
Psalm 85:10-13 “Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.” vs. 10 So what is it that we’re looking forward to as we move through Advent toward Christmas? For some, it might be a holiday party or maybe a family gathering full of celebratory rituals. Or maybe it’s simply an indefinable “something more!” That’s what the psalmist was searching for in those days before Jesus–he was looking forward to the salvation of God, and not…