Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 2)
Daily Devotions
Jonah 3:10-4:4…“‘And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ And the LORD said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’” vss. 3-4 The story of Jonah probably catches our attention because of the great swallowing fish that shows up to rescue Jonah from certain death, but to focus on that is to miss the conversation he has with the Lord about his anger. Jonah did not…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 18:28-35…“But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’” vs. 28 When we read this parable about forgiveness that Jesus told we can’t help but be appalled at the behavior of the slave who had been forgiven all of his debt. Evidently his heart had been completely untouched by this incredible act of mercy that…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 18:21-27…“Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’” vss. 21- 22 People who live by faith have come to believe that their relationship to God is totally dependent on God’s unconditional love and never-ending mercy. Even though we live in a broken world, by God’s grace we…
Daily Devotions
Romans 14:7-12…“Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” vs. 10 Paul couldn’t understand how the faithful could harbor such hatred against other members of their community simply because they had different ways of practicing what they believed. It seemed bizarre to him that they would expend such energy in judging others–ultimately that wasn’t even their job!…
Daily Devotions
Romans 14:1-6…“Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.” vs. 1 Congregations are full of people with varying opinions about any number of practices and beliefs. Paul had discovered that the Romans regularly got fired up about their diets. Some refused to eat meat because it came from pagan sacrifices. Others thought that was foolish. For them, eating meat wasn’t a faith…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 103:8-13..“As a father has compassion for his children, so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him.” vs. 13 Scripture regularly uses the metaphor “father” to describe the relationship of God to humanity. And because most people have extensive experience with fathers, the metaphor is useful. Here the psalm describes God’s compassion as being like that of a father for his children, and, because we may have experienced a father’s compassion, we have a general sense of what…
Daily Devotions
Genesis 50:19-21..““Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” vs. 20 The whole cycle of the Hebrew ancestral stories comes to a warm and fuzzy end with Joseph’s words to his brothers. Not only does he offer them mercy and forgiveness, but he tells them that even the brokenness of their relationship has been used by God for good. Humans have long…
Daily Devotions
Genesis 50:15-18..“‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” vs. 17 The brothers of Joseph were convinced that once their father died, they would lose their protection, so they made up a story about Jacob’s last wishes. They told Joseph that their father had begged him to forgive the crime of his brothers.…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 18:18-20..“Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” vs. 19 Because some passages in the bible are obscure, they have been subject to a variety of interpretations. This verse, for example, has led to the belief that if two people agree completely on any prayer request, it’s going to happen! God will do it for them, no questions asked! It…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 18:15-17..“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.” vs. 15 Matthew is likely thinking of his own community of believers as he recalls these words of Jesus about reconciliation. Because life is communal it’s been natural for humans to find their identity as families, clans, tribes, and nations. So when the Spirit called the…
Daily Devotions
Romans 13:11-14..“Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy.” vss. 12b-13 There’s a reason parents worry when their children miss their nightly curfews. Despite what their teens might say, there’s not much good that can happen after midnight! Darkness has a way of loosening moral convictions and increasing mayhem.…
Daily Devotions
Romans 13:8-10..“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8 There is nothing better in this flawed world than to love one another! That was Paul’s conclusion as he neared the end of his long and sometimes tedious letter to the Romans, and it has been the central teaching of every authentic religious leader ever since. Of course, having affirmed the centrality of love, there remains a lot…