Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 211)

Psalm 145:8-10 “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” vs. 8 Occasionally we hear voices being raised against the Old Testament, with some saying that a divorce needs to take place, that followers of Jesus should distance themselves from the patriarchal and genocidal legalisms of the Hebrew scriptures. It’s as though our modern sensibilities need protection from the teachings of our ancestors. Such thinking is not only misguided, it’s horribly misleading. What we…

Zechariah 9:9-12 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” vs. 9 We’re familiar with this little verse from Zechariah because we associate it with Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and its numerous Palm Sunday reenactments. Because of its familiarity it’s possible to miss the prophet’s radical message. This isn’t an image of…

Matthew 10:40-42 “and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” vs. 4 Sometimes we get the idea that being a follower of Jesus requires amazing heroism, doing really big things that have an impact on millions of people. But that’s not what Jesus says. In fact we might easily summarize his teachings with the words, “it’s the…

Romans 6:16-23 “But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted,” vs. 17 Those who wish to live as free men and women quickly discover that it’s not as easy as they might think. It’s not a matter of declaring ourselves free from bondage to sin and then doing whatever we please. That kind of thinking quickly leads back into…

Romans 6:12-16 “Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.” vs. 12 As humans we have enormous potential for good as we live and work in our world. We have been created to have compassion for others and to engage in wonderfully fruitful loving relationships. But it doesn’t just happen! In fact, too often our desires and passions get the best of us and we end up living for self and…

Psalm 89:15-18 “Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance;” vs. 15 After proclaiming his confidence in God’s faithful, steadfast love the psalmist goes on to describe what a blessing it is for the people to walk in the light of that love. “Happy are the people,” he says, “who know the festal shout.” Now that’s not familiar language for us, and we might wonder what he’s getting at.…

Psalm 89:1-4 “I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.” vs. 1 No matter what the psalmist was thinking about life; no matter what the challenges and obstacles, he was always glad to sing of the Lord’s steadfast love and never-ending faithfulness. This was love unlike any other and was certainly different from the fickle romantic love that brings such pain to human relationships. God’s love is…

Jeremiah 28:6-7 “As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” vs. 9 It would be nice if we could listen to a prophet and immediately know if that prophet is speaking the truth or only blowing smoke. That would make it a lot easier to make a decision about getting on the bandwagon or not. That was the problem folks…

Jeremiah 28:5-6 “And the prophet Jeremiah said, ‘Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles.’” vs 6 The country of Judah had been invaded by Babylon and had become a vassal state. Jeremiah–who loved his people dearly–was a prophet of peace and had advised against foreign entanglements even before the invasion. But…

Matthew 10:32-39 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” vs. 34         Religious warmongers delight in this little verse from Matthew. “See,” they chortle in the face of those who devote their lives to the peace effort, “even Jesus advises his followers to take up the sword against their enemies.” They then go on to support increased military spending and the development of even more…

Matthew 10: 24-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.” vss.29-31 As Jesus sent his disciples out on their mission he offered comfort by assuring them of God’s constant attention. Nothing that happened in their lives would be beyond God’s notice. If…

Romans 6:1b-11 “Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” vss. 1b-2 Wherever people have heard the good news of God’s steadfast love and abundant grace, some have reacted by assuming that they were now free to do whatever they please, that there are no limitations for behavior. That attitude drove Paul to distraction and he took pains to remind his readers…