Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 219)

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 In John’s gospel things are not always what they appear to be. There’s always more to the story. We see another example of this as Jesus receives notice of the severe illness of his friend, Lazarus. On the surface it seems straight-forward. Mary and Martha…

Romans 8:6-11 “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” vs. 6 Some followers of Jesus struggle to live with their flaws. They have been blessed with a spirit of perfectionism and have the irrational notion that they should be able to live exactly as God desires. Paul had a dose of that gene too…and he struggled to do what he thought he ought to be doing.…

Ezekiel 37:1-14 “Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.”” vs. 11 Even though the land of Judah had been devastated by the Babylonian invaders and the ruling families had been carried off to live in the land of exile, the prophet had not lost hope. He looked for revival, for a restoration of the dream, and…

Psalm 130 “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.” vs. 1 So what shall we do when we’re down and life seems to be closing in on us? It’s a situation that all of us face from time to time, and one that some deal with on an almost daily basis. The darkness of those moments is overwhelming and it’s hard to make wise decisions. Our well-meaning friends may offer advice or prescribe possible solutions, but often…

John 9:35-41 “Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’” vs. 39 This statement from John’s gospel is one of those enigmatic Jesus sayings that can leave us scratching our heads. We have to read it again and again before its meaning begins to come out…and even then we can’t be sure that we’ve gotten it right. Jesus isn’t saying that he’s…

John 9:24-34 “He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’” vs. 27 The gospel writer John, always evangelistic and occasionally obscure, will sometimes drop a bit of humor into his stories. In those moments he seems to be seeking a smile or a chuckle from his hearers and readers, and many times he gets it. In today’s passage he…

John 9:13-23 “His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.” vs. 22 As the gospel writer John wrote his account of Jesus’ life and ministry, he naturally makes reference to the conflict that arose between Jesus and the religious establishment. Unfortunately he often uses the word “Jews” to describe those opponents even though Jesus and…

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 The disciples were pretty convinced that the beggar’s blindness was because of sin, either his own or his parents. It’s not an unusual notion. Often we hear that people are to blame for their own wretched conditions, that if only they or their parents had made better decisions, life would be good for them.…

Ephesians 5:8-14 “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” vss. 8-10 According to scripture, those who respond to the gospel of grace by becoming part of the community of faith have moved from darkness into light. That’s a big move, an exhilarating…

Psalm 23 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.” vs. 6 We’re generally aware of the sentiments of this well-known psalm. Some of us know it by heart and we hear it read at nearly every funeral we attend. It’s an embracing scripture, one that holds us closely in moments of pain and suffering. When death comes near its words…

1 Samuel 16:1-13 “He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’” vs. 12 Samuel had a tough job. He was appointed by the Lord to pick a new king for Israel to replace Saul, the man he thought was doing a reasonably good job before he messed up. The task was made a bit more ticklish because Saul wasn’t…

John 4:27-42 “Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.” vs. 35 The gospel of John is not kind to the disciples in that it often portrays them as not getting the point of what Jesus is up to. In this text they are preoccupied with finding food and are astounded by his careless associations. Not only is he having a…