Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 22)
Daily Devotions
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” vs. 3 Psalm 80:1-3 Ever since the beginning humans have been deeply aware of the brokenness that is a part of life in this incredibly good world. We can easily grasp the magnificence of the creation with our senses. We see how everything fits together and how each little thing has its place. The beauty of sunrises and sunsets continues to amaze, and the scents of blossoming…
Daily Devotions
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.” 4-5a Micah 5:4-5a After Jesus’ death and resurrection his followers searched the scriptures for clues that he was indeed the messiah they’d been waiting for. When they read these verses…
Daily Devotions
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.” vs. 2 Micah 5:2-3 Micah lived near Jerusalem during the time Judah was being threatened by the massive Assyrian Empire. Their armies had already ravaged the northern kingdom of Israel and thousands of refugees had fled south. As a prophet Micah not…
Daily Devotions
His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.” vss. 17-18 Luke 3:15-18 Occasionally, when this Gospel passage is read as a part of worship, folks will actually laugh when they hear that Luke called John’s message “good news to the people.” It’s hard to see how being burned…
Daily Devotions
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!” vs. 14 Zephaniah 3:14-16 It’s likely that Zephaniah was active as a prophet during the reforms of Josiah, one of the few strong and moral kings of Judah. He began his ministry by calling for an end to corruption within the priestly hierarchy and was evidently thrilled when leaders paid attention to him. As far as he was concerned the reformation was…
Daily Devotions
I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” vss. 3-5 Philippians 1:3-7 Because many of us have been a part of a faith community since infancy, we often don’t realize what a blessing such a membership brings. Paul had come out of a tight-knit Jewish background but when he began his spirit-directed…
Daily Devotions
He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David… that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.” vss. 69, 71 Luke 1:68-75 Zechariah’s song of praise, as recounted by Luke, reflects the conviction of early disciples that the ministry of John the Baptizer was no accident of history, but was indicative of God’s continued care for the descendants of Abraham. The Jews had had…
Daily Devotions
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” vs. 25 Matthew 6:25-29 When Thanksgiving was established as a holiday in our country, it was intended to be an end of the year celebration during which participants could give thanks to God for the bounty of the harvest. Many times…
Daily Devotions
Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you Iwait all day long.” vs. 5 Psalm 25:1-10 The psalmist didn’t have the convenience of artificial intelligence or social media, so when he wanted to know the truth he turned to the Lord. The question is, if we wanted to do the same thing, where would we go and what would we do? Would we pore over scripture? Since many of us…
Daily Devotions
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” vss. 5b-6 Psalm 93 This psalm is known as an enthronement psalm, a hymn that was sung as part of the temple worship at one of the fall festivals to give glory to God as the Sovereign King. We know from scripture…
Daily Devotions
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” vss. 5b-6 Revelation 1:4b-8 While it’s unlikely that the writer of Revelation was the apostle John, it did come from a church leader bearing that name and living in the mid to late first century at a time of intense persecution. The…
Daily Devotions
To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.” vs. 14 Daniel 7:13-14 One of the consolations that the losers have in our elections is that the winners aren’t going to be around forever. Even while we’re appalled at the policies and regulations that come with a change in regime,…