Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 222)

Psalm 2:1-6 “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision.” vs. 4 The psalmist imagines the Lord laughing at the scheming of the nations, as they struggle for power and control in this broken world. One after another they had attacked Israel, hoping in vain that they would be able to obliterate this proud and independent people. It is truly remarkable that they were not successful. Israel simply didn’t have the resources to stand against…

Exodus 24:12-18 “The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud.” vs. 16 In scripture the locus of God’s presence is regularly represented as an obscuring cloud, a wonderful metaphor for the mystery and hiddenness that is a part of God’s nature. In this passage Moses prepares for his divine encounter by going up on Mount Sinai and then entering…

Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;” vss. 43-45a In recent months, deep divisions have emerged in our country among people holding divergent opinions about a wide variety of subjects. Some of this has to do with political preferences, conservative vs. liberal, and…

Matthew 5:38-42 “But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;” vs. 39 The whole practice of nonviolent resistance has pretty much fallen out of favor in these latter days. Even though it worked well for Gandhi and for King, many Christians have figured out how to get around Jesus’ straightforward instructions. Millions have decided that the Second Amendment offers better guidance than the Sermon on…

1 Corinthians 3:18-23 “Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” vss. 18-19a We live in an age where no one seems to know what is going on, or have any clue about what is going to happen. The loudest voices are those of the fear-mongers and they tell us to be afraid, that…

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-17 “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.” vs. 11 As the early followers of Jesus continued to reflect on the gospel of grace, they realized that there would have to be some sort of organizing principle for the house churches that had popped up in all the major cities. They would need to figure out worship schedules, leadership issues, membership requirements…all those things…

Psalm 119:33-40 “Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.” vs. 34 We can understand the heart of the psalmist. Like most of us he sincerely wants to be a good person and live a life that is pleasing to God. And somehow he’s gotten the notion that if he can only receive the gift of understanding, he’ll be able to achieve his goal and keep God’s law. Again, we can identify.…

Leviticus 19:11-18 “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” vs. 18 Reading the legal prescriptions of Leviticus reminds us that we’ve known for a long time how we ought to behave while living in community. There really are no mysteries here. We don’t need to be rocket scientists to be able to figure out that stealing, lying, slandering, and cheating the…

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-10 “You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God.” vs. 10 The ancient Israelites, by virtue of their belief in the holiness of God, looked after the poor and the aliens in their midst. In fact, Leviticus 19:34 indicates that “the alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you;…

Matthew 5:33-37 “And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” vss. 36-37 It’s unlikely that Jesus intended that we should never make promises or vows…a view that would pretty much undermine the commitments of marriage or ordination. There are most definitely occasions which call for statements of intention, and the words said at those…

Matthew 5:27-32 “But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” vs. 32 There are some who believe that when Jesus took away the loopholes in Mosaic law he intended to establish an even stricter law for those who became his followers. If that’s the case, the whole gospel of grace goes out the window and is replaced by…

Matthew 5:21-26 “So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” vss. 23-24 Jesus clearly wants his disciples to know that living under the mantle of grace does not mean abandoning the old standards for lawful living. In fact, he raises the  benchmarks…