Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 238)

Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” vss. 1-2 People of faith are free to worry about any number of things…and most of us do! We worry about economics, children, parents, politics, terrorism…the list goes on and on, and probably varies from day…

Psalm 100:1-5 “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” vs. 5 For one reason or another, God suffers from a bad reputation. Ugly rumors and misleading anecdotes have been passed from generation to generation and, as a result, countless people have come to believe that God is angry and vengeful. Even worse than that, for many–God is thought of as remote and unapproachable–an impotent force in their daily lives. That certainly…

Exodus 19:5-8a “So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. The people all answered as one: ‘Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.’” vss. 7-8 In the context of the wilderness wanderings, the response of the Israelites to Moses’ words almost sound like a joke. We know the rest of the story! We’ve read about the grumbling and the idolatry, the bickering and the…

Exodus 19:2-4 “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” vs. 4 The song, Eagle’s Wings, is a favorite for many and we often hear it sung as a vocal solo during worship services as a comforting reminder of Psalm 91. The chorus then picks up this little verse from Exodus and uses it to provide an image of a rescuing and saving God. For Israel,…

Matthew 28:18-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” vss. 19-20 The Great Commission provides a simple, uncomplicated formula for the mission of the Church. Only two things are included in the authorization to make disciples: baptizing and teaching. We’ve done a pretty good job with the first part of the…

Matthew 28:16-17 “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” vs. 17 Sometimes things just seem too good to be true! That was the experience of the disciples when they reconnected with Jesus on the mountain in Galilee. According to Matthew, the disciples didn’t have a resurrection encounter with Jesus that first Easter morning. They knew the tomb was empty and they had received the message given by Jesus to the women, that they should go to Galilee.…

2 Corinthians 13:11-13 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” vs. 13 Paul’s concluding words to the Corinthian congregation sum up his deepest desires for them as they continued the adventure they had begun in Christ Jesus. They’re familiar words and some of us hear them regularly as a part of the liturgy. In only three phrases, Paul captures the essence of true Christian…

Psalm 8:5-9 “Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.” vs. 5 Occasionally, in a moment of embarrassment or guilt, the phrase, “Well, I’m only human,” slips from our lips. It’s meant to be an excuse for poor behavior, as though nothing better can be expected from folks who have barely made it past the bottom rung of evolution. The psalmist would call such talk a slap in the face of…

 Psalm 8:1-4 “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” vss. 3-4 What would the psalmist have said if he had had accessibility to the Hubble telescope, and been able to see far into the depths of the universe? Given his ecstasy over what he was able to see with the naked…

Genesis 1:20-2:4a “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” vs. 27 As the Hebrews reflected on the nature of God and of God’s creation, it was obvious to them that there was something special about humans. Of course we’re a part of the creation and God did bring us into existence like every other living being. We have a lot in common with dogs and cats…

Genesis 1:1-19 “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good;” The creation stories of Genesis contain deep and profound truths that have been foundational for people of faith for many hundreds of…

John 20:19-23 “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ’Receive the Holy Spirit.’” vss. 21-22 When Jesus died those who had engineered his death probably expected that the movement that had grown up around him would quickly be forgotten. After all, the crowds had come together primarily because of his personal charisma and appeal. With…