Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 248)

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…

1 Corinthians 3:1-4 “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.” vs. 5 The congregation in Corinth was giving Paul fits. Instead of celebrating their unity in Christ they were choosing sides, with one group claiming connections with Apollos, the silver-tongued orator who had come to them after Paul, and the other claiming special allegiance to Paul, the church planter. And now the two groups were at odds,…

Psalm 119:5-8 “O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.” vss. 5-6 The psalmist prays with all his heart that he will be able to keep the statutes of the Lord and thereby avoid being put to shame. We shouldn’t doubt his sincerity…it reflects our own desire to lead a good and blameless life. And he rightfully names shame, the faithful…

Psalm 119:1-4 “Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.” vs. 1 This is the longest of all the psalms that have come down to us and has been carefully crafted to pay homage to the law and to offer encouragement to those who seek to obey it. The psalmist begins by observing that those whose way is blameless, who walk in the way of the Lord, are blessed…and we would have to…

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him;” vss. 19-20a The book of Deuteronomy, one of the most precious documents to come down to us from our ancestors, presents itself as Moses’ final sermon to the Israelites before they leave the wilderness…

Matthew 5:17-20 “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 20 Though Matthew is obviously drawing parallels between Moses, the great lawgiver, and Jesus in his introductory chapters, the first words Jesus speaks to the disciples, the beatitudes, are a powerful statement of grace, and not a list of rules. He tells them clearly that they are the light of the world. But he follows…

Matthew 5:13-16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” vs. 16 For some Christians, especially those who love Pauline theology, good works are regarded with a certain suspicion. For them salvation is all about grace and faith alone and any talk about works can be a dangerous distraction. Their emphasis on grace can be appreciated, yet it’s also important for us…

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” vss.1-2 Many contemporary evangelists have used a non-Pauline approach in the proclamation of God’s mysteries. By using market surveys they can discover the needs and desires of their prospective audience…and then they craft a message that meets those needs…and…