Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 249)

Psalm 112:6-9 “They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.” vs. 9 In discussing the attributes of the righteous, the psalmist includes some reflections on how they will be remembered. While folks in those years probably had no strong hope of an afterlife, he does believe that deeds of righteousness would not be forgotten, that they would endure forever. And these many years later, we who live in…

Psalm 112:1-5 “They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.” vs. 4 The community of faith has long recognized that their manner of life is an important witness to the world. Even in the days of the psalmist, hundreds of years before Jesus, there was an understanding that faithful godly living would have an impact, that the life of the God-fearer would be like light in the midst of darkness. According…

Isaiah 58:4-9a “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” vs. 6 The words of the prophet in this chapter have been an inspiration to millions of people through the centuries. They’re certainly a huge blessing to any who want to walk in the Way of Jesus. Those who take them to heart know that the…

 Isaiah 58:1-3 ‘Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’ Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.” vs. 3 In this verse, the prophet imagines a brief dialogue between worshippers and the Lord. The people are wondering why good things aren’t happening since they’ve been following the rituals of worship so faithfully. They’ve expected the Lord to be pleased with their precise attention…

Matthew 5:7-12 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” vs. 11 Most people enjoy hearing good things said about themselves and love the affirmations that come with popularity. To put it simply, we like being liked! In order for that to happen however, we’ll have to refrain from controversy as much as possible. We’ll have to be careful about what we say or do, even…

Matthew 5:1-6 “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:” vss. 1-2 It’s no accident that Matthew has Jesus begin his ministry by speaking from a seated position on the top of a mountain. He wants his readers to think of Jesus as a rabbi, a new Moses, one who brings a radical reinterpretation of the old Sinaitic law.…

1 Corinthians 1:25-31 “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;” vs. 27 The first to embrace the gospel in the cities where Paul preached, were generally from the working class; many of them were slaves. Only occasionally would someone with wealth and power become a believer. These low-born types loved the message of equality and freedom that they heard from the early…

1 Corinthians 1:18-24 “For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” vss. 22-23 For centuries Christian apologists and theologians have written books and published scholarly articles in an effort to present the gospel message in an orderly and systematic way. Much of their writing and reasoning has been masterfully done and has brought satisfaction to countless readers. But still skeptics remain–some of them deeply committed followers…

Psalm 15:4-5 “…who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved.” vs. 5 The practice of lending money at interest developed many thousands of years ago and was addressed several times by the writers of our scripture. Like the psalmist these thinkers believed that those who lived blamelessly and in accordance with God’s standards would not think of lending money at interest. Initially this…

Psalm 15:1-3 “O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart;” vss. 1-2 Those who have become accustomed to living by grace may look at verses like this and breathe a sigh of relief, “Thank God we don’t have to live under the burden of the law anymore!” That’s a comforting thought…and it is good to know that…

Micah 6:1-8 “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” vs. 8 If we were asked to choose a single verse from scripture as a personal mission statement, we’d be hard pressed to find a better one than this gem from the pen of Micah. The prophet is obviously frustrated with his people’s preoccupation with the…

Matthew 4:18-23 “As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.” vs. 18 As Jesus began his ministry, the first item on his “to do” list was to enlist some disciples, folks who he could teach and who he could send out on missions. These disciples would also insure the continuation of his ministry after he was gone. His…