by Eric Holter on June 5, 2005
“When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.’”
Luke 2:48
For three agonizing days Joseph and Mary searched for their precious Son. There have been a few times and places where I have lost track of one of my children. Those few anxious minutes felt like hours as the sickening feeling of anxiety welled up in my gut. How much more painful to lose track of a child for three days? Life need not deliver such extreme forms of distress in order to provoke my anxiety; its small doses produce dread and anxiety easily enough. My inner turmoil is a reflexive consequence of such circumstances.
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by Eric Holter on May 10, 2005
“…and they brought Him up… to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.’”
Luke 2:24
What? Shall the Redeemer be redeemed by a couple of pigeons? Such irony! Jesus, who would redeem us by His own blood, was, if such a thing were possible, redeemed according to the Law of Moses with a couple of birds. Not even a proper lamb, but rather the poor man’s provision of two pigeons. Little did Joseph and Mary know that this baby they were redeeming with inexpensive birds was Himself the perfect Lamb of God. As the necks of these birds were nipped, and their blood ran down upon the altar, so too this child’s blood would run, for the Lord was providing Himself a Lamb for the offering.
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by Eric Holter on December 15, 2004
“The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
But He loves him who pursues righteousness.”
Proverbs 15:9
It’s only my dullness that keeps my heart from shouting out for joy over the gift of righteousness given to me in Christ. Christ’s very own righteousness – for me – as a free gift? What could I give for it, how could I prepare my heart to make it worthy for this gift? I can’t give anything – I can’t do anything. The imputation of Christ’s righteousness is an inestimable gift that comes only by grace through God given faith.
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by Eric Holter on November 5, 2004
“For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them,
And the complacency of fools shall destroy them.”
Proverbs 1:32
Why should I pursue the knowledge of God? Why should I listen carefully to the instruction of the Lord? Why should I wrestle with proverbs and the riddles of wisdom? Because I will die if I don’t.
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by Eric Holter on May 10, 2004
“Therefore, thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am planning against this family a calamity from which you cannot remove your neck; and you will not walk haughtily, for it will be an evil time.’ “
Micah 2:3
The sovereign Lord is sovereign over good and evil. The problem of evil is something that has troubled mankind since the fall. Today people speak out against God, accusing Him of being powerless or absent when evil happens. But God is neither powerless nor absent, He is Lord over all, even over evil. As Lord over all He has intentions and plans for evil and calamity – without ever sinning or doing the least unrighteous thing.
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by Eric Holter on March 15, 2004
“And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.’ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, ‘Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ And He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ But she said, ‘Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed at once.” Matthew 15:22-28
When I hear Jesus declaring someone’s faith to be great I want to know what made it so great because I want my faith to grow and be strong. God’s evaluation of what makes for great faith is so different than how mankind would judge it. From a human perspective, faith is usually considered great when it is accompanied by boldness, confidence, and assurance. Yet, it seems, that God is more impressed with humble, desperate faith.
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by Eric Holter on January 25, 2004
“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of Heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride” Daniel 4:37
O Lord I thank you that you are able to humble those, like me, that walk in pride. Lord, I want to be humble because I want to draw near to you and have you draw near to me. I do not want to be proud because I want grace and not resistance from you. Thank you Jesus, that you are able to turn hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. Soften my heart toward you of God. Make me walk your paths, kill the pride of my heart and cause me to be contrite and lowly of spirit that you might dwell with me. Cause me to praise, exalt, and honor the King of Heaven and delight in all your works and ways. You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Who do I have in heaven but you, and having you I desire nothing on earth. Grant to me, O Lord, a heart that is captivated by your beauty and enthralled with your excellence. Humble me, and let me glimpse your glory in the face of Christ. Increase my capacity, and enlarge my heart, let me see more of you and be satisfied in you. Weaken all competing desires and strengthen my desire for, and appetite for you O Lord. Let me drink deeply of the water of life and delight myself in abundance at your table. This is what I ask, this is what I want. Thank you for giving me “the want.” O Lord, please satisfy my desire for you, and keep me wanting you more. I need you all Lord my God. Thank you that all is from your hand, I trust in you. In Jesus’ name I ask these things. Amen.
by Eric Holter on December 20, 2003
“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.” Daniel 1:8
Of all of Daniel’s great character traits described in this chapter, it is his humility that stands out so beautifully. It is said that Daniel was a handsome, brilliant, wise, and spiritual young man. He was selected from the best Israel had and he stood out high above his peers. He was chosen to serve the king. Now perhaps this honor escaped him, in as much as he was taken forcibly into this service. Daniel accepted his lot and began to study according to the will and direction of the king. But then a contention arose regarding the food and wine being served. It says that Daniel “made up his mind.” He was determined not to eat this food or drink this wine. He was prepared to stand his ground on this issue, and he stood on firm ground since he acted in order not to break the Lord’s dietary laws. God Himself was on Daniel’s side in this matter.
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by Eric Holter on December 10, 2003
“But then when he heard this, He said, ‘It is not to those who are healthy and will need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, “I desire compassion and not sacrifice,” for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. ‘” Matthew 9:12-13
Saints and Sinners
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and when he saves one he makes them, instantly, a saint. The word “saint” means “set apart one” or “holy one.” It is a blessed truth that those called by Jesus are now, and forever, His saints. It is also true that those “sinners who have been called” who have now been made saints, ought to live as saints and put off their old identity of sinner. We ought to live in a manner worthy of this high and heavenly calling to be the saints of God.
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by Eric Holter on November 15, 2003
“And when He had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, entreating Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering great pain.” And He said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I, too, am a man under authority, with many soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled, and said to those who were following, “Truly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.” Matthew 8:5-10
I want to have great faith in Jesus. There are, at least, five aspects of the centurion’s faith that can be observed in this passage, and that, by the grace of God, can be emulated.
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