Personal Devotions
Notes from Mark's personal Bible reading and meditation
With a goal to apply one truth from each day's reading to my life that day
Aug 27, 2023, 4:22 PM
Passage Read: Acts 20-21
Meditation Verse: 20:28
Thought
The first step to keeping watch over others is to keep watch over yourself. If I don't know Christ or don't remain faithful to Him and His Word, then neither will I be able to keep the flock entrusted to me safe. There are those who want to attack; there are those who want followers for themselves, not Christ.
Aug 26, 2023, 4:24 PM
Passage Read: Acts 18-19
Meditation Verses: 19:8-9
Thought
Paul is committed to going to the Jews first and remaining among them until they reject the teaching about Christ. He would speak boldly about Christ, even though it could divide the people, and usually did. When a portion of the Jews decided he was a heretic, he would rebuke them and depart with his disciples. So he was just like a false teacher but would come in and publicly teach about Christ until sharp division arose, then he would split the congregation.
Aug 25, 2023, 4:25 PM
Passage Read: Acts 16-17
Meditation Verses: 17:29-31
Thought
Paul says that God overlooked the ignorance about Him that led men to make idols of all kinds of created things. Does that mean He will judge them by their own consciences rather than by the Law of Moses? Is there some other means by which they could possibly be saved, or are they just doomed, without any hope? In the past, God overlooked the ignorance of men, but now He commands all men everywhere to repent of their idols and believe in His Son.
Aug 24, 2023, 4:27 PM
Passage Read: Acts 14-15
Meditation Verse: 15:5
Thought
There's a lot to the Law of Moses and this group doesn't specify what all needs to be obeyed, which implies all of it. Of course, this debate began because some men came to Antioch and said the Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved, so at least that, they were making a requirement for salvation. But Jesus had in effect done away with the whole ceremonial aspect of the Law, yet Paul reiterates most of the moral law in his letters.
Aug 23, 2023, 4:29 PM
Passage Read: Acts 12-13
Meditation Verse: 13:43
Thought
This should be the hope and desire of every preacher, that after preaching their message, many would come up afterwards and talk with him, that there would be further discussion about what the things spoken of mean for the individual. That shows true interest on the part of the listener, a desire to meditate and discuss the implications of the message. There is nothing wrong with the lecture format of preaching, but our churches have been conditioned to leave immediately afterward, or just to make small talk rather than ask questions of understanding from the preacher.
Aug 22, 2023, 4:31 PM
Passage Read: Acts 10-11
Meditation Verse: 10:35
Thought
Cornelius feared God and did what was right in His eyes, so the Lord made sure he heard about Jesus so he could also believe in Him. Interesting that Cornelius had already basically repented. He had forsaken the gods of his people and chosen to fear the God of the Israelites and do what He required. God obviously honored that and granted him the privilege of hearing about Jesus, the judge of all the living and the dead, who could forgive anyone's sin if they believed in Him.
Aug 21, 2023, 4:32 PM
Passage Read: Acts 8-9
Meditation Verses: 9:20,22
Thought
Paul immediately begins preaching to his fellow Jews that Jesus is the Son of God and proving that Jesus is the Messiah! This is what Luke records about Paul's message. Paul was convinced that Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah, so now he had to tell all his fellow Jews. But Luke doesn't record him preaching about forgiveness, but about who Jesus is. That is surprising to me.
Aug 20, 2023, 4:33 PM
Passage Read: Acts 6-7
Meditation Verse: 7:51
Thought
Disobedience is resisting the Holy Spirit. Refusing to believe and obey the Lord is resisting the Holy Spirit. Hating those who call one to repentance is resisting the Holy Spirit. And Stephen says this of those who represented the Lord to the people, these were the priests and elders, the Sanhedrin. They were supposed to be the experts in the Bible, but they like their forefathers refused to believe and obey it.
Aug 19, 2023, 4:36 PM
Passage Read: Acts 4-5
Meditation Verse: 5:42
Thought
Interesting that Luke records this in this way: the good news is that Jesus is the Christ. Not forgiveness of sins through Jesus' death and resurrection, but Jesus is the Messiah. Forgiveness of sins is preached in His name, but it's only possible because He is the Messiah, He is the Son of God, and He perfectly obeyed His Father. The good news is that the Messiah has come and He is Jesus. And in time He will set up His kingdom.
Aug 18, 2023, 4:37 PM
Passage Read: Acts 2-3
Meditation Verse: 3:16
Thought
The man was made well by Peter's faith in Jesus. The man knew nothing about what Peter was going to do, but Peter knew what he was going to do. Faith for healing doesn't have to be in the one healed, but usually does have to be in the one through whom healing comes.