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
Oct 2, 2025, 7:19 AM
Passage Read: Romans 2-3
Meditation Verses: 2:3-6
Thought
Paul just condemned the world, all the unrighteous for their suppression of God's truth by their evil deeds. He pointed out that God gave them over to unnatural sexual desires as a demonstration of His wrath upon them. But their evil is not limited to these perverted lusts, but also all kinds of evil and rebellion and disobedience to parents and all kinds of other wrong behavior.
Oct 1, 2025, 7:26 AM
Passage Read: Acts 28 - Romans 1
Meditation Verses: Romans 1:18-19
Thought
God's wrath "is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness." It is being revealed by the ever-deepening depravity they seek out. It is being revealed by the penalty they suffer in their own bodies. They know who God is; they know what He requires.
Sep 30, 2025, 8:58 AM
Passage Read: Acts 26-27
Meditation Verse: 26:15
Thought
Paul was obsessed with stamping out the sect of the Nazarene. He imprisoned many and punished them, trying to get them to blaspheme against Jesus. And when they were condemned to death, he also cast his vote against them. All he did to these believers, he was doing against Jesus. When Jesus appeared to him, He identified Himself as "Jesus, whom you are persecuting."
Sep 29, 2025, 4:49 PM
Passage Read: Acts 24-25
Meditation Verses: 24:14-16
Thought
This is an example of conversation seasoned with salt. It is not a detailed explanation of the Gospel itself, but the big picture of the Gospel and its implications. The Gospel agrees with everything written in the Law and Prophets, which means I must too. Not everything people have added to the Law and Prophets, but everything written in them.
Sep 28, 2025, 9:24 AM
Passage Read: Acts 22-23
Meditation Verse: 23:11
Thought
Paul didn't give much detail about Jesus Himself, other than that He had given him several instructions, though He was supposed to be dead. He shared about his conversion and that he was serving God with a clear conscience and was on trial only because of his hope in the resurrection. Yet Jesus affirms his attempts and considers them testimony about Him.
Sep 27, 2025, 8:56 AM
Passage Read: Acts 20-21
Meditation Verses: 21:31-32
Thought
Paul is amazing! He's known for weeks that this trip to Jerusalem will go badly, but nothing can stop him from going. The Holy Spirit has given him an idea of what's to come, but not forbidden him from going. Others who hear what the Spirit has in mind urge him not to go, but he continues. When he arrives in Jerusalem, he submits to James' plan to demonstrate that he still respects the whole Law of Moses, and becomes all things to all men for the sake of the Gospel, even to devout Jews.
Sep 26, 2025, 7:09 AM
Passage Read: Acts 18-19
Meditation Verses: 19:29-31
Thought
The whole city was in an uproar! Paul doubtless was concerned for his traveling companions, but he likely also saw the potential for preaching the Gospel, not unlike what he would soon face in Jerusalem. In one instance, he could testify for Jesus to a huge crowd of Ephesians! But the disciples and even some of the city leaders, friends of his, urged him to stay away.
Sep 25, 2025, 8:13 AM
Passage Read: Acts 16-17
Meditation Verses: 16:30-34
Thought
The testimony of the Philippian jailer is interesting. There was a huge demonstration of God's power, clearly on behalf of Paul and Silas. The jailer doubtless had heard their singing and praying, and when he found none of the prisoners escaped when the doors came open and the chains fell off, he had to be completely overwhelmed. Paul's God was clearly like no other. And his question to Paul was, "What must I do to be saved?"
Sep 24, 2025, 7:11 AM
Passage Read: Acts 14-15
Meditation Verse: 14:15
Thought
Paul wasn't gentle at all when dealing with this situation. The people thought they were Zeus and Hermes, and were ready to make sacrifices to them, even after they had preached about Jesus! It's like they didn't hear what Paul had been saying, so when they came with sacrifices, Paul told them he was preaching that they turn from such useless things and worship the true God who made heaven and earth.
Sep 22, 2025, 5:29 PM
Passage Read: Acts 12-13
Meditation Verses: 13:38-41
Thought
Paul's Gospel was simple and to the point, though he put it in historical context, partly to identify Jesus as the promised Messiah. But he declared Jesus as crucified and killed, buried, then raise to life on the third day by the power of God. He also mentioned the Apostles, who were witnesses.