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
Mar 21, 2022, 2:15 PM
Passage Read: Psalm 27-30
Meditation Verses: 27:1-3
Thought
Ah, but I am afraid of these things, because I fear pain! David trusted that the Lord would deliver him, and he'd seen it many times. He fought against armies for the Lord and for His people, and lived many days. But days are coming when armies will succeed against the people of God, those days will be dark and many will seal their testimony with their own blood.
Mar 20, 2022, 2:16 PM
Passage Read: Psalm 23-26
Meditation Verses: 25:8-10
Thought
Because the Lord is good, so He teaches sinners the way they should go. But of course, only those who are meek and humble will accept His guidance and actually follow in His ways. Only they receive and act on His guidance, so He is able to lead them. But of course, He leads them according to His commands and testimonies. In fact, He has already recorded all He desires from His people. These meek and humble don't need special prompting, they only need to hear and see what He asks, and in their humility, they respond quickly in obedience.
Mar 19, 2022, 2:17 PM
Passage Read: Psalm 19-22
Meditation Verses: 22:21-22
Thought
When God delivers, when God answers prayer, He deserves to be praised for it. It is not merely that other believers need to know that He answers prayer, but that He deserves credit for saving His child! His name should be praised because He did great things! Yes, it will be great encouragement to others, but God simply deserves the credit.
Mar 18, 2022, 2:18 PM
Passage Read: Psalm 15-18
Meditation Verses: 17:2-6
Thought
David had confidence to invite God's judgment on him because he was sure that he walked faithfully in the Lord's ways. He did not fear the Lord's judgment, but rather was confident that the Lord would hear his every prayer and answer him, because he lived by the word of the Lord. That tells me that such faithfulness is in reach of even me, that even I can walk in His ways so faithfully that I too need not fear His judgment, but can look forward to His favor wherever I pray to Him.
Mar 17, 2022, 2:20 PM
Passage Read: Psalm 11-14
Meditation Verses: 14:2-4
Thought
The wicked endure and prosper and overcome the righteous. They do as they please on the earth and get away with much evil. Yet they are heaping up condemnation for themselves. They eat the righteous like bread, the righteous are defenseless, yet the Lord sees and will remember. The righteous have a very good reward, the wicked will receive eternal destruction. It is better to be counted by God among the righteous, though we have no strength to resist the wicked, because it will be far better for us than for them.
Mar 16, 2022, 2:21 PM
Passage Read: Psalm 7-10
Meditation Verses: 9:19-20
Thought
Lord, if You were to arise and judge the nations, who could stand? There is no one righteous, not even one. But You have sent Your Son to pay the penalty of all those who trust in Him. Lord, men still need to be humbled. These children in all their pride need to be humbled. They need You to put Your fear in them. Let them know that they are only men, but You are God. So that they might repent and be saved, not to destroy them, but that they might see that they are nothing and You are worthy of all praise.
Mar 15, 2022, 2:22 PM
Passage Read: Psalm 3-6
Meditation Verses: 4:3-5
Thought
The people of this world make fun of those who trust in God, and it can be wearing to have to continually put up with their mocking. But they live for lies and chase vanity, and the Lord sets apart the righteous for Himself. We who believe in Him are special to Him, He listens for our voice and answers our prayers. So when we must endure mocking, we need to remind ourselves of these things.
Mar 14, 2022, 2:23 PM
Passage Read: Job 41 - Psalm 2
Meditation Verse: Psalm 2:12
Thought
The blessings of those who flee to the Son for refuge are great! Those that think they can overcome the Son, those who laugh at the Son and plot against Him are the real fools. They have no clue who they are opposing. Because they don't see Him, because they don't know Him, they are bold to set themselves against Him and plot to overthrow His established order. But those who acknowledge Him and humble themselves before Him will not just be saved, but rewarded.
Mar 13, 2022, 2:43 PM
Passage Read: Job 37-40
Meditation Verse: 40:8
Thought
According to God, Job justified himself and in so doing he condemned God. When we are the focus of our attention, when we define everything by our comfort and joy, then we are setting ourselves up as rulers and judges. We will in no time find that God has done things to violate our rights and our comfort and pleasure. At that point we will begin condemning God and justifying ourselves.
Mar 12, 2022, 3:44 PM
Passage Read: Job 33-36
Meditation Verses: 35:2-3
Thought
Elihu seems to be misrepresenting Job, twisting Job's words into something he didn't say. He is perhaps taking Job's words further than Job meant them, that the implication of Job's complaint was that he was more righteous than God because God has punished him without cause. But I doubt Job meant that. Nor do I believe Job meant to say he'd be just as profited by doing evil as by doing the good he did.