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 10, 2024, 7:57 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 30-33
Meditation Verse: 33:23
Thought
Manasseh reigned 55 years, during much of which he was unfaithful to the Lord in the worst ways. He was taken captive to Babylon, where he humbled himself and the Lord restored him to his throne. His son Amon reigned two years, did evil in God's sight as bad as his father had done, and the record notes that he did not humble himself before the Lord. Instead, his servants conspired against him and killed him.
Mar 9, 2024, 7:58 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 26-29
Meditation Verses: 28:2-5
Thought
How quickly the fortunes of God's people can turn! Uzziah and Jotham were good kings, faithful and obedient to the Lord (except when Uzziah thought he deserved to burn incense to the Lord like the priests), and the Lord prospered them and made them powerful, so that they ruled over all the nations around them. Then Ahaz comes on the scene and turns to worship other gods, and God turns them over to be plundered and humbled by their neighbors.
Mar 8, 2024, 7:59 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 22-25
Meditation Verses: 25:7-8
Thought
This is not a good period in Judah's history, for several kings in a row are only half-committed to God. It is stated a number of times, in several ways, that when the leaders turn away from the Lord, when they depend on other gods or on godless allies or on their own wisdom and strength, then the Lord will not be with them and even turn against them. God tells Amaziah that He will not help him because of the soldiers hired from Israel, because He is not with Israel or any of their sons.
Mar 7, 2024, 8:00 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 18-21
Meditation Verses: 18:6-7
Thought
Somehow Jehoshaphat was able to recognize that of all these prophets, not one was from the Lord, though they all claimed to speak a message from the Lord. When he asked Ahab for a prophet of God, Ahab knew of one, but that one never spoke good about him! We all welcome prophets who speak good to us and about us, but we can't recognize that few of them are from the Lord, because they all claim to speak in the name of the Lord.
Mar 6, 2024, 8:02 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 14-17
Meditation Verse: 16:9
Thought
Earlier the Lord had told Asa that He was with those who were with Him. He's not necessarily with those who claim Him, but with those who are actually with Him, seeking His will and doing it. He's not on our side, unless we are on His side. Asa then feels threatened by Basha, but instead of seeking the Lord and trusting in Him, he hires the king of Aram to attack Basha and who then withdraws from fortifying the border. God calls that relying on men rather than relying on Him.
Mar 5, 2024, 8:03 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 10-13
Meditation Verse: 12:14
Thought
Rehoboam did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord. It was not the most important thing to him, it was one of many things that was important, perhaps because of tradition, because that's what Israelites were supposed to do. But after a while, he turned his attention away from the Lord; He wasn't that important. And the Lord sent against him the king of Egypt, who defeated him and made him his servant.
Mar 4, 2024, 8:04 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 6-9
Meditation Verses: 7:13-14
Thought
This well-known verse comes on the heels of disastrous conditions that God brings on the people. If the Lord sends pestilence or drought or locusts on the land, it is for discipline, because the people have sinned in some way. He promised that in such circumstances, if His people will humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, then He will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land. Repentance is in sight here, because the Lord has brought these disasters because of their sin.
Mar 3, 2024, 8:05 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 2-5
Meditation Verses: 2:11-12
Thought
Huram, king of Tyre, almost sounds like he believes in the Lord. He's not offended when Solomon writes him that the Lord is greater than all gods, and he responds by blessing the Lord who made heaven and earth! Did David have such an impact on Huram that he believed? Or was Huram just being polite to a greater power than himself. Tyre may not have been as powerful as it eventually became, and he may have considered himself to be at the mercy of Israel. But he was friendly with David, never conquered by Israel.
Mar 2, 2024, 8:07 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 27 - 2 Chronicles 1
Meditation Verse: 2 Chronicles 1:10
Thought
Solomon recognizes his own limitation, and his responsibility before God to rule over God's people. He knows he's not up to the task, but it is the one thing that consumes his thoughts. He isn't worried about money or protection or enemies or fame or long life. What concerns him most is how to lead God's people, how to lead them well, in the way that pleases God most. And God is pleased with this request for wisdom and knowledge so that he can rule them well.
Mar 1, 2024, 8:11 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 23-26
Meditation Verses: 23:30-31
Thought
Certain Levites were set apart to sing thanks and praise to the Lord at the time of the morning and evening sacrifices. The sacrifices were offered to the Lord on behalf of the nation, and they were to be offered at all times, not just on special occasions. Likewise, the singing was supposed to happen, whether there were people in the courts or not. The singing was to God, not to the people.