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 11, 2024, 7:11 AM
Passage Read: Mark 9-10
Meditation Verses: 10:51-52
Thought
Bartimaeus cried out for mercy, and Jesus stopped and called him over. When Jesus asked what He could do for him, Bartimaeus asked for his sight. Jesus said, "Go, your faith has made you well." Bartimaeus immediately regained his sight, but instead of going, he began following Jesus. He did not take what he could get from Jesus and go, he believed more than just that Jesus could give him his request. He believed Jesus was worth knowing and following. He knew of Jesus, and recognized his chance when he realized Jesus was passing by.
Aug 10, 2024, 7:15 AM
Passage Read: Mark 7-8
Meditation Verses: 8:31-33
Thought
The desire to preserve life is so strong, whether it be a friend's life, a loved one's life or our own. Peter is unwilling for Jesus to die, at minimum purely out of human compassion, probably also because He believed Him to be the Christ and wanted Him to reign as king, not die. But Jesus moves the topic from preserving His life to preserving our own lives. We are not to love our lives so much that we shrink from death.
Aug 9, 2024, 7:16 AM
Passage Read: Mark 5-6
Meditation Verses: 6:4-6
Thought
Jesus came to His hometown and taught in the synagogue there, but because they thought they all knew Him, they were offended that He would presume to teach them, to claim to be the fulfillment of Scripture. They could not believe He had power to heal and authority from God, so He could do nothing but a few healings among them. Their lack of faith held them back from seeking healing from Him.
Aug 8, 2024, 7:18 AM
Passage Read: Mark 3-4
Meditation Verses: 4:37-40
Thought
How quick we are to question the Lord's love for us. Things go sideways, maybe even only a little, maybe we're not worried about how we'll survive, but some small thing goes awry, and we jump to, "Don't You care?" The disciples were scared, and rightly so. They weren't blowing this storm out of proportion. Several were fishermen and knew the sea. But they didn't know Jesus very well yet.
Aug 7, 2024, 7:19 AM
Passage Read: Mark 1-2
Meditation Verse: 2:15
Thought
Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) to follow Him, and Matthew throws a banquet for Him at his house. He invites his only other friends, other tax collectors. Apparently, they've all been interested in Jesus; they've all wanted to meet Him. Would Jesus allow them to follow Him? Would He allow them to learn from Him? Could they be saved? Mark records that many of the tax collectors came to the meal, and they were following Jesus! That is a significant comment! They weren't just curious; they apparently had been "following" Him from afar.
Aug 6, 2024, 7:16 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 27-28
Meditation Verses: 27:63-64
Thought
The chief priests and the Pharisees understood that Jesus had promised to rise on the third day. Jesus' own disciples didn't get the message; they didn't understand, though Jesus had repeated it multiple times. Yet these unbelievers had a better understanding of Jesus' words! Remarkable! They didn't believe that Jesus would, but they thought His disciples might steal the body and claim that He had.
Aug 5, 2024, 7:18 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 25-26
Meditation Verses: 26:62-64
Thought
The chief priests and elders bring in many "witnesses" who accuse Jesus of different evils, but Jesus doesn't answer a single charge. This amazes the priests and elders, because they would naturally fight any false charges against themselves. But Jesus makes no answer, because there's no need. On the one hand, the charges are false and everyone knows it. On the other hand, He has submitted Himself to the will of His Father and has no intention of arguing Himself out of condemnation. He also knows it's wasted breath in front of this crowd to defend Himself in any way.
Aug 4, 2024, 7:19 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 23-24
Meditation Verses: 24:48-51
Thought
Many say the Lord could return at any moment, but do they live in such a way as to be found doing His will when He arrives? Are they diligently seeking to know and understand the Lord's desires so as to be busy with fulfilling them, so that when the Lord returns He finds them busy doing His will? Or do we fall into the trap of thinking, "Everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation," and then start investing ourselves, our time and our treasure in building our own kingdom here on earth?
Aug 3, 2024, 7:20 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 21-22
Meditation Verses: 21:25-27
Thought
The chief priests and elders couldn't answer Jesus's question, not because they didn't have an answer but because they weren't willing to go on record with their honest answer. They hadn't believed John; they were offended by John as surely as they were offended by Jesus, because he called them out for their hypocrisy. So they had to believe that he came by his own design.
Aug 2, 2024, 7:21 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 19-20
Meditation Verses: 20:22-23
Thought
The cup Jesus is about to drink is that of His suffering and death, as payment for our sins. James and John would both drink of that cup, suffering for Jesus and His Gospel. James would be killed in short order, not long after the resurrection. John would live out his days, though not without incident. They would try to kill him, but their attempt would fail, so they would exile him to a labor colony on Patmos.
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