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 21, 2024, 9:27 PM
Passage Read: Philippians 3-4
Meditation Verses: 3:15-16
Thought
The NASB chooses the word "perfect" to translate Paul's idea here: "As many as are perfect." As many as are mature or complete in Christ, as many as have attained perfection according to the standard preached in Christ. Anyone who has attained a completeness in their pursuit of Christ, he encourages to have the same attitude as he does, of continuously pressing on, not plateauing or being content in their spiritual growth or maturity, but continually pressing on toward the goal of knowing Christ better and reaching His presence in heaven. And if there is a matter about which they think differently, God will make it clear to them.
Oct 20, 2024, 9:29 PM
Passage Read: Philippians 1-2
Meditation Verses: 2:14-16
Thought
This is a letter of thanks for a gift sent through one of their number, Epaphroditus, but in it, Paul has some exhortations, including a call for humility and this instruction to do all things without grumbling or disputing, which is actually an expression of humility. These are the Macedonians, whom elsewhere Paul has praised for their generosity in spite of their poverty. These people seem to be such models of Christian life and faith. Yet Paul still includes these commands.
Oct 19, 2024, 6:58 AM
Passage Read: Ephesians 5-6
Meditation Verses: 5:27-30
Thought
Jesus loves the Church so much that He is always working at making her as beautiful to Himself as possible! He began with the sacrifice that paid for her sin, cleansing her from the stain of former sin and gifting her everything she needed for life and godliness. But He also continues in teaching and training her so that she becomes all-glorious on the day He receives her to Himself at the end of this age.
Oct 18, 2024, 7:00 AM
Passage Read: Ephesians 3-4
Meditation Verses: 4:13-15
Thought
Jesus Christ Himself is the goal and the likeness into which we all should be growing. And there is only one Jesus, so there cannot be multiple likenesses to which men attain. Yet Paul makes clear here that there are winds of doctrine and deceitful men who use trickery and deceitful scheming to lead believers astray, who confuse the picture.
Oct 17, 2024, 7:01 AM
Passage Read: Ephesians 1-2
Meditation Verses: 2:1-3
Thought
We all formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air who is still working in those who disobey the Lord. We all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging in the desires of our flesh and mind, being by nature objects of wrath. But when God redeemed us through Christ, we broke from these.
Oct 16, 2024, 7:02 AM
Passage Read: Galatians 5-6
Meditation Verses: 5:18-24
Thought
The war we're in is not a war between the Law and the Spirit, but between the flesh and the Spirit, and the battleground is our moral behavior. It is not a war of circumcision or holy days or animal sacrifices, but one of godly or selfish behavior. Fulfilling the material requirements of the law will not save, but rather will separate us from Christ.
Oct 15, 2024, 7:04 AM
Passage Read: Galatians 3-4
Meditation Verses: 4:22-24
Thought
God promised to give Abraham an heir through Sarah, but He delayed in fulfilling it, knowing that Sarah would become discouraged and suggest using Hagar, and Abraham would agree. This would become an illustration for our spiritual state apart from Christ and produce an illustration for our state in Christ. That doesn't justify Abraham's decision, but neither did it hinder what God had planned.
Oct 13, 2024, 7:05 AM
Passage Read: Galatians 1-2
Meditation Verses: 2:11-14
Thought
Two things here: One, how easy it is to be pulled back into old ways when others who are in the grip of those old ways come along; two, leaders who fall into sin need to be publicly rebuked for the benefit of all. Peter had no problem fellowshipping freely with the Gentile believers until fellow Jews came from Jerusalem, Jews who still held firmly to Jewish ways, sadly including the belief that Gentiles were unclean.
Oct 12, 2024, 7:08 AM
Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 12-13
Meditation Verses: 12:20-21
Thought
Paul fears that there may yet be all these unrighteous behaviors in the Corinthian church. Which means he expects them to have conquered all these sinful behaviors! Things like jealousy, arrogance, slander, anger, strife—all kinds of disunity, all kinds of "me first," all kinds of distrust of one another, and all kinds of immorality—all of this in the church and among believers!
Oct 11, 2024, 7:09 AM
Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 10-11
Meditation Verses: 10:3-6
Thought
Sometimes the answer to a question is so obvious that I can't see it. Here Paul talks about weapons that destroy strongholds and take captive every thought. He talks about spiritual weapons, not fleshly. Divinely powerful weapons! He's talking about his letters, his teachings and his corrections recorded in these letters.
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