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 31, 2025, 6:56 AM
Passage Read: Job 29-32
Meditation Verse: 31:23
Thought
The fear of God was so great and so real to Job, that's what kept him from doing evil of any sort. He dreaded the destruction God could bring, and the ultimate destruction of eternal torment. He knew enough of the splendor of God that He feared to rouse the Lord against himself. The greatness and glory of God struck Job with fear and dread that kept him from doing evil and drove him to do what was right.
Mar 30, 2025, 7:15 AM
Passage Read: Job 25-28
Meditation Verses: 27:2-6
Thought
Job understands that the fear of the Lord is wisdom and shunning evil is understanding. He understands that better than most. What many pay lip service to, Job has lived out. Such that he declares here that he will never admit he has sinned, as his friends accuse. He will never lie, even if he thought it would turn the hand of God away from him. He has done everything right, to the best of his understanding of what God desires. He has feared the Lord and shunned evil.
Mar 28, 2025, 6:55 AM
Passage Read: Job 21-24
Meditation Verse: 24:1
Thought
This is a good question. If God had regular days of holding court and hearing cases, the world would be a different place. The wicked would be regularly rebuked, punished, perhaps even destroyed. Who would dare to do wrong? It even causes me a bit of fear to think about such a thing. Would I go unpunished?
Mar 27, 2025, 7:04 AM
Passage Read: Job 17-20
Meditation Verses: 19:28-29
Thought
Perhaps in many cases, the root of trouble that comes upon us is our own sin. Of course, if we believe that evil only befalls the wicked, then there is no reason to think otherwise! And if we believe that men cannot stop sinning, then there is always cause to look within for the reason for suffering. But what if the reason for a man's suffering is his righteousness? What if things have gone sideways in his life because Satan has received permission to sift him like wheat and see how he fares?
Mar 26, 2025, 7:00 AM
Passage Read: Job 13-16
Meditation Verses: 15:2-4
Thought
This is why Paul says that the Lord's servant must not quarrel. There is no point in arguing with people who are not willing to reevaluate their worldview. Unless God breaks through to them and opens the eyes of their hearts, there is no way for Job or anyone else to convince them of something that goes against all they believe.
Mar 25, 2025, 7:15 AM
Passage Read: Job 9-12
Meditation Verses: 9:29-31
Thought
Job is truly confused and distraught. He has feared God and so done right to the best of his knowledge and ability, and we know he has done very well, because we've seen the testimony of God on his behalf. So Job cannot understand why God would turn so harshly against him. He does not know the challenge of Satan against him. But neither is God being played like a fool by Satan. He knows what He is doing and He has allowed Job to suffer--because of his righteousness, not for lack of it!
Mar 24, 2025, 7:06 AM
Passage Read: Job 5-8
Meditation Verses: 7:17-21
Thought
God made man to rule over His creation, not just to live in anonymity, not just to live and die like the animals. He made us to work alongside Himself. We are precious to Him and He desires us to be with Him forever. But we have gone astray. We have not sought Him out to learn from Him how He desires us to rule. We have trusted in our own wisdom. We have ignored Him. We have become unaware of Him. But He still desires us, and wants to train us and teach us His ways so that we can dwell forever with Him.
Mar 23, 2025, 7:18 AM
Passage Read: Job 1-4
Meditation Verses: 4:3-6
Thought
Job instructed many, no doubt he met many people who were suffering for different reasons. He was a compassionate man and a man of resources, so that when he found someone in need he surely did what he could to help. He doubtless met many people who had suffered loss, and he did what he could to comfort them. He also saw many who were suffering because of their own sin and foolishness. He had counseled many, but did he also counsel himself?
Mar 22, 2025, 8:49 AM
Passage Read: Esther 7-10
Meditation Verses: 8:11-12
Thought
There are times when God does all the fighting, where the Jews have to only watch and wait and see the Lord deliver them. But most of the time, He requires them to take part, to fight for their freedom or advancement or deliverance. That's the case here.
Mar 21, 2025, 8:51 AM
Passage Read: Esther 3-6
Meditation Verse: 4:16
Thought
Esther was willing to risk her life on the basis of her cousin's remarks. Perhaps she had come to royalty for such a time as this. Perhaps her family would be destroyed while all the rest of the Jews were delivered. But perhaps none of that would happen! Perhaps she would have no favor with the king and she would perish, because God had a completely different idea to save His people.