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 20, 2025, 1:27 AM
Passage Read: Nehemiah 12 - Esther 2
Meditation Verses: Nehemiah 13:23-25
Thought
Nehemiah returned to Babylon for a time, but when he came back to Jerusalem, many of his reforms were undone! All the people had taken an oath to be the Lord's people and do His will, but Nehemiah turns his back for a short time, and the people forget their oath! Just like that! Does their word mean nothing to them? Does the Lord mean nothing to them? Is there no way to convince people to do what is right from the heart? Must they always require someone who will enforce God's law in order for them to faithfully obey?
Mar 19, 2025, 1:56 AM
Passage Read: Nehemiah 8-11
Meditation Verses: 8:9-12
Thought
What a great illustration of what my response to the Word of God should be: As I read it, I should be convicted and grieved over what it commands and how I've failed, of the judgement I deserve. I should be overcome with grief. But then I should also rejoice, because now I understand what it says and can change my ways to conform to its instruction. That should be cause for joy!
Mar 18, 2025, 1:16 AM
Passage Read: Nehemiah 4-7
Meditation Verses: 4:4-5
Thought
Jesus commanded His followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. Nehemiah asked God to remember their enemies and their insults, and judge them accordingly. David had prayed something similar, but only after doing all he could to show kindness to those who hated him. We are being insulted majorly online at present.
Mar 17, 2025, 2:19 AM
Passage Read: Ezra 10 - Nehemiah 3
Meditation Verses: Nehemiah 1:2-3
Thought
God had granted favor to the exiles and allowed them to return to their own land. God kept His promise to bring the people back after seventy years. But that doesn't mean He was done punishing or disciplining them. They had been greatly reduced in number, humiliated, and they remained under the rule of foreign powers. Sometimes those powers were more favorable to them, sometimes less.
Mar 16, 2025, 2:18 AM
Passage Read: Ezra 6-9
Meditation Verses: 9:11-12
Thought
Ezra summarizes the command of God with regard to unbelievers well here. They were not to intermarry with them, and they were not to make peace with them. Ezra describes that latter part as making a treaty of friendship. The Law didn't use those words, but that's what God meant. In fact, they were to destroy all the Canaanites. But Israel is not in charge of their own land at this time, though the emperor had given Ezra instruction to teach all the peoples of the region the Laws of God, not just the Jews!
Mar 15, 2025, 6:00 AM
Passage Read: Ezra 2-5
Meditation Verses: 4:1-5
Thought
Ezra characterizes these people as enemies before anything is recorded about their deeds. Were they known as enemies from the beginning? It had been recorded elsewhere that those who were leaders were unhappy when men came to look after the welfare of the Jews. Were they unhappy that the Jews had returned? Perhaps some among those exiled to Samaria remembered the nation of Judah and didn't think kindly of them.
Mar 14, 2025, 1:56 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 34 - Ezra 1
Meditation Verse: 2 Chronicles 34:21
Thought
Josiah heard the words of the Book of the Law, and knew the Lord was angry with Judah, even though he had begun making reforms, he had begun seeking the Lord. Nothing bad was happening to them at the time, and Josiah was bringing things in line with what he knew of God. Yet just by reading the Law, he knew God was furious with Judah. He sent to a prophetess for confirmation, and the Lord confirmed his fears.
Mar 13, 2025, 1:57 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 30-33
Meditation Verses: 30:10-11
Thought
Hezekiah called all the Israelites to return to the Lord, even those remaining in the northern kingdom, after Assyria had overthrown and deported the rest of the people. He sent couriers to call the people to repentance and to Jerusalem for a Passover celebration.
Mar 12, 2025, 2:08 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 26-29
Meditation Verses: 29:5-9
Thought
Ahaz thought he was defeated because the gods of Damascus were stronger than the Lord, so he shut down the worship of God in His temple and set up idols and turned the people to greater faithlessness. When he came to the throne, Hezekiah understood why they were suffering and weak and defeated: It was because they had forsaken the Lord in the days of their fathers.
Mar 11, 2025, 1:59 AM
Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 22-25
Meditation Verse: 24:20
Thought
This is the other side of the promise, "When you are with the Lord, He is with you." If we forsake the Lord, He turns away His blessing and help from us. He does so to warn us and rebuke us, that we would acknowledge our guilt and repent. Joash, who was saved by Jehoaida the priest and brought to the throne because of him, turned away from the Lord after his death.
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