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
Jun 18, 2025, 8:14 AM
Passage Read: Jeremiah 17-20
Meditation Verse: 17:15
Thought
How bold and brazen men can be in their rebellion and confidence that God can do nothing either good or bad. "Where is the Word of the Lord? Let it be fulfilled now!" they say. Yet all that Jeremiah has been preaching is wrath and punishment, unless they repent. Because the Lord delays, because He displays patience and compassion, they think He is powerless. For Jeremiah's words to be fulfilled means the nation must be destroyed.
Jun 17, 2025, 7:31 AM
Passage Read: Jeremiah 13-16
Meditation Verses: 14:13-16
Thought
What's the use of speaking God's Truth when there are so many more false prophets and teachers spewing lies that overwhelm God's message? Those false teachers will be destroyed, but the real sad thing is when such a thing happens, when false teachers and false prophets far outnumber true, then the Lord has given up this people to destruction. Both false teacher and the people will be destroyed, because the people love those false teachers and refuse to believe the one messenger who is trying to warn them to turn from their evil ways.
Jun 16, 2025, 7:16 AM
Passage Read: Jeremiah 9-12
Meditation Verses: 12:14-17
Thought
Here is the Gospel! Both those who were given the Law but rebelled against it and those who did not know God and followed their own evil instincts will be objects of wrath. God will bring trouble and distress on all of them, but then He will have compassion on them and restore them to their lands. If they then learn well the ways He originally gave to His people, to walk in His righteousness; if they learn to worship and live by the Lord's commands, then they will be established forever.
Jun 15, 2025, 7:13 AM
Passage Read: Jeremiah 5-8
Meditation Verses: 8:8-11
Thought
These are brutal and grievous indictments. The people of the Lord, who were given the Law of the Lord think they are wise and understanding because they have the Law. But they do not read it for themselves. Instead they turn to the scribes and all their teachings. They listen to this one and that one's explanation, until they no longer have any idea what the Law itself actually teaches.
Jun 14, 2025, 11:23 AM
Passage Read: Jeremiah 1-4
Meditation Verses: 1:17-19
Thought
Jeremiah received this great promise from God, but it also came with a warning. He must not be terrified by the people God would send him to. Though his message might, would incite many to wrath against him, he must not hold back or shrink back. If he let the fear of them get the better of him, the Lord promised to be a greater terror to him, in front of their faces. God would protect him, though the people fought against him.
Jun 13, 2025, 7:46 AM
Passage Read: Isaiah 63-66
Meditation Verses: 66:5-6
Thought
The more a man seeks and believes the Lord and walks in His ways, the more men are divided for and against him. Even those among his brothers are revealed as loving or disdaining the Lord. Some who claim to love the Lord will be offended by the one who gives up control of his life to the Lord, and of course all those who hate the Lord will reject him. They will mock him and call for the Lord to show His mighty power, but it is His grace that He has not yet done so.
Jun 12, 2025, 6:34 AM
Passage Read: Isaiah 59-62
Meditation Verse: 59:20
Thought
These final chapters of Isaiah are filled with wonderful promises of the return of Israel to her land, the exaltation of the nation of Israel and the restoration of righteousness to Israel. All the world will see and marvel and worship the Lord in Jerusalem, and Israel will enjoy the treasures of all nations.
Jun 11, 2025, 6:35 AM
Passage Read: Isaiah 55-58
Meditation Verses: 56:10-12
Thought
Israel's watchmen, her shepherds, are blind and mute. They cannot see what is done wrong and they cannot speak out about it. Instead, they just love themselves, they just love to lie around and sleep and dream. They have mighty appetites and all they care about is getting food and drink and enjoying their days. They do not want to lead the people, but to live off their labor. They are greedy for gain, and so they scheme to skim all they can from the people.
Jun 10, 2025, 6:32 AM
Passage Read: Isaiah 51-54
Meditation Verses: 51:12-13
Thought
When God asks this question--to those who seek righteousness--He's not talking about typical bad people, whom we're already inclined to fear, but He's talking about oppressors who are bent on our destruction! Who are we who seek righteousness that we fear the wrath of man more than the glorious might of the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth?
Jun 9, 2025, 6:32 AM
Passage Read: Isaiah 47-50
Meditation Verses: 48:17-19
Thought
"If only you had paid attention to My commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea." It seems we are so rich and so blessed in America, but I wonder if we're not missing an even greater blessing because we seems only marginally concerned with what the Lord has called us to be and do.
- ← Previous
- 1
- 2 (current)
- 3
- Next →