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
Nov 21, 2025, 9:33 AM
Passage Read: James 2-3
Meditation Verses: 2:12-13
Thought
James is speaking here about the Law of Moses, and specifically those commands that relate to "loving your neighbor as yourself." While the Law no longer has authority over us, to judge us, it remains God's standard of righteous human behavior. It is a description of His own character and nature. While we will not be judged by the Law to determine our salvation, I can see how Jesus might use it to judge us to determine our reward.
Nov 19, 2025, 11:55 PM
Passage Read: Hebrews 13 - James 1
Meditation Verse: Hebrews 13:4
Thought
It's interesting that this instruction is addressed to everyone, which would include the married and the unmarried. Marriage is to be honored by all, and if it isn't, that means there is some kind of adultery or sexual immorality practiced or permitted by those who fail to honor it. For the married to dishonor marriage means they're willing to commit or have committed adultery.
Nov 18, 2025, 11:53 PM
Passage Read: Hebrews 11-12
Meditation Verse: 12:15
Thought
The writer here gives many things to watch out for, to "be sure that no one...." Two of them are missing the grace of God and allowing a root of bitterness to spring up. Missing the grace of God is behind all of these warnings, because it is the grace of God that allows us to endure and accept difficulties and trials, and it is the grace of God that enables and empowers us to do all things righteously.
Nov 18, 2025, 3:51 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 9-10
Meditation Verses: 10:32-36
Thought
This is what the writer is referring to when he earlier told them that they need to hold to the confidence they had at first to be sure they have come to share in Christ! It was not just a sure feeling that the Gospel was true, but they believed so firmly that they held fast to faith in Christ in the midst of suffering and persecution!
Nov 17, 2025, 2:03 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 7-8
Meditation Verses: 7:18-19
Thought
Wow! I'm offended by this statement about the Law! I'm more like the palmist who wrote Psalm 119, who praises the beauty of the Law and all its wisdom. But the writer of Hebrews is right in that the Law made nothing perfect, and in that way it was weak and useless. It has value in revealing the character and nature of God, in showing what God calls righteousness.
Nov 16, 2025, 1:36 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 5-6
Meditation Verses: 6:9-12
Thought
The writer has expressed some disappointment with his audience. They should by now be teachers, clear and confident in the basics of Christ and faith in Him, able to help others, but he finds them still needing milk. He fears he needs to lay again the foundation of the elementary teachings about Christ, repentance, heaven and hell, faith, baptisms and gifts.
Nov 15, 2025, 2:27 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 3-4
Meditation Verses: 3:12-14
Thought
This is about salvation and eternal condemnation. Those who share in Christ are those who hold firmly to the end their confidence in the Gospel, in God, in God's Word and ways. They are the ones whose confidence leads them to fear the Lord and listen to His voice to do as He commands. The ones who perish, who are eternally condemned, are those who do not fear God and correct their ways.
Nov 14, 2025, 12:18 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 1-2
Meditation Verse: 2:10
Thought
It was fitting, says the writer of Hebrews, that God made Jesus perfect through suffering. How was it fitting? How are the two connected, bringing many sons to glory and perfecting Jesus through suffering? So it is not just that suffering is the path to glory, but bringing others to glory is also through suffering!
Nov 12, 2025, 11:55 PM
Passage Read: Titus 3 - Philemon 1
Meditation Verse: Titus 3:3
Thought
Foolishness, disobedience, being deceived and enslaved to all kinds of pleasures and passions, living in malice and envy, hating one another and being hated, these all characterize the life I had before the Gospel and my salvation came to me. They do not characterize my life after the kindness of God brought me to believe the Gospel of Christ Jesus.
Nov 11, 2025, 11:14 PM
Passage Read: Titus 1-2
Meditation Verses: 2:9-10
Thought
This is true for everyone under any authority. We make the teaching about God our Savior attractive by our complete obedience, showing that we can be trusted in everything. We can't make others believe by our behavior or by our words, but that doesn't mean we're not obligated to speak and to have a behavior that shows the truth of God to be attractive.