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
Dec 21, 2025, 1:54 AM
Passage Read: Genesis 37-40
Meditation Verses: 40:14-15
Thought
Joseph considered himself kidnapped and enslaved, and then was unjustly accused and imprisoned. Yet despite the injustice of all his circumstances, he served his master and then his jailer well. Whatever situation he found himself in, he didn't spend his days complaining and pleading his case, but gave himself to serve.
Dec 20, 2025, 1:59 AM
Passage Read: Genesis 33-36
Meditation Verses: 34:30-31
Thought
The contrast between young and old is striking here. Jacob is concerned for the safety of his whole family, certain that they wouldn't last long if the people around them gathered against them. His sons aren't concerned about that, but about avenging their sister. Jacob thinks like his father and grandfather, seeing himself as a sojourner in the land of many potential enemies.
Dec 19, 2025, 1:45 AM
Passage Read: Genesis 29-32
Meditation Verses: 31:38-42
Thought
Jacob, of course, is not happy with how Laban treated him, but this shows both how a believer can endure a harsh and greedy master, and how God can protect and provide for His servant even under such a cruel master. Because he trusted in the Lord and the Lord's promise to provide for him, he could bear the losses of his master, even when it wasn't his fault or responsibility.
Dec 18, 2025, 1:30 AM
Passage Read: Genesis 25-28
Meditation Verses: 28:3-4
Thought
When Rebecca was first pregnant with the twins, God told her His plan to have the older serve the younger. It seems Jacob thought of buying Esau's birthright on his own, and was perhaps shocked at his success. When mother and father heard of that, were they both reminded of God's prophecy?
Dec 16, 2025, 11:56 PM
Passage Read: Genesis 21-24
Meditation Verses: 24:54-58
Thought
Throughout Abraham's narrative, Abraham's quick obedience is often noted. The Lord comes to him in the evening and the next morning, Abraham carries out the Lord's instruction. There is no real delay, just a night to prepare his heart and plan for the task. And these are not small things he was being asked to do!
Dec 16, 2025, 2:15 AM
Passage Read: Genesis 17-20
Meditation Verse: 18:32
Thought
"Why is there evil in the world?" Because there are also righteous in it, and God doesn't want to destroy the righteous with the wicked. This is how the righteous serve as salt, allowing the wicked to persist in the land. We are scattered everywhere, and we have a mission to go and proclaim the Gospel in all the world, including the darkest of places.
Dec 14, 2025, 11:31 PM
Passage Read: Genesis 13-16
Meditation Verses: 16:5-6
Thought
It's interesting that Sarai didn't immediately discipline her maidservant, but first complained to Abram. When Sarai gave Hagar to Abram, it became unclear what her status had become. Did Hagar have freedom to despise Sarai? Was she now Sarai's equal? When Abram affirmed that Hagar was indeed still Sarai's servant, then Sarai began mistreating her.
Dec 14, 2025, 2:24 AM
Passage Read: Genesis 9-12
Meditation Verse: 11:4
Thought
This was likely Nimrod's doing, or else Nimrod took charge of his own family and language group after this and built his kingdom in this region. Nimrod was Ham's grandson; Peleg was Shem's great-great-grandson, and the scattering at Babel likely took place at the time Peleg was born, which was 101 years after the flood.
Dec 13, 2025, 2:39 AM
Passage Read: Genesis 5-8
Meditation Verse: 7:23
Thought
How many countless people, how many countless animals and birds and other creatures died in this flood? Only a small portion was saved: 8 people, 2-14 of each kind of animal and bird and other creatures. A tiny portion of the total alive at the time the flood came. These are not good odds. "As in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."
Dec 12, 2025, 1:59 AM
Passage Read: Genesis 1-4
Meditation Verses: 4:13-15
Thought
Cain killed his brother, but felt God's sentence on him was too great to bear! His brother Abel became the first inhabitant of Sheol, Hades, and must remain alone until the next righteous man to die. Who is there to comfort him? But Cain gets to continue living. The ground which he loved and cultivated will now turn against him because of the blood of his brother, he will be a wanderer and vagrant, he will be separated from the presence of the Lord and someone might find and kill him.