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
Oct 17, 2026, 7:34 AM
Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 16 - 2 Corinthians 1
Meditation Verses: 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Thought
The Christian faith is neither a simple thing nor an easy thing. This letter and the next show how hard it was for the Corinthians to understand and to live out correctly their faith in Christ. Besides internal confusion, strife and misunderstandings, there are attacks from men and from Satan.
Oct 16, 2026, 6:16 AM
Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 14-15
Meditation Verse: 15:58
Thought
The fact of the resurrection and our eternal life is the motivation for living a righteous and holy life. It is the reason and support for being devoted to the Lord and to doing His work. If not for the resurrection, we would have no reason to hope and nothing else to live for but this life.
Oct 15, 2026, 6:28 AM
Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 12-13
Meditation Verses: 12:25-26
Thought
The members of a church body are supposed to have the same care for one another, regardless of position or supposed importance. And when one member suffers, all should suffer with them. When one member is honored, all members should rejoice with them.
Oct 14, 2026, 6:01 AM
Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 10-11
Meditation Verses: 10:1-5
Thought
The Israelites of old enjoyed miracles from God. They were all baptized by water and by the cloud. They ate spiritual food and drink from Christ Himself. Yet in spite of all that, most of them did not please the Lord, but died in the desert under judgment. Paul says all these things are warnings and examples to us, how not to behave as children of God.
Oct 13, 2026, 1:29 PM
Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 8-9
Meditation Verse: 8:1
Thought
In the case of idols, every believer should know that they are nothing. But what do we do with that knowledge? Do we flaunt our superiority? Do we show off our fearlessness: mocking idols, freely eating in temples, belittling those who fear them? Paul says, "Knowledge makes arrogant."
Oct 12, 2026, 1:16 PM
Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 6-7
Meditation Verses: 6:8-10
Thought
Believers should never have cause to sue one another, whether inside the church or outside of it. On the one hand, we should not be taking advantage of or defrauding each other. On the other hand, we should not so love our rights and our possessions that we would care if we are taken advantage of or defrauded.
Oct 11, 2026, 6:47 AM
Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 4-5
Meditation Verses: 5:9-13
Thought
We are to hold each other, fellow believers, to a higher standard than we hold unbelievers. Unbelievers need to be called to repentance to receive forgiveness through Jesus's blood. We are to expect and require believers to walk in obedience to Christ.
Oct 10, 2026, 7:24 AM
Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 2-3
Meditation Verses: 3:1-3
Thought
The best way to discern who is maturing in Christ and who is still only a natural man is to teach God's truth. All of us who are new in Christ still appear fleshly. We still tend to think according to our old worldly ways, and judge things by our old worldly values. But when God's Word and wisdom confront us, those of us with the Spirit give way to the Spirit's wisdom.
Oct 9, 2026, 6:09 AM
Passage Read: Romans 16 - 1 Corinthians 1
Meditation Verses: 1 Corinthians 1:17-21
Thought
As much as I want the Gospel to be a reasonable, logical and sensible message, God has determined to make it foolishness to the world, to those who are perishing. There is no getting around that!
Oct 16, 2025, 3:34 AM
Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 14-15
Meditation Verses: 15:12-14
Thought
It seems the Sadducees are promoting their philosophy. Some in Corinth have decided that Christ's resurrection does not mean that we all will rise from the dead. Some have decided that there is no resurrection for the rest of us. Paul won't have it: If there is no resurrection for us, then there is no resurrection for Jesus either!