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
Feb 19, 2025, 1:08 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 18-21
Best Verse: 21:25-29
Thought
The Lord is determined to reward those who humble themselves before Him. He wants to forgive, not destroy men.
Feb 18, 2025, 1:08 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 14-17
Meditation Verses: 15:3-5
Thought
The Lord desired to do good to His people, and to keep His promise to David. Because of that, the people were able to disregard His commands and live, even prosper to a degree.
Feb 17, 2025, 1:06 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 10-13
Meditation Verses: 11:38-39
Thought
Solomon turned from the Lord later in life, under the influence of the women he loved. He loved his wives more then the Lord and more than his father David, so he provoked the Lord to uphold His end of the warning.
Feb 16, 2025, 3:35 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 6-9
Meditation Verse: 8:53
Thought
Did Solomon understand that the Lord's intent was not simply to single out the Israelites and make them His own people, and exclude all the rest? God made all people and deserves the worship of all His creation.
Feb 15, 2025, 9:07 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 2-5
Meditation Verses: 2:3-4
Thought
David's charge to Solomon is first that he walk in obedience to all the Law of God, so that he can enjoy the favor of God and prosper in all he does and wherever he goes.
Feb 14, 2025, 1:12 AM
Passage Read: 2 Samuel 22 - 1 Kings 1
Meditation Verses: 1 Kings 1:7-10
Thought
Solomon's appointment as next in line for the throne was public knowledge, at least among the leaders of Israel. Adonijah knew it too, and so he didn't invite Solomon or Nathan the prophet or Zadok the priest or Benaiah and his guard.
Feb 15, 2024, 12:49 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 18-21
Meditation Verse: 21:29
Thought
It is hard to tell whether Ahab himself is so evil or is it all his wife? He seems like such a child at times, vexed and sullen, pouting on his bed. Every now and then he seems like a king, but so often he doesn't. His wife, however, is very decisive and quick to action, though very cruel. She doesn't hesitate to condemn innocent men and kill them. Then here, Ahab humbles himself and the Lord decides to delay His condemnation of Ahab and his family.
Feb 14, 2024, 12:50 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 14-17
Meditation Verses: 14:15-16
Thought
The Lord ends up casting Israel out of their land because of the sins of Jeroboam. He led the people to worship images of a golden calf, hearkening back to Israel's exodus from Egypt and Aaron's golden calf. They made this image to worship in place of God. Jeroboam did the same thing, and reopened the door to worshiping other gods. So the Lord rejected Israel for a time, because there was no one to bring Israel back to the Lord.
Feb 12, 2024, 12:52 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 10-13
Meditation Verses: 11:6-10
Thought
The Law of God for Israel did not allow for freedom of religion in the sense that people could worship any god they desired. God commanded that Israel as a nation and a people worship only the Lord. Any foreigner who chose to dwell among them was also required to worship the Lord only. There was one law, for native and alien who dwelt in Israel. The Lord is the only true God, so He did not permit His people to worship any other god.
Feb 11, 2024, 12:53 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 6-9
Meditation Verses: 9:4-7
Thought
The obedience of Solomon and his sons allows the Lord to keep His promise to David, and allows Him to bless the nation. But if he or his sons disobey, the Lord will bring trouble on them and on the nation, even casting the nation out of their land. God honors obedience and curses disobedience. We may receive extra grace because of the obedience of our fathers or leaders, but if we will not walk in the Lord's ways, we cannot expect blessing and favor, but trial and tribulation.