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
Jul 13, 2024, 2:07 AM
Passage Read: Amos 7 - Obadiah 1
Meditation Verses: Amos 7:12-13
Thought
Amaziah the priest tells Amos to go to Judah and prophesy there, because Bethel is a residence and sanctuary of the king. The king shouldn't have to hear bad news, and he certainly doesn't care what the Lord says, nor, evidently, should be be warned if the Lord has made plans against him. Prophets of the Lord should only speak to people who care what the Lord says, according to Amaziah, and they should never deliver bad news to royalty.
Jul 12, 2024, 2:08 AM
Passage Read: Amos 3-6
Meditation Verses: 4:4-8
Thought
Here is God speaking sarcasm, to point out the deafness of His people. He encourages them to bring their tithes and offerings to their appointed holy places. But He calls out their sin. They offer sacrifices that God has not appointed or approved. They have decided how they will worship God: They have made golden calf idols and called them by God's name.
Jul 11, 2024, 2:10 AM
Passage Read: Joel 2 - Amos 2
Meditation Verses: Amos 2:10-12
Thought
Amos records the Lord's judgments against the nations round about Israel, but He also records judgment against Israel and Judah. They are perhaps the worst offenders, because they knew the Lord, were chosen by the Lord and received His Law. He even made some to be Nazirites and others to be prophets. But not only did the people turn away from the Lord, but as if for sport, they made the Nazirite drink wine, to violate his vow, and they commanded the prophets not to speak.
Jun 23, 2023, 6:57 AM
Passage Read: Amos 7 - Obadiah 1
Meditation Verse: Amos 8:4
Thought
Greed is behind so much evil today, whether it is those who are making so much money or those who are envious of the rich. All are motivated by greed, and greed makes men do so kinds of evil, from cheating and extorting and gouging the poor or robbing the rich. It's all evil. God's solution was for people to love their neighbor as themselves, to care for the needy and do good. If everyone cared for and about each other, they would treat each other fairly, reasonably, even generously.
Jun 22, 2023, 6:58 AM
Passage Read: Amos 3-6
Meditation Verses: 6:3-7
Thought
There are those who choose to ignore the obvious, the sin of Israel and God's anger over nothing being done about it. Instead they lounge around in all their wealth and comfort, they dine on whatever delicacies they desire, they strum away on their instruments, enjoying their entertainment, they drink wine and pamper themselves. They give no thought for the sin of their people, they spend no time grieving over the sins of Israel.