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
Jan 26, 2026, 8:46 AM
Passage Read: Deuteronomy 28-31
Meditation Verses: 29:24-26
Thought
The Word of God and all He requires of His people, none of it is difficult to understand. The people won't turn away from God because they didn't understand what He asked of them. They'll turn away because they found a god who did not require anything significant from them.
Jan 25, 2026, 9:30 AM
Passage Read: Deuteronomy 24-27
Meditation Verse: 24:16
Thought
If this is what God declares in His Law, then this is also how God Himself operates. That means no man dies for Adam's sin but Adam alone. I die for my sin and Adam dies for his. The concept of original sin can only mean that Adam's sin was the first, and I sin in his likeness. It cannot mean that I deserve death because Adam sinned.
Jan 24, 2026, 8:35 AM
Passage Read: Deuteronomy 20-23
Meditation Verse: 20:1
Thought
There is no condition on this, only that they go out to war, for whatever reason. They are not to be afraid because the Lord is with them. But if they have sin or some indecency, they will not enjoy the Lord's blessing on their efforts. They need to clear up any problem. But otherwise, they should not be afraid to face their enemies because the Lord is with them.
Jan 23, 2026, 3:35 PM
Passage Read: Deuteronomy 16-19
Meditation Verses: 17:11-12
Thought
When a judge or priest makes a ruling, the one whose case is being judged must obey. If he does not, he is to be put to death, even if his original judgment didn't require death. He has committed a new crime, worthy of death, by refusing the judge's judgment. The judge is supposed to explain the law that was broken and the reason for the verdict given, then the one judged must obey.
Jan 22, 2026, 6:56 AM
Passage Read: Deuteronomy 12-15
Meditation Verses: 13:6-9
Thought
This requires such loyalty and devotion to the Lord, to be so jealous for the Lord that you would be the first to throw a stone at your child or wife or dearest friend to kill them. This is what it means to love the Lord with all your heart, and this reveals who you love most, who is your god.
Jan 21, 2026, 6:54 AM
Passage Read: Deuteronomy 8-11
Meditation Verses: 11:22-25
Thought
The Lord intended to give Israel all the land between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean sea. Under David and Solomon, they controlled all that area and beyond, but they didn't possess it. They were supposed to drive out the nations that lived there. But when they were powerful enough to do so, they made peace with them and let them live.
Jan 20, 2026, 8:15 AM
Passage Read: Deuteronomy 4-7
Meditation Verse: 7:10
Thought
God will repay everyone who hates Him to their faces. But when He talks here about the blessing and the destruction, we immediately think of this life, as in blessing or repayment in this life. Those who do right, we hope to enjoy favor and blessing while we still living here. Those who hate the Lord, we would like them to be rebuked publicly, now, in this life for all to see and take warning.
Jan 19, 2026, 6:54 AM
Passage Read: Numbers 36 - Deuteronomy 3
Meditation Verses: Deuteronomy 1:11-13
Thought
Moses is such an honest and gracious leader. He blesses the people that they might multiply a thousand times more. But then he admits that leading them, caring for them, is too much for him alone, and it's not just that they are so many, but that they are not entirely cooperative and have so much internal strife.
Jan 17, 2025, 7:54 PM
Passage Read: Deuteronomy 32 - Joshua 1
Meditation Verses: Deuteronomy 32:5-6
Thought
In the song of Moses, which God gave to warn the people of their future, in hopes that they might repent and stay humble, teachable and obedient, in this song, God reveals Israel's rebellion against Him. They disobey and disregard His Word and worship other gods. They become a warped and corrupt generation.
Jan 16, 2025, 7:55 PM
Passage Read: Deuteronomy 28-31
Meditation Verses: 29:2-4
Thought
With their own eyes, the Israelites saw all God's miracles and trials and wonders, but they still did not understand the Lord or the importance of trusting and offering His Word.