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 12, 2025, 11:44 AM
Passage Read: Ezekiel 48 - Daniel 3
Meditation Verses: Ezekiel 48:9-11
Thought
Zadok and his descendants remained faithful to the Lord, even though everyone around them, the rest of the Levites burned incense to other gods. They didn't give in to peer pressure, they didn't lose sight of the truth and reality of God, they didn't treat Him as if He were no different from any other god. They held fast to Him, remained faithful to Him, and served Him alone, as God had commanded.
Jul 11, 2025, 8:06 AM
Passage Read: Ezekiel 44-47
Meditation Verse: 44:9
Thought
Every nation is to come and bring their tribute to the Lord, but not every foreigner will be welcome in the Lord's temple, but only those who are circumcised in heart and flesh. He must humble himself and accept the Lord's commands and decrees to do them, including being circumcised in the flesh. Only these foreigners are allowed entry into the temple. Especially if they live among the Israelites, they are expected to obey the whole law, because there is only one law for native-born and alien living in Israel.
Jul 10, 2025, 7:46 AM
Passage Read: Ezekiel 40-43
Meditation Verse: 42:13
Thought
This temple will be built and used to offer grain offerings, got offerings and sin offerings. They means it must be in use during a time when sin is still possible. That could only be at the end of this age and during the thousand year reign of Christ. After that there will be no more sin. So these have to be the instructions for the third temple--before there was even a second temple! They obviously didn't follow these plans when they built the second temple, though Herod's renovations may have come close, but there is more to this temple and vision to come that was not fulfilled with the second temple.
Jul 9, 2025, 8:13 AM
Passage Read: Ezekiel 36-39
Meditation Verse: 39:29
Thought
The Lord hid His face from them because of all their evil deeds. They profaned the name of the Lord by their bloodshed and adultery and the multitude of their false gods. The first time He brings them back to their land, they will be ashamed of all their uncleanness and offenses, but the last time He brings them back, they will forget their shame and unfaithfulness. At that time He promised no longer to hide His face from them because He will pour out His Spirit on them.
Jul 8, 2025, 7:17 AM
Passage Read: Ezekiel 32-35
Meditation Verses: 33:30-33
Thought
There are many who think all they have to do to please God is show up and listen to the message preached. But God makes clear here that it is putting into practice what is preached that honors God. We only deceive ourselves if we hear the Word of God but do not put it into practice. Those people will find out one day that the Word of God was true and they were wrong. They'll find out the hard way, when the Word of God judges and condemns them.
Jul 7, 2025, 7:33 AM
Passage Read: Ezekiel 28-31
Meditation Verses: 28:4-5
Thought
Wisdom and skill resulting in wealth tempts anyone to pride, excessive pride that thinks too highly of himself and too little of the Lord our Maker. Beauty and glory from wealth leads to arrogance and self-aggrandizement. It is a dangerous thing to be so wise, so clever as to make yourself rich, and to spend your riches on treasures for yourself. Because you start to think you really are pretty amazing. You can do whatever you want.
Jul 6, 2025, 6:51 AM
Passage Read: Ezekiel 24-27
Meditation Verses: 25:15-17
Thought
All of Judah's neighbors rejoiced at their destruction. They took vengeance or made plans to plunder what remained. So the Lord promised to send enemies against them to destroy them. Though the Lord punishes Israel and Judah, He has not abandoned them. He has promised to restore them to their land. So for any nation or people to think that they can then have the land or pile on the punishment, that is a huge mistake and the Lord will turn and take vengeance on them on behalf of His people.
Jul 5, 2025, 8:34 AM
Passage Read: Ezekiel 20-23
Meditation Verses: 23:46-49
Thought
The destruction of Israel and Judah is a warning to all nations, to all those who will claim the Lord as their own God. They must not turn away from Him or worship other gods as Israel and Judah did. They must not look to other nations, mightier than them, and trust them for deliverance. If you believe in the Lord, then believe who He is and what He stands for, and trust Him with your life. If you claim to believe in Him but live by the world's wisdom, you are a false believer!
Jul 4, 2025, 7:30 AM
Passage Read: Ezekiel 16-19
Meditation Verse: 16:63
Thought
God exalted and honored Israel and Judah, not because of their greatness, but because He had pity on them. When they were first born, no one cared about them; they were left to die. But the Lord had compassion on them and provided for them and blessed them beyond anything they deserved. But then they came to think they were so great and they forgot their youth, that they were completely despised by all the nations, and that it was God who exalted them.
Jul 3, 2025, 8:31 AM
Passage Read: Ezekiel 12-15
Meditation Verses: 13:4-7
Thought
The Lord is rightly furious with the false prophets. They have made up their own prophecies, but spoken them in the name of the Lord. They have lied to the people and made them believe the Lord said it. They have flattered the people and told them they were just fine, when in fact, the Lord was furious with them. So they didn't turn them from their evil ways, but strengthened them in their wickedness.