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 14, 2023, 2:14 AM
Passage Read: Titus 1-2
Meditation Verses: 2:7-8
Thought
Paul wants Titus to teach with integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned. These things Paul teaches, the things Jesus teaches, there is a seriousness to them, a weight and importance to them. They are not to be treated lightly, there is a life-and-death quality to them. Everything the Scriptures teach should be taken seriously and applied carefully and diligently.
Oct 21, 2022, 8:24 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 11-12
Meditation Verse: 11:31
Thought
By faith Rahab, though a harlot, knew enough to save her life and the life of her family. She understood the times, she understood what was coming, she recognized that the God of the Israelites was going to give them victory over unconquerable Jericho. So she welcomed the spies in peace, and made peace with them. She may not have known that harlotry was forbidden in Israel, or maybe she did, but she was more concerned for her life and the life of her family than to hang onto anything from her current life.
Oct 20, 2022, 8:25 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 9-10
Meditation Verses: 10:26,29
Thought
The one who keeps on sinning after hearing the Gospel and understanding the Truth, this one is in great danger, because he is claiming to believe the Gospel, but yet treating it as if it is nothing of value. Jesus suffered and died to pay for our sins, to purchase forgiveness of sins for us. If we continue to sin without care or concern, if we think we can go on in sin because of His sacrifice, the writer of Hebrews is saying that we then trample the Son of God underfoot and treat His blood as unholy and insult the Spirit of grace!
Oct 19, 2022, 8:27 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 7-8
Meditation Verses: 8:10-11
Thought
This is the new covenant that Jesus brought about: that we should be transformed and God's Law should be written on our hearts to such an extent that we no longer need others to teach us. But the New Testament was sent out through apostles who testified about the Lord and taught the people to believe all that they had learned from Jesus. The Spirit set up apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, whose job is to teach believers until they all come to maturity.
Oct 18, 2022, 8:28 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 5-6
Meditation Verses: 6:10-12
Thought
The Lord will not forget all we have done on His behalf for the saints and for the Gospel. But that doesn't mean we can store up a certain amount of deeds and then kick back, relax and pursue other things. We need to be just as committed later in life as we were early in life. We need to guard against becoming dull, cold and lazy as life goes on. We can't rest in our past victories, but need to continually look toward eternity, and live for heaven.
Oct 17, 2022, 8:29 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 3-4
Meditation Verse: 4:11
Thought
The writer of Hebrews expects believers to make every effort to enter God's rest, lest any fall away because of disobedience. Having believed in Christ, believers are expected, even required to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. We are called to walk in obedience to His ways, and it takes effort on our part. We don't just wait for the love of God or the Holy Spirit to change us mystically or magically.
Oct 16, 2022, 8:30 AM
Passage Read: Hebrews 1-2
Meditation Verse: 2:8
Thought
Everything is subject to Jesus, but Jesus is not yet visibly reigning over all. So we do not see Him, though He has been made ruler of all. He does not punish everything immediately in such a way that we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that He has opposed it. He is Lord of all, but He has not yet taken full control. He still allows men to go their own way, in grace and mercy that they might yet repent, or so that they fill up the full measure of their sin.