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 8, 2026, 6:53 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 19-22
Meditation Verses: 20:4-6
Thought
The Lord gave all these laws and judgments so that the community would know how to walk in righteousness, how to encourage their neighbors to walk in righteousness, and how to punish the one who does not walk in righteousness. When one of the community sinned, they were to execute judgment so as to preserve the holiness of the community.
Jan 7, 2026, 7:00 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 15-18
Meditation Verses: 18:2-4
Thought
"There is nothing new under the sun." Men today have not devised any new kind of sin, all has been done before. So the perversity we see today has been done before. Therefore, this instruction is as important and true today as ever. Believers are not free to follow the ways of the lost, of unbelievers.
Jan 6, 2026, 9:38 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 11-14
Meditation Verses: 11:44-45
Thought
These uncleanness instructions, for the most part, are health and safety kinds of things, not sin issues. Things regarding mold and infectious diseases, unsafe meats and insects and sea creatures. There may not be an obvious safety issue, but ultimately all these distinctions are to be made for the sake of holiness.
Jan 5, 2026, 7:11 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 7-10
Meditation Verses: 9:5-8
Thought
Moses brought the whole congregation near to watch the whole sacrificial process. It was not a pretty sight, slaughtering and skinning and cutting into portions, removing fat and innards. But he made as many as could see watch the whole thing. It was gruesome and would leave an impression on all who were not otherwise involved in butchering animals for food.
Jan 4, 2026, 8:33 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 3-6
Meditation Verse: 5:5
Thought
The Lord makes a distinction between sins committed intentionally and unintentionally. Both require confession and a sacrifice, being unaware is no excuse to overlook a sin. Examples of intentional sins come in chapter 6, and include things like theft or kidnapping, extortion or lying. There is a deliberate choice to do wrong, whether planned in advance or decided on the spur of the moment.
Jan 3, 2026, 8:26 AM
Passage Read: Exodus 39 - Leviticus 2
Meditation Verse: Leviticus 1:9
Thought
There are times when the Lord is angry with His people, and the Scriptures record it. Usually, that's when the whole nation or a large portion of them have sinned greatly against Him. But tucked away in all these instructions about sacrifices is that they all provide a soothing aroma to the Lord, whether animal or grain sacrifice.
Dec 30, 2024, 10:40 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 23-26
Meditation Verses: 24:12-14
Thought
At the time of this incident, they had at least the ten commandments and had been warned against taking the name of the Lord in vain. Perhaps much more of the Law had been given at this point, but not the penalty of a blasphemer.
Dec 29, 2024, 11:36 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 19-22
Meditation Verses: 19:17-18
Thought
It is hatred to not rebuke your neighbor frankly and clearly, and it's a sharing in his guilt. It can also be like seeking revenge against them or bearing a grudge against them. These two sets of commands are bookended by the instructions to not hate a neighbor but love them.
Dec 28, 2024, 11:39 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 15-18
Meditation Verse: 18:25
Thought
The wickedness of the people defile their land, and when God punishes the land, it tries to get rid of the things that actually brought sin upon it. The land didn't sin, so why would God punish it?
Dec 27, 2024, 11:41 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 11-14
Meditation Verses: 14:34-35
Thought
It's interesting that God takes responsibility for the mark of leprosy in the house. What about in clothing or on a person? The Lord is sovereign over all and does control or oversee all that happens in the earth.