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
Aug 26, 2024, 7:19 AM
Passage Read: Luke 23-24
Meditation Verse: 24:47
Thought
"Repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations:" this is the Gospel. Not simply believe in Jesus for forgiveness of sins, but repentance for forgiveness, forgiveness which is only possible because of Jesus, His death and resurrection. Forgiveness isn't granted because we believe there is a man accredited from God by miracles and great teachings, by death and resurrection.
Aug 25, 2024, 7:21 AM
Passage Read: Luke 21-22
Meditation Verse: 21:36
Thought
Jesus says this about the hard times that are coming against believers, that we need to pray for strength to endure, to survive, to escape all that is coming on the earth. This is the same thing He told His disciples to pray while in the garden, that they would not fall into temptation, temptation to fight back and defend themselves, that they would not fall before the temptation to deny Jesus.
Aug 24, 2024, 7:22 AM
Passage Read: Luke 19-20
Meditation Verses: 19:14,27
Thought
Jesus tells this parable to those who expect the kingdom of God to be established at this visit to Jerusalem. It will not be set up at this time, not as a physical kingdom. But everything Jesus is doing and will accomplish at Jerusalem is part of the process of Him petitioning to receive the kingdom. After His death and resurrection, He'll go away to obtain the kingdom, then return at a later date, having received authority to reign. Those servants of His are commissioned and expected to do business with His property, funds that He gives them, and be ready to give an account when He returns.
Aug 23, 2024, 7:24 AM
Passage Read: Luke 17-18
Meditation Verses: 18:22-25
Thought
Jesus asked what seems impossible and unreasonable of this man, to go from being rich to selling everything, leaving everything behind to follow Him. And the man decided he couldn't do it. Why did Jesus require so much of him? Think of what he could do for others if he kept not only his wealth but his means of making that wealth? But Jesus not only didn't care about that, He implies that the man could not be saved without giving up everything! Is that true only of that one man or of so many of us as well?
Aug 22, 2024, 7:25 AM
Passage Read: Luke 15-16
Meditation Verses: 15:2-5
Thought
The Pharisees have nothing but contempt for Jesus. They look at the "rabble" that He welcomes and they condemn Him. They are disgusted that sinful people are seeking Jesus and finding mercy. They are disgusted because they're not like them who have perfected the art of dressing and acting like perfect people. So they belittle them by calling them sinners, because that is what they were; and in calling them sinners, they make Jesus look like an unholy man, like one who condones sin and probably participates in it.
Aug 21, 2024, 7:26 AM
Passage Read: Luke 13-14
Meditation Verses: 13:23-27
Thought
There is a contrast between "strive" and "seek" in Jesus' description here. He tells us to strive, which is stronger than seek, to enter the narrow gate. Many will seek to enter and fail. We must strive to enter, that implies diligent effort. He goes on to describe those who sought but didn't make it as people who recognized that Jesus ate and drank with them and taught in their streets, but Jesus denies knowing them.
Aug 20, 2024, 7:27 AM
Passage Read: Luke 11-12
Meditation Verses: 12:32-34
Thought
The Father has chosen gladly to give us the kingdom! There is a kingdom that is on offer, that is promised to those who believe and obey the Son. Because of that promise, we can live generously on the earth, doing good and helping others with our means. He just told the story of a man who's crops produced so bountifully that he could store them up and live a life of comfort and relaxation the rest of his days. He saw his gain as a blessing to himself so that he could retire and live off the produce.
Aug 19, 2024, 7:29 AM
Passage Read: Luke 9-10
Meditation Verses: 10:10-16
Thought
We are only messengers. Perhaps the Lord would allow us to do miracles, but the most important thing is the message. If people or a town or village or city does not listen to and receive the message of the kingdom, they will be worse off in the judgment than all these unbelieving and wicked cities of old, which did not hear of God. Anyone or any people who do not listen to and believe the Gospel are worse off even than the people of Sodom! And Jesus actually tells His disciples to testify against anyone who refuses to receive and believe the Gospel!
Aug 18, 2024, 7:30 AM
Passage Read: Luke 7-8
Meditation Verse: 8:18
Thought
Jesus speaks sometimes in parables and sometimes in clear teaching. The parables obscure the meaning of His teachings, so that people have to meditate and pray and seek out God for an explanation. But the clear teachings shouldn't need much effort to understand; effort is only needed to obey the teaching. In both cases, the responsibility is on the hearer, whether they put in the effort needed to understand and apply Jesus's teaching. So Jesus warns His listeners to be careful how they listen: to the one who puts in the effort to receive and apply Jesus's teachings, he will receive more.
Aug 17, 2024, 7:31 AM
Passage Read: Luke 5-6
Meditation Verses: 6:32-36
Thought
Sinners, unbelievers, love those who love them back. Sinners, unbelievers, do good to those who do good to them. Sinners, unbelievers, lend to those who pay them back. Believers in Jesus are supposed to go beyond that, to love those who don't love them, to do good to those who don't return good to them, to lend to others without expecting repayment. Because even God is kind to the ungrateful. God has unlimited resources and great patience.