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 15, 2026, 9:16 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 27-28
Meditation Verses: 28:18-20
Thought
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, and He commands His disciples to make more disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything He commanded them, for He resides with those who do so. That should give every one of us great confidence to teach God's Word in truth and faithfulness.
Aug 14, 2026, 6:54 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 25-26
Meditation Verses: 26:38-41
Thought
Jesus knew it was time, and He was grieved to the point of death. He could ask His Father for twelve legions of angels to protect Him. He could flee and miss His appointment with torment and death. The anticipation of what was coming was incredibly heavy. He knew He needed to talk with His Father and gain the strength and assurance to do what needed to be done.
Aug 13, 2026, 6:30 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 23-24
Meditation Verses: 24:9-13
Thought
Times are coming when everyone will hate those who call themselves Christian, followers of Christ. And they won't just hate us, they will attack and torment us. It won't be just followers of other religions that hate us, but everyone, even our own family members will betray us to torment and death. No wonder Jesus says that some will turn away from the faith.
Aug 12, 2026, 6:26 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 21-22
Meditation Verses: 22:5-7
Thought
The Lord is jealous even for His servants. In the Parable of the Vineyard, slaves are mistreated and killed, then the owner sends his son, and he too is killed. This parable doesn't mention the son, except as the one getting married, but the servants are still mistreated and killed.
Aug 11, 2026, 9:34 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 19-20
Meditation Verses: 19:16-22
Thought
We want to know what good thing we can do to gain eternal life. Just give me one magic deed, one act that can guarantee my salvation. And Jesus gives it to him: Obey God's commandments. Which sounds like works-based salvation, but it's not. Jesus is actually pointing to a lifestyle change based on belief and trust in God and who He is.
Aug 10, 2026, 6:19 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 17-18
Meditation Verses: 18:32-35
Thought
The Lord is willing and able to restore a debt He has forgiven. This is a warning to me and every other believer, that we forgive from the heart our fellow man or woman, especially those who plead with us for forgiveness, just as we have pleaded with God for forgiveness and received it from Him.
Aug 9, 2026, 7:09 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 15-16
Meditation Verses: 16:11-12
Thought
The influence of ungodly religious leaders is great, and we all need to be careful of their false teachings. Jesus likens their teachings to leaven, which imperceptibly spreads all through a loaf of bread and changes the texture and quality of the bread. It becomes big and fluffy, because it's full of many small air pockets.
Aug 8, 2026, 7:27 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 13-14
Meditation Verses: 13:11-12
Thought
To understand the Word of God requires God's grace and mercy, which He clearly does not grant to everyone. It is a gift from God to be able to hear and understand His Word. Yet there is an expectation that all who have ears should hear what the Lord is saying. It should be every person's priority to understand the words of the Lord.
Aug 7, 2026, 7:06 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 11-12
Meditation Verse: 12:45
Thought
Jesus characterizes the generation in which He preached as unbelieving, though there were crowds that followed Him! As many as believed in Him, there were far more who heard but didn't believe, even among those who followed Him around for a time. But this conclusion is more frightening than the rest:
Aug 6, 2026, 6:58 AM
Passage Read: Matthew 9-10
Meditation Verses: 9:1-2
Thought
Seeing the determination of these men for their friend, Jesus was moved to proclaim the forgiveness of the man's sins. The man and his friends did not ask for forgiveness. The man did not express repentance. But this is the man who was let down through the roof by his friends, that's how determined they were to get him in front of Jesus for healing!