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
May 5, 2025, 6:42 AM
Passage Read: Psalm 111-114
Meditation Verses: 112:5-8
Thought
The righteous and upright man will have no fear when trouble or bad news comes. Because he has so complete a trust in the Lord. He has trained himself to trust in the Lord by giving generously and lending freely. He has trained himself to trust in the Lord by conducting himself and all his affairs justly. He had not feared man, not does he trust that because of his generosity, others will be generous to him in time of need. His heart is secure and steadfast because he trusts fully and only in the Lord.
May 4, 2025, 2:33 AM
Passage Read: Psalm 107-110
Meditation Verses: 110:4-6
Thought
This seems so incongruous: a priest crushing the heads of kings on the day of his wrath! Priests are supposed to intercede, but here it says there will be a day of wrath, and it will be bloody! A priest who is king, and he will heap up the dead in the day he executes judgment. This Priest is not one to be trifled with: He is ruler of all, and all need to bow the knee or pay the ultimate price. This is the Gospel: An offer of peace through this King's own blood, forgiveness if we will surrender to Him and receive Him as Lord.
May 2, 2025, 1:57 AM
Passage Read: Psalm 103-106
Meditation Verses: 105:43-45
Thought
This psalm recounts all the good things the Lord did for Israel in Egypt and before and after, and the last verse gives God's purpose in doing all these things: that they might obey His laws and precepts. All the good things God did for the people was to teach them about Himself and prepare them to walk in His ways! That was His goal all along, to set apart a people in the midst of the earth who would display His wisdom by their obedience, and His goodness by His blessings on them.
May 1, 2025, 1:41 AM
Passage Read: Psalm 99-102
Meditation Verse: 99:1
Thought
Because the Lord reigns, all the nations, all the peoples of the earth should tremble, especially those who do not know or care to know God's ways! This is an aspect of the Gospel: God is righteous and is coming to judge the earth and everyone in it. Anyone who does not love and honor and walk in His ways will be condemned and cast out, so the nations, especially those that don't fear Him should be terrified of Him!
Apr 30, 2025, 1:51 AM
Passage Read: Psalm 95-98
Meditation Verse: 97:8
Thought
Jerusalem and the villages of Judah rejoice over the Lord and His judgments. They rejoice because of His judgments! Because His laws and ways and judgments are pure and righteous, true and just. His laws and standards being peace and joy when they are upheld and obeyed. That's not something you hear every day! God's laws and His ways are too hard for mortal man to follow. His ways are too high! So it actually brings frustration and grief to try to accept and submit to His laws and ways.
Apr 29, 2025, 1:48 AM
Passage Read: Psalm 91-94
Meditation Verses: 94:16-19
Thought
There is real wickedness in the world. There are those who just go their own way and do whatever they like, and in the doing, they harm a few people. But there are wicked men who have great power, kings, rulers and governors, whose decisions affect thousands or even millions of people. The righteous would be happy if they were just left alone to live righteous lives.
Apr 28, 2025, 2:08 AM
Passage Read: Psalm 87-90
Meditation Verses: 88:13-18
Thought
This psalm is surprising. The author acknowledges the Lord as the one who saves him, yet he has suffered from his youth and considers himself rejected by God. But for all that, he hasn't grown embittered against the Lord. He still cries out to the Lord for salvation. This is great faith and trust in the Lord despite all the Lord has brought upon him, all the suffering and loss.
Apr 27, 2025, 2:09 AM
Passage Read: Psalm 83-86
Meditation Verses: 86:14-17
Thought
The Psalmist is under attack from many men who do not fear God. Yet in the midst of that, the Lord has comforted him and helped him. He asks to be saved, but more than that. He asks for strength and for mercy, and for a sign of God's goodness so that his enemies would see and be ashamed. He needs help to be faithful to the Lord in the midst of the attack. Mercy and strength would be great help. A sign of God's favor towards him would be a great encouragement to him, as well as a sign to his enemies that the Lord has not abandoned him.
Apr 26, 2025, 8:59 AM
Passage Read: Psalm 79-82
Meditation Verses: 81:10-16
Thought
I wonder what it would look like if we all really submitted ourselves to the Lord. Of course, I don't need to wait and see. I'll see it soon enough. And I can focus on myself. I can work better at submitting to the Lord. What would it look like if I trusted fully in Him? He says He will fill my mouth with food. I certainly have no lack of food, but is it my doing or His?
Apr 25, 2025, 3:11 AM
Passage Read: Psalm 75-78
Meditation Verses: 78:34-38
Thought
"Whenever God slew them, they would seek Him." That alone is a sad statement. After all the power He had shown on their behalf, not against them, after all the good He did for them, they didn't really seek Him. It was when He killed some among them that they would fear and seek Him, but even then, not in truth. They would perform some of His assigned duties, but they didn't really honor Him. They told Him what He wanted to hear, but they had no love for Him, no loyalty.