The Bemenderfers - Mark's Personal Devotions

October 24, 2026

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 14:08:00 +0000

Passage Read: Galatians 1-2 Meditation Verse: 2:6 Thought Paul knew the Gospel by direct revelation. He didn't need anyone to approve his message or ministry. Barnabas was from the original group of disciples in Jerusalem, so he knew it from being in the midst of all the events and from the teaching of the apostles, so he would have been able to add anything that Paul was missing.

October 23, 2026

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 11:10:00 +0000

Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 12-13 Meditation Verse: 13:2 Thought A church needs discipline. Believers need to put away sin and walk in righteousness. If there are those who are refusing to repent or putting too little effort into their obedience, they need to be rebuked. And if they will not change, they need to be disciplined by the whole.

October 22, 2026

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:20:00 +0000

Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 10-11 Meditation Verse: 11:23 Thought The evidence Paul gives to confirm his status as a servant of Christ, it's all suffering and danger and opposition and deprivation--it's all negative! Did these other "super-apostles" point to that as evidence that Paul was not blessed by God, that Paul wasn't favored by God, that Paul wasn't a real servant of Christ?

October 21, 2026

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:10:00 +0000

Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 8-9 Meditation Verses: 9:13-14 Thought There is a connection between our faith in the gospel of Christ and our generosity toward brothers in need. Because we believe the gospel, we shift our confidence and hope to the age to come rather than this age. We do not want to store up treasure here and now, but then and there.

October 20, 2026

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:16:00 +0000

Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 6-7 Meditation Verse: 7:15 Thought Paul sent Titus to Corinth to straighten things out, and they received him with fear and trembling and with full obedience. Paul commends them for that, and because of it, Titus has much greater affection for them. This, then, is how a congregation of believers should receive one who has much greater knowledge, training and experience in walking with and serving the Lord.

October 19, 2026

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 11:06:00 +0000

Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 4-5 Meditation Verses: 4:2-4 Thought Because Paul understands that his ministry is from God, so he trusts that God will do the work in men's hearts as he preaches a full and honest and complete Gospel. There are aspects of the Gospel that are embarrassing to confess. There are parts that are too incredible to believe.

October 18, 2026

Sun, 18 Oct 2026 12:11:00 +0000

Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 2-3 Meditation Verses: 2:12-13 Thought Paul had once come to Troas seeking to preach the Gospel, but instead of an open door for him to preach, he had a dream of a Macedonian man pleading with him to come to them, so he left Troas and went to Philippi. The result was that he eventually made it to Corinth and began the church there.

October 17, 2026

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 12:34:00 +0000

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 16 - 2 Corinthians 1 Meditation Verses: 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Thought The Christian faith is neither a simple thing nor an easy thing. This letter and the next show how hard it was for the Corinthians to understand and to live out correctly their faith in Christ. Besides internal confusion, strife and misunderstandings, there are attacks from men and from Satan.

October 16, 2026

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 11:16:00 +0000

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 14-15 Meditation Verse: 15:58 Thought The fact of the resurrection and our eternal life is the motivation for living a righteous and holy life. It is the reason and support for being devoted to the Lord and to doing His work. If not for the resurrection, we would have no reason to hope and nothing else to live for but this life.

October 15, 2026

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 11:28:00 +0000

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 12-13 Meditation Verses: 12:25-26 Thought The members of a church body are supposed to have the same care for one another, regardless of position or supposed importance. And when one member suffers, all should suffer with them. When one member is honored, all members should rejoice with them.

October 14, 2026

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 11:01:00 +0000

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 10-11 Meditation Verses: 10:1-5 Thought The Israelites of old enjoyed miracles from God. They were all baptized by water and by the cloud. They ate spiritual food and drink from Christ Himself. Yet in spite of all that, most of them did not please the Lord, but died in the desert under judgment. Paul says all these things are warnings and examples to us, how not to behave as children of God.

October 13, 2026

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 18:29:00 +0000

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 8-9 Meditation Verse: 8:1 Thought In the case of idols, every believer should know that they are nothing. But what do we do with that knowledge? Do we flaunt our superiority? Do we show off our fearlessness: mocking idols, freely eating in temples, belittling those who fear them? Paul says, "Knowledge makes arrogant."

October 12, 2026

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 18:16:00 +0000

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 6-7 Meditation Verses: 6:8-10 Thought Believers should never have cause to sue one another, whether inside the church or outside of it. On the one hand, we should not be taking advantage of or defrauding each other. On the other hand, we should not so love our rights and our possessions that we would care if we are taken advantage of or defrauded.

October 11, 2026

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 11:47:00 +0000

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 4-5 Meditation Verses: 5:9-13 Thought We are to hold each other, fellow believers, to a higher standard than we hold unbelievers. Unbelievers need to be called to repentance to receive forgiveness through Jesus's blood. We are to expect and require believers to walk in obedience to Christ.

October 10, 2026

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:24:00 +0000

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 2-3 Meditation Verses: 3:1-3 Thought The best way to discern who is maturing in Christ and who is still only a natural man is to teach God's truth. All of us who are new in Christ still appear fleshly. We still tend to think according to our old worldly ways, and judge things by our old worldly values. But when God's Word and wisdom confront us, those of us with the Spirit give way to the Spirit's wisdom.

October 9, 2026

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:09:00 +0000

Passage Read: Romans 16 - 1 Corinthians 1 Meditation Verses: 1 Corinthians 1:17-21 Thought As much as I want the Gospel to be a reasonable, logical and sensible message, God has determined to make it foolishness to the world, to those who are perishing. There is no getting around that!

October 8, 2026

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:07:00 +0000

Passage Read: Romans 14-15 Meditation Verse: 14:22 Thought How challenging it must have been (and probably still is) to have a fellowship filled with faithful Jews and regular Gentiles. The Gentile does all kinds of things that violate Old Testament cleanliness rules, not the least of which is what he eats. So to a Jew who just believed or believed among fellow Jews, he could be offended by so many things a Gentile does and is!

October 7, 2026

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 11:27:00 +0000

Passage Read: Romans 12-13 Meditation Verses: 12:19-21 Thought Paul says to bless rather than curse those who persecute us, because we're not to take our own vengeance but to leave room for God's wrath. Let God punish those who persecute us, those who set themselves as our enemies.

October 6, 2026

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:25:00 +0000

Passage Read: Romans 10-11 Meditation Verses: 11:20-23 Thought Salvation is not by righteous works, so salvation cannot be lost by unrighteous works (our incomplete works). Salvation is by faith, so it can only be lost by a lack of faith or a giving up of faith, turning from belief to unbelief. Both produce works: Faith produces works of righteousness; unbelief produces works of unrighteousness.

October 5, 2026

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:52:00 +0000

Passage Read: Romans 8-9 Meditation Verses: 8:12-14 Thought Paul says that all who are being led by the Spirit, these are sons of God. He expects all true believers to hear from and follow the direction of the Spirit. In isolation, that statement, that expectation could mean almost anything.