The Bemenderfers - Mark's Personal Devotions

July 26, 2026

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 13:35:00 +0000

Passage Read: Nahum 2 - Habakkuk 2 Meditation Verses: Habakkuk 1:2-4 Thought Violence and wickedness, destruction, strife and contention. The law is ignored and justice never served. These things should break the heart and repulse us. We should hate these things and cry out to the Lord for their end. They should not be counted as normal and endured.

July 25, 2026

Sat, 25 Jul 2026 14:05:00 +0000

Passage Read: Micah 5 - Nahum 1 Meditation Verse: Nahum 1:15 Thought This verse, which Paul quotes later to describe the blessedness of those who preach the Gospel, is about announcing the destruction of Nineveh! That's the good news referenced in its original context: The removal of foreign rulers who do not love or fear God, who oppress the people and promote idols.

July 24, 2026

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 16:35:00 +0000

Passage Read: Micah 1-4 Meditation Verses: 3:9-12 Thought It is because of the rulers, both political and spiritual, that Israel and Jerusalem will be overthrown. Whether king or prince or governor or priest or prophet, none are acting as the Lord commanded. They twist everything that was straight, whether common sense or the revelation of God and His instructions.

July 23, 2026

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:20:00 +0000

Passage Read: Jonah 1-4 Meditation Verses: 1:14-16 Thought Jonah is fleeing from God's presence (as if) because he knows God is compassionate enough to forgive Nineveh if they repent. And somehow, he guesses that Nineveh will in fact repent if he preaches the Lord's message. That is confidence in God! That is confidence in his understanding of God and His will!

July 22, 2026

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:12:00 +0000

Passage Read: Amos 7 - Obadiah 1 Meditation Verses: Amos 8:11-12 Thought We live in a day of great literacy. We live in a day when the Word of God is taught on radio and on the internet every hour of every day. We have countless books attempting to explain the truths of Scripture. Yet studies show that we are greatly ignorant of what the Bible actually teaches. In truth, it is the prevalence of teaching materials and speakers that is behind our confusion.

July 21, 2026

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:13:00 +0000

Passage Read: Amos 3-6 Meditation Verses: 6:4-7 Thought The problem with being wealthy and thinking we honor God is that we can't see the disaster hanging over our people's head. We're blessed, we enjoy all kinds of good things, and we think we honor God, so surely we must be blessed by God. He must be delighted with us! When, in fact, He is disgusted by our selfishness and godlessness.

July 20, 2026

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:29:00 +0000

Passage Read: Joel 2 - Amos 2 Meditation Verses: Amos 2:11-12 Thought The Israelites mocked God! The young men among them, whom God moved to take the vow of the Nazarite, their neighbors made them violate their vow by forcing them to drink wine. As if it was a game. To humiliate the one who sought to honor the Lord. And those compelled by God to speak warning from Him, they told to be quiet.

July 19, 2026

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:50:00 +0000

Passage Read: Hosea 12 - Joel 1 Meditation Verse: Hosea 12:6 Thought God's call to His people is to return to Him, to observe kindness and justice, and to wait for Him continually. It is not hard, but it is difficult. It is not hard to return to God, but to learn His ways and do them takes time and effort that we would rather spend elsewhere. To practice kindness isn't hard, but it means we can't cheat or deceive or take advantage of others, and we have to make people more important than making money.

July 18, 2026

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:55:00 +0000

Passage Read: Hosea 8-11 Meditation Verse: 11:12 Thought God just determined not to execute His fierce anger against Ephraim, because He is God and not man. He can overlook sin and forgive. He is not ruled by His passions; He is bigger than those who continually offend Him. He can take the hit. Instead, He promises to roar like a lion, and at His roar, His sons will come trembling from the west and Egypt and Assyria, trembling because He is almighty, because He has roared.

July 17, 2026

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 12:50:00 +0000

Passage Read: Hosea 4-7 Meditation Verses: 5:11-15 Thought Trusting in men and following their commands rather than the Lord's is a dangerous thing. It's bad not just because men know little and are more often slaves to their flesh than to righteousness, but more because God is offended that we would trust our own wisdom over His.

July 16, 2026

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:04:00 +0000

Passage Read: Daniel 12 - Hosea 3 Meditation Verses: Hosea 2:11-15 Thought God promises to destroy all the resources of His adulterous wife, Israel. He promises to take away all her celebrations, all her treasures and cause all her lovers to turn against her. He will then drive her out into the wilderness, where He will speak kindly to her.

July 15, 2026

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:11:00 +0000

Passage Read: Daniel 8-11 Meditation Verse: 8:12 Thought On account of sin, Israel was sent into exile. After seventy years, God brought them back to their land. But they would not remain faithful or they would not return in full repentance. Because this awful king who will do away with the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination that causes desolation would be sent against them because of their transgression.

July 14, 2026

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:38:00 +0000

Passage Read: Daniel 4-7 Meditation Verses: 5:21-23 Thought Belshazzar knew of his father's insanity, both the cause and the reason his kingdom was restored. Nebuchadnezzar lost his kingdom because of his own pride, thinking that he had made Babylon great without recognizing that it was God who allowed it and blessed him. But when his mind returned, he blessed the God of heaven and his kingdom was restored to him.

July 13, 2026

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:01:00 +0000

Passage Read: Ezekiel 48 - Daniel 3 Meditation Verses: Daniel 3:27-28 Thought It is good and right to refuse to obey commands that violate the Law and heart of the Lord. But that doesn't mean we throw out respect and obedience to the ruler who gives such a command. These three men still spoke to the king with honor and served him both before and after this incident.

July 12, 2026

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 13:24:00 +0000

Passage Read: Ezekiel 44-47 Meditation Verses: 44:15-16 Thought The Levites failed in their duties, helping the people worship idols. They were not to take the role of the priest on themselves, but like Jonathan the grandson of Moses, some or many found they could advance to the role of priest with idols or foreign gods. Instead of being just a servant or helper, they could be the head guy.

July 11, 2026

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:54:00 +0000

Passage Read: Ezekiel 40-43 Meditation Verses: 43:10-11 Thought The Lord dictated all these plans and Ezekiel was to describe them to the people of Israel so that they might be ashamed. And only if they were ashamed of all they had done was he to give them the details. In fact, only if they were truly ashamed and ready to make things right was there any point in giving them the details. If they didn't change, they would either not bother to make the temple or they would make it but continue their false worship.

July 10, 2026

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 12:27:00 +0000

Passage Read: Ezekiel 36-39 Meditation Verses: 36:5-10 Thought By divine decree, the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel forever. Even when the Lord Himself drives His people out of the land as punishment for their sins, it does not mean the Lord has given up the land or allowed others to take ownership of it. Any who claim it for themselves in Israel's absence are counted as thieves and interlopers.

July 9, 2026

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:19:00 +0000

Passage Read: Ezekiel 32-35 Meditation Verses: 34:15-16 Thought How the flock must suffer at the hands of their worthless shepherds. If only the Lord would deliver them from their cruel shepherds by removing them long before harm is done. The Lord knows the beginning from the end. He knows which shepherds will be good and which evil.

July 8, 2026

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:16:00 +0000

Passage Read: Ezekiel 28-31 Meditation Verses: 28:2-5 Thought Intelligence, particularly wisdom, and financial success are two of three most common sources of personal pride leading to arrogance. Jeremiah warns against a man boasting of his wisdom, strength or riches, instead of in knowing the Lord. Tyre actually had all three, so it's no wonder it was so proud, and its ruler thought himself a god.

July 7, 2026

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:44:00 +0000

Passage Read: Ezekiel 24-27 Meditation Verses: 25:15-17 Thought Ammon and Moab, Edom and the Philistines, neighbors of Israel, perpetual enemies, though three of them are related by blood! So they rejoice at the destruction of Israel and Judah. They take advantage of the situation and plunder the edges of the land and take for themselves whatever the Babylonians leave behind.