Daily Devotions · November 3
Reading for November 3
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Job 25 · Mark 13–14
Job 25 · Mark 13–14, Berean Standard Bible
Job 25
Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: 2 “Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes harmony in the heights of heaven. 3 Can His troops be numbered? On whom does His light not rise? 4 How then can a man be just before God? How can one born of woman be pure? 5 If even the moon does not shine, and the stars are not pure in His sight, 6 how much less man, who is but a maggot, and the son of man, who is but a worm!”
Mark 13
As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look at the magnificent stones and buildings!” 2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to be fulfilled?” 5 Jesus began by telling them, “See to it that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 So be on your guard. You will be delivered over to the councils and beaten in the synagogues. On My account you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations. 11 But when they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand what to say. Instead, speak whatever you are given at that time, for it will not be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 14 So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go back inside to retrieve anything from his house. 16 And let no one in the field return for his cloak. 17 How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not occur in the winter. 19 For those will be days of tribulation unseen from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never to be seen again. 20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has cut them short. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance. 24 But in those days, after that tribulation: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’ 26 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And He will send out the angels to gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things happening, know that He is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. 32 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on your guard and stay alert! For you do not know when the appointed time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch. 35 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the master of the house will return—whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning. 36 Otherwise, he may arrive without notice and find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”
Mark 14
Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him. 2 “But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.” 3 While Jesus was in Bethany reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured it on Jesus’ head. 4 Some of those present, however, expressed their indignation to one another: “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone; why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful deed to Me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me. 8 She has done what she could to anoint My body in advance of My burial. 9 And truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” 10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this, and they promised to give him money. So Judas began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus. 12 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” 13 So He sent two of His disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and whichever house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” 16 So the disciples left and went into the city, where they found everything as Jesus had described. And they prepared the Passover. 17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 And while they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you who is eating with Me will betray Me.” 19 They began to be grieved and to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I?” 20 He answered, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping his hand into the bowl with Me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” 22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it; this is My body.” 23 Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.” 26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I never will.” 30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” 31 But Peter kept insisting, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the others said the same thing. 32 Then they came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus told His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.” 35 Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from Him. 36 “Abba, Father,” He said, “all things are possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.” 37 Then Jesus returned and found them sleeping. “Simon, are you asleep?” He asked. “Were you not able to keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, saying the same thing. 40 And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And they did not know what to answer Him. 41 When Jesus returned the third time, He said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us go. See, My betrayer is approaching!” 43 While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, scribes, and elders. 44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him and lead Him away securely.” 45 Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 Then the men seized Jesus and arrested Him. 47 And one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 48 Jesus asked the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? 49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me. But this has happened that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.” 50 Then everyone deserted Him and fled. 51 One young man who had been following Jesus was wearing a linen cloth around his body. They caught hold of him, 52 but he pulled free of the linen cloth and ran away naked. 53 They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders, and scribes assembled. 54 Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the officers and warmed himself by the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they did not find any. 56 For many bore false witness against Jesus, but their testimony was inconsistent. 57 Then some men stood up and testified falsely against Him: 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple, and in three days I will build another that is made without hands.’” 59 But even their testimony was inconsistent. 60 So the high priest stood up before them and questioned Jesus, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and made no reply. Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “Why do we need any more witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy. What is your verdict?” And they all condemned Him as deserving of death. 65 Then some of them began to spit on Him. They blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in His face. 66 While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down 67 and saw him warming himself there. She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.” 68 But he denied it. “I do not know or even understand what you are talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, and the rooster crowed. 69 There the servant girl saw him and again said to those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.” 70 But he denied it again. After a little while, those standing nearby said once more to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you too are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak!” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain.
How to SOAP
Grab a journal and a pen. Read the chapters above and watch for the verse that stops you. Then take it through four steps.
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Scripture
Write out the verse that stood out to you.
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Observation
What is it saying? Who is speaking, and to whom?
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Application
What does it mean for your life today? Be specific.
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Prayer
Talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you live it.
Why daily devotions?
Devotions are time set aside each day to read God's Word and let Him speak. The point isn't checking off chapters. It's meeting with Him.
Ten or fifteen minutes is enough to start. Pick a time and a place and keep the appointment. Mornings work well for a lot of us, before the phone and the day start talking.
Missed a day? Don't start over. Read today's chapters and keep going.