Heart of a Shepherd Ministry
Daily Devotional Meditations and a Biblical Perspective on Current Events
A Study Through Mark
Eyewitness Accounts of Christ’s Resurrection (Mark 16; Luke 24)
Scripture reading – Mark 16; Luke 24 With the cry, “It is finished,” Jesus “bowed His head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30). Soldiers were ordered to hasten the deaths of those on the crosses, and they broke the legs of the thieves to speed along their demise....
Inquisition of Jesus, and a Cross-Bearer (Mark 15; Luke 23)
Scripture reading – Mark 15; Luke 23 The Middle East has always been a boiling caldron mixed with violence, rebellion, and nation seeking to conquer nation. In Jesus’ day, the Romans were imposing their “Pax Romana” (Roman Peace) on Israel, but many Jews were unhappy...
What Manner of Man is This? (Mark 14; Luke 22)
Scripture reading – Mark 14; Luke 22 The Gospels of Mark and Luke again present us with a parallel of events we have considered in our earlier readings in the Gospel of Matthew. Today’s devotional will focus upon Mark 14. Mark 14 Mark set the scene for when Jesus had...
Signs of the Time, and the Second Coming of Christ (Luke 21, Mark 13)
Scripture reading – Luke 21, Mark 13 We continue our parallel study of the Synoptic Gospels with today’s Scripture reading. Remember, the timeline for Luke 21 and Mark 13 is in the midst of the final week of Christ’s earthly ministry, and the Cross is imminent. Jesus...
The Gifts of the Rich Paled in Comparison to the Widow’s Offering (Mark 12; Matthew 23)
Scripture reading – Mark 12; Matthew 23 The Synoptic Gospels Continuing our chronological Scripture reading in the Gospels, we notice again the beauty of the Synoptic Gospels. Each writer complemented the others with his own remembrance or understanding of Christ’s...
Bitterness: A Cancer that Destroys Everything (Mark 11)
Scripture reading – Mark 11 We are reminded the Gospel of Mark is one of the three Synoptic Gospels (the others being the Gospels of Matthew and Luke), and today’s Scripture reading is a parallel to our study of Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Matthew...
The Dilemma of Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage (Matthew 19; Mark 10)
Scripture reading – Matthew 19; Mark 10 Today’s Scripture reading, Matthew 19 and Mark 10, begin with a question that has troubled many down through the centuries, and continues to be misunderstood in our day: “Is it lawful for a man to put away [divorce] his wife for...
Warning: God Loves and Protects His Children (Mark 9; Matthew 18)
Scripture reading – Mark 9; Matthew 18 Our study of the Synoptic Gospels continues with Mark 9 and Matthew 18. You will notice Mark 9 is a parallel study of events we considered in a prior study of Matthew 17 and included the transfiguration of Christ (Matthew...
Whose Doctrine Are You Following? (Matthew 16; Mark 8)
Scripture reading – Matthew 16; Mark 8 Today’s Scripture reading in Matthew 16 and Mark 8 presents us with the challenge of mining one truth in a passage of Scripture arrayed with diamonds of truth too numerous to be counted. Mark 8:1-9 began with the account of the...
Popular Devotional Studies
Marriage
“The Dreaded Consequences of Forbidden Lusts” (2 Samuel 13)
Scripture reading - 2 Samuel 13 Click on this link to translate today's Bible study into German, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, French, or Portuguese. We recall that the prophet Nathan admonished David for his adultery with Bathsheba and warned that his hands...
Prayer
Political Correctness is a Societal Cancer (Psalm 12)
Scripture reading - Psalm 12 Click on this link to translate today's Bible study into German, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. An Introduction The musings David expressed in Psalm 12 are familiar to those who follow current events....
Hard Topics
Have you got enemies? Do you feel depressed? (Psalm 13; Psalm 28)
Scripture reading - Psalm 13; Psalm 28 Click on this link to translate this Bible study into German, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French, or Portuguese. The titles of today’s Scripture reading ascribe David as the author. Psalm 13 was titled “To the Chief...