Mars Hill Staff Devotional
Self-Pity or Rejoicing?
by F.B. Meyer
“The joy of the Lord is our strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
We discussed the question, “What is the joy of the Lord?”. Then we looked at the life of Fanny Crosby. Though blind from six weeks of age, she wrote over a thousand hymns. She knew the joy of the Lord, and it was her strength. For more, click on the link below and go to the Nehemiah 8:10 section titled, “Self-Pity or Rejoicing?”.
http://preceptaustin.org/nehemiah_commentaries_2.htm#8:10a
Mars Hill Staff Devotional
And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23 (NASB)
We began by reading Mark 9:14-29. Then, we read a devotional from AW Tozer. Our verbal profession of faith is one thing, but does what we profess by our actions actually reveal unbelief? We discussed the connection between unbelief and acting independently from God (sin). And we considered how unbelief is remedied by knowing Him more intimately through obedience, prayer and the study of His word.
Read Tozer Here: http://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer?id=731
Prayer: Forgive me for doubting You, Lord. It is often covered over with faith-talk. But only You can be fully trusted.
Mars Hill Staff Devotional
Your God is Too Small
by Ray Stedman
In the wake of hurricane Sandy, we discussed “storms” . . . how they affect us, God’s role in them, finding God in them, etc. What do you think? How should we view storms from a Biblical perspective? We concluded by reading Ray Stedman’s devotional on this subject.
Read the Scripture: Job 36-37
God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? (Job 36:22)
Elihu’s final word to Job is a great and beautiful passage in which he sets forth in marvelous language the glory of God. It runs from chapter 35:22 through chapter 37. First, God is beyond human instruction. Notice how he begins: God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? Then, he reveals another important fact in chapter 36:26: God is beyond human understanding: How great is God beyond our understanding! Finally, Elihu reveals in 36:30-31 that God acts beyond the rigid categories and reasons of humans: See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance. God uses His natural powers for both blessing and judgment alike.
And then, beginning with chapter 37, we have such a marvelous description of a great electric storm that many of the commentators feel that this was an actual occurrence, that a storm began to break out at this moment, and Elihu used it as a vivid example of what he had been saying about God. If any of you have ever been out on the prairies and seen an electric storm break out, you will know what a terrifying and awe-inspiring experience it is–with the lightning crackling and splitting the sky and the roaring of the thunder. It is a magnificent experience, and this is what Elihu begins to describe in verses 2-4: Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back.
Then he speaks of how God sends the snow and the rain; he sends tornadoes, the whirlwinds, and the frost; he controls the cycles of the weather. Next time you are watching a weather report on television, and the broadcast shows a satellite picture, notice how it appears in spirals. This is what Elihu refers to in verse 12: At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever he commands them.
Then he tells us why: He brings the clouds to punish men, or to water his earth and show his love(Job 37:13). God has many reasons for doing things; we are not always certain what they are. God’s wisdom is inscrutable. He goes on, Can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze? (Job 37:18) Job can do none of these things.
All the way through the Bible, from beginning to end, the only man or woman who ever receives anything from God is the one who comes with a humble and contrite heart. If you think you have something to offer Him or that you have achievements that nobody else can equal, you cut yourself off from the wisdom and knowledge of God. But those who come humbly, contrite, waiting upon God, asking Him to teach them, will find that God will pick them up in grace and power and glory and restore them.
Lord, thank You that in Your majesty and power You are also a God of grace and mercy.
Life Application: Do we try to reduce God to manageable size, and compete with him for control? Or do we humbly receive him as our Father-provider and our Savior and Lord in Jesus?
Copyright © 2007 by Elaine Stedman — This daily devotion is from the book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman; compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to http://www.RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet. Please direct any questions you may have to webmaster@RayStedman.org.
http://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/job/your-god-is-too-small
Mars Hill Staff Devotional
Loving the Second Coming and the Assurance of Salvation
by John Piper
Eagerly awaiting His return is an indication of authentic faith (Hebrews 9:28)
So the issue for us is: Do we eagerly long for the coming of Christ? Do we want to see his kingdom established and do we want to be reunited to him in closer personal fellowship? Or do we want him to wait while our love affair with the world runs its course? That is the question that tests the authenticity of faith.
Today’s staff devotional was from a vintage John Piper message (1997): By John Piper. ©2013 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/loving-the-second-coming-and-the-assurance-of-salvation
Mars Hill Staff Devotional
by Oswald Chambers
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:12-14 (NASB)
We discussed Romans 6:12-14 and decided that really believing we are “not under law, but under grace” is radical … and so very liberating!
Key take-away from Chambers:
“The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things.”
Read the Oswald Chambers devotional here: http://utmost.org/building-on-the-atonement/
Mars Hill Staff Devotional
The Unsurpassed Intimacy of Tested Faith from
My Utmost for His Highest
by Oswald Chambers
Jesus said to her, ’Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ —John 11:40
Key Take-Aways:
– Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. In fact, they are as different as the natural life and the spiritual.
– Faith will only be your intimate possession when it is tested.
Read full devotional here: http://utmost.org/the-unsurpassed-intimacy-of-tested-faith/
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