MORNING MANNA - FEBRUARY 15, 2007 - NO DOUBT!

Matthew 28:17 (New Living Translation)
^{17 (NLT)} When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them still doubted!

It's interesting, isn't it that the disciples walked with Jesus and were with Him basically day and night for three years.  During that time they watched as He healed the sick (Matthew 4:24), cast out demons (Mark 1:39), raised the dead (Luke 7:11-15), and preached to thousands (Luke 9:11).  He also shared many things with them that others could not understand, but He took the time to explain those things to them in detail. (Matthew 13:36-51)  Not only that, He let them know that He would be put to death (Mark 14:21) and then be raised again (Luke 9:22).  He plainly told them where He was going after His work on earth was done and also that He was preparing a place for them to follow. (John 14:1-3)  Wow, that's a lot of "show and tell" for three years!  And that doesn't even cover it all.

What happened?  Everything happened just as Jesus said.  But, it did not end there.  After His resurrection, He met the two Mary's who had discovered His tomb empty. He told them to announce to the disciples that they should go to Galilee. He would meet them there.  (Matthew 28:10)  Even after three years of intense relationship with Jesus, after watching all His miracles, after hearing all the truth He spoke, something amazing happened. They didn't believe the women's report!  (Mark 16:13)  They must have finally at least been curious because they went to Galilee to the place where Jesus had specified.  (Matthew 28:16)  Sure enough, it was true!  There stood Jesus, just as He had said He would.  Can you believe it?  Some didn't.  It would seem that after all the confirmation the disciples had, it would not be difficult.  But the Bible says, when they saw Him, they worshipped Him - but some doubted.  They were looking right at Him and some doubted!

How many times have you and I doubted even though we have His Word?  Even though we have seen Him do miracles?  Even though He has brought us peace in our storms?  Even though He has brought healing from sickness and pain?  Do the negative circumstances in our lives sometimes seem bigger than and block out our vision of Jesus?  Does pain sometimes seem to scream louder than the still, small voice of God, our Healer?  When the answer to our prayers doesn't come in our timing, are we tempted to doubt that God has good hearing?  Or that He even cares about our "stuff?"  It should not be that way.  Doubt is one of those "D" words that are of the Devil.  It is just the opposite of faith.  On one hand we can be slightly comforted because the disciples of Jesus had seen with their own eyes all that He was.  Some continued to doubt.  On the other hand, He has told us that we must not doubt. Double-mindedness or doubting will make us unstable.  (James 1:7-8)  Peter did not think it was bad to keep reminding us that we needed to stand firm (no doubting) in the truth of the gospel.  (2 Peter 1:12-13)  No wonder!  If the disciples had trouble with doubt and they saw and heard everything firsthand, how much more might we be tempted to doubt!  Yet, God's Word gives us something to strive for.  A blessing.  As Jesus was dealing with another doubter (Thomas to be exact), He exclaimed that those who had not had the privilege that Thomas had of seeing Jesus and touching His wounds would be blessed if they believed.  That's us!  There's great encouragement in those words of Jesus.  We have His Word.  We have the record of everything He did and of those who doubted, even when they saw.  We also have the Holy Spirit to teach us, as well as the experience of our personal relationship with the Lord.  We are totally equipped for rock solid belief.  No more doubting!  Blessed are you if you believe!!  (John 20:29) 

MORNING MANNA - FEBRUARY 13, 2007 - PASSIONATE LOVE

Exodus 34:14 (New Living Translation)
^{14 (NLT)} You must worship no other gods, but only the LORD, for he is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you.

Tomorrow will be Valentine's Day.  A day we have set aside to celebrate true love.  The problem these days is that we have perhaps forgotten what "true" love is.  (John 15:12)  Love is in the air.  It's in the airwaves.  TV, movies, magazines, etc. all tell us what to look like, how to act, and what scents to wear to attract what the world calls passionate love.  Somehow we have forgotten that love is a choice.  It is not a feeling.  It is not dependent on what the one who is loved does but who he or she is.  (Ephesians 5:2)  It is a decision that sometimes is hard to follow through on when the one who is loved either rejects or ignores the love offered.  Many hearts have been broken when they find that the love they thought they had was conditional and quickly faded away when the circumstances were less than optimum.  The kind of "love" in the air today is not really love but, in most cases, "lust."  It is all about what we can get or have.  It's focus is on self and not another.  In short it is idolatry.  (Colossians 3:5) 

When God created us, He did it in love.  He wanted us to be just like Him.  He wanted to have fellowship with us.  He loved us then and He has never stopped.  We either ignored or rejected His love right from the beginning of creation.  In spite of our rejection, He kept on loving us.  He kept on reaching for us.  (Isaiah 30:18)  He was and still is passionate about His relationship with us.  Not just us as His creation but about you and me personally.  He was and is so in love with you and me that He would give the thing He loved most, a part of Himself, to die so that we could freely enter His throne room and have a restored relationship with Him.  (John 3:16-17)  He doesn't just want a nod from us here and there but He is passionate about capturing our whole heart.  Have you ever had anyone who loved you that much?  The answer is, "no."  No one can love like God loves.  It is totally unconditional and free.  We can choose to throw it away and not receive it but that will not change its quality or its availability. (Psalm 136:23)   

So, what is your relationship like with God this morning?  He is passionate about His with you.  Do you respond in the same manner?  He has written many love letters to you and me.  They all point to Jesus (John 5:39)  How many of them have we read?  When we have a sweetheart or a spouse who is away for a long time, don't we cherish the notes and letters that are sent to us?  Many times we read them over, even trying to read between the lines to get to know their heart better.  We even save them getting them out time and again to re-read them and drink in  the love contained in them.  Are we that passionate about what God has written to us in His Word?  When we are "in love" with someone, our desire is to please that special one.  We tend to dress to please them, go places that please them, give them gifts that make them happy, and focus our attention on them.  That's exactly the way it is with God.  He has given us gifts.    He gives us the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as material gifts so that we can survive in this world.  He pays attention to us all the time.  So, what are we doing with all this passionate affection?  May it be that we are worshipping Him only and returning that passion daily, even moment by moment.  He has given us faith.  He has given us hope.  He has given us love.  The greatest of all these and the thing that keeps God passionate about you and me is love.  (1 Corinthians 13:13)  Let's love Him back by worshipping Him and obeying His commandments.  The only idol we should have is the only One worth idolizing - the Lord God!  (Deuteronomy 5:7)    

MORNING MANNA - FEBRUARY 12, 2007 - HE IS COMING BACK!

Exodus 32:1 (New Living Translation)
^{1 (NLT)} When Moses failed to come back down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron. "Look," they said, "make us some gods who can lead us. This man Moses, who brought us here from Egypt, has disappeared. We don't know what has happened to him."

Moses was a man of his word.  He had led the Israelites a long way on their way to the promised land.  God had given him an anointing to do mighty miracles.  The people had all seen these miracles.  They had experienced deliverance under his leadership.  They had been protected from evil.  They had received the provision they needed to survive.  But, they were complainers.  They were impatient.  They were disobedient.  They were filled with unbelief.  Before we go too far here, I wonder if we need to look around us today to see if that's exactly the way it is now.  I really doubt that you would get a positive answer if you asked a passerby on the street if he or she thought Jesus was coming back.  Some today don't even know the Name of Jesus except when used in vain.

Moses had gone up on Mount Sinai into the deep darkness to commune with God and he had promised to come back.  He was going to give the people instructions from the mouth of God.  These instructions would help them to lead a life of peace and prosperity and bring pleasure to God.  Unfortunately, they had ideas of their own.  They were impatient.  They didn't like the timing.  Moses was taking too long.  They were filled with unbelief in spite of the fact that they had seen God at work first hand under Moses leadership.  They complained that they had to wait too long (and they weren't even in the microwave generation).  All of the above led to their being disobedient.  They had no reason to believe that Moses would not return.  He had a good track record in their sight.  They were just bent on doing their own thing and that's what they did.  They decided to make their own gods and enter into pagan revelry.  Does that sound a bit too familiar?

Two thousand years ago, Jesus walked the earth and did mighty miracles among men.  He had a perfect track record. He had no sin.  He was the perfect Servant-Leader.  He then poured out His love on us while we were still sinners (like the people of Israel).  (Romans 5:8)  He died in our place but left us with many promises.  He promised to provide for us.  (Matthew 6:33)  He promised to heal us.  (1 Peter 2:24)  He promised to forgive our sins.  (1 John 1:9)  He promised to lead us.  (John 16:13)  He also promised that He would come back for us.  How many of us look to the skies daily to see if He's on His way?  How many of us even think about His return, even once a day?  Many people do not even believe He is coming back.  (Mark 8:38)  This makes our generation much like those in Israel who gave up on Moses for no good reason except their own disbelief and selfishness.  But Moses did return.  (Exodus 32:19)  And Jesus is going to return too. (John 14:28)   He knew we would be just like those in Moses's day.  He even questioned whether He would find any faith when He returned.  (Luke 18:8)    How are we living today?  (Ephesians 5:16) Are our decisions about life based on the fact that at any time Jesus may return?  He may be taking longer than some of us expected, yet His promises are sure.  (2 Peter 3:9)  All of them.  (Psalm 18:30)  Even if He doesn't come for the church in our lifetime, He will come for each of us and we don't know when that might be.  The world has many golden calves to offer us and their sparkle may be very enticing.   But, we know the One who is more precious than gold.  He will return and we need to be ready and waiting.  Our eyes need to be looking up , not glued to some perishable piece of gold here on earth.  It may take some refocusing on our part but God is able to help us get back on the right track if we have been sidetracked. His love is not willing to let us go.  May it be that this morning we are all looking up.  (Luke 21:28)  Let's not miss it when Jesus comes back.  (Matthew 25:13)  Let's be about His plans while we're waiting and not have to face an angry God as the children of Israel did when they were found greatly missing the mark! (Mark 13:34) "I'll be back."  That's His promise! 

MORNING MANNA - FEBRUARY 11, 2007 - REDEEMED

 Exodus 30:12-13 (New Living Translation)
^{12 (NLT)} "Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the LORD. Then there will be no plagues among the people as you count them. ¹³ His payment to the LORD will be one-fifth of an ounce of silver.

If we have repented and accepted Jesus's sacrifice on the cross for our sins, we are redeemed. (Luke 1:68)  We have received this almost unbelievable gift so that we can serve Almighty God.  So that we can have no fear.  So that we can live in holiness and righteousness.  (Luke 1:74-75)  In the days of Moses, things were not that simple.  Every man had to redeem himself with one-fifth of an ounce of silver.  This payment went into the upkeep of the tabernacle.  It seems symbolic of the giver's agreement to take responsibility supporting the maintenance and construction of the tabernacle.  The payment is said to have been a guarantee of protection from plagues as well as atonement or covering for sin.  Today, we have a Redeemer who has paid the price so that we can continue to function as a part of His Body, a living picture of the old tabernacle. 

It is interesting that each person had to pay the exact same amount.  No one could pay more or less.  (Exodus 30:15)  Today, we are privileged to live in the age of grace.  Thanks to our loving Heavenly Father, our redemption has been paid for by our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  We no longer have to pay a ransom for ourselves.  The ransom has been paid at a very high cost to God and to Jesus.  No more and no less can be paid for any one of us, no matter what our financial status, social status, race or any other criteria.  The same amount was paid and it covers anyone who will accept the gift.  That amount far outweighed the small amount of silver that each person had to pay to ransom themselves.  There is a worship chorus that goes like this:  "Lord, You are more precious than silver..........."  Yes, He is.  He gave His life to redeem us so that we would not have to pay the cost!

All of us have the same opportunity this morning to be redeemed at no cost to ourselves.  This picture of redemption in the Old Testament certainly points to the life of Jesus, our Redeemer and gives us great cause to rejoice this morning.  Like the Psalmist, we can rejoice today and sing praises to God.  We have been redeemed!  (Psalm 71:23)  God sees us all as precious to Himself despite the fact that we have all sinned and come short of His glory.  (Romans 3:23)  We're not worth even the piece of silver used to ransom a soul in Moses's day, in and of ourselves.  We have nothing to offer God.  But, God offered us His best.  (Romans 5:8)  Peter gives us a glimmer of how this Old Testament verse fits the better way God had planned for us.  He says that we were ransomed with the precious blood of Christ.  (1 Peter 1:18-20)  It took much more than just a mere piece of silver but God thought you were worth it - and me too.  Now, if you don't feel very special, you need to go back and read this again and study the scriptures referenced.  God loves you and has redeemed you from the final plague that will affect those who turn His gift away - an eternity spent in darkness and separation from Him.  Rejoice!  You have been redeemed!! 

MORNING MANNA - FEBRUARY 10, 2007 - GOD ANSWERS 911 CALLS

Psalms 31:22 (New Living Translation)
^{22 (NLT)} In sudden fear I had cried out, "I have been cut off from the LORD!" But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.

I have heard some pretty sad stories about botches in 911 calls.  Even in this day of wonderful technology and advanced communication, mistakes are made.  People are not infallible and though we may have great intentions, we sometimes fail.  When that happens on a 911 call, the results can be devastating and even end up causing loss of life.  But, I have good news this morning!!  God hears our 911 calls when they're directed to Him.  It doesn't matter what time of the day or night.  He's always watching and listening.  (Psalm 121:4)  He never tires of taking care of His children.  Even if the closest members of your family desert you, He will be watching.  He will be listening.  He will care for you.  (Psalm 27:10)  It doesn't always "feel" like He's there, but He is there.  It's nice to know that when sudden fear comes on us, we're in good company as far as feelings go.  Even the Psalmist said he thought he had been cut off from the Lord.  He felt that way.  But God, in His great mercy, answered anyway.  He wants us to trust Him more and more knowing what the Psalmist experienced is true whether we feel like it or not.  His faithfulness never fails though ours may waiver.  The phrase, "His faithful love endures forever." is repeated numerous times in the scriptures.  I think this just may be something He wants us to remember!  (Psalm 18:4, Psalm 107:1, etc., etc.) 

When sudden fear comes upon us, we need to be totally grounded in the fact that God has us covered.  Becoming grounded is a process.  It takes faith.  We go from faith to faith.  We are not just vessels suddenly filled with faith.  (Romans 1:17)  The King James Version says it this way, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."  The only way we can obtain faith to do better when the next attack of sudden fear comes upon us is to listen to the good news about Jesus.  To let it fill our being.  (Romans 10:17)  If circumstances in your life have at times brought sudden fear, be encouraged.  We will all go through trials.  Peter wrote to us that they are only to test our faith.  (1 Peter 1:7)  The key word here is "through."  If we don't go through, we can't get from one level of faith to the next level of faith.  Going through is easier said than done but the rewards are great.  We also have a Shepherd who has promised to go through with us, even in such times as we are confronted with walking through the valley of the shadow of death. (Psalm 23:4)  Even in that hard place, His Word says we need to fear nothing.  He is walking through with us and His rod and staff will comfort us as we go through the hard places on the way to the next level of our faith.

Is something causing you to fear this morning?  It could be any number of things.  Finances, relationships, down sizing at your place of employment, the elevated terror level, your health, ________________ (you fill in the blank).  There are certainly tons of things in this world that can bring on fear, even sudden fear.  God wants us to know this morning that He is available and that He will answer.  Even before sudden fear comes, He invites us to cast all of those cares which could eventually lead to a panic attack upon Him. (1 Peter 5:7)  God not only cares but, if we have surrendered our lives to Him, He will do something about it.  He will answer when we call.  If we can't say anything else, we can scream, "Help!"  Better yet, we can call, "Jesus!"  Everything must bow at the Name of Jesus.  No matter what the fear or the circumstance, we will get an answer when we send a 911 call to Heaven.  Best of all, God doesn't have to send a rescue vehicle.  He's always with us!! Psalm 34:4 says that God will free us from ALL our fears.  Now the one who rejects God is another story.  Isaiah  66:4 says that God will not hear them but cause all the things they fear to come upon them.  If that is you, this is the time to receive the forgiveness of Jesus and to start a new life in the love and protection of the Father.  I am reminded of a worship song that says, "He is able, more than able to accomplish what concerns me today."  Yes, He is just that!  He is not only able.  He is willing if we will turn to Him in repentance and trust.  Let's determine even today to from here on remember that God is with us no matter what it feels like.  Let's remember that He promised to deliver us from all of our fears and that they are just a means to get from one level of faith to another.  Want to go higher?  I'm with you!  God is with us!!

MORNING MANNA - FEBRUARY 9, 2007 - SET APART

Exodus 28:3 (New Living Translation)
^{3 (NLT)} Instruct all those who have special skills as tailors to make the garments that will set Aaron apart from everyone else, so he may serve me as a priest.

This particular morning, I am totally overwhelmed at our God!  Not that we shouldn't be overwhelmed every moment of every day.  But some days it seems like He just outdoes Himself in what He give us!  I'm not the only one who has ever been overwhelmed.  In Isaiah 61:10, the writer declares that he is overwhelmed with joy because he is clothed with salvation and righteousness.  If we have received the gift of Jesus's sacrifice for us, we too are clothed in salvation and righteousness!  Hallelujah!  When Aaron was set aside as a priest, his clothes had to be made by man.  They were an imperfect, though beautiful, picture of what was to come.  Because he wore these special garments, everyone knew that he was a priest.

Today, God has made Jesus our High Priest. (Hebrews 5:5)  Jesus bought and paid for the robes of salvation and righteousness for us so that we could also become priests.  He paid the price so that we could wear the clothes and participate in His ministry here on earth! (Revelation 1:5-6)  Our clothes are not made of worldly material.  They are spiritual.  They are righteousness and salvation.  You can't see them on our physical bodies but they do set us apart.  Yes, God has chosen to set us apart!  He has given us an inheritance with all those He has set apart from the beginning of the world. (Acts 20:32)  It is the message of the good news of the gospel of Jesus that does this for us.  Anyone can receive it and be set apart to be priests if they will just turn from darkness to light.  Faith in Jesus does it.  (Acts 26:18)  Aaron was set apart as a priest but he had to make an animal sacrifice for his own sins as well as the sins of all of Israel.  We have been set apart as priests but we no longer have to work to make atonement for our own sins.  They were paid for once and for all by our Savior.  We are now free to minister His grace to others.  We may have been the most vile person on earth before coming to Jesus.  But, because we have been washed in His blood, we are now made right with God.  We are now set apart for Him.  We are now priests, serving Him.  Is that awesome or what!?!

We can and must take holiness wherever we go.  If we take it into our marriages, our children will be made holy.  I did not say that.  God says it in 1 Corinthians 7:14.  Holiness is only in those who have been set apart.  That's what it means.  Priests are set apart.  They are made holy by God.  If you believe and have received salvation and righteousness from Jesus, you have been set apart.  (Psalm 4:3)  When you call on God, when you minister to Him, He will hear you and He will answer.  Is that glorious or what?  God gives us a picture of what he does for us in the book of Jeremiah.  He called Jeremiah and He has called you and me too.  It isn't a spur of the moment call or a whim.  He had you in mind all along.  Even before you were formed, He called you to be a priest, set apart for Him.  (Jeremiah 1:5)  If you've been feeling like you are not accomplishing anything or that you have no purpose, look again.  Adjust your clothing and be sure to keep it clean.  You are wearing salvation and righteousness. They are very expensive and beautiful robes.  Jesus bought them for you at great price.  He wants you and me to wear them proudly.  Not in worldly pride but in the confidence that you are one of His chosen ones.  We may not have the beautiful clothes this world has to offer.  We have something even more beautiful.  We are dressed with the most costly garments of all!  They're not just garments either.  With them comes the privilege of being part of the Kingdom of God, servants of His Majesty.  Peter tells us that we can now offer the only kind of sacrifices that please God.  We do it through our High Priest Jesus Christ.  All of it is because of His mercy.  (1 Peter 2:5-10)  I pray that you are as encouraged and in awe as I am this morning. I hope you are rejuvenated as we are reminded of just how precious we are to God and how privileged we are to be clothed by Him and set apart for spiritual service! 

MORNING MANNA - FEBRUARY 6, 2007 - HAS GOD GOT AN OFFER FOR YOU!

Psalms 29:11 (New Living Translation)
^{11 (NLT)} The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace.

Wow!  In this world where it seems like we are always running and many times tired, God offers something else.  In a world where there seems to be no peace, we are offered a blessing from the God who made the world.  Are there days when you long for the strength to do what you need to get done?  Don't be disturbed. Others have experienced that too.  (Proverbs 30:1)  Are there days when you don't even feel like you have the strength to pray or read God's Word?  Jesus knew those times would come.  (Luke 21:36)  The Message puts the preceding verse this way:  "So, whatever you do, don't go to sleep at the switch. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that's coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man."  Then, there may be those days when it seems like chaos is reigning all around you.  Maybe it's problems within your family or difficulties on the job. It may even be a habit that you can't seem to control.  Confusion sometimes tries to come in and rule.  But, that's not God.  (1 Corinthians 14:33) 

What a wonderful promise God is making to us this morning!  He is offering strength.  As though that were not enough, He is offering peace.  There's just one catch.  You have to be His child.  So, if you've never come to Him in repentance; (Matthew 4:17) if you've never received His Son, Jesus and given your life to Him, won't you do it right now?  (Revelation 3:20)  Strength and peace are for His children.  He takes wonderful care of His children!

The word, "strength," has within its root meanings, such things as these.  Power.  Might.  Boldness.  Prevailing.  In it's application it refers to such things as force, security, majesty and praise.  What a promise!  We don't have to muster up the strength in ourselves to prevail in life, to praise the Lord, to secure ourselves, to be bold witnesses of His goodness.  (Zechariah 4:6)  He is offering it as a gift!  Hopefully we are receiving it this morning, even at this very moment.  If you haven't already done it, go ahead.  No gift should remain unopened or unused, especially if it is from God!!  Besides such a wonderful gift, God promises to bless us with peace.  This word implies everything we need for our welfare.  As some say, "nothing missing, nothing broken."  The Prince of Peace, Himself is that gift.  (John 3:16)  He has promised to stay with us to the end of the age.  (Matthew 28:20) Your boat of life may be tossing on a troubled sea this morning but the Prince of Peace is in that boat with you. (Matthew 8:24-26) He's the one who calms the waves. (Mark 4:39) He's the one who brings you safely into harbor.  He's the one who said, "Peace I leave with you."  (John 14:27)  It's yours and it's mine this morning.  Everything around us may be shaking but we have the gift of strength and the blessing of peace, the Prince of Peace, right here on the inside and nothing can remove Him.  (Psalm 46:2, Romans 8:35 )   

MORNING MANNA - FEBRUARY 5, 2007 - WHERE GOD IS

Exodus 20:21 (New Living Translation)
^{21 (NLT)} As the people stood in the distance, Moses entered into the deep darkness where God was.

How sad.  The people stood at a distance.  Only Moses entered into the place where God was.  There is a lovely song that was made popular in 1990 by Bette Midler.  Many people listened to it and received what it said.  Unfortunately, as beautiful as it was, it was sadly wrong when it repeated again and again, "God is watching us from a distance."  That may have been true when only Moses entered into the deep darkness where God was but things have radically changed since then!  Sin may have kept people at a distance from God back then but God has done something about that.  He sent His Son.  Emmanuel, God with us.  (Matthew 1:23)  Ever since that first Christmas, we can sing, "God with us, revealed in us.  His name is called, Emmanuel." 

Even back in Moses' day, God was not watching from a distance!  He walked in front of the children of Israel in a pillar of cloud in the day time and a pillar of fire at night.  (Exodus 13:22)  He spoke to Moses from a burning bush. (Exodus 3:16)   When Moses desired to see His glory, He walked so near to him that He could cover him with His hand.  (Exodus 33:22)   Jacob also had an encounter with the presence of the Lord.  (Genesis 28:13-16)  The Psalmist said that he could go nowhere to escape the presence of the Lord.  (Psalm 139:8)  God has always had a passionate desire to be near His children.  As parents, I guess we can relate. 

Are you standing at a distance today while others walk into the presence of God?  There is no need for that.  You can be close to your Father.  That is what He desires.  I heard someone on the radio the other day saying, "I want to be so close to God that when He takes a step and leaves His footprint, my foot steps right into the print He just left."  Is that your desire this morning?  It sure is mine.  Before Jesus came and made the sacrifice of His life for us, we could not go into God's presence like that.  But now we can enter boldly, yet humbly before His throne.  (Hebrews 4:16)  We can cling to our High Priest (that's pretty close - no distance at all).  (Hebrews 4:14)  He promised He would be with us forever.  (John 14:16, Hebrews 13:5)  We are assured many times in the epistles that God is with us if we follow Him.  (2 Corinthians 13:11)  We mustn't stand at a distance.  We need to follow the Lord.  (Psalm 63:8)  His hand will hold onto us tightly. (Psalm 139:9-10)   Again, no distance there!   Moses had to be willing to enter into the deep darkness to get close to God.  It may be that we, too, will have to go through some dark times - times of trouble or tribulation.  (Acts 14:22)  I wonder if anyone can witness to the fact that when you're in your darkest times, you're probably closest to God?  The Psalmist said, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me."  (Psalm 23:4)  He is with you - and me too!  Jesus went the distance so there would be no distance between us and the Father.  Hallelujah!  

MORNING MANNA - FEBRUARY 3, 2007 - OPEN THE EARS OF MY HEART, LORD!

Psalms 27:8 (New Living Translation)
^{8 (NLT)} My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming."

Have you had a hearing test lately?  I don't mean your ears.  I'm talking about your heart.  I realized today that I really need one sometimes.  The loud voices of life, like those loud speakers in I-Pods do to our ears, can sometimes dull the hearing of our hearts.  God calls us to come to Him.  To seek His presence.  To worship.  But, we don't always hear.  (Revelation 3:20)  The Psalmist heard and responded.  His heart heard the Lord say, "Come and talk with me."  What an invitation.  The creator of the world calls us to come and talk with Him.  Jesus repeated that when He said, "Come to me all ye who are weary and heavy laden."  (Matthew 11:28)  The invitation to come to the King of Kings is awesome.

So, what have you been hearing in your heart lately?  (Psalm 78:1)  Have the voices of your trials and troubles been so loud that they drown out the still small voice of God who is calling, "Come to me?"  (1 Kings 19:12)  I hope not.  But, it's easy to find yourself a bit hard of hearing sometimes.  The good news is that He is also the Great Physician.  Are the ears of your heart stopped up so that you can't hear.  Or, are your eardrums deadened or broken by the noise of this world or your own screaming thoughts?  Just ask the God who heals us and He will restore that so you can once again hear His invitation. (Psalm 40:6-7) 

It's one thing to hear.  That's good.  It's necessary.  It's another thing to respond.  (Psalm 89:15)  Have you ever gotten a letter or an e-mail or phone call and put off answering it?  Maybe you were just running out the door or whatever.  You were just too busy to answer at that moment.  Somehow, the task got shoved in your "stuff to do" file (or in my case, "pile") and you never quite got around to it.  Ever happen to you that way or am I in the minority?  There's a story in Matthew 22:1-9 that tells about an invitation that was sent out.  Those receiving it were too busy to respond properly. It is a parallel of what happens to those who don't respond to God's invitation to come to Him.  We all need to come to Him for salvation.  (Acts 4:12)  But, that's not the end.  He saved us so that we could have communication with Him again.  Sin placed a barrier between us but we are now saved, for one thing, to fellowship with our Creator.  (Ephesians 3:12)  I need to do that more.  Sometimes I feel bored or can't figure out what to do next - things get too overwhelming.  A loving voice calls from the distance, "Come to me."  Do I always respond?  I'm sorry to say that I haven't always.  I will say that He has asked me to listen more carefully and to respond every time.  He wants to talk to you and me and He wants us to, not only talk, but listen to Him.  Will you purpose with me to let Him open the ears of your heart so you can hear Him more effectively?  Then will you respond by engaging in two-way conversation with Him?  We will be blessed and we will bless our loving Father.  (Psalm 134:2, Psalm 16:11)