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A SONG AND A PRAYER |
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MORNING MANNA - JUNE 16-30, 2007
Enter subhead content here  MORNING MANNA - JUNE 30, 2007 - OUR HELP AND OUR HOPE Psalms 146:5 (New Living Translation) Help is a good thing to have in life. We all need help at some time
or another. Usually those times are most of the time! When things look pretty grim, we may be tempted to look
to others or to things to get help. Is there something you need this morning and you can't find help? I have
good news for all of us. God is our helper. If we really believe that and trust in Him, His Word says we will
be happy. That word, "happy," denotes a state of prosperity. It alludes to the fact that a superior
has bestowed favor or blessing upon us. I'd say that God is the ultimate, "superior." Wouldn't
you? When we count on Him for help, we will be blessed and have His favor. Could there be anything better? Twice
in scripture, the Psalmist asks God to give him help from trouble indicating that man's help is vain. (Psalm 60:11, Psalm 108:12) He also says we should not put our trust even in those people who are high above us because they are only human.
(Psalm 146:3) When it seems that all around us, there is a lack of those who trust God and have His wisdom, we need
to cry to God for help. (Psalm 12:1) God hears us when we are trusting Him alone and cry out for help. (Psalm 34:17) Are you in need of help this morning? Who isn't in some way or another? God is not only our helper, but He is our hope. Our only hope. There's
a lot going on today to bring discouragement to our hearts. I feel like the Psalmist sometimes. I feel discouraged,
yet I don't even know exactly why! (Psalm 43:5) When that happens, I have to encourage myself in the Lord just like David did. (1 Samuel 30:6 - the King James Version says, "...but David encouraged himself in the Lord, His God.") Proverbs 13:12 shows that when we lose hope, things begin to look very bad. Our hearts become sick. The meaning here is
to be rubbed or worn, to be weak, and to grieve. That is not the way our Helper wants us to live. He is our hope
so that our hearts don't have to become worn, weak, and grief-stricken. When we choose to sin rather than following
God, we lose fellowship with Him. That's what happened when Israel sinned. God turned away. But (Isaiah 8:17) says that even though fellowship had been broken, there was hope in God. Our God is merciful. If we will
turn to Him, He will turn toward us. If we have turned away somehow, let this be the morning that we turn back and find
that our hope still lies in the One who has promised to be our Helper. Jeremiah 17:7 says we are blessed if we have made the Lord our hope and our confidence. That means we are in a state of prosperity
with God's favor upon us. Today, we live in troubled times. Times of disaster. Jeremiah 17:17 shows us that others have called upon God in a day of disaster. Just like in those times, God is our only hope
today when some disaster or crisis strikes. When Jonah had lost all hope, He turned his thoughts right back to
the Lord. (Jonah 2:7) That's what we have to do too. Jonah was inside the belly of a fish. It could be that your circumstances
tend to make you think you're in some dark place too. Good news!
If we are in Christ, we are never without hope and help. Once we were without Him. But now we are securely grafted
into the Vine if we have received Him as Lord and Savior of our lives. Once we lived in sin and as an enemy of God.
We had no help and no hope. (Ephesians 2:12) Now we have both help and hope in Christ Jesus. There is nothing in our lives that can separate us from that
help and hope. (Romans 8:35-39) It is from His love for us that His help flows making hope spring up in our hearts. According to the Apostle
Paul, nothing can now separate us from that love! If you're having a Jonah-like experience right now, let the hope
of glory rise up in you. (Romans 5:2) You have been chosen and helped to be one of God's own children just because He loves you. Not because of
anything you have done or not done. We will become just like Him if we trust in His help and hope in His goodness.
1 John 3:1-3 The New King James Version puts it this way..."And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as
He is pure." (1 John 3:3) Are you hoping in God this morning or trusting in something or someone else? (Psalm 71:5) David trusted and hoped in God from his childhood. Perhaps some of us have not done that. It
could be that we were never told about the Good News of God's trustworthiness and love. It's not too late.
If you have not hoped and trusted in Him, today is the day for you! (John 6:37) If you are reading this and your heart is convicted to turn to the Lord or turn back to Him, do it. That's
the Holy Spirit calling you. He is your hope and your help. He will not turn you away. If your
situation looks dismal today, look up. The Psalmist looked to the hills and said, "Where does my help
come from?" Although he was looking up to the hills, He knew His help came from much higher than those hills.
It came from the Lord. (Psalm 121:1-2) Our help still comes from the Lord today. Cast those burdens on Him. He cares deeply for you and is
in control of every circumstance. (1 Peter 5:7) He is able to do much more than you could even think to ask or even hope, if you will just trust Him.
(Ephesians 3:20) He is our hope! MORNING MANNA - JUNE 29, 2007 - ARE YOU HUNGRY? Psalms 145:16 (New Living Translation) Are you hungry this morning? I am. The Lord is gracious and kind and He
supplies us with food to eat. In fact the Word says He satisfies the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
When Jesus walked on the earth, He became hungry too. Because He lived in the flesh, just like we do, He was
subject to the same physical hunger pangs we are. (Matthew 21:18) Since He has felt the pangs of hunger, He admonishes us to feed the hungry. (Isaiah 58:10) He even lets us know that if we have given a cup of water to the least of those on earth, we have given it to Him!
(Matthew 10:42) God, on the other hand, is a Spirit and His Word tells us that, even if He were to get hungry, He would not tell us.
Everything in the world is His. He made it all. He is the source of our food, both spiritual and physical.
(Psalm 50:12) Because we are a spirit, living in a body, we need food. We
need physical sustenance and God knows that. He has already planned for it. He told us to seek first His Kingdom
and He would supply all of our physical needs. (Matthew 6:31-33) Jesus has compassion on physically hungry people. He fed thousands with just a pittance of food at least
twice. He did not want the people to go away physically faint and hungry. (Matthew 16:10, Mark 6:44) In these cases, where He fed thousands, He had previously fed them the most important kind of food.
His Word. (Matthew 4:4) Chances are, you have had at least something to eat and drink this morning. But, now we are having
the most important food and drink! The Bread of Life and the Living Water. We will get hungry physically again
and we will get physically thirsty again. But, the food and drink we get from His Word will never leave us.
(John 6:35) Instead, it will grow in us and we can then share it with others. Rivers of living water will flow from us if we have
been drinking at the well of Living Water! (John 7:38) The Psalmist said that He was thirsty for God just as the deer that pants for water. (Psalm 42:1) That's pretty thirsty. Are we in that place right now? Maybe one or more of us are like the
prodigal son. He squandered what his father had given him and found himself very hungry. Some of us may be in
the place where we have neglected God's Word for a while. We now find that we are very hungry. We just need to come
to our senses like the prodigal son and run back to our Father through His Word. (Luke 15:17) The prodigal wasn't wrong when he said, "I'm dying of hunger." When we do not have the Bread
of Life to nourish us daily, we do start to die spiritually. But there is no need for that. We have His Word.
We can be filled daily. Psalm 63:5 gives us a good picture of how we can be completely satisfied. The original words from which this verse
was translated indicate that it is our soul that is satisfied with richness. If you and I are hungry and thirsty for God this morning, we have so many promises in His Word that He will feed
us and give us refreshing water. Psalm 23:2 says He will lead us beside still waters. Sheep get very thirsty but they can't drink from
water that is churned up. We're like sheep. We can't really get a good drink when we're all riled
up and filled with anxiety. God leads us into the peacefulness of His Word and we can get a good long
drink. We will always come away refreshed and revived. He also lets us rest, as His sheep, in green
meadows. There we can find what we need to eat of the lush, green grass. Even when our enemies surround us, He
prepares a feast for us. Yes, right there in front of their eyes! (Psalm 23:5) His Word says that even strong young lions might go hungry, but if we trust in Him, we will never lack any good
thing. (Psalm 34:10) Are we hungry and thirsty for the proper things this morning? Jesus said we would be blessed if we
are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. (Matthew 5:6) That word, "righteousness," was originally spelled, "rightwiseness." It means those things
which are consistent with God's faithfulness and truthfulness, His own nature and promises. God has invited
us this morning to come and taste and see that He is good. (Psalm 34:8) Jesus said we must eat of His body and drink of His blood in order to have eternal life. (John 6:53) That means we must have His Word inside us. Praise God, this morning we have had some heavenly manna! (John 6:58, Revelation 2:17) MORNING MANNA - JUNE 28, 2007 - IF YOU'VE FALLEN, YOU CAN GET UP Psalms 145:14 (New Living Translation) Does this morning find you bent beneath a load you were not meant to carry? Or maybe even fallen and wondering how
you're going to get back up again? If you are in Christ, you can forget that statement, "Help, I've fallen
and I can't get up." Let me tell you from God's Word and from personal experience, the Lord does
help the fallen and lifts up those who's shoulders are bent beneath heavy loads! Most of the time scripture talks
about the fallen ones, it is talking about those who have made a pattern of sin. So, our first self-test if we are feeling
low and bent is to see if we are carrying a load of sin that we don't need to carry. Have we given our hearts
and lives to the One who was made to bear our sin? If not, step one in the process of letting the Lord help us up would
be to confess our sin, receive forgiveness and get rid of that very heavy load. No man can carry that load by himself
and, should he try, he will end up in an eternity separated from God. God wants to take that load of sin this morning
and cover it with the blood of Jesus. He won't remember it any more and we will walk without being bent. (Jeremiah 31:34) God will put our sin far away from him, as far as the east is from the west. Do you know how far that is?
I've never been able to measure it! (Psalm 103:12 - see King James Version) Maybe today, you are walking with
the Lord but you are still bent beneath a load of circumstances. Someone may ask you, "How are you?"
You might make some sort of reply like this, "Pretty good - under the circumstances." What are we
doing living under the circumstances anyway? If we have given our lives to Christ, we're not in that
position any more. He says we are seated in heavenly places with Him! (Ephesians 2:6) The last time I looked, Heaven was far above every circumstance on earth. That includes yours and mine!
If we are seated in Heavenly places with Christ (and His Word says we are), our vantage point or perspective is that
of looking down on a situation. Not being bent under it. If the situation is from the enemy, we know that he is
under our feet. (Zechariah 10:5) We are not under his. The enemy's foot is not on top of the Heavenly places where we sit.
It's just the other way around. God made the enemy a footstool for Jesus and we are in Jesus!
(Mark 12:36) Oh, the devil would like to get us to look at our circumstances and deceive us into thinking that he has control
of them. (1 Peter 5:8) The last time I checked though, greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4) Whatever is causing you to bend under a load this morning or even possibly fall, there is a Load-bearer. He
wants to take your load this morning. There is One who picks up His fallen children and restores them
to better than before. (Joel 2:25) Jesus said, "Come to me." He was talking
about those of us who might be finding ourselves trying to carry something that is way to heavy for us. (Matthew 11:28) Jesus can and will give us rest, even in the midst of our earthly trials. He didn't say that we would not
have trials. In fact, He said just the opposite. (John 16:33) But, He added a very important statement. He said, "But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
He also said, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace....." Taking heart means that we can be
courageous and be comforted at the same time. Will you take heart this morning, knowing that Jesus is with you comforting
you and giving you courage to get through one or many difficult circumstances? He said that we would have peace too.
Even among our trials and troubles in the world. Peace. There's nothing like God's peace. It's
prosperity, quietness, and rest. This morning as we focus on the God who is bigger than our circumstances, big enough
to carry whatever load we are trying to carry by ourselves, let's drink in that peace. Let's begin to praise
the God who made the world and is greater than the enemy who is in it at the moment. A glorious peace will begin
to invade our hearts. We won't be able to understand it but that's okay. (Philippians 4:7) God's ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:9) We can just drink it in and find rest and relief at the feet of Jesus! He will begin to lift the burden
of our hearts and walk with us carrying the heavy part. His yoke is easy. (Matthew 11:30) When we are yoked together with Him, He carries the heavy part of the load. As they yoke oxen, there is one
lead ox that carries the bigger part of the load. If you're trying to be the lead ox in the team this morning, give
it up. Let the One who was made to carry the big part of the load do His job. Just feel your shoulders start to
straighten up. Feel you head being to rise. (Psalm 3:3) Walk tall. He has overcome everything that might be bothering you or me this morning. Don't try
to take any part of the load back either. I've done that! That's called pride. Pride goes before
a destruction! (Proverbs 16:18) Ouch! Haughtiness goes before a fall. Double ouch! Call on Him in truth this morning - He knows
everything anyway. Then submit everything to Him. He's big enough to take it. (Psalm 145:18) Humble yourself before Him admitting that you don't have all the answers. He will support you (Psalm 147:6) Look up if you feel as though you are falling. There's a nail-pierced hand reaching down for your
hand. That's pretty personal and caring! That Hand may come in the form of a human hand at times so watch
for it. The Lord will hold us by our hand! He will open our eyes to see solutions and He will lift us
up if we are seeking after Him! (Psalm 146:8) Let's just humbly receive this morning and walk in rest and peace for the rest of the day! And all
the days of our lives. (Psalm 23:6) MORNING MANNA - JUNE 27, 2007 - GOD THINKS OF US! Psalms 144:3 (New Living Translation) God, the Creator of the universe and all that is in it, thinks of us!
Just think how many people that have already been born and died. God thought of and continues to think of, notice and
care for every one of those people. There are many more to be born too. Your children, grandchildren, and
great-grandchildren - and on down the line. He thinks of all of those too! He not only thinks of us, He counts
the number of hairs on every head! (Matthew 10:30) Just think how those numbers change from individual to individual and from day to day! That's a lot of counting.
And that's just one way God thinks of us, in addition to taking care of all of His other creation! He has made us
in a very complex and magnificent way. (Psalm 139:14) We are so wonderfully made in God's image. (Genesis 1:26) He made us to take dominion over all the other things He created. Then He called what He made, "very
good." (Genesis 1:31 - see the King James Version) We only have a dot of time
on this earth compared to eternity. (Psalm 144:4) But, God still thinks of us in the most detailed and intricate ways! He thought of us after sin entered
the world. He could have just wiped humanity right off the earth and started over again. In fact, He thought of
it a time or two! He did destroy most all of mankind. (Genesis 6:7) He was sorry that He had made them. Instead of turning toward Him, they constantly turned away and craved evil.
I don't blame Him. Do you? He created everything in perfection. He gave all that perfection to man.
But, man chose disobedience rather than trusting Him. The clay chose to try to tell the Potter what to do.
(Isaiah 29:16) That never works! However, God is merciful and was not willing to destroy all of mankind. He found a man
who would obey Him and through Noah's obedience, we are all here today. (Genesis 7:1) God was thinking of you and me when He spared Noah and his family! All of that was done because God
was thinking of you and me. Then the world got pretty messy again. People went their own way and did their own
thing. Unfortunately, that thing they were doing was against God and not for Him. (Isaiah 53:6) God did not stop thinking of you and me. This time, He sent Heaven's best. He sent
Jesus to live and die for our sins. He laid all of our sin and iniquity upon His own Son and let those He created betray
Him, beat Him, mock Him, nail Him to the cross, and put a sword though His side. Yes, through all of that, God was thinking
of you and me. There are words to a song entitled, "When He Was On The Cross" that really touch my heart.
Part of the those lyrics say, "He knew me, yet He loved me." Aren't you glad that, even though Jesus knows
everything about you and me, He still loves us! If you are like me, there are some pretty unlovely things in your life.
Jesus still loves you, despite those things! Other lyrics are, "When He was on the cross, I was on His mind."
Yes, when He suffered and died on that cross with all of your sin and my sin upon His raw and beaten shoulders and back, we
were on His mind. God is still thinking of you and me today, just
as He was before He ever made us. He had us in mind before we ever came into being. (Psalm 139:16) Yes, you and I were carefully thought out and planned. Even those things which we are to do were planned way
before we came into being. (Ephesians 2:10) He planned to make us new creatures through the sacrifice of His Son so that we could then really do those good
things He planned for us before we were set upon the earth. So, knowing that God is thinking of us, what does that
elicit in our hearts? The scripture says that we should make the most of our little dot of time on this earth and seek
a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12) Wisdom will reveal those good things that God has planned for us to do. Do you know what He is calling you to
do today? The very first thing is to be like Jesus. (Romans 8:29) After that, there are everyday, practical ways in which He has planned for us to operate. What did Jesus do?
He went about doing good. (Acts 10:38) There are practical things we can do today. Good things. Things that God has already prepared for us to
do. Will we be seeking His will and His way so much that we can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us?
Leading us along the path that God has already planned for us? (Proverbs 16:9) Yes, God is thinking of us this morning. May it be that we are thinking of Him too! His thoughts toward
us are for good and for a future, an expected end, the good end that He has planned. (Jeremiah 29:11) You and I have a future and a hope because God is thinking of us! There are many out in the world that do not
know God is thinking of them too. Will we be the ones to spread the Good News today? MORNING MANNA - JUNE 26, 2007 - HIDING, GUIDING AND GROWING Psalms 143:8-10 (New Living Translation) Today is a brand new day! God's
mercies are new this morning. When we opened our eyes, we woke up to a day that we have never seen before. It
is filled with new opportunities and wonderful things from the Lord. Are you watching for them? This is the day
that the Lord has made. Will you choose to rejoice in it? That's the best choice. The Psalmist chose
it. I think I know why. The joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) Besides the new and wonderful things from the Lord, there may be an enemy or two waiting to steal that
joy from us. (Ephesians 6:12) But, Jesus gave us our joy and nothing can take it from us. (John 15:11) Do you need some strength this morning? Then begin to rejoice. (Psalm 118:24) After that, keep on rejoicing. (Philippians 4:4) Forget what may lie ahead later and rejoice that you have a God that is bigger than whatever will come
through your day. (Philippians 4:19) You have a God that saves, heals and delivers! Just that much is enough to get us through a most
difficult day if we keep our focus on Him. MORNING MANNA - JUNE 25, 2007 - BACKED INTO A CORNER A psalm of David, regarding his
experience in the cave. A prayer. David was in the darkness of a cave when he wrote this Psalm. He was literally backed into a corner.
Saul was out to kill him for no good reason except jealousy and pride. Are you backed into the corner of some cave this
morning? It could be something beyond your control that put you there or it could be a cave of your own making.
It could be a cave of sickness, depression, broken relationship, financial trouble, a wayward child, troubles in school
or on the job, etc. It doesn't really matter what kind of a cave it is or how small and dark the corner seems.
You can be set free just as David was. But first, to be set free from our caves, we need to adopt the attitude of prayer
that David had. The very first thing we need to do is cry
out to the Lord and plead for His mercy. (Psalm 142:1) That's how David started. When circumstances seem dark, we need to cry out to the Light of the World!
God knows everything that's in our hearts so it's okay to pour out our complaints to Him. He sees what we're
going through too. And, it's okay to talk to Him about all of our troubles. (Psalm 142:2) He tells us to cast all of our cares on Him because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7) We might find ourselves backed into the corner of a cave but God is not going to leave us there! Life sometimes
overwhelms us. That's what happened to David. We don't need to go around in public or before the enemy
expressing our mental and emotional meltdown; but we can go before God and pour it out. He's the only One that can
bring our hearts and minds back into balance and set us free. David told God that he was overwhelmed. He also
realized that God was the only One who could guide his path from the dark corner of that cave to freedom and advancement.
(Psalm 142:3) David had enemies who set traps for him everywhere he went. We, too, have a very determined enemy who uses
anyone and anything he can use to back us into corners and make us think we're defeated. (1 Peter 5:8) He is always trying to set traps for us. God promises to be our security and keep us from being caught
in those traps. (Proverbs 3:26) Taking offense when we are mistreated and holding onto that offense keeps us backed into a dark corner.
That word, offense, really means trap. It comes from a word meaning, snare or trap. If you are
in a corner because of someone else's less that desirable words or actions toward you, begin to call out to God.
Instead of focusing on what was said or done to you, focus on the words God speaks over you and His actions toward you.
He speaks love and He gave His best so you and I could be free from the snares of the devil. (John 3:16) There are times when it seems that no one understands us. (Psalm 142:4) Amen? The truth is no one can really understand us except the One who made us! It seems at times
that no one cares about us or even thinks about us when we are in deep distress. But there is One. And, He's
really the only One who can do anything about freeing us. Others may seem like the don't care. Many may not
care. Some may be in caves of their own and not have a clue as to how to get out. So, how can they help us out?
That's when we need to get down to business like David did. He quit counting on people and began to confess that
God was His only desire. His only refuge. (Psalm 142:5) In and of ourselves, in the natural, the devil and his workers are too strong for us. David realized that his
enemies were too strong for him. He confessed it to God. (Psalm 142:6) He was very distraught but he realized that God could and would set him free. God is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) He does not show favoritism. (Acts 10:34) What He did for David, he will do for you and me too when we are backed into a corner. (Psalm 142:7) This morning may find one of us in some kind of prison. If you have not received Jesus as your Lord and made
Him the King of your life, you are still in the prison of sin. He wants to set you free now. Just ask Him,
turn from that sin and the prison bars will fly open before you. Like a bird set free from a cage, you can fly
high on wings of faith. If you find yourself in a prison, either of your own making or one created for you
by circumstances beyond your control, God will set you free if you do those things David did in Psalm 142. We just need to believe that this morning. We need to walk in it. Soon we will see ourselves in
a broad space. (2 Samuel 22:20) God will enlarge our borders. (Isaiah 54:2) We will be walking among the Godly and in the loving favor of our God. (Psalm 1:1-2, Proverbs 3:4) Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! (John 8:36) MORNING MANNA - JUNE 24, 2007 - A WOMAN OF FAITH 2 Kings 4:26 (New Living Translation) If
taken out of context, 2 Kings 4:26 would seem like good news. Elisha sees a woman in the distance coming toward him and sends his
servant to ask her how things are with her family. She tells the servant everything is fine. No problem.
At least she doesn't voice any problems. The trouble is that she does have a problem. A big one. She
is a mother who was unable to have children. (2 Kings 4:14) She is a faithful woman who has shown favor and hospitality to Elisha. She even went so far as to have a room
in her house prepared for him when he came through town. (2 Kings 4:9) Because of her hospitality and reverence toward him, Elisha prophesied that she would have a child. (2 Kings 4:16) She had not asked for anything in return for her graciousness but God chose to give her a child when it seemed as
if it was impossible. (Luke 1:37) God is a God of possibilities, not impossibilities. The good woman seemed not to want to believe what Elisha
said at first but, as the New Living Translation puts it, "Sure enough........ (2 Kings 4:17) Can you imagine her joy at having the son she had not even dared to ask for or believe for? (Ephesians 3:20) God is and always has been able to accomplish in our lives much more than we can even ask or hope for!
He is also true to His word every time and all the time. (Psalm 119:160, Numbers 23:19) His Word contains many promises to us which have been and always will be true. He has also placed certain
promises in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which He will bring to pass if we have the faith and obedience to walk in them. This woman from Shunem was most likely overjoyed at having a son. She, no
doubt, watched him grow to be old enough to accompany his father out in the fields to work. But, one day, it seemed
as if God had possibly done what she feared when Elisha first promised that she would have a child. (2 Kings 4:16) She thought he was lying. At the very moment that she told his servant, Gehazi that everything was fine,
the boy was dead. He had been out in the field with his father and gotten a sudden headache. A really bad
headache. (2 Kings 4:19) His father sent him home to his mother. A little later, as she was holding him, he died. I
can't imagine how this mother felt. She had a dream that she dared not even voice before he was ever born.
Though she had not even dared to ask God for this child, Elisha prophesied his birth and then the prophesy was fulfilled.
She raised the little boy and cared for him, obviously knowing that he was a special gift from God. Then suddenly, within
a day, this gift was seemingly taken from her. (2 Kings 4:20) He died in her arms. What would you or I have done in this case? Whatever we would have done, the faithful woman from Shunem, shows us how to react to trouble in our lives.
She did not panic. She had sown seed into the life of the man of God. She took her son up to Elisha's
room and laid him on Elisha's bed. (2 Kings 4:21) It would seem that she realized that this child had come from God and she put him right back where he came from.
She laid him on the bed of the man of God who had prophesied his birth. Then she sent word to her husband
that she was going to see the man of God. (2 Kings 4:22) He was a little bit confused since this was not a day of worship. She did not voice to him that their son had
died. She just said, "It's all right." (2 Kings 4:23) Then she proceeded to hurry on her mission (2 Kings 4:24) When our dreams seem to die, how do we react? Do we begin to moan and wail? Do we get on the phone
and tell everyone we can think of trying to elicit sympathy? Does our faith waiver even though we know that God has
made a promise? This woman did not even tell her own husband that their child was dead. She just proceeded to
go to where she knew she would be heard by the God who made the promise! When Elisha saw her coming, he sent his
servant, Gehazi to inquire about her well-being. She still would not voice the fact that her child had died. Her
reply to Gehazi? "Everything is fine." In other words, "It is well with my soul." It
was almost as if she knew the lyrics to that old hymn. "When sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou
has taught me to say, 'It is well, it is well with my soul.' " Her faith kicked in and she wasn't
about to give the enemy a chance to kill, steal or destroy the promise that God had given her by making any negative
confessions about the boy's death. (John 10:10) She just kept right on going, right past Gehazi and to the feet of Elisha, the source of God's promise to her.
(2 Kings 4:27) Is that what you and I do when it appears that our dreams have died? Do we go straight to the One
who promised and fall at His feet in worship, not letting our circumstances hinder our faith? She was not afraid
to voice her fears to the Lord through Elisha. (2 Kings 4:28) We can do the same. We can go to God and let our real feelings come out. He knows them anyway. (Psalm 139:2) Gehazi tried to stop her from falling at Elisha's feet. You know, if you are a true worshiper and have true
faith, there may be some that try to stop you too. But radical faith presses in just as this faithful woman did.
(2 Kings 4:27) She found favor and relief at the prophets feet. We will find that same favor and relief at the feet of Jesus. To
make a long story short, she received her child back again, alive. (2 Kings 4:36) Upon receiving her dream back again, she once again fell at Elisha's feet in worship and total gratitude.
Has a dream in your life appeared to die? You can go to Jesus. Press in just as the woman from Shunem did with
Elisha. Don't let anyone stop you. He is the restorer of life. (Psalm 119:107) That's a promise. Has God recently done some restoration in your life? Where are you this morning?
Just running around enjoying the increase and restoration? (Luke 17:17) Or, are you at His feet this morning giving thanks with a grateful heart? (Luke 17:18-19) Either way, faith leads us straight to the feet of Jesus in worship! MORNING MANNA - JUNE 23, 2007 - SOULS, SOULS, SOULS 30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that
winneth souls is wise. This morning's
manna will be very short because of a late night soul-winning revival last night and a very early morning outreach to the
homeless living under the bridges of Dallas, Texas. I did want to leave you all with a word of encouragement though.
Last night, we had a boy of eleven years of age stand up in front of about one thousand people and recite a chapter out of
1 John by memory. He had been out earlier in a nursing home and prayed with a very large number of people. Many
received salvation. He was totally filled with the spirit. One lady had never won anyone to the Lord and within
five days she prayed for and won one hundred twenty-eight souls. Are we concerned for the lost and dying today?
Are we concerned for those who are homeless and oppressed or possessed with demons. If so, are we going out to win the
lost and care for the needy? What can you do today in either of these areas? If you would like to know how to
win a soul to Christ, you can go to the front page of this web-site within the next week and find out how. You don't
need to be schooled. The disciples were not trained, yet they started a move that won most of the world. We need
to win the rest for Jesus. We need to reach out and take care of those who have no one. As the old song says,
and it is very simple. "People Need The Lord." Do
you want or need a blessing this morning? Then find some way to do some of the above because God has a blessing
for you too! Here it is: Isaiah 58:7-9 (God's Word) Have a good and Godly day. Jesus loves you. He loves the sinner too
and He loves the homeless. Reach, reach, reach. You will find God's hand reaching right back to you!! MORNING MANNA - JUNE 22, 2007 - GOD'S THOUGHTS, OUR THOUGHTS God is thinking about you this morning! You are never out of His mind! He is searching you and me and
He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our thoughts this moment and He knows what our thoughts will be
in the next moment and for all moments to come. He thinks of us and He knows us. I like the lyrics in the song,
"When He Was On The cross." They go like this: "He knew me, yet He loved me." Isn't
that amazing! God knows our deepest thoughts and our every thought. He knows us inside out. Yet................He
loves us! In fact, He loves us so much that He's not willing to see us stay in the place we're in
now. He wants to take us from faith to faith and glory to glory as we follow Him. (Romans 1:17) The King James Version says, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as
it is written, The just shall live by faith." He reveals His righteousness to us and, as we continually renew our
mind in His righteousness, we are stretched from one level of faith to another. As we go from faith to
faith, we will see more and more of God's glory. Those thoughts that He knows about will start becoming our
thoughts! (2 Corinthians 3:18) We will become like those toy Transformers. We will be transformed from glory to glory by the Spirit of
God working in us and changing our earthly thoughts and desires to those that match His. Oh what glory!! God doesn't just search our thoughts and know them. He has special thoughts
toward us too. He has His own thoughts which are so much higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:9) His thoughts toward us are always good. We can cause Him to have to discipline us if we continually disobey.
But, even His thoughts of discipline are good. They are prompted by His great love for us. (Hebrews 12:7) We, as parents (at least most of us) love our children and would do nothing to hurt them purposefully.
Still, we know that we have to discipline them. Why? Because we love them. Proverbs 13:24 let us know that when it says that if we refuse to discipline our children, it proves we don't love them.
It even goes farther than that. It says that if we love them, we will be prompt to deliver the punishment! Are
some of us encountering God's discipline this morning? If so, we know why. We've probably slipped
into a pattern of some behavior or thought pattern that does not please Him. Remember He knows our deepest thoughts.
He knows where that unhealthy pattern will take us and He doesn't want us to go there. Now that's love! Discipline is not the end all of God's thoughts toward us. No. He has
thoughts to do good things for us if we can handle them well. If we can keep our eyes on Him and not the good things
He gives us. Do we need wealth? Can we handle it? Only God knows our deepest thoughts. He has already
searched us and He knows what we can or will handle for His glory. (Deuteronomy 8:18) Is it a husband or wife we need? He knows when we're ready for that too. (Proverbs 18:22) A husband finding a Godly wife finds a good thing. The other way around too. This is favor. But, we must always
remember that that favor is from the Lord. That mate He gives belongs to Him and comes from Him. God knows
whether we are close enough to Him that we will not begin to lavish all our thought on the mate He
gives us and forget that He is the only One who can protect, provide and keep us. God is the only One
who will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) We could go on and on thinking about those things we need or want. And God knows all those things already.
He has searched us thoroughly. What He's looking for is our delight in Him. When He sees that, He will
give us the desires of our hearts. (Psalm 37:4) When we have learned to delight in Him. When we have been renewed by the transforming of our minds, our
thoughts will become God's thoughts. Our desires will be His desires. There again, what glory! Isn't
that the road we all want to be on? One in thought and desire with God? He has so many good thoughts toward
us but He would like unity of thought with you and me this morning. Though we may come under His discipline,
it is for the purpose of making us His true disciple. His great desire for us is to give us abundant life. He
has done that in His Son, Jesus, who has forgiven all our sins. Now we need to receive the discipline, do those
things like renew our minds and trust in the Lord. What a wonder, He says in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has plans for us. They are not plans to do us any harm. He's not just sitting in Heaven waiting
for you or me to do something wrong so He can bash us into bits with His Heavenly hammer. No! He has good plans
for us! They are for good, for a future and for a hope!! Wherever we find ourselves this morning, let's just
remember that God knows exactly where we are - every thought, every motive. But, He has a plan. His thoughts toward
us are for good. (Psalm 92:5) Even if we're under some discipline right now, it's for good. It's to make us a disciple.
God's thoughts toward us are not to take anything from us but to give us everything we need for a good and prosperous
life in Him. It is the thief that comes to steal from us, to try to destroy us, to seek to devour us and kill us.
(John 10:10) God's thoughts toward us are for abundant life. He wants our thoughts to match His. What are your
thoughts this morning toward God? Toward yourself? Will you receive God's good thoughts toward you? MORNING MANNA - JUNE 21, 2007 - THOUGH...... Psalms 138:8 (New Living Translation) Yes! The Lord will
work out His plans for your life and for mine! Why? Because His faithful love endures forever! He says
that quite a lot in the scriptures. I counted at least forty-two times that God has that recorded in the
Bible before I stopped counting. Do you think He really wants us to know that His faithful love endures forever?
Remember in the "love chapter?" God says that three things will endure? Faith, hope, and love.
But, He finishes by saying, "the greatest of these is love." ( 1 Corinthians 13:13) There's a good reason why His faithful love will endure forever. He is love! (1 John 4:8) His love is faithful and we can put our hope and trust in that! Psalm 138:8 is translated this way in the King James Version: "The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever; forsake not the works of thine own hands." The Lord will perfect that which
concerns you! What concerns you this morning? The Lord will perfect it! That means He's going to fix
it so it will not concern you any more. This too, shall pass. The Psalmist noted twice some things about the Lord and how He deals in our lives. Both times, he said,
"Though ......" The first time it was in Psalm 138:6. That reminds us of God's greatness in comparison with our humanity. It reminds us that, though God is great
(which means high and lifted up), He really cares for those who are humble. The King James Version says, "...he
has respect unto the lowly..." The original meaning of the word, "respect" is that He takes
heed to what He sees going on in our hearts and lives. He considers it, perceives it and discerns it. This
is awesome to me that the Creator of me and of the world would look deeply into my heart and life and take heed.
That is, if I am lowly. If I realize and admit that I am low, much lower in thoughts and ways than God!
(Isaiah 55:9) That's why we are told that we need to humble ourselves. (1 Peter 5:6) It's much better to do that than to have God humble you! The Psalmist goes on in that same verse to
let us know basically, that God doesn't want anything to do with those who are proud. If we are haughty or
arrogant or insist upon lifting our own selves up, God will not be close at hand. Oh, He will still be observing us
but it will be from a great distance. And the reward will not be there. The reward of humility is that God will
be the one who lifts us up. When He does the lifting, there's not a thing in this world that can put us down!
If God starts a good work in us (and that includes humility), He will finish it. (Philippians 1:6) He's a finisher, all right! The second time the Psalmist
said, "Though... in Psalm 138 was in Psalm 138:7. The first time the "though" was in regard to God and His greatness. This time, it's in regard
to the Psalmist (and to us). The Psalmist said, "Though I am surrounded by troubles..." Yes, there
are times when it feels like we are completely surrounded by troubles. You know you're there when there is an altar
call for those who have needs with finances, children, marriages, relationships, jobs, emotions, health, etc., and
you answer the call because every one of those areas are areas of trouble in your life! Don't laugh. I've
been there. Maybe you have too. The apostle Paul was somewhere, something like that too. Here's what
He said. (2 Corinthians 4:8) He said he was pressed on every side by troubles. He didn't understand. He was perplexed. That's
what can happen to us too when we get hit from many sides at once. We can be crushed. There are failures and sorrows
that happen in this fallen world that will crush us. But, notice that Paul said, "crushed but not broken."
No, we might have some emotional and even physical bruises and scrapes but God does not leave us broken. We still
work! As Paul said, we might not understand. But we do not give up and quit. How is that possible? The
Psalmist tells us in Psalm 138:7. God will preserve us against the anger of our enemies which we know are not people, but principalities and powers
in high places. (Ephesians 6:12) We could note here that it might be our own self. (Galatians 2:20) Any earthly attachments that are not crucified with Christ can cause us to become our own worst enemy.
That includes unhealthy habits and addictions. How do we keep from being our own enemy? We need to keep on renewing
our mind every day with the Word of God and with prayer. (Romans 12:2) Aren't you glad we're here this morning doing this together. But, we can not just walk away from
this and forget to continue to renew our minds all day long with what we have found in His Word. Remember
those principalities and powers are out there. They're going to find people they can use to come
against you and me. They're not real happy about us having been in the Word this morning. They will come like
vultures to steal it from us. They want to take the seed that's in us so it can't grow. (Matthew 13:19) But, the seed has to remain in us in order to grow and produce fruit. (John 15:8) When troubles seem to surround us, the Word says that God will clench His fist. That is, if we have humbled
ourselves and have walked away from pride. Oh boy, I'm glad it's against my enemies and not against
me. Aren't you! His power will save us. When we have troubles in life (and we will), we will only
be delivered by the Deliverer, Himself. It will not be by our might or our power but by God's Spirit that we will
be protected. (Zechariah 4:6) The Lord has already assured us that He will not abandon us if we are trusting Him. He said He would never
leave us or forsake us and that He would be with us till the end of time. (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20) Yes, His faithful love does endure forever and we will never be left alone or forsaken if we have humbled ourselves
before Him! MORNING MANNA - JUNE 19, 2007 - THEN YOU WILL KNOW 1 Kings 20:13 (New Living Translation) What do you know this morning? Probably a lot. There would most likely not be enough time in the world
for you to tell me everything you know. Our brains are really intricate and powerful. It is said that we only
use a small percentage of them in our lifetime! When God says, "...then you will know...," He isn't just
talking about head knowledge. Do you know that He is Lord? I know. You're saying, "Of course, I
know that He is Lord." Yes, you and I know that He is Lord. For sure we know with our minds because we've
heard it preached and we've read it in the Bible. That's not exactly what God means when He says, "Then
you will know that I am the LORD." Do you think we can every get to the point that we can say with assurance that
we really know God in all of His fullness and power? I'm thinking this is a lifetime process and we
are all somewhere in that process. Many of us could be farther along if we spent more time with Him in conversation
and in reading His word and meditating on it. How about you? Do you take time every day to do that? How
much time do you spend with people that you really, really know and love? Do you chat with them often? Do you
tell them that you love them? Do you give them gifts? We have a God who promised to be both father and mother
to us if needed. He said that if our father or mother abandoned us, He would take us in? The King James Version
says, "you would welcome and comfort me." He knows us very well. Do we really know Him as well as we
might? We have a Lord that has promised never to leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20) Do we constantly acknowledge His presence or do we ignore Him when we're doing things we want to
do (even maybe things we know we should not be doing)? Do we speak to Him often as we do our good friends or loved ones?
(1 Thessalonians 5:17) The King James Version says, "Pray without ceasing." How about that? Our God wants us to know
Him so well that we are constantly talking to Him - about everything!! So, just how well do we know Him and how
can we know Him better? King Ahab was not a good King.
He was wicked. However, that doesn't change God's character. God is merciful as well as being a God of
justice. King Ahab was the King of Israel but he was about to be attacked by the King of Aram, King Ben-hadad.
There was no way King Ahab and Israel could win that war. (1 Kings 20:1-12) Even though the King had sinned against God greatly, God really, really wanted Ahab to really
know Him. All through the Old Testament, God does things for, even sinful people. Then He says something
like, "Then you will know that I am Lord." He has a great desire for those He created to know their Creator.
What He did for Ahab in this case was to send a prophet to tell him that He would hand this big army of enemies over to him.
He didn't deserve it but God was going to do it for him so that Ahab might know Him as Lord. I'm sure all
of us can recognize times in our lives when God has protected us or provided for us when we knew we didn't deserve
it. He loves us and wants a vital relationship with us. He is willing to destroy those enemies that come against
us. They are not people, but principalities and power in high places. (Ephesians 6:12) Do we really know that? Do we really know that He is Lord? The word, "know," comes from a Hebrew word that is translated several different ways including
"perceive, understand, acknowledge, acquaintance, consider, declare, etc." It's general meaning
is "to ascertain by seeing." Isn't God good? He gives us examples in scripture, in other's lives,
and in our own lives that we can see. Examples of His goodness, His mercy, His grace, His love, and so much more.
He isn't just showing off. He is doing it because of His great desire that we know Him as LORD. That word,
LORD, is in a caps for a reason. It indicates the word, Jehovah. This is a word God chose for His personal name
to relate to His covenant people. Because of Jesus, you and I are one of His covenant people, We have been adopted
through the blood of Jesus. (Romans 8:15, Matthew 26:28) God really wants us to know He is LORD! What does it mean to really know He is LORD?
To know God means that we are intimate with Him. It means that we have experiential knowledge about Him.
Pharaoh refused to know Him as LORD even though he saw miracles from Him. (Exodus 5:2) That is a very good example of how we should NOT be! To the contrary, we can know Him more and more
as LORD when we fear Him (1 Kings 8:43), serve Him (1 Chronicles 28:9), and trust Him (Isaiah 43:10). How's that for a start? We now have our day ordered and we know it's by God. He is doing
great things in your life and mine today. We may not understand them all but we can trust that they are for our
good and so that we will be able to get to know Him better and better as LORD! MORNING MANNA - JUNE 19, 2007 - THE CALLING 1 Kings 19:19 (New Living Translation) We all have a purpose in this life. We all have the same purpose in one aspect. That is to become like
Jesus. (Romans 8:29) Secondly, we have those things which God prepared for us to do before we were even born. (Ephesians 2:10) God had plans for Elisha. He made them before Elisha was ever born. Elisha was to become Elijah's
servant. He would eventually receive the same anointing, only a double portion. (2 Kings 2:9) In this scripture, the King James Version reads, ..."let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me."
Because He followed the specific call and the instructions, he received the reward - a double portion. God had already
told Elijah to go and anoint Elisha to be his replacement (1 Kings 19:16). This arrangement worked well because Elijah and Elisha obeyed God. But they did have a choice. They could
have chosen to disobey. In that case, their reward would have been lost. God's plans can never be stopped
though. He would have raised up someone else instead. What
has God called you and me to do today? Before we were ever born, ever moment of our life was planned out!
(Psalm 139:16) God has already chosen His best for us. Salvation to begin with. Then there are specific works for us to
complete. We had to choose to receive salvation. (Matthew 7:13) When we make the right choice, there is a reward. There is the reward of Heaven for those of us who
choose to follow Jesus. There is also a reward for all who choose to do those works which God prepared for them
before they were even born. We can have a full reward or we can have a partial reward. Or, we can have no reward
at all! (2 John 1:8) Everything we do in this life will be judged when we, as believers, stand before Christ. All of our thoughts,
motives, and deeds will be scrutinized. (1 Corinthians 3:13) Everything that was done which was unplanned for us to do by God will be burnt off. Some will barely
gain entrance to Heaven and when they get there, they will smell like smoke! (1 Corinthians 3:15) No reward there! Those who have done those things that God did plan for their lives will receive a reward.
(1 Corinthians 3:14) Whether partial or full, will depend on whether we partially or fully completed those things to which we were called
by the Lord. Where do we stand this morning? I
don't know about you, but I like rewards and, if there is a full reward, I want that one! I was privileged to hear
John Bevere speak on this subject and he gave several scenarios of things that could possibly take place at the
judgment. What if God called you to be a full-time, stay-at-home, Mom? But, you decided you should go get a job,
maybe even some type of ministry job? Maybe even volunteering "for Jesus" so that you were away from
the children God gave you? When you face Jesus, and He asks what you have to show for your calling, you could tell Him
of all the money you made on your job. You might have even tithed on all of it. You could say that you worked
in the ministry. You could say that you even volunteered your time for ministry. But, whose time is it anyway?
It all belongs to God. He planned certain things for you and me to do with the time He entrusted to us. All of
those good things you could mention would be burnt off and you will have lost the reward. You worked hard and you did
them. That's true. But, they weren't meant for you to do. There may even be some dialog such as
God letting you know how many souls would have been saved if you had stayed home as you were called and raised Godly children
who would then bring a much greater harvest than you did by doing what you wanted to do! You could flip that situation
around or think of many other scenarios of that sort that may be played out when we get to the judgment seat. We are all builders in this life as is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11). God is the Master Builder and Jesus is the foundation. We might be builders of the walls or the roof
or maybe we put in the windows or doors. Whatever our God-given, specific job is in this Building, we are not qualified
for another. If I am the roofer, there is no way I can make a door out of roofing material - at least one that will
be functional and aesthetically desirable! I need to do my job with the materials and abilities that God has given me.
And you need to do yours. We complement each other by doing our part so that the whole building will be complete, functional,
and beautiful. Sub-contractors in the natural world get paid for expertly doing their part in the construction
process. We, as builders in the Kingdom of God, get our reward for building properly with the proper materials. (1 Corinthians 13:12) From John Bevere, here are three good ways to make sure we build properly and with the right materials.
In other words, that we do those specific things that God has planned for us to do. The first should be obvious,
but sometimes we forget. We should seek God earnestly. (Isaiah 55:6, Proverbs 20:5) The second is to be planted in a local church where we can grow into our destiny. (Psalm 92:13) The third is not always as clear cut and easy as the first two. We need not be entangled by security, money
or wrong relationships. Luke 9:57-58 tells a story of a man who probably did not want to leave the security of his home and surroundings to completely
follow Jesus. Luke 9:59-60 tells the story of another man whom Jesus called to follow Him. This man wanted to go home first and bury his
father. Looking deeper into this passage reveals the fact that he was probably the eldest and if he did
not bury his father, he would not get the double portion of the inheritance promised him. In other words, he wanted
to wait to follow Jesus until his father died so he could get his money. The love of money can keep us from doing those
things we are called to do. Luke 9:61-62 gives us a clue as to wrong relationships or at least the wrong priority. This person said he would follow but
had very strong ties to his family. He let those ties come before the specific call to follow Jesus. Many are
called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14) Why? Because the many are unwilling for one reason or another to complete the call. This has to do
with our salvation but it also has to do with whether we will listen to and heed the call to do the specific works God created
us to do. Jesus had multitudes of people who would come out to hear Him but He chose only seventy-two to go before Him
into the places He would visit. (Luke 10:1). What has He chosen you and me to do? Are we in the midst of doing that very thing? If not, are we willing
to seek Him diligently as to what it is and follow in obedience, knowing that He is a rewarder? (Hebrews 11:6) Elisha did that very thing. He went back home and slaughtered all his oxen and burnt the plow, cooking the meat,
giving it away and then followed after Elijah. (1 Kings 19:21) Elisha was probably rich, seeing that he had twelve teams of oxen. He most likely had a nice home.
He also had some close ties to his family. He left all of that when He received the call to follow Elijah. I wonder,
are we willing to do the same for Jesus? MORNING MANNA - JUNE 18, 2007 - gods OR GOD? Psalms 135:18 (New Living Translation) We are made in the image of God. God
is not made of clay but he has the same attributes we do. Or, rather we have the same ones He does. We can serve
other gods but, in reality, they cannot help us or save us. Are there lifeless things in your life today that need to
be trashed? In the affluent society in which we live, as Americans, we can all probably find some things we could eliminate
from our lives. The question really is, "do we have them or do they have us?" Anything than demands
more of our thought and attention than God does is probably a likely candidate for something that has us. The scripture
in Psalm 135:18 says that those that create idols and those who trust in them are just like them. What are idols really like? They don't have hands that can feel and touch. If they do have hands,
they are most likely hands that are carved out of wood, made of plastic or metal. On the other hand (no pun intended),
God's word says He has hands. (1 Chronicles 21:13, Proverbs 16:1) His hands may not look like our hands but they have the same qualities. They can hold on to things. They
hold on to us! (Psalm 66:9) They can feel and touch. He gives us the same kind of hands. Hands for reaching out, not for idols, but
for Him and for the humanity that He loves. Hands to touch the sick and bring healing. (Mark 16:18) Hands to lift to Him in holy worship and prayer. (Psalm 63:4) What are your hands doing this morning? God has eyes too. (Psalm 94:9, Revelation 2:18, Psalm 53:2) He's looking at you and me this morning. To protect us and to see if we are really seeking Him.
Idols, if they do happen to have eyes, have only painted eyes (or maybe two big glass eyes like those cars we love) that cannot
see or perceive. We, like God, have eyes that can see. They are given to us, not to seek after worthless things
but to see and care for the things that please God. What are you looking at or for this morning? Are your
spiritual eyes looking to God and are your natural eyes looking for a way to please Him? How about ears? God has
those too. (Psalm 18:6) He hears our every prayer. (Proverbs 15:29) Do you trust Him this morning to hear your prayers and know that He will give you what is best for you? He has
given us ears too. Not ears to listen to the latest gossip or even to the newest music if it is not something that would
please Him. No. Our ears are given so that we can hear Him. Are we listening with spiritual ears this morning
to His Word? To His still, small voice? He still speaks to the hearts of men and women today. Who is listening?
Who will hear the Word of the Lord today? (Mark 4:9) Our natural ears are for listening to our fellow man. Someone once said, we are given two ears and only one
mouth. That's because we're supposed to listen twice as much as we speak! (James 1:19) Is there someone you need to listen to this morning? Someone with more troubles than you have? Someone
who just needs a compassionate listening ear? (Romans 12:10, Romans 12:16) Idols have no ears (unless they are carved or molded). They cannot hear when we cry out. The scripture
says if we trust in them, we will be just like them. Who wants ears to hear God this morning? Who would be
willing to lend a listening ear to another human being? What
about your nose? You have one don't you? God has one too. He can smell. He does not like stinky
things such as false worship. (Isaiah 1:13) He likes the smell of sweet incense, mixed with the prayers of the saints. ( Revelation 8:4) Our own lives create a fragrance that God loves. (2 Corinthians 2:15) We can smell it with our spiritual noses too. The fragrance of those being saved is quite different than
the smell of those who resist salvation and are perishing. The smell of death is one of the worst odors there
is. What does your life's perfume smell like? Is it the smell of life and health or of sickness and death?
If it is the latter, you can change that smell right this minute by asking Jesus to be the Lord and King of your life.
He will clean you up and heal you. You'll come forth smelling better than a rose. Idols have nothing
but a painted on or carved nose. They are useless when it comes to detecting odors or pleasant fragrances.
We don't want to be like that. We need to be able to detect the distinct smell of spiritual life and death.
God has also given us the natural sense of smell so we might enjoy what He has given us such as the smell of cookies baking
or a rose in the garden or the freshness of a rain-cleansed morning. We are also protected by our sense of smell when
we detect smoke in the air or a gas leak or some other impending disaster. Finally, God has a mouth. He is able
to speak. So are we. But, an idol is useless in this capacity. God is speaking today. He spoke
yesterday. He'll speak tomorrow. (Psalm 95:7) We are listening, right? (Deuteronomy 5:24) God has given us a mouth with which to speak too. What is it that you and I are confessing with our mouth
this morning? If we will confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, we will be saved. (Romans 10:9) If you have never done that, will you do it now? God spoke a word and everything in the world was created.
(Genesis 1:3, etc.) Whatever we speak creates the atmosphere in our little part of the world too. What are we creating
with our mouths today? (Proverbs 13:2) If we are wise, we will speak words of wisdom and encouragement, to ourselves and to others. (Proverbs 18:4) We will speak words of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. (Hebrews 13:15) We are created in God's image with hands, ears, eyes, noses and mouths. We have a God
who can relate to us because He has all of those things too. What do we need with idols? And, why would we
want to be trust in them or be like them when we can be like Jesus? Is there anything we need to throw in life's
trash barrel today? Let's toss those idols! MORNING MANNA - JUNE 17, 2007 - IN THE NIGHT Psalms 134:1 (New Living Translation) Bless the Lord this morning! All of us who are servants should be blessing the Lord!
We should have our hands uplifted in praise no matter what the circumstances look like around us. How are you this morning?
Is this one of those days when the morning seems more like the night. Maybe you are in a night season in your life.
That doesn't mean God has changed in His love toward you or in any of His attributes or characteristics. You may
just be going through a night "season." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) For those of us who belong to the Lord, we need not change our habits, attributes and characteristics
either. We are made for praise. We are made to bless the Lord. He gives and He takes away. (Job 1:21) In all of that, we are to constantly bless Him. Are you one of His servants, serving Him in a night season
in your life? If so, let Him be your strength in whatever your difficult circumstance. (Philippians 4:13) You can and you will come through the night! A night
season in life can be very difficult. Night brings with it a sense of fear in some cases. (Psalm 59:14) It may seem that, when we go through hard times or night seasons, that the enemy is lurking behind every shadow.
It may be difficult to see the road ahead because things around us seem dark. (Psalm 91:5) Now is just the time we need to remember that God's Word is a light to our path. (Psalm 119:105) We need not stumble and fall in the dark. And, we don't need to be afraid of the enemy. Even the darkness
is light to God and He will reveal everything that needs to be revealed to us if we will keep our eyes on Him. (Psalm 139:12) He is our Light. (John 12:46, Psalm 43:3) He is the same in the day "seasons" as He is in the night "seasons" of life. Our circumstances
and situations change but our God never changes. (Numbers 23:19) No, the God we serve is the God of the mountains as well as the valleys. His care for us remains the same even
in the night seasons of our lives. When times get rough we can say, like the Psalmist, I will bless the Lord
who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me." (Psalm 16:7) Yes, even when everything around us appears to be dark, we can bless the Lord and He will give us the instruction
our hearts need. In the Old Testament, there were priests who served
in the house of the Lord 24/7. That meant some had night duty. They were not just to do nothing during their night
watch. They were to serve, just as those who had the daytime duty did. They were also to lift up holy hands, not
just lie around waiting for morning to come. (Psalm 134:2) If you are like me, you get tired when the nighttime comes. When night seasons last longer than we think
we can handle in life, we may tend to feel very tired. We are tempted to ask God, why? When will it
end? But, this morning, let's encourage ourselves in the Lord about anything and everything in our lives that seems
to be in a nighttime state or a dormant state. Let's not get weary in well doing because our God who never changes,
day or night, said we will reap if we don't get weary and lose heart. (Galatians 6:9) That means that we need to keep our hands lifted in praise and blessing to the Lord. Of course, we don't
walk around all day with our hands in the air. But, the posture of our heart should be that of lifted holy hands to
the God who never sleeps, even during our night seasons. (Psalm 121:4) In our night seasons, we can minister to God and He will minister back to us as we sing His praises. (Psalm 42:8) Our God sings over us with a happy song. (Zephaniah 3:17) We can rest easily in His love knowing that as we bless Him, even when we can't quite see how and when our night
season will end, He never sleeps. He continues to sing over us with joy, all the while testing our thoughts and examining
the motives of our hearts. (Psalm 17:3) Whatever may seem to be closing in on you, remember that the God who loves you has already determined that nothing
can separate you from that love. (Romans 8:35-39) Bless Him in everything and in every season. He will not forget to bless you right back! (Psalm 134:3) He is the one who has planned a future for you and me, not to harm us but to bring us to the manifestation
of the good things He has prepared for us! (Jeremiah 29:11) Let's bless Him together this morning. Come, let us magnify the Lord together! (Psalm 34:3) MORNING MANNA - JUNE 15, 2007 - I'M GOING TO COUNT TO THREE! Acts 10:16 (New Living Translation) Which of us parents have not said,
"I'm going to count to three," when attempting to discipline a child? Maybe we're extending grace
to that child or maybe we're just trying to keep our own anger from boiling over. Sometimes it works and sometimes
it doesn't. It looks like God had to give Peter three chances at least a couple of times. I'm
thinking of the time when Jesus told Peter he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. (Matthew 26:34) Peter really didn't believe that was going to happen. He was gung-ho about following Jesus. (Matthew 26:33) I don't think he thought for a moment that he would do what he ended up doing. Even though Peter had
said he would never deny Jesus, he did. He did it not only once but three times. You would think after
the first one or two times, he might have remembered that Jesus said, "...This very night before the rooster crows, you
will deny me three times." Jesus had given Peter a warning but Peter failed to heed the warning. Just as
when a child is being disciplined and fails to respond by the count of three, there were consequences. Peter suffered
them. Can you imagine the feeling he had when the rooster crowed and he fully realized that he had denied
Jesus three times? (Matthew 26:75) He, not only realized it with his own mind but, Luke 22:61 says that Jesus turned and looked at Peter right about then. There's that parental thing again. We all
remember that "look" that came from our mother or father when we had done something we knew not to do!
This look from Jesus was a bit different though. Jesus could have called out an open rebuke to Peter. But, He is
merciful. Just one look was enough. If He had called out, He would have given Peter away and the crowd might have
inflicted punishment on him too. Jesus chose not to expose Peter, even though He could have. Jesus was
being greatly persecuted. He had poured Himself into Peter for three years. But He held no malice toward
Peter. He did not seek the revenge He could have. He is God. God said, "...revenge is mine..."
(Hebrews 10:30) Yet, God chose mercy instead of revenge. It wasn't that Peter wasn't rebuked. He was, but
Jesus kept it private. It was between Himself and Peter. Have we at times seen that look in the Spirit?
Have there been times when we, too, had great intentions of following Jesus but caved at some point? Aren't
you glad that God is merciful this morning? (Lamentations 3:22-23) Later Peter had the opportunity to make those three
mistakes right in repentance. Jesus came to him again after rising from the dead, though he certainly knew that
he didn't deserve it. Peter, John, and some others had been fishing all night and they saw a figure on
the beach. (John 21:4) The Man called out to them to cast their nets on the right-hand side of the boat. Though they hadn't
caught anything all night, (John 21:5) when they obeyed, they got more than they could draw in. John figured it out first. (John 21:7) It was Jesus! Peter was so excited he got out of the boat and swam ashore. That's the second time
Peter got out of a boat to follow Jesus. (Matthew 14:29) Are we willing to get out of our boat and get wet this morning in order to follow Jesus? We may have really
failed at times but are we willing to try again? When he got to shore, Jesus was there with breakfast ready. It
was fish and bread. (John 21:9) Obviously, Jesus did not need any fish. He had already cooked fish and bread and had it ready for
Peter and the others to feast on. But, Jesus did a strange thing. When Peter got to shore, Jesus asked
him for some of the fish he had caught in that net that was so full. (John 21:10) Although Peter had denied Jesus during His most critical and horrendous moments here on earth, He was willing
to give Peter abundance and then allow him to bring an offering from that big haul. Instead of running to the food
Jesus had already prepared, Peter obeyed this time. He went back and drug the net in. This morning God may have given
us three or several chances to get it right. He hasn't stopped loving us. He is still waiting for
us to get out of the boat and bring Him an offering. He doesn't need it but it shows where our heart is and He can
and will honor a pure heart. (Matthew 5:8) Jesus could have never appeared to Peter after the miserable way Peter failed when Jesus could have used his support
most. But Jesus never fails. He is always standing at the door of our hearts knocking to see if we will open the
door to Him and His will. (Revelation 3:20) Maybe He is calling you or me to cast our nets on the other side of the boat this morning. Are we listening?
Will we obey? Maybe we are at the point where He has given us great abundance in a miraculous way. Will we obey
and bring the offering He desires? There are so many ways He could be speaking to each of us individually right now.
And He is. What is He saying to you? Whatever it is, we don't deserve Him even speaking to us any more than
Peter did! But He still speaks. May it be that we are listening closely with our spiritual ears right now.
The number three pops up here again. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to the disciples since He had risen
from the dead. (John 21:14) On this third time of appearing to the disciples, He focused
on Peter after breakfast. Notice, He appeared to Peter, from a distance. He called out to Peter with
an instruction to cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat. He rewarded him for his obedience with a net so full
of fish that it should have broken but it didn't. He allowed Peter to sow into His kingdom with part of the abundance
He had provided. He fed Peter. Then He spoke to Peter personally. He gave Peter three opportunities
to correct the three missed opportunities from the awful night Peter had denied Him. (John 21:15-17) Jesus did not destroy Peter by exposing him to the crowds waiting to see the outcome of Jesus's arrest. That
night there was just a look. I would imagine it was a look of compassion perhaps mixed with disappointment.
Whatever it was, it caused Peter to go out weeping bitterly. Maybe you have wept bitterly over opportunities you missed,
knowing that the Lord had looked upon you with His knowing eyes and loving heart. I know I have. Jesus waited
until the right time and gave Peter three more chances to openly declare that He loved Him. Then He said, "Follow
Me." (John 21:19) At first, Peter was concerned as to why Jesus had given him a glimpse of what he would have to suffer.
He started comparing himself with John. (John 21:21) But, Jesus essentially told him to stop that thought pattern. His only business was to follow Jesus. (John 21:22) Maybe you are at that place this morning? Is Jesus asking you to now follow Him even though you may have
failed in the past? Can you think of some other "followers" who seem to be having an easier
time of it? The truth is that none of us even deserve to be invited to follow Jesus. We have all missed the mark
in some way. (Romans 3:23) Now in Acts 10:16 we see the Holy Spirit working in three's with Peter again. He had a vision. Maybe he didn't
believe it the first or second time. I don't know. But, God, in His mercy let Peter see it three times
before it was taken away. Although Peter didn't understand it at first and, as was his usual mode of operation,
he said, "No, Lord," (Acts 10:14) he heard the voice of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 10:15-22) and followed His command. That led to him being sent to give the gentiles the gospel message. Now
we see Peter, who looked like he was doomed to be a failure, being used more than almost anyone else in that time to usher
in the Kingdom of God. With Jesus, it's not three strikes and you're out. It's not even, "I'm
going to count to three and if you don't do what I say, you're going to get it." No, it's
Jesus, giving us chance after chance and opportunity after opportunity to get it. He's not standing over us waiting
to "give it to us" because we didn't get it the first time. (John 3:17) He doesn't want us to walk in condemnation. (Romans 8:1) He wants us to get it and run with it just as Peter finally did. It may be a process in our lives just as it
was in Peter's but Jesus is sitting by the Father praying for us as we get up when we fall down and walk on in His
strength. (Romans 8:34) Sure, if we don't get it for a while, He may have to discipline us. I've been there too. You really don't
want to "get it" from the Lord. His whoopin's hurt but they're full of love and mercy too.
It's so we will turn from our ways as Peter did. It's an opportunity for a new start with a pure heart.
One, two, three - what will it be? Jesus is calling, "Follow Me!" Enter content here Enter content here Enter content here Enter content here |
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