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A SONG AND A PRAYER |
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MORNING MANNA - JULY 16-31, 2007
Enter subhead content here  MORNING MANNA - JULY 31, 2007 - LIVING IN LOVING OBEDIENCE 2 Chronicles 27:6 (New Living Translation) Are you looking for more power in your life today? Do you sometimes wonder why you don't experience the
power that you know is yours through Jesus? A principle of attaining power is in obedience. King Jotham became
powerful because he carefully lived in obedience to the Lord. God was not just God to King Jotham. He was Lord
of his life. (2 Chronicles 27:6) Jotham did what was pleasing in God's eyes during his sixteen year reign. (2 Chronicles 27:2) What is most pleasing in God's eyes? Of course, it's obedience. (1 Samuel 15:22, Psalm 40:6, 8) Jotham's father, King Uzziah had started out on the good path of obedience. He had sought guidance
as a young man, from the Lord. (2 Chronicles 26:5) He was obedient as a young man and God gave him success as long as he sought God. Then something dreadful happened.
After all of his success, he became proud. (2 Chronicles 26:16) That brought him down. He willfully walked in disobedience. To top it off, when he was confronted by the
priests with his sin, he became extremely angry. All power belongs to God. Uzziah had misused the power given
to him through his obedience and become proud and disobedient. Now the power was not on him. It was against
him. As he raged at the priests, God had had enough. He struck him with leprosy. (2 Chronicles 26:19) That ended his success. From then on, he lived in isolation and was separated from everything that had once had been
the evidence and source of his success. (2 Chronicles 26:21) He was not even buried in the same place as his ancestors. (2 Chronicles 26:23) Even in death he was separated. His son, Jotham was made king in his place. Jotham must have learned some
principles of obedience because he did everything his father did except that he did not sin like his father did.
(2 Chronicles 27:2) There's something about disobedience that has a
lasting effect. Jotham did not sin as his father did but the people did not turn from their corruption. Who is
watching us this morning? Who will be following in our footsteps. One act of disobedience can have a lasting effect
on future generations. Oh how I wish I would have learned that concept very much earlier in my life! However,
it's not too late for any of us to begin to obey God, even if we have failed in the past. Remember the story of
the two sons in Matthew 21:28-32? There was a man with two sons. He told the oldest to go out and work in the vineyard. The boy originally
said, "No." But, he must have had a change of heart because he did end up going to the vineyard to work.
The younger son said, "Okay." However, he did not do what he was told. Of course, the one who originally
said, "No," was the one who changed his mind and obeyed. It's interesting to note that Jesus was speaking
of those who had disobeyed originally but then had a change of heart and obeyed because of their belief in Him. (Matthew 21:32) Have you made some mistakes in your life? Sure you have, if you were to be completely honest. I've
made many of them. Becoming proud and stubborn about things won't help. We just need to turn around, repent
and obey just like the tax collectors and prostitutes did in Jesus's time. Just as an act of disobedience has a
lasting effect, so do acts of obedience brought about by love for and belief in Jesus. Abraham was the father of our faith but it was not until he mixed faith with obedience that he saw God for who He
really is. Our provider. When we have provision from God, we have power. Abraham was promised a blessing
by God of having descendants numbering more than the sands of the earth. This was an impossibility in the natural but
God gave Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. After the gift of Isaac was given to them, God tested Abraham's
obedience. (Genesis 22:1) He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. We all know the story of how God provided a ram in the thicket for the
sacrifice in place of Isaac. And, we know how Abraham mixed his faith with obedience. God will also test our obedience.
We, being spiritual descendants of Abraham, will also be asked to mix our faith with our obedience. This is not something
we "have to do." If we do it because we have to or because we want to look good, it will be for the wrong
motive. Jesus said, "If you love me, obey my commandments." (John 14:15) Obedience is really an act of perfected love. Perfect love casts out all fear. We do not have to fear
when we obey something that seems hard to us if we are doing it out of love. (1 John 4:18) Only God's love is perfect and he perfects that love in us. Yes, obeying may require something that
is hard to do but we don't have to do it for fear of punishment. We get to do it because
God loves us and has given us the opportunity to show our love to Him. When God perfects His love in us so
that we naturally and wholeheartedly obey, we are set free to love Him and to love others. That is power!
Are we powerful this morning because our obedience to Jesus is rooted in our love for Him? Are we powerful
enough to obey Him despite what others may say or do to us? Have we, like Jotham, learned to be obedient both from
the good and the bad examples of those in our lives? Jesus said His true disciples (those who are disciplined by
Him) are the ones that obey the Father. (Matthew 7:21) Many people sound very spiritual today but obedience seems to be at an all time low. We are told that will
happen in the last days. (2 Timothy 3:2) Let it not be said of us today that we live a life of disobedience. But, that our lives are filled with the
love of God that motivates us to live in obedience. (Titus 1:16) Let's strive to be that good example that will lead future generations to live in obedience bringing God's
power and blessing into their lives. Disobedience will bring a fall. (Hebrews 4:11) Obedience will always bring blessing. (Deuteronomy 15:5) MORNING MANNA - JULY 30, 2007 - EVERYBODY PRAISE THE LORD BECAUSE...... Psalms 22:23 (New Living Translation) We all have reason to praise the Lord this morning. Things may not be as we had expected.
In fact, circumstances may look a bit bleak right now. The Psalmist felt that way. Sometimes we may feel that
way too. In Psalm 22:19-23, it is pretty evident that the writer was feeling very down and desperate. Have you ever felt that way?
I have and I'm sure you have too. Even though David is considered the writer of this Psalm, it really is a preview
of what Jesus would go through on the cross. Remember when He cried out, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken
me?" (Matthew 27:46) The circumstances in His life were not looking good. In fact, they looked bleaker than bleak. It
really looked like His Father had forsaken Him. It felt like His father had forsaken Him too. When have you felt
like God was not right there when you needed Him? You're not the only one who has felt this way. It could not
have been worse than when Jesus hung on the cross with all of our sin upon Him and His Father had to turn away for the moment
because He could not look upon our sin. Jesus became sin for us. (2 Corinthians 5:21) But, God had not utterly forsaken Him. Three days later, after taking our sin to where it belonged, Jesus rose
again by the power of God, bringing new life to us too. (1 Corinthians 15:4) Does that mean that we will not go through trials?
No! (1 Peter 4:12) The scriptures even tell us how to think and behave when we go through trials. (1 Peter 4:13-14) Now we can bring trials upon ourselves and that's a different story. (1 Peter 4:15-16) It is a shame if we are going through trials that we have deliberately brought upon ourselves because of disobedience.
But, even then, we can take the opportunity - though we will most probably have to suffer some consequences for our actions
- to repent and let God take us on a walk of obedience from this point. God loves every one of us so much that He will
use everything and anything to bring us to Himself. That's the reason we need to praise Him this morning
and every morning. Every morning we are given a clean slate, a fresh chance to do His will. (Lamentations 3:22-23) To seek Him. To praise Him. Are you ready to show Him reverence this morning and honor? Do you have
a reverential fear of God? A reverence that will cause you to obey His Word to you? Not a fear that leads to bondage.
(Romans 8:15) But a love and reverence for God as your Father, your Abba Father. He's the One who knows exactly what you
and I need and He's the One who will be with us in all of our trials. So, what is it this morning that may
have you kind of down or maybe even doubting that God is with you? Begin to praise Him anyway. Make it a "Hallelujah
anyway day!" There's power in that kind of praise. And there's a "pow" in it for the enemy! The Psalmist was really crying out to God in Psalm 22:1-21. That was Jesus going through Hell so that you and I could be set free from our sin. So that we could know
that there is nothing that we have been through, are going through, or will ever go through that He does not understand.
(Hebrews 4:15) In all that He went through (read Psalm 22:1-21 carefully), He did not sin. Now He is always at the right hand of the Father interceding for us as we go through
various trials and temptations. (Romans 8:34) Yes, my friend, though some of the circumstances (or even many of them) in your life may look threatening and
dark, we can and must praise God this morning. The Psalmist did not deny his feelings in Psalm 22. But, after honestly laying them out before God, he chose another path of prayer. He began to praise. (Psalm 22:23) We need to do that this morning too. We have great reason to praise our Father. Just because He is
our Father! The Psalms say that he has not ignored us and, if we are suffering and needy, He is not making
light of it or finding fault with us. (Psalm 22:23) God tells us here that He is not looking the other way when we are crying and in trouble. Not at all.
He is listening to every cry for help we utter. He's also hearing and receiving every sacrifice of praise.
(Hebrews 13:15) Therefore, we can choose now to praise Him together, even as we read this. All together now, "P.U.S.H."
That means, "praise until something happens." We must decide to continually meet with others
who worship Him. (Psalm 22:25) Psalm 22:26 says that all who seek the Lord will praise Him. Let's be one of those "all" this
morning, no matter what seems to be going wrong in our circumstances. There's an old song that says, "When
the praises go up, the blessings come down." It's not a formula. It's who God is. He wants
to hear from us. He desires to bless His children. He wants us to believe in His goodness and deliverance despite
of what things look like. (2 Corinthians 5:7) He promises that our hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. It won't stop with us either. Our children
will serve Him! Even those who aren't even born yet will hear about the good things He has done for us.
(Psalm 22:30-31) Yes, this morning will you praise Him? Let's all praise Him and encourage others to do the same
because of who He is and because He has not turned His back on us but is listening carefully to our cries for help!
(Psalm 22:24) MORNING MANNA - JULY 29, 2007 - LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Proverbs 20:7 (New Living Translation) Parents,
do you want your children to be blessed? Of course you do! What parent would not? We can and need to pray
that our children will be blessed, especially in the evil day in which we live. But there is an even greater thing we
need to do to insure their blessing. That is, we must be an example of righteous living. How are we doing this
morning? Do the things we do inspire our children to righteous living or do they lead them in a wrong direction?
Are we among those who say, "Do what I say, not what I do." Or are we the ones who actually walk our talk?
We're supposed to walk in integrity before the world and before our children. (Proverbs 10:9) Such behavior will encourage our children to follow our example and they will be blessed. Is your path straight this morning? Is your conduct God-honoring? Are you following God's sound principles?
If so, God's covenant to bless you and your good example before your children and others will bring a blessing in
their lives. You will be safe and they will be encouraged to walk a safe path. (Proverbs 4:26) We can praise the Lord this morning because He says we are blessed if we fear Him and find our pleasure in doing what
He commands. (Psalm 112:1,2) Not only that, our children will be blessed. They will be blessed everywhere! A whole generation
of godly people will be blessed. They will be a godly generation because they have seen a godly example. Jesus wants our children to be blessed. So much so that He reprimanded His
own disciples when they began to tell parents that Jesus was too busy to bless the children they were bringing to Him.
(Mark 10:13-14) He took the time to bless the children, to touch them and leave a lasting impression of His life upon them. (Mark 10:16) As John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, it was his job to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children.
Parents, are our hearts turned toward our children today? Are we showing it by walking blamelessly and in integrity
so they will have a sure example to follow? Is our discipline (discipline really meaning "disciple-ing")
done with wisdom and love and not in anger or vengeance? (Ephesians 6:4) Are we encouraging our children by a good example or are we aggravating them making them discouraged so that
they are more prone to follow the many bad examples out there in the world? (Colossians 3:21) If you are reading this and you are a child, you can learn a lot from your parents. You know when
you see a good example and a bad example. And you too, even if you are a child, are known by the way you act.
(Proverbs 20:11) Good - or bad. If, for some reason, your parent is not showing you the best example, go ahead and learn from
that. I know of a man who said he learned a lot from his dad. He said he learned how not to be.
That is unfortunate but it's good that he did learn a lesson. He's one of the very best dad's today
that I have ever met! Whether we have seen a good example in our parents or not, we can know that we have a perfect
Heavenly Father. He has promised that, even if our earthly parents let us down or even abandon us, He will take us in.
(Psalm 27:10) He sent His own Son to be the perfect example for us as He walked this earth. (2 Corinthians 11:1) He is not only our perfect example, He is our Savior. He will wipe away the effects of every bad example
ever set before us and all of our own sins too if we will receive Him as Lord of our lives. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Then, He will begin to make us into the good example we need to be for others. (Psalm 71:7) This morning, the possibilities are endless. If we will choose to follow Jesus, we will be like our Father
and we will be blessed, leaving a blessing upon our own children and grandchildren. (Deuteronomy 30:19) MORNING MANNA - JULY 28, 2007 - JUST LIKE JEHOSHAPHAT 2 Chronicles 19:2-3 (New Living Translation) Jehoshaphat made a big mistake! Have you ever done
that? Surely God knows I have made plenty of big mistakes. I'm not proud of it but I can't deny it.
Jehoshaphat had gone with wicked King Ahab into a war that he should not have entered into. (2 Chronicles 18:2) We should never make alliances with those who are not believers. There is a verse in scripture that says we
should not be tied together in agreement with unbelievers. That includes marriage, business, and all of our
relationships. (2 Corinthians 6:14) Jehoshaphat went against this principle and the war was lost. (2 Chronicles 18:16) He almost lost his own life in a case of mistaken identity. Wicked King Ahab knew the enemy was looking for
him so he disguised himself as he and Jehosephat went to war. (2 Chronicles 18:29) Some "friend" Ahab was! You might think that Jehoshaphat would get a clue right then.
But then there are times when I seem to get a brain-drain too. Isn't it wonderful that God is merciful! When
the enemy saw Jehoshaphat in the battle with his kingly robes flowing, they thought he was Ahab and they began chasing him
to take his life. But God is merciful. Just as Jehoshaphat was about to bite the dust at the hands
of the enemy, he called out and God helped him. God turned his attackers away! (2 Chronicles 18:31) Have you had one of those spiritual brain-drains lately and made some sort of wrong choice? Maybe right now,
this morning, you are in a pickle. Something is dreadfully wrong in your life and you feel as though things are going
from bad to worse. You can take heart this morning. Just look
at Jehoshaphat. Don't concentrate on his mistake here. Concentrate on the fact that he trusted the Lord.
And, that God is faithful. Yes, God was angry with him. God is a God of goodness and justice. He does not
condone wickedness in any way. Ahab ended up losing his life on the battle field, and it was by a "random"
arrow that just "happened" to get through a crack in his armor. (2 Chronicles 18:33-34) God had that planned all along because Ahab was a wicked king. He did not trust God nor listen to His prophet.
(2 Chronicles 18:25-27) Not only did Ahab not listen to the prophet of God, he had him imprisoned! He was totally resistant to
the fact and unbelieving of the fact that we should not touch God's anointed ones. (Psalm 105:15) So much for Ahab. Not a good example for anybody. Jehoshaphat, on the other hand, was committed to
seeking God. (2 Chronicles 19:3) Are you committed to seeking God today and for the rest of your life? Does that mean that you will never
make a mistake? Probably not. (1 John 1:8) But, if we sin we have an advocate. We need to immediately turn to Him, confess it and get back to trusting
God. (1 John 2:1) Although Jehoshaphat never had the pleasure and fulfillment of knowing and hearing about Jesus, He trusted the Father.
After a rebuke from the prophet, Jehu, Jehoshaphat made a turn in the right direction. Is there a place of conviction
in your life from the Holy Spirit this morning? God loves us so much that He will reveal these things to us if we are
committed to seeking Him as Jehoshaphat was. When something is revealed, we need to agree with God, confess it, repent
of it, and get on with His purpose for our lives. Don't you know that the enemy would be just as pleased as punch
if we took the rebuke, felt sorry for ourselves, and sat around on our pity pot? Of course, it's difficult
to receive rebuke. And maybe we have to sit on that pity pot for a minute. But, we'd better jump up the next
minute, use our tissue like everybody else has to, and flush. Then it's time to get in the race again.
This time running in the right direction with God and with the right people. Jehoshaphat did just that. He traveled all around encouraging the people in His kingdom to return to the Lord.
(2 Chronicles 19:4) He didn't just go around talking either. He did something to help things get on the right track. He
appointed judges throughout the whole nation. (2 Chronicles 19:5) He gave them guidelines according to what would please the Lord, telling them to judge with integrity and not to please
people but to please God. (2 Chronicles 19:6-7) He reminded them that God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes. I think
we need Jehoshaphat around today to speak to our judges! Jehoshaphat reminded all of them that they need to act in the
fear of the Lord, with faithfulness and singleness of heart. (2 Chronicles 19:9) He also told them that they needed to warn the people not to sin against the Lord and incur His anger.
The insinuation here is that if the judge did not warn the people, he would then be guilty himself. (2 Chronicles 2:10). I just sat in a courtroom where I witnessed a judge who was extremely balanced and served justice as well as
mercy. It was such a pleasure to see justice and mercy balanced. What was so interesting to me was that she
warned the defendant, after serving him with justice and mercy, that he must turn his life around and do what was right.
That happened just last week before I read this passage of scripture. Now most of us are not judges.
But, we are kings and priest of a Heavenly Kingdom. (Revelation 5:10) People are watching us if we have committed to seeking God. People are watching us if we say that we are Christians.
Some are trying to follow. We may be the only Bible they ever read and they are reading us by watching our example.
Are we, despite past mistakes we have made, going about our lives encouraging those around us to follow the Lord? Are
our lives an example to many because God has been, and is now, our strength, guide and protection? (Psalm 71:7) Or, are we like the religious leaders of Jesus day who knew the right thing, said the right thing, but did the
wrong thing? (Matthew 23:3) Like Jehoshaphat, we need to not only hear the word of the Lord but we need to do it, being a good example to
all those around us. (James 1:22) The bottom line is, we will make mistakes and we will need to repent quickly. But, just like Jehoshaphat,
we will need to get right up from there, being an example, both of God's mercy and forgiveness and His strength to help
us win the race. (1 Corinthians 9:24) A temporary set-back does not have to indicate total loss. Unlike Jehoshaphat, we have seen Jesus through His
Word and by His revelation in our lives. We know that He has forgiven us for every drain-brain and every stumble, even
every gross sin. Jehoshaphat believed totally by faith and kept on seeking God even though he had made a grave
mistake. If anything is holding you back this morning from being the good example God made you to be and living
the abundant life Jesus died to give you, go to Him, receive His forgiveness and strength and get up. Go out
and encourage somebody else with the love of God and help them to do right. You will be blessed! MORNING MANNA - JULY 27, 2007 - GO AHEAD AND BOAST Psalms 20:7 (New Living Translation) There
are lots of people out there in the world that are boasting today. Many boast in their material possessions. Some
find their identity in the fact that they can boast that they have more than their next door neighbor. (Psalm 49:6, Psalm 52:7) Unfortunately, if we choose to boast in our wealth, we lack understanding. (Psalm 49:20) We can't take it with us. As they say, "I've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul!"
Well, some have gone as far as to think they could take it with them. I read of someone who loved their car so
much, they were buried in it. Now that's pride in your possessions! Too bad. Their boast was in
something that would turn to rust while their physical body turned back to dust. If you have great possessions, you
can go ahead and boast - but not in the things you have. Your boast must be in the God who gave you the
power to obtain that wealth. (Deuteronomy 8:17) Ironically, it is when God has prospered us that we have to be the most careful. Pride can enter in
and we will forget the God who gave us what we have. We will start to boast, but in the gifts rather than
in the Giver. (Deuteronomy 8:11-14) Let's be careful this morning to give thanks for all that we have and not to pridefully boast in it. I'm sure that none of us do this but, some boast of their sin. How foolish.
To boast of the very thing that brings death. (Psalm 52:1) The wages of sin is always death. (Romans 6:23) Who in their right mind would boast of something that causes their death? That's why we must have the
mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:15-16) The world, in its search for contentment and satisfaction boasts largely of its possessions and of its ability
to get them, especially if getting them required some sort of manipulation or trickery. The worldly-wise boast in their deceptiveness.
They don't understand those who have the mind of Christ. What are some other things people boast about today?
Women like to boast of their beauty. However, the scripture tells us that beauty is fading and charm is deceptive.
The woman who trusts the Lord and does not boast will automatically be praised. She won't have to do any boasting!
(Proverbs 31:30) Her husband and her children will bless her and praise her. (Proverbs 31:28) Then there are those who boast about how much they can drink. Really, how silly is that? Why would you
want to drink so much that you lose your mind when you could be gaining the mind of Christ? (Isaiah 5:22) There are so many things that people find to boast in and about. Idols are one of them. (Psalm 97:7) Got any idols this morning? Whatever we think about or talk about most is probably an idol. It's time
to rid ourselves of anything that comes before the Lord. Some boast of their power. (Jeremiah 9:23) But who is it that gives us power? Oh yes, we're allowed to boast, but we need to get our boasting
directed properly. It's definitely not properly placed if it's in our own wisdom, might or riches. What can we boast in? We can boast in our weakness. Oh, you say, "that
sounds backwards." But it's not really. Paul said that he was glad to boast about his weaknesses.
It was when he was weak that the power of Christ could flow through him. It's that way with us too. If we
do anything in our own power, we can explain it away. But, if we do something when we are really too weak to do it,
the only explanation for our success can be that God did it. He gets the glory! (2 Corinthians 12:9) Paul was weak in a certain area. Three times he prayed that God would take that weakness away but God chose
to leave the weakness there and work through it. If we are weak in some area this morning, that may be the exact place
God chooses to work through. When success comes, we won't be able to take any glory for it. We won't even
know how we did it! There was a man who took the glory pridefully that belonged to God. God did not take to it
kindly at all. The man was eaten from the inside out by worms and he died. (Acts 12:23) It's not good to take glory that belongs to God. We're allowed to boast and we should boast but this
is the way it should be. Only in the Lord. (Psalm 34:2) Only in what the Lord has done. (1 Corinthians 1:31) Never in ourselves. (2 Corinthians 10:18) God is the only one who can elevate us to a place where none can put us down. (James 4:10) Our boasting should never be in our own accomplishments. (1 Corinthians 4:7) Certainly not about our spirituality. (1 Corinthians 5:6) Paul was one of the greatest preachers ever to live yet, even he did not boast about his ability to preach the
gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:16) He did boast though and so can and should we. About the cross of Jesus (Galatians 6:14) About our own weakness so God can show His glory through us. (2 Corinthians 12:5) And about what Christ has done for us and for others. (Philippians 1:26, Philippians 3:3) So, go ahead and boast. Let all of our boasting be in and about the only one who is worthy of it.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ! MORNING MANNA - JULY 26, 2007 - THE HEAVENS TELL GOD'S GLORY, DO WE? Psalms 19:1 (New Living Translation) Who has not heard about our God? Absolutely no one. We are told that the
heavens tell of His glory. Just look up into the sky. What is it like where you are today? Is the sun shining
brightly? Are there fluffy white clouds? Or, maybe storm clouds? Is the wind blowing? Coming from
a place you can't see? It could be raining or maybe even snowing. All of these things coming from the heavens tell
of the glory of God. When we look into the sky, we truly see something that is beyond our wildest thoughts as to how
it was all put in place. We just returned from flying across the country. The heavens are a sight to behold, especially
from a plane. There's no way you can be up there and not see the glory of God! The heavens speak of God day
after day as one day turns to night and then into another day. They speak of His power and His order. There has
not been a night yet that didn't turn into day. (1 Samuel 2:8) Psalm 19:3 says that the heavens speak without a word. Yet, their message of their Creator has gone out to all the world.
(Psalm 19:4) The sun is described in Psalm 19:4-6. The way it moves is awesome and shows the power and consistency of our great God. No one can hide from
its heat. I love a bright, warm, sunny day. Just seeing that powerful light in the sky and feeling the warmth
it provides reminds me of the Son. Jesus, who is the Light. My recollection of Jesus being the Light was brought
on without a spoken word. Just seeing the sun up in the sky and feeling the warmth made me get my thoughts on the
Lord. He does speak without a word from the heavens! Some today
would like to say that there is no God. (Psalm 14:1) That is a foolish statement. We can't look at the heavens, much less all the other creation, and say there
is no God. That is, unless we are a fool. If we say there is no God, we are without excuse. (Romans 1:20) The Bible tells us that people have seen God in His creation from the moment time began. By looking at
these things we can see His eternal power and His invisible qualities. Anyone and everyone can be reminded
of who God is just by looking at His creation. It is the sinful and wicked people that refuse to see God in His creation.
They push the truth from themselves. (Romans 1:18) And just who is the truth? Jesus said, "I am the truth." (John 14:1) Yes, He is the truth and He is the one that holds all of this wonderfully awesome creation we see together.
(Colossians 1:17) The truth about God is known to all of us instinctively. He has put such knowledge into our hearts.
(Romans 1:19) We have the choice to either receive that knowledge or push it from us. Unfortunately, some have chosen
to push that knowledge away and come up with some not so bright ideas of their own. Thinking they are wise, they have
become fools. (Romans 1:22) You know, the ones that say, "There is no God." (Psalm 14:1) They refuse to acknowledge God or give thanks for all the wonderful things God has provided us with. (Romans 1:21) Which camp are you in this morning? It's my prayer that you are among those who recognize God in His creation
and have asked the Lord into your heart. Those who have refused to
see God, even in His creation have brought great trouble on themselves. It could be that you know some of these people.
If so, this is a good time to begin to pray that God would open their eyes to Himself. That He would speak to them,
convicting them of their sin. After that, we can pray for opportunities to plant the Word of God into their
lives so it can do its cleansing work. We may have a difficult time. It's not always easy to love the unlovely.
But then, Jesus did it for us when we were still sinners! (Romans 5:8) We can also pray for God to send others into their lives - someone they might be willing to listen to. (Luke 10:2) We never know what or who will reach a lost soul. We only know that God is not willing that any should
go into eternity separated from Him. (2 Peter 3:9) We are responsible for getting the truth to people. It is then their choice to receive it or
not. Some will not. Those people will deliberately choose to believe a lie. (Romans 1:25) They will look around at all of creation and choose to believe there is no God. Unfortunately, God
will give them over to their own shameful desires. (Romans 1:24) God will not always strive with us. (Psalm 103:9) There is some point at which He will let us go and remain in our sin. (Romans 1:32) Since we don't know anything about tomorrow and since we know that today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2), we should look up to the heavens, see the glory of God and give thanks (Psalm 91:2). If we have not turned from our sin and received Jesus, this is the day to do it. If there are those in
our lives who have not turned to Jesus, this is the day to pray and to reach out with His Word, especially by our example.
(1 Peter 5:3) We should talk the talk but it's even more important to walk the talk. The heavens declare the glory of
God without a word. I would think that we can do the same. Do our lives declare the glory of God today?
(Romans 6:11) If not, let's highly consider making some changes. MORNING MANNA - JULY 25, 2007 - VICTORY IN JESUS Romans 8:37 (New Living Translation) The enemy is always looking for a way to defeat us. But, if we are
believers in Jesus, we are undefeatable. Like the Psalmist we can say that we will, if we have not already,
see the downfall of our enemies with our own eyes. The enemy is the one who will suffer defeat. In fact, he already
has. Two thousand years ago Jesus made a mockery of the enemy when He hung on the cross and took our sin with Him.
The devil is a defeated foe but he still tries to deceive us, telling us that we don't have the victory. Circumstances
in our lives make it look as if we don't have the victory but Paul tells us that is the farthest thing from the truth.
(Romans 8:35) Nothing can get the victory over us - not trials, distressful things, persecution, hunger or any other thing
that might come up in our lives. We have victory in Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:57) Does this morning find us trusting God for the victories we need
in our lives? The first thing we must know that we know that we know is that we believe that Jesus is the Son of
God. (1 John 5:5) There are so many examples of how God has given His children victory. Gideon is one of them. (Judges 7:15) David was another (1 Chronicles 14:10) Moses sang a song of victory and deliverance. (Exodus 15:2) Joshua was given victory over his enemies by the Lord. (Joshua 10:19) The Psalms are full of descriptions of the Lord as our victory-giver. Psalm 48:10 describes God's strong right hand as filled with victory. That's wonderful because Psalm 63:8 says that God upholds us with His right hand. It's the hand of victory! All of these people have the same
thing in common. They were trusting God. There may be circumstances in your life this morning that make it look like victory is eluding you. If you
are trusting God, that's not true. Victory is yours through Christ who loves you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) His love clings to you so tightly that nothing can ever separate you from it. (Romans 8:38) He loves you with a perfect love that casts out all fear. (1 John 4:18) That means you can risk loving others because He first loved you. (1 John 4:19) That means that, no matter what anyone says to you or does to you, you have the victory in Jesus. What looks
like defeat in your life? Are there things that look threatening? Things that look like they are so powerful they
will overtake you? Cry out to God like King Asa of Judah did. God always hears a cry of trust and faith.
(2 Chronicles 14:11) As the Psalmist did, put your trust in God alone. (Psalm 31:1) God sees how the enemy comes against us. Paul said we are like sheep going to slaughter. (Romans 8:36) Yet, somehow in all of our trials and tribulations, God gives us victory. God sees exactly what is happening
in our lives and comes to our rescue. (Psalm 12:5) Let's make the truth our testimony this morning even if circumstances are trying to tell us that the
truth is not the truth. We have the victory in Jesus. That's what He says in Romans 8:37 and elsewhere. It's not just victory. It's overwhelming victory. You can believe it! You can even sing it if you know the old hymn, "Victory In Jesus." Here are the words
just in case you want to start singing. I heard about His healing, I heard about a mansion MORNING MANNA - JULY 24, 2007 - WHO CONTROLS YOU? Romans 8:9 (New Living Translation) What a great day this is if we have made Jesus the Lord of our lives. This is the day He has made
for us. (Psalm 118:24) Let's just start rejoicing. Let's be glad this morning. His mercies were new when we woke
up this morning. We get a new start. (Lamentations 3:23) If you have not made Jesus the Lord of your life, you can do it right now, this morning. (2 Corinthians 6:2) Just ask Him. Ask Him to let His Spirit live within you. Normally, we do not like to be controlled
by others. Have you ever met a control freak? Maybe you like to be in control of everything yourself. In
a sense, before we let Jesus into our hearts and lives, we are all control freaks. We think we can make it on our own
that we can take care of our own lives. That notion is pretty far from the truth. Oh, we can take care of
them but the outcome will not really be good! We continually find ourselves in a mess. And ,we will go through a lot
of grief trying to fix things, fight things and figure things out that are just way too high for us. (Isaiah 55:8) When we remember that we are just a piece of dirt (now
don't get offended yet - just look at this scripture - Psalm 103:14), we will know that we are incapable of running our own lives. I heard someone say, "We're
nothing but dust balls." I suppose that's true in a way. God did make us out of the dust of the ground.
(Genesis 2:7) And, if we try to run our own lives, leaving God out of the picture, we will probably
be like dust balls blowing this way and that until there's nothing left of us. But, but, but...... God chose
to take that dust creature and breathe His own breath into us. The breath of life. He is still doing
that today for those who will ask Him to be Lord of their lives. His Spirit comes into us, taking control of us so that
we are not controlled by our sinful nature. Romans 8:9 encourages us to remember that anyone not having the Spirit of Christ living in them is not a Christian
at all. The first person we need to look at is ourselves, being sure that we have received the Holy Spirit.
Then we must carefully watch others who say they are Christians but do not show evidence of having the Spirit living
in them. When we come in contact with these people, we should gently and humbly, in love, try to persuade
them to come to Jesus with their whole hearts and lives. We need to be ready to give a reason for our hope. (1 Peter 3:15) We need to be able to give out God's Word when it's convenient and when it's not.
(2 Timothy 4:2) Now it is a
surety, unless Jesus returns in our lifetime that our physical bodies will die at some point. But, the good news
is that our spirit will never die if we have been made right with God by receiving His Son as the one who controls us.
(Romans 8:10) Why is that? It's because the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is now living
in us and we will be raised too! (Romans 8:11) So you see, we have such great reason to be broadcasting some Good News to those around us.
Yes, we need to be controlled by God through Jesus Christ and the power of His Spirit. We are merely the clay
and our Father is the potter. (Isaiah 29:16) The clay is never in control of the potter! But, more than that, the Potter happens to also be
the creator of the universe who also happens to have adopted us as His very own child! We now have a Daddy that's
bigger than any other daddy. Remember when we used to say, "I'm going to tell my daddy on you and he's
gonna beat your daddy up."? Or some variation of that. Our daddy was always bigger than anybody else's
daddy. Well, if we have received Jesus, our Daddy (the Bible says our Abba Father) is for sure bigger than any other
daddy! He has promised to protect us from those who would do us harm. (Psalm 17:7) He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20) Now there's some Good News! We now have nothing to fear. (Romans 8:15) We are loved by a perfect Daddy who loves and controls us with a perfect love. (1 John 4:18) Let's pass the rejoice and pass the Good News along! MORNING MANNA - JULY 23, 2007 - ARE YOU MISERABLE? Romans 7:24 (New Living Translation) Paul seemed to struggle
as he wrote to the Romans. The struggle was about being dominated by sin. When our sin nature dominates us we,
like Paul, know for certain what an absolutely miserable person we are. Aren't you glad this morning that we have
a Savior who forgives sin and renews a right spirit within us? (Psalm 51:10) Paul went on in several verses of Romans 7 speaking about wanting to do right but ending up doing wrong. (Romans 7:15) Isn't that the way it is with us sometimes? Maybe not you. But, I will confess that I don't always end
up doing the thing I really want to do. Because we know what
the law says, there is a fight within us to either keep it or do what our natural self wants to do. The more we
have yielded to Jesus, the more we will do those things that are right. When we find ourselves losing the war between
the Spirit and the natural, we end up being miserable. That is, until we confess our sin and receive forgiveness.
(Romans 7:24) I hope you are not miserable this morning but, if you are, it is either an indicator that you do have not ever received
Jesus and been made a new creature or that you have broken fellowship with Him by doing the very thing you did not want
to do. You may be asking this morning like Paul, "Who will free
me from this life that is dominated by sin?" (Romans 7:24) Paul went on to answer his own question. He did it with great thankfulness. Yes, this morning, "Thank
God!" The answer to our problem of getting free from our sinful nature is in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 7:25) What a great opportunity to begin praising Him early this morning. If we have received Jesus, we now
are under no condemnation. (Romans 8:1) The power of sin was working in us leading
us straight toward death. But, now the power of the Holy Spirit is working in us to free us
through our Savior. When we are yielded to Christ, He gives us the strength to do what we want to do - what we
know is right. The fight between sin and right gets less and less. Our minds start turning more and more
toward the things that please the Holy Spirit and we think less and less about sinful things. (Romans 8:5) When the Holy Spirit is controlling our minds, we have life and peace. (Romans 8:6) We want to do the things that please God. Is that where you are this morning? If not, you can go from
what was to what is now. You can confess your sin, receive Jesus and state with Paul, "There is now, therefore
no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) God is not interested in condemning us. He is interested in saving us. That's why He sent
Jesus. (John 3:17) Will you receive that word this morning and be set free from all condemnation? We don't have to be miserable.
We can be joyful and free! MORNING MANNA - JULY 22, 2007 - TESTED AND DETERMINED Psalms 17:3 (New Living Translation) Has
God ever tested your thoughts and your heart? Psalm 17:3 says, "You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night." There are two types of night
in our lives. There is the natural night, as in night and day. Then there are night seasons where things seem
very dark around us. What is the last thing you think of before you go to sleep for the night? Are your thoughts
focused on God and His goodness? His ability and willingness to take care of whatever might be troubling you about the
events of the day or what might happen tomorrow? Or, do you toss and turn trying to sleep because you can't
transition from the chaos of the day to the peacefulness of sleep? Do you sleep like a baby? I heard someone say,
"I sleep like a baby. I wake up every hour crying!" That's not exactly what I meant. I mean,
do you close your eyes knowing that you are in the loving care of your Heavenly Father and that He watches over you and keeps
you safe? (Psalm 127:2, Proverbs 3:24) We can sleep soundly in Jesus because God is always awake and watching over us. (Psalm 121:4) When God tests us either during the natural night time or
during our night seasons, He is looking for things that need to be eliminated from our lives. He's looking for impurities
that keep us from shining our brightest for Jesus. Sometimes the night is the only time we are quiet enough to hear
from Him. (Psalm 42:8) David said, "You have tried me and found nothing." He was implying that God found nothing evil in
His thoughts or heart. Can we say that too? Before we close our eyes in sleep have we thought about our day and
repented of anything we didn't get right? (Psalm 63:6) When we are in the night seasons of our lives, have we examined ourselves before God letting Him show us if there
is something in our lives that brought on the night season? (Psalm 139:23) If we've done both of the above then we, like David, can say; "You have found nothing evil." The
only thing God should find when examining our thoughts and hearts is the blood of His Son which has covered and forgiven all
of our confessed sin. Once we have been tested, we have another opportunity
to determine, like David did, that we will not sin in what we say. It is so easy to say things in the heat of passion,
without thinking. David was so right to determine not to sin in what he said. Taming our tongue is extremely
hard. (James 3:8) No wonder David brought this aspect into the picture when he was talking about being tested by God. He must
have known that our words have great power and that they come from what is in our heart. (Proverbs 18:21, Matthew 12:34) Whether we are tested while we are on our beds at night or in the night seasons of our lives, let's determine
to speak only from faith, not from fear, anger, resentment or bitterness. If this is a time of testing for you, just
speak the Word of God over your own life. Know that He wants us to have a clean heart (Psalm 51:10) and desires words of praise, worship and life from our mouths. (Ephesians 5:19) Are you tested and determined? MORNING MANNA - JULY 21, 2007 - SLAVERY IS ABOLISHED! Romans 6:6 (New Living Translation) Does the title of this Morning Manna look like it may have come from an
1862 newspaper? Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was not the first one to abolish slavery? And did you know that
slavery still exists even though there is no longer any reason to be enslaved? There is a type of slavery that
is very good but that sort of slavery is entirely voluntary. It's also of great benefit to the slave. Many
people are slaves to sin but they don't even realize it. We see them walking down the streets and on the highways
every day. They think they are on the road to contentment and satisfaction when really they are enslaved. (Proverbs 14:12) Slavery to sin is the worst kind of slavery. It starts out as a deceptive thing and then, before you know it,
sin is your master. How many people do you know who are in that dreadful situation? The good news is that, if
we have been set free from slavery to sin, we are now in a position to help others get free from their bondage. We now have a new Master with a capital "M." As the song so aptly puts
it, "Master, savior, redeemer and friend." We call Him Lord Jesus. Because our lives are under this new Master,
we are new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17) All things have become new in our lives. The evil things that used to control us are now under the control
of the Lord. He has forgiven our sin and He doesn't remember it any more. (Isaiah 43:25) We no longer have to be in bondage to that pattern of sin and wrong that leads to death. We are no longer
under that slavery to evil. (Romans 6:6) Sin now has no power in our lives. However, our lives are full of the power of God. God has replaced the
fear that we used to operate under with the gifts of power, love an a sound and disciplined mind. (1 Timothy 1:7) We are now set free from that awful thought pattern and lifestyle that once drug us down and took us to places we
didn't want or expect to be. We are dead. But, it's a good death. Jesus broke the power of sin over
us and we are dead to it. (Romans 6:7) But, we are very much alive to God through Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:4) This life is not just for this world either. We are alive forever and on our way to Heaven where
there will be no more sin to tempt us and no more sorrow or crying from the results of our own sin or the sin of others that
has affected us. (Revelation 21:4) We have been set free! (Romans 6:7) Free to do right instead of letting sin control the way we live. (Romans 6:12) Because our old "self" is dead, we can now concentrate on living a new life. Just as Jesus
now lives for the glory of God after dying for our sin and rising again, we too can live our new lives for the glory of God.
The scripture says we can consider ourselves dead to sin and able to live for God's glory through Jesus Christ.
(Romans 6:10-11) We can now do all the things necessary to live this kind of life because God strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13) We have been given the power to be able to renew our minds so that we do not give in to wrong desires.
(Romans 12:2) God will actually change our thinking and desires so that we will want what He wants. When we were slaves
to sin we didn't feel obliged to do what was right. (Romans 6:21) We have been given the admonition to use our bodies now wholly for the glory of God. (Romans 6:13) That doesn't mean that God will make us do that. We still have the freedom of choice. The
wonderful thing is that we have been given the freedom and strength to make the right choice. We probably weren't
even aware, at least for a time, that we were slaves. Even serving the enemy of our own soul and helping to take others
down with us. Then we saw the Light. Now those things we once did, we see as shameful. Yes, it's true
some of the things we have done are truly shameful. But we have a Savior who took away all of our shame on the cross. (Isaiah 11) He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. Now we can do those things that
lead to holiness and result in eternal life. (Romans 6:22) Sin is work that always demands more work. The harder we work to be satisfied, the more wages we get and the
less satisfied we are. The biggest trouble with that is that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Separation from God. What a blessing that we have been given the power to become the sons of God.
(John 1:12) That we no longer have to work at sin just so we can suffer death and eternal punishment. Who wants to work
for death when we can be a slave to God and receive the power to live a righteous and abundant life here and forever?
(John 10:10, John 3:16) Have you received this message? The Word to us then is to freely give what we have freely received. (Matthew 10:8) Why don't we pray that God will lead us to a slave today who needs to know that slavery was abolished
when Jesus took it to the cross? We have been given the message of freedom as a free gift. We
now get to past it on. Slavery is abolished! MORNING MANNA - JULY 20, 2007 - FROM FOE TO FRIEND, RUIN TO REJOICING Romans 5:11 (New Living Translation) Do you have any enemies? If you know
that we don't fight against people, but against unseen powers that are higher than we are, you are in a good place.
We do have an enemy. But, we should never consider another human being our enemy as far as I can see from scripture.
(Ephesians 6:12) The real enemy may use others to come against us. That happens all the time. We need to
stay close to our Father so the enemy doesn't have a chance to sneak in and use us when we are unaware of it. God's
Word still says that He is not willing for anybody to perish. (2 Peter 3:9) He wants everybody to have eternal
life. Have you ever been an enemy of someone? You may at first say, "No." But, if you're not
a believer, you're an enemy of some One you really don't want to be an enemy of! If you are a believer, you
are totally blessed because you know that God sent Jesus to die for us when we were still His enemies. (Romans 5:10)
Not only did He die for us while we were still His enemies, He did it in order to restore our relationship with God an make
us His friends! We have gone from foe to friend by the power of Jesus. God now calls us, "friend!" Because Jesus paid the price so that we could be friends of God, we now have great cause
for rejoicing. Before we believed we were faced with ruin. Now that we have believed, we can rejoice. We
have come full cycle from ruin to relationship with the Father to rejoicing. Now we have something to share with a dying
world. The good news of the gospel. The news that they, too can cease being an enemy of God. They can stop
living in darkness. They can receive the priceless gift of salvation that will take them from being a foe of God to
a friend of God. Is there someone around you that is helpless in their sin? We have the astounding message today that
Jesus came at just the right time and died for us while we were sinners. (Romans 5:6) He doesn't wait for
us to clean ourselves up. In fact, we can't. It is only His blood that can wash away every stain of sin in
our lives. (1 John 1:7) Our message to those around us is that "today" is the day of salvation.
(2 Corinthians 6:2) Jesus came at the right time to die for us. We are where He has placed us today for such a
time as this. (Esther 4:14) Today is our day to either accept His salvation or, if we already have received it, to walk
it out and give the message of deliverance to others. It was while we were sinners that God showed His great love for us. (Romans 5:8) We have been shown awesome
grace! (Romans 6:14) It is now our privilege and responsibility to show that grace to those around us. (2
Corinthians 4:15) Because we are saved from God's judgment, it should be our greatest desire that those around us
are also saved. That probably means that we will need to extend some grace and mercy to them while they are still troublesome.
Is there someone difficult in your life? That person is not your real enemy. If they are exhibiting behavior that
goes against what God has called us to be, they have probably allowed the enemy to control them or have never received the
gift of salvation. They need to hear the Word of God and see it lived out in us. We have heard the Word of God.
Now we need to put it into practice. (Luke 11:28) We will be blessed if we do and we will bless others too. Best
of all, God will get the glory. Many will come to know the Truth and the Truth will set them free. (John
8:32) You and I are the ones now responsible for helping to get the message of Jesus's love to everyone. We
are the sent ones because we now have His message. Who among us has gone from foe to friend and from ruin to rejoicing?
Who will go rejoicing through life delivering the message of God's offer of friendship through the blood of Jesus?
We are the ones with the message. Let's get going! MORNING MANNA - JULY 19, 2007 - FAITH TO BELIEVE Romans 4:17 (New Living Translation) Who or what do you believe in this morning? Where is your faith? In yourself and your abilities and talents?
In your job or career? In your spouse or children? In your retirement fund? Even in your knowledge of the
scripture? We're challenged to have faith like Abraham had. He didn't have faith in any of those things
or in any other person or thing. His faith was in God. He believed that God could bring dead things to life.
He believed God could bring things into existence that didn't exist before. Both of those things are absolutely,
without a doubt, true. But, is that where our faith is today? It's easy to get hung up on putting faith in
some thing or some one else, especially when we live in a country that is fairly secure compared to other nations in the world.
But, that's only what we can see. It's what we can't see with our natural eyes that is most real.
God's Kingdom is real this morning, as real as it was in Abraham's day. And in Jesus's day. And, God
is still the King on the throne of the Kingdom! Just think, God promised
Abraham that he would make him the father of many nations. God did that even though Abraham and Sarah's physical
bodies were as good as dead at age 100 and 90, respectively. (Genesis 17:17) At first Abraham didn't appear
to be such a pillar of faith but, like our faith can and should grow, his faith grew and grew. When he finally received
the promise of his own son through his wife, Sarah, his faith had opportunity to grow again. God asked for the promised
son back. (Genesis 22:2) By faith, because he believed, Abraham was just about to give Isaac back to God. (Genesis
22:9) However, God was only interested in seeing whether Abraham actually believed in the Promiser more than the promise.
There, caught in the thicket, stood the sacrifice already prepared before Isaac and Abraham ever reached the top of the mountain.
(Genesis 22:13) Before Isaac was born, Abraham had to wait for God's timing. (Hebrews 6:15) He and Sarah
didn't do too well there at first either. They jumped ahead and tried to help God out with the promise. (Genesis
16:3) It's always good to try not do that! Ishmael was born to Sarah's Egyptian servant and the descendants
of Isaac and Ishmael have been at war ever since. What is going on in your life this morning? Are there situations
that appear as though there is no way out? Does it seem like God has forgotten you? You're not the only one
who has ever felt that way. (Psalm 13:1) But, He hasn't forgotten you and He never will. (Isaiah 49:15)
Are there people in your life who just can't seem to get their spiritual lives together and it looks like things are dead
in that area? Maybe you're having trouble with doubt and conflict within yourself. In all of these things,
just as in what God did for Abraham, He is able to manifest victory in our lives. Yes, God is a God who brings the dead back to life and calls into existence those things we could not see before.
Our God is not only a God who does that. He's a God of more than enough. He loves His children and is able
to give us much more than anything we could even think of or believe for. (Ephesians 3:20) The thing is, we just
have to believe Him. He does the rest. He's the One who will supply all of our needs. (Philippians 4:19)
He's the one who will save our loved ones that we have committed to him. (2 Timothy 1:12) He's even able to
keep you if you, no matter what you're going through, have committed yourself to Jesus as Lord and Savior. It doesn't
matter how you feel about yourself at this moment. It is what God says about you that is true. God is totally
committed to you, to restore, revive and preserve you. (Psalm 16:1, Psalm 12:7) There's actually nothing in our lives
that God can't change in just a twinkling of the eye. (Matthew 19:26) Our God is all-powerful. One day
He will change us completely in the twinkling of an eye. (1 Corinthians 15:52) Now let's put on eyes of faith
this morning even though our natural eyes see death, corruption and decay all around us. (Hebrews 12:2) Our God
can bring dead things back to life. I know that from experience and from His Word. My own sister was as good as
dead and on life support after being poisoned with about ten times the lethal dose of cyanide. My mother and I took
her hands and prayed. She came forth alive! That's been about 25 years ago. Our God is able to bring
the dead back to life. Even those dead things which appear to be totally decayed. (John 11:43) Check out
Lazarus! We don't always see instantaneous answers like this one. Sometimes God requires us to wait in faith.
(Isaiah 40:31) That's not really a bad deal either. While waiting, our strength will be renewed by God. We
will be able to rise up and soar like an eagle. We will not faint and we will not be weary. Once the disciples
asked Jesus what works they were supposed to do. (John 6:28-29) The answer was the same as it was in Abraham's
time and it still is today. Believe! As the old, old hymn says, "All things are possible. Only believe."
MORNING MANNA - JULY 18, 2007 - NOT RULES - RELATIONSHIP! Romans 4:13 (New Living Translation) What does relationship mean to you? Lots of people are discussing,
"relationships" today. Most of these so-called "relationships" are nothing more than fly-by-night
encounters. Many are based on purely physical attraction. And most are based on self-serving motivation rather
than true love. There is one relationship, though, that outshines any and every earthly relationship we could ever encounter.
It is a relationship with God, through His Son Jesus Christ. Do you have one this morning? If not, just ask and
it will be given to you. (Revelation 3:20) There's not a relationship in the world that we have
that can not be made better if our relationship with God is a healthy one. First of all, our relationship with God is
not based on anything we can "do." It is because of who He is and because of His love for us. The Bible
says that Abraham is the father of our faith if we are believers. (Romans 4:11) God gave Abraham His blessing because Abraham believed, not because of what he did. God will do the same
for us. His desire toward us is for our best. (Jeremiah 29:11) That's the start of a perfect relationship. It's also the model for all of our earthy
relationships. (John 15:12) Are you trying to win God's favor by being busy? That "busyness" may even be with good things
- even ministry. If our motive is just to be winning God's love and favor, we are acting amiss. God loves
you and me just as we are, no more and no less than He ever has or will. We need to be settled in that first.
We need to accept that "relationship." When we realize just how much we are loved and that we could never
do anything that would make Him love us any more or any less, we have made great strides. Because He loved us and
desired a one-on-one relationship with us, He gave. He gave the best He had. (Romans 8:32) Jesus died and rose again to bring us into right standing with our Abba Father. (Romans 5:21, Galatians 4:6) Have you received that new relationship that Abraham received? Just by faith? Rules are good and they bring order but relationship is better. Relationship changes our hearts.
The rules God sets down fit in perfectly with our relationship with Him. The wonderful thing is that
when, we have that relationship with God, we don't "have" to follow the rules. We "want" to.
Because we realize that God gave so much just to be close to us, our hearts are stirred to do those things that please
Him and not to do those things that don't please Him. Does that mean that we will never slip, never sin, never
miss the mark? Probably not. But we will still be secure in our relationship with Him and our hearts will prompt
us, like David, to quickly admit our mistake and receive forgiveness and renewed relationship. (Psalm 51:10, 1 John 2:1) H. Norman Wright wrote a book entitled, "Relationships That Work." Reading just a small portion of
this gave me a good picture of our relationship with God. Mr. Wright's book details the four pillars of a healthy
relationship. Of course, he is speaking of human relationships but we already know that our human relationships should
be patterned after our relationship with our Heavenly Father. The four pillars of relationship, according to Wright,
are: love, trust, respect, and understanding. Let's check out our relationship with God on the
basis of those four pillars. Love. God loves us and He loved us first before we deserved it. (1 John 4:19, Romans 5:8) God asks us to love Him. (Deuteronomy 6:5) Trust. We can trust God. In fact, He alone is totally trustworthy. Can God trust us to stay in relationship
with Him? He gives us that option. (Luke 19:17) He trusts us with the choices we are privileged to make. Repsect. Does God respect us? He certainly
does! Respect indicates that we value someone. Don't you think that God values His workmanship highly?
(Ephesians 2:10) In fact, He valued us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us. (John 3:16) Do we respect God? What value do we place on Him? Of course, His value is far above anything
we know here on earth. (Hebrews 3:3) Will you give Him a sacrifice of praise this morning? (Hebrews 13:15) Understanding. Do you think God understands you? I certainly hope so - He made you! He knows
everything about you and me. Not just about how He made us but about how we live and what it's like to walk
through everyday life. Jesus walked this earth for us so He could be our High Priest, understanding even all of
our feelings. (Hebrews 4:15) Do we understand God? Of course His ways are much higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9) so, for us, it will be a process until we see Him as He is. Even then, I imagine that we will have lots to learn about
Him. But, the important thing is that He has opened Himself to us through His Word that we might understand Him
and His ways. (Isaiah 50:4, Colossians 2:2, Ephesians 5:17, 2 Timothy 2:7) Each of these things, love, trust, respect, and understanding are pillars that hold
a relationship up. That keep it level and balanced. If one pillar is shorter than the other, the building will
tilt. It won't be balanced. Relationships will grow if they are healthy. They will be in balance if
they are healthy. How is your relationship with the Father? Is it growing, by faith? Are the pillars all
the same size keeping the relationship balanced and healthy? Is your relationship with your Father affecting your relationships
on earth? For the better? As usual, I am finishing this writing coming away with lots to think about and work
on. How about you? MORNING MANNA - JULY 17, 2007 - WE HAVE NO EXCUSE Romans 3:19 (New Living Translation) Well, I have been sitting here this
morning making up excuses in my mind as to why I have not gotten up and jumped into all the Monday morning chores with
a splash. Then I read Romans 3:19. It really convicted me as to how we tend to rationalize things and make, even logical, excuses for ourselves when
we miss the mark in any way. Obviously we, as believers, are under grace. When we miss the mark, we need to repent
quickly and get into right fellowship with God again. (1 John 1:9) God is not into our excuses. He wants our confession and our true repentance. The law was given to the
Jews and it applies to them. However, we as Christians are also given the law in the scriptures. We, too, are
responsible for what we know. It is the truth that we know that will actually set us free. (John 8:32) We know the law because God has graciously given us the scriptures. But, as Gentiles, the scripture
says that we, even before we knew the law, had it written in our hearts. (Romans 2:14) So, whether we are a Jew or a Gentile, we have no excuse. Romans 1:20 tells us that all of humanity is without excuse. Just by looking around us, we cannot deny God's invisible
qualities, His eternal power and His divine nature. If we want to
take a realistic look at our natural selves, it will show just how our excuses lead us into being unfit for the Kingdom of
Heaven we all long to see. But for the saving grace of Jesus, we would miss the whole thing. We have all sinned.
(Romans 3:23) The wages of that sin has always been death. It still is. (Romans 6:23) Here's a realistic look at what we really are in the natural. Not a one of us is good. (Romans 3:9) So, no excuses in that area - no comparing ourselves with any other human. It is God's standard that
we need to use for comparison. No one has real understanding or really seeks God. (Romans 3:10) We usually say that we have found Jesus but the truth is that He has found us in the mud of our excuses. (Matthew 18:11) No, friends. We can't take any credit for the fact that we are now saved. Jesus did it all.
All of us, left to ourselves, will turn from God and do wrong. The Bible says that not even one of us would do anything
good! (Romans 3:11) In and of ourselves, our mouths are full of bitterness and cursing (that tells you something about our hearts since what
is in our heart will eventually come out of our mouth). Without Jesus, we can speak nothing but lies, death and grossly
stinky things. (Romans 3:12-13) Aren't you glad Jesus cleans up our hearts, allows us to continually renew our minds in His Word, and
changes the way we speak? (Romans 12:2) Yes, we would be quick to commit murder too. (Romans 3:15) Remember, Jesus said if you have thought it, you have done it in your heart. (Matthew 5:28) Although He was speaking of lust toward a woman in Matthew 5:28, it is a Kingdom principle. It is applied to murder in 1 John 3:15. If we hate one of our siblings in Christ, we have committed murder! Remember, no excuses here. Look
around and see just how many people have destruction and misery following them. (Romans 3:16) We would all be like that if were not for Jesus and His redeeming work in our hearts and lives. We would
have no peace at all if we were to live in the natural. (Romans 3:17) Do you know anyone who is not following Jesus who has true peace? I don't think so. Jesus
is the only one who can give us a peace that comes from Heaven. (John 14:27) His peace goes way beyond what we can understand. (Philippians 4:7) It is glorious. The bottom line for all wrong behavior and all excuses seems to be the fact that the natural
man has no fear of God. No reverence for Him. (Romans 3:18) Can you imagine standing before God and giving excuses for why you did what you shouldn't have done or didn't
do what you should have done? Don't we do that every day when we miss the mark in some way? Wouldn't it
be better just to confess our fall, receive His promised forgiveness, get up again and keep on serving the Lord? I found those scriptures, all in all, to be pretty hard? Did you? It never
hurts to take a realistic look at ourselves and where we would be without the Savior. We are blessed this
morning, if we have Jesus as our Savior, to know that we have been forgiven. We don't need to make excuses any longer.
If we do, we call God a liar. (1 Samuel 15:29) We all know that's just not so. Because of our salvation, we are seated in heavenly places with Christ. (Ephesians 2:6) There's no need to stand up and start making wimpy excuses. We've been invited into His presence. (Luke 14:18, Luke 14:24) No excuse will do. We are totally without excuse no matter how you look at it. But, we are totally
equipped to live a life that requires no excuse through the blood and power of Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:4) We can do all things through Christ because He gives us His strength! (Philippians 4:13) MORNING MANNA - JULY 16, 2007 - GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS AND THE BEST NEWS Have you heard any bad news
lately? It's very hard, if you can hear at all, not to have heard some bad news. The world is full of it.
There's abuse, terror, calamity, horror, murder, cheating, lying, stealing, you name it. David was very well aware
of the bad news and it directly affected him. Saul was out to kill him for no other reasons than pride and jealousy.
David had served Saul well, all the while serving God. He had never once thought about hurting Saul, who was his earthly
king. (1 Samuel 24:9-10) In fact, he had only done well for Saul and for Israel, defeating many enemies and protecting King Saul and the people.
Is there some bad news in your life today that is directly trying to affect you? David's
first statement when his friends or advisors began to spell out the bad news (which he obviously already knew) was
not one of woe. It was one of positive faith. In the very first line of Psalm 11, we find David saying, "I trust in the LORD for protection." (Psalm 11:1) When some bad news rears its ugly head in our lives, what's the very first thing that comes from our
mouth? Do we, like David, say, "I trust the Lord for protection."? I don't mean, do we have our
head in the sand like an ostrich, denying anything around us that may be bad. David knew what was bad. He
just didn't want to rehearse it. He would rather, and did, rehearse what he knew was more important.
And what would ultimately overcome the list of "negatives" that his associates were throwing at him. Sometimes,
we even have to step away from well-meaning friends and advisors if they don't want to concentrate on the fact that our
God is much bigger than the biggest, baddest news that could ever come against us. David is getting a recap of some bad news. (Psalm 11:1-3) We can do that too if we want too. All we have to do is turn on Fox News, or CNN. There, they will
recap bad news for you over and over again until your mind is saturated with the ugly and detestable state of this world.
While some of that news is true, we still serve a God who is in control of it all. He is still our protector
and always will be. The nations do rage but God is still on His throne and He's watching out for you and me.
(Psalm 2:1) He sees everything and everyone. (Psalm 11:4) His eye is even on the smallest sparrow. (Matthew 10:29) So, the bad news is that there is bad news. The good news is that, like David, we serve a God who is worthy
of our trust. (Psalm 33:4) Who is able to protect us. (2 Timothy 1:12) It's not just in the news on TV that we find and hear bad news. It comes to us in our individual lives
too. I'm sure I don't have to tell you. You have already experienced it. And, you will most likely
experience it again if you live long enough. Someone has hurt you badly. It could be an awful divorce that you have
been faced with. One you really didn't want. It could be that, in your school, kids have made fun of you and talked
behind your back. It could be that someone has tried to or even succeeded in stealing something from you.
It could be lots and lots of things. That's the bad news. The good news is this. God has not missed
a thing. Does it seem like the laws of order and righteousness have collapsed all around you? (Psalm 11:3) Are you tempted to ask, like David's friends were asking, "What can the righteous do?"
In essence, we don't have to do anything but trust God. (Psalm 37:3) He is in His holy temple. (Habakkuk 2:20) He is watching everything and everyone. And, that includes you and me. What are we to do when the bad
news comes? Trust and obey. There's no other way! The good news is that, if our motives and actions
are right, we will pass our test. The good news is that those who refuse to change their ways will be punished for their
evil deeds. We need not be bitter or take any revenge. We only need to trust and stand still and see the
salvation of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 20:17) David saved the very best news for last in Psalm 11. Here it is: "For the Lord is righteous and He loves justice. Those who do what is right will
see His face." (Psalm 11:7) Wow! If we trust and obey, we will see the face of our Savior. I love the old hymn that says,
"Face to face with Christ my Savior. Face to face what will it be? When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus
Christ who died for me." It goes right along with today's beautiful song of worship, "I Can
Only Imagine." Those words go like this: "Surrounded by Your glory; what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in Your presence or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing, 'Hallelujah?' Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine." What a wonderful
thing to capture our imagination. It sure beats concentrating on any bad news around us! I can only imagine what
it will be like when we experience the best. How about you? Enter content here Enter content here Enter content here Enter content here |
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