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MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 16-31, 2007 Enter subhead content here  MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 31, 2007 - NEVER GIVE UP - ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH! 2 Corinthians 4:1-2 (New Living Translation) Have
you ever felt like just giving up? Come on now - be honest. There are lots of reasons and excuses we can use for
giving up at any time on anything. I know. I have used them before and maybe you have too. Life gets hard
and at times it seems as if some things are just not worth the effort. You know, some things aren't worth
the effort. Things of no eternal value will be burned off anyway, so why bother? (1 Corinthians 3:13-15) Is the work you're involved in going to keep its value through eternity? If so, that's good reason not
to give up! That's exactly the reason Paul said that he and his companions in preaching the gospel did not give
up. It is by the mercy of God that you and I are given whatever gifts we are given. It is for the edification
of our brothers and sisters and to glorify God that we have been given the talents and abilities that we have. (1 Corinthians 12:11) Of course, when we do that, God brings prosperity and joy into our lives too. What we have been given is
unique to us. God has also prepared specific works for each of us to do with those gifts, talents, and abilities.
(Ephesians 2:10) He's already planned them out for us. Oh, we can try to do good works that come to our own mind or good works that
others may pressure us to do. But, there's nothing like hearing from God, "This specific thing is
what I want you to do." When we do things, even good things, for any other reason, there's a good
chance that we'll want to give up after a while. But, as we do those things God puts in our hearts, as we hear from
Him, we will say, like Paul, "And so, since God in His mercy has given me this wonderful ministry, I will never
give up." We may
get tired at times. If we do, we need to do a little check to make sure we haven't picked up some "good works"
along the way that God did not plan for us to do. There is rest in being at the right place, at the right time, doing
the right thing. Jesus knew we would get weary. Don't you suppose He got tired sometimes too? He has
invited us to come to Him when we get heavy laden. He will carry those heavy burdens. (Matthew 11:28) He will also make His will known to us and help us strip off any deeds that we have not been ordained to
do, even though they may be very good deeds. (James 1:5) We mustn't take away the opportunity of another brother or sister - the one that God has called
to do that particular thing that we've been struggling to keep up with. Because we know that God has given us everything
we need to do His will, we can let the joy of the Lord be our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) We can keep from growing weary in well doing. (Galatians 6:9). We have God's promise that we will reap a reward if we keep on keeping on and don't lose heart. Paul
just kept gaining joy after joy, even in the midst of his trials because he knew that God was the one that gave him the
wonderful ministry that he had. As we operate in the things God gives us to do here on this earth, it is so necessary to tell the truth. I
have always been interested in telling the truth to others. But, sometimes, I have not told the truth to myself.
Getting into God's Word and finding out what He says will help us tell ourselves the truth and then be able to tell others.
His Word in us will do the work. It never returns without accomplishing what He sent it out to do. (Isaiah 55:11) We need to learn to rightly divide His word so we will not distort it, either in our own minds or, in as we speak
it to others. (1 Timothy 2:15) Isn't it wonderful that we can get together in this way, this morning to look into the scriptures?
Earlier in my days, telling the truth was fun. The problem was, I had not learned to tell the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15) It was more from an attitude of, "I'm right and I'm going to tell you a thing or two." Wrong!!
If we know the truth, we will not have to cling to the right to be right. (Luke 23:9) The Word is right. It works all by itself. The Word is Jesus. He's more than capable of working
all by Himself. In fact, He did it on an old wooden cross two thousand years ago to pay a debt we owed but could
not pay ourselves. He did it by Himself. He's still the Word and He is still capable of doing it by Himself.
He has graciously allowed us to be partners with Him. As Paul says, Jesus has, by His mercy, given us
ways to show Him to the world. So, let's speak the truth in love. Jesus said, "I am the truth."
(John 14:6) The Father is love and the Son is just like the Father. (1 John 4:8) We have this Love and Truth in us. Should we give up on anything that He asks us to do? I think not! MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 30, 2007 - IT'S ONLY HIM! 2 Corinthians 3:5 (New Living Translation) What
happens when we become successful in something? It could be a relationship, or a new business. It might be learning
a new skill or excelling in some type of art form. It could even be in a ministry. Preaching, teaching, evangelizing, writing,
leading worship. When we achieve some level of success, how do we handle it? Are we overly proud of ourselves?
Or do we accept success with a humble heart, knowing exactly why we got it and where it came from? Whatever we were
before we achieved that success will be the same thing we are after we achieve the success but probably more of it. Success
and power will only bring out our true selves. God knows just how much success we can handle with grace and humility. No
matter how we might think we received our success, it is God who grants it. No matter how much power
we might think we have, it all comes from God. Paul was letting those in Corinth know that he was well aware of these
facts. Paul was not an uneducated person. He was not a person of low social stature. He had plenty to be
proud of in the natural. But, he chose to give it all up to receive the power and success that can only come from God.
He knew that his only real success was by the grace of God. (Romans 15:17-19) Paul was certainly not qualified to preach the gospel at the moment he was called. He had been a violent
enemy of the gospel. (Galatians 1:13) What is in your past? It may be that, like Paul, you
have done things that were not in line with the ways of the Lord. You may have had an abortion. You may have
been on or tried drugs. You may be dealing with the abuse of alcohol. You may have just not wanted to
embrace God's love for you. It could be any of these and so many more things that tend to haunt you and keep
you from seeing that you can have the power and success that comes from God. Join the crowd. We were all enemies
of Christ. (Colossians 1:21-22) Yes, we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) We can't get ourselves right either. Not without abiding in Him and receiving His power. (John 15:4) Will you let your past be a revelation of your future? Paul did not. When he got his call on the Damascus
Road, he answered it. (Acts 22:6-10) He operated solely at the Word and in the power of the Lord. Just because you have a past that may not be as
desirable as you would like it, nothing but you can keep you from having the future that God has planned for you.
(Jeremiah 29:11) Your past may be something that happened twenty-five years ago, just yesterday or even five minutes ago before
you picked this up to read it. It doesn't matter when it was. It's the past. Is there a problem
in your life that you need to get right with God? We can do that. (1 John 2:1) It's when we say that we have no sin that we have a problem with being successful and operating in God's power. (1 John 1:8) The best thing to do is get real. Admit our failures, receive God's forgiveness and follow His call. Paul, though he was very accomplished and well established in some ways was totally
wrong in His persecution of the Christians. He calls himself the chief among sinners. (1 Timothy 1:15) He probably had murdered some Christians before he heard the call of Jesus. If he didn't
do it himself, the scripture tells us that he stood by and permitted atrocities to be done to believers. (Acts 8:1) I used to cry when I read about Stephen in the book of Acts. He was a humble and dedicated follower of Jesus.
Totally Spirit-filled. Yet, Paul stood by and watched as Stephen was stoned to death. He not only watched.
He was in agreement. Yet, wonder of wonders, Jesus called Paul to win the Gentiles to Himself! Because
of his past, Paul knew that nothing he did after coming to Christ was in and through his own power or intelligence.
Even though Paul's past pointed him toward eternal damnation, God had other plans for him. God has plans
for all of us too. No matter what our past has been. Because of Paul's past, he knew who he would be
without Christ. We do too. So, instead of letting our past be a revelation of our future, we can use our past
to propel us into the future God has for us. We know what we don't want to be like. We know, from experience,
that we can't save ourselves from our sinful ways. Can we do anything in and of ourselves that has eternal
value? No. But, but....... We can do all things through Christ. He is the one that strengthens
us to follow His calling and to achieve success. It is all through His power. (Philippians 4:13) In a way, that's such a relief. It's all about Jesus and His power. Without Him, we can do nothing.
But, with Him, all things are possible. (Mark 9:23) We may not be qualified but that doesn't matter to God. He doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies
the called. Do you hear Him calling you? Go ahead, you can succeed. It will be God who does it through
you. Give Him the glory! MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 29, 2007 - WHEN DISCOURAGEMENT CREEPS IN Psalms 42:5-6 (New Living Translation) There's just not any doubt about it. Discouragement
will try to make its way into our lives. If we want to open the door really wide and let it flood in, all we have to
do is keep the TV tuned to CNN or Fox news all day long. Of course there are other programs too, like soap operas and
most of the sit-coms which are getting to be too true to life to be very funny. Being around negative people can also
make us discouraged. While a denial of what is true in the natural is not necessary, it is necessary to speak
God's encouraging Word over every situation in our lives and every thought that comes into our heads. Sometimes,
just the barrage of all the bad news around us and the frustrations and trials of living can build up. The Psalmist
said, "Why am I discouraged. Why so sad?" Have you ever felt discouraged and not even known exactly
why? What does it mean to be discouraged? It means to have somehow lost our courage to go on. That's
why we must encourage one another constantly. We need to impart courage to one another. The scripture tells us
how to do that. Several times. Hebrews 10:24 says we should think of ways to encourage one another with outbursts of love and good deeds. Who can you encourage
this morning with a call, a card, a gift, a word? Isaiah 41:10 is a verse we can encourage one another with. God is telling His people that they need not be dismayed because
He will be with them strengthen them. He holds them up with His victorious right hand. What could be more encouraging
than that? Discouragement saps our strength but encouragement helps us to remember that we can do all things through
Christ as He strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13) Are you encouraged yet? Sometimes we find ourselves in a
place of isolation. Not by our own choice, necessarily. It's just that we have no one to call on at the moment.
I mean no one "with skin on." Those times are, indeed, hard. But David knew how to get through them.
He encouraged himself in the Lord. (1 Samuel 30:6) All of his men had turned against him in a very troubling time. There was not one to come to his aid with even
a word of encouragement. In fact, they were all talking about stoning him to death for something over which he had no
control. He had a choice to make at that moment. He could have become totally discouraged and perhaps ended up
being stoned to death by those he considered to be his supporters and friends. Or, He could have done what he chose
to do and encouraged Himself in the Lord. In what He knew about God's love and faithfulness. Ever had times
when you had a choice like that? What did you do? Now that we have talked about it, what will we do in the future?
When an impossible situation comes into our lives, if no one is there to cheer us on, God is still there! Even if your
own mother and father have abandoned you, God has chosen to take you in! (Psalm 27:10) Now that's faithfulness, love, compassion and hospitality! It's from the hand of God, Himself.
How encouraging is that? The Psalmist did not deny that discouragement
had tried to come on him and overtake him. He even said it twice, once in Psalm 42:5 and again in Psalm 42:11. But he didn't stop there as many of us tend to do when discouragement overwhelms us. He went on from there
even in the depths of his discouragement to say the truth. Every day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon us.
(Psalm 42:8) Because of that we can sing His songs even in the night seasons of our lives. And, we can and should pray to
God because He gives us life. Life in the good times and life in the bad times. Job was talking about his life. At
the time of his conversation, he was experiencing great trouble. But, he remembered that in past times God had
anointed him with a smile. I sometimes don't remember how important just a smile can be to someone going through
some discouraging times. Job said when he smiled at those who were discouraged, his look of approval was precious to them. (Job 29:24) I don't know about you but I need to learn to smile more. Our smiles may be precious to someone who
needs encouragement. Besides that, when we decide to smile, we make a choice to encourage ourselves too. There are
many people trying to claw their way up in the world who will be there to discourage us, thinking that will get them where
they want to go. Don't receive it! If God is for you, no one can be against you! (Romans 8:31) Now if that doesn't encourage us, I don't know what will. The very God that made the world and
has complete control over it is for us if we are trusting in Jesus! Remember that old Western song that went something
like this? "Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play. Where nowhere
is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day." Mankind has always needed encouragement.
Nowhere should be a discouraging word coming from the people of God. The "Son" is shining constantly
in our lives. He pushes away clouds of discouragement if we'll just get in agreement with His Word. Who will
you find to encourage today along your way? Maybe you just need to encourage yourself in the Lord as David
did. Be encouraged this morning and be an encourager. MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 28, 2007 - MEETING THE NEEDS OF JESUS Psalms 41:1 (New Living Translation) Do you want to be happy? Do you want to be right? How about prosperous? I'm
supposing we would all answer, "yes," to all of those things. God has given us some instructions on one
way to obtain all of those things and more. They are root meanings of the word, "blessed," which is how
the King James Version translates Psalm 41:1. "Psalms 41:1 (King James Version) 1 (KJV) Blessed is he that considereth
the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble." We will be blessed if we are kind to the poor.
Proverbs 19:17 says that if we help the poor, we are lending to God. It is God who will repay us. So, as
in most Kingdom of God principles, the results are the opposite of what we would expect in the world. When we give to
those who cannot repay us or give back to us, we will be repaid and probably more than they could have given back if they
were rich. We will be repaid by God and no one can out-give God. The poor are very important to God and so
is our reaction to them. When John the Baptist was preaching repentance, the people realized that he was right. (Luke 3:7-10) They asked what they should do. One of the things he told the people to do was this. Luke 3:11 (New Living Translation) 11 (NLT) John
replied, "If you have two coats, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry."
Do you know anyone in need this morning? Is there something you have that you might share? If you don't know
anyone in need, is there a ministry in your church or nearby where you could get a little extra to people who have much less
than yourself? Jesus
personalized it when he said, "I was naked and you gave me clothing." (Matthew 25:36) That's what the Word says He will say at the final judgment when He separates the sheep from the goats.
On the other hand, He will also say, "I was naked and you gave me no clothing."
(Matthew 25:42) Those sheep on His right hand will receive the blessing and be gathered to His side while those goats on His left
will be cursed. (Matthew 25:41) Why? Because they didn't realize a very important principle at work in the Kingdom of God. When
we give to those in need who can't give back to us, we are giving to Jesus, Himself. It has to be from a heart of
compassion and it can't be faked. The righteous ones didn't even know exactly what they had done.
They said, in fact, "When did we do this for you?" (Matthew 25:37-39) They had given out of a heart of love and compassion. It is then that Jesus tells them that when they have
done it for the least of his brothers and sisters, they have done it for Him. (Matthew 25:40) The same scenario is true with the unrighteous ones. Only, they didn't realize that they had not
given to Jesus when they failed to have concern for the poor and needy. That's because they didn't have a heart
of compassion. They apparently had been interested only in themselves and failed to recognize the needs of those around
them. (Matthew 25:44) Do we have a heart for the poor and needy of the world today? If not, it may be that we don't have a heart
for Jesus! Just something to ponder as we look into our full closets and pantries. The other day I asked a
day-old bread delivery man if he had an extra to give to help feed the homeless. His surly reply was, "No, not
the way the act today?" Let me just pose the question this morning, "If it were us in the position of the
being homeless living outside under a bridge in a cardboard box in all kinds of weather, how would we act?" I can't
really say how I would act. I hope I would act well but I've never been that down and out. Have you?
Does anybody besides me have anything to ponder? The Pharisees in Jesus's time loved to look good to those around them. One of the ways
they would look so very pious was to fast and make a big deal about it. They liked to announce it in the town and look
dejected as they "proved" just how "godly" they were. (Matthew 6:16) Of course that is not the point of fasting and Jesus let them know how far in left field they were. (Matthew 6:17-18) It seems that they had forgotten a long-before written passage about what a real fast is in God's eyes.
It appears that God isn't just interested in our depriving ourselves of food so we can look haggard and play the martyr
in front of our friends. He's interested in much more than that. After all, He did give us all things to enjoy.
(1 Timothy 6:17) And, He didn't intend for us to hoard all those things but to share what He has given us to enjoy with
others who may be in need. God isn't so interested in our being without food as He is with our sharing the food
we have with those who may not have any. The same with clothing and everything else He has given us. (Isaiah 58:6-7) Psalm 41:1 says there are joys for those who are kind to the poor. Isaiah 58:8-9 says the same thing. It says that if we consider those less fortunate, our healing will come, and quickly.
It says those good deeds will move us forward and God's glory will protect us from behind. When we call
on the Lord, He will answer us - and quickly. Psalm 41 says the Lord will rescue us when we're in trouble. That he will protect us and keep us alive. (Psalm 41:2) That he will give us prosperity where we live and rescue us from our enemies. (Psalm 41:3) That He will nurse us when we are sick and restore us to health. (Psalm 41:3). It appears that we will never get the short end of the stick by helping the poor. So, is it time for us
to have a change in heart about the way we look at the poor? Is there something more we can do for those who have
less? There's a song titled, "I've just seen Jesus." It's not really about the subject
of giving to the poor but the scripture seems to say that, if we looked a bit closer, we might find that we've just seen
Jesus when we look into the eyes of a needy brother or sister. What have we done for Jesus considering all He has done
and promised to continue to do for us? MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 27, 2007 - SHOUT FOR JOY! Psalms 40:16 (New Living Translation) What is going on in your life as you wake up this morning?
I really hope that things are going well for you at this moment. As one Christian radio evangelist used to say as he
opened his program, "How on earth are you doing?" One thing is sure. There are days when we're on
the mountaintop and there are days when we're in a valley or a dry desert. Circumstances in this world change.
But we serve a God who never changes. He is the very same today as He was yesterday and He will be tomorrow. (Hebrews 13:8) As one song says, "The God on the mountain is still God in the valley." He's
the God who walks through with us when we walk in the valley of the shadow of death. (Psalm 23:4) There is even joy in the valley of the shadow of death because the Shepherd is very close beside
us. There's nothing like being in close proximity to the Shepherd. There's nothing like being in His presence.
There is fullness of joy in His presence. (Psalm 16:11) When we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, He is right there to guide and comfort
us. He's very close. The closer He is, the more joy. Are there tears? Is there struggle sometimes?
Yes. Is it still hard sometimes? Yes. But everyone on earth goes through things that are hard. The
difference between the believer and the non-believer is that we, as believers, have the Lord to go through with us.
We have a Shepherd who has gone through before by Himself so He could be the Savior who walks through with us as we go.
He's been there before. He knows the rocky places that will trip us up and He remains our constant guide speaking
the deep things of joy into our hearts as we go. Are you in a valley this morning? The Shepherd is there and He's
waiting to be invited to go with you. If we search for Him, we will be filled with joy and gladness right through the
tears and struggle. Are you on the mountaintop? Remember, it was God who put you there and He's with you right
there too. Are you ready to shout yet? Paul said that he was
crushed and overwhelmed beyond his ability to endure. He thought he would die in some of the struggles he went through.
But, instead, he learned something. Something life-changing and so important. (2 Corinthians 1:8) He and those with him learned, as a result of their trials, that they had to stop relying on themselves
and learn to rely on God. (2 Corinthians 1:9) This is the same God who is able to raise the dead. Sometimes we feel less than alive when the
storms of life assail. But, we serve a God who is able to raise the dead! Whatever situation we may be in today
that looks like something is dying - maybe even us - God is able to resurrect! Does that bring you joy? It should.
We were dead in sin but God has raised us up to new life through Jesus! Just look what The Message says about that!
"Colossians 2:13-14 (The Message) 13 (MSG) When you were
stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ!
Think of it! All sins forgiven, 14 the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant
canceled and nailed to Christ's Cross." Now that's resurrection power right now in the present.
Even our trials are there only to give us a greater revelation of how trustworthy our God is. Of how we, in and of ourselves,
are nothing without Him. I love to sing that old song, "Without Him I Can Do Nothing." It's true.
Jesus said it. (John 15:4) However, with God all things are possible and nothing is impossible. (Matthew 19:26) Do I hear a shout of joy yet? If you're
short on the joy side this morning, the Psalmist lets us know that all who search for God will be filled with joy and gladness.
Again, we find it put in more contemporary terms in The Message. "Psalms 40:16 (The Message) (The Message) 16 (MSG) But all who are hunting
for you— oh, let them sing and be happy. Let those who know what you're all about tell the world you're great
and not quitting." We need to, as Tommy Tenney said, be "God-Chasers." Look for Him in everything
and everywhere. He's there but He wants us to find Him. He wants to know that He's wanted. All of
us who are searching for Him this morning should have a song in our hearts that makes its way through our mouth.
We can be happy. Not over sad events or sin but over the fact that God is God over it all. He has promised never
to leave us. (Hebrews 13:5) He is the Shepherd who knows what we feel like because He has experienced it. (Hebrews 4:15) He knows how to lead us through and give us joy all the way. (Psalm 23:1-2) Even as we face the enemies of our lives, He is there preparing our way with more than we could ask
or believe. (Psalm 23:5, Ephesians 3:20) He's never going to quit and He's great! Do you love Him this morning? Do you believe
that He's trustworthy? That He will never leave you? That He has some big plans for you? (Jeremiah 29:11) Then search for Him diligently. He's waiting for you to find Him so He can give you
the reward He's been holding for you. (Hebrews 11:6) Part of that reward is that you will be filled with joy and gladness. (Psalm 40:16) If you haven't shouted, "The Lord is great," it's time to do it now. You have
been searching this morning. You've read this, haven't you? If you've soaked up all the scripture
noted here, you have found Him. Jesus is the Word. (John 1:14) He is the bread of life. He is our morning manna. (John 6:48) Now, I'm expecting to hear a great big shout this morning from the north, south, east and west.
A shout of joy and gladness. A shout of declaration. "The Lord is great." You know what?
He is. Go ahead - shout!! MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 26, 2007 - FIVE IMPORTANT THINGS 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (New Living Translation) In finishing his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul gave them a five-fold exhortation. The same exhortation
would be good for us to encourage one another with this morning. Life has a way of wearing us down if we let it get
in the way of our faith. Being on guard is important. The King James Version reads, "watch ye."
It comes from a word meaning, "to keep awake." Are we awake this morning? Yes, we woke up, but
are we really awake. That word comes from a root word meaning, "to rouse" from such things as sleep, disease,
death, and figuratively from obscurity, inactivity, ruins, and non-existence. Honestly, have you ever felt like
you needed rousing from any of these things. This morning, we need to rouse ourselves and be on guard. We
do have an enemy who is looking for someone to devour! (1 Peter 5:8) It's time to be sure we stand true to what we believe. To stand fast in our salvation. The things
of this world point us to something, almost anything, other than Christ. But, we need to stand fast in our faith, not
wavering. (Hebrews 10:23) Has your mind been drawn away to worldly things? Be on guard. Stay true to what you believe. The third thing in Paul's list was to be courageous. If we live in close fellowship with
Christ, we will have courage. (1 John 2:28) We need courage to go through life and we will need courage when Jesus returns. His Word says that we should
live in fellowship with Him so that when He returns we will not have to shrink back. Where are we this morning?
Courageous because we are walking close to the Victor? Or are we a bit frightened because we have been closer to the
world than to the Creator? Things will happen in life that require true courage and we can have that courage
in every situation if we go to Him for refuge during those hard times. His promises are always true. (Hebrews 6:18) And He's promised to supply all of our needs when we trust Him. (Philippians 4:19) Not only courage is required for life but strength also. Be strong. Where is our strength? It's
not in ourselves, especially during very trying times. It is in the Lord. (Psalm 28:7) His joy is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) When things are hard, we can take courage and know that Jesus will give us the strength we need to get through
them. (Philippians 4:13) The last of the five on Paul's list to the Corinthians
is to make sure that everything we do is done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:14) Love is the foundation of everything. God is love. (1 John 4:16) All of our actions toward Him are to be in love. (Mark 12:30) All of our actions toward each other are to be in love. (Mark 12:31) Anything done without love amounts to nothing, even though it may be a very good and noble deed. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) Only three things will last forever. These are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of all these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:13) No wonder everything we do is to be done in love! Do you wonder sometimes how we can do this? It's
not always easy. In fact, sometimes it's downright hard! It involves risk and vulnerability. Jesus set
the perfect example. He came because He loved His Father and He loved us with a perfect love. He lived a sinless
life out of loving obedience to His Father and eternal love for us. He died at the hands of those He created in order
to save us who, through sin, have become His enemies. That's why we can love others, even when they turn
against us. That's why we can take the risk. Because He did it first for us. How much
do you deserve to be loved by Jesus? And how much does He love you? I can only speak for myself in saying that
I deserve none of it but He chose to lavish it on me anyway. He loved me first. Now I can love God and my neighbor
also. There is no fear because His perfect love casts out all fear. (1 John 4:18) Does that mean that nothing bad will happen to us if we love freely? No. We will be vulnerable just like
Jesus was. He showed us how to love. We can love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Even when we were his enemy. (Romans 5:8) Yes, sometimes it is hard to do everything in love but when we think of the love that was shown to us..........
When we realize how much we have been forgiven..............Luke 7:47 lets us know that when we have been forgiven of much, we will love much. This morning, lets be on guard, stay true to our faith, be courageous, be strong and yes, in doing all of those things,
make sure all that we do is done in love! MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 25, 2007 - KEEP ON KEEPING ON 1 Corinthians 15:58 (New Living Translation) The King James Version puts it this way: "1 Corinthians 15:58 (King James
Version) 58 (KJV) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch
as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." Being steadfast actually means, "to sit."
Putting it another way, we are to sit in His presence and do what He gave us to do without wavering. Sort of like a
donkey sitting back on his heels and refusing to move. Sometimes stubborn can be good! That's not always easy,
at least for me. But we are encouraged to do this in Galatians 6:9 where Paul again writing, tells us not to grow weary
in well doing. These are not just orders that Paul is writing. We aren't just being told what to do without
any promise of good things. In Corinthians, Paul says that nothing we will ever do for the Lord is useless. (1
Corinthians 15:58) He says that if we keep on keeping on in doing well, we will reap a good harvest. (Galatians
6:9) Harvests take time to grow. When the farmer plants his seed, he doesn't go out the next morning and say,
"It's useless," just because he doesn't see a crop or even a seedling. No. He knows he planted
the seed and he knows it takes time to grow. So, he goes on about his business of farming, maybe planting another field
or preparing some soil for planting, all the while continuing to nurture and water that bare ground that has the seed inside.
He doesn't give up. In the proper season, he knows he will see the harvest. The Psalmist asked God to remind him of how brief his time on earth would be. (Psalm 39:4-5) He wanted to remember
that his days are numbered. So, my friend, are ours. The key is to keep on keeping on. Every day is a chance
to abound in the work of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58) It may not feel like a good day but it is the day that
God has made just for you and me to keep on keeping on. (Psalm 118:24) Rejoice because His joy will be your strength
when you feel as if all your strength is gone. Rejoice, if for no other reason than you have victory over sin and death
through Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57) Don't rush around trying to heap up wealth. You don't know
who will spend it when this short life is over. (Psalm 39:6). God has promised to bless us above all that we can
ask or believe. (Ephesians 3:20) He has promised to provide all the things he knows we need on this earth.
(Matthew 6:33) That is, if we seek His Kingdom and righteousness first. With all the rush going on around us in
this world today, it may seem that we have to seek and scratch around to find what we need. That's just not true.
We get to trust our loving Heavenly Father. We get to go about the business (not busy-ness) of His Kingdom. And
we have a promise if we choose to do this in a constant, steadfast, determined way. We will see a harvest. And
nothing we will do will be wasted, useless or done in vain. Who's for keeping on keeping on this morning? MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 24, 2007 - IF ONLY Job 9:33-35 (New Living Translation) Job was in trouble. He wanted to talk directly to God but he knew
that God was distant from him. Yet he voiced his wish that there was a mediator who could bring he and God together.
(Job 9:33) Job felt he was innocent but he knew that God's thoughts and ways were so much higher than his. (Isaiah 55:9) Have you ever felt that something was happening in your life that wasn't quite fair, yet you knew God was in control?
Sometimes life gets very difficult. It is our faith that will see us through during those times we just can't see.
There is a song with lyrics that say, "When answers aren't enough, there is Jesus." Even our
well-meaning, sincere friends and relatives may try to give us answers but we just don't quite witness to the things they
are saying. Job had some friends like that. Job knew who the God of creation was. He even said that, even
if he was innocent, he wouldn't stand a chance before the God of creation. (Job 9:15) He was right because we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Therefore, we can't stand in
His glory without a Mediator. (Romans 3:23) We are born into sin even if we never commit a wrong action (which is very unlikely to happen). (Psalm 51:5) Job, although confused by all the destruction in and around him, had a clear view of who God is and what it would
take to stand in His presence. Job lived in the terror of punishment
even though he felt he was innocent. (Job 9:34) He longed for a mediator to help him communicate with God regarding all the terrible things that were happening to
him. We have terrible things happen to us today too. Some people seem to have more tragedy than others
in their lives. It's not always because of something sinful we have done, although sometimes it is. We should
always be ready to examine our hearts by the Light of God's Spirit and His Word. (Psalm 26:2, 1 Corinthians 11:28) If we see something revealed, of course, it's our job to confess it and turn from it.
When a tower fell on several people in Jesus's time, he warned others about judging that those who had been killed were
worse sinners than themselves. (Luke 13:1-4) He, instead, told them to repent of anything that was wrong in their lives. In other words, it could happen
to anybody. Today we know by His Word, and many of us from experience, that God does not lift us up
just to bring us down. He has a purpose for everything and a plan to use everything for good if we love Him and
are doing what we're called to do. (Romans 8:28) Job, in all of the disaster that fell upon him, did not know that it was because God trusted him to be faithful even
under attack. He did not know of the conversation between God and Satan that had taken place previously. (Job 1:8-12) Can we be trusted this morning to worship God even in the bad times? (Job 1:21) Would we let go of everything like Job did and even endure the taunting and rebuke of our closest friends and spouse
after losing all of our children to death? (Job 1:22, Job 2:10) Today, you and I have Who Job only longed for, although
he seemed to have a faint glimpse. We have a Mediator. He will reconcile us to God if we will go to Him.
(1 Timothy 2:5) We have, as humans, always longed for a mediator. God is aware of our needs. After all, it is He
who made us! He gave the Israelites Moses. (Acts 7:38, Galatians 3:19) Moses was a type of Christ. He provided a small window from which we could take a peak at how it would be to
have a Mediator. But, Moses was human and sinful like everyone else. God finally sent Jesus who remained sinless,
a perfect sacrifice and the only One suited to be our Mediator. Job was fearful to speak to God (Job 33:35) He knew he could not go before the throne of God in his own strength. Aren't you glad that we have what
Job could only wishfully visualize? (Hebrews 4:16) We can go boldly to God's throne through Jesus. We are no longer under any condemnation if we are in Christ
(Romans 8:1) Even if everyone else condemns us, we are not under condemnation. Our Mediator has come. He has brought
us grace and freedom from condemnation and the punishment that Job so greatly feared. God took the spirit of fear
from us and gave us instead, power, love and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) He gave us the greatest love of all when His own Son submitted to death on the cross giving His life as ransom for
our lives. (John 15:13) When we really get that, we will no longer fear punishment. We will be free to love and all of our actions will
stem from that love. (1 John 4:8) No matter what happens. No more doing things out of fear or guilt. Just perfect love! Not even any
fear of dying. (Hebrews 2:15) We will die a natural death if Jesus doesn't come back first but that, for us who believe in Christ, is just a
promotion to a perfect eternal life. One that will be without sin, pain and sorrow. Yes, Jesus took our punishment
(Romans 3:25, 5:10) He took our condemnation (Romans 5:16, 5:18) He now stands as our Advocate before the Father. Job had a slight vision. (Job 16:19) We know He is with us and that He is at the right hand of God praying for us. (Matthew 28:20, Romans 8:34) He gave us His Spirit to confirm everything. Are you going through something difficult this morning? Are
you confused at times, wondering if you may have sinned or your troubles are a consequence of something you did? If
you know for sure that you did wrong, confess it. (1 John 1:9) If God hasn't revealed any sin to you, trust Him and be faithful to the end. Job was, even though he only
had a small idea of who the Mediator is. God restored Job to greater than he was before. His end was even better
than his prosperous beginning. God will do that for you and me too. He is not a respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34) He'll do for us what He did for Job. Let's just hang in there by faith. In the end we will hear,
"Well done, good and faithful servant!" No reward could be greater than that. (Luke 19:17) MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 23, 2007 - ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE 1 Corinthians 14:26 (New Living Translation) God is a God of order. Everything He does is of benefit. He gives good gifts
to His children. (Luke 11:13) The greatest gift is Himself, His Spirit. Then He gives other gifts through that Spirit. They are not
just for us to enjoy, although we can and should enjoy everything that comes from God. (Ecclesiastes 5:19) But, that is not all we are supposed to do with the marvelous gifts we receive from God. (Luke 6:38) We are just a conduit, really, for blessings to flow through. As God told Abraham he would
be blessed and would be a blessing, so we have the same privilege and responsibility today. (Genesis 12:2) Has God given you gifts? Of course He has. He promised He would if you would receive Jesus as your Lord.
(1 Corinthians 12:7) You may not have recognized your gift (or gifts) yet, but it is there. If you're having trouble finding
it, just go to God and ask Him to reveal it (or them) to you. These
gifts each have a special purpose, a special place and a special time for their use. We can try to use them
for the wrong reasons. That will work because when God gives gifts, He doesn't take them back. (Romans 11:29) However, if we use them without discernment or with the wrong motives, we will be in sin. God is a one
for all and all for one God. He wants everything that is done in our meetings together to be done by all and
for all to benefit from all that is done. What has God put in your heart to contribute to the worship
service that you are a part of? It may be something like teaching, making you very visible before the congregation.
On the other hand, it may be something as small as making sure there is toilet paper in the church bathroom or maybe a little
flower arrangement in there or other decoration to make things more pleasant for the congregation. No one there may
see you do it. You may not get the recognition that the teacher gets. But God doesn't miss a thing. He
sees everything and He rewards everything that is done in His Name. (Job 31:4, Jeremiah 17:10) When Paul says that everything that is done must be
useful to all and build them up in the Lord, there is much more than meets the eye in his statement. Those words really
have much deeper meaning that we see at first. From the Greek root meaning, it is evident that God wants each one
of us to be a part of the services in some way. Whether large or small, it doesn't matter. He wants us all
to operate in order. He wants all we do to be a part of a big picture. All that we
do and all that everyone else does should benefit all of us present. Those words, "build
them up," really have to do with calling people near. I think God is telling us to use what He gives us is
to help call others near to Him. The closer we all get to Him, the closer we will get to one another. (John 13:35) Our submission to one another in love will help create order and peace in our meetings. (1 Peter 5:5) Building up, as used in 1 Corinthians 14:26 has to do with a great variety of things. One of those is comfort. When we use the gifts God has given
us properly, in love, and in His timing and order, people will be comforted. They will be comfortable in the service.
They will be able to hear the call of God that calls us all to come closer. No one should be an observer in a service
and no one should quench the Spirit by trying to be the most important. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) We are all one Body and that Body needs to function as a whole. So, what has God given you to contribute that
will be useful to the whole? It may take some digging and some praying to find your place but you definitely have
a place as a participant, not just an observer. We are all one of the all that God speaks about as being built
up, or as the King James version says, "comforted." God definitely wants us to be one for all and all
for one. In fact, He wants us to be all for One - and that's Him. In return, He's always all for us!
What could be better? MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 22, 2007 - A SAVIOR AND A FORTRESS Psalms 37:39 (New Living Translation) In
this particular passage in the Psalms, the New Living Translations says, "The Lord saves the godly." The same
passage in the King James Version reads, "But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord." The word,
godly, in this particlular passage comes from the Hebrew word meaning, "just, lawful, righteous." It
comes from a root word meaning, "be right in a moral or forensic sense." (Strong's Concordance)
Are you and I righteous this morning? If we put the word, "self-" in front of that word, righteous, we will
be treading on sinking sand. However, if we know the Savior and He is Lord of our lives, we don't need to try to
make ourselves righteous. It is evident that we could never make ourselves totally right morally or in a forensic sense.
In fact, if we think we have anything to do with it at all, it seems we add to our sin. Jesus was totally infuriated
with the Pharisees who felt so righteous because of their outward actions and appearance. (Matthew 23:27) Without Jesus, we are born criminals. We are born into sin. So, it is God who does it all. He sees
that we are sinful creatures. He loves us anyway. (Romans 5:8) He sent His Son to die for us even while we were still sinners, while we were his enemies. (Romans 5:10) If we examine ourselves to see if we are godly, as the New
Living Translation puts it in Psalm 37:29 or righteous as the King James Version translates it, we only have to check one place. The center of our
being. Our heart. Do we find that the Savior lives there and that we have a close and personal relationship with
Him? Is He on the throne there as King? Or, do we find that we're trying to keep Him there in the room
but sit on the throne ourselves? Or maybe just move Him over a bit and "share" the throne? The
Lord saves the godly, those who are righteous. The only way to be made righteous is through the blood of Christ and
submission to Him as Lord. We can seem righteous in our own eyes but the only way to be really righteous is to have
God see us as righteous in His eyes. (Luke 1:6) We must be careful to keep Him as Lord of our lives and live in His way from the inside out. Do we believe
that this morning and trust God to declare us righteous? (James 2:23) If so, we will have both a Savior and a Friend. Oh, as the old hymn says, "What a friend we have
in Jesus!" He bore all our sins and griefs so we could be declared righteous by God. Does that mean that we won't have any more trouble? No, we have to live in this fallen world so we will
experience the same troubles that those around us experience. But, we have a hiding place. That word, "fortress,"
means, from the Hebrew word, "a fortified place." Among other implications and meanings are, "defense,
force, rock, strengthen and stronghold." Are you facing some kind of trouble today? If you have received
the righteousness of Christ, you are saved by the Father. That word, "saves," in Psalm 37:39 means, "rescue." It includes such other meanings as, "deliverance, help, salvation, safety, and
victory." I hope you are getting encouraged like I am right now. The Lord gives us deliverance.
He gives us the victory. He is our defense. He is the force that holds back the evil one's plots against
us. He is our solid rock. He is our stronghold when the enemy is trying to gain a stronghold in us. He is
everything! He requires righteousness and He gives it. He becomes our friend and our fortress. We just
need to trust Him to be who He is - and that's everything. Do you need salvation from your sin this morning?
Just ask. Confess your sin and receive Jesus and His forgiveness. (Romans 6:23, Romans 10:13) If you are a saved child of God today and are facing some sort of trouble, look to your Friend. (Proverbs 18:24) He is a Friend that has promised never to leave you or forsake you even up to the end of the world. (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20) What do you need this morning? Deliverance? (2 Corinthians 1:10) Help? (Hebrews 2:18) Safety? (John 17:15) Victory? (1 Corinthians 15:57) It all comes from the hand of our loving Father through the blood of Jesus. He will save us and He is our fortress! MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 21, 2007 - DELIGHTED IN DETAILS Psalms 37:23 (New Living Translation) Wow! It pays to be godly! The King James Version of Psalm
37:23 translates godly as "good man." As I looked deeper into the Hebrew meaning, I found that it means,
"valiant or warrior." It is, in general, a mighty person. It comes from a word meaning to prevail and
be strong. It also means to exceed, strengthen, etc. God doesn't seem to want us to be wimpy. We
need to be strong in our faith in what He can do. We need to be strong and prevail against those forces that would try
to drag us down and take us out. Are you experiencing a fight this morning? Even if it seems to be with another
person, you can be sure it's not that person who is your real enemy. (Ephesians 6:12) The devil is just doing what he constantly does - roaming around trying to find someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) If you're in a battle this morning, it's probably because he has picked you to pick on today. That's okay.
You and I have a promise. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13) We are strong in the mighty power of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:10) When we receive the power of the Lord through His Spirit,
God is pleased. He wants us to trust in His power to guide us and to take care of every detail of our lives. We
dare not trust in ourselves or in any other man. (Psalm 118:8) The very center verse of the whole Bible tells us that. When we walk in His power, He directs our steps.
We find His power through His Word and it becomes a light for our pathway to direct us in the Way. (Psalm 119:105) God has given us a good mind with which to make our plans but He directs our steps.(Proverbs 20:24) When we are walking in the Spirit, we may not always understand the direction He leads us in. Sometimes
it will go against the plans we have developed. But, His plan always supersedes ours. We can never trust in people
for the final direction. We fall into the category of "people" the last time I checked. God directs our steps in the very best paths, leading us in the path of righteousness,
(Psalm 23:3) We can't even honor Him correctly without trusting that He will lead us in the right direction. He
does just that as we trust Him and surrender to His leading. But, there's even more. He delights in every
detail of our lives. How many hairs are on your head? I'll bet you don't know. I don't
either. But God does. Now that's pretty detailed. (Matthew 10:30) How many tears have you cried during your lifetime. I'll bet you don't know that either. But,
God does. In fact those tears, every one of them, are so important to God that He has collected them in a bottle.
(Psalm 56:8) He has written every one of your sorrows in a book. How's that for details? Are you being picked on
this morning by the evil one? Just remember, your God is watching and knows everything that is going on right down to
each hair you might be pulling out of your head at this moment. Is somebody seeming to succeed that is being used of
the evil one to taunt you? God says, "...just be still." He says, "...wait patiently."
No one will succeed for very long doing that. (Psalm 37:7) Don't worry. You might lose more hair if you do and cause God to have to do a recount! Seriously, Psalm 37:1-2 says not to be bothered about those who act wickedly and not to envy their seeming success. No one will get
away with going against God for long. Just trust in the Lord and do good. (Psalm 37:3) He'll direct your steps to safe pasture. Delight yourself in Him, not in any thing or any person.
(Psalm 37:4) He will give you your heart's desire in His own time. If we can just commit to do the above, we will
soon find ourselves seeing a harvest of the good seed we have planted by our good example. If the cause we are
fighting for is in alignment with the love and desire of God, we will see the justice we have been longing to see.
(Psalm 37:5) He's got our steps and He's got every detail of our lives in full control. We just need to believe
Him because His Word tells us those things. We just need to be godly and strong in His mighty power! He
delights in every detail of our lives. MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 20, 2007 - DIFFERENT BUT EQUALLY IMPORTANT 1 Corinthians 12:7 (New Living Translation) Now, who am I to judge another's servant? James said we should not condemn and criticize one another.
(James 4:11) Our job is just to obey God. We are not under condemnation if we are in Christ so why would we
condemn another who confesses Christ? There are many gifts and many parts of the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:14) Some parts of our physical bodies don't seem that important to us. Like a fingernail.
But tear it off or break it back deeply into the quick and it will be a quick reminder of just how important that little part
of our body is. It's the same way in the Body of Christ. We all have different gifts that must be used so
that His body can function properly here on earth. Some of the gifts don't seem so important, especially in this day when
there seems to be Christian super-stars in the media. I'm not speaking against that. I appreciate all those
people who get on radio and television and preach the gospel bringing light and encouragement to the Body at large.
God's Word never returns void, no matter who speaks it. (Isaiah 55:11) His Word is His Word. It works all by itself, or should I say Himself. Jesus is
the Word. (John 1:14) It may look like those people in the forefront are more important than some of us who seem to have
the lesser gifts and recognition. But, that's not true. Every part of the Body is important.
Every gift is important. Every gift and part must be used in order for the Body of Christ to function
well. What if I am a big toe but I try to be an eye? Well, you get the picture. (1 Corinthians 12:15) Likewise, if we are angry because we are a big toe and decide not to let ourselves be used in that
capacity, the whole body will have trouble balancing. What
has God called you to do? What are you within the Body of Christ? Are you doing it? Romans 8:28 is one of my favorite verses. It says everything will work together for good. But it doesn't
end there. It says "for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose of them."
If you have given your heart to Jesus, then you are called to a certain purpose in this world. You have been given one
or more spiritual gifts and you have been given talents. We are all being fitted together by the Spirit. (Ephesians 4:16) We still have a choice. God will eventually work on us until we "fit." But,
why not just agree with Him now and not have to go through all that sanding and grinding that He would otherwise have
to do on us to get us to fit into our place? And again, who are we to pick and choose our gifts and where we function?
The Word of God says that it is the Holy Spirit alone that decides which gift each person should have. Whatever God
has given you and me, we just need to faithfully use it properly. No trying to be an arm if you're shaped like a
nose! As we use the gifts God has graciously and wisely given each of us, the whole Body will benefit. We won't
have to look around with a judgmental eye at whether this person or that person meets our standards. If we're doing what
God gave us to do, we won't even have much time to look around to see if others are doing what we think they should be
doing. If they are confessing Jesus as Lord, they are His servants and He is perfectly able to take care of them.
If we're Presbyterian and they're Pentecostal, or the other way around, so what? We all have a purpose.
Jesus never said, "if you become a Baptist," or "if you join the Methodist church." He never said
anything like that. He said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32) He was,in fact, lifted up on the cross and now it's His job as the Head of the Church to draw all
men to Himself. We are His Body, all of us who, by the Spirit, say that He is Lord. When we function in the way
we were individually created to function, we will lifting up Jesus who is the Head of the Body. Then is when the
lost will start to see Him as He really is. When they do, He will draw them to Himself. Then is when we will begin
to flow in love together because we will all be doing our part. We will no longer be irritating one another bringing
pain to the Body. Is there something that God has called you to do that you have not been doing? If so,
getting into your place this morning will not only benefit those around you but it will bring you peace and joy as you use
your God-given gift. You and your gift are needed in the Body. MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 19, 2007 - THE HOUSE OF THE WISE Proverbs 21:20 (New International Version) Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
(Matthew 6:21) In Proverbs 21:20 it says that in the house of the wise there's a storehouse of choice food and oil. The King James Version says
"There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise." What kind of treasure is in your
house this morning and what are you doing with the treasure you have? If there is
treasure in the house of the wise, what kind of treasure should it be? We are told that we should not lay up treasure
where moths can eat it and rust will rot it. (Matthew 6:19) So, if we are wise and treasure is found in our house, it should not be mainly stored up earthly treasure.
While it is true we should be wise about providing for our families, our main emphasis should not be to store up lots
of "stuff." The treasure we should be storing up, if we are wise, is the treasure that we are sending
ahead of time to our permanent house in Heaven. (Matthew 6:20) That treasure will never rot, rust, be eaten up or be stolen from us. Our house will be lavishly furnished when
we make our final move to that permanent Home. God has already promised that if we seek His kingdom and righteousness
first, He will provide all the things we need for our earthly dwellings. (Matthew 6:33) What are we storing up this morning? Where are we
storing it? Hopefully we fall in the category of the wise man in Proverbs 21:20. If not, we're in dangerous company. The Word says that the foolish man devours all that he has. First
of all, we don't want to be classified as foolish. In the Strong's Concordance, that means fat, stupid,
and silly. Secondly, we certainly don't want to do what Proverbs 21:20 says the foolish person does. He devours all that he has. The word, "devours," is translated,
"spendeth it up," in the King James Version. From its Hebrew word, comes the meaning not only of devour,
but of destroy. Do those two words bring anything to memory? Do they remind you of anyone? The devil is
called the devourer in Malachi 3:11 (see King James Version). God says if we will bring our tithes to His storehouse, He will rebuke that
devourer. Yes, in God's storehouse is where we can find security and protection in this world and add to our own
storehouse in Heaven! We surely don't want to be in the company of the devourer! Also we're
told that the thief, meaning Satan, only comes to kill, steal and destroy. (John 10:10) When we destroy what we have by using it unwisely or squandering (another word used in another version to describe
this foolish person), we become allies with the devil. Not a good ally - he destroys his own. What's
in our storehouses and how are we using what we have? Even the Word of God can be misused. We can store it up
in ourselves until we become puffed up with knowledge but have not shared a single bit of it with another who is starving
for it. We can have a wrong sense of accomplishment if we just feel important because we know so much Word. (1 Corinthians 8:1) All we really have done is devoured it and not shared anything with others, thereby storing up treasure
in Heaven. Are we among the wise this morning? Do we have treasure stored up in our Heavenly home and are we seeking
God's kingdom first right now knowing that He will provide everything we need here on earth? (2 Corinthians 9:8) As we examine ourselves, may it be that we will find our house is a house of the wise! MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 18, 2007 - RICHES Proverbs 21:17 (New Living Translation) Do you think that God wants to prosper us? To bless us? I do. His Word says so. He promised
us the blessing of Abraham. (Galatians 3:14) Abraham was blessed by the Lord in all things (Genesis 24:1) Everything. Do you want to be blessed in every way with all things? If we want the
blessings of Abraham, it stands to reason that we need to be like Abraham. Abraham was a man of faith, trust and obedience.
He never wavered in believing God's promise. (Romans 4:20) He didn't always see it at first with his eyes. In fact he had to wait and make a few mistakes before he
received the son he was promised. He was one hundred years old when Isaac was finally born and he had received
the promise. (Genesis 21:5) Have you been waiting in faith for a promise of God to be manifest in your life? Are you willing
to wait as long as Abraham waited and believe even though you know the thing you are believing for is impossible in the natural?
If so, you are the one that God can bless. He never fails in any of his promises but they are all manifested in His
time. (2 Corinthians 1:20) Did Abraham look for and covet riches?
(Galatians 3:9) No. He was blessed because of his faith. Did the richest man that ever lived, Solomon,
covet riches? (2 Chronicles 1:11-12) No. The reason Solomon was blessed with riches was because he coveted and loved something
or I should say Someone more than riches. God's Word says that He wants us to prosper even as our
soul prospers. (3 John 1:2 - Amplified Bible says "prosper in every way") Our soul is our will and emotions. When those things
come in line with our spirit and His Spirit, then we are candidates for blessing and prosperity. Although God is able
and willing to give us great riches and power, He seems to withhold it from us if we can't handle it.
Only He knows what we can handle and when we can handle it. Besides that, Abraham was blessed so he could be a blessing.
(Genesis 12:2) The same applies to us. If we are given a great amount of riches and power or anointing,
can we handle it? No matter what it is that we are given, God says, if it is much, much will be required.
(Luke 12:48) If we were blessed with great riches and power or anointing, would we use it to bless others? James says, regarding prayer, that we don't ask for the right things because we
intend to use what we ask for to gratify our own lusts or pleasure. (James 4:3) Proverbs 21:17 says that those who love pleasure will become poor. What is the love of your life? The Giver
of all good gifts or the gifts themselves? God does not deny us pleasure. In fact He made everything so we
could enjoy it. (1 Timothy 6:17) We can enjoy the good things but we must never trust in them. He does not appreciate us
putting anything before our love and commitment to Him. (Deuteronomy 6:5) Proverbs 21:17 also says that wine and luxury are not the way to riches. The word, "luxury" is translated,
"oil" in the King James Version. Looking in the Strong's Concordance, the meaning of that Hebrew word
has within it, grease, fatness and anointing. Yes, even anointing. If we treasure the anointing God places
upon us more than the God who placed it there, we are not on the road to blessing. Do you want to have the favor
and blessing of God this morning? Then take note of Proverbs 21:17 and stay away from the love of pleasure. That is one of the things that God said would happen
in the last days. Men would be lovers of pleasure more than God. (2 Timothy 3:4) Do you want to prosper? We can. We just need to love God with all of our hearts,
minds and strength. Then everything else will fall into place as the blessings follow and overtake us. (Psalm 23:6, Deuteronomy 28:2) MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 17, 2007 - WHAT DO YOU WANT? Psalms 34:12 (New Living Translation) In Psalm 34, David begins by praising the Lord out loud and on purpose. (Psalm 34:1) From then on, he gives good reason why we should constantly praise the Lord. Then, in Psalm 34:12, he asks a question that has a seemingly obvious answer. Does anybody want to live a long life and a good life?
Most of us would say, "duh." "Of course we all want to live a good long life." Yet, that may
not really be the case. I'm thinking of when Jesus asked the man who had been sitting by the pool of Bethesda for
a very long time if he wanted to get well. Sometimes our illness or our unfavorable conditions become our identity.
They become the norm for us. It might be obvious on the outside that we need to have a change but the inside, somewhere
down in our soul, says it's more comfortable to stay in unfavorable conditions. Thus, the need for David to ask
the question, "Does anyone want to live a long, good life?" And, for Jesus to ask the question, "Do you
want to get well?" (John 5:6) There was something the man at the pool of Bethesda had
to answer before Jesus would be able to help him. It was that haunting question, "Will you be made whole?"
His answer was not exactly one of faith. It was more of an excuse, but most probably a valid one. (John 5:7) He had been there for thirty-eight years in that condition. (John 5:5) The first one in the pool after the angel troubled the waters was the one to be healed. (John 5:4) For thirty-eight years he had watched someone else make it to the water before he could. Whatever infirmity
the man had probably kept him from being the first to be able to get into the water. Then he just got used to being
left behind, comfortable if you will, in a very dysfunctional sort of way. Can you imagine living that way for thirty-eight
years? It had probably become pretty normal for him to know that he would not be the first in the water. Still,
Jesus wanted to know if he really, really wanted to get well. Something must have transpired between the man and
Jesus because Jesus, upon hearing the reason the man had not been healed in all of those thirty-eight years, Jesus said, "Rise..."
And the man did! He was cured in an instant of a disease that had bound him for thirty-eight years. My take of
the story is that it was Jesus's great compassion mixed with a small spark of faith in the man that brought about the
healing. The man had to respond somehow to Jesus in order to receive what Jesus wanted to give him. Is there something
Jesus is asking us this morning? David, too, asked a question that
seemingly has an obvious answer. But, if you have lived a life that is less than lovely up to this point, you may think
that is normal for you and there is nothing better. We need to agree with God today that He has plans to give us a hope
and a future and to prosper us. (Jeremiah 29:11) That is, if we will listen to Him, trust Him, and obey Him. There's almost always an, "if."
Here's the "if" that David was giving in regard to living a good, long life. Watch your mouth, don't
lie. (Psalm 34:13) Turn from anything that is evil and do good. Really work at living in peace with others. (Psalm 34:14) Of course, all of the above things are possible when we are made new creatures in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We can do those things by constantly renewing our mind, so that we know and do the will of God. (Romans 12:2) Yes, we can do all of those things through the strength of Jesus! (Philippians 4:13) Have you been living a less than desirable life? Is there something in you that needs healing today? Perhaps
God is speaking to you right this moment asking you a question that seems to have an obvious answer. Deep
down inside you may know that you have accepted less than what God wants for you as your identity. Maybe you think more
like a victim than the victor that you are in Christ. Do not feel condemned. Romans 8:1 says that you are not condemned if you are in Christ. Just know that God is revealing to you His great love.
Let yourself answer, "Yes and amen," to all that God would do in and through you. Do you want be well?
Do you want to live a good, long life? If so, it is possible through Jesus who loved you enough to give
up all of Heaven's glory for a time so you and I could receive a just that. (2 Corinthians 8:9) What will be our answer this morning? MORNING MANNA - AUGUST 16, 2007 - PRAISE THE LORD, WHEN? Psalms 34:1 (New Living Translation) When is it time to praise the Lord? Always. David was suffering under great persecution
when he wrote the 34th Psalm but the very first thing he said was this. "I will praise the Lord at all times."
So, whatever is in your life this morning, this is the time to praise the Lord! The Message puts Romans 11:36 like this: "Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes." It takes a person of faith to believe all that and
to obediently give God praise in spite of what the circumstances look like. Will you be that person? Like David,
we should P.U.S.H. Praise until something happens. And something will happen because God is pleased with
our praises. As we begin to P.U.S.H., we will be propelled by God's grace to begin to move forward. He will
give us a push in the right direction. David also said, "I will constantly speak his praises." That's what we're going to do this
morning too. Right? We will speak His praises. Our words are very powerful. With them, we can create
an atmosphere. The Word of God lets us know that in our tongues lies the power of life and death. (Proverbs 18:21 - in the Amplified Version it reads this way: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they
who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].") Praise brings life. Complaint brings
death. The Message even breaks our words down to our own choice. "Words kill, words give life; they're
either poison or fruit - you choose." Let's choose words of praise to the Lord this morning. They
will not only please Him but they will bring us life and blessing. David made the proper choice and we're going to do that this morning too. No matter what
things look like, we are going to praise the Lord just because He is worthy of it. (Deuteronomy 10:21) Right after David made the commitment to praise the Lord at all times, he gave a message to everyone who might
be discouraged. He said, "...let all who are discouraged take heart." (Psalm 34:2) Paul tells us in Galatians 6:9 not to lose heart. We're given the assurance that we will reap God's blessings if we don't grow
weary in well-doing. It may look like nothing is growing when we throw that good seed out but you can be sure that God
is tending the seed and it will grow a harvest that you will reap in His time. Knowing all of that, we can come together
and tell of the Lord's greatness. We can exalt His name together. (Psalm 34:3) That's what David calls for. You and I may not even know what one another looks like. There may be space
between us and even time between when we are reading this but that is nothing to God. We can exalt His name together.
He answers our prayers and takes away our fears. (Psalm 34:4) He makes us radiant with joy when we go to Him for help. He takes away all of our shame. (Psalm 34:5) He hears us when we call to him in our suffering. We have no cause to fear. (Psalm 34:6) The angel of the Lord will guard and rescue us when we fear God. (Psalm 34:7) We are invited to taste of the Living Word and know that He is good. Numerous joys are ours as we trust Him.
(Psalm 34:8) We will have all that we need if we honor Him. (Psalm 34:9) We will never lack any good thing if we are trusting Him. No wonder David said he would praise the
Lord at all times and speak those praises constantly. Have you noticed that all the time is a good time to praise
the Lord? I'm sure that, like me, after reading all these reasons (among many that are not even listed) you
are now praising the Lord. Me too! Let us exalt His name together this morning! Enter content here Enter content here Enter content here Enter content here |
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