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A SONG AND A PRAYER |
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MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 1-15, 2007
Enter subhead content here  MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 15, 2007 - NO WITHHOLDING Psalms 84:11 (New Living Translation) Have you ever tried to make your way down a dark alley at night, not being
able to see what is around you, not being able to see the road ahead or the ruts or dangers that are there? That's
the way life is. It is dark and dangerous if we have to go through it without any light. Yet, why is it that we,
as natural men, tend to love the darkness more than the light? (John 13:19) It's because, without the Lord's help, our deeds are evil. Some may want to deny that but it is true.
However, Psalm 84:11 has given us the solution to the darkness of our hearts and souls. The Lord God is our light. The King James Version
uses the term, "sun." We don't have to grope around in the darkness and depravity of the sin that is rampant
in this world. We have the Son for our Sun. He is dispelling the darkness in our lives. For us who believe,
that light will continue to shine through every dark place and the darkness will never overcome it. (John 1:5) Yes, God is portrayed as our sun here in Psalm 84:11. He is also portrayed that way in Malachi 4:2. This time He is the Sun or light of righteousness. He is that brilliant light that shines brighter than anything
we can comprehend. He is that Light that burns everything evil up in a split second. He is that Light
that comes to us with healing in His wings. Do you have an area in your life this morning that needs healing? The
Lord God is your Sun. He is your Sun of righteousness who will descend upon your life, whether it be emotional, mental,
spiritual, or physical. As He does, the healing from His wings will flow over you and do its work. He
is the cure, the remedy, the medicine, the deliverance that you and I need. Remember the story of the woman who pressed her way through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus's garment.
I once heard a preacher say that what she was touching was what they call the "wings" of the garments worn in those
days. Today, the Lord is our Light and our salvation. (Psalm 27:1) He not only is the Way, but He lights the way. (John 14:6) He not only lights the way, He is the Light. (John 9:5) He not only speaks the Word (John 1:14), He is the Word that lights the path. (Psalm 119:105) Would you say that He's got everything, including you and me covered? Bathed in light? Not only that,
He's our protector. That word, "protector," is translated, "shield," in the King James Version. It
has the meaning of the scaly hide of a crocodile. The root word means that God has us hedged about.
Those healing wings are cozy and warm on the underside but the topside must be like armor! We are protected by
a hedge that God has placed around us. Protected for eternity. Have you given Him your heart?
He is able to keep it through the thick and thin of worldly circumstances and take you Home safely with Him at the end
of this life's journey. (2 Timothy 1:12) Some days, we may be tempted to feel like we're in a prison of circumstances with no way out. But, just
remember, Jesus is the Way. He is our light and protector. As
if being our light and protector were not enough, He has also promised to give us gifts. Grace and glory.
For this world, we will need grace. As the old song repeats, "Amazing Grace." Sometimes we don't
realize all that is contained in grace. We certainly need grace to make our way in life. Someone has defined grace
as God giving us something we don't deserve. That's so true. We don't deserve His favor but that's
exactly what He gives us. That's what that word really means, "favor." The root word gives an even better
picture. It is God bending low to us, though we don't deserve it, and pouring out his graciousness, or grace.
Can you picture that in your mind? Our Creator bending to favor us? No wonder the writer of, "Amazing Grace"
wrote, "....that saved a wretch like me...." While we may not want to see ourselves as wretched because,
these days, we tend to compare ourselves with others, we are wretched until the blood of Jesus washes our sin away.
If any comparisons are to be made, we need to compare ourselves with God. He sets the standard. He is the
standard. (Romans 3:23) But for grace...... Divine favor lets us walk with our head up high, knowing we are a child of the King
and that He has granted us a pardon for being the prodigal child that we once were. He also gives us glory.
That means splendor and honor. Do we deserve it? No. But He gives it anyway. As a matter of fact,
He won't withhold any good thing from us if we walk in an upright way. If we behave ourselves in a godly manner.
If we live a life of integrity and truth. Can we do that by ourselves? I don't know about you, but I
can't. I need God's grace. I need His protection. I need His light. I need to see His glory
and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He's promised that same glory to me. Is that what you need too?
We need not worry. It's all provided by our loving Heavenly Father. All good gifts come from Him. (James 1:17) He loves to give good gifts to His children. (Matthew 7:11) Are you doing what is right this morning? Are you trusting your Father? (Psalm 78:12) If you are, there's an added bonus. Joy! Unlike the IRS, God does not withhold anything. Instead
of taking from us, He bountifully provides everything we could possibly need if we will just receive it. MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 14, 2007 - THIS IS WHAT THE LORD SAYS Jeremiah 22:3 (New Living Translation) It doesn't hurt to go back to the Old Testament sometimes to see what the Lord said to His people.
Since He is the same yesterday, today and forever, His Word does not change. He is the Word. (John 1:1) He came in the flesh. (John 1:14) So what are some of the things that God said back in the time of Jeremiah? In just one verse, Jeremiah 22:3, God said lots! And every one of those things apply to us today too. Be
fair minded and just. Are we doing that today? The Amplified Bible says, "execute justice and righteousness."
How about our court system today? Is it executing justice and operating in righteousness? In it's effort
to be fair minded, has it simply lost it's mind? Justice seems to be so perverted today. But, that is nothing
new. In Habakkuk's time justice was perverted too. In fact, the scripture says that the law was paralyzed.
(Habakkuk 1:4) Does that sound familiar? While it is true that we can't fix our court system by ourselves, we can
start with our own individual lives and be fair minded and just. We can stop gossiping and accepting third and fourth
hand information as something we use to judge another. (Romans 1:29) Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Have you ever been robbed?
Had your house burglarized? It's a terrible feeling. It's a violation of your person. Someone you
don't even know has come in and touched all of your things, taking what they wanted and leaving you traumatized
in a house turned upside down. That has happened to us twice and it changes your life. There are many ways
that we are robbed. Being robbed of your personal property is awful but there's an even more sinister type of robbery.
It is done by the one who comes with the specific intent of stealing what we have spiritually. (John 10:10) God would have us to help those who have been robbed. If someone has had all of their personal items stolen
and is without anything, most of us would be more than happy to contribute something to help them get along with life until
they got on their feet again. But, what about the one who has been robbed of their relationship with the Lord.
What about the one who has been deceived into looking the other way while Satan moved in and took over the house? Who,
this morning, is willing to look past some faults and some disgusting habits to help that one who has been robbed and even
rescue them from their oppressors. In this case, the oppressors may be servants of the Devil who have come in to keep
a precious child of God from having those things that God gave them. We cannot deliver them by our own power but
we can minister the Word of God to them and effectively rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds!
We can all look at that one as a check-point in our lives. Most of us are probably not doing obviously
evil deeds. But Jesus took that statement a bit further in principle. What is in our hearts? Have we thought
about doing something that is not God's will? If so, Jesus said, we have already done it. (Matthew 5:28) Whatever is in our hearts, unless we deal with God in that area, will come out eventually. (Proverbs 4:23) So, quitting evil deeds actually begins before we even start doing them. It begins in the heart. Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans and widows. With so many foreigners in our
land today and with all that is going on regarding those that are illegal, we are reminded that we should not be mistreating
them. That isn't to say that we should not require them to keep the law. Letting someone go astray is
actually a form of mistreatment. God loves us and doesn't mistreat us but He does give us boundaries. Every
foreigner in the land is a person that Christ cared enough to die for. Our job is not to mistreat them but to point
them to a Savior. (Exodus 23:9) As believers, we are really foreigners in this land called, Earth. We have known at times what it is like to
be mistreated. Everyone we meet is a potential citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. No longer to be a foreigner if
we will but offer the good news of the Gospel. Orphans and widows are not only the ones who have no parents or no spouses.
With so many parents and spouses totally into themselves and disengaged from their families, we have lonely and hurt people
everywhere we look. Before we judge another for their actions, maybe we should try to get to know them better.
Perhaps we have run into someone who has never been validated at home or never learned how to relate to others.
There's not a person more lonely or dejected than the child with parents or the married person with a spouse who is there
but really not there. What a perfect opportunity for us to show God to them by taking them in and showing them love instead
of judging and criticizing. (Psalm 27:10) That's what God does. Stop murdering the innocent. So many innocent people are
being murdered every day before they even have a chance to defend themselves. Who would murder a defenseless person?
There are nice people walking around among us that have committed the act of murder by taking the life of a
defenseless baby that God created before it ever got a chance to take its first breath. Before I go on here, God
is a forgiving God. But, we have to ask for that forgiveness. We have to admit that we have gone against His will.
If you have had an abortion, God does not love you any less than He did before this happened. However, He does want
you to realize that any life that He creates is valuable and precious. He says, "Stop murdering the innocent."
Repentance means that we stop and go the other way. This morning, you can stop, receive forgiveness and set your
heart in the other direction. But, there's more than one way to murder an innocent person. We can be
angry with someone and cut them to the core with words. Character assassination is just as cruel as sticking
a knife in someone's heart. When that happens, we leave someone to walk around as a shell of a person.
Of course, God can restore that person if they run to Him instead of running away. God will also restore us if we have
done that to another and come back to God with a truly repentant heart. But we need to stop that sort of behavior.
(Matthew 5:21-22) If we don't, we have not only killed another but we have brought God's judgment upon ourselves. Can you believe that God packed that all in one little verse in the Old Testament.
That's a lot to think about. Maybe too much for some of us. All those things are wrapped up in one chapter
in the Bible. It's 1 Corinthians 13. If we want to get even more succinct, it is wrapped up in two verses of the Bible. (Matthew 22:34-39) What the Lord is really saying (between the lines and through Jesus) is, "How's your
love life?" MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 13, 2007 - WHO NEEDS COURAGE? 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (New Living Translation) When Paul wrote to
the Thessalonians, he wrote something that obviously applies to us today since it is included in the Bible. It's a
short, but powerful, message that bears repeating again and again. Is there anything in your life this morning
that is causing you to lose your courage? If not, can you think of a time in the past when something has happened that
just seemed to zap you of your courage to go on? Life does that to us sometimes. Life is hard but God
is good. Life can drain us but God fills us when we come up empty. How does He do that? He partners with
you and me. Just as 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, we need to encourage one another. We need to work with God to fill those around
us with courage to stand up to the enemy and receive the victory that has been won for us by our Lord Jesus Christ.
This word, "encourage" is translated in the King James Version as, "comfort." It is used in
other passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:18, "comfort and encourage each other." Just as the Holy Spirit comes to our side to help
us and is called the "Comforter," we are to do that for one another. The word actually has within its meaning,
"to call near," or "to invite." Is there someone in your life that needs encouragement
today? Will you be the one to call them near and invite them to receive encouragement from you? Paul wrote
to the Corinthian Church somewhat of the same message. It is an important message. They may not have been doing
all they could in this area because he admonishes them to change their ways and to encourage one another. (2 Corinthians 13:11) Whether we are already being an encourager or whether we need to change our ways in this area, those around us
need to see the Holy Spirit working more in our lives in the way we give out encouragement and comfort. It's harder to build something than it is to tear something down. Anyone can
destroy something that took a long time to build in just a minute. Don't you think that's why one of the names
for Satan is the destroyer? He comes only to kill steal and destroy. (John 10:10) When we tear each other down, whose side are we on anyway? The answer is pretty evident. Being an encourager
is not always easy and it takes time and energy. It takes knowing how much God has done for us. If we're
on God's side, we need to be mindful of those around us who are about to lose their courage and be devoured by the
enemy. (1 Peter 5:8) Instead of thinking only about ourselves, why don't we take a look around and see who might need a word of encouragement?
An act of kindness. Is there someone who needs to be built up? You might be saying, "But, that's
what I need!" This morning may find you feeling very unstable or running out of courage. If
that's the case, encourage someone else. God was not lying when He said we would reap what we sow. (Galatians 6:7) In this verse, the context is that if we ignore God, we won't get away with it. That's so
true. But, the reverse is true too. If we sow encouragement, that's what we will reap. The seeds of
encouragement can produce nothing but encouragement. So, lets sow! Even if we're riding high today, there
may be a day coming when we will be the one that needs a big dose of encouragement. What can we do to encourage others? (Ephesians 4:29) We can let our words be vehicles of encouragement. This morning, you might want to pick up the telephone and
just give someone a call to let them know you're thinking of them or to ask how they're doing. If someone
in your life is grieving or going through a bout of illness, an encouraging telephone call can make their day.
You might even want to share some words of prayer with and for them. We can also use words in a note or a card,
even an e-mail (not the forward kind but a personally written note from your heart). God has written words of encouragement
to us. (Romans 15:4) Words of scripture that give us hope. We may tend to think that our leaders are supposed to encourage us and
that they are so strong that they don't need any encouragement. This is just not so. The Apostle, Paul, was
looking forward to the time when he would meet with those he had taught so that they could encourage one another. (Romans 15:32) Leaders, although they may be greatly gifted, are only people. They have their struggles too. In fact,
you can be sure that they have many troubles if they are a good leader. They are the exact ones the enemy would like
to take down because so many would fall with them. So, if you're being led of the Lord right about now, encourage a
spiritual leader today. The Word tells us to honor them, showing them great respect and wholehearted love. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) Encouragement needs to be shown in all directions, upward, downward, and across. Of course, if you think
about it, that forms a cross. Without the cross, we would have no encouragement. But, as believers and receivers
of the gift of salvation, we can be encouraged and we must encourage one another. The Bible says we're to think
of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24) Do you have your thinking cap on? It's time to get started. Who can you encourage and build up
today? MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 12, 2007 - MORE AND MORE 1 Thessalonians 4:1 (New Living Translation) As the Apostle, Paul, wrote to those in Thessalonica, there are new levels every day to which we should strive
to live. There is always more for the life of the believer. Paul wrote of two things in 1 Thessalonians 4 that we are encouraged to do more and more. The first is to live a life pleasing to God. (1 Thessalonians 4:1) The second is to love one another. (1 Thessalonians 4:10) When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he was not writing in judgment. In fact, he said that they were
already doing these very things. You and I are most likely doing them too but we can't stay on the same level.
We need to push forward to new heights and awareness of living lives that are pleasing to God and loving one another.
It stands to reason that, if God is love (and He is) (1 John 4:8), then loving one another would be pleasing to Him. In fact, His Word says that if we do not love, we don't
even know Him. And how can we please someone we don't even know? Living a life that is pleasing to God
is totally dependant on love. Paul says that he doesn't really even need to write to us about the importance of
loving one another. He says that God, Himself, has taught us. (1 Thessalonians 4:9) If we know God, we can and will be taught by Him. God
began teaching us how to live lives that are pleasing to Him very early on. God is certainly a God of mercy but He gave
the stipulation a long time ago that His mercy would flow as we lived obedient lives and did what was pleasing to Him.
(Deuteronomy 13:18) That goes right along with the two things that Paul encourages us to do more and more. Obedience is pleasing
to God. It is even better than sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:22) Jesus tied that in with love by letting us know that He was abiding in the love of the Father because He
was obedient. (John 15:10) If we are obedient, we will remain in the love of Jesus. He went on to say that, if we love Him, we
will obey His commandments. (John 14:15) Have you ever wanted to really know Jesus on a deeper level? To have a deeper revelation of who He
is? Obeying Him from a heart of love has a promise connected to it. Jesus said He would reveal Himself to those
who loved Him and walked in obedience. (John 14:21) No wonder Paul wanted us to live lives pleasing to God and love one another more and more! We can know that
we love God's children (one another) when we love God and obey His commandments. (1 John 5:2) Jesus gave us the two greatest commandments and they are these.
Love God with everything in you. Love one another as you love yourself. (Matthew 22:34-39) The Pharisee's of Jesus time thought they would throw him a trick question. But instead, His simple reply put
them to silence. Everything in scripture, all the commandments and the demands of the prophets is based on one thing.
Love. (Matthew 22:40) Love for God and love for one another. I'm beginning to see why Paul wanted us to be encouraged to live
lives that are pleasing to God (obedient lives) and to love one another more and more. There will always be another
level of both of these things that we can get to even as Jesus reveals Himself to us, as He promised. When we see more
and more of Him, we will realize just how much more and more we need to walk in humble obedience and in unconditional love. More
and more love for one another seemed to be a recurring theme in Paul's writing. (Philippians 1:9) It should be a recurrent theme in our lives too. We can do lots and lots of wonderful things but if we don't
have love, we might as well just sit on our blessed assurance and watch soap operas all day long! (1 Corinthians 13:3) It's a command and it's pleasing in God's sight. (John 15:17) Do you want to satisfy all of God's requirements? Then love and you won't go wrong. (Romans 13:10) No pretending - real, genuine love that flows from the heart of God through us. (Romans 12:9) Jesus said He was giving us a new commandment. We are to love one another just as He loved us. (John 13:34) What does that mean? He laid down His life for us. No wonder Paul wants us to love one another more and
more. How many people would you be willing to lay your life down for today? Just writing this and reviewing these
few scriptures on loving one another and living a life that is pleasing to God makes me know that I need to rise to new levels.
Anyone ready to rise more and more this morning? MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 11, 2007 - WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE, GOD'S LOVE 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (New Living Translation) It's pretty easy to love those who love us. It's not so easy to love someone
that really rubs us the wrong way. I mean, this person may even be in the church! I'm sure we have all run
across that one that just seems to be like sandpaper to our flesh! That's when God drives the lesson home to us
that love is not a feeling. It's a choice. Perfect love comes from God. (1 John 4:18) 1 Thessalonians 3:12 says, "And may the Lord make your love grow..." None of us are capable of really loving unless we are
filled with the love of God. Only God can do the filling. It is His power that makes His love grow in us.
The only way to be filled is to be empty first. That would be of self. (Galatians 2:20) When we empty ourselves of ourselves, God has room to fill us with His love. God is the essence and source of
love. (1 John 4:16) He is Love. Jesus said that when we see Him, we see God. (John 14:9) We, if we have believed in Jesus, have seen Love! God loved and still loves the whole world. (John 3:16) He wants to save everyone and fill everyone with His love. But, He leaves the choice to us. Have
you received the perfect gift of His love this morning? His saving grace? (Ephesians 2:8) Is your love for your fellow believers growing this morning?
How about your love for everyone else? In this dog-eat-dog world, real love rarely surfaces. Look at the Hollywood
marriages. The church marriages are not much different. The divorce statistics are at an alarmingly high percentage
among those who say they are Christians. And, what about brotherly love? The Word of God says people
in the world will know we belong to Christ because of our love for one another. (John 13:35) How many people in the world actually see us loving one another? How many hear us complaining about and putting
one another down? (Galatians 5:15) Does our love toward our brothers and sisters in Christ prove that we are disciples of Jesus? God
wants to make our love, not only grow but, overflow. Loving those who are Christians is a lot easier than loving those
who are not. But, 1 Thessalonians 3:12 says that we are to overflow with love for Christians as well as everybody else. God loved us when we were his
enemies. (Romans 5:10) He sent His only Son to die for us. He wants us to love like He loves. We're not only to love one
another but also to love our enemies. (Matthew 5:43-48) Can you do that in your own strength? I can't! I need the love of God to fill me if I am to do that. To return evil for evil is devilish, to return good for good is human, but to return
good for evil is divine. —Preaching the Word Yes, that is so
true. That's what real love is, divine. Real love is a choice to love everyone as God loves us. Why
do you suppose that God would want us to do such a thing as to love our enemies? Matthew 5:45 says that if we do that, we will begin to be conformed to the image of God. He wants His children to resemble
Him. We were made that way but sin has taken its toll on our image. When we begin to let God fill us with His
unconditional love and then pass it along to others, we begin to look more like we were created to look. In this way,
we will become different than those in the world, who only love those that love them back. (Matthew 5:47) Look at the following quote about love. C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity: The rule for all
of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste your time bothering whether you "love" your neighbor; act as if you did.
As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently
come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn,
you will find yourself disliking him less. . . . The difference between a Christian and worldly man is not
that the worldly man has only affections or "likings" and the Christian has only "charity." The worldly
man treats certain people kindly because he "likes" them; the Christian, trying to treat every one kindly, finds
himself liking more and more people as he goes on — including people he could not even have imagined himself liking
at the beginning.[ —Preaching the Word We are not only to love everyone,
including our enemies but we are to pray for those who persecute us. (Matthew 5:44) The supreme example of this was when Jesus hung on the cross and chose to deliberately pray, "Father, forgive
them for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) Who needs to be filled to overflowing with the love of God this morning? I do! What the world needs
now is not love sweet love as the old song says - it needs love, God's love!
Is it flowing from us? MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 10, 2007 - HELP! Psalms 79:9 (New Living Translation) When
we need help, God is there. He's the only one who can make a way where there is no way. (Isaiah 42:6) That's what He told the people of Israel and He's still capable to doing it for us. He's
the only one that can make something out of nothing. (Romans 4:17) The only one who can truly calm our fears. (Zephaniah 3:17) The only one who can bring lasting comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3) Are you in need of help this morning? Perhaps one of the shortest prayers and the most effective
is, "Help!" God is interested in every little detail of our lives. He even has time to count the number
of hairs on our head! (Matthew 10:30) He knows what we need before we can even scream, "Help!" (Matthew 6:8) So, if you have a need this morning and you can't figure out just how to phrase it, "Help!" is a good
start! The Psalmist
calls out, "Help us, O God of our salvation!" First of all we need to make sure that we are secure in our
salvation. Jesus has already paid the price and the gift is there to be taken. If you have not received that gift
this morning, your first cry for help needs to be for salvation. The gift is there but God wants to hear your
call. If you will call, He will give it to you. And I mean right now! (Romans 10:13) Today is the day He is waiting for your 911 call to Heaven. (2 Corinthians 6:2) God will hear our call and help us for two reasons. One is that He loves us so much. (John 3:16) So much that He gave His best for us. Secondly, He is not about to let the honor of His name be tarnished.
(Psalm 138:2) All His promises are backed by His Name which is above all names. Everything He says He will do is a sure
thing. (2 Corinthians 1:20) He has promised to supply all of our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) Do you have a need this morning? One of His promises, if we are walking in Him, is that He will supply all
our needs. That's a "yes and amen" promise! Don't we sometimes think that our situations are
just impossible? Not so. All things are possible, the key being, "with God." (Mark 10:27) If He is your Savior this morning, there's not a thing in your life that is too hard for Him.
Do you need to cry out, "Help!"? If not today, then file this away somewhere because we all have days at one
time or another when things just look impossible. It is because of His Name that we can call on Him. The name, Jehovah, God. He has other names
also that describe His bountiful benefits for those who call on Him. For those who need healing, He is Jehovah
Rapha. If your heart's cry this morning is for peace, you will find it in Jehovah Shalom. Do you need
a strong tower in which to hide yourself? He's that too! In fact, He's anything and everything we
could ever need. (Ephesians 1:23) Having remembered all of that, we can also remember that when the Psalmist penned the words from Psalm 79:9, the Israelites were in the dumps. They were in trouble. They were truly in need of mercy and truly repentant.
Some of us may need help badly this morning because of our poor choices in the past. We can't undo those choices but,
if we are repentant, God will have mercy and help us right now. Others of us may be in a situation that was forced
upon us. No matter. There are various terms used in different versions of the Bible for the last few
words of Psalm 79:8. Following are some of the those terms that have been used to describe our general condition when we're having
"one of those days;" terms that described the Israelites back then and can definitely apply to us today. They
were in desperate need. Ever been there? They were on the brink of despair. I've been there. How
about you? They were very low, even to being brought low to the dust. Have you ever been so deep in the pit that
all you could taste was dust? They were helpless, at the end of their rope. They were very weak. We've
all been there and we may have days in the future when we will go through a day or a season like that again. This time,
though, we will remember to call on Jesus - amen? We will cry, "Help!" even if we can't think of a single
other word. In depth of our seeming despair, God will hear us and because He loves us, He will come to our aid,
forgiving and delivering. Let's thank the God of our salvation - He always hears our cry for help and He
gives the help we need! (Hebrews 4:16) MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 9, 2007 - WHO DO YOU WORK FOR? Colossians 3:23 (New Living Translation) Is there a disagreeable "somebody" in your life that has authority
over you? Does life sometimes seem hard because of what you are required to do at work or even at home? It could
be even in the church! The key is to remember who we really work for. Then, as we do that job that doesn't
seem fair or for which we may not get thanks or appreciation, we, by faith, know that a reward is coming.
Why? Because we are really working for God. It's our choice whether we will be brow-beaten by a human authority
and fall under the emotional pressure or, with the joy of the Lord, serve cheerfully having our eyes on Jesus. Dotting
every "i" all the while knowing that it is for Jesus. Making every bed, knowing we're doing it for Jesus
and no other. Cleaning that toilet, knowing that Jesus appreciates it. Taking the lower place on our job even
though we know we're qualified for something higher, knowing that whatever we do, we're doing it for the Lord and
it all counts. Maybe we're called to help those who can never pay us back. The homeless, those hospital-,
nursing home- and home-bound because of sickness and disease. That's not a dead-end street either. Jesus receives
everything we do as though we are doing it just for Him. That is, if our motive is right and we are doing it
for Him. We are always to be doing good, just like Jesus did.
(Acts 10:38) He rarely got a thank you. (Luke 17:12-19) Of the ten lepers that Jesus cleansed, only one returned to thank Him. Jesus's words in Luke 17:19 indicate that only one of those men was made whole by His faith. We don't know for sure whether
the others were completely healed or not. Even if they were, only this one man got the approval and final blessing of
Jesus. When we go about doing good, even in bad situations, we can remember that our affirmation and approval may not
come from those we expect it to come from. Jesus knew that. He knew that His reward would come from His Father. Ours
will come too, from the Lord, if we can look past the person or persons we are serving and see Jesus. There was
slavery in the times when and just after Jesus walked the earth. I imagine that some of those masters, especially if
they had not had an encounter with Jesus, were pretty difficult to work for. However, the apostle Paul encouraged those
slaves to work as though they were slaves for Christ. Ephesians 6:6 We may be fortunate enough today to live in freedom, not having an actual task-master with total control
over us. But, we do have superiors at home, in the church, and in the workplace. Some of those people can
be quite contrary. We're not slaves to them but, if we are like Paul, James, and Peter, we are slaves to Christ. (Titus 1:1, James 1:1, 2 Peter 1:1) Not involuntarily but totally voluntarily. Before Jesus purchased us, we were slaves
of the enemy. (Romans 6:17) Now we have a choice. We can stay with our new Master and work exclusively for Him knowing that He will
give us a reward. Or, we can choose to go back to our old master, the devil, who will only steal from us, or kill
us or destroy us. (John 10:10) Why, though, would we want to go back to the place where our only wages for all of our hard work would be death? (Romans 6:23) Especially when our new Master offers abundant life? (John 10:10) Are you in a difficult situation this morning?
Is it hard to be kind to and work for someone who has earthly authority over you? To serve them cheerfully?
Do you feel as though you are being taken advantage of? In the natural and, by this world's standards, that may
be true. But, what if we could look at it from a heavenly perspective? What if, every time we saw the face
and felt the harshness of the difficult one we are dealing with, we instead chose to see the face of Jesus?
You know, it's there whether we see it or not. He is watching us. He knows our hearts. (Proverbs 24:12) He knows whether we are bitterly serving just because man is watching us or whether we are serving
Him with a pure heart. Another thing. He is also watching those who may be taking advantage of us or pressing
us too hard. It works both ways. If we belong to Jesus, then those who hurt us are hurting Him. God has
no favorites. He is interested in our obedience to Him alone. If we do what is wrong or if another does something
wrong that hurts us, there will be pay back. (Colossians 3:25) We should never seek vengeance on another. (Deuteronomy 32:35) We can know that God will, in His time and His marvelous way, remove us from the clutches
of an enemy. (Psalm 18:48) Vengeance is actually carried out by kindness on our part. (Proverbs 25:21-22) Now, we should not have a bitter heart and be joyful about the heaping coals that fall on the
head of our adversary. But, we can give to and care for those who are seemingly out to get us. Jesus gave
and gave to those who did not give anything back to Him but the words, "Crucify Him." He died for every one
of us. Even the ones we have difficulty with. He still loves those who do wrong. He desperately wants them
to receive His gift of love and salvation. (2 Peter 3:9) Perhaps the only way they will come to realize they need Him is if we are kind to them. Helen
Keller once said, "The simplest thing we learn to do well - even if it is only to sweep a room in a beautiful spirit
of service - makes life infinitely worthwhile." Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest things to do.
But, Helen Keller was right. If you have the qualifications to be an executive and someone is having you sweep floors,
do it cheerfully with all your heart for Jesus! It will be worthwhile. Jesus said, "Matthew 25:40 (King James Version) And
the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these
my brethren, ye have done it unto me." So, whether we are called to work for those who have no way to
pay us back or for those who tend to make life difficult for us, Benjamin Franklin said, "Work as if you were to live
one hundred years. Pray as if you were to die tomorrow." We can do that when we know that we are working
for Jesus and that He hears every prayer! Let's work for Jesus today. The night is coming when we will
not be able to work. (John 9:4) Let's work with enthusiasm (that word meaning, "inspired by God"). We are working for the
Lord. (Ephesians 6:7) MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 8, 2007 - WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT? Colossians 3:2 (New Living Translation) There is so much to think about these days! Our days are literally
filled with responsibilities, opportunities for pleasure, and over-stimulation. The world has become both a task-master
and a playground. Many times we feel the need to try to do it all. I wonder what would happen if we really got
back to basics. Colossians 3:2 is a very short verse that says volumes. It says we are to let heaven fill our thoughts. We are not to think
only about the things down here on earth. Sounds easy, right? If it was easy, more people would be taking time
every day to pray and read their Bible, even study it. More people would be listening to music that was inspirational
and edifying. More people would be reading books and watching DVD's that are heavenly oriented. More people
would be helping and giving to others and to the Kingdom of God. More people would be modest. There would be less
and less people in bars and night clubs and more people in church. But, that's not the case, is it? How many
people do you know that think more about heavenly things than the things of this earth? We are told that, since
we have a new life in Christ, we are to set our sights on the realities of heaven. (Colossians 3:1) Is heaven real to you? The Bible says, "realities of heaven." Another thing that
is real, as compared with this world's passing fancys, is our real life. It is hidden with Christ
in God. When we gave our lives to Christ, we died to the worldly life that we were leading. (Colossians 3:3) Before we made Jesus the Lord of our lives, we did some things we're probably
not too proud of. (Colossians 3:7) Some of those things are not that easy to put to death. Colossians 3:5 says we must do it though. We must put to death all the sinful things that lurk down deep inside of us.
Things such as sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed (which is idolatry). We talk a great deal
about the love of God. It is true that God is loving, so loving that He has given us a long time to repent of our old
life and turn to Him. (2 Peter 3:9) However, like us, God can also be angry. His anger is totally righteous. His word says that, if we do
not put off those sins mentioned as He has asked us to, His anger will certainly come. (Colossians 3:6) Early on, God chose to give men no more than one hundred and twenty years to live on this earth. (Genesis 6:3) He has also chosen a specific time at which He will stop striving with us if we continue to stay in our
sin. We do not know how much time God has given us to begin to be heavenly minded and rid ourselves of earthly passions. We
do know that several times, He mentions that this day is the day we need to make a change. (2 Corinthians 6:2) If God says that today is a good day, why not listen? We may not have another day. Now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. (Colossians 3:8) Now is the time to stop lying. (Colossians 3:9) Now is the time to strip off all of our old sinful nature and the deeds that go with it. Now
is the time to put on our new nature, being renewed. (Colossians 3:10) To begin to know our Creator and become like Him. Our thought life has everything to do with whether we will
be successful at putting off the old and putting on the new. Whether we will transition from an earthly-minded being
to a heavenly-minded being. So, what were your first thoughts this morning and what will occupy the majority of your
thoughts when we leave this place of gathering our morning Manna and step into a world where so many of its voices
call to us? If we follow the prescription in Colossians 3:2, we will put on our heavenly clothes. They're beautiful and very appealing to a dying world. We will dress
in tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12) The most dazzling part of our dress will be love. (Colossians 3:14) That's what holds everything else together. Not the kind of love that the world advertises. A
godly love that makes allowance for each other's faults and forgives offenses. (Colossians 3:13) Those things do not come from thinking about things on this earth. They come from having a thought
life that is focused on the realities of heavenly things. They do not come naturally. They come supernaturally
from renewing our minds constantly. (Romans 12:2) So, what are you thinking about? A worldly mindset will lead to destruction. (Philippians 3:19) Those whose mind is set on God will find themselves on a pathway to eternal life. (Psalm 119:105) (Philippians 4:8) Where are your thoughts fixed this morning? MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 7, 2007 - THE NEW GENERATION Psalms 78:7 (New Living Translation) What is happening to this generation? Why are the public role models for our children questionable at best?
Why are the very things God hates so prevalent, even worshipped in this generation? For example, just go through
the programs listed on the menu of your cable remote or the TV Guide. How many of those programs have any violence in
them? Are some of those programs among your favorites? Check out the children's programming too.
How much it includes violence. How many video games include violence? Yet, these programs would not be on TV and
these games would not be on the market unless someone loved violence enough to buy them. (Psalm 11:5) How is it that so much of this is purchased and watched despite the fact that God says He hates those
who love violence? Now, let's check out the percentage of these programs and games that come into our homes as compared
with the amount of time we spend listening to Christian radio, watching Christian TV or videos, reading the Word of God or
studying it together. How does it all line up? How much are we paying to watch and enjoy violence today in comparison
with the percentage of our income that we give to the Lord or to others? The thing is that God loves a cheerful
giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7) What are we showing the new generation? That we would rather spend God-given time, energy and money on
something He hates or give into His Kingdom which He loves? In all
of our activities, are we hiding the truths of God from our children? We may not literally be hiding them. We
may have a Bible sitting on our coffee table or by our bedside. But, how much time does our family see us actually reading
from it and enjoying it? How much time do we take to tell them of God's wonder and His power? How
much time to we spend reminiscing about the wonderful things God has done for us in the past, teaching them that He is just
the same today? Letting them know that, in their lives, He is still capable of dividing a sea in case they get into
an impossible situation? (Psalm 78:13) When they come into times of distress and find themselves not knowing which way to go, will they hear God speaking
to their heart through our voice because we have told them time and time again that He will miraculously lead them?
(Psalm 78:14) When they thirst spiritually because they have drunk in the bitter water of this world that does not satisfy, will
they remember our telling them of the living water that God will provide? (Psalm 78:16, John 4:10) Or have we been like the people of Jerusalem who have refused the living water and built worldly reservoirs that
are faulty and hold no thirst-quenching water? (Jeremiah 2:13) Have we somehow forsaken God? Have we tried to put Him in a box of maybe one service a week at church with the
rest of our time concentrated on the things of this world? If we have ,or even if we may be slipping in that direction,
we will find ourselves like some of God's children who have lived in the past. Stubborn, rebellious and unfaithful,
refusing to give our hearts to God. (Psalm 78:8) Before we dismiss that as totally unbelievable, let's take a second look at the generation that we see coming
up. In general, do you see young people in church? Where are
they on a Sunday morning or a Sunday evening or a Wednesday evening? What kind of music do you find in their i-Pods?
Take a look at their MySpace pictures and blogs. How about the way they dress? (1 Timothy 2:9) Do you hear many of them speaking of the Lord, except to use His Name in vain? (Exodus 20:7) Are many of them rebellious? (Psalm 25:7, Romans 1:29-32) Are even young children allowed to be stubborn in the home, disrespecting their parents? (Colossians 3:20) What do they read? (Psalm 119:11) The latest trashy magazine or do they read God's Word? When people in general do wrong today, are they really
sorry? Take a look at the evening news. Not much Godly sorrow there. (2 Corinthians 7:10) In Jeremiah's time, God said His people were on a self-destructive path and they refused to turn back. (Jeremiah 8:5) He said He couldn't hear a word of truth coming from them. (Jeremiah 8:6) We may not tell our children and those around us out and out lies but, if we are not speaking the Word of God, which
is the truth, we are neglecting to tell the truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) What does God hear from our lips? Stories of His power and His mighty wonders? (Psalm 78:4) What will this new generation be telling the generation that comes after them? Lies from the pit of hell which
have been woven into this worlds system filtered into our children's lives? (1 Corinthians 1:20) Or, will they be teaching the generation after themselves about God's glorious miracles? (Deuteronomy 11:19) Teaching them to obey His commandments. (Psalm 78:6) It's really up to us today to begin telling of God's power, might and love to those around us. Do
we find ourselves musing, "What's the matter with kids today?" We might just find that the "matter"
is with us. Maybe we need to do a little more telling of God's power and glory. Could it be that when
we point a finger at the younger generation, we forget to notice that the other four fingers are pointed at ourselves?
It's not too late for a change. We can all set our hope anew on God, starting this morning.
MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 6, 2007 - ROOTS Colossians 2:7 (New Living Translation) Faith is the evidence of things we can't see yet. (Hebrews 11:1) Faith is confidence that we will have what we hope for. Where does faith come from? It comes by hearing.
(Romans 10:17) Not just hearing anything at all, but hearing the Word of God. Aren't you glad that we have taken time
this morning to hear some of God's Word? We're getting spiritual nourishment from God. Can
you imagine what would happen to our bodies if we were to be denied food for a long time? First of all, we
would probably begin to get very cranky. Our hunger would overshadow everything else. Second, and most importantly,
we would start to die after a time. As we take the time each morning to draw nourishment from the scriptures,
we begin to grow and thrive just as our bodies do if we put the right nourishment into them. We know that eating junk-food
will not really nourish our bodies and will even harm them. What kinds of things are you hearing? What music do
you listen to? What TV shows and movies do you watch? Are these things giving your spirit nourishment or
are they spiritual "junk-food" which will eventually clog your spiritual arteries, fog your spiritual thinking, and
begin to destroy your spirit instead of building it up? There is a lot of food available to us but only certain food
is good for us. We have the choice to choose what is good or what will harm us. Long ago God told His children
to choose life and not death. Blessing and not cursing. (Deuteronomy 30:19) What we choose to hear can bring life or death. Blessing or cursing. Nourishment or decay. Which will
you choose today? Your spiritual root system needs good food. That food is readily available from God.
As we take it in our faith will begin to grow. Jesus said "I
am the truth." (John 14:6) He came to earth to bring us Himself, to bring us to the Truth. Unless we are putting our roots down into the
good soil of God's Kingdom, we will not recognize the Truth. God wants us to be strong and vigorous from
the truth we are taught from His Word. When we ignore His truth or refuse to be taught from it, we bring only trouble
upon ourselves. We begin to become weak instead of strong. The people of Judah had strayed away from God.
They had refused to be taught by Him. As a result, truth had become unknown among them. (Jeremiah 7:28) God became angry with them for their refusal to be taught the truth. He even told Jeremiah to stop praying for
them. (Jeremiah 7:16) Why? Because they wouldn't listen to Him. (Jeremiah 7:24) They went backward instead of forward. Which direction do you want to be headed this morning? Backward or
forward? If it's forward, then we need to put down some deep roots into the truth of God's Word. What
a privilege it is this morning to be free to do that. To be able to make the choice to grow stronger instead of wasting
away. When our roots are in God, we get supernatural nourishment. If they are in anything else, we will wither
and blow away. We can live joyful lives with our roots receiving the living water that flows from God.
Nothing will be able to bring us down. We will be vital and productive just as God has planned for us to be. (Jeremiah 17:7-8) Have you been taught the truth of God's Word and somehow sort of slipped away from it. Come back today, get
your roots down deep into His Word. Become that tree that is planted by the water so that you will grow and flourish. It was Paul's prayer for the Colossians that they would overflow with thankfulness.
That's God's desire for all of us. He responds to thankfulness. When we are filled with thankfulness,
worldly things such as sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes will have no room
to take root. (Ephesians 5:3-4) Where are your roots this morning. Are they in any of the things mentioned in Ephesians 5:3-4? Hopefully not. They need to be in good rich soil in order for you to grow. Roots are what hold us steady.
The deeper the better. If they do not go deep, we will be blown over by the slightest wind. (Matthew 13:20-21) Deep roots hold us in place. It is so important that those roots are in Godly soil and not grounded in the things
of this world. Thankfulness to God for who He is and all that He has done will keep our roots growing in the right
direction. No one has an excuse for not knowing who God is. We can all see Him in creation. But, He desires
more than that. He desires a rooted relationship with us. This involves worship and thanksgiving. If we
don't do that, our minds will become darkened. There will be no "Son-Light" to help us grow and put down
deeper roots. (Romans 1:20-21) Like a mal-nourished plant, we will wither and die. How are your roots this morning? Are you rooted and
grounded in the love of God? (Ephesians 3:17) Does Jesus dwell in your heart by faith? Have you received Jesus as your Savior and let your spiritual roots
begin to establish themselves in Kingdom soil? Let's continue in obedience, knowing that we are growing stronger and stronger
in faith and truth. (Colossians 2:6-7) What a privilege we have to grow and prosper. How thankful we should be! Let those roots grow
down deep! MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 5, 2007 - STRENGTHENED Colossians 1:11 (New Living Translation) What gives you strength? Although the makers or Wheaties or
Cheerios or some power-drink would like us to believe that we gain our strength from their product, the only real
strength comes from God. It is from His glorious power. (Colossians 1:11) After all, have you ever gained patience from eating or drinking a certain thing? Gideon was feeling very weak
when God gave him an assignment to rescue Israel from the Midianites. Has God ever told you to do something
that you knew you could not do? That's what happened to Gideon. But God said, "Go in the strength that
you have." (Judges 6:14) The key words come later in the verse. God continued to speak, "I am sending you."
If we are walking in the Spirit, we can go in the strength that we have. It is not by our own might or our own power
that we will see the victory. It is by the Spirit of God. (Zechariah 4:6) Paul prayed that the Colossians would be strengthened with God's glorious power. This is for us today too.
There is no way we can be a victorious believer today without the strength we receive from God's glorious power.
What power is that? It is the same power that He used to raise Jesus from the dead. (Romans 8:11) If we have the risen Christ living within us, we have the power that caused Him to get up out of the grave and
rise to sit at the right hand of His Father. He is not only living in us but He is also praying for us constantly before
His Father. (Romans 8:34) Like Gideon, we can go in the strength that we have. When we have Jesus, we have His strength, not our
own. Gideon still complained that His clan was the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh and that he was the weakest
member of the clan. (Judges 6:15) God paid no attention to Gideon's fears. He merely said, "I
will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man." (Judges 6:16) That is some pretty awesome strength for such a man as weak as Gideon was. Do you feel weak this morning or
even foolish in some way because the plan and purpose God has put in your heart is not embraced by those around you?
Be encouraged. God said He would use the weak and foolish things to confound the wise. (1 Corinthians 1:27) Worldly wisdom and might are always defeated by God's glorious power. Paul knew that and we, like him, can
say, "When I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10) Like Paul, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13) Because
of this glorious power that strengthens us we will be given all the patience and endurance we need. Is there a situation
in your life this morning that is requiring great patience? One of the things that God's Spirit will provide
us with is the patience we need. (Galatians 5:22) That is if we continue to walk in His Spirit. He does this to enable us to live in harmony with one another,
and have the attitude of Christ. (Romans 15:5) Another thing God's glorious power will do in us is give us endurance. This endurance will help us
to develop godly character. (Romans 5:4) Character, in turn, strengthens our hope of salvation. God wants us to learn to patiently endure in every situation.
(Hebrews 10:36) His power in us can help us do that. When we continue through that process of doing His will we, by
the power He gives us, will have positioned ourselves to receive all that He has promised. His promises are all
true. And, His timing is also perfect. Like any good parent, He will not give us those precious things He
has been saving for us until we have proven that we are responsible enough to receive them. His promise, through Paul
to the Galatians, is that we will reap a harvest in His time, "in season," if we patiently endure, continuing to
do good. If there is something that just doesn't seem to be happening like you want it to, just remember the glorious
power of God within you. You may think that you can't go on. The truth be known, you can't if you are
trying to do it in your own power. But, with God, all things are possible. (Mark 9:23) Our job is to strip off everything that would keep us from finishing this race we are in. Our job is just to
keep putting one foot in front of the other by the glorious power of God that is within us. (Hebrews 12:1) If things are hard today, just trust in His strength and power. The result of being patient and enduring through
God's glorious power is that we will be filled with joy. God gives us His joy and His joy becomes our
strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) The Psalmist said, "Let the godly rejoice, let them be glad in God's presence. Let
them be filled with joy." (Psalm 68:3) It is the power and presence of God that supplies us with joy. Strength comes from that joy. Are you in
the presence of God right now? Filled with His power? Has everything else dimmed in comparison with the glory
of the Lord? Jesus has given us His Word so that we will be filled with His joy, even to overflowing. He
is the Word. He has given us Himself. (John 15:11) When we patiently take in and walk in that Word, its glorious power will produce the strength and endurance to keep
going. Life will not always be easy. In our own strength, we may not be able to make it through certain situations
but God's strength will work in us giving us the endurance we need to get to the victory side of a challenging trial.
How can we be strengthened with His glorious power? The joy of the Lord is our strength. This gives us the patience
and endurance we need to go on. Then we are filled with joy. Then it starts all over again! It's all
in the glorious power of God! Praise God, He has allowed us to share in the inheritance of His holy people and
be strengthened as we live in the Light. (Colossians 1:12) MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 4, 2007 - HOW NEAR? Psalms 75:1 (New Living Translation) There are so many reasons to be thankful. For one thing, we're
instructed to do so. (Colossians 3:15) Circumstances are not the basis for our thankfulness. No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, we
are to give thanks. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) If we truly believe that all things work together for our good because we love the Lord and do what He has called
us to do (Romans 8:28), we won't have a problem in giving thanks at all times. God knows what He is doing in our lives even though we
might not always be able to see the big picture. There's no way we can lose. Let's give thanks with a
grateful heart this morning. Here's the reason. We know that our God has planned our lives from before we
were born. (Psalm 139:16) Nothing that happens to us is a surprise to Him. He has the solution to our problems before we even have the
problem. He knows what we need before we even ask. (Matthew 6:8) Are all things possible with God? (Mark 9:23) Yes! Is anything impossible with God? (Luke 1:37) No! So, is there anything that should keep us from giving thanks at all times? Not that I can think of.
How about you? The Psalmist picked one very important reason that
we can and should give thanks. It is because God is near. People come and go in our lives. Death separates
us. Divorce separates us. People move away, both physically and emotionally. People will disappoint us.
Many times it will be unintentional and even unknowingly. They can't help it. They are human. So
are we. We have probably been a disappointment to someone else at some time. Even our own bodies disappoint us
at times. (1 Corinthians 15:43) But, then there is God. He wanted so badly to be close to us that, even when we were still His enemies
(Romans 5:10), He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for us. Jesus then promised to be with us always. (Matthew 28:20) The Lord desires to be close to us. Jesus stood over Jerusalem grieving because He wanted them to come
close, staying under the protection of His wings, but they wouldn't do it. (Luke 13:34) This morning, we can respond affirmatively to the offer to come close to the Lord. All we have to do is call
on Him sincerely. (Psalm 145:18) God is always near and desires a closeness with us. If it seems that He is watching from a distance, we are
the one who has most likely moved. A thankful heart will keep us close. The Bible says, "Enter His gates
with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise." (Psalm 100:4) Thanksgiving and praise bring us close to God if we have strayed from His presence. Just how near is God? Psalm 119:151 tells us He is near. The Amplified Bible says He is nearer to us than our enemies. Though, at times, it
may seem that the enemy may be breathing down our neck, God is nearer than the enemy. The last enemy to be defeated
was death and Jesus did it. (2 Timothy 1:10) We were destined, because of our sin, to be eternally separated from God but He made a way for us to be near to Him,
not only now, but forever! When we walk through that shadow of death, He is close beside us. (Psalm 23:4) Because of sin, bad things may happen on this earth. But, even in the worst situation, God holds us close.
(Psalm 27:10) He will be closer than a mother, father, or brother. (Proverbs 18:24) When our hearts are broken and our spirit is crushed, He is close to us. (Psalm 34:18) Have you ever noticed how close He seems to be when you find you have nowhere to turn and you can't seem to find
anyone else who will understand your problem? Of course, the biggest problem any of us have is the problem of sin.
If you haven't made Jesus your Savior yet, you can do it today. Just trust Him. (Romans 10:8) Right now, Jesus is very close to you whispering the message of His salvation to you. Will you receive it?
He wants us to come close to Him and, as we do, He will draw close to us. (James 4:8) We just need to let go of anything that comes between us and God. Jesus is calling us to come to Him right
this minute. He wants to be so close that He can relieve us of our burdens and give us rest. (Matthew 11:28) He wants to lead and feed us. He wants to carry us if we are new in the faith. He keeps us so close
that we can hear His heart beat. (Isaiah 40:11) How near is God this morning? Just as close as we want Him to be. (2 Corinthians 6:2, Jeremiah 29:12, Psalm 91:15) The Psalmist said, "As for me, how good it is to be near God..." (Psalm 73:28) What do you say? MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 3, 2007 - WHAT DOES OUR CONDUCT SHOW? Philippians 3:18 (New Living Translation) Paul was speaking to the Philippian Church when he said that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies
of the cross of Christ. Unfortunately, among those who attend church today, the same thing could be said. Paul was
grieving the fact that some among the Philippians were not really Christians but enemies of Christ. Their conduct made
that evident. We can say whatever we want to say but our conduct will eventually show what we really are. The
way Paul described these "enemies" of Christ was this way: they're headed for destruction, their god is
their appetite, they brag about shameful things and they think only about this life on earth. (Philippians 3:19) If we have really received Jesus as our Savior and made Him the Lord of our lives, we are not headed for destruction.
(Acts 16:31) When Paul speaks about their god being their appetite, he is actually talking about being self-centered. Instead
of reflecting the glory of the Lord, they glory in shameful things, things that are dishonest. Lastly, Paul says that
they think only on earthly things. How many of these things depict us? Hopefully, none of them but Paul's
list of the attributes of an enemy of Christ makes a good self-examination list for us. As citizens of Heaven, we wait eagerly for Jesus to return and
take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His. (Philippians 3:21) He will do that. Because we have that hope, we can and should be like Paul. Paul counted everything earthly
as worthless compared with the value of knowing Christ as His Lord. He discarded everything else. He even said
it was garbage. Actually, a large part of the stuff in this world today is garbage. When we think
only of earthly things, those thoughts become actions. They become conduct. It is so important that
we renew our mind constantly so that we think on Heavenly things. (Romans 12:2) Those thoughts will then become actions. They will become conduct. Transformation from an enemy of Christ
to a friend will come through the renewing of our mind. As Paul says, we will be transformed into a new person.
How? By changing the way we think. Where are your thoughts most of the time? Are they on Heavenly things
or earthly things? None of us wants to be an enemy of Christ so it might be good if we checked our thought
patterns, as well as our actions. Sooner or later, they will become one. Will the union bring forth a friend or
an enemy of Christ? Another important thing
we might check is how much of our life is centered around self. If being self-centered makes us an enemy of Christ,
maybe we should take a second look at ourselves. Jesus was very hard on the religious leaders of His day. He said
they were full of self-indulgence. These were teachers and scribes. (Matthew 23:25) Just because one holds a leadership position in the local church does not automatically make that person a friend
of Christ. It does not automatically exclude him or her from the enemy list. Many today are self-centered,
including some religious leaders. It's just like it was in the days Jesus walked this earth. When we
become self-centered, it will ultimately affect our conduct. It will show up plainly to those around us, but worse than
that, it will be seen plainly by God. It will cause us to be His enemy instead of His friend. Paul said that he was
crucified with Christ so that he no longer lived, but Jesus lived in Him. (Galatians 2:20) He had crucified his flesh so that Jesus could live through him. Now that's the conduct that will win
people and please God! The proof of whether we really belong to Christ is that we have crucified our flesh
and all of the evil desires that are associated with it. (Galatians 5:24) What does our conduct show? There's always room for improvement and we can usually find another
bit of flesh somewhere within us that we have neglected to nail to the cross of Christ. If Paul were writing about us
today, may it be that we would not be among those he has referenced in Philippians 3:18) We may not have achieved the perfection we strive for yet, but, like Paul, we can forget the past and look to the
future. We can press on to reach the heavenly prize that God has for us. Today, we can show by our by
our conduct that we are a friend to the cross of Christ as we become more and more like Him. (Romans 8:29) "What A Friend We Have In Jesus." Let's reciprocate and prove it by our conduct! MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 2, 2007 - HOW'S YOUR HEARING? Isaiah 34:1 (New Living Translation) Good hearing is extremely important. The workings of our ear are delicately
planned and formed by a loving God to give us not only hearing but balance. God has always been interested in us being
able to hear Him. When He placed Adam in the perfect environment, the Garden of Eden, He spoke directly to
him, giving him specific instructions. (Genesis 2:15-17) These instructions would keep Adam's life perfectly balanced. Not only did God speak instruction but He
also spoke warning and the consequences of ignoring that warning. Adam heard God with His physical ears but did he really
hear God. How many times to we neglect to take the time to really hear someone when they speak?
Oh, we hear words. But, do we really hear what they are saying? Apparently Adam did not listen carefully
and really hear what God said. This was the start of a communication problem with the human race. After Eve
was formed, Adam, being the head of this newly formed household, was in charge of giving God's Word to Eve.
Everything started out just wonderfully. It always does when God creates something. They had the world at
their fingertips. Nothing was withheld from them except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Just
think of that for a moment. How wonderful would it be to remain innocent, not knowing anything about the difference
between good and evil? There would never be any cause to worry or fret. Man and woman had it made! (Genesis 2:25) Almost...... Then some other hearing comes into play.
Eve is confronted by Satan. He is already angry because he has been cast from heaven because of his pride. He
sees God's children and is determined to destroy them. By the way, he is still trying to do the same thing today.
(John 10:10) So he speaks words to Eve. She hears. Satan places doubt in her mind as to whether God really meant what
He said. Had Adam really told Eve exactly what God said to him? If he did, did Eve really hear what Adam
was saying? Something was obviously missing in the communication between either God and Adam, which obviously
would have been Adam's problem. Or, between Adam and Eve (who knows which one would have been at fault there).
Because, when Satan began to talk to Eve, she added a little bit to what God had told Adam. (Genesis 3:3) According to scripture, God had not mentioned anything about touching the fruit of the tree. However,
the enemy used this miscommunication to get a foothold. (Genesis 3:4-5) And it worked. It still works today. Have you ever noticed how gossip builds and builds until the real
story is lost and someone ends up getting hurt? Satan had used the miscommunication to help build doubt in Eve's
mind as to what God really meant by what He said. Now the foothold had become a stronghold and the enemy had won the
battle. The real problem was that either Adam or Eve or both had not really heard what God said. They had not
trusted God because of their refusal to really hear Him. Do we really hear God today? (Matthew 13:15) Or, are we too busy listening to all the other voices around us? Jesus spoke about those who have ears but don't
really hear. The unfortunate results of this spiritual deafness is that it keeps us from turning to God and
being healed of our sicknesses, both physical and spiritual. God
has given us spiritual hearing if we will receive it. We can let things like pride and stubbornness clog our spiritual
ears. We clog our own ears when we get wrapped up on our own agendas and programs. Even in the church. We
can be so tied to rules that we lose relationship. Relationship requires communication. If we can't hear,
we lose our ability to speak. How is your spiritual hearing this morning. Do you have clogged spiritual ears?
Have the cares of this world or your own plans made you deaf to God's Words and His plans? I hope we are not that
way, because God has good plans for us. (Jeremiah 29:11) But, if we don't clean out and care for our spiritual ears, we will miss God's best for us. He has promised
to lead us, but we have to hear Him. When we really hear, we will do things exactly His way. We will
obey. We will be blessed. (Isaiah 30:21, Psalm 119:105) The writer of the book of Hebrews was concerned for some of the Christians of that day. He wanted to explain
more and more to them about Jesus and His ways but it seemed useless. They couldn't seem to listen. They had spiritual
ear problems. That caused their growth to be stunted. They were like babies when they should have already been
teaching others. All because of a hearing problem! (Hebrews 5:11-14) When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree in the garden, they suddenly knew the difference between right and wrong.
That caused them to have to start making choices. Today, we are born into that kind of life. We have choices to
make. Hebrews 5:14 lets us know that we need to learn to make the choices between right and wrong. We do that by faith and obedience.
How do we get that faith that gives us the power to discern right from wrong and do what is right? Faith comes by hearing.
(Romans 10:17) We can listen to all sorts of messages. Like Eve, we can listen to the enemy and suffer the consequences.
Or, we can clean out our spiritual ears and listen, I mean really hear, the Word of God. Faith does come by
hearing and hearing comes by the Word of God. Is anybody listening? What are we hearing this morning? God
is still calling everyone in the world to come and listen to His Words. They are Words of life. (John 6:63) How is your hearing? Good hearing, God-hearing, is a life and death matter! MORNING MANNA - OCTOBER 1, 2007 - WHAT HAS GOD DONE FOR YOU? Philippians 2:1 (New Living Translation) Has God done great things for
you? Before you answer, just consider that you have made it this far in a world full of danger and trouble. We
take so many things for granted. Take, for instance, breathing. Until you have been in a position where you couldn't
take a breath, you may not have taken the time to thank God for every time your body involuntarily breathes in air.
Wow! Without air, you will only live a matter of a couple of minutes. Yet, breathing is something we often take
for granted. God has done great things for all of us. He continues to do those things every day.
There have probably been times that we have been protected from dangers that we did not see. God is always looking out
for us. Just thinking about a few ways that we are blessed brings encouragement to our hearts. Belonging
to Christ is the greatest thing that could happen to us. Without that, we would be eternally lost and bound for Hell.
Yet God, in His infinite love for us while we were still against Him (Romans 5:10), sent Jesus to win us to Himself and give us life forever in Heaven. (John 3:16, John 14:1-3) How encouraging is that? We have encouragement, comfort, fellowship with one another and new hearts because
of Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Some days are harder than others. There are times of trouble
and grief when we so need someone to comfort us. Our comfort comes from Jesus. (Matthew 5:4) His Word says that He comforts us in all of our troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:4 That way, we can comfort others when we see them going through the things he has brought us through.
That brings us to our fellowship together in the Spirit. Because of the Holy Spirit, we have fellowship with one another
on a deep level. There are worldly conversations and communication, but there is none so sweet as that of the fellowship
between believers. It is through His Spirit, so time and space mean nothing. Have you ever noticed that sometimes
you can be far away from another believer and then find out, either by telephone, e-mail, or snail-mail, that
you have been thinking of the same thing at the same time. God has, through His Spirit, kept you in fellowship.
As we function in the Spirit, communicating with one another, our hearts become tender and sympathetic. God has
once said that He will take our heart of stone and give a heart of flesh in its place. (Ezekiel 36:26) This causes us to rejoice when another rejoices. We weep when another weeps. (Romans 12:15) Paul encourages the Philippians (and us this morning) by reminding
us that we have encouragement from belonging to Christ, comfort from His love, fellowship together in His Spirit, and tender
hearts. (Philippians 2:2) Because of all of those benefits, we should agree with one another. Are we agreeable? Peter is in
total agreement with Paul concerning these things. (1 Peter 3:8 - The Message reads this way: 8 (MSG) Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate,
be humble. 9 That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's
your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.) We
should love one another. (John 13:35) That's how the world will know that we belong to Jesus. Finally, we should work together with one heart
and one purpose. That is unity. Psalm 133:1 tells us how wonderful it is when we live together in harmony and unity. It was the desire of Jesus that
we should be in unity with one another. So much so, that He prayed that we would be in the same kind of union that He is
with His Father. (John 17:20-21) Jesus prayed that for you and me! He prayed ahead in time so that we might have the unity that will cause the
onlooking world to know that God sent Him. Today, many are doubting Jesus and some totally disregard Him.
When they look at us, what do they see? Jesus mirrored His Father. They were in total unity. When people
see us, do they see us mirroring Jesus as He mirrored His Father? We really have no excuse. We have
been encouraged by belonging to Christ. We have been comforted by His love. We have been
given sweet fellowship one with another. We have been given a new tender, sympathetic heart. Because
God has done these amazing things for us, is there anything that should keep us from being agreeable, loving, and in
unity? Only one thing that I can think of - it is self. There is a very old saying but it bears repeating here.
Do you want J.O.Y.? Then remember all that Jesus has done for you, share and be in unity with others. You'll
find yourself totally taken care of. It's Jesus, others, self. It works every time. What has
God done for you? Go ahead and be joyful about it! Enter content here Enter content here Enter content here Enter content here |
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