Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 7 August 2020

If God Be For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?

 

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

 

Today’s Morsel:  People in every walk of life are looking for hope.  The world in which we live has sold them a false ticket to true happiness.  Many have become obsessed with things that cannot give them satisfaction.  The world has become a generation of instantaneous living.  People always want satisfaction “now.”  Fear has gripped the hearts of many and has caused them to fall away from faith in Christ.  Christians do not seem to know where to turn.  Their minds are confused.  The Corona Virus has them more afraid than the people in the world.  As Jesus said in Luke 16:8 “…for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.”  The whole earth is off course and spinning out of control and downward.  It has become suddenly a confusing place in which to live.  Hell has enlarged herself.  People do not know who to trust, nor do they seem to know where to seek help.  They are looking for any place or any person who can offer them hope.  They want hope but so many are looking in the wrong place.  Paul’s words still ring true, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”(Romans 15:4)  There is still hope in Jesus Christ.  And you can find Him when you seek for Him with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.  Because if God be for us, who can be against us?

 

Sing:  If God be for us, who can be against us?  If God be for us, who can be against us?  If God be for us, who can be against us?  Just have faith in the power of His word.

By faith be fearless fighting in the battle.  By faith be fearless fighting in the battle.  By faith be fearless fighting in the battle.  Just have faith in the power of His word.

 

Thought For Today: “If God be for us, everyone else might as well be.” (John Grant)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 6 August 2020

The Grief From Wisdom

 

“For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:18)

 

Today’s Morsel:  One of the things about gaining wisdom is that it exposes our destructive ways, wrongs, and our end state if we do not change.  Wisdom will expose all hidden sins, motives, injustices, biases, prejudices, and racism in a person's life.  This is one of the reasons it causes grief.  We see who we really are.  Not only do we see ourselves and our own end state, but we can also see that of others.  If we gain wisdom and knowledge and do not change by repentance when we see our wrong, and we die in our sins, it is going to cause great grief and sorrow to others.  Only a fool dies in his sin after he has received the knowledge of them.   Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God and the power of God.  This is one of the reasons why we must share the gospel with others; as we have read the back of the book and we already know the end state of those who do not know him and have yet to come into a relationship with him.  And that should cause those of us who know much grief and sorrow.

 

Sing:  Deeper, deeper, in the love of Jesus daily let me go.  Higher, higher in the school of wisdom more of grace to know.

O’ deeper yet, I pray, and higher every day, and wiser blessed Lord, in Thy precious word.

 

Thought For Today:  “Only a fool dies in his sin after he has received knowledge of them.” (Parker).

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 5 August 2020

Listen Up

 

“But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” 

(Matthew 13:8-9)

 

Today’s Morsel:  One of the greatest lessons I learned in the army was that of how to listen. When they wanted to give out information to us, they would say, Eye’s right here (Pointing unto themselves), and then they would say Listen up.   Then they would give us the information and follow it up with questions on what they had just said. They wanted to make sure that we understood and were listening.  You could brush off what was said and not listen, but if it was something we were supposed to do and did not, we learned quickly the consequences.  In the book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3, speaking to the Seven Churches, after Jesus speaking with them says, "he that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit is saying unto the church."  I find that so often this is what many do in the church today.  They have ears but they do not hear. They go forth and do nothing that you tell them to do. There is an old saying, “I know you think that you understood what I said, but I’m not for sure that you understood what I meant.”  They fail to realize that Jesus awards obedience, not disobedience.  Good listeners usually have a good heart, can easily repeat the things said to them, follow through with what is asked of them or that they are supposed to do, are filled with joy, and know what is going on.  Are you a good listener?

 

Sing: I hear the sound of mighty rushing wind, and it's closer now, then it's ever been.  I can almost hear the trumpet, as Gabriel sounds the call, and at the Midnight Cry, we’ll be going home.

When Jesus steps out on the cloud to call His children, the dead in Christ shall rise to meet him in the air.  And those that shall remain shall be quickly changed, at the Midnight Cry, we’ll be going home.

 

Thought For Today: My sheep know my voice and I am known of them (Jesus) 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 4 August 2020

Don’t Tell

 

“Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another” (Proverbs 25:9)

 

Today’s Morsel:  Most people, when confronting others about something that someone told them that the person said about them, will often hear from the person, who told you?  If the person does not have wisdom, because of their inward anger, they will expose the person who told them thus putting the person that told them in grave danger every time.  Solomon says that we should debate our cause with our neighbor ourselves.  In other words, do not ever reveal the source.  But often, when confronted, people will deny that they said it.  Therefore, we can either take it two ways.  We can accept it as fact and confront the person, or we can do nothing and just pray for them as well as the person who told us.  I always find that the latter works best.

 

Sing: The blood, that Jesus shed for me, way back on Calvary, it is the blood, that gives me strength, from day to day, it will never lose its power.  For it reaches to the highest mountain, and it flows to the lowest valley.  It is the blood, that gives me strength from day to day, it will never lose its power.

 

Thought  For Today: Don’t ever reveal who told you.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 4 August 2020

Hasty Anger

 

“Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” (Ecclesiastes 7:9)

 

Today’s Morsel:  I sometimes ask myself why Christians get angry when it did not come with the Spirit. I find it somewhat hard to accept when Christians get angry with others because Jesus is the Prince of Peace. But I find that many Christians when things are said to them that they do not like or someone criticizes them they are quick to follow the Prince of this world, Satan, and become angry.  Paul, writing to the church at Ephesus, states that if we have put on the new man which is created after Christ then there are certain things that we should no longer be doing.  And one of those is being angry (Ephesians 4:20-26).  Anger has destroyed so many people and ruined so many lives.  Physical abuse because of one angry moment can ruin a life forever.  Anger must never be seen in the life or uttered from the lips of a Christian.  You must always control your anger, or it will control and destroy you.

 

Sing:  I want to live the way that He wants me to live, I want to give until there’s just no more to give.  I want to love, love till there’s just no more love, I could never, never out love the Lord.

 

Thought For Today: Always control your anger or it will control and destroy you. (Parker)

 

 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 1 August 2020

 

Nothing New

“All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.” (Ecclesiastes 1:8-10)

 

Today’s Morsel:  Why do we use such terms as “I brought a new car" or "I brought some new clothes" or "I brought a new washer and dryer”?  Solomon states that there is nothing new under the sun.  "Is there anything whereof it may be said, see, this is new?  It hath been already of old time, which was before us."  No matter what we may consider as new, it has already been.  The same is true within the church.  We may think that it is a new insight into the scripture, but it is not.  It was already there; we just did not realize it.  I often ask myself, why aren’t people's eyes not satisfied or their hearing filled with hearing, seems as much as we hear and see?  Is this a ploy of the enemy to destroy our minds?  Are you satisfied or are you discontented with your life?  Maybe if we were to realize that what we are working so hard to obtain, which we may think is new which is not, we could reach contentment.

Sing:  The greatest thing in all my life is knowing You. The greatest thing in all my life is knowing You.  I want to know You more; I want to know You more.  The greatest thing in all my life is knowing You.

 

Thought For Today: There is nothing new under the sun.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 31 July 2020

Sour Grapes

“What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?” (Ezekiel 18:2)

Today’s Morsel:  When I was a kid in elementary school, we would sell candy and gum to raise money for school projects.  One of the gums I sold was called sour Grapes.  It looked like a purple grape, but it was sour when you bit into it.   Ezekiel was asked what today's proverb meant.  It refers simply to these questions:  How far can the moral evil of the parent be extended to his offspring?  Are the faults and evil propensities of the parents not only transferred to the children but punished in them?  Do parents transfer their evil nature, and are their children punished for their offenses?  But God said to Ezekiel, “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:3-4)  God said now everyone would be responsible for their own sin.  Friend, before you decide you want to taste sin, know this, it is a bitter pill to swallow and a grape too sour to be eaten.

Sing: I just came to praise the Lord.  I just came to praise the Lord.  I just came to praise His holy name; I just came to praise the Lord.

Thought For Today: Leave off sin before it be meddled with!