Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2024 March 19

Invisible Things

 

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” (Romans 1:20)

 

Today’s Morsel:  The Old Testament of the Bible is God concealed. The New Testament is God revealed.  Under the Old Testament, no man could see God’s face and live. But under the New Testament, John said, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:1-3)Paul, who met Jesus on the road to Damascus, told Timothy, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16)  When Philip inquired of Jesus, “Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:8-10) Those things which were once hidden and invisible from the creation of the earth, are now made visible to us so that we may know Him and the power of His resurrection and joined to the fellowship of His suffering. Jesus Christ is the One True and ever living God, and the One that we seek. There is no other. Scripture says: “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,” (Luke 24:44-45) If this truth is hidden, Paul said, Satan has blinded the minds of them which believe not. 

 

Sing: He’s the Great I Am, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, The Great Eternal Wonder, Holy Counselor, and Zion’s Righteous Governor; He’s the Great, He’s the Great I Am.

 

Thought For Today: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” (Psalms 19:1)

Monday, March 18, 2024

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2024 March 18

Change Your Thinking

 

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” (Philippians 4:4-9)

 

Today’s Morsel: One of the most important items in the body is the brain. This is why the enemy of your soul wants to control it. He knows that if he can control your way of thinking, he can control your entire body. Folks are suffering from PTSD because they won’t change their way of thinking. People are depressed, lonely, stressed, hopeless, and joyless because they won’t change their way of thinking. People go to work, come home tired and weary because they won’t change their way of thinking. People say that they don’t find enjoyment in church because things are mundane and boring, and that is because they don’t change their way of thinking. I have yet to find Jesus mundane and boring. People yes. But not Jesus. Church ought to be about Jesus and the gospel not some science fiction movie, or political agenda. None of that is going to fix the broken heart. People need Jesus so that they can change how they think, act, live, and see things. Paul told the church at Philippi, to think on whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. He said that if they did this, they would have the peace of God with them. As Isaiah said: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3) What are you thinking on? I pray that it is the things of God. If you change your thinking, the body will be following. Keep your mind of Jesus and see what happens.

 

Sing: He’s changing me, my blessed Savior, I’m not the same person that I used to be. Well, it’s been slow going, but there’s a knowing that someday perfect I will be.

 

Thought For Today“Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:19-20)

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2024 March 16

When God Asks For Your Promise

 

“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” (Genesis 22:1-5)

 

Today’s Morsel: Sometimes, if we are not careful, we can read scripture, we may question Gods motives which is not good. We must learn how to rightly divide scriptures, extract the application from them, and apply it to our lives. What we find with God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaiah back to Him, is a type and shadow of Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews tells us: “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” (Hebrews 11:17-19) Notice, he received Isaac in a figure. The word figure here means a comparison of one thing with another, or likeness and image. Abraham did not waver at God’s request for him to return his promised son, because he knew that he could trust God to raise him to life again. Isaac was a type and shadow of Jesus. Jesus was sacrificed for our sins, but in three days He rose again. This is why, I believe, that scripture says, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.” (John 2:19-22) I believe that’s why anytime God asks us to give something He has already given us, whether money, house, lands, cars, or things that may seem important to us, it is to test our faith. If God asks for it, He will give it back to us with a good measure, pressed down and running over. Would you be willing to give it if He asked you for it?

 

Sing: I’m yours Lord, everything I am, everything I’m not, everything I’ve got. I’m yours Lord, try me now and see, see if I can be completely Yours.

 

Thought For Today: So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning...” (Job 42:12)

Friday, March 15, 2024

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2024 March 15

The Importance of The Altar

 

“How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.” (Psalms 84:1-4)

 

Today’s Morsel: I’m afraid that we are losing the understanding and the importance of the altar. In Old Testament times, the altar was for sacrifice, the giving of thanks, and for seeking after God. But today, what we call the altar, has many things placed on them. We preach from the place that we call the altar. We allow children to play on what we call the altar, instead of teaching them to pray at the altar. We have Christmas plays and events on what we call the altar. Coffee cups and children’s sippy cups are spilled on the altar. Are we losing reverence for the altar?  Not be critical here. But we can’t lose the importance for nor the reverence of it.  The Psalmist states: “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. How lovely, he said, are Thy tabernacles. Then he said that the sparrow had found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars. We can look at this from two points of view. The altar was not maintained, and the birds now occupied the altar, or the tabernacle was open air, and the birds built their houses and nest somewhere close by the altar. But I prefer the analogy of the psalmist as it draws our attention to the importance of the altar. The altar ought to be a place where we spend much time and raise our children at. Our children ought to be laid on the altar so that when they are old, they will dwell in His house. The altar must be a place where we come and seek God for direction, and to offer Him thanksgiving and praise for all that He’s done for us. Where is your house and nest placed? Do your children understand the importance of the altar?  Do you reverence the altar?  Lord, take us back to the Old Landmark!

 

Sing: In the presence of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of Peace. Troubles vanish, hearts are mended; in the presence of the King.

 

Thought For Today: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalms 16:11)

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2024 March 14

Did You Really Get A Good Deal?

 

“It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.” (Proverbs 20:14)

 

Today’s Morsel: I have had people say to me when they purchased a new vehicle that they got a good deal. I sometimes want to ask them to define what is considered a good deal. As no car dealer really gives you a good deal. There are more hidden charges than the eye can see. When I purchase a vehicle, I don’t look for a good deal. I will ask the dealer for special incentives such as military discounts, senior citizen discounts, or good interest rates. And I have found that if I go in with an interest rate better than the dealer, they will make theirs lower so that I will use them. But to get a good deal, it doesn’t really happen. When we lived in Asia, one of our yearly highlights were going to Seoul Korea. It was always good to haggle with the vendors for fun to see if you could sometimes get a good deal. But when one once asked me if I wanted to buy a genuine imitation Rolex watch, we both got a good laugh. He told me that it wasn’t real. Now if I wasn’t listening, I could have given in. Believe me, getting four cellphones for 25 dollars isn’t a good deal. Read the small print. This is one of the reasons as Christians, that we need to be good listeners. One of the things that Satan does is offers folks things that may seem like they are getting a good deal, only afterwards it costs them more than they bargain for. Esau thought that he was getting a good deal trading his birthright for a bowl of soup. Scripture said, “And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” (Genesis 25:32). The writer of Hebrews says: “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” (Hebrews 12:17) His deal cost him dearly. Don’t let Satan trick you into selling your birthright for things of this world. You are not getting a good deal. You must have this New Birth experience to get into heaven.  There are no other good deals out there.  

 

Sing: I really enjoy living for Him, I would trade it for anything, because I, really enjoy living for Him. This feeling inside, I just can’t hide, and I want to world to know, that I really enjoy living for Jesus.

 

Thought For Today“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.” (Hebrews 12:16)

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2024 March 13

Mercy

 

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalms 118:1-4)

 

Today’s Morsel: If you were asked to define mercy, how would you define it from a personal standpoint. Would you just say not getting what you deserve as far as forgiveness and not being punished, or would it be more. Think about that for a moment. You see, God wants us to understand the application of His word. In other words, He wants us to understand and be able to see how things apply to our lives so that we can develop and grow. So, if God forgave you of sin, what are you doing to ensure that He doesn’t have to keep doing it? The Psalmist stated:“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.” (Psalms 62:11-12) Notice if you will, not only does power belong to God, but also mercy. Do you feel as though God has bestowed His mercy on you? If so, what did you do to give Him thanks for it? The writer of Hebrews tells us: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) I love this scripture. Not only do we find mercy at the throne of God, but we also find grace to help in time of need. So, how much grace do you have stored up for what is ahead. If grace saves us, surely mercy ought to keep us in His love. Don’t wait until you need grace to come to the throne to get it. Go to the throne daily, get it, and keep it stored up within you so that you will have it when you need it.  Should the Lord tarry, you are going to need both grace and mercy to navigate through this life. God doesn’t run out of these things. But isn’t it wise to have what you need to carry you though what you might face from day to day? 

 

Sing: Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my Lord was crucified; Knowing and not it was for me He died, on Calvary. Mercy there was great, and grace was free; Pardon there was multiplied to me; There my burden soul found liberty at Calvary.

 

Thought For Today: “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2024 March 12

It Is Jesus

 

“And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.” (Luke 18:35-43)

 

Today’s Morsel: Scripture tells us that when Jesus was upon the earth, great multitudes followed Him. They observed His teachings, heard His preaching, saw His miracles, and even saw His rejection by folks. His fame spread far and wide. There has never been another who impacted so many. What made Him admired and followed? I believe it was His compassion for the lost. Jesus went where others feared to go and did what others failed to do. He asked nothing from those who gave nothing. He went about doing good to all. And those of us who have His spirit ought to be walking the same as He walked (1 John 2:6). When the blind man heard the commotion of the crowd, he asked what was going on and they told him that Jesus was passing by and he began to call out to Jesus for His help, and he received his sight.  In John 9, when the religious leader questioned the man born blind how that he had received his sight: “He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.” (John 9:11) Peter said that we ought to be ready to give an answer to everyone that asks of us the hope that is within us without fear and doubting. Believe me, people today need Jesus. So, go out and take Him to them and they will be thankful you did. 

 

Sing: Jesus is here right now, reach out and touch Him. Jesus is here right now, yours to receive. Jesus is standing near, ready your heart to cheer. Jesus is here right now, only believe.

 

Thought For Today: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (1 Timothy 2:5)