Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 19 March 2019

Spiritually Asleep

And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:10-17).

Today’s Morsel:  Most people never consider what we call a church and where it is located as the house of God and the gateway to heaven.  Jacob found himself between a rock and a hard place (no pun intended).  Bethel, which was the name He gave to the place after his dream, means the house of God.  He probably never considered that here, where he laid himself that evening, would one day become a place of worship.  No, we know that the buildings aren’t the church.  We know that we are the church.  Yet wouldn’t it be sad to sit in such beautiful structures, which we call the church, and never know that you were sitting in the house of God and the gateway to heaven?
Sing: It’s the Old Ship of Zion. It’s the hope for the lost and dying. It’s a soul-saving station. It’s the tower of salvation. Well, it’s the Church triumphant, O’ Lord, and it’s built by the hand of the Lord.  I’m talking about the church in the Book of Revelations. It’s built on the Rock, it’s got a firm foundation. It’s been through the flood, and it’s been through the fire; But one these days, the Church is gonna move up a little higher. Well, it’s the Church triumphant, O’ Lord, and it’s built by the hand of the Lord.


Thought For Today: “And upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18)

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