Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 31 May 2021

 

The Gate

 

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalms 100:1-5)

 

Today’s Morsel:  When God gave Moses the instructions for the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, the gate was to always face the east.  They were to enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.  Anytime we come before God, we must come with thanksgiving and praise.  God inhabits the praises of His people. We must serve Him with a Joyful heart. When we offer Him praise, He is well pleased with us.  True praise always ushers in God’s presence!

 

Sing:  I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with praise; I will that this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice for He has made me glad.

He has made me glad, He has made me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad; He has made me glad, He has made me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad.

 

Thought For Today: Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 29 May 2021

 

When the Devil Tries to Block Your Way

 

“And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.” (Matthew 8:28)

 

Today’s Morsel:  Often when I hear people say that they are trying to serve God, but they seem to be having a hard time; I have come to understand that Satan is impeding their progression and may be blocking their way from getting to Jesus.  Satan is not about to let you go easily.  He is going to do everything in his power to hinder and prevent you from becoming a Christian.  Scripture states when Jesus came to Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.  These devils were fierce so that no man might pass by that way. But they soon realized that it was Jesus who was onshore, and they realized that they were powerless, as He could pass that way. Gangs are just devils trying to prevent you from passing that way.  Remember, greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.  Once you make up your mind to go forward in Christ, nothing can stop you.  

 

Sing:  I command you Satan in the name of the Lord to pick up your weapons and flee, for God hath given me authority to walk all over thee.

 

Thought For Today:  God is great than all your fears.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 28 May 2021

 

Fresh Water

 

“Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”
 (Exodus 17:6)

 

Today’s Morsel:  We all need water. They say that the earth has more water than anything else and yet some countries are suffering because they do not have clean water to drink.  Every country has water.  God knew that water would be one of those commodities that we need to live.  We see that even the Holy Ghost, which we all need to live, is associated with living water. “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:37-39)  Isiah cried, “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1)  “Repent ye therefore (Peter said), and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you” (Acts 3:19-20)  Do you need a drink of fresh water?  As Jesus told the woman at the well, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)  You can have a well of freshwater to drink at your leisure.  

 

Sing: Drinking at the springs of living water; Happy now am I, my soul they satisfy.  Drinking at the wells of living water, a wonderful and bountiful supply.

 

Thought For Today: Drink while the well is running.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 27 May 2021

 

Do What You Are Famous For

 

“O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)

 

Today’s Morsel:  If someone were talking about you to others, what would you be famous for?  Would they talk about your faithfulness ? What about your commitment?  What about your integrity?  Or what would they say about your overall Christian character?  When you are telling others about Jesus, what do you tell them that He is famous for?  Jehoshaphat prayed in the court telling others what God was famous for.  He said, “O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.”  He wanted them to know that God was famous for keeping His word and delivering them from their enemies.  “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13)  He has not changed!

 

Sing:  Make way through the waters, walk me through the fire, do what You are famous for, what You are famous for.  Shut the mouths of lions, bring dry bones to life, and do what You are famous for, what you are famous for, I believe in You, God, I believe in You.

 

 Thought For Today:  God is faithful!

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 26 May 2021

                                     Obedience When It Seems Impossible

 “And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.”

 (1 Samuel 16:1-5)

 

Today’s Morsel:  One of the things about obedience is often it is not popular.  Especially when everyone else is doing wrong and you are the one doing right.  Joseph's brethren hated him in a sense because he was obedient, and they were not.  When you take on the character trait of obedience, others are not going to like you, especially when your obedience exposes their evil and wrongdoing.  When God rejected King Saul, from being king of Israel, He sent Samuel to anoint David as the new king.  But Samuel was afraid because he knew that if Saul found out he would kill him.  Samuel desired to obey God, but he knew that it was impossible without God’s help.  And so God told him what to do.  The next time God asks you to do something that you see is impossible because it could cost you your job or life, seek God for directions.  He will bring it to fruition, and you will be blessed.

 

Sing:  Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

 

Thought For Today: Obedience is better than sacrifice.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 25 May 2021

 

When Did You Start Doubting?

 

“But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”
  (Matthew 14:24-33)

 

Today’s Morsel:  One of the dangers of walking by sight instead of our faith is that it can cause us to doubt.  When Eve encountered her conversation with Satan in the garden, Satan caused her to doubt what God had told them as being true.  I have seen many people who for unknown reasons, they live their lives just like the Bible says to do, and then suddenly they start doubting what God says in His word to be true.  Many of them have taught others that the Bible was true, but now, for some unknown reason, they question if what is written is true.  When Peter asked Jesus to bid him come unto him on the water, Jesus told him to come.  Peter started to walk on the water but then he started to doubt.  Jesus asked him why did he doubt?  In other words, why did you stop believing in your ability to do what you were doing?  Isn’t it amazing that the apostle Thomas went down in history as being called doubting Thomas, just because He wasn't there when Jesus came the first time?  Why couldn’t he believe the others that Jesus had risen?  The only way that you can prevent yourself from being called a Doubting Thomas, is to mix the word of God with your faith when you hear it, do it, and believe it.

 

 Sing:  I believe God, I believe God, that He will do just as He said.  Trust and obey, believe Him, and say, "I believe, I believe God."

 

Thought For Today: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 24 May 2021

 

When You Get Converted

 

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
(Luke 22:31-32)

 

Today’s Morsel:  Why is it that it seems that it takes some folks a long time to get converted?  There are those that have been in the church all their lives and they have yet to be converted.  They are always late for service, they don’t tithe, they never seem to volunteer for anything that the church is doing, they complain about any meals that are served, the temperature in the church is never set to their liking, the seats are either too soft or too hard, the people who sit in front of them or behind them are a nuisance, and they never like the music.  They still represent the ways of the world by their actions, conduct, and character, and we wonder what is taking them so long to be converted.  If a person has been in the church more than three years and is not committed and sold out to the church, Satan may still be controlling their lives.  The gospel calls for us to forsake the world and follow Jesus.  As Paul told to the church at Colossi, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)  Heaven is predicated on your conversion to Christ, not your introduction to Him.

 

Sing:  Let me walk in the light, in the great gospel light; Let me walk in the gospel light.  Till my journey is over and I travel no more, let me walk in the gospel light.

 

Thought For Today: Satan does not want you to be converted to Christ.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 22 May 2021

 

Don’t Defile the Temple

 

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
 (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

 

Today’s Morsel:  I can remember once when I was in the Army, one of my male soldiers came to work on a Monday morning with a Band-Aid on his ear.  It was done at a time when body piercing and tattooing were becoming a fad in the world but male soldiers were forbidden to pierce their ears.  I asked his leaders what had happened to him?  And they did not have an answer.  So I asked them to bring the soldier to see me. When the soldier came into my office, I asked him what was wrong with his ear?  He was shocked.  But he told me that he had gotten his ear pierced and he needed to keep it covered so it did not get infected.  When I told him that he could be punished for the destruction of government property, he was shocked even more.  Paul told the church at Corinth that they were the temple of God and if they defiled the temple, God would destroy them. We need to understand, when we become born again, we do not continue to follow the trends of this world.  “Know ye not," Paul says, "that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.” (1 Corinthians 6:15)  We are called to be holy and set apart for the Lord's use.  We don’t advertise on our bodies anything that would defile God’s temple.  Remember, we must be holy because He is holy!

 

Sing: Holiness, Holiness, is what I long for; Holiness is what I need.   Holiness, Holiness, is what I long for.  So, take my heart, transform it, take my hands and use it, for your, for your Oh Lord.

 

Thought For Today: “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 21 May 2021

 

When God Doesn’t Make Sense

 

“And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.” (Judges 6:11-17)

 

Today’s Morsel:  Have you ever questioned God when He has told you to do something?  I think there are those times that God’s ways do not make sense to us.  We see this throughout scripture.  Gideon said this does not make sense.  If it did, why is all this happening to us, and where are all the miracles that our fathers told us of.  In other words, if God is for us, then why are we suffering.   Jonah became angry with God after he spent three nights in the whales’ belly, then had to preach to Nineveh, and God didn’t destroy them.  Scripture says, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.” (Jonah 3:10-4:2) To Jonah, it didn’t make sense.  Why couldn't God just do what He did in the end in the first place?  He failed to realize that God uses men to accomplish His purposes.  The story is told of a lady who was told by God to go stand on her front porch and wave the towel in her hand.  It did not make sense to her, but she did it anyway.  Later while telling her story in church, a man came up to her and questioned her about her story and told her he had seen her on the porch waving the towel while he was on his way to commit suicide, but when he saw her waving the towel, he felt the Lord telling him not to, that someone did care because she was waving hello to him.  So he had not taken his life that day, but rather found his way to the church.  Sometimes it is not going to make sense to you when God tells you to do something. but do it anyway.  You never know whose life you may be touching by your actions.  

 

Sing: Trust and obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.

 

Thought For Today: Don’t lean unto your own understanding! 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 20 May 2021

 

The Importance of Breath

 

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

  

Today’s Morsel:  One of the major subjects that we taught new recruits in Basic Training was “First Aid.” And during this training, they are taught how to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a fellow comrade, or to those who are not breathing.  The goal is to get air into the lungs as quickly as possible to hopefully prevent other organs from being damaged. In today’s passage, God puts Ezekiel in the midst of a valley of bones.  There is no meat on these bones, and neither is their life. And God tells him to prophesy unto them, and to tell them, “I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.” Now Ezekiel can look foolish, or he can do what God says.  You know, sometimes when God tells us to speak to things or people, it might seem foolish, but God’s ways are not our ways, and neither are His thoughts our thoughts.  So, Ezekiel follows His orders and does what God tells him to do, and those bones become a mighty army.  If you will notice, everything was put back together, but they were still dead until the breath came into them. You know, many folks think that they have it all together, but really, they are dead if God has not breathed into them the breath of life just as He did Adam so they can become a living soul.  If God has not breathed into you His Spirit, you are still dead.  As Jesus told Nicodemus, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:7-8)  Don't hesitate to have Jesus breathe that new life into you today.  

Sing: Breathe on me, breathe on me, Holy Ghost power breathe on me.  Yesterday's gone, today I'm in need,  Holy Ghost power, breathe on me.

  

Thought For Today: If any have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His (Romans 8:9).

 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 19 May 2021

 

The Past

 

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

 

Today’s Morsel:  Writing to the church at Philippi, the apostle Paul states, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)  Our past life should be a springboard that motivates us and pushes us forward.  If we would pause for a moment and see where we are, we can see that our past life awarded us no dividends.  But now in Christ, we can often see what God has done for us, where He has brought us from, and where He may be leading us.  I have heard folks say, “Man I remember the good old days.”  I will agree to a point that there were some good times, but we cannot remain in the past and wait for them to again return.  We must go on to perfection.  The past is not a place for you to remain.  It is a springboard to move you forward.  There is a future ahead of you.  It is called heaven.  So, keep pressing on.

 

Sing:  Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face, There to sing forever of His saving grace.  On the streets of glory, let me lift my voice; cares all passed, home at last, ever to rejoice.

 

Thought For Today: The past should be a springboard, not a hammock.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 18 May 2021

 

How Would You Like to Be Treated?

 

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

 

Today’s Morsel:  One of the first lessons that every parent should teach their children is that of obedience; and the second is that of the golden rule.  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Are you aware that if we all followed the golden rule there would be no fighting among us, there would be no prejudice and racism, all churches would be multicultural, people would not have to lock the doors to their homes and cars, banks would not need cameras, people would work for their employer correctly, and we would not need the police and military for protection?  But sad to say, that is not the case. For some reason, some folks have allowed Satan to influence their minds to do evil, and others have considered wrong to be their way of life.  But in the church, if we do not treat others the way that we desire to be treated, and if we do not follow the Golden Rule, then we might as well take a big marker and write on our window, “Heaven is not my home.”

 

Sing:  Oh, there's a highway to heaven, none can walk up there but the pure in heart.  Oh, there's a highway to heaven, walking up the King's Highway.

 

Thought For Today: Blame yourself as you would blame others; excuse yourself as you would excuse others.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 17 May 2021

 

Knowing and Not Doing

 

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)

 

Today’s Morsel:  I am afraid that some folks think that they are going to be able to sneak into heaven and be okay.  But Jesus shows us that this isn’t the case when He told the parable of the man that did not have on the correct wedding garments. “So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:10-14)  The thing that will take you from being called of God, to being chosen by God is the earnestness of your preparation. They were all invited to the wedding, but the man did not come in with the proper attire.  Anytime you hear the gospel message you are being invited to the wedding with the Lamb.  But if you do not prepare now, and get on the correct garments, you just might be kicked out.  If you have never been baptized in Jesus’ name and received the Holy Ghost, and if you are not living a holy and separated life, you do not have on the correct garments for the wedding.  Everyone that has ever heard about Jesus Christ knows that there is an end to this thing.  yet none of us knows when.  Therefore, be ready.  

 

Sing:  Oh, my brother, are you ready for the call, to crown you Savior king and Lord of all.  The kingdoms of this world shall soon before Him fall; we shall see the king when He comes.

We shall see the king, we shall see the king, we shall see the king when He comes.  He’s coming in His power, we’ll hail the blessed hour.  We shall see the King when He comes.

 

Thought For Today: Do right and you’ll be alright.