2010 May 8 - Morning Manna

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 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 11:1-6).

Today's Morsel: When I visited the "Grand Canyon", the lady asked me if I would like to purchase a pass that would allow me access to all the National Parks in America. With this pass, I would never have to purchase another ticket to enter a North American park. But because I was living overseas at the time, it would not have benefited me. What about our faith? Our faith is like a forever pass. Paul said "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2). Faith gives us access into God's unmerited love and peace. What a ticket. Anytime I desire it, I can get it. I can come before Jesus anytime I want, because I have a permanent pass. And whatever I ask of Him, He hears me. But without faith, I can't get in and He's not pleased with me. This is one permanent ticket that no one can do without. Have you lost your entrance pass? Well, you can get another one before you get to the gate. So don't wait until you get to the gate and don't have it. Remember the 5 virgins? They couldn't get in when they returned; the gate was closed. Faith is the substance, it is your confidence and assurance, of the things you are hoping for.

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!

If you need salvation now, or the Holy Ghost and power; just trust and obey, believe Him and say, I believe, I believe God!

2010 May 7 - Morning Manna

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Today's Morsel: They say that the reason an elephant doesn't pull the stake out of the ground with his power is because when he is a baby the owners attached a larger rope or chain to his leg and attached it to a stake. When the Elephant tries to pull away, he feels the struggle and he stops trying. He got it in his mind that he is trapped,and it became a snare to his mind, so he stopped trying to pull away. And now, anytime he has anything around his leg he feels trapped, he senses that he is snared and cannot get loose. I wonder what would happen if we would all get it into our minds that we are kept by the Holy Ghost (Power of God), through our faith unto salvation? What if we became like that elephant and just locked it in our minds that we can't get loose from Jesus and become like the psalmist, when he said, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence"(Psalms 139:7)? We must become shackled to God, and be like that elephant. When we feel that tug of the Holy Ghost at our hearts, must become content and know, as the apostle Paul said, Nothing shall be able to separate me from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord.

Sing: Jesus, lover of my soul, Jesus, I will never let You go. You've taken me, from the miry clay, You've set my feet upon the rock and now I know, I love You, I need You, Though my world may fall I'll never let You go. My Savior, my closest Friend, I will worship you until the very end.

2010 May 6 - Morning Manna

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

(1 John 5:1-4)

Today's Morsel: "Winning is not everything, it is the only thing!" said Green Bay Packer coach, Vincent Limbardi. Where did he get this phrase ? If I were a betting man, I would say many of the quotes he used came from the Bible. Often times when we hear notable quotes, we may think that people just dreamed them up. But not so. Probably 99.9% of notable quotes are clichés taken from scriptures. Many of them are Proverbs spoken by King Solomon that people have put their own personal twist to. One reason people should read their Bibles is that as wisdom and faith come by hearing the Word of God. Just think, you could pen your own quotes. John said, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." John was saying that when we apply our faith, we can overcome the world. As the apostle Paul said, sin shall not have dominion over you. Winning over the world is not everything, it is the only thing. Friendship with the world makes you the enemy of God. This is one victory that every child of God must achieve. You must believe that the things of God are more important to you than the things of the world. And with your faith, you must keep it as the number priority in your life. If you gain the whole world and lose your soul, what have you accomplished? Since you already know that you brought nothing into the world and you can carry nothing out, it shouldn't take much faith to overcome the world. You just have to remember that everything before your eyes is temporal and fading away fast. Are you planning to spend your life with Jesus when this life is over? Then winning is the only thing. Make yourself a plan and stick with it. Because, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

Sing: Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever. He sought me, and He brought me, with His redeeming blood. He loved me e'r I knew Him, and all my love is due Him, He plunged me to victory, beneath the cleansing flood.

2010 May 5 - Morning Manna

“The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:1-4).

Today's Morsel: Often when we hear the word prosper, we think and associate it with money or wealth. Many churches preach a prosperity message, and lead people to think that if they give more money to the church, they will prosper in more money. And so when people give more money and they don’t receive more money in return, they are left feeling as though God isn’t fair and God doesn’t honor His Word and that the minister lied to them. God never promised to give you money back if you give. He simply says, 'give and it shall be given to you,' and in that verse, God isn't talking about money, even though we should give of our finances; He's talking about forgiveness. The words, 'money will be returned to you,' are not mentioned or associated with your giving. We hear people in the church often say, "You are suppose to prosper as a child of God", but they don’t tell you how to prosper. And so when people hear this they think, here we go again with wanting more money.

As a child of God, you should always prosper if you are prospering for the right reasons. John's, writings unto the well beloved Gaius, said, “Whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” Notice here, first John said I love you in the truth. Gaius was an associate of the apostle Paul (Romans 16:23), and is now walking in the truth. Then he said, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” The word "Prosper" here, has nothing to do with wealth. In the Greek, it is, euodoō; yoo-od-o'-o, which means: To help on the road, that is, (passively) succeed in reaching; figuratively to succeed in business affairs: - (have a) prosper (-ous journey). So John is saying to him, I love you in the truth and above all things, I’m praying that on this road or on your journey to your destination, that you will be successful in reaching it; and that you will have a prosperous journey. He said, I'm praying that you prosper even as your soul prospesr. If your soul(your will, your intellect, your mind) isn't prospering, then you are not going to prosper. The mind is a terrible thing to waste. When we understand that we are made up of body, soul, and spirit, if we feed the body (flesh) we are not going to prosper, because the flesh is enmity against God. However, if we feed the spirit, then we find favor with God, we walk in the spirit, and we prosper on our/this journey to heaven in all things. Beloved, I love you in the truth, and I'm praying that you propser on your journey to heaven and hopefully I will see you over on the streets of gold!

Sing: I am blessed, I am blessed, every day that I live I am blessed, when I wake up in the morning, until I lay my head to rest, I am blessed, I am blessed.

2010 May 4 - Morning Manna

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father (Romans 8:12-15).


Today's Morsel: They say that the majority of households are in debt because of the charge card. People are easily given credit to keep them spending. It is said that with the charge card people feel at liberty to spend because they know that they can get it now and pay later. But it's the later, they say, that has caused many people to remain in debt. Because of the later, people feel as though they will have time to pay it, later. What if Jesus comes before the later? Owe no man nothing scripture says. Paul said, "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it" (Hebrews 4:1). Many people continue to charge, making only the minimum payment not realizing that the majority of their payment is going towards a high interest rate. So they will never recover from the debt without paying in full. Paul cautioned us to "Take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak" (1 Corinthians 8:9). If you are a weak Christian, your liberty to spend and use credit could become a stumbling block for you. One of the worst things for a Christian is to not be able to see daylight for being under a financial strain. We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. But if ye through the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live, Paul said. Remember, we are debtors to the Lord, and not to your flesh.   That charge card may be that one world currency that everyone is waiting for.

Sing: He paid a debt He did not owe. I owe a debt, I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away, and now I sing a brand new song, amazing grace; for Jesus paid a debt, that I could never pay.

2010 May 3 - Morning Manna

The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God (Deuteronomy 22:5).

Today’s Morsel: There’s an old saying in the world, that when a man was asked by other men to go with them someplace, and the man would say that he didn’t know if he could or not, the men would say to him, “Who wears the pants in your house?” Meaning, who is the head in your home, you or your wife? Moses informed the children of Israel, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” In every culture, women and men’s attire has always been distinct and different. For example, this past winter, I purchased a nice looking Polor-Tech winter vest without looking at it closely. The size was the right sizes, but when I got home I noticed the zipper was on the wrong side. It was a ladies' garment. The Bible says that if a woman wears men’s garments or a man wear women’s garment, it is an abomination to the Lord. The Word abomination in this scripture means something disgusting (morally). Let me encourage you today, be careful of the garments you purchase. Unisex garments aren't God’s way, so don’t be deceived. God wants our garments to be different for each sex and we sure don’t want to make God sick.

Sing: Put on the garment of praise, for the spirit of heaviness, lift up your voice to God, pray in the spirit and with understanding, O’ magnify the Lord!

2010 May 1 - Morning Manna

"Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32)

Today's Morsel: Scripture has very little to say about Lot's wife. We don't even know her name. Scripture doesn't tell us where she was from, nor who her parents were. The only thing we know from scripture is that she was told to flee with her husband from Sodom and Gomorrah and to not look back. But scripture tells us that for some reason Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:15-26). In His teaching about the world's condition at His second coming, Jesus was using the story of Noah and then he changed to speak of what it was like when Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed. He cautioned us of the importance of not looking back when we come out of the world, and He says, "Remember Lot's wife." She looked back and was destroyed. What is there in the world that have you are attached to that you can't let it go? Just what is there? Is it the world's music? Is it amusement parks? Is it movies? Is it sports? Is it financial gain? Is it friends? The apostle Paul said, "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). Solomon said, "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit" (Ecclesiastes 1:14). He says that it's all emptiness and unsatisfactory and even transitory. It's here for a little while and then it's gone. And he ends by telling us, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Just what is behind you that you keep looking back?

Sing: I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back; no turning back.

You can take this old world, but give me Jesus; You can take this old world, but give me Jesus; You can take this old world, but give me Jesus; No turning back, no turning back.