Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 July 2

A New Direction

“And the LORD spake unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.” (Deuteronomy 2:2-3)

Today’s Morsel: Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years, passing the same mountain repeatedly. I’m sure that there were those who got tired of looking at that mountain and were glad when the word came for them to change direction. If we are not carefully, we, too, can find ourselves going round in circles for not heeding the word of God. That adage that says “history repeats itself” is just saying that if you don’t learn from your mistakes, they will reemerge again. If you seem to find yourself going through the same old trials and troubles, then stop and find out why. Somewhere you may need to make some adjustments in your life. Only a fool keeps making the same mistakes and expecting good to come from them. Seek God for what you are doing wrong, so that He can get you going in the right direction that will take you home to the promise land.

Sing: Let me walk blessed Lord, in the way Thou hast gone, leading straight to the land above; giving cheer everywhere to the sad and the lone; Fill my way every day with love.

Fill my way everyday with love. As I walk with the heavenly Dove; Let me go all the while with a song and a smile, fill my way every day with love.

Thought For Today:  “In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.” (Proverbs 12:28)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 July 1

A Good Defense

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:8-11)

Today’s Morsel: If you are a follower of sports, then you know that no team ever wins without a good defense. Some folks like to think that offenses win games, but it’s really the defense. Your offense can score one hundred points, but if your defense gives up one-hundred and one, guess who is going to win.  You can go out and win hundreds of souls to the Lord, but if you don’t retain your own defense and alertness, you’re going to lose your own soul. Paul’s comments, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:27), he is basically saying the same thing. You must keep your own self in check. Even Jesus asked, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) If you want to win the game of life, then you must, “… be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. And Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Ephesians 6:10-18 (Emphasis mine) Stay on the alert for anything that may seem too good to be true. Watch out for those tricks played by the enemy.

Sing: Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun, let us talk of all His wondrous love and care; then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done, and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. 

When the roll is called up yonder, when the roll is called up yonder, when the roll is called up yonder, when the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Thought For Today: In the back of the book, it tells us that we win. But that will only be for those who protected themselves with a good defense in their life.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 Jun 30

There Is Power In The Blood

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:10-11)

Today’s Morsel: The story is told of a church testimony service where a sister stood and began to testify of how good God had been to her and her family. She was going on and on of God’s blessings, healing, deliverance, and power. But just before she sat down, she begins to say how she wanted to be so full and overflowing with Christ Jesus.  She said, Not only do I want to be so full of Christ that when the world sees me they know that I belong to Him, but I want to be so full of Christ that if a mosquito bites me, it flies away singing, 'There is Power in the Blood!’ (Humor) 

What about you? How much of Jesus would you like to have in your life? If a mosquito can recognize the power in the blood, shouldn’t we. For the life of the flesh is in the blood. If we desire life and that more abundantly, then we need His blood applied to our life. 

Sing: Would you be free from your burden of sin? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood. Would you over evil a victory win? There’s wonderful power in the blood.

There is power, power, wonder working power in the blood of the Lamb; There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb.

Thought For Today: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 29

At The Cross

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:34-43)

Today’s Morsel: You know, we don’t hear preaching very much about the Cross anymore. George Orwell states, “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” If Satan can get preachers and saints to stop preaching and talking about the Cross, the church will soon be destroyed. The church doesn’t need to try and keep pace with the world. The world is running headlong into hell and destruction. The church is to be a city sat on a hill that gives light and hope to a lost and dying people and world. In other words, give those in the world a place to come to for forgiveness of sins and life. Jesus told Nicodumus, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15) He relates this to when the children of Israel sinned in the wilderness, God sent fiery serpents into their camp, and many of them were destroyed because of their sin and disobedience. And so God had Moses place a brazen serpent upon a pole in the midst of the camp, and when they were bitten by a serpent, they could look to the image and be healed. Jesus said that He would be lifted up in the same fashion. As Satan has caused and is causing many to sin, and many were and are dying because of sin, Jesus Christ was lifted up on a Cross at Calvary for our healing and deliverance from sin. He gave His life for the sin of the whole world. And now when people sin, they can look to Him, and seek for forgiveness of their sin, and live. We have what those in the world need, not the other way around.  Let’s not change the church, we want them to have a place to come to.  

Sing: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, it was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!

Thought For Today: Don’t ever forget Calvary and the Cross.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 27

What A Savior

“And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.” (Mark 1:40-42)

Today’s Morsel: From the raising of Lazarus from the dead, to the healing of the blind man at the pool of Silom, to the raising of the woman of Nain’s dead son, to the deliverance of the Syrophoenicians woman’s daughter possessed with demons, to the setting free the man living in the tombs possessed with thousands of demons, to turning the water into wine, at the wedding in Cana of Galilee to prevent embarrassment, to healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, to feeding the multitude with five loaves and two fish, to the healing of the lepers, there was only one who was willing to give His life on a cross for our sins. There has never been one so loving, compassionate, and caring as our dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As the song writer said, O what a Savior.

Sing: O, what a Savior, O, hallelujah, His heart was broken on Calvary. His hands were nail scarred, His side was riven, He gave His lifeblood for even me.

Thought For Today: I love you, that’s what Calvary says.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 26

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: My wife was sharing with me a video clip of a man asking some high school seniors some geography questions. It was amazing some of the answers they were giving. Question such as, How many continents are there? One young lady said fifty-one. One was asked to name some of the continents. And she said, France, Paris, Alaska. It was more sad than funny. Sad to say, this same spirit of not knowing has crept into the church. There are many sitting on church pews every week who have no knowledge of Christ. As Paul told the church at Corinth: “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” (1 Corinthians 15:34) The apostle Peter, informs us, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10) It becomes every born-again believers’ duty to know Christ and to make Him known. When Jesus was on His way to Calvary, the noise was loud as He was exiting the city. The blind man asks what all the noise meant. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. When he heard that, And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Even when they tried to get him to be quiet, he cried out louder and Jesus stopped and healed him. Do you know Him?  

Sing: Who is this who for our sorrow offers comfort and relief, bringing sunshine to the dark and shadowed life? Saying softly, “Cease repining, lift thy soul above its grief, let the peace past understanding still the strife.”

It is Jesus! Jesus! Sad one, weep no more! He will heal the brokenhearted, open wide the prison door, He is able to deliver evermore. 

Thought For Today: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 25

Fill My Way Everyday With Love

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35)

Today’s Morsel: Throughout scripture, we find that love, along with faith and eternal life, seems to be the driving force for the Christian to be, know, and do. I think when it comes to love, we fail to understand which one we should use and when. Agape Love refers to unconditional, selfless, and sacrificial love, which God demonstrated towards humanity. When we become Christians, God calls for us to emulate and express this love in our relationship with Him and others. Phileo Love refers to friendship or brotherly love, characterized by mutual affection, trust, camaraderie. This love exists between friends and companions sharing common interests, experiences, and values. Eros Love refers to romantic or passionate love characterized by desire, attraction, and intimacy such as between husband and wife. I have also read that the Greeks used Storge Love to describe natural affection and loyalty in family relationship when expressing love among close family. This love exists between parents and children, siblings, and other family members, rooted in kinship bonds and shared experience. But no matter which one we use, and when we use it, it must be according to God’s will. As God is love, John said. John also informs us: “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (1 John 3:10) So, every day we ought to pray that God will fill our way with His love, so that we may walk as He walked and reveal who we are in Him. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

Sing: Let me walk blessed Lord in the way Thou hast gone, leading straight to the land above; Giving cheer everywhere to the sad and the lone, fill my way every day with love.

Fill my way every day with love, as I walk with the heavenly Dove; Let me go all the while with a song and a smile; Fill my way every day with love.

Thought For Today: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4:11)