Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 October 10

Inward Fire

“I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?” (Luke 12:49)

Today’s Morsel: Jesus said that He came to send a fire on the earth. But if the fire is already burning, then what will He do if it’s burning? If the Holy Ghost is working inside and through you, Jesus won’t have to reignite you. If the fire in your altar is burning, then Jesus won’t have to get you relit and burning again. Jeremiah said that the word was like fire shut up in his bones, and he had to tell someone about it. The Holy Ghost in you ought to have you on fire and burning always. Jesus asked if when He comes is He going to find faith on the earth? Are you going to be burning and being as effective as you were when He first filled you? Are you going to be as excited and as passionate about the work and things of God as you were when He first called you and chose you? You must never let the fire go out of your altar. You must always be burning. The men with the five talents and two talents received more because their fire was burning for the things of God. The men on the road to Emmaus said: “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32) That inward fire must always be burning within to rid yourself of the sin and chaff in life.

Sing: Burn in me, burn in me, Holy Ghost fire burn in me.  Yesterday’s gone, today I’m in need, Holy Ghost fire burn in me.

Thought For Today: “My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,” (Psalms 39:3)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 October 9

No Reason To Worry

“For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” (Jeremiah 29:10-14)

Today’s Morsel: Do you ever wonder why so many Christians are filled with worry? What is it that has them gripped that causes them to live in such a state? I’m perplexed. How can one say that they are filled with His Spirit and yet live in a state of worry? The Lord said, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. If you follow the life of Jacob, he seems to live in a state of worry from the time he cons his father until his death. Jacob has the blessing and birthright from his father, and a promise from God that He will not leave him, yet it seems he lives in a state of worry and fear all the days of his life. You shouldn’t live like this as a Christian. Jesus came to give us life, and that more abundantly. If you live in a state of worry, sooner or later it will cause you to move from a state of worry to deep depression and fear. There is no need for you to worry and fear; you are a child of God, and God is not going to leave you nor forsake you. You need to put your trust in Him and not in yourself or man.

Sing: He is my everything, He is my all. He is my everything, both great and small. He gave His life for me, made everything new. He is my everything; Oh how about you?

Thought For Today: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 October 8

Petty Excuses

“And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.” (Exodus 32:21-24)

Today’s Morsel: I’m sure some of you, like me, have wondered why God didn’t smite Aaron for lying. He tells Moses that he threw the earrings into the fire and, poof, out of it came this golden calf. What a lie. Scripture says: “And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:2-4) He made the calf himself. That’s what excuses are: a lie.  If you have a valid reason for why you can’t be somewhere or do certain things, it’s not an excuse; it’s a valid reason. When Samuel asked King Saul why he didn’t do what God told him to do and destroy all the Amalekites: “And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:20-23) His excuse was that it was the people. No, said Samuel, that’s not going to fly with God.  You didn’t do what He told you to do, not what someone else didn’t do. Your excuse isn’t going to save your Kingship (my wording). When it comes to eternal salvation and eternal life, excuses for failing to obey God’s word will not be accepted by Him from any of us. If we are to reign in heaven with Him forever, we must get rid of our petty excuses and do what He tells us to do in His word. We will each answer for ourselves; there will be no excuses accepted.  

Sing: He made me free, yes, He made me free, He broke the bars of prison for me, I’m glory bound, my Jesus to see, glory to God, He made me free.

Thought For Today: Don’t allow any excuse to keep you out of heaven.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 October 7

How Well Do You Understand The Resurrection?

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:5-6)

Today’s Morsel: Paul informs us that the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In other words, Christ Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to scripture. But how well do you understand the resurrection? When Jesus told Martha that her brother Lazarus would rise again, she tells Him: “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11:24) Martha believed in a future resurrection from the dead, but not right now. But Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” (John 11:25-27) Did Martha avoid the question by Christ, or was she perplexed by it? When folks don’t know, they are more likely to change the subject to avoid embarrassment for not knowing. Jesus was telling Martha that the resurrection is not only a future event that will happen but it is a present one when people put their trust in Him. When Jesus tells her that I am, He is saying to her, I am God, and I have the power to give life now and in the future. Do you believe it? What is that first resurrection to which John speaks? It’s what Paul speaks to in Romans 6. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” (Romans 6:3-5) To be a part of the first resurrection is to obey Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) If you have taken part in the first resurrection, the second death will have no power over you, if you have kept yourself in Christ and His ways.

Sing: Born again, there has been a change in me; born again, just like Jesus said. Born again and all because of Calvary, I’m so glad that I’ve been born again. 

Thought For Today: “And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,” (Luke 24:5-6)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 October 6

A Loss of Passion

“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:1-4)

Today’s Morsel: One of the major signs of loss of passion is stress and burnout and a desire to quit. Passion is having a deep love for something or someone. I have yet to figure out why so many lose their passion for the things of God and His ways. But I see it happening often in the world and sadly even in the church.  Some must have certain jobs, but then they lose passion for them. Then there are those in the church who want to be in ministry, but they, too, soon lose their passion for it and want to quit. Why do people lose their passion for something that they say they love? Does Scripture give us an answer? Yes. Paul tells us: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2) If we take our eyes off the prize, we will lose focus and become weary, worn, and despondent about what we are doing. Elijah had just had a major victory on Mount Carmel. He had seen God answer his prayer and work wonders right before his eyes. But for some reason, he lost his trust in God’s ability to save his life after he had just seen God answer his prayer. There ought not to be anything that hinders and stop you from loving the things of God and for others. As we move forward, let’s keep a heart for the things of God and allow Him to complete the work which He has begun in us. If you lose your passion for the things of God, it will make it easy for you to lose your passion for others and even for God Himself.

Sing:  He is my everything. He is my all, He is my everything, both great and small. He gave His life for me, made everything new. He is my everything, Oh how about you?

Thought For Today: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 October 5

Characteristics of Pilgrims

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:8-16)

Today’s Morsel: Some of those who first came to America seeking religious freedom were called pilgrims. They were those wayfarers seeking a better life where they could worship God. Isaiah informs us: “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up there on, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 35:8-10) It shall be for those wayfaring men. The writer of Hebrews lists Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob as some of those wayfaring men who classified themselves as strangers and pilgrims on earth, who were looking for a city whose builder and maker was God, and that they were looking for a better country where God was not ashamed to be called their God, because He had prepared for them a city. Are you a pilgrim or a homebody? Are you pleased with where you are, or are you looking for a city whose builder and maker is God? If you don’t seek it, you won’t find it.

Sing: This world is not my home; I’m just passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels are beckoning me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

O Lord, you know I have no friend like You. If heaven is not my home, then Lord, what will I do? The angels are beckoning me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore. 

Thought For Today: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 October 4

Signs of Progress

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:15-21)

Today’s Morsel: A sign of progression and growth is found when we all become one in Christ. If there is division between you and others, then someone isn’t growing and progressing. Paul informed the church at Rome: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” (Romans 6:3-12) He informed the church at Corinth: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) Are you progressing or stuck in a rut? Peter tells us: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18) The sign that you are progressing is that you are one with Christ and others, and you have a deep passion for the things of God and His church.

Sing: I love Him too much to fail Him now, too much to break my vow; For I promised the Lord that I would make it somehow; And now I love Him too much to fail Him now.

Thought For Today: “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;” (Ephesians 2:14)