Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 September 27

All Hope Is Not Lost

“Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.” (Acts 27:17-20)

Today’s Morsel: One of the things about serving God and being a Christian is you cannot allow bad decisions nor poor decisions by others to cause you to lose hope. Hope is never lost. Faith, hope, and love work together to buildup and edify. If the enemy of your soul can get you to think that you have lost any one of them, he will put you in a vortex and drag you under. Paul informs us: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4). The word of God and the stories in the word of God are to give you hope.  He also stated that: “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. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Romans 5:1-5) Notice we rejoice in hope, patience brings about experience, and experience brings us hope. And the writer of Hebrews informs us: “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” (Hebrews 6:18-20) Hope is our anchor for the soul. It will hold you in the storms of life, and it will hold you when it feels like your boat is about the go under. Hope is there no matter how dark life may seem. If Jesus is your hope, then it’s going to be alright.

Sing: Have faith, hope, and charity, that’s the only way to live successfully, how do I know, the Bible tells me so.

Thought For Today: “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 September 26

Fervent Love

“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:7-8)

Today’s Morsel: How much do you love others in your life? What about the church? I’m sometime perplexed, especially in the church, when I have all these folks telling me that they love me, and yet they never call me, text me, send me a card, or contact me in any way. I’m starting to feel like an unwanted child. Peter tells us to have fervent love among ourselves. We ought to love each other deeply, because it covers all sin. We must love each other earnestly and sincerely. Paul tells us to let our love be with dissimulation. Our love ought to be real because God is love, and love came with the Holy Spirit, and love is the bond that brings us into perfectness. I have heard folks say, “I don’t like that person, but I must love them because the Bible says so.” That is confusing to me. How can you love someone you don’t like? If I don’t like you, the likelihood of me loving you isn’t going to happen either. I like that which is attributed to Abraham Lincoln when he said, “I don’t like that man, I need to spend more time with him so that I get to know him better.” If there is someone in the family of God, or a co-work, that you may not like, why not trying spending a little more time with them and get to know them. You may be surprised that you may have more in common than you think and it may foster a wonderful friendship and strengthen your love for them.

Sing: I was sinking deep in sin far from the peaceful shore, very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more, but the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, from the waters lifted me, now safe am I.

Love lifted me, Love lifted me, when nothing else could help, Love lifted me. Love lifted me, Love lifted me, when nothing else could help, Love Lifted me.

Thought For Today: “These things I command you, that ye love one another.” (John 15:17)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 September 25

Living With Passion

“And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.” (2 Kings 2:1-10)

Today’s Morsel: One of the requirements for ministry, I believe, is that of passion. If one does not have a strong sense of passion for what God may be calling them to do, or what their spiritual leadership may ask them to do, then they should probably stay away from ministry. I know that that may seem harsh, but this is not a playground, this is warfare. This is protecting and saving peoples’ lives and going into hostile territory. This duty requires commitment, dedication, and devotion to duty. Jesus even said that no man can serve two masters. He further stated “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” (John 15:18-20)

Elijah’s request to Elisha to not follow him, I believe, was a test to see his passion. Elijah knew that ministry is a 100% commitment and devotion. I also believe that Elisha understood this because he was willing to sacrifice his oxen and leave his family to go after his calling. I am not being critical here, but ministry is Active Duty, not Reserves who only meet on the weekends. If parttime is your understanding of serving God, you will soon lose your passion for your calling. If you will notice, Elijah never asks Elisha what he wanted until he crosses the Jordan River. I believe that Elisha had now proven himself as committed to the call; and so, he, Elisha requests a double portion of Elijah’s anointing. Elijah knew that it did not come from him, it came from God. And if Elisha saw him go up, the anointing would come down. And it came down upon him. If you say that you have the anointing, then you ought to have the same passion as Christ and his disciples had. As Jesus said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” (Luke 4:18); John said, “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” (1 John 2:27) If you have the anointing, you ought to have the passion. And if you say you have the Holy Ghost, you should have the passion that comes with the anointing.  

Sing: Anointing fall on me; Anointing fall on me; Let the power of the Holy Ghost, fall on me; anointing fall on me.

Thought For Today: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 September 24

The Secret To Contentment

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:4-13)

Today’s Morsel: Are you content? What do you think you need to make you content? Would more money make you content? Would getting married make you content? Would being in the right church make you content? Would the pastor preaching a good sermon cause you contentment? Would those who know to do right that aren’t doing it starting to do right, would this give you contentment? Would being hired for a job or the ideal job bring you contentment? If you won the lottery with a ticket that someone brought for you, because you don’t gamble, bring you contentment? I don’t know. Maybe it would and maybe it wouldn’t. Contentment is often associated with being satisfied and happy. It’s a state of mind of being satisfied with what you have right now. If you are not content with what you already have, chances are, more isn’t going to change things. The secret to contentment is you must change who you are and your mindset. For as a man thinketh so is he.  Someone wrote a poem which said, “Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”  Paul said that he had learned that no matter what state he found himself in, he was to be content. He said that he had brought nothing into the world and it was for certain that he would not take anything out (my wording). Someone said that they had never seen a hearse at a funeral loaded with money. 

Sing: If you’re happy, and you know it, say amen! Say amen! Cause if you’re happy, and you know it, say amen! amen! Cause when God’s Spirit falls on you, it makes you shout, hallelujah! If you’re happy and you know it say amen!

Thought For Today: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 September 23

The Last Day of Torment

“And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” (1 Samuel 17:43-46)

Today’s Morsel: Scripture says that Goliath tormented Israel for forty days. Can you imagine an entire army fearful of one man? As we read the scriptures, no one would fight him because of his size. That is what happens when we allow bullying to keep tormenting us. Pretty soon, we become afraid of those tormenting us. Even in some neighborhoods, gangs have tormented folks for so long, that most of the people in those neighborhoods are afraid to say anything or do anything. But when David heard the giant, he was ready to fight him. He was ready to take-action against him. David knew that the lion and bear were ferocious beasts, and a giant could not be more powerful than they were against his God. He knew that God would deliver the giant into his hands. Little did Goliath know that this would be his last day of torment. John tells us that fear torments because folks are not made perfect in love. In other words, Jesus is missing in a life when one allows tormentors to torment them, as perfect love, which is Jesus, defeats tormentors and tormenting. So, stop allowing the things and ways of the world to torment you. Jesus is with you. Start walking by faith and stop walking by sight. 

Sing: 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: “So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.” (1 Samuel 17:50)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 September 22

The Battle Is The Lord’s

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:11-16)

Today’s Morsel: Are you looking forward to being a part of that last battle with the Lord? Just think, we get to conqueror Satan and his demonic forces. Just to be riding on white horses dressed in find linen, clean and white behind Him to war. But of course, we don’t have to wait until then, Jesus has already given us power to tread over Satan and over the forces and power of the darkness that are out there before us. The problem is most don’t know what they have already been given that power to fight with. Paul said that the Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit. It is sharp. John said that out of the mouth of Jesus goeth a sharp sword. That’s His Word. This is why the writer of Hebrews informs us: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) If folks would start using the Sword that God has already given them, the devil would be defeated and they would be overcomers, not feeling all depressed, stressed, and feeling defeated. Peter could have cut Malchus’ head off with his sword. But he only cut off his ear. And I think Jesus may have had something to do with that. And that was to show Peter that He could defend Himself with His own Word.

Sing: Shout with a voice of triumph, shout with a voice of praise, shout with a voice of triumph, shout with a voice of praise, shout to the Lord for the victory, hey, hey, give the Lord a shout of praise. 

Triumph in battle, we are victorious, God is most high over all the earth. Jesus has conquered, Satan’s defeated, the enemy is under our feet. 

So, I will shout with a voice of triumph, shout with a voice of praise, shout with a voice of triumph, shout with a voice of praise, shout to the Lord for the victory, hey, hey, give the Lord a shout of praise.

Thought For Today: “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 6:17-18)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 September 21

What Season Are You In?

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11)

Today’s Morsel: One of the things that I like about living here in Wisconsin is the four seasons. They say that sometimes here you could get all four seasons in one day! Solomons says that life also have seasons. If you read the list that he mentioned, what season are you in? Is it time for you to plant a church or maybe help make some changes to the one you are in? Is it time for you to start embracing some of your own responsibilities and stop looking for someone else to do them for you? The Bible tells us to go to the ant and observe their ways. The ants know that winter is coming and so they prepare in advance. If you know that winter is coming and you don’t buy a coat at the end of the previous winter for next year’s winter, you are going to find yourself in a season where you are going to be cold and people are going to laugh at you. I believe that there are seasons of pain, happiness, joy, love, rejection, loneliness, and depression. Because you read about every one of these in the Bible. But the season doesn’t dictate your state of mind nor the outcome. You do. That’s why you must be like the ant and prepare before the season come. You can endure any season in life if you prepare. 

Sing: It’s a new season, it’s a new day, a fresh anointing, and it’s flowing my way; It’s a Spirit of power, and prosperity; It’s a new season, coming to me. 

Thought For Today: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (Luke 14:28)