Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 8

Salvation Is Free

“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:1-7)

Today’s Morsel: Sometimes, I don’t think that some folks have the knowledge of what God really did for us. Jesus’ death at Calvary did more for us than what many think. Just think, if He had not died for us, there would have been no salvation and hope for eternal life. As the Psalmist said: “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” (Psalms 130:3-4) If God would have judged us for our sin, none of us would be able to stand before him. But he was willing to forgive us and to give us another chance. That’s why salvation for us is free. Jesus paid the price for it for us. You don’t have to buy it, it’s all free. But you must go to Jesus and get it for yourself. No one else can do that for you. If you will repent of your sins, get baptized in His name, and let him put His spirit in you, you, will see just how easy it is to receive salvation. And then you can go on and live your new life serving him.

Sing: I am determined to hold out to the end, Jesus is with me, on Him I can depend. For I know I have salvation for I feel it in my soul; I am determined to hold out to the end. 

Thought For Today: When did you realize that salvation was a free-gift from God?

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 6

D-Day

“And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.” (Joshua 3:1-7)

Today’s Morsel: D-Day. The D-Day operation of June 6, 1944, brought together the land, air, and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history. The operation, given the codename OVERLORD, delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France. The beaches were given the code names UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO, and SWORD. The invasion force included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries. Almost 133,000 troops from the United States, the British Commonwealth, and their allies, landed on D-Day. Casualties from these countries during the landing numbered 10,300. By June 30, over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies had landed on the Normandy shores. Fighting by the brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the allied forces Western Front, and Russian forces on the eastern front, led to the defeat of German Nazi forces. On May 7, 1945, German General Alfred Jodl signed an unconditional surrender at Reims, France. 

The Lord had promised Abraham, that he would deliver his seed and bring them into the land which he had promised him. Moses had led them for forty-years in the wilderness; And now, Joshau was their new commander and was now tasked with leading them into the land of promise. This would become their D-Day. The same way that the allied force sat up monuments to commemorate D-Day, the Lord told Joshua to take 12 Stones from the Jordan River and set them up for a memorial for their generations as well. We each ought to have a D-Day. The day that you chose to leave the world and to live and serve Jesus. It should be a place that you should be able to look back and say to your children and grandchildren, this is where God liberated me from the captivity and sin of Satan. 

Sing: This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord hath made, that the Lord hath made; I will rejoice, I will rejoice, and be glad in it, and be glad in it; This is the day that the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day, this is the day that the Lord hath made.

Thought For Today: God is still liberating people from their enemy. 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 5

By Grace Are You Saved

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Ephesians 2:8)

Today’s Morsel: If you were asked to define grace, what would be your answer? According to the Touch Bible, “Grace”, is God’s favor and divine influences upon the heart. It is his merciful kindness by which He, exert His Holy influence upon the soul, turning them to Christ; keeps, strengthens, and increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of Christian virtues. In other words, grace ought to cause you to see who you really are and cause you to see that you need to change who you are. Some folks think that we are saved by grace alone. But that’s not what scripture says. It says you are saved by grace through faith. Grace doesn’t act alone. It requires something to motive it. And that’s faith.  Grace is getting something which we don’t deserve. Which is God’s forgiveness and love. None of us deserve these things because we were all born in sin and shapened in iniquity. But as Paul says, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Ephesians 2:1-5) God was willing to give us a second chance. That’s somewhat what grace is, it’s God giving us a second chance to get it right. You must first believe in God to be saved. Faith come by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Then you must repent of your sins, and be baptized in His name, and then rise to walk in newness of life. If grace alone saved us, Jesus would never have said that we must be born again of the water and the Spirit to see and enter the kingdom of God. What is your understanding of God’s grace?

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 be born again.

Thought For Today: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” (1 Peter 3:21)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 4

The Hidden Gospel

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

Today’s Morsel: Have you ever seen that picture where you look at it and you see a beautiful woman, and if you look at it another way, you see an old hag? How is it that one person can see one thing, and another can see something else? How is it that one denomination can look and read the gospel and see The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, (as co-equal, co-existent, and co-eternal), as the holy trinity, and another denomination can look at and read the same gospel and see Jesus Christ as the One True God, manifested in flesh? How is it that one denomination can look and read Matthew 28:19 and baptize folks in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and another denomination can read the same scripture and see that it says to baptize in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? How and why is the truth of the gospel hidden from some folks? Why do some people get angry and upset when you question them about their understanding of the gospel? According to the apostle Paul, the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthains 15:1-4); And whatsoever we do in word or deed we are to do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17); And  if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).And so, Paul informs us that if the truth of the gospel is hidden, then a person has been blinded by Satan, who is the god of this world. If “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12) who do you think that the apostle Peter may be referring to? And if the apostles were told by Jesus to teach and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, why didn’t the apostles He chose not do what He said? Why did they go out and baptize everyone in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the book of Acts if they were commanded by Christ to baptize in the trinity? What do you see when you read the gospel? Is it clear or is it hidden to you?

Sing: Send the light that blessed gospel light, let it shine from shore to shore; Send the light, the blessed gospel light, let it shine forever more.

Thought For Today: “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Romans 10:16)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 3

I Lost It, But I Found It

“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” (Luke 15:8-10)

Today’s Morsel: Every time that I lose something in our home and can’t find it, my dear wife always jokingly says, “It will be in the last place that you look.”  They say that if you lose something that you should probably check in some of the last places that you visited, or the police station, as business and the local police have a lost and found department. And if the item that you lost can be identified by you, they will return it to you. Jesus tells the parable of three things that are lost to draw our attention to the importance of repentance and salvation. Each of us were lost until we came to Christ and gave ourselves to Him. The woman in the parable first realized that she had lost one of her coins. Why couldn’t she have just been satisfied with the nine? What was one coin? But to her it was important. Jesus doesn’t tell us the value of the coin, nor what it was used for. Many have speculated, but Jesus doesn’t tell us. He just said she lost it, and she lights a candle and sweeps the house until she finds it. Notice where it was lost. In the house. She had an indication of where she had lost it and knew that she needed to find it. You know, we can sit right in church on the pew and be lost. We can be surrounded by nine other saints, and we can be lost because of our attitude, conduct, or actions. We can present an outward appearance of holiness, but holiness starts within. Our thinking could be corrupted, or we might be a gossiper. Do you feel lost in the house? If so, why not stop, and light a candle of prayer, and allow God to show you where you are at so that the missing may be found. And I promise you, it will be in the last place you look.

Sing: He came looking for me, He came looking for me. He made a way when there was no way that I could not see. When I drifted so far, Jesus was near to rescue my soul and calm all my fears; Now safe from all harm since I met the One who came looking for me.  

Thought For Today: You aren’t lost; you’ve just lost focus. 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 2

The Last Day of The Feast

“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)

Today’s Morsel: I love attending our church organizations’ annual General Conferences. Each year they are held, it gives us another opportunity to see some of those whom we haven’t seen in a while, and we get to make new friends. Throughout the week, the word is preached for every age group and generation. Throughout the week, many are being baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost. But the last night of the feast, the place is usually packed out, and there is a great anointing and mighty move of God. And many more are filled with the Spirit and baptized in Jesus’ name. 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.) During the last day of Conference, there is usually a mighty outreach into the city and surrounding area to bring in the hungry souls and those who are seeking to get a drink from the fountain of living water. And they are not disappointed.  Are you thirsty for more of God? Do you feel as though you are feeling empty? Do you feel as though something is missing in your life? If so, Jesus is still calling for everyone that is thirsty, saying come. You can drink from the fountain of living water today.  

Sing: Come unto me all ye that are weary, and I will give you rest. Come unto me all ye that are weary, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, come unto me, learn of me, and your heart will be blessed.

Thought For Today: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 June 1

Prepare Your Heart

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” (Ezra 7:10)

Today’s Morsel: Maintaining a good heart requires you to eat right, sleep right, do right, and live right. Ezra, who was chosen to lead the first wave of Israelite captives back to their homeland after they had been in captivity for seventy years, knew that as priest, scribe, and leader, he would need Spiritual guidance, along with a lot of godly wisdom to direct these people, and teach them the ways of God. Most of these people that he would be leading back home would have had little or no knowledge of the laws of God. Some of them would probably have been born while in captivity, and may have taken on worldly ways, and would never have heard God’s word. And so Ezra prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, to do it himself, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgements. If you will notice, he prepared his heart first to seek the law, and then to do it himself. You can’t teach others what you don’t know and aren’t doing yourself. As James admonishes us: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22). If you get your heart right, everything else will fall in order in your life.

Sing: I’ve got my mind made up to serve the Lord, I’ve got my mind made up to serve the Lord, I’ve got my mind made up to serve the Lord, I’ve got my mind made up to serve the Lord.

Thought For Today: “Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.” (Psalms 105:3)