Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: 2011 January 1

Saturday, January 1, 2011

2011 January 1 - Morning Manna

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am
(Matthew 16:13-15)?

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure (1 John 3:1-3).

Today's Morsel: What are your goals for this year? I know that many people will set out to do many things, but will not accomplish them because of one reason or another. They will find excuses as to why they didn't get it done by the end of the year. All spiritual accomplishments in your life will happen if you know two things. First: Who Jesus is, and second: Who you are in Him. Everything in a Christian's life flows from your knowledge of these two questions. When we understand who Jesus truly is, it moves us into a more personal relationship with Him. It enhances our worship, as worship is acknowledging Him for who He is. And it purifies our praise, as we can see more clearly the things He is doing and has done for us. Moses received his understanding at the burning bush; Job, received his when he went through his afflictions; Isaiah received his when King Uzziah died; Paul received his understanding on the road to Damascus (Acts 9); Peter received his when he was told to launch out into the deep and let down his net for another draught (Luke 5:4); and I received mined in a cold, German, Adolph Hitler Officers Club, which had been turned into a church. Jesus said that truth shall make you free (John 8:32). As Jesus He told Thomas, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed"(John 20:29). When we believe on Him as the Scriptures have said, we will not only see Who He is, but also who we are in Him. Then out of our belly's shall flow rivers of living waters.

SING: I've got a river of life flowing out of me, it makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. It opens prison doors, sets the captive free. I've got a river of life flowing out of me.

Spring up, oh well, within my soul. Spring up, oh well, and make me whole. Spring up, oh well, and give to me, that life abundantly.

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About Morning Manna

And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat (Exodus 16:10-15).

“Morning Manna” is a short daily devotion which began in 2002, with just a short note of encouragement to a friend who was facing difficulties at the time. Through their response, I was encouraged to begin a daily devotion via email and send it to people who asked to be put on the distribution list. It is now reaching around the globe. Its birth came about during Morning Prayer. The Lord revealed to me that I should forward my friend a word of encouragement, since it is through patience and comfort of the scripture that we find hope. Thus, I forwarded him the words the Lord had given to me for him, and he forwarded it on to someone else who was having difficulties in their life as well, and thus the original list began.

The goal of “Morning Manna” is to provide people with a quick, thought provoking Word from the Lord, as well as provide encouragement from His Word that can help them through the day and during unexpected trails and circumstances in their daily lives.

Several years ago, Jesus moved on my heart to start writing daily devotions; thus began “Morning Manna”. Today, many people are receiving these daily devotions and many of these people are forwarding it on to their family and friends. It is my hope to encourage even more through posting the devotions to this blog-page.

I pray that you, too, will enjoy reading the manna from this site.