Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: 2011 September 14

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

2011 September 14 - Morning Manna

"These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth"(1 Timothy 3:14-15)

Today's Morsel: Very few Christians seem to understand the importance of Ethics and Etiquette in the church. When we become born again believers, we are expected to go on to perfection and grow to become more like Christ. I have come to realize that many Christians do not understand what RSVP means when they receive an invitation to someone's home or an outing. I have also come to realize that they do not understand how to tell time, because they are always late. I can tell that many of them failed math in school, because they don't know what ten percent is or for some their tithe checks bounce. Many of them missed health class, because they do nothing about their's and their children's personal hygiene's. If the Holy Ghost brings us into all truth, shouldn't we have knowledge in these areas? Why are there so many that don't know how to behave in the church? The church is an extension of the home. If there are no ethics and etiquette in the home, then there will be none in the church. Behavior comes from having an understanding of etiquette. Etiquette deals with having good manners and decorum. It's being polite and respecting each other. It's respecting other people's belongings as well as your own. Paul said that love does not behave unseemly (1 Corinthians 13:5). In other words, it doesn't behave inappropriately, improper and unbecoming. Because God is love, and His Spirit dwells in us, we should not behave unseemly either. Paul said that we should know how to behave in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Benjamin Franklin said, " Let your child's first lesson be that of obedience." Discipline is simply doing the right thing when no one is watching you.

Sing: To be like Jesus! To be like Jesus! On earth I long, to be like Him. All through life's journey, from earth to glory, I only ask to be like Him.

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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.