Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: 2012 May 17

Thursday, May 17, 2012

2012 May 17 - Morning Manna

And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
(Judges 6:11-14)

Today's Morsel: What comes to your mind when you hear the word "Potential?" What do you think when someone says they have the ability, but they aren't living up to their full potential? There is always a whole lot more with people than what they display or are putting forth. When a father, mother, pastor, or teacher says, "You can do better than that", they are saying, "You aren't living up to your potential." Potential says that there is more within you that you aren't using. Are you reaching your maximum potential? Are you using your abilities to the fullest? I'm sorry to say that many people aren't living up to their potential to be godly men, godly husbands, godly fathers, godly women, godly wives, godly mothers, or godly examples to others. Do you ever ask yourself these questions:

ØWhat does God want me to be?

ØWhat could I be doing for the Lord that I'm not doing?

ØWhat could I be doing for my family that I'm not?

ØAm I really living up to my potential?

ØAm I really living up to being a child of God?

ØWhere have I failed in my potential?

ØHow do I reach my maximum potential?

Scripture says: "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).

Like Gideon, many are hiding behind the winepress of their fears, past, and hurts. They aren't putting forth the effort to reach their potential. God saw what potential was in Gideon the same as He saw potential in Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, and the other apostles, and He knows what your capabilities are, too. When you stand before God, He's not going to ask you why you didn't praise like David or lead like Moses. He's not going to ask you why you didn't preach like Paul or pray like Daniel. He's not even going to ask you why you weren't a successful soul winner. But He is going to ask you why you didn't reach your maximum potential, because He gave you the power to do so.

Sing: I'm pressing on the upward way, new heights I'm gaining every day; still praying as I'm onward bound, " Lord, plant my feet on higher ground."

Lord lift me up and let me stand, by faith on heaven's table land, a higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

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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.