Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: 2013 April 23

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

2013 April 23 - Morning Manna

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:10-14)

Today's Morsel: During the Civil War, as the Union Soldiers were closing in on the Confederate Soldiers around Appomattox, Virginia, General Grant sent President Lincoln a telegram that said, "If the thing be pressed, it will surrender." President Lincoln's reply was, "Then let the thing be pressed."

Paul said, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." If there has ever been a time for Christians to press on, the time is now. Now is not the time to set back and wonder when will Jesus return. Now is the time to give it your all and press towards the mark. Now is the time to renew your energy and get your second wind and turn it on. The finish line is coming near. Now is not the time to say that I can't do it. Now is the time to say as Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). Now is not the time to weep and cry over hurt feelings and for being misunderstood and about wrong choices made, now is the time to press. Now is the time to link arm and arm with Jesus and say, "Let the thing be pressed."

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.

No comments:

Post a Comment

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.