Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 30 Apr 2019

Just An Ordinary Day

“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.” (Job 3:25-26)

Today’s Morsel: One of the things about life is that none of us know what a day may bring.  Job said that the thing he greatly feared had come upon him.  By all accounts, what Job was now going through, he had seen in others.  It’s really an eye opener if we think about it. We see others' dilemmas, sickness, sufferings.  But what would you do if it happens to you?  Would you be prepared? Usually, when we start thinking about others' dilemmas, it may be a good time for us to prepare against it.  We should set into place things to help us through should those same things come into our lives.    Our relationship with Jesus should be strong like Jobs.  Job was prepared because he did things when he was in his right mind.  Most hardships, trouble, pain, and suffering come on just an ordinary day.  Prepare now, for it is just an ordinary day.  

Sing: You may be down today, but help is on the way. Dark clouds may dim your skies, but He’ll answer you by and by.  , He’ll drive away all your fears, I know 'cause He’s been with me down through the years; and I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken, nor His Seed begging for bread.

Thought For Today: Prepare for the unexpected and it won’t take the wind out of your sail.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 29 April 2019

If I Was The Devil

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3)

Today’s Morsel: Radio Commentator, Paul Harvey was once quoted as saying the following things  “If I Was The Devil”:  

If I were the devil . . .I would gain control of the most powerful nation in the world;

I would delude their minds into thinking that they had come from man’s effort, instead of God’s blessings;

I would promote an attitude of loving things and using people, instead of the other way around;

I would dupe entire states into relying on gambling for their state revenue;

I would convince people that character is not an issue when it comes to leadership;

I would make it legal to take the life of unborn babies;

I would make it socially acceptable to take one’s own life, and invent machines to make it convenient;

I would cheapen human life as much as possible so that the life of animals are valued more than human beings;

I would take God out of the schools, where even the mention of His name was grounds for a lawsuit;

I would come up with drugs that sedate the mind and target the young, and I would get sports heroes to advertise them;

I would get control of the media, so that every night I could pollute the mind of every family member for my agenda;

I would attack the family, the backbone of any nation.

I would make divorce acceptable and easy, even fashionable. If the family crumbles, so does the nation;

I would compel people to express their most depraved fantasies on canvas and movie screens, and I would call it art;

I would convince the world that people are born homosexuals, and that their lifestyles should be accepted and marveled;

I would convince the people that right and wrong are determined by a few who call themselves authorities and refer to their agenda as politically correct;

I would persuade people that the church is irrelevant and out of date, and the Bible is for the naive;

I would dull the minds of Christians, and make them believe that prayer is not important, and that faithfulness and obedience are optional;

I guess I would leave things pretty much the way they are.

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: Stay focused.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 27 April 2019

The Poor Substitute

“Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead. For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing. Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:9-13)

Today’s Morsel: One of the things we see in the world today is that they continue to offer you things to quench your thirst that do not work. None of these things really quench your thirst. As Jesus told the woman at the well, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14) You can either keep being deceived by the world into thinking that other things can satisfy you, or you can return to the fountain of living water, drink and live forever.

Sing: Drinking at the springs of living water, happy now am I, my soul they satisfy. Drinking at the springs of living waters, a wonderful and bountiful supply.

Thought For Today: Only Jesus can satisfy the soul.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 26 April 2019

Who Is the King Of Glory?

The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. (Psalms 24:1-10)

Today’s Morsel:  One of the questions that Jesus asked His disciples was, “Who do men say that I am?” He asked the religious leaders, “Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?”  (Matthew 22:42-45)  David asked the question, “Who is the King of Glory?” The answer is in the latter part of the stanza. “The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.” Paul said “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)  There is none other whereby we must be saved.  Yet we must know who He is for ourselves.  Who do you say that He is?  

Sing:  The Mighty God is Jesus; the Prince of Peace is He, The Everlasting father, the King Eternally.  The wonderful in wisdom, by whom all things are made, The fullness of the Godhead in Jesus is displayed.

It’s all in Him. It’s all in Him. The fullness of the Godhead is all in Him. It’s all in Him, It’s all in Him, that Mighty God is Jesus and it’s all in Him.

Thought For Today: Who do you say is the King of Glory?

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 25 April 2019

Stay In The Church

“Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.” (Joshua 2:12-19)

Today’s Morsel:  The harlot Rahab was a woman of faith.  Even though her occupation doesn’t coincide of one with faith, scripture says that she had faith.  And she is even listed among those in the hall of faith in the book of Hebrews (Hebrews 11:31).  When she received the spies that Joshua had sent spy out the land, they told her, “Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.”  They told her that her family must stay in the house.  God is coming again.  Therefore, we must stay in the house of God and do everything we can to keep our family inside with us.  It is the only way we will be saved.  No matter how long it may seem, He’s coming again. 

Sing: It’s the old ship of Zion, it’s the hope for the lost and the dying. It’s a soul-saving station, it’s the tower of salvation.

 It’s the Church Triumphant, O Lord and its built by the hand of the Lord.  I’m talking about the Church in the Book of Revelation.  It’s built on the Rock, it’s got a firm foundation.  It’s been through the flood and its’ been through the fire, but one of these days, the Church is gonna move up a little higher.  It’s the Church triumphant, O Lord and it’s built by the hand of the Lord.

Thought For Today: Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 24 April 2019

How To Stand

“Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.” (2 Corinthians 1:24)

Today’s Morsel:  Our enemy's main goal is to stop you from serving God.  He will do everything in his power to prevent you from standing for truth, holiness, and righteousness. Every day there seems to be a new scheme or attack to cause us to fall.  So how do we stand against such attacks?  Paul said that we put on the whole armor of God. (Ephesian 6:10-18)  We must keep our focus on Jesus no matter what happens or comes against us. We have a promise from Him that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We must remain faithful to our calling and not allow anything to deter us from our Lord and our destination.

Sing: Standing on the promises of Christ my King, through eternal ages let His praises ring.  Glory in the highest I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God.

Standing! Standing! Standing on the promises of Christ my Savior.  Standing! Standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

Thought For Today:  By faith ye stand.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 23 April 2019

Correction

“Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.” (Proverbs 23:13-14)

Today’s Morsel:  One of the missing elements in parenting today in many homes is how to discipline children.  I always like to say that the Bible is a training manual for the home.  If we fail to read it and study it, we will not know what to do when there is a crisis or situations with our children that need fixing.  Solomon said that we should not withhold correction from the child and that we should, “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.”  (Proverbs 19:18)   This is a hard precept for a parent. Nothing affects the heart of a parent so much as when a child cries and sheds tears.  But it is better that the child may be caused to cry when the correction may be healthy to his soul, than that the parent should cry afterward when the child is grown up, and his evil habits are sealed for life.  Children are being sent to jail and prison because parents failed to read and study the training manual on how to correct them.  If you fail to correct your children and hold them to a higher standard when they are young, rest assured that when they become teenagers and young adults there will be a high price to pay. And that price is often rebellion and disrespect toward you and authority and even promiscuity and wayward behavior.  Take the time to read the manual and correct them according to God's word.    

Sing:  Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight; Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Thought For Today: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6  

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 22 Apr 2019

Your Name

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

(Isaiah 9:6)

Today’s Morsel:  What comes to your mind when you hear of certain people’s names?  We either determine a person's good or evil by their name.  Even children associate bullies by their name.  Our name says a lot about who we are.  King Solomon admonishes, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)  “Because character will support a man in many circumstances; and there are many rich men that have no name: but the word of the man of character will go farther than all their riches.”( Adam Clark Commentary)  Protect the integrity of your name, it carries great value in what people think of you.  

Sing:  Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!  There’s just something about that name. Master! Savoir! Jesus! Like the fragrance after the rain.  Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Let all heaven and earth proclaim.  Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away, but there is something about that name.

Thought For Today:  “Don’t let your good be evil spoken of.”

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 20 April 2019

Life Out of Death

  

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:1-7)

Today’s Morsel:  The Gospel of Christ has confounded many people.  Many have limited knowledge and understanding of its purpose.  The gospel; which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; was for one purpose, to save us.  We were all born into sin and shapen in iniquity.  Therefore, we were dead in our trespasses and sins, Paul said (Ephesians 2:1)  But God quickeneth us by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.  Jesus said that He came to give us life and that more abundant. For us to have that life, we must be born again of the water and the spirit. (John 3:3-5)  Paul asked, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”   You must bury the old you in the waters of baptism if you desire life out of death.

Sing: I’m so glad that I’ve been buried in the name of the Lord, in the name of the Lord, in the name of the Lord.  I’m so glad that I’ve been buried in the name of the Lord, since the name of the Lord has been revealed.

Thought For Today: “Baptism doth now save us.” 1 Peter 3:21 (Simon Peter)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 19 April 2019

No Greater Love

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:9-13)

Today’s Morsel:  Life is the most valuable object we possess; and when a man is willing to lay that down for his friends or his country, it shows the utmost extent of that love.  This love for friends has been rarely witnessed.  Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8)  Most people are not going to die for you.  But Calvary speaks of one who did.  You will not find any greater love than what Jesus Christ did for us at Calvary.  “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:14-16)  His actions on that hill are what made that day and every day thereafter good.  Because God was willing to sacrifice His Son, so that you and I could live.  Greater love we will never find nor experience.  

 Sing: I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me. I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves even me!

Thought For Today: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 18 April 2019

The Man of Sorrow

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3)

Today’s Morsel:  When we look at the life of Jesus, we must ask ourselves how is it that one man, Jesus Christ, could be so hated by so many for wanting to do good, who came to help others be good and do good, and be successful in life; how could He be so hated? Even today, we see that His ways and those who are associated with His ways are despised and rejected.  Isaiah said that “He is despised and rejected of men."  He is still rejected by the Jews, by some religions, by many of the rich, by many of those who call themselves great and learned, by many politicians and actors, and by masses of people of every grade, age, rank, and walk of life.  He stood on the outskirts of Jerusalem saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (Luke 13:34-35)  He was a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief.  He knows everything we face and go through in our life.  So, today, if you hear his voice harden not your heart.  Don't be one of those that reject Him.  

Sing: He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; Surely, He bore all our sorrows, and by His stripes we are healed.

Thought For Today: To reject Christ is to reject life.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 17 April 2019

Medical Corps 

“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:13-16)

Today’s Morsel:  The symbol for the military Medical Corps is a serpent wrapped around a pole.  This symbol was chosen by God when the children of Israel sinned and were destroyed by serpents.  Scripture says,” And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (Numbers 21:6-9)  Jesus told Nicodemus that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, He too would be lifted up.  When the children of Israel were bitten by serpents for their sins, they could live.  When we are bitten by that old serpent, Satan, who tricks us and causes us to sin, we too can look to Jesus and live. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17)  Greater is He that is in us!

Sing: The blood, that Jesus shed for me, way back on Calvary, it’s the blood that gives me my strength from day to day, it will never lose its power.  

For it reaches, to the highest mountain, and it flows to the lowest valley, it’s the blood, that gives me strength, from day to day, it will never lose its power.

Thought For Today: The Cross still makes a difference