Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: Morning Manna by Rufus Parker

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 4 April 2019

A Circumcised Heart

“For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” (Romans 2:28-29)

Today’s Morsel: Under the law, there were many rules that the Israelites were required to follow. One of those laws was that of circumcision of all males at 8 days old (see Genesis 17:12). It was why Abraham circumcised Isaac at 8 days old (see Genesis 21:4); and why Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be presented and circumcised at 8 days old after his birth (see Luke 2:21). The design of circumcision was to be a sign of separation from the world and of consecration to God. Paul wanted the church to know that just because one was circumcised in the flesh, outwardly, it did not make him a Jew inwardly. The same is true with becoming a Christian. Just because one is dedicated and baptized as a baby outwardly, it doesn’t make him a Christian nor a part of the family of God. Paul told the church at Colossi, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:8-12) You must be born-again of the water and the Spirit to be His (Acts 2:38, Romans 8:9). Circumcision (water baptism) which is acceptable to God is of the heart inwardly, not of the flesh outwardly.

Sing: Since Jesus came into my heart. Since Jesus came into my heart. Floods of Joy over my soul like a sea billow roll, since Jesus came into my heart.

Thought for today: Circumcision is of the heart.

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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.