Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 29 June 2019

The Voice Upon the Waters

“The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.” (Psalms 29:3)

Today’s Morsel: When God made the heavens and the earth, Scriptures says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3).  His voice was upon the waters.  When Jesus had sent His disciples to the other side,  scripture says “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” (Matthew 14:24-29).  His voice was upon the waters.  Maybe you feel that you are in the midst of the sea and drowning in the waters of afflictions and the rivers of depression.  Can you hear His voice?  He not only speaks and walk upon the waters; He also calms them.  Listen for His voice.  

Sing: I can hear my Savior calling.  I can hear my Savior calling.  I can hear my Savior calling, "Follow! Follow me."

Thought For Today:  The voice of the LORD is upon the waters.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 28 June 2019

Restoration

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” (Joel 2:25)

Today’s Morsel:  We often see in God’s word His promise to recompense us for the things that we may have lost, or that which has been stolen from us. Scripture says, “Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.” (2 Kings 8:1-6)  It was all restored to her.  God knows what is ours and He will restore.  Paul states, “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.” (Hebrews 10:30).  We know Him.  His name is Jesus.  He is the restorer of all things.

Sing: Learning to lean, I’m learning to lean; learning to lean on Jesus. Finding more power than I’ve ever dreamed, I’m learning to lean on Jesus.

Thought For Today: Jesus will recompense.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 27 June 2019

Wait On God

“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalms 27:13-14)

Today’s Morsel: One of the best ways to test your faith is by learning how to wait on God.  Sure, you can take matters into your own hands and try to fix your own problem. You can even use your own money to try and fix the problem.  You can try to buy your way out of trouble, or you can learn how to wait and see what God is doing in the situation you are in.  David said that he would have fainted; quit, went back, threw in the towel, and walked away, unless he hadn’t believed that God would come through for him.  Your situation and all the things you are going through just might be God’s way of developing your faith.  So wait and see what He’s doing through you.

Sing:  They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength.  They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.  Teach me, Lord, teach me Lord to wait.

Thought For Today: Patience is a virtue.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 26 June 2019

The Rock

“Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
(Deuteronomy 32:3-4)

Today’s Morsel: What are you building your life upon? Are you building it upon the Rock or upon the sand?  Moses said that God’s work is perfect.  We can’t add anything to it.  It’s complete.  Some may try to change it, but if they do, they will find themselves as Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, who said to the council in Acts 5:38-39, fighting against God:  “And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” God's way is perfect, so build your life upon Him and His word.  “For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God” (Psalms 18:31)?

Sing: My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.

Though For Today: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 25 June 2019

Are You Lost?

“Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.” (Psalms 25:1-4)

Today’s Morsel:  Where are you headed?  Are you on the right road or the wrong road?  When is the last time you stop to check where you are in relationship to where you are headed?  Isaiah states, “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” (Isaiah 35:8)  If every day brings you frustration, low self-esteem, and/or stress, you are lost and headed the wrong way.  Paul said, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)  He also states, "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance...” (1 Thessalonians 1:5)  Have you wandered from the way called straight?  Check your map, (the Bible) every day to ensure you are in the way.

Sing: If you got chains, He’s a chain breaker; if you feel lost, He’s a way maker; if you need freedom, saving, He’s a prison shaking Savior; if you got chains, He’s a chain breaker. (Gaither’s)

Thought For Today: Check the map (The Bible) every day to ensure you are in the way. (Parker)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 24 June 2019

It’s All God’s

“The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalms 24:1)

Today’s Morsel:  How often do you go outside and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation?  They say the reason most people are ill is that they don’t play in the stuff called dirt that they were made from.  They say that parents yell at their kids for splashing in the water and mud when it rains, get mad at them when they pick up bugs and chase their siblings, eat mud pies, climb up in the trees, and chew weeds.  Think about it.  Why get angry when God made it for them to enjoy?  Maybe if adults did these things more, they would not be so depressed and stressed.  Go out and enjoy what God has created for us.  

Sing: He’s all I need! He’s all I need!  Jesus is all I need.  He satisfies, my needs He supply.  Jesus is all I need.

Thought For Today: Splashed in the water lately? 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 22 June 2019

Who’s Your Daddy

“In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (1 John 3:10)

Today’s Morsel:  This year, here at our church, God has me focusing a lot on Christian character.  Character is defined as the strength of moral fiber.   A.W. Tozer described character as “the excellence of moral beings.” He also states, “As the excellence of gold is its purity and the excellence of art is its beauty, so the excellence of man is his character.”  Persons of character are noted for their honesty, ethics, and charity.  Descriptions such as “man of principle” and “woman of integrity” are assertions of character.  A lack of character is moral deficiency, and those who lack it tend to behave dishonestly, unethically, and uncharitably.  Building character demands honesty within yourself to determine your own character weaknesses.  Either Jesus is our Father, or He isn’t.   There is no in between.  And when He is, we will take on His character and become Christ-like.

Sing:  Well, I’ve been changed, I am newborn now, all my life has been rearranged.  What a difference it made when the Lord came to stay in my heart, oh yes, I’ve been changed.

Thought For Today:  Character… Righteousness

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 21 June 2019

Summer

“Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.” (Psalms 74:17)

Today’s Morsel:  Studying Political Science in college, I should have been a Politician.  Maybe I could have helped some of them understanding God’s climate. Okay enough of politics. (Humor)  The Psalmist said, "Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter."  If you have been around any time at all, you know that summer always comes before winter. God has a system in place, and it isn’t going to change.  We must go through each.  Even in life, we may find ourselves in the hot summer of trials, difficulties, troubles, and persecutions; or we may find ourselves in the cold winter of loneliness, isolation, seclusion, and separation.  When we do, we must heed Solomon's advice, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens."  Whether summer or winter just know God has a purpose for it in your life.

Sing: Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, sun, moon and stars in their courses above, join with all nature in manifold witness, to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee; thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not, as Thou had been Thou forever will be.

Thought For Today: What season are you in?

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 20 June 2019

Waiting on the Promise

“And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”

(Acts 1:4-5)

Today’s Morsel: One of the biggest problems in life is that most folks don’t know how to live.  Most people don’t have the patience to wait for what they asked God for, nor the things that He’s promised them.  They pray, but they get stressed out and depressed because the answer doesn’t come on their timeline.  That’s not living. That’s worry.  Living is telling Jesus what the need is and having fun while you’re waiting for the answer.  Or, you find something He’s promised you in His word and you rejoice while you wait for Him to bring it to fruition.  The disciples didn’t go back to Jerusalem sad, depressed, and weary after Jesus' ascension, they went back and had a prayer meeting and waited for the promise.  And ten days later they received the promise (see Acts 1:20. “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalms 27:14)  

Sing: I lean on You Lord. I lean of You Lord. For the things that I need I lean on You.  When I don’t know just what to do, I’ve got the faith You’re going to see me through.  You supply my every need and I lean on You.

Thought For Today:  Wait on the Lord.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 19 June 2019

The Saving Element of Life

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:24-25)

Today’s Morsel:  Like faith,  hope is one of those things that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It must be seen through the mind.  It requires belief and trust in God’s ability to provide what we ask for.  Paul says that if we see what we hope for, then why are we hoping. Hope is that saving element for our soul.  We are not in eternity with Jesus yet, but we hope to someday be.  And because we look for such things, we need hope to ensure that we make it.

Sing:  Have faith, hope, and charity, that’s the way to live successfully.  How do I know? The Bible tells me so.

Thought  For Today: Jesus Christ is our anchor of hope.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 18 June 2019

The Waterway

“After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.” (John 3:22-23)

Today’s Morsel:  One of the things Jesus told his disciples was to let no man deceive you.  Paul wrote to the church at Galatia, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9)  The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we apply that to our lives by obeying Acts 2:38. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Jesus came up out of the water (Matthew 3:16). John was baptizing in Aenon because there was much water there (John 3:23).  The eunuch said to Phillip in Acts 8:36, "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?"  (paraphrased)  And we are buried with Christ by baptism (Romans 6:4).  Friend, baptism is by immersion.  It’s the waterway.

Sing: It shall be light in the evening time, the path to glory you will surely find through the waterway; it is the light today. Baptize in Jesus name.  Young and old, repent of all your sin, then the Holy Ghost will enter in. The evening time has come; tis a fact that God and Christ are one.

Thought For Today: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21) Simon Peter

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 17 June 2019

Call To Remembrance

“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:5-8)

Today’s Morsel:  Every now and then God needs to jangle my chain to remind me of His goodness. He shouldn’t have to, but He does.  You see, every now and then I seem to get into one of those complaining modes like Elijah, where I think I’m the only one and no one else cares, to which God reminds me I’m not.  And he tells me to stop complaining before I get overwhelmed.  The writer of Hebrews tells us, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”  When we are going through things, God may be correcting us the same way a natural father does.  He said that if God doesn’t correct us, then we are not His.  Aren’t you glad for His correction?  He only does it for our good.

Sing: He’s changing me, my blessed Savior, I’m not the same person that I use to be.  Well, it’s been slow going, but there’s a knowing that someday perfect I will be.

Thought For Today: If you be without chastisement you aren’t His. 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 15 June 2019

It’s Time to Get Off The Porch

“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.” (John 5:1-9)

Today’s Morsel:  The man in today's scriptures had laid on this porch for thirty-eight years. He was there because of his sins (vs 14).  Sin will put you places you do not want to be.  Sin may look like fun and pleasure, but many are suffering today because of it.  Maybe you are on a porch that you find yourself doing the same thing over and over every day.  Maybe you are stressed, unhappy, tired, despondent, lonely, trying to make ends meet.  Well, ask yourself if sin has you on this porch?  If it does, it’s time to stop the merry-go-round and get off. Sin must not have dominion over you.  Jesus died that you might be made free.  Care to take up your bed and walk?  It's time to get off the porch.  

Sing: When gloom and sadness whispers, you’ve sin no use to pray, I look away to Jesus and He tells me to say:

I see a crimson stream of blood, it flows from Calvary, it’s waves which reach the throne of God, are sweeping over me.

Thought For Today: Sin will keep you on the porch if you let it.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 14 June 2019

Happy Birthday Army

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:11-16)

Today’s Morsel: Today we celebrate the U.S. Army Birthday.  For 244 years, this great nation has been blessed to have such great men and women serve in its Army to maintain the freedom and peace of their homeland, and their allies, while liberating others.   And so we honor those soldiers of past, present, and future who have sacrificed and are sacrificing daily to maintain peace and freedom.  President Coolidge penned it best when he said, “The Nation that forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.”  We take time to honor the U.S. Army for a job well done and say thank you for 244 years of dedicated and committed service to this great nation.  We salute you.  

Sing:  Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah, Glory, glory hallelujah, Glory, glory hallelujah, His truth is marching on.

Thought For Today: Happy Birthday, Army… Hooah!