Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: Morning Manna by Rufus Parker

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 24 December 2020

The Night Before Christmas

“ And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:13-14)

Today’s Morsel: Back in the days when I was a kid, there was nothing like preparing the day and night before Christmas. You see, we were considered poor because we did not have all the things that people have today in preparation for Christmas. We had to improvise for most things. We did not have Christmas stockings to hang up on a mantle. And so, we used one of my mother’s knee-high stockings (humor). We could not afford Christmas cards, so we made our own for each other with notebook paper from school. We went into the woods and cut down our own cedar tree and decorated it with ornaments that we made. And on Christmas morning, those things that we had hoped to receive for Christmas, we did. It was the preparation from the heart that we did those things and I think that was what made Christmas so special and so much more enjoyable when we awoke. Isaiah said that the Lord himself shall give you a sign; "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Knowing that God was with us made Christmas even more special. What will you do special this night before Christmas? Why not share a story about your childhood Christmas with your kids. Why not take some cookies to your neighbor, or maybe put a special gift on someone else’s door? Remember, Christmas is all about sharing God’s love with others. Make this year special and unique, one that you will remember for years to come.

Sing: Immanuel, Immanuel, His name is called Immanuel. God with us, revealed in us, His name is called Immanuel.

Thought For Today: Immanuel, God with us!

1 comment:

Stan 1000December 24, 2020 at 4:02 PM
Praise his Holy name!
God bless you Pastor!
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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.