Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: Morning Manna by Rufus Parker

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 20 January 2021

Watching Our Thoughts

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
(Proverbs 4:23)

Today’s Morsel: One of the things about thoughts is that, if we do not guard them, they can get away from us and run wild. I have heard many people say, “I think I’m going out of or I am losing my mind.” These types of comments should alert the person to stop and take inventory as to what is going on in their mind. Writing to the church at Corinth Paul states, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) Our thoughts must be kept in check. Solomon states that we should keep or guard our heart with all diligence. Why? Well, Jeremiah informs us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) If left to itself, your heart (mind) can destroy you. Immoral actions do not just get out of hand, they come about because men do not guard their thoughts. As Lao Tzu states “Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny." It all starts with a thought.

Sing: I’ve got my mind made up to serve the Lord. I’ve got my mind made up to serve the Lord. I’ve got my mind made up to serve the Lord. I’ve got my mind made up to serve the Lord.

Thought For Today: “When it comes to character, keep a close watch on yourself” (Parker)

1 comment:

Stan 1000January 22, 2021 at 1:55 PM
So vitally true!
As a man thinketh.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add 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.