Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: Morning Manna by Rufus Parker

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 Jan 3

Pay Attention

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.” (2 Timothy 2:1-9)

Today’s Morsel: When I was in the army, during periods of instructions when something was very important, it was not uncommon for the instructor to say, “Watch my lips.” In other words, pay attention to what I am about to tell you as it is very important and it may someday save your life or the life of your comrades. Paul told Timothy to consider the things that he was telling him. He told Timothy that he must learn to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Warfare is not for the weak, timid, or fearful. It’s for the strong and those who are committed to the cause. If you cannot handle rejection, discipline, or hardships, chances are you will not endure until the end. Jesus asked the question if faith will be found on the earth when He returns (see Luke 18:8)? If Jesus came right now, would you be found faithful? Don’t get caught up in what others are doing in the church. Pay attention and continue in the doctrine, for in so doing you will save yourself and others that hear it from you. Pay attention to what I am saying, Be a strong soldier in the army of the Lord, and press on.

Sing: Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus, daily let me go. Higher, higher in the school of wisdom, more of grace to know.

O’ deeper yet, I pray, and higher every day, and wiser, blessed Lord, in Thy precious holy word.

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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.