2010 October 8 - Morning Manna

For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth (Zechariah 4:10)

 Today's Morsel:  I can remember in elementary school when our math teacher would explain addition problems to us. She would always stress the importance of not forgetting to add the number that you carried over into the next column.  She  said, "It may not seem important, and may seem very small, but if you forget to add that number, you answer is always going to be incorrect.  Even if it's only a 1, and you don't added it, it's wrong."  Small, but important.  When I attended my first Non-Commission Officers School, the instructor would always tell us, "Minor details will make you or break you." In other words, it's those small details that if you overlook them can destroy you.  The opposite is also true, if you do them, they can make you successful.  Little things.  Solomon said that it's the little foxes that spoil the vine.   If you have ever ridden in a helicopter, those big blades that cause it to fly are held on by a very small nut.  The crew chiefs and pilots call a "Jesus Nut."  If that nut isn't secured correctly, those blades are going to come off, that chopper will be headed for the ground, and everyone onboard is going to scream," Oh Jesus!"  Who had despised the day of small things?  Don't just look for the big miracles that God can do for you, but focus on the small things that He does for you. Like waking you in the morning; providing food on your table; giving you a job; keeping your senses intact.  Small things.  A $3.00 bouquet of roses can keep a marriage from heading south.  A 99 cent "just thinking of you card" can prevent someone from taking their life.  A phone call of encouragement can turn someone's life around.  A small gift at Christmas can show a child just how much they are loved.  Small things.  Small words. "Hi!" "How are you?" "I pray you have a great day!"  "Jesus loves you!" "You are really a nice person!" "Thank you so very much!"  We never know what small thing will make a difference in the lives of others.  Small things, don't despise them!

Sing:  Little is much when God is in it, Labor not for wealth or fame; there's a crown and you can win it, if you go in Jesus' name.

2010 October 7 - Morning Manna

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).

Today's Morsel:  If you've ever been summoned to appear as a character witness for someone in a court of law, you know that prior to them putting you on the stand, they ask you, "Do you solemnly swear, to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"  If a person lies, then they perjure themselves, and render their testimony irrelevant to the case.

 

Paul asked the church at Galatia, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? "(Galatians 3:1-3).  Paul knew that this church was established upon truth.  And now they had gone away from truth and Paul wanted to know who had tricked them into believing something else.  He told them that he marveled that they were so soon removed from the grace of God unto another gospel.  This Gospel came with grace.  Do you know what grace is?  Grace is getting something that you didn't work for.  It's a free gift.  That's why you are saved by grace.  It's a free gift that you don't have to work for.   Is the Gospel you are hearing truth? Are you at a cross road, that you no longer know what you believe because the leaders over you have changed their stance on certain issues.  Let me encourage you today, truth will always be truth.  No matter how you cut it, slice it, or dice it, it's still going to be truth.  No matter who is teaching, preaching, or writing it, it's still going to be truth.  And truth will always make you free (John 8:31&36).  Look at your life right now.  Do you feel liberty, excitement, and good about yourself as a Christian?  If not, you may not be in complete truth.  Paul said,  "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).   But to receive liberty, be excited, and feel good about yourself, you just can't hear truth, you have to live truth.   The next time you attend church, make sure you've got your Bible with you.  You will want to compare what you are hearing to what is written in the Word, to ensure that what you are hearing is correct.

Sing:  I'm gonna take a trip on that good Old Gospel Ship, I'm going far beyond the sky;  Oh I'm gonna shout and sing until the heavens ring, when I bid this world good-bye.

2010 October 6 - Morning Manna

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come (John 16:13).

Today's Morsel:  It seems that almost all automobiles, manufactured these days are equipped with a Globe Positioning System (GPS).  And for those older models that were not manufactured with them, people have purchased one for their travels to ensure that they know where they are going and are able to get to the right location/destination.  Why are we afraid of getting lost? Why do we want to know where we are going in this world, but not after?  Are you plotting your course for heaven?  Jesus said that the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, will guide you into all truth.  You see, the only way to get to heaven is by Truth.  And so Jesus has developed a GPS, to get you to heaven, and the name brand is not "Garmen"or "Tom Tom",  but "Truth."   Solomon said, "Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding." (Proverbs 23:23).  Once you purchase this positioning system, don't you sell it.   It's the only one of its kind and no amount of money will ever replace it.  When it tells you where to turn or exit, obey it, as it has all the current updates to ensure you know and arrive at the right location.  

 

Sing:  Where He leads me I will follow.  Where He leads me I will follow.  Where He leads me I will follow, I'll go with Him, with Him, all the way!

2010 October 5 - Morning Manna

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 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. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

(Acts 2:36-39)

Today's Morsel: In January, our Daughter, called all excited that our Grandson had just received the Holy Ghost in their morning church service. And then she called back in the evening service so we could hear him speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gave him the utterance. Then, on September 5, she called all excited again that our Granddaughter had just received the Holy Ghost, same sign, and was getting ready to be baptized by her Dad after morning service. Thank God that His promise is still as true today as when it was spoken over 2,000 years ago. On the Day of Pentecost when Peter said that the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call, he was speaking prophetically of this day and time also. The Holy Ghost just wasn't for the Day of Pentecost, as some teach, but it is still for us today. When He prayed in the Garden, Jesus said, "Neither pray I for these alone, (His disciples) but for them also which shall believe on me through their word" (John 17:20). The Holy Ghost comes by believing in Jesus Christ, because neither is there salvation in any other. I think the apostle John said it best when he said, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (3 John 1:4).

Sing: I've got the Holy Ghost down in my soul, just like the Bible says. I've got the Holy Ghost down in my soul, just like the Bible says. Well, I've been to the water and I've been baptized in Jesus Name, my soul got happy and I'm so satisfied. I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now, just like the Bible, just like the Bible, just like the Bible says!

2010 October 4 - Morning Manna

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life (Revelation 21:9-27).

Today's Morsel: The Apostle John gives us a glimpse of that great city, the Holy Jerusalem, that we alllong to enter someday. The description he provides us is one of beauty and splendor. Who wouldn't want to enter those gates and be with Jesus forever? But John tells us that the only ones that can walk in the light of it are those who are saved. Are you living according to the Word of God? Are you doing everything in your power to ensure that you are not defiling yourself with this world's ways and its activities? Friend, sin cannot enter there. Therefore, we must take heed to Paul's advice and come out from among the world and be separated unto the Lord (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Are you ready? What will Jesus say to you? Will He say well done or go away? The children of Israel could not enter the Promise Land because of unbelief. We must also take heed lest we, too, come short of the promise given to us.

Sing: I am going to a city where the streets with gold are laid, where the tree of life is blooming, and the roses never fade.

Chorus: Here they bloom but for a season, soon their beauty is decayed; I am going to a city where the roses never fade.

2010 October 2 - Morning Manna

I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (Psalms 30:1-5).

Today's Morsel: How many times would you say in your life that you have been sick and God healed you? Do you believe that Jesus still heals? Isaiah said "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed"(Isaiah 53:5). The Psalmist said, "O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me." Has God healed you and you don't realize it? Are the medical personnel still giving you medication to take and God has already healed you? Do you feel that you aren't healed because of the pain that you still feel? I saw a sweatshirt once that said, "Pain is just weakness leaving the body." The Psalmist today is full of encouragement with this Psalm. He said, "O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit." And then he tells us, "Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Our instructions from Paul are, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:19-20). Let me encourage you, don't focus of the pain, but focus on the Healer. Sing songs of praise to Him and see what He will do for you.

Sing: By and by when the morning comes, and all the saints of God are gathering home, we will tell the story, how we've overcome, and we'll understand it better by and by.

2010 October 1 - Morning Manna

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:17-22).

Today's Morsel: The resurrection is probably one of the most misunderstood subjects to many people, as they do not understand how it apply to their lives. Those who have not been born again of the water and the spirit cannot understand how it applies. We are all born in sin and shapen in iniquity. Paul told the church at Ephesus, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). In other words, he said that they were dead in their sins, but God raised them up. Until a person repents of their sins and is baptized in Jesus name, they are still dead in their sins. And sin cannot enter heaven. We must be resurrected to walk in newness of life. Jesus told Martha in John 11:25, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). The apostle John said in the book of Revelation, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:5-6). Speaking of the people of old before the flood, Peter said, "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 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 3:20-21). Peter said that baptism saves us the same as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul said, for since by man came death (Adam), even so by man also came the resurrection (Life) by Jesus Christ. We all possessed that Adamic nature when we are born into this world. Therefore, we must repent of our sins, be baptized in the name of Jesus, and be filled with His Spirit, and then rise and walk in newness of life. "For as in Adam all died," Paul said. But he also said, "Even so in Jesus Christ shall all be made alive by the resurrection." If you don't feel as though you have life within yourself, how were you baptized?

Sing: I serve a risen Saviour, He's in the world today; I know that He is living, no matter what men say; I see his hand of mercy, I hear his voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him, He's always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way, He lives, He lives, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.