Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 Jan 24

 Do You Know Whose Temple Ye Are?

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Today’s Morsel: One of the changes that the Holy Ghost brings into life is that of a New Temple. The old temple, (flesh) must now become subservient to the Spiritual Temple (Spirit). Paul states that we are the temple of the Holy Ghost. And because the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Christ, we must now live holy and set apart unto God. You must now have the self-discipline to control and watch what you allow to enter. In the same way that Jesus cast out and overturned those things which were forbidden to be done in the temple (John 2:14-16), we too must control and rid ourselves of anything that would defile our temple.  As Solomon said: “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” (Proverbs 25:28) Remembering what Paul wrote: “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1); we must now reflect the One Who is inside of us.  Whose temple are you?  I pray you are the temple of The Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ.  

 

Sing: I’ve got Jesus on the inside working on the outside, oh what a change in my life. I’ve got Jesus on the inside working on the outside, oh what a change in my life. I’ve got Jesus on the inside working on the outside, oh what a change in my life.  Oh, what a change in my life.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 Jan 23

 Suffering For Glory

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:16-18)

Today’s Morsel: As Christians, we must not consider it strange concerning the fiery trials which are to try us. We are going to go through things in this life the same as others. We are not immune from them. It rains on the just and the unjust. The difference is that we have a comforter to comfort us in all that we go through. Jesus is always with us. He will never leave us, nor will He ever forsake us. He’s there for others, too, but sadly many do not see Him as such. Paul states, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”  The troubles and trials that we may encounter in this life are not comparable to the glory that will someday be revealed in us at the appearance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ if we hold on until the end. For me, when I am going through things and facing hardships, I just see it as suffering for glory, and my mind is renewed and refreshed; and I just rejoice, knowing that someday the suffering that I am now suffering is for Him and the gospel. And hopefully, it will bring me a crown of righteousness, which the Righteous Judge (Jesus) Himself will give unto me on that day. Are you suffering for glory? Never let your suffering be because you are busy with other men's matters.  Let it be for the cause Jesus has for you and you will find comfort in your affliction.

 

Sing: Who is this who for our sorrow offers comfort and relief? Bringing sunshine to the dark and shadow life.  Saying softly cease repining, lift thou soul above its grief, let the peace pass understanding still the strife.

It is Jesus, Jesus, sad ones weep no more, He will heal the brokenhearted open wide the prison doors, He is able to deliver evermore.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 Jan 21

 The Last Invitation

“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:16-17)

Today’s Morsel: Can you imagine the number of people that followed or heard Jesus speak when He was on the earth who never accepted His invitation to receive salvation? The same is true today. Many folks go to church, hear the pastor give an invite to come to God, repent of their sins, be baptized in His name, and start their lives anew, but they refuse, not realizing that this could be their last invitation. Some scholars believe that the Rich Young Ruler, who rejected Jesus’ invitation to sell his goods, give to the poor, and come follow Him, is the same rich man spoken of by Jesus in the parable to Lazarus in heaven and the rich man in hell. James admonishes, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” (James 4:14) Scripture also says: “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 25:1-13) The last invite found five virgins who were not ready because they slumber and slept. Always remember that when someone invites you to get your life right with Christ, it may be your last opportunity to do so. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us!

Sing: Have you been to Jesus for His cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? 

Are you washed, in the blood, in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 Jan 20

 How Far Is Your Heart From God?

“Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15:1-8)

 

Today’s Morsel: Is your heart near or far away from God? Jesus said that the people draw close to Him with their mouth and honor Him with their lips; but their heart is far from Him. This is an indictment to every one of us. Yes, it was written to address the condition of the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees, but it speaks volumes to you and me. Paul said that the things which were written in the past, were written for our learning. Are we saying one thing and doing another? Are we singing praise on Sunday and gossiping on Monday? Where is your heart as it relates to God? Does He have it all? If our hearts are not given to God, then all our worship is just lip service.

 

Sing: Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul, I live for You alone.  Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord, have Your way in me.

 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 Jan 19

 Free

“Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.  Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.  Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”  (Psalm 124:6-8)

Today’s Morsel:  Since my salvation I often wonder how many other things the Lord has saved me from.  Since I have received salvation I can look back and see what type of person I truly was.  To be honest with you, my life was a total mess and I didn’t even realize it.  The Bible does truly reveal the hidden things of darkness and dishonesty.  I was in Satan’s cage and didn’t even know it.  Sad to say, many today are still in his cage and don’t even know it.  Because Jesus has opened the door to freedom, but because they have been in the cage for so long, they choose to remain in the cage because they become accustomed to it.  The Bible says that those of us who are saved have escaped and now our help is in the name of the Lord who made the heave and the earth.  Jesus is our helper.  The writer of Hebrews lets us know that we can now come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need (Hebrews 4:16). 

 

Sing:   Reach out and touch the Lord as He passes by, you will find He’s not too busy to hear your heart’s cry.  He is passing by this moment your need to supply.  So reach out and touch the Lord as He passes by.  

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 Jan 18

 The True Worshippers

“The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:19-24)

Today’s Morsel: How would you define a true worshipper? Are they loud or silent in their worship? Are they Christlike or are they mean-spirited? Do they arrive at church early, sit on the front row, and shout amen at every word the preacher says, or are they those that are temperate and modest giving no appearance of pride? Jesus told the woman at the well that now is the time when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The true worshippers are those who truly and sincerely worship God with their whole heart, and not merely in methods. They are those who worship Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength because they love Him. It’s giving God their very best at all costs. They worship God with a sincere mind; with a simple offering of gratitude and prayer; with a desire to glorify Him, and without external pomp and splendor. Spiritual worship is that where the heart is offered to God, and where we do not depend on external methods for acceptance.  Are you a true worshipper? 

Sing: Let the worshippers arise, let the sons and the daughters sing; I’m surrendering my all, I surrender to the King. 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 Jan 17

 Where Are You Heading? 

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13-16)

 

Today’s Morsel: If someone were to ask you why you are a Christian, what would you tell them? I think the reason some folks struggle with being a Christian is that they really do not have a clear understanding of what a Christian truly is, or they do not know what their church believes and teaches. Some folks serve blindly, and I guess that is okay, but it’s a whole lot easier when you know the truth, know what you are seeking after, and where you are headed. You ought to know the reason why you are on this journey. If you do not know the reason why, and what you hope to achieve by being a Christian, chances are you are going to become discouraged and quit. To me, being a Christian is loving and serving God for the things that He has done for me. It’s living out this new life He has given that has brought me joy and excitement. To me, being a Christian is knowing that I am following the example of the apostles and Jesus, Himself, while living the truth according to His word. And that in the end, I will someday reign with Him forever. Why are you a Christian?  I hope you know the reason to that question.  

Sing: There’s a country far beyond the starry sky, there’s a city where there never comes a night; if we’re faithful we shall go there by and by; Tis’ the city where the Lamb is the light.

In the city where the Lamb is the light, in the city where there cometh no night.  I’ve a mansion over there, and when free from toil and care, I am going where the Lamb is the light.