2011 March 1 - Morning Manna

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
(Jonah 1:1-3).

Today's Morsel:  Outreach and preaching on the streets has never been an easy thing.  I've heard some of the old time ministers talk about how they had rotten eggs, rotten tomatoes, and other things thrown at them while they tried to share the love of Jesus and the Gospel with others.  It takes tough skin to be a minister and servant of Christ.  Jesus said that we would be hated by men for His namesake.  Maybe Jonah had encountered hate for talking about God before and he wasn't about to face it again.  When God told him to go to Nineveh to give them warning, Jonah ran in the opposite direction.  But Jonah soon found out that you can't get away from God.  As the psalmist said, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me" (Psalms 139:7-11).  Sometimes God's love towards us doesn't make sense.  You may say, "Well if we are afraid to go, then why should God make us go?"  Moses didn't want to face Pharaoh.  He had been there before and knew that he wouldn't listen.   Jeremiah didn't want to go because he knew that it would land him in prison.   John Mark had seen what was happening to Christians and he valued his own neck.  So why would God send us and bid us to go?  Because we are now the Lords, and no longer our own.  We are in His Army.  You see, God can't bless you until you have overcome you.  If you fear and remain concerned about saving yourself, you'll never receive the blessings of the Lord.  Jesus said that if you want to save your life, you must first lose it.  And that means getting rid of the fear in your life so that God can do what He desires to do through you.  Like Jonah, your struggle probably isn't with running from God, but with knowing exactly where He's wanting you to go. So pray, listen, and be faithful to the things you are doing and pretty soon God will show you what He wants you to do and the place He wants you to go.  When you come to the end of yourself, you'll realize that  Jesus is right there.  As Isaiah said, "Here am I Lord send me!"

Sing:  I'll go!  I'll go!  If the Lord needs somebody, tell Him I'll go.

2011 February 28 - Morning Manna

Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God. Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work. Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us. Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people. (Nehemiah 5:14-19)

 

Today's Morsel:  Nehemiah was motivated by three factors as he carried out his duty as governor.  He feared God, he was sensitive to the needs of the people, and he desired the blessings of God in his life.  These same factors should govern every one of us as leaders in our homes, churches, and communities.  If we approach advancements and promotions with the same basic motivations and mindset as Nehemiah, we, too, will have the key to maintaining our spiritual and psychological balance and stability.  If we as Christian are sensitive to others, we'll not take advantage of them.  We will never use our position or power to exploit them.  Nehemiah was in charge, which meant that all the privileges of power were his to enjoy.  But he had learned a concept Jesus would later put into words, "And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many"(Mark 10:44-45).  Nehemiah put this into practice.  This is the way of God.  The principles that Jesus taught in the parable of the talents will always hold true, "Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord"(Matthew 25:21).  If we will concentrate on doing right before ourselves and others, God will open the door to fulfillment and opportunity when we're ready for it. With every opportunity, we should look to help people and to advance the Kingdom of God.  When we are motivated by the factors and thinking of Nehemiah, we should be able to handle any promotion or position without being deceived by Satan's tactics.

 

"Adversity is hard on a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity." Thomas Carlyle.

Sing: I am weak but Thou art strong, Jesus keep me from all wrong; I'll be satisfied as long, as I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

   

Just a closer walk with Thee, grant it, Jesus, is my plea; daily walking close to Thee, let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

2011 February 26 - Morning Manna

Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD. And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers (2 Chronicles 34:29-33).

Today's Morsel:  Do you attend the conferences that your church hosts?   Attending conferences and church gatherings gives us the opportunity to interact, hear the Word of God, and meet new saints and be with  brothers and sister of like precious faith.  Our faith always comes by hearing the Word of God.  The children of Israel had gotten away from the things of God, and were growing more worldly and sinful in their day to day activities because no one was reading and heeding the Word of God.  But once the scriptures were found, and brought to the king and he heard what they said, King Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to servethe LORD their God.  And all his days they didn't depart from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.  This is what the Word of God is designed to do.  It is to cause us to see if  we are not in line with the Word of God and then help us to make the correct adjustments in our lives.  God cannot sustain His freedom and blessings upon any nation, which we love and pray for, unless the church will take the right approach first.  We are the church, it must always begin with us.  If you want to see revival in your nation and churches, start by praying for yourself that God will change your own heart first.  Revival always begins with us.

Sing: Revive us again; fill each heart with Thy love; may each soul be rekindled with fire from above.  Hallelujah! Thine to glory! Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! Thine to glory! Revive us again.

2011 February 25 - Morning Manna

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. .. Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
(Daniel 3:1, 8-12-18)

 

 

Today's Morsel:  Imagine being in a sold out stadium with thousands of ravenous hometown fans, and you are the only one wearing the opposite colors. That is what it would have been like for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  These guys were slaves. They were in captivity. Their heads could be lifted from their shoulders at any moment that the king said so.  But they seem to have had a little spunk about them. They aren't afraid to state their minds. They have backbone. There's no jellyfish in these guys.  They know their God and even in slavery are willing to take a stand for Him.  Our children face a world that at ever corner is offering them to compromise their faith for this world's images. When you look in the eyes of you children knowing that tomorrow is at stake when the choice is up to them, will they have the strength to say we won't bend and we won't break, we won't water down our faith; we won't compromise in a world of desperation, what has been we cannot change, but for tomorrow and today we must be a light for future generations.  It's time that every born again believer build a strong base of truth and character that we can pass on to our children so they will make sound and moral choices.   Sooner or later as a child of God, you're going to find yourself as the only one in the crowd and either you are going to standout, or you are going to bow.  Once you bow, you will carry the guilt of that bow in your heart forever.  So purpose in your heart right now, I will not bend and I will not break.  Because if you bend and you break, it's not only going to affect you, it's going to affect your family and your future offspring's.  

Sing: We won't bend and we won't break, we won't water down our faith, we won't compromise in a world of desperation. What has been we cannot change, but for tomorrow and today we must be a light for future generations.

2011 February 23 - Morning Manna

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (Isaiah 6:1-8)

Today's Morsel:  If you are like me, no doubt you have heard this passage preached time and time again.  But no matter how many times we hear it or read it, Isaiah saw something awesome and mind boggling.  Maybe this is what the church needs today, we just need to get a real glimpse of God's awesome splendor.  Uzziah had been king for what seemed like forever; longer than any Jewish king mentioned in the Bible.  He took the reins when he was sixteen years old and rein for fifty-two years.  That means he was now 68 years old.  Isaiah probably didn't know another king, and Uzziah's death, and how he died, probably shook Isaiah's mind.  And he was in total disbelief at what he saw when he died.  It may have seemed impossible to him.  But Isaiah said, " In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."  He probably felt if what Uzziah did cost him his life, I'm sure in serious trouble now that I have seen the Lord.  Whenever God appeared to men in Bible times, the results were the same, an overwhelming sense of terror and dismay, a gut wrenching sense of sinfulness and guilt. When God spoke to Abraham, he bowed to the ground and listened (Genesis 18:2).  When He spoke to Moses, he hid is face in fear to look upon God (Exodus 3:6).   Paul cried out, "Who art thou Lord" (Acts 9:5)?  Peter said, "Depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord"(Luke 5:8).  And Isaiah said, "Woe is me for I am undone!"  He said, I'm finish.  I've seen God.  But to his surprise, he heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"  At this point, Isaiah may have felt that he had a chance to redeem himself.  And so he said, "Here am I; send me."  When we fear God, it will kill all other fears and cause us to go at God's bidding.  Sometime soon, go to your favorite and quietest place and spend some time with the Lord and allow Him to surround you with His presence and you will come away realizing just how awesome God truly is, and why you should want to witness for Him.

Sing:  There is none like You. No one else can touch my heart like You do. I could search for all eternity long, and find, there is none like You.

2011 February 22 - Morning Manna

My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God. O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour! (Job 16:20-21)

 Today's Morsel:  Job's patience is legendary.  Even people who give little thought to the things of God know a little bit about his story.  But those of us who know more can hang around and see a whole lot more than the patience of Job.  We can see that it takes more than perseverance to get through a trial, it takes knowing  that God will come through.  When we are going through a difficult time, it's nice to have friends.  Unless they are like Job's friends!  Even though Job's friends pointed fingers and accused him, it was still good for Job to have them there to help keep his mind off the pain and suffering he was going through.   At least they were there.  Some of the others didn't even show up.  Some times we may stop short of reaching out to those who are hurting, not sure of what to say and to do, or even show our concern.  But almost always, it isn't your words that matters, just your presence that shows you care.

 

Sing:  A friend, a friend, friend of mine and yours, out of all the love, in the world , no one could love you more . Sometimes, there's no one to talk to, no one else I can find, but He's always there, He's everywhere, I'm talking' bout a friend of mine.  Problems seem like they never end, you have no one to turn to , but you can lean on Him, He'll never let you fall and all you've got to do is call Him, He's just a friend. A friend, a friend, friend of mine and yours, out of all the love, in the world , no one could love you more.

2011 February 21 - Morning Manna

After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. (Esther 3:1-6)

Today's Morsel: Many diseases are silent killers in that they are silent (no symptoms or only vague symptoms), and they are deadly.  There are a number of diseases that are known as "silent killers" because they gradually consume you without causing any serious symptoms in the early stages.  Regular medical checkups and early diagnosis of unexplained or vague symptoms can save your life.  Hypertension is also called "high blood pressure".  Hypertension is a silent killer because it is deadly and has no  significant early symptoms.  The danger of hypertension is the extra load on the heart, leading to complications such as hypertensive heart disease.  Hypertension can also seriously damage the kidneys.  And it does all this silently, without any major symptoms, except when the high blood pressure gets extreme.  But there is also another silent killer, and that is prejudice.  Prejudice is a silent killer, because most people don't think that they are.  Many people of all races try to hide their prejudices openly for fear of repercussion, being labeled as such, or job loss.  But within, this deadly disease eats away at them. Their minds are constantly thinking evil, causing high blood pressure, sleep deprivation, worry, loneliness, and even  nervousness.  Not only does prejudice kill you physically, it will kill you spiritual, because you can't have a relationship with Jesus if you have respect to persons.  James said that you commit sin, and the wages of sin is death.  Haman was prejudice against the Jews.  He hated Mordecai, not only  because he was a Jew, but because he would not bow to him.  This drove him crazy.  But when he had a gallows built to hang Mordecai, those same gallows were used to hang him.  That's what prejudice does.  Prejudice tells you to do evil and to hate others who aren't like you, and pretty soon it will becomes a gallow.  And if you aren't careful, you will find yourself hanged by what you desired to do to others. Remember, we always reap what we sow.

Sing: Create in me a clean heart, O' God, and renew a right spirit within me. Create in me a clean heart, O' God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from Thy presence Oh God.  Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me, restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and renew a right spirit within me.