Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 19 March 2019

Spiritually Asleep

“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:10-17).

Today’s Morsel:  Most people never consider what we call a church and where it is located as the house of God and the gateway to heaven.  Jacob found himself between a rock and a hard place (no pun intended).  Bethel, which was the name He gave to the place after his dream, means the house of God.  He probably never considered that here, where he laid himself that evening, would one day become a place of worship.  No, we know that the buildings aren’t the church.  We know that we are the church.  Yet wouldn’t it be sad to sit in such beautiful structures, which we call the church, and never know that you were sitting in the house of God and the gateway to heaven?

Sing: It’s the Old Ship of Zion. It’s the hope for the lost and dying. It’s a soul-saving station. It’s the tower of salvation. Well, it’s the Church triumphant, O’ Lord, and it’s built by the hand of the Lord.  I’m talking about the church in the Book of Revelations. It’s built on the Rock, it’s got a firm foundation. It’s been through the flood, and it’s been through the fire; But one these days, the Church is gonna move up a little higher. Well, it’s the Church triumphant, O’ Lord, and it’s built by the hand of the Lord.

Thought For Today: “And upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 18 March 2019

A Firm Foundation

“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” 

(Ephesians 2:20-22).

Today’s Morsel:  The most important thing in any home is its foundation and the chief cornerstone.  If either is not laid currently and with the right materials, you can be sure that there will be troubles with the home at some point.  The comparison of the church with a building is common in the scriptures.  And the doctrines that they taught are the basis on which the church rests.  If a church isn’t built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ and His apostles, sooner or later it will start to have troubles and fall.  Paul said that we are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16).  So what doctrine is your life built upon?  It needs to have the sure foundation and the chief cornerstone, the word of God and Jesus Christ. 

Sing:  Lord prepare me, to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried true.  With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living, sanctuary for You.

Thought For Today: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 16 March 2019

What Can I Give God?

“What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people” (Psalms 116:12-14).

Today’s Morsel:  If you could give God something that would be pleasing unto Him, what would it be?  We see that the Philistines, who captured the Ark of God from Israel and whom God plagued with hemorrhoids, tried to appease God with a golden hemorrhoid and a golden mouse for each city (see 1 Samuel 6:15-18).  Who in their right mind would do such a foolish thing?  Do you consider what you render to God for His goodness toward you and your family?  Is He well pleased with what you offer?  The psalmist said, “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.” Is this what God requires of us? Or is it what the prophet Micah states, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8)?  I think both and more. The apostle Paul wrote, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:15-16). If we desire to give back to God and to please Him for His goodness, then we must follow His word.  He desires you to give yourself to Him, holy and acceptable.  

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

Thought For Today: “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29).

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 15 March 2019

Spiritual Fruit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”

 (Galatians 5:22-23).

  

Today’s Morsel:  I wish this world would make up its mind.  One time you read an article and it says fruit is good for you.  Then you read another article, and it says you shouldn’t eat certain kinds of fruit.  What are we to believe?  I think someone is telling us some lies, and I guess that’s why Satan is called the deceiver of the brethren.  Scripture says, “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:11-12). If God says that it’s good, then how can it be bad?  If natural fruit is good for us, think about how much better spiritual fruit is for us.  The fruit of the Spirit, which the Holy Spirit produces does not flow from a natural tree. It flows from a spiritual tree. The tree of life.  Jesus Christ.  There should be no shortage if this fruit in your lives.

Sing: To be like Jesus. To be like Jesus. On earth I long to be like Him. All through life’s journey, from earth to glory. I only ask to be like Him.

Thought For Today: “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:9-10)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 14 March 2019

The Power of The Gospel

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

Today’s Morsel:  People who have not developed spiritual maturity will often be ashamed of who they are in Christ.  They will live a double lifestyle.  They will be one thing at church yet another on the job or at school.  When we are ashamed of God calling us out of the world, we will often compromise who we say we are. Paul said that he was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation. Always remember, if you are ashamed to be called a Christian on your job or at your school, you jeopardize someone else’s salvation, including your own.

Sing: We are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For it is the power unto salvation.  And it’s to everyone, everyone that believes it.  And it’s to everyone, everyone that receives it. We can have, everlasting life.

Thought For Today: Everyone deserves a right to hear the gospel at least once. 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 13 March 2019

No Greater Power

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18).

Today’s Morsel:  One of the things about power is if used wrong, it can destroy you as well as others. When James and John wanted to called down fire from heaven upon the people, Jesus turned and rebuked them, and said, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:55-56).  They wanted to use it for the wrong reason.  You see, when we are anointed with the Holy Ghost, we are given authority by Almighty God.  And if we misuse this power, we can destroy peoples' lives instead of saving them.  The Spirit is given to us for ministry.  It is our responsibility to use it for God's intended purpose.  

Sing: It’s that Holy Ghost and power that's keeping me alive, keeping me alive, keeping me alive.  Well, it’s that Holy Ghost and power that keeping me alive.   Jesus is keeping me alive.

Thought For Today: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 12 March 2019

Don’t Forget God

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”   (Deuteronomy 6:4-12)

Today’s Morsel:  One of the greatest fallacies in the Christian's life is when we get to a point that we think we don’t need God, or that God isn’t watching.  Moses told the children of Israel that when they came into the promise land and everything was going good for them, they should not forget God.  But we see through the study of the scripture, they forgot Him.  Sad to say, many today have received the promise, the Holy Ghost, but they have already forgotten God.  They have no knowledge of His word.  They spend no time with Him in prayer or communion.  They have no time to sit down at the table as a family and invite Him to join with them.  They jump into their vehicles head out and never ask Him if He would like to come along.  They send their kids off to school never asking Jesus if He would like to go with them and protect them during the day. They have turned to their own way and feel as though they can do without Him.  What about you? Have you forgotten Him now that you have entered the land of plenty?  Don't leave Him out of your everyday life.  

Sing: Jesus be the Lord of all!  Jesus be the Lord of all! Jesus be the Lord of all, the kingdoms of my heart.

Thought For Today: Don’t forget God!