Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 15 May 2021

 

Armed Forces Day

 

“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”
(Romans 13:7)

 

Today’s Morsel:  Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May paying tribute to the military personnel serving in the United States Armed Forces on active duty.  The celebration takes place each year during Armed Forces Week. The United States Military is composed of six branches, including the Army, Airforce, Space Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.  As of 2019, more than 1.3 million active-duty service members are stationed in the United States and around the world.  An additional 800,000 reservists stand ready in the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. The holiday unites the country behind the men and women who currently serve in the United States military.  Paul states that we should render honor to whom honor is due. Our men and women in uniform deserve to be honored. When we think about it, only two people were willing to die for your freedom and rights. Jesus Christ and the American soldier.  Today, we salute our men and women in uniform.  

 

Sing: Thanks, Thanks, I give You thanks, for all you have done.  I am so blessed my soul has found rest, oh Lord, I give You thanks.

 

Thought For Today: Thanks for your service to this great nation and its allies.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 14 May 2021

 

Who Did Hinder You?

 

“Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?” (Galatians 5:7)

 

Today’s Morsel:  I have heard people say, “I could have won if they had not done that to me.”  Or “I was going to go along, but when I saw who else was going, I decided not to go.”  Others can stop you temporarily, but you are the only one who can do it permanently.  Paul said that you did run well, who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?  I have seen it so many times in the church, people allow what others think of them to affect their outcome in life.  Let me ask you a few questions. Who is keeping you out of church?  What about being the Christian that you know that you ought to be?  What about living a holy and godly life? Think about it.  Others may hinder you, but you are the only one that can do it permanently.

 

Sing:  I’m running for my life, I’m running for my life, I’m running for my life, I’m running for my life; if anybody asks you, what’s the matter with me, tell them that I am saved, sanctified, Holy Ghost filled, and water baptized; I've got heaven on my mind and I’m running for my life.

 

Thought For Today: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” (1 Corinthians 9:24)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 13 May 2021

                                                             EnLarge Your Plans

“And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.” (Genesis 13:14-17)

 

Today’s Morsel:  It is reported that Dwight Moody’s farewell words to his sons as he lay upon his deathbed were:” If God be your partner, make your plans large.”  Abraham was known as the friend of God.  God had promised to bless him beyond measure.  Can you imagine this relationship between Abraham and God?  Everywhere your eyes can see, God said, I have given it to you. WOW!  Notice what God told Joshua after the death of Moses. “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Joshua 1:3-5)  As soon as you became born-again of the water and the Spirit, you should have enlarged plans, because the same promises that God made to Abraham are available to you as well.

 

Sing:  Every promise in the book is mine, every chapter, every verse, every line; all are blessings of His love divine, every promise in the book is mine.

 

Thought For Today:  “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 54:2-3)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 12 May 2021

 

Availability

“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 6:8)

 Today’s Morsel:  I like Isaiah chapter 6, and I often wonder why someone had to die before Isaiah was about to see the Lord.  The Lord says that we could find Him when we have sought for Him with our whole heart.  Have you prayed and told God that you were available for whatever He desires of you?  What if God desired you to go to some remote location? Would you be available, or would you need to check with someone else first?  When God sent Elijah to Elisha, scripture says, “So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.” (1 Kings 19:19-21) God never asks about our ability or our inability, just our availability.  If we are not available when He calls, we may not get another chance to do what He desires of us to do.

Sing:  Here I am Lord, here I am; I give all myself to you, here I am.  Here I am Lord, here I am; let your spirit work through me, here I am.

 

Thought For Today:  God doesn’t usually cast a mantel on a man who isn’t available when He calls (Parker)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 11 May 2021

 

Rank

 

“But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48)

 

Today’s Morsel:  When I was in the military, we operated under two promotional systems:  Rank and Grade.  Rank was based on our status, position, and responsibilities.  Grade was based on pay.  Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility.  Rank went from Private to Command Sergeant Major.  Grade for pay went from E-1 to E-9.  With each rank came more authority, responsibility, and trust.  Scripture states, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”  As a Christian, we should be more concerned with rank than grade.  When God gives you rank, it means that He has reposed special trust and confidence in your abilities to do His will through your life.  Do not worry about the pay grade, your reward is in heaven.

 

Sing:  I’m going to serve the Lord any way that I can.  I’m going to serve the Lord any way that I can.  I’m gonna serve in the morning, serve Him all day long.  I’m gonna serve the Lord anyway that I can.

 

Thought For Today: “Rank does not confer privilege or give power.  It imposes responsibility.”

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 10 May 2021

 

The Quality of Wisdom

 

“I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.” (Proverbs 4:11-12)

 

Today’s Morsel:  You know, I have come to realize that when God places His Spirit in us, He gives us everything that we need. Paul tells us that Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God and the power of God.  So when Christ is in us, we have both wisdom and power.  Wisdom to make right choices and decisions, avoid danger, and correct our situations.  We have the power to stand against evil, to walk away from people, and we have the power to even turn the other cheek.  Think about it. As Solomon states, “When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee” (Proverbs 2:10-11)  It has been said that “Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting into situations where you need it.”  Think about it, wisdom will prevent us from getting into situations that can cause us harm and danger.  So many things came with our salvation.  If you do not know what came with yours, you might want to recheck the book.

 

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.

 

Thought For Today: “Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting into situations where you need it.”

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 8 May 2021

 

Remove the Cobwebs!

 

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)

 

Today’s Morsel:  How much time do you spend seeking joy and happiness.  They are free, but most people don’t look for them.  Some of the most depressing people, they say, are those that work in the circus, a clown, folks who go to church often, schoolteachers, those who have some of the best jobs in the world, stand-up comedians, and those who teach end-time prophecy.  One could look at this list and say that these should be some of the happiest people in the world.  But for some reason they are depressed.  They should be filled with laughter and joy every day.  But sad to say, they are not.  Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of the heart.  God desires that we have a merry heart.  Have you ever noticed that most of the children's nursery rhythms, or children's songs, require you to interact with motions that will make you laugh at yourself?  Is this why Jesus said that we must become as little children or we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven?  Laughter is good medicine.  Depression is usually caused by not enough laughter and not doing enough to cause others to laugh with us.  So, go ahead and get rid of those cobwebs over your heart by having a good laugh. Remember, the joy of the Lord is your strength.

 

Sing:  Smile a while and give your face a rest, raise your hands to the One you love the best. Turn around to someone new, shake their hand, and smile.

 

Thought For Today:  “Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of the heart.”