Manna In The Morning Archive 2006
December 31
The Focus of Scriptures…
And he said unto
them, These are the
words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Jesus had risen from the dead and here appears to the eleven disciples.
For us, it is exciting, while studying the Old Testament, to come across
passages that were prophetic of Him, think of what it must have been like to be
shown these passages by Christ Himself as He taught His disciples daily. It
never really connected with them until now, for in the next verse we are told
Jesus opened their understanding. Jesus mentions the three-fold division of the
Old Testament canon; this teaches His acceptance of its authenticity and our
opportunity to learn about Him in every part of Scripture. Whether in Genesis,
the Psalms, Isaiah, the Gospels, or Revelation the focus of Scripture is Jesus.
Lord, the disciples must have been excited when they finally understood
that all of Scripture was about You. It is evident in their teaching and
preaching in Acts and the Epistles. As I study Scripture today help me remember
I am learning more about You.
December 30
The Request of Faith…
And he said unto
Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me
in paradise.
When you consider the circumstances, the request of this man crucified alongside Jesus is amazing. Jesus was severely whipped, nailed to a cross, mocked by the crowd, and like the man making the request, dieing. To look upon Jesus and make the request he did took faith. Remember, with the exception of a very few, most had abandoned the Lord. In response, the man received far more than he asked for. He asked to be remembered in the future. In return he received a promise (today), he was guaranteed his presence with Christ (with Me), and though having no merit of his own, his immediate prospect was paradise. The man was fully saved by grace through faith and went to heaven that day!
Lord, although the request of this man seems amazing under the circumstances the thing that is most amazing is Your grace, like the man none of us have any merit of our own, it is only by Your grace You went to the cross for us, hear our requests of faith, and provide us with Your promise, presence, and paradise.
December 29
The Sifting of Satan…
And the Lord
said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But
I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren.
The sifting of wheat is illustrative: Wheat is placed in a sieve, which is shook from side to side so the chaff will rise to the surface, and then is blown away having no value. The goal of Satan in sifting Peter was to show that no faith of substance existed in him; he would be like chaff blowing in the wind. The warning of Jesus to Peter is one that all of us who profess to be Christians must be aware of, because Satan is out to take us apart as well (Peter 5:8). We have an enemy looking for an opportunity to take our faith apart, how important it is to be warned and on guard that our faith fails not. But do not miss the encouragement, Jesus was already praying for Peter, He prays for us too (Hebrews 7:25).
Lord, although I have an enemy
looking for opportunities to destroy my faith, because You are so much greater
than he is, I am comforted to know that You are already praying that I will be
strengthened and that my faith will not ultimately fail.
December 28
The Blessing of Children…
And they brought unto
him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
But Jesus called them unto
him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid
them not: for of such is the
There are three scenes to this statement I want you to notice. In the first scene is a group of parents bringing their children to Jesus, the reason they bring them is so He can touch them. They wanted Jesus to lay His hands on them and bless them. Can you think of anyone better to do so? In the second scene we notice the disciples hindering the children from approaching Jesus. It really does not matter why they did it because what they did was wrong. Jesus rebuked them. It is still wrong for people to keep children from going to Jesus. In the third scene Jesus receives and blesses the children. Can you imagine the impact later as they grew? The greatest blessing for any child is to lead them to Jesus.
Lord, it is a shame how children are treated today by parents, ministers, and society at large. I expect You will judge us severely for it. Open our eyes to the value You place on children and stir our hearts to help them enjoy Your blessing.
December 27
On Being a Servant…
So likewise ye, when ye
shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are
unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Jesus teaches about the expectations of being a servant. I suspect most will not like what He says. He uses the story of a servant working all day; he has plowed the fields and fed the cattle. At the end of the day, when he returns to his master’s house, should he expect any special reward? Should he expect to prop up his feet and relax while his master prepares his meal and feeds him? No. It is expected he will prepare the meal and continue to serve his master. Even then he deserves no special reward because he has only done what was expected of him. This understanding of being a servant is much needed by Christians today. We expect much but most do not rise to the level of being unprofitable.
Lord, the honor is in being Your servant. Help me to understand this even further than I presently do. Serving You day after day, month after month, year after year is the least I can do. When I have done so, I am still unprofitable, I have still not earned Your favor, and the privilege of serving You is still more than I deserve.
December 26
The Compassion of the Father…
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and
kissed him.
I have a print by R.D.
Cianni, of a father and son embracing in the midst of a wheat field. It is a
wonderful rendering of this story of the Prodigal Son told by Jesus. In the
story the youngest son takes his share of inheritance, leaves home, and wastes
it on sinful living. He ends up in destitution. When he comes to the end of
himself and understands his condition, he remembers the compassion of his
father and heads home. His father is watching for him. My understanding of this
story is that it depicts an opportunity that exists for humanity. We have
rebelled and walked away from God in sin, but He is ever watching, waiting, and
willing to receive us to Himself if we would only come to Him.
Lord, having lived in
the place of the Prodigal Son, I know from personal experience Your
compassionate embrace. I know I did not deserve it but I am so grateful for it.
May my gratitude continue to be obvious in my walk with You.
December
25 – Merry
Christmas!
Mary’s Blessing and Ours…
And it came to pass,
as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice,
and said unto him, Blessed is
the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he
said, Yea rather, blessed are
they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
A woman came forth from the crowd as Jesus was speaking and gave praise to His mother. I often here people do the same today when they are impressed with the character of a person. The response of the Lord is interesting; He did not deny His mother was blessed, for surely she was. She was blessed because of God’s favor and her relationship with Jesus. The favor of God and a relationship with His Son is the source of blessing for all of us. But in His response, Jesus went beyond the woman’s statement and said it is even more important to hear the Word of God and to do it. Even Mary was more blessed in hearing and believing God’s Word concerning Christ than in simply being His mother.
Lord, what a blessing You have made available for all of us! You have given us Your Word, You have given us Your Son, and You have given us the opportunity to enter into an eternal relationship with You by faith in Him. Thank You for such a tremendous blessing!
December 24
The Priority of Worship…
And Jesus answered and
said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many
things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part,
which shall not be taken away from her.
Martha had a problem that is often found among hard working servants of Christ. We allow our work for Christ to rob us of our worship of Christ. Two evidences of this are illustrated by Martha: we tend to criticize others for not doing more and we complain about all we have to do. Whenever we find ourselves doing one or both of these, then it is a sure signal our priorities have gotten out of place. If we do not take time to worship, then our work will always undo us. There is a time to work and a time to worship. The presence of Jesus indicated this was a time or worship. Martha wasted it with busyness. When we put time with Christ first, we will always find the work that needs done easier.
Lord, too often I find myself thinking more like Martha than Mary. I work myself empty and full of frustration at the same time. However, when I have put my time with You first the work always gets done and with greater ease. Help me to learn, both from the example of Your Word and personal experience, the priority of spending time with You.
December 23
The Need for Harvest Workers…
Therefore said he unto
them, The harvest truly is
great, but the labourers are
few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth
labourers into his harvest.
As Jesus toured the cities and villages of the Galilean region, He was
touched by the need of the multitudes and spoke concerning the harvest field.
The fields, as He saw them, were ready for harvest. This harvest was the
salvation of the multitudes through the preaching of the
Lord, today, the harvest is still great. The work will not get done
with the workers we have. The answer is not more work from those already in the
field. The answer is more workers to enter the field. Lord, send forth more
workers into Your harvest.