Manna for Your Morning

Now it happened as the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart. — 1 Chronicles 15:29 (LSB) After the ark of Yahweh was placed inside the tent, David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. Then he blessed the people. (See 2 Samuel 6:17-18 LSB) Second Samuel 6:20 (NLT) says: When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” Our words truly reveal what is in our hearts. Matthew 12:34 says: …out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Due to her negative attitude, Michal missed out on the blessing from her husband and also the blessing of bearing a child. She remained childless her entire life. (See 2 Samu...

Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose]. — James 4:10 (AMP) Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18 NKJV) Yet He gives His grace [His undeserved favor] to the humble [those who give up self-importance]. (Proverbs 3:34b AMP) In Matthew 11:29 (NASB), Jesus instructs us to learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:8 NKJV). Ephesians 4:2 (NLT) says: Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud. — Psalm 138:6 (NLT)

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. — Philippians 2:5-8 (NASB) For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (Philippians 2:9-10 NASB) Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. (Psalm 95:6-7) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (James 4:8,10)

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.  — Revelation 3:20 (NKJV) First, we need to have our ears open to hear His voice. Then, we can respond by opening the door of our hearts. How? By opening our mouths and asking Jesus to come in. By having the attitude, that He is welcome to stay, and enter each room. Let His marvelous light flood the dark crevices of your heart. Once He comes in, then let us take the time to dine with Him. May we feast on His Presence. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8a) He has a banquet already prepared for us. Instead of fear and anxiety, there is a platter of perfect peace. There are bowls of joy. In exchange for bitterness and unforgiveness, there is sweet compassion, and amazing grace. Instead of resentment, we have contentment in His Presence, as we dine with the King of kings.

Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving. — Colossians 4:2  (AMP) I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. (1 Timothy 2:1 NLT) But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. (1 Peter 4:7) The LORD will be very gracious to you at the sound of your voice; when He hears it, He will answer. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (James 5:16 NLT)

So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. — Luke 15:20 (NLT) The prodigal son demanded his inheritance and then journeyed away from home and wasted everything he had with loose living. When he came to himself and returned home. His father welcomed him with open arms, and told his servants, “We must celebrate...” This parable is just a glimpse of the kind of love our heavenly Father has for His children. God's love transcends all of our bad decisions and prideful attitudes. His love never gives up on us. The love of the Father is always calling us to come closer to Him. Let us release the things of this world. Return to Him in our minds, hearts and actions, and receive the unconditional love of Abba Father.

“Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy.” — Philippians 4:4 (NCV) May we be like the Apostle Paul who said:  “...I have learned the secret of being happy at any time in everything that happens, when I have enough to eat and when I go hungry, when I have more than I need and when I do not have enough.” (Philippians 4:12 NCV) We will maintain our joy when we refuse to be moved by external circumstances. Draw your joy from the Holy Spirit who dwells inside of you. Continually delight yourself in the Presence of the LORD and have an attitude of gratitude for all that He has done for you. “Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” (Philippians 4:13 MSG)

“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” — John 5:30 (NKJV) Even Jesus said He could do nothing by Himself. Why do we try to operate outside of God’s will? John 15:5 says, Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. Without Jesus we can do nothing. When we abide in Him, we bear much fruit. Let us have the same attitude of Christ: not our will, but His be done. We accomplish this as we abide in Him, that means staying connected to Him, like vines are connected to the branch. As we surrender, submit, and sacrifice (not the most popular words in the world today), we will abide in Him. The first step in this ongoing process is surrender, give up, raise your hands and give God the praise. Second is submit, cooperate with and participate in God’s plan. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) Third, become a living sacrifice.  Theref...

But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also. — Matthew 6:33 (AMP) Instead of striving for a perfect set of circumstances or aiming to acquire material possessions, seek Jesus, the perfect One and He will take care of all that concerns you. Seek the One whom the winds and the sea obey (Matthew 8:27). Seek the One who causes the dead to live again (John 11:43-44). He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow] (Psalm 147:3 AMP). Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. (1 Chronicles 16:11 NASB)

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. — James 4:7-8a (NKJV) In today's world, submission is a foreign concept, but as children of God, we are called to submit to our heavenly Father. Submission is a continual process of re-aligning our hearts and attitudes to reflect the Most High God. Instead of pushing our own agendas, we learn to yield to His Ways. Yes indeed, His ways are higher and better than our ways. When we are submitted to God, our words, thoughts, and actions show His kindness, grace and compassion. In submission, we actually DO what His Word says: love, forgive, etc. Allow His Supreme authority to rule and reign in your life, today and forever!

...that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; — Colossians 1:10-11 (NKJV) May we walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, that pleases Him in every way. Refuse to let a worldly, hostile environment corrupt your God-honoring behavior and joyful attitude. Let us continually grow in our knowledge of God and experience a deeper, increasing intimacy with Him. Then we will be fruitful in every good work we undertake, in every area of our lives: spiritual, physical, financial, relationships, etc. May we be strengthened with His power that resides inside of us and enables us to endure and persevere ALL things, as we hold onto the everlasting joy of the Lord. Amen!

But if one loves God truly [with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing], he is known by God [recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him]. — 1 Corinthians 8:3 (AMP) Gratefulness goes beyond perfection. We are to have a grateful heart even when circumstances are not perfect. Gratitude is an attitude of the heart that is able to recognize the good in every situation. Even though you didn’t get the promotion, you can be grateful to still have a job. Being grateful is simply a choice we make to either complain about what we don’t have or be grateful for what we do have.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. — Romans 12:9 (NLT) Let us deeply and sincerely love others. For most people, it's easy to say, “I love you” but a sincere love is not only spoken. It is shown with action and backed up with a kind and supportive attitude. What we do speaks volumes more than what we say. When Jesus showed the disciples the full extent of His love, He washed their feet (John 13:1-5). Afterward, Jesus said, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet,” (John 13:14). Are you a disciple of Christ? Are you washing the feet of others, (helping to meet their needs)?

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. — Psalm 69:30 (NKJV) Proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all God's wondrous works (Psalm 26:7)! When we give thanks to the LORD, He is magnified in our lives. The mountains that stand before us shrink in His Presence and our LORD emerges into the foreground of our lives. Let us GIVE THANKS everyday, with an attitude of gratitude! Show grateful appreciation for all He has done in your life. He didn’t have to... but praise God, He did. Amen!

As he went into a village, ten men with a skin disease met him. They stood at a distance and shouted, “Jesus, Teacher, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he told them, “Show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were made clean. When one of them saw that he was healed, he turned back and praised God in a loud voice. He quickly bowed at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.  — Luke 17:12-16 (GW) Always have an attitude of gratitude to the Lord for all He has done for you. Thank God for waking you up this morning. There are many who were not this fortunate. It is good to praise and thank the Lord and give Him all the glory!

I’ve learned to be content in whatever situation I’m in. I know how to live in poverty or prosperity. No matter what the situation, I’ve learned the secret of how to live when I’m full or when I’m hungry, when I have too much or when I have too little. I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13 (GW) Learn the secret of how to be content in your inner being regardless of the external circumstances. This will lead to a peaceful attitude of appreciation and thankfulness to our heavenly Father for all that He provides. Whatever we have and wherever we are, we can make it through anything as long as we abide in Christ and follow Him wherever He leads.