Manna for Your Morning

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. — Isaiah 30:15 (NLT) Return to the LORD, with all your heart, mind and soul. Prioritize Him with your time. Stop the busyness of all the thoughts racing in your head. Be still and acknowledge that the LORD is God. Stand in awe of His magnificence. We are not to rely on ourselves, but on our heavenly Father. The Message Bible says: … stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me— The very thing you’ve been unwilling to do . (Isaiah 30:15)

She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” — Luke 10:39-42 (NASB) Psalm 46:10a (NASB) says, “Cease striving and know that I am God…” All of our striving and busyness is a distraction and a ploy of the enemy to disconnect us from our heavenly Father. Choose to stay close and intimately connected to our great, compassionate God. Keep your heart open to listen to Him, and receive His wisdom and truth. When we stop thinking it’s all about us, and acknowledge, it’s all about Him, the rest of Psalm 46:10 unfolds in our lives: “I will be exalt...

He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while”—for there were many [people who were continually] coming and going, and they could not even find time to eat. — Mark 6:31 (AMP) Have you ever been so busy you forgot to eat? If we forget to take in nutrition for our physical bodies, how often do we neglect to feed our spiritual beings with the Word of God? Jesus is the Living Word and He often withdrew from the crowds to spend time with the Father. Even God took a day of rest. Sometimes we have frantic, non-stop schedules and wonder why we have no peace. That's because Satan can use busyness as a tool to keep us drifting further away from God. Constantly being plugged into electronic devices will place demands on our time and energy 24 hours a day, if we let them.  May we maintain a proper balance between work, rest and play. Always take time to rest and spend quiet moments with God and in His Word. This is what the Sovereign LORD, the...

So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do... — Hebrews 3:1-2 (MSG) For most people, the Christmas season is full of busyness, —looking for the perfect gift, finding a good bargain, the following of traditions, traveling, etc. May we never let the sideshow events take our attention away from the main attraction. May all of our activity and the focal point of our thoughts be on Jesus Christ and all He has done for us. Being born in a human body, being whipped and beaten, shedding His blood and giving His life to set us free. He gave us the victory over sin and death. The main attraction of every season is the extreme love God has for us in Christ Jesus our Lord. The call is for us to come to Him. No matter what we do, or run out of time and energy to do, may we keep Jesus Christ as the centerpiece of our lives. And may His...

Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. — Luke 10:30-33 (NKJV) The Samaritan bandaged up this man's wounds, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. In the busyness of our lives, how many people, left half dead on the road of life, do we pass by? May we take our eyes off ourselves long enough to see the wounded people all around us, those who are hanging on by a thread. May our hands reach out to help those in need. Let us bandage up the wounds they have suffered on the battlefield of life and build them up with encouraging wor...

Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead (Luke 10:30 NIV). First a priest and a Levite, a religious man passed by on the same road, and avoided the injured man. Then a Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. — Luke 10:33-35 MSG Does your heart go out to those in need? Many of us, in the busyness of our day, pass by those in need, physically and spiritually, everyday. May we have discernment and let our hearts engage with those in need. If we picture ourselves in the place of the man left half dead on the side of the road, it will be easier to extend a helping hand. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to on...

Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah   — Psalm 24:7-10 (NKJV) The word  “Selah” at the end of this verse indicates a pause. Let us pause from the busyness of our day and meditate on our great God. He is the King of Glory, strong and mighty. Stop and listen for His voice, today. Open the gates of your heart and let the King of Glory enter. Think about the magnitude of His love and His grace. Do you try to keep God in a box or do you allow Him room in your heart and life to display the greatness of His glory and power?