Manna for Your Morning

And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives. — 1 John 2:28 (MSG) As followers of Christ, let us live in Him, every moment of every day. The deeper you go, the less likely you are to fall out. In Christ Jesus we have redemption (Romans 3:24), and liberty (Galatians 2:4). There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1) We are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11) The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) We who are many, are one body in Christ. (Romans 12:5) We are to dwell together in love, peace and unity. Our victory is in Christ. But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ...  — 2 Corinthians 2:14a (NASB)

Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses… ” — Luke 14:16-18a (NKJV) Everyday Jesus calls us into the throne room of God. He invites us to come to Him, to come up to a higher level, to come out of the dominion of darkness and into His marvelous light. He calls us to join Him out in the deep waters. When Jesus calls us to come, let us not make excuses. Instead, let us choose to walk with Christ daily and follow Him closely, not at a distance. May we be like the early disciples, who forsook all and followed Jesus. He is the answer to every need you have. He is the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

Jesus followed up. “Yes. For there was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many. When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, ‘Come on in; the food’s on the table.’ “Then they all began to beg off, one after another making excuses… — Luke 14:16-18 (MSG) In Luke 14:21-23 (NLT), the servant is sent out a second time. He went into the streets and alleys of the town and invited the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. There was still room for more, so the servant was told to go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone he could find to come, so that his master's house would be full. Whether you are on the city streets or the country roads, the invitation goes out to you today. Jesus says to “Come!” Daily, we are invited to open the door of our hearts to Jesus. He wants to come in and dine with each one of us. (Revelation 3:20) Everyday, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and our heavenly Father have a fe...

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  — Matthew 22:1-3 (NKJV) Our natural instinct is to pick up the phone when it rings. However, our heavenly Father has sent out a call to each and every person. Yet so many just let the phone ring. They refuse to answer the call God has placed on their lives. They hear the phone ringing, but they get distracted with other things, things that have no eternal value. Matthew 22:5 says, those who heard the invitation, made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. In the words of Pastor Matthew Pollock, this is indeed a major biblical tragedy. Today, people neglect the call of God to do their own thing. Let there be no more excuses, nor delays - answer the call!

Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” — John 2:4-5 (NKJV) Many times, I have wished that I listened to my mother. Sometimes it's the mom's who speak the simple truths. The words Mary, the mother of Jesus, spoke to the servants are words that transcend the ages. They are timeless words of wisdom. If we just do whatever Jesus tells us to do, we can be assured that we will have favor and good success in our lives. No more excuses, it is a call to action. DO whatever He says to you. Then you will be able to speak the words of John 17:4, “I have glorified You down here on the earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do.”

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. — Luke 5:9-11 (NKJV) One characteristic of a disciple of Jesus Christ is that they forsake all. In Philippians 3:8 (GW), the Apostle Paul says, “I consider everything else worthless because I’m much better off knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. It’s because of him that I think of everything as worthless. I threw it all away in order to gain Christ” Another trait of the early disciples is that they followed Jesus. They did not make any excuses. Jesus said,  “Follow Me” and they simply followed Him. When we forsake all and follow Him, astonishing things happen in our midst!

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.” — Matthew 11:28 (The Message) Jesus said to come to Him. He didn’t add any conditions. We don’t have to "get ourselves together" before we come. Our part is to just come. Jesus’ part is to heal, restore, comfort, strengthen, deliver, make whole, etc. Aren’t you glad we got the easy part? JUST COME! Stop hiding, stop making excuses and come to JESUS, just as you are, and stay. Abide in His Presence!

“Why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer’s eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye?” — Luke 6:41 (GW) Why is it so easy to see someone else's “stuff” and not our own? We conveniently make excuses for ourselves when we say something that should have been left unspoken. And we are able to justify and minimize our attitudes, when they are not right. However, the second greatest commandment is for us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). So let us always look to see the good in the other person. Maybe they are just having a “bad” day. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).