Manna for Your Morning

Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. — 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 (MSG) Submit to the work of the Holy Spirit within you and your life will be filled with His light. Let us proclaim His praises. For we were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8) We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that we may proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9)

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. — Isaiah 40:29-31 (NLT) Keep soaring with Jesus and you will find new strength. In the depths of your suffering, greater strength is developed. In the midst of your pain, you will gain power to rise up. As you continue to mount up with wings like eagles, your mess will become your message. Your tests and trials will lead to your testimony of what God has done. Keep soaring with the LORD and the land of your brokenness will be the place of your blessing. You will come out of the fiery furnace without even the smell of smoke on you. Keep soaring through the valley and onto the victory, we have in Jesus. Spread your wings and rise higher and higher toward the glorious destination the LORD has...

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you.” — Jonah 3:1-2 (CSB) The first time the word of the LORD came to Jonah, he attempted to flee to Tarshish, away from the LORD’s presence. However, there is no place we can go, to escape His Presence. (see Psalm 139:7-12) Sometimes, we may blow it, and go in the opposite direction from what God instructed us to do. But praise God, He gives us another chance to get it right. When Jonah delivered God’s message, the people of Nineveh believed God and He relented from the disaster He had threatened them with (Jonah 3:5, 10). As a result of Jonah's obedience, more than 120,000 people were saved (Jonah 4:11). What a revival! We never know how many people’s lives will be affected by our obedience. Let us heed the Word of the LORD, and give it top priority in our lives.

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. — Luke 21:34 (NKJV) Don’t let the cares of this world distract you and choke the living Word out of you. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. (Luke 8:14 NLT) These people let the enemy steal the Word away from them and therefore, it does not bear any fruit in their lives. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:4 NKJV) As good soldiers of Jesus Christ, let us stay mission-minded and bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God.

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” — John 17:20-21 (NLT) Jesus prayed for all believers, that we would be one, just as He and the Father are one. As brothers and sisters in Christ we are to stand united. Not comparing or competing, but all being about the Father’s business, and walking in love with one another. In John 17:22-23 (NLT), Jesus continued in prayer: “ I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. ” If you ever prayed for an unbeliever to know Jesus, it all begins with followers of Christ coming together in perfect unity. Amen.

Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. — 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 (MSG) This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple (Colossians 1:26-27 MSG). Christ is the chief cornerstone and He lives in you. This gives you the hope and guarantee of sharing His glory.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us there is a time for everything. There is a time to be quiet and a time to speak. — Ecclesiastes 3:7b (NLT) One day as I listened to the chirping of birds, I was amazed that God gave each type of bird a different sound. Just as the birds have a unique sound, He has given to each one of us a unique voice, not to duplicate someone else. Just as John was the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, we are to lift our voice and carry the message He has engraved on our hearts to others. Let us speak words of life that draw others to our heavenly Father and Christ, our Savior. Who needs to hear your voice today? Don’t remain silent, when God has called you to speak out. Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. (Proverbs 1:20 NLT)

But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. — Acts 20:24 (NKJV) The Holy Spirit revealed to the Apostle Paul that chains and tribulations awaited him in every city (Acts 20:23), yet he was not moved. May we never be moved by the events and external circumstances of this world. The way we live our lives is the loudest message we preach. May our lives, words and actions tell of the glory of our faithful God. In The Message version of Acts 20:24, the Apostle Paul says, “What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.” Never lose sight of the finish line! This is the only race worth running. (2 Timothy 4:7b MSG). When all is said and done, may we all be able to speak these words, “ I have...

Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave the people this message from the LORD: “I am with you, says the LORD!” — Haggai 1:13 (NLT) This morning, I give you this message: “The LORD is with you!” Have you ever wondered why God repeatedly reminds us, in His Word, that He is with us? Could it be that He wants us to remember that He is always there to help us and comfort us, to lead us and guide us. We never have to feel alone, rejected or abandoned. He is there to catch us if we fall. In Isaiah 41:10 , He says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” He is with us to support and strengthen us. Praise the LORD for His Presence!

When I arrived in Troas to proclaim the Message of the Messiah, I found the place wide open: God had opened the door; all I had to do was walk through it. — 2 Corinthians 2:12 (MSG)  God opens the door, our part is to walk through it. God-given opportunities may not always look the way we think they should, so we have to listen for His still small voice. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left (Isaiah 30:21 NLT). Then, instead of lingering at the closed door and longing for what used to be, let’s spring into action! Take each step in faith and go forward with God, to the wide open space He has given you to occupy!

But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” — Acts 23:11 (NKJV) Today, we can be of good cheer, because the Lord stands by us. If all others forsake us, He will still be there. The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3, NIV). In 2 Timothy 4:17, the Apostle Paul says, “the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached...” We are to bear witness of Jesus, at this time, to this generation, and He stands by us to give us strength.