Manna for Your Morning

A tenderhearted person lives a blessed life; a hardhearted person lives a hard life. — Proverbs 28:14 (MSG) “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing.” (Luke 6:37 MSG) Live a blessed life, be tenderhearted: kind and gentle.

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster.” — Deuteronomy 30:15  (NLT) Every person on this planet has a choice to make. It's not a one time decision, but a choice we make moment by moment, with each word we speak and every action we take, to follow Christ or to go astray. While the enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy, Jesus came that we may have life and that we may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10). So choose life in order that both you and your descendants may live; (Deuteronomy 30:19). Jesus said, “ I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. ” (John 8:34 MSG) Choose to walk on the narrow road that leads to everlasting life. (Matthew 7:14) You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on yo...

I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. — Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV) Sometimes we put a lot of time and energy into trying to figure stuff out on our own. As we take our eyes off of the situation or the person, and put them on the LORD, He will reveal things to us at the proper time and in His way. As we invest our time and energy into seeking His face, He shows us the solution. He gives us the answer to the problem. He exposes the root cause of an issue. As we look to Him, He will take care of ALL that concerns us. He is The Fixer. He makes old things new. He brings dead things back to life. He mends broken hearts and fractured relationships. He lifts up the heads that are beat down. Always look to Him!

  Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out. — 1 Thessalonians 5:13-15 (MSG) We are similar to priceless gems, diamonds in the rough. We all have the potential to shine, with the love and light of the LORD. Diamonds are formed under high temperature and pressure conditions beneath the earth’s surface. They undergo a refining process (removal of impurities) before they sparkle and shine. God can use the fiery trials and high pressure conditions we experience in life, to remove what is not of Him from our lives and draw our hearts closer to Him. We too are in a refining process. When we respond...

All whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me]. — John 6:37 (AMP) We may have been abandoned and rejected by a person, but Jesus says He will never reject those who come to Him. We can be assured of finding acceptance in the arms of Jesus. He wants us to come, just as we are. And as long as you keep coming to Him, He will keep holding on to you!

The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”  — Psalm 32:8 (NLT) Things are not always as they appear. Proverbs 14:12 says, there is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. However, we can trust God to lead us along on the best pathway for us because He only wants the best for us. He will advise you as His eyes watch over you. Be wise and follow!

“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).

The LORD is near to those whose hearts are humble. He saves those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person has many troubles, but the LORD rescues him from all of them . — Psalm 34:18-19 (GW) Humble yourselves before the LORD and be responsive when you hear His voice. In due time, God will lift up those who humble themselves under His mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6). James 4:6 says, He shows favor to the humble. Many may be the troubles of the righteous person, but the LORD will deliver him from all of them. Amen!