Manna for Your Morning

The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. — Jonah 1:4-5 (NASB1995) In Jonah 1:12, Jonah said to the sailors, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” Jonah was willing to die, instead of going to preach to Ninevah and have Yahweh show compassion toward his enemies. Sometimes our disobedience affects others, as well as ourselves. How many storms have we encountered that were brought about by our own disobedience and hardness of heart? Don’t be like Jonah and get lulled to sleep in the midst of running away from God. Thank Yahweh, that He does not give up on us. He is faithful ...

But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” — Mark 4:37-38 (NLT) Have you ever wondered if God cares? Well, you can be 100% confident that He does care about you. God loves you with a relentless love. He loved us before we loved Him or even acknowledged that He exists. When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39 NLT). When you have one of those days where it seems you are drowning in a sea of adverse circumstances, remember Who you are in the boat with. When you are in the presence of Jesus, you can experience great calm and comfort in the midst of a chaotic environment. Jesus was able to sleep because He trusted the Father. May we never focus on the stor...

Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy. — 1 Corinthians 14:1 (NLT) The Message Bible says, go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does  (1 Corinthians 14:1a). Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8, NKJV). That means no matter what the other person does, we continue to walk in love, no conditions, no strings attached, when they are doing what we want them to and even when they are not. This is the kind of love God lavishes upon us. This relentless love is what held Jesus to the cross. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Love extravagantly!