Manna for Your Morning

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” — Psalms 50:14-15 (NASB1995) Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing. (Psalms 107:21-22 NKJV) And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will. (Leviticus 22:29 NKJV) in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18 AMP) Give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever. (Psalms 136:1 LSB) I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. (Psalms 69:30 NKJV) saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might...

“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.” — Psalms 50:14 (NLT) In Psalms 50:23 (NLT), GOD says: “…giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” It is good to give thanks to Yahweh and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; (Psalms 92:1 LSB) Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Yahweh, and I will sing praises to Your name. (Psalms 18:49 LSB) Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalms 107:21 NKJV) ...in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18 AMP)

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. — 1 John 4:10 (NLT) When many of us think of the word: SACRIFICE,  I believe, our first thought is “ What do I have to give up? ” Instead of loss, I encourage you to think about what we have actually GAINED because of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus: a more abundant life on earth and eternal life in His Presence. For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give. (Romans 8:32 TPT) Real love leads to sacrifice. For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all. And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends. (John 15:13 TPT)  We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and siste...

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. — Romans 12:1-2 (NASB) Let us not conform to the ways of the world around us, just going along with the flow, being carried by the currents of popular culture. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people ... (1 Peter 2:9a KJV). We are to be in this world, but not of this world. Let us allow the Spirit of God to transform us from the inside out, first our hearts, and thought life, then our actions will follow. Be a vessel of light through which His love can be poured out. May we walk in love and show kindness, and compassion to everyone He brings our way, whether or not, they look like us, talk ...

God chose us to be in a relationship with Him even before He laid out plans for this world; He wanted us to live holy lives characterized by love, free from sin, and blameless before Him. — Ephesians 1:4 (VOICE) With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1 MSG) Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.  (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NASB) Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1 NASB) Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not s...

Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray. In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart]. — Psalm 5:2-3 (AMP) Don’t rush into action prematurely, watch and wait for the Holy Spirit to impart wisdom and guidance from the throne room of God. Be still before the LORD; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him; (Psalm 37:7a AMP) Our heavenly Father will guide you along the right paths. Blessed be the Lord— day after day he carries us along. He’s our Savior, our God, oh yes! He’s God-for-us, he’s God-who-saves-us Lord God knows all death’s ins and outs. (Psalm 68:19-20 MSG)

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. — 1 John 2:1 (NKJV) Jesus intercedes for us. He pleads our case with the Father. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s. (1 John 2:2 MSG) So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. (Romans 8:31-34 MSG)  If God is for us, who can stand against us?

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. — John 13:1 (NKJV) Jesus got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. (John 13:4-5) Jesus showed His love for his disciples by serving them. He washed their feet. The love He had for His disciples moved him to action. The love He has for us led Him to sacrifice His life on the cross. May we continuously walk in love and show others the full extent of our love. Love never comes to an end. (1 Corinthians 13:8 GW)

But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  — Hebrews 10:12 (NLT) On this Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who gave their all for our country and our freedom; those who sacrificed their lives. Let us also honor the One perfect sacrifice. Christ Jesus gave His all for our freedom. Isaiah 53:7 says, He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. He gave His life to set us free! He paid the penalty for our sins and triumphed over death. As the Message Bible says: “It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people.” (Hebrews 10:12) Jesus proclaims liberty to those held captive. (Isaiah 61:1) Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; (Isaiah 53:4a). He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5) Because He...

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. — Romans 12:1 (NASB) Sacrifice involves giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. To worship God, we must give up our fleshly desires and worldly ways, to embrace His ways and become a true reflection of our awesome God. Jesus sacrificed His life for us, what are you willing to give? God wants all of you, not just a mouth or a foot. Let your whole body be a vessel God can use for His glory. May we use our minds to meditate on His Word and gain understanding by letting it seep into our hearts. Let the words that come out of our mouths be full of life and spoken in kindness that others will be drawn to the Lord. May we lift our hands to praise Him and use them as an extension of His love and compassion to the world around us. May we faithfully put one foot in f...

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. — John 19:30 (NKJV) When Jesus said, “It is finished!” it was a done deal. As Jesus bowed His head on that cross, all things were accomplished —our healing, our victory. Through His sacrifice we received everything we will ever need. What freedom we can experience when we really understand that it is already done. With this realization, we can stay in His perfect peace and fullness of joy. All of our days are already written in God's book. Instead of victims we are victors, more than conquerors. We just have to walk in the steps Jesus already mapped out for us. Everything else that happens in this life is just a sideshow distraction to get us off the path God has for us. Distractions are tools the enemy uses to get us to wander off the path and wonder if God’s Word is true. God made it simple, we complicate it. Don't let the enemy come in cause confusion. Inst...

And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” — Mark 14:36 (NASB) May we be so connected to the heart of the Father, that it's always about what He wills and less about what we want. Let us realize that everything is indeed possible for God and He loves us so much, that the path He tells us to walk on will always be the absolute best for us, even though, it may not appear that way. There are things we wish He would remove from our lives, but it's all according to His will and in His appointed time. Be committed to the cause of fulfilling the call of God for your life. Surrender your heart, your will, surrender your all, for His greater and higher purpose. Jesus gave His life on the cross and reconciled humanity back into fellowship with the Father. What great things will come out of your life, as a result of your obedience and sacrifice?

“They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the LORD, “to deliver you.” — Jeremiah 1:19 (NKJV) No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD (Isaiah 54:17). Lift up your voice to the LORD with a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Let the sound of victory be heard in your home, for your your deliverance is drawing near. No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us (Romans 8:37 NLT). Hallelujah!

“He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” — Luke 24:6-7 (NKJV) Day One : Christ gave His life on the cross to bear the sins of many; to set the captives free from the penalty of sin and death. There was pain. There was blood shed and there was sacrifice. Day Two : There was sorrow and grief. To the disciples of Jesus, all appeared hopeless, but Jesus was taking care of business, behind the scenes. Day Three : Jesus rose from the dead. The tomb was empty. He declared victory over death, and hell. He overcame the world. My beloved friends, let us patiently endure day one and day two of any trials and tribulations that come our way. For we know that the 3rd day is coming! God will deliver us from all our troubles. Jesus has given us the victory. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, ...

I have built this Temple to honor the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. — 2 Chronicles 6:10b (NLT) In the Old Testament, King Solomon built a physical building as a temple for the LORD. Now, our bodies are the temple of God. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. (Romans 12:1 NLT). Give God all of you and let His Holy Spirit rule and reign on the throne of your heart. Surrender and submit to His will and His way!

The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory. — Psalm 64:10 (NKJV) The LORD is in our midst. How blessed are we to be called and chosen to come near to God and abide in Him. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice with all your heart! God has given us so many reasons to pour out our praises to Him. When we trust in Him, our hearts are not heavy and we can habitually offer up a sacrifice of praise to the LORD. In Him, we have all we need. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength! (Nehemiah 8:10 NLT)

“...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” — Matthew 20:28 (NKJV) Jesus was anointed to proclaim good news to the poor. He was sent to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, (Isaiah 61:1). Our Lord and Savior gave His life to fulfill His mission. What are we willing to give to fulfill the call the Father has placed on our lives? May we model after Jesus and live a life of sacrifice, to serve those whom God has placed in our sphere of influence. We never know whose freedom is tied to our obedience, our willingness to answer the call.

Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice. — Psalm 51:16-17 (MSG) When we think our way is better than God's way, it is pride. Instead of following the behavior of this world or man-made traditions, let God transform you into a new person by taking your heart in His hands and molding it to be more like His. The sacrifice God desires is a broken and a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). We truly worship God when we humbly lay our hearts on His altar and follow His ways.

Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. — Proverbs 3:9-10 (MSG) Not only are we to honor the LORD with our wealth and with the first of all we produce, we should also give God the first and the best of ourselves. We don’t want to dishonor God by giving Him the leftovers when it comes to our finances, our time, our attention, or our affections. So, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him (Romans 12:1, NLT).

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. — Romans 12:1-2 (NLT) We will experience lasting transformation when we truly worship God by surrendering all of our members to Him and continually renew our minds with His Word.