Manna for Your Morning

“Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and Pharisees—frauds and pretenders! For you are obsessed with peripheral issues, like insisting on paying meticulous tithes on the smallest herbs that grow in your gardens. These matters are fine, yet you ignore the most important duties of all: to walk in the love of God, to display mercy to others, and to live with integrity. Readjust your values and place first things first.” — Matthew 23:23 (TPT) Keep first things first. Genuine followers of Christ will continually walk closely with God, in His love and compassion for humanity. May we cultivate faithfulness, humility, generosity, honesty, justice, and love. He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does Yahweh require of you but to do justice, to love lovingkindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 LSB)

Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]; — James 1:19 (AMP) Death and life are in the power of the tongue (see Proverbs 18:21), so let us choose our words carefully. “Reckless words are like the thrusts of a sword, cutting remarks meant to stab and to hurt. But the words of the wise soothe and heal.” (Proverbs 12:18 TPT) Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29 NASB1995) “ Nothing is more appealing than speaking beautiful, life-giving words. For they release sweetness to our souls and inner healing to our spirits. ” —‭‭ Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭(TPT‬‬)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. — Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB1995) As disciples of Christ, we have been chosen and appointed to go and bear fruit, lasting fruit. (See John:15:16) The Amplified Bible points out that bearing the fruit of the Spirit, is the result of His presence within us. (See Galatians 5:22 AMP) In John 15:4 (NLT), Jesus said: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” May our roots grow downward in Him, so that we may bear fruit upward, for the Kingdom of God.  Let us do all things in love (with an unselfish concern for others), have fullness of joy that overflows onto others and is not affected by hardships and setbacks, have perfect inner peace, that is not moved by external circumstances, exhibit patience (not just the ability ...

“ See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ” — 1 John 3:1 (NIV) What extravagant love our heavenly Father  has shown to us that we have the honor and privilege to be called children of the Most High God. In Luke 18:17 (AMP), Jesus said: “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God [with faith and humility] like a child will not enter it at all.”  May we receive the Kingdom of God. …as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— (John 1:12 AMP) Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; — Ephesians 5:1 (AMP)

Once your life was full of sin’s darkness, but now you have the very light of our Lord shining through you because of your union with him. Your mission is to live as children flooded with his revelation-light! And the supernatural fruits of his light will be seen in you—goodness, righteousness, and truth. — Ephesians 5:8-9 (TPT) In the past, we were full of darkness, but now we are people of light. Our mission is to live as children of light. God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. (See 1 John 1:5) Let His light flood your entire being, and every area of your life. As the Amplified Bible says, let our lifestyles be examples of what is most acceptable to Him. And His light within us will produce only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord (Ephesians 5:10 NLT) and do it. “ Examine your motives to make sure you’re not showing off when you do your good deeds, only to be admired by others; otherwise, you will lose the reward of your heavenly...