Manna for Your Morning

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said…” — Matthew 28:5-6 (NASB) In Luke 24:5, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.” Don’t seek the living One among the dead. Jesus is the Resurrection and Life  (John 11:25). Jesus is Immanuel, God with us! Christ is our risen Savior, King of kings and Lord of lords. His tomb is empty and He is seated on the throne. For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2) God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 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 4:9-10 (NLT)

The LORD sat as King at the flood; Yes, the LORD sits as King forever. The LORD will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace. — Psalm 29:10-11 (AMP) Because our mighty God sits on the throne, we have no need to fear. It is God who arms us with strength and keeps our way secure. (2 Samuel 22:33) From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. (Psalm 33:14 NLT) And He hears the cry of every heart, and gives us His peace and strength. I cried out to you in my distress, the delivering God, and from your temple-throne you heard my troubled cry. My sobs came right into your heart and you turned your face to rescue me.  — Psalm 18:6 (TPT)

Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.” — Luke 1:31-33 (NCV) Jesus is the Son of the Most High. As the song says, “He is the answer to what our hearts are searching for.” Jesus is higher than any mountain that stands before you. He is greater than any storm. Even the winds and the sea obey Him (Matthew 8:27). Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of lords. He is our only hope. Jesus is our strength, and He is our peace, in the midst of the storms. In John 16:33 (NLT) Jesus said: “ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world .”

  “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”  — Luke 1:31-33 (NKJV) Let us call upon the name of Jesus. His name is higher than any other, and it stands forever. His name carries more weight and has more authority than any other name. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (Philippians 2:10 NASB) When we call upon His name, King Jesus is there to help. There is wonder-working power in the name of Jesus! Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! (Psalm 105:1) For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. — Psalm 94:19 (NKJV) Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression (Proverbs 12:25a). So when you are experiencing a multitude of anxieties, cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7 NASB). He will comfort your soul. When you are upset and beside yourself, He will calm you down and cheer you up. (Psalm 94:19 MSG) No need to be anxious when our God is on the throne. He is bigger than any mountain you face. He is higher than any hurdle in front of you. He is more powerful than the storms that come, and He will see you through each one.

But You, O Lord, remain and reign forever; Your throne endures from generation to [all] generations. — Lamentations 5:19 (AMP) In a world that is constantly changing, our Lord remains the same. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV). When everything else and everyone else lets you down, you can count on our loving Lord to be there for you. He is forgiving and faithful. And He remains the same forever! God’s reign continues throughout every generation; it will not be shaken. In Him, we are more than conquerors; we are victorious. Hallelujah!

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!

Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. — Hebrews 4:14-16 (MSG) Only because of Jesus, do we have 24-hour access to God. He destroyed the barrier that separated us from our Heavenly Father. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God (Hebrews 4:16a NLT). Take the mercy. Accept the help!

  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. — Ephesians 2:13 (NKJV) At one time we lived in this world without God and without hope. Through Jesus we both have access by one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:18). Now, therefore, we are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, (Ephesians 2:19). We are no longer outsiders, but sons and daughters of the Most High God. The only walls between us and our heavenly Father are the ones we have built. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16 NLT). Amen!

Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest heaven!” — Matthew 21:9 (NLT) Jesus is to be the center of our lives. It’s all about Him. May everyone and everything else in our lives revolve around Him. As the Apostle Paul said in Phillipians 1:21, to live is Christ! He is our life (Colossians 3:4). Christ is all and in all (Colossians 3:11). Let us draw our strength, wisdom and unconditional love from the center of our being where Jesus sits on the throne of our hearts as Lord and King. And give thanks to God, who always leads us in victory in Christ!

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” — Matthew 2:2 (NAS)  When the wise men saw Jesus, they fell down and worshiped Him (Matthew 2:11). Does Jesus sit on the throne of your heart as King? Is He the ruling authority in your life? Let us be sure to worship Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14). He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, He who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8). Glory Hallelujah!

let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. — Hebrews 10:22 (NAS) James 4:8 assures us that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. And Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. So let us draw closer to our heavenly Father, in complete confidence that our God is faithful, that He loves us and nothing we do will make Him love us less. Nothing can separate us from His great love. His desire is to spend time with us. We were created for fellowship with our Creator. Draw near to Him in full assurance. In His Presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). His Presence makes our joy complete.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. — Ephesians 2:13 (NKJV) At one time, we lived in this world without God and without hope (Ephesians 2:12), but now we have been brought near to the throne of God, by the blood of Christ. We have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. Jesus, loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood (Revelation 1:5). Because of the blood of Jesus, God has adopted us into His family. What great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! Now we can boldly enter the Most Holy Place and fellowship with our heavenly Father, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hallelujah!

A hostile world! I called to God, to my God I cried out.
 From his palace he heard me call;
 my cry brought me right into his presence—
 a private audience! — 2 Samuel 22:7 (The Message) When the world is hostile, cry out to God. Your cry for help reaches His ears and brings you right into His Presence, a private audience with our heavenly Father. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16, NLT). Amen!

Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me,  for You are my rock and my fortress.  — Psalm 71:3 (NKJV) The LORD is a strong refuge, to which we may continually resort. His door is always open! Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us, in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). May our heavenly Father never be your last resort, but your first choice and only option, at all times.

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?  — Psalm 42:1-2 (NKJV) May the longing of your soul be for the Presence of the LORD. Nothing else in this world will quite satisfy the thirsty soul. Be refreshed in the spring of Living Water! In His presence is fullness of joy; At His right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). So come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There you will receive His mercy, and find grace to help you when you need it most (Hebrews 4:16).

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me ... to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” - Luke 4:18-19 (NIV) The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ marks a very pivotal point in time, that compares to no other. Before Christ, the priests could not enter the holy place whenever they wanted (Leviticus 16:2). To come at the wrong time or with the wrong kind of offering meant death. After Jesus hung on that blood stained cross and said, “It is finished,” the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Jesus became the sacrifice for all, and the door was opened for believers, to enter the Holy Place and worship Almighty God. Those who accept Christ as their Savior can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, where we receive mercy and find grace (Hebrews 4:16). In Jesus, we have been given access to the throne room of God and His Holy Spirit lives within us. What a beautiful gift and priceless treasure! Seize every opportunity to fellowship ...

I run for dear life to God, I'll never live to regret it. Do what you do so well: get me out of this mess and up on my feet. Put your ear to the ground and listen, give me space for salvation. Be a guest room where I can retreat; you said your door was always open! You're my salvation—my vast, granite fortress. Psalm 71:1-3 (The Message) We will have no regrets about giving our all to run in God's direction. There will be no disappointment when we retreat into His glorious Presence, only pleasure forevermore. Since His door is always open, let's approach God's throne and receive His mercy and grace, to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. Romans 5:1-2 (NLT) Since we believe in Jesus, who shed His blood and gave His life for us, we now have peace with God. Christ brought us into a place of undeserved privilege, into the very throne room of God. We can approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Love, Jackie