Communion with God Archives - My Manna

So Do We

My Manna — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 17:00:00 +0000

“Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” John 13:8.

It’s a humbling, maybe even humiliating, thing to have someone wash you.
Nurses know the awkwardness as well as the importance of bathing patients who cannot bathe themselves.

Sometimes a broken body prevents patients from getting themselves cleaned up.
This is also true in the life of faith.

Most of us cherish our independence.
We are doers. We are achievers.
We resent needing to rely on others for things we think we can do ourselves.

Yet the truth is that we are broken because of sin.
The Bible teaches that in order to enter into the fullness of life that God intends for us, we need to be washed clean.

But we are unable to do that for ourselves.

Peter’s refusal to be washed by Jesus was vehement.
It could be translated this way: “You will never ever wash my feet—ever!”

Peter thought he was saying the proper thing. It didn’t feel right for Jesus to be acting as a servant to him.

How could it be fitting for his Master to descend to such lowliness?
Jesus’ reply to Peter was also vehement. In essence, Jesus said, “If I can’t wash you, you can’t have me.”

Peter needed to humble himself. He needed to receive the forgiveness of sin that Jesus was offering.

So do we!

So, give in.
Be washed.
And receive fullness of life!

“God of grace, wash me clean of all my sins. Help me receive the fullness of life that you offer through Jesus. Amen.”

(PR)

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The key word is time!

MyManna — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 22:00:15 +0000

Although God knows everything about us, he still wants to be a Father to us.
Isn’t that amazing?
King David wrote about how much God thinks of us:
“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up, you are still with me!” (Psalm 139:17-18).
Knowing how much God thinks about us (especially in light of how little we think of him) should give us an incredible feeling of worth.
Our response to God’s constant attentiveness, however, should never be out of obligation.
God doesn’t want us to hang out with him only because we feel we have to.
Revelation 2:4 warns us to avoid allowing our love for God to lessen or end.
God wants us to grow beyond our initial commitment to him, just like in a marriage where love continues to grow.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen.
Many people who become Christians are really excited about their new relationship with God.
But as problems come up, the excitement often wears off (just like what happens in some marriages).
To maintain a growing relationship with God-
The key word is time!
Daily time with him, time with others who know him, and time (in years) to grow to appreciate his love for you.
Though God is anxious for an intimate relationship with us-
– he will wait for the day when we’ll experience for ourselves what loving him really means.
And what a wonderful day that will be!
(PA)

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Free from fear

MyManna — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 22:00:59 +0000

“He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler…” (Psalm 91:1).
Is it possible to live free from fear in this dangerous and unpredictable world?
Yes!
It most definitely is!!
Because protection is a solid promise of God.
But it’s not a promise that’s offered to just anyone.
It is promised to those who abide in the Lord.
To abide means to dwell, to remain and to continue.
To abide in the shadow of the Almighty is-
– to live in continual union with Him,
– keeping His Word and obeying His voice.
Those who abide in the Lord can live without dread of what the devil will do.
God’s promise of protection doesn’t guarantee-
– that the devil will leave you alone!
Christian security is-
– not absence of danger-
– but presence of God!
It means that God will give you a way of escape-
– every time the devil rears his ugly face at you.
If you are afraid of the dangers around you-
– spend more time in the Word and in prayer until your trust in God overcomes your fear.
Draw closer to the Lord until you are abiding in the shadow of the Almighty.
No matter how dangerous your situation becomes–
He surely shall deliver you!
You can live free from fear!
(PA)

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One-on-one!

MyManna — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 22:00:52 +0000

“God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:9).
God wants us to regularly spend time with Him-
– talking about our issues and seeking His guidance.
Even though we are offered this remarkable privilege-
– we are reluctant to make that commitment or to carve out any meaningful time with Him.
We treat this offer with complete nonchalance.
Does that even make sense?
Think about it this way.
Suppose there is a voicemail on your phone when you get home from work today.
It’s a call from the Prime Minister’s House.
It says:
“The Prime Minister would like to spend some one-on-one time with you this week. Just 1 hour to get to know you a little better and to see what the Prime Minister can do for you.”
Your first thought would be, “This must be a joke. Who is messing with me?”
But what if you found out the call was real?
And the Prime Minister really did want to spend time with you?
My guess is you’d be excited and feel pretty special!
But do you know that any Prime Minister or any President of your country-
– is small in importance and power when compared to God?
Think about how quickly you’d jump to go spend time with the Prime Minister.
Then think about the awesome privilege-
-that the God of the universe continually gives us to spend one-on-one time with Him!
(PA)

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Arrange Your Schedule

MyManna — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 22:00:24 +0000

We often think seconds are not very important.
But seconds tick away into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into days.
We have all been amazed at how swiftly days turn into weeks, months, and years.
Think of it this way:
A 70-year-old has lived the equivalent of about two billion, two hundred seven million, five hundred and twenty thousand seconds!
While you read that last sentence-
– about five seconds of your life elapsed, and you can never go back and decide to use them differently.
As small as they are, seconds are precious because they are a creation and a gift of God.
How we use even these small time increments makes a difference.
Since our heavenly Father has a plan for each life—that we live for His purpose and His will-
– then we must consider how we spend not just years, months, and days, but even minutes and seconds.
And the time to decide is now-
– before any more of your life passes by.
Understanding the value of each moment, the apostle Paul urged us-
“Be careful how you walk… making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians. 5:15-16.

In essence, he is instructing us:
“Take advantage of every opportunity God gives you. Don’t waste your time!”
Let Jesus be your role model for keeping a balanced schedule.
He knew that spending time with the Father was the most important thing He could do.
Follow His example, and begin each day in the Father’s presence.
He will help you arrange your schedule and can make every second count.
(PA)

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Fast Food

MyManna — Sun, 07 May 2017 22:00:49 +0000

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”Jeremiah 33:3.

In today’s society fast food is making billions.

It’s slogans are “have it your way” and “have it hot and and have it now”.
How easy it is for us to fall into this “fast food mentality”.

It has almost become who we are.
But in God’s kingdom there’s no fast food!

We can’t always have it our way and now.
When we are caught up in this fast food mentality, we lose the true meaning of patience.

True patience is the ability to wait on the Lord-
– through trials without complaining and worrying.
It is to be tested and persevere through trial.

We need to be patiently waiting on the Lord to answer us in a new way!
We cannot shortcut the things of God.

If we want a deeper life in the Spirit-
– we need to avoid this fast food mentality.

We cannot have a deeper walk with the Lord-
– without spending time in his Word,
– without spending time in intimate prayer,
– without walking in repentance and humility, and
– without practicing a life of holiness.

Is this a tall order?
Yes, but when we are focused on God and patiently waiting on Him to answer-
– He will be preparing a blessing beyond our imagination!

Let’s not settle for a hamburger, fries and coke-
– when the Lord has a delicious, heavenly feast prepared for us!
(PA)

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Disappointed?

MyManna — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 22:00:43 +0000

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; (Matt 11:25).
Jesus spent considerable time in the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum teaching and healing the people (Matt 11:20-23).
Yet they did not repent though they saw and experienced the mighty works of Jesus (11:20).
Many say that they will believe if they see some miracles or signs from God. But if their hearts are hardened, they will still not believe even if one rose from the dead (Luke 16:31).
Jesus performed miracles and healing for the people whether they will believe or not.
Imagine how Jesus must have felt when after performing these mighty acts, the people still did not repent.
How disappointing! And frustrating too!
But Jesus did not feel that way. What did He do?
He thanked the Father (11:25-27).
He placed Himself completely in the Father’s hands. He knew that the Father was at work and will draw all men to Him. He trusted the Father for everything.
How often do we get disappointed when we do not see fruit? We prayed and preached but there is no response from that person.
Then Jesus told the disciples to find rest in Him (11:29).
When we are tempted to get discouraged when we see no response, learn from Jesus.
Thank and praise Him. Entrust everything into God’s hands. And find rest in Him.
(MT)

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Noise in Your Life?

MyManna — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 22:00:57 +0000

“After the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.” 1 Kings 19:12.

Sometimes we look for God in the wrong places.

We assume there has to be a hundred-voice choir singing before we can hear from God.

We look for God in thunder and lightning, trumpets and billowing smoke.
But that’s not always God’s way.

He can speak through fire or earthquakes or any way he chooses.

But when we hear him whisper, he knows we’re really listening.
The hardest thing to do sometimes is to be quiet and listen.

We don’t like silence.

We mistakenly assume that-
God isn’t pleased with us unless we’re active-

– so we’re always looking for things we can do for God.

We confuse stillness (spending quiet time with God) with idleness (doing nothing).

We’d rather be doing something–anything–than sitting still, so we immerse ourselves in noise and activity.

Then we wonder why we don’t hear from God.
But God shouldn’t have to shout in order to be heard.

He is God!

He shouldn’t have to compete with the other noises in our lives.
If we want to hear from God-

– we need to stop making so much noise.

We need to get comfortable being quiet before the Lord-

– doing nothing but reading his Word,

– getting familiar with his Spirit,

– enjoying just being with him.

We must stop our activity long enough to listen for his whisper.

If we’re quiet, we’ll hear it.
What things make the most noise in your life?

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God is Near

MyManna — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 22:00:40 +0000

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. (Ps 145:18)
Isn’t that a great promise? It’s one you can put to work today.
God is near to those who are stumbling.
The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. (Ps 145:14)
You may have stumbled and fallen. Perhaps you just didn’t do what you should have. Maybe you stumbled in your job, and you are embarrassed and worried about it. Perhaps you have stumbled into sin.
God is near to those who carry burdens. Those who are bowed down with the weight of care can find rest if they will call upon Him.
God is near to those who are starving.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
(Ps 145:15)
Verse 16 shows how simple it is for God to answer prayer:
You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Ps 145:16 ESV)
All God has to do is open His hand to meet our needs today.
The problem is, we often don’t open our hearts and cry out to Him.
God is near to those who are seeking.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.
(Ps 145:19)
God is near to those who seek Him with love.
The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. (Ps 145:20)
Follow the advice of James:
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
God is not far from you.
He’s waiting for you to take that first step, to cry out to Him and say, “Lord, I want to draw close to You. Here I am.”
Have you stumbled? Are you carrying a burden, or are you in need?
He promises to be near to all those who call upon Him.
He neither leaves you nor forsakes you!

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Noise in your life?

MyManna — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 23:00:30 +0000

“After the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper” (1 Kings 19:12).
Sometimes we look for God in the wrong places.
We assume there has to be a hundred-voice choir singing before we can hear from God.
We look for God in thunder and lightning, trumpets and billowing smoke.
But that’s not always God’s way.
Yes, he can speak through fire or earthquakes or any way he chooses.
But when we hear him whisper, he knows we’re really listening.
The hardest thing to do sometimes is to be quiet and listen.
We don’t like silence.
We mistakenly assume that God isn’t pleased with us-
– unless we’re active, so we’re always looking for things we can do for God.
We confuse stillness (spending quiet time with God) with idleness (doing nothing).
We’d rather be doing something–anything–than sitting still, so we immerse ourselves in noise and activity.
Then we wonder why we don’t hear from God.
But God shouldn’t have to shout in order to be heard.
He is God!
He shouldn’t have to compete with the other noises in our lives.
If we want to hear from God-
– we need to stop making so much noise.
We need to get comfortable being quiet before the Lord-
– doing nothing but reading his Word,
– getting familiar with his Spirit,
– enjoying just being with him.
We must stop our activity long enough to listen for his whisper.
If we’re quiet, we’ll hear it.
What things make the most noise in your life?

The post Noise in your life? appeared first on My Manna.