Surrender to God Archives - My Manna

Rough wrappings!

My Manna — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 17:00:00 +0000

“The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him”. Ps. 25:14.

There are secrets of Providence which God’s dear children may learn.
His dealings with them often seem, to the outward eye, dark and terrible.

Faith looks deeper and says:
“This is God’s secret. You look only on the outside; I can look deeper and see the hidden meaning.”

Sometimes diamonds are done up in rough packages, so that their value cannot be seen.

When the Tabernacle was built in the wilderness there was nothing rich in its outside appearance.
The costly things were all within, and its outward covering of rough badger skin gave no hint of the valuable things which it contained.

God may send you some costly packages.
Do not worry if they are done up in rough wrappings!
You may be sure there are treasures of love, and kindness, and wisdom hidden within.

If we take what He sends, and trust Him for the goodness in it, even in the dark, we shall learn the meaning of the secrets of Providence.

He that is mastered by Christ is the master of every circumstance.

Does the circumstance press hard against you?
Do not push it away.
It is the Potter’s hand.

Your mastery will come-
– not by arresting its progress,
– but by enduring its discipline,
– for it is not only shaping you into a vessel of beauty and honour,
– but it is making your resources available.

(PR)

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The Intrusion!

MyManna — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 22:00:22 +0000

“…whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
Despite man’s efforts to eliminate Christ out of Christmas…out of everyday life…out of government…out of schools….out of the marketplace…in spite of it all, He just won’t go away.
Peter Larson writes:
Despite our efforts to keep Him out, God intrudes.
The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities:
A virgin’s womb and an empty tomb.
Jesus entered our world through a door marked-
‘No Entrance!’
And left through a door marked-
‘No Exit.'”
That first Christmas, there was no room for Him in the inn.
The world never wants to make room for Christ at Christmas and in everyday life.
Man killed Him and sealed the tomb with a huge stone to shut Him out of our lives once and for all.
But God removed the stone to prove Jesus will not be shut up or shut out of His plans.
One day Jesus will intrude on history again.
The way to be ready is to invite Him into your life today.
Will you shut Him out or let Him in?
(PA)

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Stay vertical!

MyManna — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 22:00:20 +0000

“When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).
Have you ever been wrongfully accused?
Oh, the need to defend and justify becomes so great.
“What will people think if they believe these things are true?” we reason.
Imagine what Jesus thought as they hurled insults and threats upon Him.
The God of the universe had visited planet earth only to be slandered and accused of blasphemy.
Jesus could have done two things in response:
He could have used His power to put the people in their place.
He could have fixed the problem right then.
However-
He chose to respond in a different way.
He chose to “entrust Himself to Him who judges justly.”
It requires great faith to entrust ourselves to God in the midst of personal assault.
However-
If we can do this, we will discover a level of grace and wisdom that will be birthed from this experience that we never thought possible.
We will discover a freedom in God we never knew before.
Whenever we suffer for righteousness without seeking to protect our reputation and rights, we are placing our total faith in the one who can redeem us.
This activates God’s grace in our lives and enables us to experience God’s presence like never before.
Ask God to give you the grace to stay vertical with Him.
Avoid the temptation of responding horizontally each time some event comes into your life that you want to “fix.”
Allow the One who judges justly.
It may be a divine appointment for your growth to another level in grace.
(PA)

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The Calling of Christ

MyManna — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 22:00:25 +0000

“Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:25.
The Civil War might have been averted and a peaceful emancipation of slaves achieved had there been more people like Elijah Lovejoy.

After observing one lynching-

Lovejoy was committed forever to fighting the awful sin of slavery.

Time after time, mob action was brought against him.

But neither this nor many threats and attempts on his life deterred him.
Repeated destruction of his presses didn’t even stop him.

He said, “If by compromise is meant that I should cease from my duty, I cannot make it. I fear God more that I fear man. Crush me if you will, but I shall die at my post.”
And he did… four days later at the hands of another mob.

And not one member of the mob that killed him was prosecuted or indicted or punished in any way for this murder.

But one young man-
– was deeply moved by the Lovejoy martyrdom.

He had just been elected to the Illinois legislature.

His name was Abraham Lincoln.
As a Christian-

– you have a calling that’s much greater than even your own life.

And while most today won’t experience martyrdom-

– the commitment should be the same.

So devote yourself to the calling of Christ above all others and you’ll be blessed forever!
Ask God to give you the strength to commit yourself to Him, no matter the cost!

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If the Outlook is Disturbing, Try the Uplook

MyManna — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 23:00:26 +0000

To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! (Psalm 123:1)
What does it mean to lift your eyes to the Lord?
You-
Acknowledge His Sovereignty.
We lift our eyes because He is higher than we are. Isaiah focused his eyes on the throne of God and saw Him “high and lifted up” in the temple (Isa. 6:1).
He is sovereign. He is the Master; we are the servants. He is the Creator; we are the
creatures. He is the Heavenly Father; we are the children.
Admit His Sufficiency .
“Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us” (v. 2).
We look to Him because of His sufficiency. Whatever we need, He is able to provide. “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).
Accept His Sympathy.
“Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!” the psalmist prays in verse 3.
God is generous, the Giver of every good and perfect gift.
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 7:11).
Acknowledge the sovereignty of God today. He is in control.
Admit His sufficiency. He can give you what you need for this day.
Then accept His Generous Sympathy.
If the outlook in your life is disturbing, try the uplook !
Do you want to praise God now for what He is to you?

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Wrestling with God

MyManna — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 23:00:02 +0000

And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day … But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Gen 32:24, 26).
Jacob had lived his own life. He strove with his father Isaac, his twin brother Esau, and his father-in-law Laban. He wanted his own way of prosperity. He lived his own life.
But now, on his way back home, he was about to meet Esau, whom he tricked years ago. He feared Esau might attack him (32:11).
There is no record of him calling on God since he last prayed at Bethel (28:20). Here, he prayed to God for help (v 12). All those years he depended on his own strength. He walked in his own flesh.
But that night, while alone, he met the Angel of the Lord (Hos 12:4).
God had been trying to get his attention, but he simply ignored Him. Now, he needed God so desperately that he wrestled with Him and asked for His blessing, despite having prospered. He realized he needed God in his life. He needed God to be his Lord. He would live God’s way. God heard his prayer and blessed him there.
Perhaps you are like Jacob.
You have been living your own life. God is absent in your life. You have not fully surrendered to God.
But there comes a point in your life when God manages to get your attention.
You are at life’s end.
In the past, God wrestled with you. Now, you wrestle with God. And plead for His ways.
Let’s give our lives to Him. To do His will and walk in His ways. For we find our lives only when we lose them for Christ.

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Abundance

MyManna — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 22:30:04 +0000

“Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets” (Luke 9:16-17).
The disciples worried.
We only have five small loaves and two fishes!
What ever will we do??
Five loaves and two fishes could never feed the multitudes in the natural realm!
But we have a God who is in the multiplication business!
He works on an entirely different mathematical equation than we are accustomed to.
He takes the little we offer and turns it into more than we could fathom!
How often do we feel as if we have little to offer?
The Lord is interested in everything we have to give, even if it seems miniscule to our eyes!
Let’s not be afraid to offer up our gifts, talents, abilities, accomplishments and material things that we may find insignificant.

They are not!
When we give up even the littlest of things to the Lord-
He brings forth an abundance!

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Leftovers?

MyManna — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 23:00:56 +0000

“What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?” (Psalm 116:12).
A farmer who was known for his frugality owned a cow that gave birth to two calves.
He said to his wife, “I am going to dedicate one of these calves to the Lord.”
Knowing his miserly ways, she was very surprised and asked which one he was planning to give to the Lord.
“I haven’t decided yet, but I’ll let you know,” he said.
A few days went by, and again she asked which calf he was giving to the Lord.
“I’m still thinking about it,” he told her.
Then one day, one of the calves got sick.
It grew worse and worse, until one night the farmer walked up on the porch with the calf draped over his arms.
He said to his wife, “Honey, I have bad news. The Lord’s calf just died.”
Many times we tend to give God that which we don’t really want ourselves.
Think about a typical day.
What place do we give to the things of God?
Maybe we utter a quick prayer as we roll out of bed or offer some hurried words of thanks over breakfast?
Then we rush off to our responsibilities.
At the end of the day, we say, “Oh, right. I’ll give God these last four minutes as I’m dozing off.”
If God is important, then why do we give Him ourleftovers?
God doesn’t want our leftovers. In Malachi 1:7-8, God said to Israel, ” ‘You have despised my name by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar. Then you ask, “How have we defiled the sacrifices?” You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect.’ “
God gave us His best.
Let’s give Him our best.

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Perfect performance!

MyManna — Wed, 18 May 2016 22:00:53 +0000

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).
A famous violinist announced he would be playing one of the world’s most expensive violins in his concert.
The first composition he played flawlessly.
And each one after that was better than the performance before.
The audience was thrilled and enamored with his perfect performance!
After bowing during the applause-
– the violinist suddenly picked up the priceless violin and smashed it to the floor, completely destroying it.
The audience gasped and looked on with horrified expressions.
That is, until the famous violinist explained he had been playing an inexpensive violin all along.
The musician then picked up the truly expensive violin and began playing it.
The sound was just as beautiful as before.
And most people couldn’t even tell the difference between the two instruments.
The lesson in this illustration is that the quality of the violin was secondary to the skill of the violinist.
This is almost like our service to the Lord.
The Master can and wants to use ordinary instruments like us.
In 1 Corinthians 1:27-
Paul states that God chose foolish and weak things to shame the wise and strong.
And He did that so no one would “boast before Him” (1 Corinthians 1:29).
Like the cheap violin played by the violinist-
– we too can be instruments in the Lord’s hands to bring glory to His name and blessing to those around us.
It matters not if you are unable to serve as you did before, practice your talents, or put your gifts to use as often.
God knows your every weakness and He still desires to use you right where He has placed you.
Ask God to use you as an instrument for His glory.
Pray that wherever He uses you-
– you will be an influence in the lives of others.

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We must repent!

MyManna — Mon, 16 May 2016 22:00:18 +0000

“If my people . . . humble themselves . . . and turn from their evil ways, then I will . . . forgive their sin, and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Most Christians never allow themselves to come too close to the deep thirst for God that exists at the core of their being, for if they did, they would be compelled to get in touch with their basic helplessness.
Why would we want to deny this?
Because to recognize our helplessness puts us in a position where we have to repent of it.
And that is something our fallen human nature pulls back from doing.
The one word that grates and irritates our carnal nature is the word “repent.”
It is much easier to be given advice like:
“Read more of the Bible every day,”
“Add extra minutes to your prayer time,” or
“Seize more opportunities to share your faith,”
– than to be told to repent.
All these things I have just mentioned may be excellent in themselves-
– but more is required if we are to get in touch with our deep thirst for God.
We must repent!
But repent of what?
Our stubborn commitment to independence, as well as the awful desire and practice of choosing to dig our own wells.
A passionate pursuit of God demands this.
No matter what we say with our lips-
– we will never begin to pant after God until we repent of the self-sufficiency that has made its home deep within our hearts.
This, in my opinion, is the biggest single step we can take in our pursuit of God and the experience of having feet like “hinds’ feet.”
“Gracious and loving heavenly Father, help me repent deeply.
May I know at this moment a turning from self-dependence to God-dependence.
I give You my willingness.
In Jesus’ name I ask it. Amen.”

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