Commitment Archives - My Manna

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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Settling for the second-best!

MyManna — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 22:00:22 +0000

” If you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern, he will give you all you need from day to day” (Matthew 6:33 paraphrased).
A man was out driving in the country during a heavy rainstorm when he came across an old farmer who was surveying the ruins of his barn.
He pulled over and to ask the farmer what happened.
“Roof fell in,” the farmer replied
“What happened with it? Why did it fall in?” asked the stranger.
“It leaked so long, it just finally rotted through,” the farmer said.
“Why in the world didn’t you fix it before it rotted through?”
“Well, sir,” said the farmer, “I just never did seem to get around to it. When the weather was good, there wasn’t a need for it. And when it rained, it was just too wet to work on.”
Isn’t it amazing that when you want to do something, you find the time, no matter how busy you are?
But when someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do, suddenly there is just no room in the schedule.
This can happen when it comes to the Christian life as well.
If we are serving God only when it’s convenient-
– then we are settling for the second-best!
If we make time for the things of God only when something better doesn’t come along first-
– then we are missing out on what God wants to do in our lives.
How much better it is to make time for the things of God-
– to put the things of God above everything else.
How much better it is to get your priorities right.
Instead of making excuses-
– make time for the Lord.
It is not only the simple way to live-
– but also the best way!
(PA)

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Are there any idols in your life?

MyManna — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 22:00:34 +0000

An idol is any one or any thing that people worship!
Some people today worship their money or social position or possessions-
– just as devoutly as people in the ancient world worshipped an image made of gold or wood or stone.
The difference, of course, is-
– that most people don’t think of money (for example) as an idol, or as something they worship.
In reality, however, many people do; their whole lives are focused on money, and they serve it just as faithfully as other people serve an actual idol.
In fact, money has become their master, and they have become its servants.
In other words, money has taken the place of God in their lives.
Jesus warned, “No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24).
The Bible gives us two important warnings about idols (whatever form they take).
First-
It warns us that they are false; only God can meet our deepest moral and spiritual needs.
Second-
It warns us that nothing should take God’s place in our lives.
The Bible says:
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything” (Exodus 20:4).
Are there any idols in your life?
– things that you have allowed to take God’s rightful place?
Repent of them!
And then make Christ alone the center of your life!
(PA)

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Simple Suggestions to be Rid of Anxiety

MyManna — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 22:00:13 +0000

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:32-34).
To all who wish to be rid of anxiety-
I would make three simple suggestions:
First-
Stop seeking the trivial, transient things with which modern men and women glut themselves, and seek the Kingdom of God as it is revealed in Christ.
Let God’s life surge through your soul as you, by faith, put the whole weight of your burdens on Jesus Christ, who died for you.
Second-
Get your eyes off yourself.
Focus them upon God first, and then others.
Self-centeredness is a terrible breeder of anxiety.
Spend much time in prayer, and let a large portion of this time be spent in praying for others.
Third-
Commit yourself fully to Christ.
The truly happy Christian is the one who is fully and wholeheartedly committed to Christ.
Be that kind of follower of Christ!
(PA)

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Weight of the Worldly!

MyManna — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 22:00:34 +0000

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).
“On Sunday, believers arrived at a house church in the Soviet Union in small groups throughout the day so not to arouse the suspicion of KGB informers.
They began by singing a hymn quietly.
Suddenly, in walked two soldiers with loaded weapons at the ready.
One shouted, “If you wish to renounce your commitment to Jesus Christ, leave now!”
Two or three quickly left.
Then another.
After a few more seconds, two more.
“This is your last chance.
Either turn against your faith in Christ,” he ordered, “or stay and suffer the consequences.”
Two more slipped out into the night.
No one else moved.
Parents with children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly-
– fully expecting to be gunned down or imprisoned.
The other soldier closed the door, looked back at those who stood against the wall and said:
“Keep your hands up–but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. We, too, are Christians. We were sent to another house church several weeks ago to arrest a group of believers.”
The other soldier interrupted, “But, instead, we were converted! We have learned by experience, however, that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted.”
(From “Living Above the Level of Mediocrity,” by Chuck Swindoll).
Can you imagine being faced with a decision to run or die for our faith?
We are living in a day where this could very well become reality!
But how many of us would be willing to stand?
Let’s start deepening our relationship with the Lord today so that-
– our minds may be focused on heavenly things and not consumed with the weight of all the worldly ones.
That it would be easy for us to make a stand for Him should that day ever come.
(PA)

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Simple Suggestions to be Rid of Anxiety

MyManna — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 22:00:20 +0000

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Weight of the Worldly!

MyManna — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 01:00:26 +0000

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What Matters Most

MyManna — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 22:00:11 +0000

“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this.” Psalm 37:5.
A great business legend, now retired, agreed to share a dialogue with the students of a prestigious Ivy League business school.

The students hoped to glean from the leader’s experience.

And if at all possible, the students hoped to learn the key to success that would help earn them a small fortune.
So all ears were trained when the professor asked the man what the most important life lesson was that he had learned.
The business tycoon said, “The most important lesson I have learned in life is that what I think doesn’t matter.”
The class was completely surprised by his answer.

The professor countered awkwardly, “Really? Well, that’s a pretty surprising comment coming from one of the world’s most influential people.”
The businessman replied, “That may be so, but when I gave my heart to the Lord, I made Jesus the most important thing in my life. If I had never made one dollar, that would have been okay with me. That was not my goal. The money has never been my goal. My goal was, and still is, to put Jesus first. Do you think I made a mistake?”
The dialogue continued down a much different path than the students had expected.

And, indeed, the students did learn the key to success!
Ask the Lord to show you what matters most to Him and then do whatever He says.

(PA)

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Cohesion

MyManna — Thu, 11 May 2017 22:00:56 +0000

One scriptural example that illustrates the need for a proper correlation between heart and mind is the Old Testament character, Amaziah.

Second Chronicles 25:2 tells us:
“He did what was right in the LORD’s sight but not completely.”

His mind gave itself to doing right in the sight of the Lord-
– but his heart did not support his actions.

This lack of coordination proved to be his undoing:
“After Amaziah came from the attack on the Edomites, he brought the gods of the Seirites and set them up as his gods.He worshiped before them and burned incense to them.”

Now look at how the life of Amaziah ends:

“From the time Amaziah turned from following the LORD, a conspiracy was formed against
him…men were sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there.” 25:27.

Notice the steps:

He was outwardly correct but inwardly uncoordinated.
His inner disunity showed itself in outer disloyalty.
This disunity resulted in his failure and death.

At the beginning, Amaziah does not appear to be a particularly bad individual-
– he just failed to be wholehearted in his commitment.

He did all the right things outwardly-
– but his heart was not in them
– hence, his spiritual ruin.

We could say he missed his step by inches-
– but his fall was one of the worst ever recorded.

If we are not held together by a single-minded devotion-
– our spiritual life can quickly go to pieces.

Commitment to God demands cohesion-
– the cohesion of heart and mind.

“God my Father, help me to live a life of single purpose, with heart and mind moving together as one. Let me will the highest with all my being. In Jesus’ Name I ask this. Amen.”
(PA)

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Concentrating on Christ

MyManna — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 22:00:58 +0000

“He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30.
There are times when I am doing my devotions that I journal, that is, I keep a diary of what is going on in my life.
I sometimes look back on that and gain new insight on what I was going through back then.
I have become more adept at interpreting God’s leading and plan for me as I further experience life and receive what He has done.
By looking back on what we have been through and seeing the hand of God there, we can have greater comfort and encouragement for what we are going through now or even what lies ahead.
As I gain new insight into my personality and the Lord’s working into my issues and problems-
I realize how small they really are compared to my Lord’s holiness and greatness.
Concentrating on Christ and what He has done will lift us up better and more completely than anything else we could ever do.
It has taught me to look beyond myself and concentrate on Christ.
We look at God’s Word as a mirror to ourselves, into our souls, not to see us, but to see God working in us.
When we only see ourselves, we see sin, brokenness, failure, self-seeking inclinations, and wrong attitudes.
We must see God’s interests and not our own; then our devotions and journals become tools for us to mature in the faith.
Christ will become more real in us, as our problems become less.
(PA)

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