Cling to hope in Christ!

My Manna

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." 1 Peter 4:12.

When you face a trial-

- what is your first response?

You probably would like to run away as quickly as possible to escape it.

Though this is a normal feeling-

God has a different way.

It is not the trials in your life that develop or destroy you-

- but rather your response to those hardships.

How, then, should we react when difficulties feel overwhelming?

First-
Reflect!

Trust God.

Believe His Word and reflect on ways He has been faithful in the past.

He assures us that He limits our trials and enables us to endure.

Second-
Remain!

Persevere.

Even when we don't understand and the pain seems too great to bear, we should never quit.

Continue seeking the Lord through His Word and prayer.

Cling to hope in Christ and praise Him in the midst of the pain.

Third-

Remember! Bear in mind that our sovereign God is in control.

He's allowing this adversity for a reason and will demonstrate His sustaining power through it.

Even though the pain might feel intolerable, the Lord will prosper us.

Scripture compares our growth to gold, which is refined through fire. 1 Peter 1:7.

Often, I hear believers reflect on a difficult time and admit that despite the intense hurt, they wouldn't change the situation.

They see the beauty God created through the struggle and realize its value.

We will encounter difficulties-

- sometimes intense and painful trials that seem too much for us.

Yet we can rely on our heavenly Father to deliver and grow us in ways we could never imagine.

He doesn't demand that we endure on our own.

But He does allow us to respond and trust Him. 
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Never forget!

My Manna

"Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16.

Teenagers are often teased about how much time they spend in front of the mirror. 

Actually, people of all ages spend thousands of hours over their lifetimes keeping their bodies presentable: 

- the showers, 

- the haircuts, 

- shaving,

- the teeth brushings etc. 

Add it all together, and the time we spend on grooming tasks is pretty substantial.
Beroya Mission Center Nanyuk
Yet although we give our bodies the best of care, they are still only temporary and will one day pass away. 

This doesn't mean you should stop combing your hair, but it's important to keep the right perspective.

Paul was never one to mince his words, like when he wrote: 

"Our outer person is being destroyed," or "is wasting away." 

Our souls, however, are eternal and will never grow old.

When we feed our souls on God's Word, when we take time to pray, when we love the people around us, our efforts are never wasted. 

Rather than withering away-

- our souls become fresher and more vibrant each day, 

- Even as our physical bodies are inching one day closer to death. 

Every day for as long as we live-

- Our inner selves are able to experience more and more of life as we grow in our relationship to Christ.

Think about how much time you spend caring for your body. 

Then compare this to the amount of time you spend nurturing your soul. 

Never forget, your soul will be around long after your body is not. 

So be sure to take good care of it.. 

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Be a Student

My Manna



"For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock." Acts 20:29.
The story is told of an inspector who worked for the counterfeit department of currency.

His job was to detect the false currency from the real.

When asked if he spent a lot of time handling and examining counterfeit money, he said no.
He spent so much time handling the real thing that he could immediately detect the counterfeit.

The best way to detect what is false is to know what is true.

And I believe that if you have a good working knowledge of the Bible-
- then you will be able to detect the false rather quickly,
- because you are so familiar with the genuine article.

I have found that people who are into false teaching don't seem to go out into the culture and win people to their convictions-
- because they are so weird.

Instead, they come into strong, growing churches and infiltrate their ranks, saying things like-
"Hey, do you want to get into the real deep things of God?
Do you want to really get into heavy-duty truth?
Then come over to this little meeting we are having."

They go about their deception in a clandestine, secretive way.

The apostle Paul warned about false teachers who would creep into the church:
"For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves." Acts 20:29-30.

We need to be equipped.
We need to be prepared.

We need to know the truth-
- because when we are conversant with the Word of God,
- we will recognize when something weird comes along.

We will be aware that it does not jive with Scripture.
So be a student of the Word of God.
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Faithfull with the Little

My Manna

"His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."Matthew 25:21. 

In the mid 1850's a troubled teenager from Northfield, Massachusetts moved to Boston to try to find work. He hadn't gone to school beyond the fifth grade; he couldn't spell, his grammar was awful and his manners were brash and crude. 

Thankfully, an uncle took him on as a shoe salesman--on condition that he be obedient and that he attend church.

The boy had been raised in a Unitarian church which denied the full divinity of Messiah and did not emphasize human need for salvation from sins. At his uncle's church, he began learning about these things, but decided that he wanted to enjoy the pleasures of the world and wait until just before he died to give His life to the Lord. 

However, through the kindness and persistence of his Sunday School teacher-Edward Kimball, the rebellious teen was encouraged to continue coming to church and study the Bible regularly. Kimball said he had never seen anyone whose mind was as spiritually dark.

On April 21, 1855, Kimball decided to pay a special visit to the boy at his uncle's shoe store in order to ask if he would commit his life to the Lord. The boy listened closely and gave his heart to God that day. 

Immediately he began sharing his faith with others. Later, the young man moved to Chicago. 

He wandered the streets to find other young boys to bring to his Church. He had a passion for saving souls and determined never to let a day pass without telling someone about the gospel. 

The boy's name was D.L. Moody.

And he became a great man of faith.

Among his many achievements on either side of the Atlantic was the founding of Moody Bible Institute. In fact, to this day, Moody Bible Institute and the Moody Broadcasting Network continue to reach thousands of souls on a daily basis! It was estimated that before D.L. Moody passed away that as many as a million souls were brought to the Lord.

What a testimony Moody's is! 

But we overlook the fact that it was a faithful Sunday school teacher's obedience and persistence that changed the course of history! We may think we are doing very little for the the Lord... that we're merely teaching a few kids at Sunday school. 

But the Lord can use anyone in His service...those whose hearts are given to Him. 

Be an Edward Kimball-

-  reach out and touch someone today for Him.

Through one touch, you may be touching future millions.

Look beyond the immediate

My Manna

"I remember my affliction and my wandering,   the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope." Lamentations 3:19–20.

When the weather is nice, temperatures are pleasant, and a gentle breeze blows, people will sing:

"This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." 

But when the weather is horrible, temperatures are at the extremes, and perhaps the wind is a gale force, people aren't as likely to sing. 

Yet God makes both kinds of days.

We need to remember that God is good all the time. 

His goodness is not dependent on how much we like our current situation. 

That must have been Jeremiah's perspective. 

At a time when his soul was "downcast" within him-

- he could look beyond the immediate to the eternal. 3:20.

Rather than allowing his circumstances to drag him down-

- he focused his attention on God's faithfulness and said, "I have hope." v. 21.

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." v. 22.

It's easy to sing the hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" when things are going well. 

Yet the verses from which that theme is taken do not come from a time of smooth sailing for the prophet. 

Instead, it was a time of extreme difficulty. 

Jeremiah knew that God is good all the time and that even in the worst of times He is faithful.

Even when life looks hopeless-

- remember that looks can be deceiving. 

Ask God today to help you be a person of hope. 

Don't let the immediate cloud your view of the eternal. 

Hope in the ever-faithful God.

The Perfect Word of God

 "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."   (1 peter 1:24-25 *niv )

 Dear Friend,
       Now I will bet that, from time to time, you have heard from someone who claims that the Bible is fiction.  For some fail to  see that; all scripture is given by inspiration of God,  and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for  correction, for instruction in righteousness, that  the man of God may be complete, thoroughly  equipped for every good work.  (2 timothy 3:16)

        Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but  men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  (2 peter 1:20-21 )

        After all God worked through 40 different men, who lived  on three different Continents, from every walk of life, for over  a sixteen hundred year period to write His letter to us.  (The Holy Bible) the result is the Bible was still created containing not one single contradiction, and a vast number of prophecies, all of which have now been fulfilled, except those that speak of the end times.

      So Friend, the next time someone, who undoubtedly hasn’t even bothered to read the Bible, tells you that the Bible is full of fiction, and fairy tales, ask them to prove it.

       After all we know that; every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. (Proverbs 30:5) for the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double- edged sword,   (Hebrews 4:12)

     therefore we are bold to say; your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path, o Lord!"  Amen! (Psalm 119:105)

Made Complete

My Manna

"In Him you have been made complete." Colossians 2:10.

Colossians 2:6-10 reveals three levels in our relationship with Christ.

If we are going to present every believer complete in Christ-
- our discipleship must acknowledge the following order. Colossians 1:28.

Level One ensures that our identity is in Christ!

This entails:
Leading individuals to Christ and directing them to their scriptural assurance of salvation;
Guiding them to a true knowledge of God and who they are in Christ;
Helping them see the ways they are still playing God or rebelling against God's authority;
Breaking down their defenses against rejection by accepting and affirming them.

Level Two deals with the issue of maturity in Christ-
- which Paul alluded to as "being built up in Him." verse 7.

The second level of discipleship is to accept God's goal of sanctification and grow in Christlikeness.

This entails:
Helping people learn to walk by the Spirit and by faith;
Helping them get off the emotional roller coaster by focusing their thoughts on God instead of their circumstances;
Encouraging them to develop self-control;
Challenging them to resolve personal problems by forgiving others and seeking forgiveness.

Level Three reflects the issue of our responsibility in Christ-
- which is possible when our identity and maturity are in Christ.

The third level of discipleship is to help believers live responsibly in Christ in their homes, on their jobs, and in society.

The effective Christian walk involves the proper exercise of spiritual gifts, talents, and intellect-
- in serving others and being a positive witness in the world.