Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Apostle Tom <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:15:05 -0500
To: <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Morning Manna for Sept. 1 & 2
HELLO AGAIN, FELLOW PILGRIM:
As you know, Hurricane Gustav is bearing down on the Louisiana coastline and looks to be heading in a northwesterly direction, which would pass it directly over or very near to Coushatta. This may result in a loss of power for a time; therefore, I'm sending you the "Morning Manna" for the next four days in two e-mails. I apologize for this, but would rather do it this way than your not receiving them.
Please remember Lousiana in your prayers, especially since it's only been three years ago when this state was hard-hit by Katrina. Please pray that many folks will come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord during this time of upheaval in their lives. And, please pray we'll be found faithful witnesses as we reach out to others in His Love. God bless you.
In Jesus' Faithful Love,
Bro. Tom
Morning Manna (Sept. 1); BP: Jer. 17; RBTTY: I Cor. 1; Ps. 135-136
September 1 “For You Are My Praise”
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved—for You are my praise.”
Jeremiah 17:14
The world looks for its champions and heroes
Who are always larger-than-life—
Someone who’ll come to them in their hour of need
And deliver them from problems and strife.
They applaud the swift and glorify the strong
In their lusts of the eyes and flesh;
They’ll heap on them prizes and praise,
As they cry, “Oh you—you’re really the best!”
But, soon those trophies will tarnish and rust
And men’s applause will so soon be gone;
And in their place will remain a great emptiness instead
As despair arises over injustice and wrong.
That’s why we must cry with all of our hearts
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed”—
For only Christ, the Great Physician of men,
Can ensure our victory will be sealed.
To Him alone we must cry “Save me,”
For others’ arms of flesh will surely fail;
It’s only when we place our trust in God
That we escape death and the pits of hell.
Yes, only in Jesus, God’s only Son
Do we find healing without and within—
For only He can heal a broken heart
And forgive us of all our sins.
Only in Christ can our burdens be lifted
And only in Him do we find faith’s song;
It’s only by placing our trust in Him
That we find hope when all has gone wrong.
So, do not look to others for help
Or trust in the treasures of men—
For they’ll always fail in the dark night of the soul;
Instead, look to Jesus, the One Whom God did send.
--Tom Smith
Morning Manna (Sept. 2); BP: Jer. 18; RBTTY: I Cor. 12; Ps. 135-136
September 2 “The Potter and the Clay”
“The Word, which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ‘Arise and go down to the potter’s house and there I will cause you to hear My words. . .O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter?’ says the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My Hand, O house of
Jeremiah 18:1-2, 6
Availability and pliability are all that He requires.
Clay.
“A fine-grained, earthy material that is plastic when wet and hardens when heated, consisting primarily of silicates of aluminum and widely used in making bricks, tiles and pottery.”
That’s the definition the dictionary gives for this sedimentary material. However, today’s Manna shows that it’s also a beautiful illustration of a spiritual truth and how the Lord God is the Potter and we are to be His clay on His Potter’s Wheel if we are to be “a vessel of honor, sanctified and fit for the Master’s use and prepared unto every good work” (II Tim. 2:21).
When God created Adam “from the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7), He essentially was making him an animated, eternal “clay cookie man,” whose whole life is dependent upon Him. Likewise, it’s only when the Father’s “most precious treasure inhabits our cracked-pots of clay” (II Cor. 4:7) that we have worth. And, when we realize this same God has a beautiful plan for our lives (Ps. 139:14-18; Jer. 29:11; 33:3) and “even before the foundation of the world He created us to be His Christ-classic workmanship unto good works” (Eph. 2:10), we cannot help but bow our heads, bend our knees, raise our hands upward and sing, “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.”
Oh, dear Pilgrim, how wonderful to see the Gospel contained in today’s Manna, even though it was written long before Christ’s arrival in this world. The vessel the potter was making on the potter’s wheel that day “was marred.” Was there hidden debris in the clay that was exposed as the potter shaped it? Was there a weak spot in the clay that gave way under the heat of his hand?
We’re not told—and, in reality, it doesn’t matter.
What does matter is that the potter didn’t toss the marred vessel out onto the garbage heap at the first sign of imperfect; instead, he “reshaped the vessel into that which seemed good to him to make it” (v.4). And, it was at that moment in the earthly “Parable of the Potter and the Clay” that God said to Jeremiah, “Cannot I do the same with you, O
How wonderful to know that the Heavenly Father specializes in “marred vessels” and lovingly transforms us by His grace into what He’d have us to be if we’ll but trust Him (II Cor. 5:17). May today be the time when the Holy Spirit helps us share that Good News with someone else who feels like they’re worthless and useless to God.
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