DEAR FELLOW PILGRIM:
I'll be out-of-pocket e-mail wise for the next three days so am sending you the "Morning Manna" for Saturday thru Monday. I apologize for this, but pray as always the Lord will use them to bless your heart each day. I especially pray this weekend will be a wonderful one for you in the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you.
In Jesus' Abiding and Transforming Love,
Bro. Tom
Morning Manna (Sept. 27); BP: Jer. 31; RBTTY: Gal. 6; Is. 3-4
September 27 “The Soul’s Satisfaction”
“And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness and My People shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.”
Jeremiah 31:14
When all has been stripped away and we’re still content, then we’ll know what today’s Manna means.
Satisfaction.
What is this word so commonly used to describe a myriad of feelings and emotions? From a retail standpoint, we know it’s when a customer is pleased with a product and tells others of its merits (along with the store’s). Or, take for instance, satisfaction on a “spiritual” level; so often, that’s even tied up to one’s personal preference to the type of music being sung. . .the level or length of the message being preached. . .the friendliness (or lack of it) of the folks sitting in the pew or how well we do or don’t do things.
And, then we wonder why today’s Manna is a difficult one to digest.
Always remember: Flesh is fickle and the three “lusts of the flesh” (I Jn. 2:16) are strong. And, when it comes right down to it, our “satisfaction level” is rooted in self-centeredness and “what pleases me,” not God.
Oh, we may rile up at that statement and say, “Oh, not me!”, but our vehement denouncement of it in-and-of-itself reveals sinful pride lurking beneath the surface. Again, true satisfaction—as described in today’s Manna—is that which is rooted in “Who God is” and “what He has done/promised” (Heb. 11:6), not what we want.
The Hebrew word “saba” is used for “satisfied” and basically means “to fill up, have enough, suffice, have plenty of, etc.,” while “ravah” is used for “satiate” and also means “to slake the thirst, satisfy abundantly, take the fill of, etc.” Thus, the combination clearly shows it’s God’s “goodness” (Heb.”tuwb”—“best, gladness, wellness, fairness, etc.”) that suffices us or fills that innermost craving of our soul.
That’s why the Apostle Paul said “For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content (Grk. ‘autarkes’—‘complacent, have enough, be sufficient, etc.’)” (Phil. 4:11b). His “soul-satisfaction” wasn’t dependent upon his “externals,” i.e., his possessions, pleasurable experiences, personal power, popularity, etc.—for such things are fleeting and always subject to “rust, rot and robbers” (Mt. 6:19-20). Instead, his contentment was in Christ and Christ alone.
Likewise, it was this “God-contentment” that enabled David to write/sing, “As for me, I will behold Your Face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake with Your likeness” (Ps. 17:15). Glory!!
Are you there, yet, Pilgrim? Are you easily discouraged or prone to discontentment or disillusionment? If so, keep “pressing on” until your flesh grows quieter and your spirit more subdued when things are falling apart and others don’t treat you the way they “should.” Let Jesus be your All-in-all. . .and then today’s Manna will be your favorite Food.
Morning Manna (Sept. 28); BP: Jer. 31; RBTTY: Ephesians 1; Is. 5-6
September 28 “On Setting Up Way-marks”
“Set up way-marks; make high heaps. Set your heart toward the highway, even the way which you went. Turn again, O virgin of Israel; turn again to these, your cities.”
Jeremiah 31:21
If we don’t help mark the way, who will?
Way-marks.
This term is foreign to us and leaves us scratching our heads until we realize it was King James’ way of saying “guideposts”—for the Hebrew word “tsiyuwm” is used here and also means “a conspicuous monument or guiding pillar, a sign, etc.” and is also rooted in the word “tsiyah,” which means “a desert, barren, drought-ridden area, solitary place, wilderness, etc.” And, it also has an etymological kinship to “natsach,” which means “to glitter from afar, to be eminent, permanent, etc.”
Thus, it’s the picture of a “trail marker” so often found on hiking trails in wilderness areas that point you in the direction you need to go—which is especially important if you’re new to the area and have no compass and/or map on which to depend.
Sadly, sometimes these markers have fallen into disrepair or been destroyed through mischievous vandalism. That’s why it’s important that we do everything we can in “trailblazing” for Christ to ensure the “way-marks” or “high heaps” (Heb. “tamruwr”—“an erect pillar, tall marker, etc.”) we leave behind do not soon vanish from view.
Does this mean we should always be concerned about our “legacy”—i.e., those things which remind others that we were here? No, not in that respect. . .for such focus is really rooted in self-centeredness. However, we should always be remembrance that others are looking to us as “witnesses unto Christ” (Acts 1:8) and, therefore, we have a “righteous responsibility” to ensure that we “make straight paths for our feet, lest those who are lame end up taking the wrong trail” (Heb. 12:13).
That’s why we should “set our heart toward the Highway”—God’s “Highway of Holiness” (Prov 16:17; Is. 11:16; 35:8). At times we’ll feel like John the Baptist “crying in the wilderness” (Is. 40:3; Jn. 1:19-23) when others refuse to listen or follow; however, we should not “grow weary in well-doing” (Gal. 6:9) as we erect the “way-marks” and “high heaps”. . .for our desire should be, as the song says, “So that all who come behind us will find us faithful.”
We know that our lives here are “as vapors that appear for a little while and then vanish away” (James 4:14). And, in reality, much of what we do and leave behind more resembles an airplane’s “vapor trail” than it does permanent “guideposts of grace.” Even so, we still should make sure our “labors are not in vain” (I Cor. 15:58) because we’ve consciously and intentionally done them for God’s glory and others’ good.
Why not spend a few minutes today asking the Holy Spirit to show you what types of “memorial markers” you’re leaving behind for those who follow you (Josh. 4:1-24)? Then, do all you can to ensure they point to Christ and His great Love.
Morning Manna (Sept. 29); BP: Jer. 31; RBTTY: Eph. 2; Is. 7-8
September 29 “A New Covenant”
“Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which My covenant they, broke, although I was a Husband unto them, says the Lord—but this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be My People.”
Jeremiah 31:31-33
It’s both conditional and unconditional, inward and outward.
God’s Covenant.
Most folks nowadays don’t really understand what a “covenant” is. They’re more into legally-binding “contracts” than they are “heart-binding” covenants. However, once we catch a glimpse of the true meaning of today’s Manna, we’ll forever be changed . . . knowing our ignoring or abusing this “Christ-Covenant” grieves His Spirit and wounds His Holy Heart.
In reality, the Lord God never intended the two, stone Tablets He gave to Moses to be called “The Ten Commandments.” Instead, they were originally known as the Decalogue (“The Ten Words”) of God and given as “Guidelines for Living,” not harsh, legal commandments of “forced compulsion” rather than loving consent.
Yet, by Jesus’ day those 10 Guidelines had been expanded into 613 different “laws,” which were used to lambaste the people by the scribes and Pharisees, who believed they kept every one of them. No wonder Jesus said, “It’d be better for such a person to have a millstone tied around his neck and be drowned in the sea” (Mt. 18:6) than to make it more difficult for others to enter into His Kingdom Life.
In Old and New Testament (Covenant) days, some covenants were between “equals,” i.e., those of equal status, while others were covenants between “unequals” (e.g., a king and his subject). But, both types of covenants were still legally-binding and set forth the conditions and consequences of keeping or breaking the covenant. That’s why they were sealed by pressing one’s signet ring into the wax at the bottom of the document.
But, today’s Manna shows that the Lord God never intended for His Covenant with us to be limited to written documents on parchment or stored in a courthouse record somewhere. Instead, His Covenant is a “new Covenant,” not an old, outdated one, and is also an “inward” one, not one that is easily torn, tattered or soiled by time, neglect or abuse. And, it’s unconditional in that “whosoever will may come” (Rom. 10:9-10, 13) and conditional in that we can only come through Christ (Jn. 14:6).
“I will write it in their hearts,” He said. He knew it was our willing “inward adherence,” not our ritualistic “outward observance,” that constitutes “true worship” (Jn. 4:23-24). And, when His Covenant is “hidden in our heart” (119:11), we will not have to wonder “Now, what did He say about this/that;” instead, we’ll say, “I delight to do Your will, O my God—yea, Your Law is within my heart” (Ps. 40:8). Glory!!
