Gathered Your Manna Today?

Have you gathered your fill of manna today? Whatever you do don't store it up for tomorrow.

You may recall manna was the miraculous food God provided the Israelites each morning on their journey through the desert. It was a thin bread-like wafer with honey that appeared early in the morning coating the ground (like dew). Each day there was plenty for everyone to eat. Here's the catch. It could not be stored for the next day. God warned the Israelites against doing this. So what did they do? They stored it up. Every time they did this, without fail, it became unsuitable to eat - a big spoiled mess. So what's the big deal? Why couldn't they store it? The answer is because it showed they were not trusting God to provide for them daily. They were afraid there wouldn't be any manna mañana. :)

So how does this apply to our lives? Manna for us today is not physical food. It's spiritual food. We get our daily provision by feeding on the Word of God. Just like the Israelites we need to gather it in the morning. We do this by spending time alone reading the Bible. The manna is that special word God has for you and me. Just like the Israelites God wants to provide for us daily. We are not suppose to store up today's manna for tomorrow. Tomorrow we get a fresh supply! I think many of us fall into this trap by only reading the Bible once in awhile. We think yesterday's reading will get us through the rest of the week. Friends, yesterday's supply is rotten! Quite simply we may forget what God said to us yesterday. Certainly it's great to reflect on what we're learning (through journaling) but we must understand that God wants to feed us spiritually every day. We don't eat physical food only once or twice a week so why is our spiritual food any less important?

GrantJ

How Are You?

Hey there. How are you?

(Pause)

Did you say "Good?" That's probably the number one response, don't ya think? (Actually correct grammar is "I am well" :) "Fine" is a close second. Well, I think it's a load of garbage. Most of the time we are not "good, fine, or well." Most of the time we are tired, hungry, bored, hurting, lonely, or just plain grumpy inside. So why do we lie? I have two ideas.

First off, we reply with a superficial "good" or "fine" because these empty replies promptly satisfy the question asked. "You're good? Well that's great! On with my life, Skip to my Lou." We put up a wall with these curt replies so as not to let people into the places in our heart that really hurt. The downside to that, of course, is that we don't experience healing.

Second, I believe we respond with "good" or "fine" (when we're not) is because we're trying to impress. We want the other person to think we have it all together. Well, it's gotta stop. As Christians we have to be the torch bearers for transparency. If we're having a crummy day we can't keep pretending nothing is wrong. Think about it. Satan wants us to be a bunch of fakers. Not God though. Christ lives within us so that we can be authentic - ALIVE.

So, let me be the first to say that I'm not "fine." The reason I haven't blogged in awhile is because I just haven't felt like it. Truth is I've been in one of those funks where my spiritual life is bland. Maybe you can relate. -Prayers are lacking, little desire to read the Bible, and serving is drudgery. I totally trust God to carry me through this dry season. He always does. He allows seasons of difficulty and suffering to test us and to build our character (Romans 5:3-5). Perseverance is key! God is faithful and will not leave us nor will He abandon the good work He started within us (Philippians 1:6). In the meantime there's no need to fake it. The old adage is life is difficult sometimes. Why should I think mine is any different? I'm not going to pretend I'm entirely smelling the roses when I'm getting stuck with some thorns. :)

So, how are you really doing?

GrantJ