Exodus 16, John 6

Exodus 16, John 6
Manna

(Last Fast Blog)

One of my sweet friends has been talking about manna lately, and I love it. There is so much in our day-to-day lives that we could refer to as manna. I guess if someone asked me to describe what I've gotten from my 28 day fast in one word, it would be manna! Just in case you've never made the connection, let me review a few things for you.

Manna is the wafer-like food God gave the Israelites when they were delivered from Egypt. Basically, a honey-flavored, slightly crunchy carbohydrate—Yum! It appeared every morning outside their tents with the dew, and everyone always had just enough for their family. They weren’t supposed to take more than one day’s worth. Of course some didn’t listen, took extra, and the next day it was smelly and covered in maggots. Exodus 16:35 says, “The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.” (The Promised Land)

Isn’t that cool? For forty years they didn’t have to meal plan or go to the grocery store. No pressure being creative in cooking—there was only one choice! What’s for dinner honey? Manna, dear.

Now here is the great connection. In John 6, Jesus feeds the five thousand from two fish and five loaves of what? bread. Then the next day they follow him around a lake and seem interested in him. He says you are only concerned with me because I filled your tummies! Go after something lasting—me! Then they totally set him up by asking, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” (John 6:30-31)

Then Jesus makes this great link, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. . . I am the bread of life.”

Isn’t that awesome! For forty years, the Israelites just thought God was feeding them, but he was doing much more than that. He was giving them an object lesson. He was foreshadowing Jesus.

That is why I would say, God has given me manna over the last month. God’s word, his promises, his truth, his comfort, his counsel is always right outside our tents. His word is available every day. Our only job is to gather it up! So getting up an hour early to gather my manna has been nothing less than satisfying!

My plan is to keep gathering manna, every day. I really can’t survive without it! I might even blog every now and then—I just can’t help but share when I get a tasty bite of crisp, honey wafers. But to any of you that helped hold me accountable to this fast, I want to say thank you!!!!! If you read everyday, one day or no days, I’m very thankful for you as a sister in Christ. And my prayer for each of you is that you (and I) always wake-up hungry for our daily manna!

Thank you also to the Bread of Life who satisfies me like thing else on this earth!

James 4

Our Bible study topic the last couple weeks has been on relationships. I’ve always felt that I’m pretty independent and confident, but the more I study the more I’m convicted. Convicted that I often use people, family or friends, to fill me instead of going to the true source.

Here is something else I found. Check out this verse from James 4: 1-2.

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it.”

This isn’t a very pretty verse, and it is easy to apply it to others, but wow it is hitting home with me. This truth is obvious in small children—they fight because someone has something they wanted, or their parents refuse a privilege. They don’t get what they want.

How about adults? What desires battle within me? A need to feel secure or wanted or accepted? A need to feel appreciated or respected or loved? Aren’t those feelings that cause me to fight with my spouse or other family members? Aren’t those desires that battle within me the reason I feel resentment toward my friend?

It is crazy that it all comes back to God and my relationship with him???? Why would we put such high expectations on the people in our life? How quickly I forget that they are depraved and broken just like me! God is the only one who will not disappoint! And if they happen to get it right every once in a while, as Cindy Hawks said last week, that is just a gift from God.

There are two action steps James 4 gives us. These are the two things I want to do the next time I feel myself quarreling from the desire that battles within me (even if the quarrel is in my head and not noticeable to others.)
1) Verse 7, submit yourselves, then, to God!
2) Verse 10; humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

It’s his job to lift us up, not our spouse or friend or ministry leader or parent or ourselves. It’s his job! I think he’s up for the challenge, don’t you?

Day 21 - Psalm 46, 37

This morning I'm focusing on these two verses.

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him" Ps 37:7
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Ps 46:10

John 16:33

Rain
It’s raining this morning. I like the rain. It equalizes us. No matter who you are or what you have planned, if you step outside during a rainstorm, you will get wet. Nature will do its thing.

Things don’t look good for my girlfriend I wrote about Friday. They will know more at the end of this week, but it is probably going to be a difficult situation. We are praying for a miracle, God could do it. He can do anything, we have seen it before and will see it again. But, He might not. He might let nature do its thing.

This is such a tough concept. Is God mean because he could intervene and chooses not to? Or is God generous because he has not promised a pain-free life and yet sometimes spares us pain? God’s sovereignty is such a tough concept, yet without it, what do we have?

The promise I claim for them and myself and you this morning is found in John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

There IS hope for our future, but sometimes our future seems so far away. Until then, sometimes it rains and sometimes it pours.

Day 19 - James 1:12

My heart is heavy this morning as I pray for a precious friend who is possibly facing serious problems in her pregnancy. My words are few this morning, but I am challenged by this thought. What comes out of our mouths when we get horrible news?

Another friend and I prayed over her yesterday in a parking lot as our kids were screaming and yelling from their car seats. The two of us appealed to the God of the universe on their behalf. We begged God for things and claimed this promise and that promise but I was amazed when my friend prayed, the one facing the danger, what came out of her mouth was praise. She simply thanked God for who he was and what he meant in her life.

What an example!

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trail, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
James 1:12

Day 18 - Ephesians 4:2

Completely?

At the start of the New Year, I pray and ask God for a verse for the year. Some years it is clearer than others. This year I believe the verse I am to focus on is Ephesians 4:1-2 (actually most of Chapter 4). I was studying some of the words in there and the definition of “gentle” stands out to me this morning. I guess what stands out is what it isn’t.

2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.


Gentleness is – not necessarily acting, it is a disposition: composed, tolerant
Gentleness is not – fierce, unstable, quick, hard

After reading a definition like this, the first thing we naturally do is ask ourselves, “Am I gentle?” and, “Would my family describe me as gentle?”

The other word I focused on is “humble.”

Humble - the correct estimate of ourselves

This definition screams at me. When we moved into our house we received estimates on painting. One was too high and we were immediately turned off. One was too low and we were immediately skeptical. I could wrestle with this concept forever, but incase someone is reading this I will refrain!

Let’s just say that the Bible is talking about our Christian brothers and sisters and instructs us to, “Be completely gentle and humble . . .” I’m not there, are you?

O Lord, through the power of your Spirit, convict us of areas in our lives where gentleness and humility need to grow. Left to ourselves we are fierce, unstable, quick and hard. Soften us and give us a correct estimate of ourselves.

Day 17 - Hebrews 12:1-3

For some reason I was up extra early this morning. Although it sounds crazy, when I realized it was 5:30am instead of 6:00am, I got excited thinking God must have something amazing for me this morning. Then I brought my coffee into the office to open my Bible, and I saw all the papers and pens and calculations and numbers from last night where my husband and I were going over our finances---all feelings of joy left me.

We are trying to make some semi-major decisions, some in the area of finances and some in other areas, so with my extra time this morning I reestablished, in my mind, how great God is through prayer.

After some intimate prayer time, I’m not any closer to a decision on these future matters, but I am closer to the One who holds my future. I like to pray in reverence with anticipation—on my knees (in reverence) and with the Bible open in front of me (in anticipation of what God has for me.)

It is amazing what happens to our perspective when we take the advice of the Hebrew writer and, fix our eyes on Jesus.
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.