A Morsel of Manna For Today

Letter D Verse: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."  Proverb 18:21 I know that we have all heard the phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!"   This phrase is known to have first appeared as a nursery rhyme in 1862 from a publication called The Christian Recorder.  Growing up in the 80's and 90's, this saying was the popular come back to an insult on the playground with classmates.  It was like falsely putting up a front and saying "You didn't hurt me." However, there is not 100% truth in the statement.  Words can and do hurt if they are not the correct words spoken in truth and love.  We all can remember things that were said to us that hurt us at the core of our beings.  Also, all of us if we are honest, can admit that we wished we could take back some of the words that we have spoken in our lifetime.  Just like my favorite illustr

Letter C Verse:  "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." One of my favorite sights to see in the winter is that of the red cardinals eating from the birdfeeders in my backyard.  Their bright red color contrasts so beautifully with the whiteness of the snow.  Then, the Lord quickly reminds me of the truth of this passage of Scripture and all that the Lord in mercy, grace, and love has done for me.  As a second grade child, I was guilty under the weight of my sin.  My relationship with God was separated due to my sin because, unlike God, I was far from perfect.  Just as in a court case, there must be an agreement and clearing of the account.  In this case the account that needed clearing was of myself before God.  I am thankful for my chapel teachers, my Sunday School teacher, and leaders in bus ministry that explained to me how to

Letter B Verse:  "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:1-2 Often times as humans when in the midst of hard times, or in times when things are not going our way, we are quick to focus on the problem at hand.  In doing so we forget the things that are good.  I, myself, can relate to the statement above and am often guilty of focusing on the problem, rather than seeing all the positives.  Truth is that we have been greatly blessed by a loving God.  How God longs for us to count our blessings that He has given.  He gives perfect gifts to His children.  Imagine getting the perfect gift for a loved one and not only them not appreciating it, but not even bothering to open it.  How sad that would make us.  I imagine God feels the same when we fail to open up His gifts, by forgetting all that He has given.  Then, in turn, failing to bless His name in thanks for those

Letter A Verse: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverb 4:23 (NIV) Today's beginning alphabetical verse is one of my personal favorites.  The reason is that there is so much truth jam packed into such few words.  Solomon wrote a majority of the book of Proverbs. He did so with divine inspiration of God, writing as a father giving wisdom and advice to his son.  This advice is just as true and applicable for us today.   First off, this verse tells us the importance of guarding and protecting our hearts.  This is not the physical heart, but the heart as in the inward most part of ourselves that defines our character.  Why is it important to protect our heart?  This verse along with other verses of scripture (Matthew 15:18) tell us that our inward heart is the source or stream where our outward words and actions flow.  We can either be a spring of cool, fresh, nourishing water OR a muddy, bleak, contaminated spring.  The spri

It has been quite awhile since I have written a blog.  In fact, this is a new blog fresh under a new title.  I write today from home while schools have been cancelled and life momentarily is not the same due to keeping the COVID-19 virus at bay.  I miss my middle school students as a teacher of mathematics for 16 years.  However, more than anything in the midst of the virus storm, the Lord has laid on my heart fresh that more than anything my gift for teaching and writing is a gift to be used for what matters most, and that is the spreading and teaching of His Word. I read a Facebook post about a week ago from a person making a comparison of the way that some have hoarded items in the midst of the virus pandemic to that of the Israelites.  I wish that I still had that post handy to give the author of those thoughts credit.  God intended to show the Israelites that they were to rely on Him day by day for their daily needs.  He sent manna from heaven daily each morning, except the mor