- Jun 17, 2010
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The Israelites were commanded to move through the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land. Each day they had to keep moving. Forward. Forward. The bread of yesterday was no longer good today. They had to have fresh manna coming from Moses.
Are we moving on in Christ? Or are we feeding on yesterday's old manna?
Let me give you an example.
The fresh manna in Moses' day was "an eye for an eye." Retribution.
When Jesus came, He brought fresh bread with Him: "Love your enemies."
But this fresh manna was rejected by those who wanted to stick with the old manna.
Jesus was giving the world fresh manna to eat; what He heard from the Father was fresh daily, and was not found in the Old Testament's old manna. The people had to move on, had to be ready to hear new things, had to learn to discern the new from the old.
The people who were best able to discern this new manna were those who were hungering for it: the prostitutes, the poor, the outcasts, the "unclean." They were the ones who were not satisfied with the old manna that was being offered to them by the Pharisees. They wanted more. And Jesus gave it to them.
But envious religious spirits wouldn't have Him giving people new manna. They said that He was a deceiver and a sinner. What He said didn't line up with their old manna, and so they persecuted Him and nailed Him to a cross of wood. They (the religious) rejected the new manna from heaven. They refused to move on, to hear what God was doing "today." They wanted their old manna, which was quickly growing stale and moldy.
Likewise, the same is true for us all today.
The manna of the Spirit of God is not to be found in the Scriptures, although the scriptures can help us to some degree.
But the true question to the Christian today, is whether or not he/she is able to hear the Spirit speaking within his/her own heart, and to trust that Voice. It is not enough to say, "I believe the Bible." The Bible is the old manna, which is not fresh enough to satisfy our souls today.
Scriptures can be used to defend any doctrine, creed or denomination. But the manna from heaven, the Spirit of God within us, is the only True Manna that God is asking us to seek.
Just as Jesus was persecuted by the religious for eating "fresh manna from the Father," rather than eating the old manna of the Law which was in the process of fading away; so today, we risk feeding off the old manna of what is written on pages, rather than what is written in our hearts.
What is written in our hearts is the TRUE manna; it is the Holiest part of what God is giving us, and it is the hardest part to focus on.
Focusing on the Bible is easy. But it is not the fresh manna that we need TODAY. The manna which we REALLY need, is in our hearts, TODAY, and EVERY DAY, NEW like the air we breathe.
We cannot live on stale air.
So too, we cannot live on stale words of scripture. We must live on the Breath of God alone, within us.
Are you eating fresh manna today, or stale manna of yesterday?
Blessings to all in Jesus' name,
brian
Are we moving on in Christ? Or are we feeding on yesterday's old manna?
Let me give you an example.
The fresh manna in Moses' day was "an eye for an eye." Retribution.
When Jesus came, He brought fresh bread with Him: "Love your enemies."
But this fresh manna was rejected by those who wanted to stick with the old manna.
Jesus was giving the world fresh manna to eat; what He heard from the Father was fresh daily, and was not found in the Old Testament's old manna. The people had to move on, had to be ready to hear new things, had to learn to discern the new from the old.
The people who were best able to discern this new manna were those who were hungering for it: the prostitutes, the poor, the outcasts, the "unclean." They were the ones who were not satisfied with the old manna that was being offered to them by the Pharisees. They wanted more. And Jesus gave it to them.
But envious religious spirits wouldn't have Him giving people new manna. They said that He was a deceiver and a sinner. What He said didn't line up with their old manna, and so they persecuted Him and nailed Him to a cross of wood. They (the religious) rejected the new manna from heaven. They refused to move on, to hear what God was doing "today." They wanted their old manna, which was quickly growing stale and moldy.
Likewise, the same is true for us all today.
The manna of the Spirit of God is not to be found in the Scriptures, although the scriptures can help us to some degree.
But the true question to the Christian today, is whether or not he/she is able to hear the Spirit speaking within his/her own heart, and to trust that Voice. It is not enough to say, "I believe the Bible." The Bible is the old manna, which is not fresh enough to satisfy our souls today.
Scriptures can be used to defend any doctrine, creed or denomination. But the manna from heaven, the Spirit of God within us, is the only True Manna that God is asking us to seek.
Just as Jesus was persecuted by the religious for eating "fresh manna from the Father," rather than eating the old manna of the Law which was in the process of fading away; so today, we risk feeding off the old manna of what is written on pages, rather than what is written in our hearts.
What is written in our hearts is the TRUE manna; it is the Holiest part of what God is giving us, and it is the hardest part to focus on.
Focusing on the Bible is easy. But it is not the fresh manna that we need TODAY. The manna which we REALLY need, is in our hearts, TODAY, and EVERY DAY, NEW like the air we breathe.
We cannot live on stale air.
So too, we cannot live on stale words of scripture. We must live on the Breath of God alone, within us.
Are you eating fresh manna today, or stale manna of yesterday?
Blessings to all in Jesus' name,
brian