Morning Manna Devotional

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James 1:17 (ESV)

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Word Wednesday

“Gratitude for the Gift”
Evelyn Fordham Goodman
October 28, 2015

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

"He got a slinky, and all I got was this stupid purse," my niece angrily snapped after opening her much anticipated Christmas gift.

Her cousin, just moments before, had opened his present to find a shiny, silver, slinky.

She was hoping to find the same.

The disappointment of not receiving a slinky, but instead, a dainty pink purse was much more than she could bear and before long she was blurting out her true feelings.

We, the adults, sitting around the beautifully ornamented tree, were completely mortified at her words. How could she be so rude, thoughtless, and downright ungrateful?

But the thoughts she blurted out are what so many of us feel deep down inside as we look at the gifts we have in comparison with others’ gifts.

How many times have we wished our kids were as smart and popular as others? Or that our spouse was more supportive? How many times have we looked at others' palatial homes and started to resent our own?

Oftentimes our preoccupation with others' gifts, fosters a dissatisfaction with the gifts we’ve been given.

Today, instead of longing for what others have, may I find value in and appreciation for what I've been given.

PRAYER:

Lord,

Thank You for each and every gift you have given to me. May I take the time today to be grateful!

FURTHER READING:

James 1:17

© 2015 by Evelyn Goodman. All rights reserved.
www.evelyngoodman.blogspot.com

Morning Manna Devotional

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

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Morning Manna Devotional

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

I will praise the Lord all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Psalm 146:1-2 (NIV)

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Morning Manna Devotional

Morning Manna Devotional:

2 Chronicles 7:14

Psalm 146 

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Morning Manna Devotional

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

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Morning Manna Devotional

Psalm 21:6

Proverbs 2:4

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Word Wednesday

Word Wednesday

“I am Human”

Evelyn Fordham Goodman

October 21, 2015

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:10(a)

Daily, I need to be reminded that I am human, and God is God.

God is Omnipresent.

He is not confined by time or space, but moves freely without limitation. He is able to be everywhere at the same time.

I am human.

God is Omniscient.

He sees and knows all things.

He not only sees the past and present, but has full understanding of the future.

I am human.

God is Omnipotent.

He has unlimited power. He has the ability to do anything. There is nothing too hard for Him.

I am human.

Trying to be more than I am and do more than I can do is frustrating and exhausting. Trying to be super-human brings regret and resentment.

Knowing and accepting my human limitations brings peace and contentment.

I was never meant to be or do it all. I was meant to trust God who is all.

Today, may I embrace my human condition and trust God to be God.

PRAYER:

Lord,

help me resist the temptation to push myself beyond the boundaries of my human limitations. Help me accept reality and let go of the false notion that I can be everywhere for everybody. Help me be gentle and gracious with myself and others when we all come short.

Please help me focus on being fully present and impactful where I am instead of regretting where I'm not.

May peace come as a result of this acceptance. And may my faith grow to trust You to be what I am not; and do what I cannot.

Amen

© 2015 by Evelyn Goodman. All rights reserved.

www.evelyngoodman.blogspot.com

Morning Manna Devotional

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

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Morning Manna Devotional

Psalm 139:14

Colossians 1:29

1 John 1:7

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Morning Manna Devotional

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills-

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth."

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Morning Manna Devotional

Luke 2:41-52

Ephesians 3:17-19

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Morning Manna

“But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”

Genesis 33:4 (NIV)

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Word Wednesday

Word Wednesday

"Purposeful Living"

"But why did you need to search?” He asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Luke 2:49 (NLT)

"It only gets better!" 

These words, softly spoken to me by an amazingly gifted and flawlessly beautiful woman, were just the welcoming sentiments I needed as I reluctantly moved closer to "over the hill" status, a sorority she had joined decades ago.

Better! 

Immediately my perspective brightened. Instead of bemoaning the inevitable changes that come with age, I began looking intently for reasons to celebrate it.

One reason for celebration I soon discovered and am still unearthing is the growing acceptance of myself. I'm becoming more confident in my own skin and less preoccupied with what others think, say, or feel about me.

Instead of being held hostage by the opinions of others, I'm finding more freedom in embracing who God has created me to be.

Perhaps for most, this confidence develops with age. But for Jesus, He always had this awareness. 

Even as a pre-teen, a time when most are trying desperately to fit in and find acceptance,  He already knew exactly who He was and the purpose for which He was sent. He was the Messiah and had come to save us from our sins.

When you know who you are and the purpose for which you are sent, you spend time carrying out your mission.

Today, may we embrace who we are in Christ and not waste time and energy trying to convince people of who we are and what we have to offer. May we live purposeful lives for Jesus.

PRAYER

Lord, how much precious time and energy have I wasted through the years totally preoccupied by others' opinions of me? How many times have I been carried away by other people's agendas instead of focusing on Your purpose for my life?

Please reveal Your will for me and may I confidently walk in Your ways.

FURTHER READING

Luke 2:41-52

Ephesians 3:17-19

Morning Manna Devotional

James 1:2-4

Psalm 107:21-22

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Morning Manna Devotional

"I cry aloud to the Lord;

    I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.
2 I pour out before him my complaint;
    before him I tell my trouble."

Psalm 142:1-2 NIV

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Morning Manna Devotional

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Matthew 6:33

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Morning Manna Devotional

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Matthew 16:13-15 (NLT)

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Word Wednesday

Word Wednesday

“Pop Quiz”

Evelyn Fordham Goodman

October 7, 2015

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Matthew 16:13-15 (NLT)

I remember it like yesterday.

The whole room would hush in sheer panic as our high school music teacher would commence a musical pop quiz of sorts.

Randomly calling one soprano, alto, tenor and bass from the choir, he would ask us to stand and sing our part- alone.

I don't think the aim of the director was to embarrass us, but rather to hear us and for us to hear ourselves. He wanted to see what we really knew (or didn't know), independent of others.

It's so easy to blend in and lean on other voices. It's so easy to go with the flow and follow the crowd.

Jesus gave a similar quiz to his disciples. Starting off with easy questions, He asked about others' opinions of him.  “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” The disciples quickly rattled off to Him the word on the street. They knew what others thought perhaps from their barbershop chats and table talk. It was easy discussing the opinions of others

But then, Jesus gently moved the line of questioning from general to specific, requiring more than rote answers, and popular opinion. He wanted to know what they thought and believed, independent of others.

He asked, "But who do you say I am?”

In other words, what do you think of me? What are your thoughts and ideas? Where is your head? Where is your heart?

He poses this same question today- not to embarrass us, but for Him to hear us and for us to hear ourselves.

PRAYER:

Lord,

You have a way of cutting through all the phoniness and getting to the heart. Honestly, I like hiding out and blending in. It's so much easier than the energy required to be honest. Thank you though for continuing to show up asking me to come out of the crowd into an intimate relationship with You.

© 2015 by Evelyn Goodman. All rights reserved.

www.evelyngoodman.blogspot.com

Morning Manna Devotional

"But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one."

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NLT)

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Morning Manna Devotional

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted,

That I may learn Your statutes."

Psalm 119:71 (NKJV)

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Morning Manna Devotional

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)

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