Daily Manna!

(Hebrews 13:5) “…be content with what you have…”

There has been much deliberation throughout my life and my own thoughts about making provisions for the future and to be fair to all those who have been diligent in this area of their lives, I commend them, but that most certainly comes with a proviso; has it been at the expense of daily living, and daily sanctification! If so they have understood very little.

What is meant by what I say? Let us first ask ourselves the question, what is God’s requirement from us on the exact subject? In order for us to get an answer we need to examine the mind of Christ, look for His reasons and teaching. I love to start with typology and then look for sound doctrine to confirm the pattern. God is the same yesterday, today and forever and therefore uses the same trainings throughout time to teach different generations the same lessons.

Let us start with the children of Israel in the Wilderness; firstly they were living a treacherous life of slavery, the Egyptians were hard on them; we no differently were slaves to sin, and it was hard on us. There was much they needed to leave behind (leeks and the garlic) and there is much we needed to repent from. They needed a miracle to escape Pharaoh’s army; the Rea Sea swallowed them up and allowed the Israelites to pass through on dry ground. We too needed a miracle to escape the hold sin once had on our lives. It took an actual life changing event to open our eyes to our new life in Christ, we were born again, not that we crawled back into our mother’s womb but now our spiritual journey had truly begun. We received Spiritual sight! We now had hope, where there once was no hope. We are now on a road that leads to the Celestial City, heaven our final destination. The Promised Land was their final destination. They had there challenges along the way and we now have ours. What can they teach us? Sadly with many of them God was not please; “Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” (1Corinthians 10:5)

Let us now look at a particular incidence that they received on a daily basis and then finally draw our parallel on how we should live. The Wilderness was a barren Land and there were many that needed to be fed. A miracle was required for this to happen, God sent them manna from heaven, and the provision was His. With that said, it was up to a representative/s from each family to venture out and gather the yield so that they could be sustained and gather strength for their journey toward the Promised Land. Without this nourishment they would die, but before long they got tired of the same food and their pallets required new taste. They now began to grumble against God. They did not have the luxury of making a plan and becoming independent in that sense as they were stuck in a desert. It was not as if they could begin to barter and trade and establish themselves as prominent businessmen. That option was not on the table, but for us living in the 21^st century it is a strong draw card to mislead us from the paths of righteousness. Same result just a slightly different lure.

I will remind you of Paul’s teaching to Timothy; “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1Timothy 6:10)

Do we see the similarity; they craved meat as some today hanker after wealth. Why do I say we need to pay careful attention to this, especially in today’s environment? For many reasons but here is just one; remember the “mark of the beast” and the hold it will have on the masses; “so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” (Revelation 13:17): - The more one has the more they have to lose!

Some suggest that we as Christians will be gone and therefore have no need to deal with this dilemma. I think not! “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” (2Thessolonians 2:3)   

What then does the scripture teach us concerning this very lesson? Remember how the Lord taught us to pray… “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) – Note: Daily bread is specified and no more. The children of Israel needed to gather on a daily basis and only enough for the day, if more was gathered it would rot and be rendered useless.  Why? Anything more than that would now begin to operate outside of the realm of faith, self-sufficiency would begin to rear its head. It is now time for us to pay careful attention to their example. It is not new, God hasn’t changed; we have!

How is it we will ever learn to walk by faith if there is no need placed upon us to call out to God for His provision? I personally fear having seen this truth as I know that I have now been placed in the firing line. However, with that said, as hard as it may get, if it teachers me to walk by faith, then it shall be worth it all.

This then is doctrine to establish my train of thought; “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Signing off

Tyrone