Tag: faith

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The Real Reward

The Manna Chef

You know how sometimes you can read a very familiar Scripture and get a brand-new revelation?  Well, I have something to share with you today!  I was reading Genesis 15:1, and the Lord blew my mind!

After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”  (Genesis 15:1 NKJV)

What comes to mind when you see the word reward?  We often associate reward with something we receive as a token of gratitude or some type of recognition for an achievement.  Other times, we may see reward and think of a prize. 

When we think of reward as it relates to Scripture, we often think of Hebrews 11:6.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)

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Surrender…The Heart of Worship

The Manna Chef

Worship is loving God for who He is, not just for what He does for us.  1 John 4:19 reminds us that “we love God because He first loved us.”  God loved us before we were even conceived!  He showed his love for us when He allowed Jesus to come to earth and experience life the way we do.  And then, God sacrificed His Son just for us!  Romans 5:8 says, “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”  God loved us before we even accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior.  Jesus didn’t wait for us to “get life right.”  He loved us so much that He became the most perfect sacrifice. 

How many of you know that love is an action word?  Our worship to our Heavenly Father should actually demonstrate love, and it should be active; at the heart of that worship is surrender.  Surrendering to the Lord’s will should be our response to His amazing love and mercy.

But what does it mean to surrender?  First of all, surrendering means admitting our limitations.  Romans 7:18a says, “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.”  We have to realize that without God we cannot do anything.  We have to relinquish that desire to always be in control.  As a matter of fact, the desire to control is the oldest temptation.  When the serpent deceived Eve, he appealed to her desire to be in control.

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Take that Step!

The Manna Chef

Sisters, how many of you have been sitting by, stuck for years, “waiting on God”?  Now, I’m not talking about those Sisters who really have been seeking God and are actually waiting for His command to pursue.  I’m talking to those Sisters who have gotten comfortable sitting idly on the sidelines, reciting that spiritual-sounding adage:  I’m waiting on God.  It’s a familiar response, even when it’s not actually true.  Some of us have been sitting and waiting for so long that our spiritual muscles are experiencing atrophy.  They have lost their power from a lack of use! 

Waiting on God does not mean you sit and do nothing.  Waiting on God is active.  That means you are praying and praising.  You are asking, seeking, and knocking.  You are walking in faith.  You are reading and studying His Word.  You are feeding your spirit man so that your faith will increase to allow you to do what God has called you to do.  Waiting is active.  And it requires some initiative from you.   

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God’s Math!

The Manna Chef

Have you ever noticed that God has a way of working beyond the limits that you seem to face every day?  When I was a student, one of my favorite subjects was math.  And years later, when I was a classroom teacher, I spent a lot of time teaching math to my own students.  (Any of my former students out there remember writing “I love math!” at the top of your papers?)   

God has been blowing my mind lately with His ability to work outside of the rules of mathematics.  I encourage you today to truly believe that God can move beyond what you see or even what you are used to experiencing.  When we are open to the possibilities that God presents, He can do some extraordinary multiplication (instead of just adding to provide increase).  For anyone struggling with faith to believe that God will provide for you no matter what, I’d like to share a few illustrations of how God moves beyond our limitations.

In John 6:9-14, Jesus took two fish and five loaves of bread and fed over 5,000 people, and there were many more than 5,000 present because only the men had been counted!  Verse 13 adds a bit more emphasis to the revelation of this miracle: there were even leftovers! The Scripture says that “over and above” remained.  The disciples were able to fill twelve baskets with leftovers!  That image amazes me!  They started with very little and had baskets of leftovers?  The people ended up with way more than they even started with.  Have you ever been there?

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Now THAT’S Faith!

The Manna Chef

Today, I was thinking about Jesus’s first miracle—turning water to wine at a wedding.  It must have been some reception since they drank all the wine, right?  In case you need a reminder, here’s the account in John 2:1-9 (NLT).

The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee.  Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.  The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied.  “My time has not yet come.”

But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.”  When the jars had been filled, He said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.”  So the servants followed his instructions.

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