Faith: the Gold Jar of Manna
Faith: the Gold Jar of Manna
We cannot overcome the Accuser of the brothers unless we are living by the body and blood of Christ. The body and blood of Christ are our resurrection life. Only those who live by the life of Christ will be caught up to meet the slain Lamb at His appearing.
Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. (John 6:57)
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb. . . (Revelation 12:11)
We must look to God alone to fulfill all our needs and desires.
The believers must come to maturity in dependence on Christ, on His body and blood rather than rather than other sources of life, if they are to be the house, resting place, and throne of God.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (II Corinthians 12:9,10)
Utter dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ for our survival, our safety, our pleasure, and our achievement in life is the true definition of faith.
Today we tend to view faith as our ability to convince God to move in some manner. This is the spirit of Antichrist. It is true rather that faith is our response to God—not God's response to us but our response to God!
How often do we hear today, "Step out in faith." Find that in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews if you can.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. (Hebrews 12:1,2)
Perhaps God did speak to our ancestors at many times and in various ways, but He does not speak today, some are claiming. Therefore we are to think, speak, and behave in the manner which we assume is best for the Kingdom of God.
We do not need prophets, we need theologians, we think. This is why we have a hundred competing denominations. We do not really know what God wants, I believe.
This is why God asks, "What house will you build me?"
Peter's response is, "We will build three tabernacles."
Peter did not know what he was saying. Today it may be true that we do not know what we are doing or saying.
What is the spirit of Antichrist or of Babylon if it is not man conceiving of faith as a means of convincing God to do what we think is best?
A memorial jar of manna was in the Ark. What was true of manna? It was food that could be depended upon while the Israelites were in the wilderness. Its appearing in the morning was a miracle. It was angels' food, a sustaining, nourishing power when there was no other.
Manna could not be kept. It bred worms and smelled bad. This is why religion breeds worms and smells bad. Religion is a system for preserving that which formerly had been given by a dispensation of God. The worms it breeds are people who are trying to serve God by their own self-will, that is, trying to imitate what God has done in the past.
People with the spirit of the Pharisee often are foolish and mean, as you may have discovered by now.
The Apostle Paul suffered many afflictions, climaxing with some sort of problem with his eyes. Paul simply had to trust Christ for his safety, his survival, his pleasure, and his achievement. So today we eat from Paul's table.
There is no other way, although I do not believe there have been many instances in the history of Christianity where Christian leaders have shown us the way of the cross. There certainly have been a few. Today the Christian leaders often are men and women who know how to build an organization.
No individual can meet God's needs for a house, a resting place, and a throne, until he or she has ceased from his or her own works and is depending on Jesus Christ for every aspect of life.
It may be true that the more helpless we are, the more the Lord can get done through us. Do your suppose this is true?
"Faith" is our assurance that God will satisfy all of our needs and desires, the desires that He has put in us, and will bring us to eternal righteousness, love, joy, and peace when God gives our needs and desires to us.
Don't forget, the Bible says God adds no sorrow when He blesses us.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4)
I am not saying that we should not pray earnestly and consistently for our desires to be fulfilled. Christ commanded us to ask that our joy may be full. We are told to let our desires be known to the Lord, along with thanksgiving.
We always must pray for the needs we or others may have. God will guide us in such prayers while we are pressing into the rest of God. Therefore "Your will be done" must remain an integral part of each petition we make for ourselves or on behalf of others.
All of us have a need and desire for survival, for pleasure, and for achievement. We are to have faith that God is able to fully satisfy these needs and desires. We do not have to go elsewhere to obtain them.
In the world of today, people spend their lives endeavoring to obtain money—often more money than they need for survival, pleasure, and achievement. Money is one of the chief gods of the American people. Most of them believe that if they were given enough money they would be safe, happy, and respected, that all their needs would be satisfied.
But Jesus said that a person cannot serve both God and money. One of the two will prevail.
We do not read in the Bible of any righteous person being forsaken. Although the believers may be called upon to suffer difficult trials, yet God never, never forsakes them. God makes certain that they have what they truly need for survival, pleasure, and achievement.
The testimonies of the lives of the saints of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews bear witness to the faithfulness of God. They tell us that true faith is confidence in the faithfulness of God.
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. (Psalms 37:25)
It appears as though the world is going to be at war again soon. Christians will have to make a choice either to look to the Lord Jesus for survival for themselves and their children, or else seek some other means of safety.
Since by attempting to save ourselves we might place ourselves in an unforeseen danger, we would do well to keep looking to the Lord Jesus for our survival.
The Jar of Manna reminds us of the time Israel spent in the wilderness. Every day the manna was provided, until the corn of Canaan was available to the Israelites. Can you imagine what it must have been like to trust God for our daily bread for forty years?
"But man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God," our Lord taught us.
So it is with the provisions of grace. Each day we receive the grace that is needed for that day. We never get tomorrow's grace today. We should plan as well as we can; but the only certainty about tomorrow for a faithful believer is that there will be grace for that day.
How many times I have dreaded a coming day or week, only to discover that there was strength, joy, and peace during the dreaded time.
If we are to be the house, rest, and throne of the Lord God of Heaven, we are not to turn to other sources for what we need and desire. Those other sources would be our gods, and we are not to have other gods. Our God will provide for us every day of our life all that we need.
The manna will come in the morning. Let us live by faith in God.