THE GRACIOUS TONGUE..:

"Thou art fairer than the children of men: [for] grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever" (Psa 45:2).

Many do not realize the blessed truth that the more grace a man has in his mouth while on earth, the more beauty his resurrected body will have. If you have a bad mouth you wil have an ugly body after resurrection. Remember, that body is going to be eternal! 'God blessing a man for ever' depends also on the grace poured into his lips.

The next verse is more insightful and revealing: "Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O MOST MIGHTY, with thy glory and thy majesty" (Psa 45:3). A saint who has grace poured into his lips will find his tongue to be like a two-edged sword (the Word of God), and HE WILL BE MOST MIGHTY, CROWNED WITH GLORY AND MAJESTY! Does not this also prove that if you have a foul mouth, you are bound to be most weak, and filled with shame and misery?

About Jesus, it is stated that gracious words proceeded out of His mouth (Lk 4:22). "His mouth is most sweet: yea, [therefore] He is altogether lovely" (S.S. 5:16). The reason the officers gave to the Pharisees for not arresting Jesus, is most inspiring: "NEVER MAN SPAKE LIKE THIS MAN" (Jn 7:45, 46). Even the enemies of Christ had a testimony about the gracious words that proceeded out of Him.

Dear reader, in Eternity, your eternal beauty and eternal blessings will depend on the grace you had in your lips.

- TPM "Morning Manna"

GOD'S LOVE AND PITY..:

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life" (Gen 3:17).

Here we see how God in His mercy doesn't curse the man but the ground - so that he may not put his trust in this earth but in God, so that he may not set his affection on the ground or on the earth. God didn't send man to a place of torment either, but to a place of toil; not to the grave, but to the ground - to humble him.

In verse 21 we see the motherly nature of God again. Though man had fallen into sin and had started to rebel against God in his words and deeds, and was trying to hide from Him, God makes coats for him. It was not man who asked for clothes, but God who felt the need for it. So also, it is not we sinners who feel the need for salvation, but God Who felt it and hence came down from heaven to clothe us with salvation. God did not just give them the garments, but 'clothed them' like a mother would. The Almighty God Himself made the coats, and not any angel. What a great love God had for the fallen man! How much He pitied him and his miserable state!

Finally, again in mercy, the Lord sent man out of the garden - see verse 22 - so that he may not eat of the tree of life and live for ever in his fallen condition. God's knowledge of evil doesn't tempt Him to commit evil, as He is perfect in character. But man's knowledge of evil without character is dangerous. Therefore, if his life-span had not been curtailed, his wickedness would have been very great on the earth. Also, now that his life-span is curtailed, his sorrows and miseries brought by his own sin would have an end.

- TPM "Morning Manna"

HOW TO KNOW THE MIND OF GOD?

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (I Cor 2:9).
What a glorious and gracious plan God has kept for us! Now the most important question is, can we know what God has planned for us? Yes, we can, for, the next verse says, "But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit" (I Cor 2:10). Many children of God, have failed to know the plan of God, and have surrendered themselves to the plan of the devil or to their own plans, and have destroyed themselves.

What should we do to know the will of God and walk in the plan of God? When we were born, our thoughts were pure. However, we allowed evil thoughts to corrupt and defile our minds. Every evil thought is like a black spot that stains our pure mind. As we continue to defile our mind like that, the 'black spots' increase and make our mind altogether corrupt. Although God's plans are glorious, we may get to know them only if our mind is pure and spotless.

Dear child of God, it is true you want God's plan to be fulfilled in your life, but there is only one way for you to know the plan of God. Conquer every evil thought by the blood of the Lamb and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let your mind be clean and pure so that God can write on it what He has planned for you, and so that you may find the grace for fulfilling His plans. Then your Christian life will be 'joy unspeakable and full of glory.'

- TPM "Morning Manna"

BLESSING WHILE DYING..!

"By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff" (Heb 11:21).

True saints should be a blessing, and not a burden, even while dying. Jacob was a blessing while dying. He blessed both the sons of Joseph while dying. Faith helps us to be a blessing.

"By faith...Jacob worshipped." Faith helps us to worship the Lord in the Spirit and in truth till our last breath. How did Jacob worship? Leaning on the top of his staff. 'Leaning on the top of the staff' shows trusting in the highest promises of God. This is another fruit of faith. Jacob had the privilege and freedom to worship his God till the last moment, as Jesus did. [Jesus committed His Spirit to God while dying.] At the time of his death, Jacob was in a heathen land with pagan gods all around, and yet he preserved his faith. True worshippers are truly a blessing to others till their last moment.

"Jacob blessed both the children of Joseph." He blessed with both his hands. Jesus did the same. See Luke 24:50. This is a shadow of blessing others with spiritual blessings and material blessings.

May the Lord grant us the grace to worship the Lord till our last moment - if the Lord tarries and it pleases the Lord to take us to our heavenly home by death.

- TPM Morning Manna

BE ANGRY AND SIN NOT..!

Some people find an excuse to nurse anger in the verse, "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Eph 4:26). Commenting on this, a man of God rightly states, "He that would be angry and sin not must not be angry with anything but sin."
Some Christians excuse their anger, calling it 'righteous indignation.' Scripturally, 'righteous indignation' indicates 'furious zeal' for God, and is expressed when one is filled with the Holy Spirit. For example, St.Paul, "filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him. And said, O full of all subtility and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" (Acts 13:9,10

"Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." This should not be taken as a scriptural sanction to be angry and resentful until sunset. The Lord may come before sunset and you may be left behind. By losing his temper, a child of God experiences in his life, the 'sunset' of the Sun of Righteousness Who is the True Light, thereby ushering in spiritual darkness. Therefore, "cease from anger and forsake wrath" (Psa 37:8).

- TPM "Morning Manna"

OUR POSITION IN CHRIST...:

"Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man" (Gen 2:23).
Though Adam did not know or feel that one of his ribs had been taken out, he was able to discern it in his spirit. It was not necessary for anyone to introduce the woman to the man and tell him his responsibilities towards his wife. When we walk with God, we will be able to understand what our position in the Church is, and also our duties in our spiritual life. "The anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you" (I Jn 2:27).

"Bone of my bone" - 'Bone' in the original tongue also means 'substance'. Adam is a type of Christ. The Bride of Christ has the same substance (life or character) as that of Christ. God is preparing a group of saints who have the very life and character of Christ.

"She was taken out of Man" - What a great sacrifice Adam had to make to get a bride - one of his vital bones was taken out! To take out a rib, the side has to be pierced. Jesus Christ our Bridegroom was pierced on His side and His agonizing sacrifice formed the Church of Christ. What a dowry He paid for us!

Not only is the Bride 'taken out of' Christ, but all that the Bride has too - all the blessings - are in Him. We have been made to sit in heavenly places IN Christ and we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings IN Christ (Eph 2:6; 1:3). Apart from Christ we are nothing and we have nothing.

- TPM "Morning Manna"

GRACE UPON GRACE...:

In the New Testament, there is double grace - "grace upon grace" (Jn 1:16 - another translation). We need grace to forgive the person who has wronged us, and another grace to love him. Some have only one grace - "I forgive him, but I cannot love him." Some cannot even forgive.

The double grace to forgive and love, comes from humility, for, God gives grace to the humble. One important nature of God is humility. "Thous art a God that hidest Thyself" (Isa 45:15). Since God is humble He can forgive and love even the worst sinner. It is because we are proud that we cannot forgive others and love them.

Once a soldier got saved, and his life completely changed. One day he came to his bed (tired after duty) and bowed his head to pray. Another soldier, an atheist, got angry and kicked him on the head with his shoe on. But the other soldier continued to pray. The next morning the soldier who kicked his fellowsoldier got saved. How? When he got up he saw that the Christian soldier had polished his shoes. That moved the atheist and made him want to give up his bad ways.

Child of God, how much grace do you have? Do you have 'grace upon grace', or are you struggling with feelings of resentment, anger and bitterness? Do you want forgiveness and love to flow out of you unbidden when you are wronged and hurt? Humble yourself and you can have that double grace.

- TPM "Morning Manna"

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME...!

Yes, God is good all the time if we know just one secret - "TRULY GOD IS GOOD... EVEN TO SUCH AS ARE OF A CLEAN HEART" (Psa 73:1). Oh, how wonderful it would be if the whole world came to know this blessed secret: GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME -

in winter times and summer times,
birth days and death days,
funeral days and festival days,
feasting days and fasting days,
mourning days and dancing days,
days of prosperity and days of poverty,
days of trials and days of triumphs,
sick days and healthy days!
However, there is only one condition: KEEP THE HEART CLEAN!
Although David was a man of God who loved the Lord and walked with God, one day he lost his purity of heart. Then he had so much agony that it was as if all his bones were being broken; he lost all his joy. Thank God, he knew the secret of restoration and cried out, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psa 51:10).

How sad it is that millions of people, including many Christians, are ignorant of the fact that a wrong spirit (getting irritated, angry, etc.) is the result of an unclean heart! When the heart is clean, the spirit will be right.

Dear friend, are you looking for a way out of your bitter trials? Do you want God to turn them all into sweet and blessed experiences? Keeping the heart clean is the secret of a joyful life flowing with milk and honey.

- TPM "Morning Manna"