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Recent issues of Manna for Today
Swift
as a Gazelle
According to an
old African proverb, when the sun comes up, the
gazelle wakes up knowing that it must outrun the
fastest lion or it will be eaten. The lion knows it
must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will
starve
to death. So it doesn’t matter if you are a gazelle
or a lion, when the sun comes up, you had better be
running.
The gazelle can sprint up to 50 miles per hour, and can sustain a speed of 35 miles per hour for up to 15 minutes. The Christian, like the gazelle wakes up each morning with the danger of being pursued by a lion. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,” says 1 Peter 5:8.
We are encouraged to resist the devil and he will flee from us. At the same time, there are things from which we must always flee. But God did not create us to spend our entire lives fleeing. He also wants us to pursue. According to 2 Timothy 2:22, we should “flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.”
To live the life abundant God intended for us, we must learn to be quick on our feet; knowing when to flee, and when to pursue. And we need not live our lives in fear knowing that, “He who is in us is greater than he that is in the world.” —J.D. Van Hall
Pursue God every day as if your very
life depended on it. It does.
Consider
the Snail
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. —Proverbs 3:6
In our hurried lives we often miss much.
In striving to reach our goals, the destination often overshadows the journey.
No such problem for the snail. With a top speed of 23 inches per hour, it would
take the average snail a week to run a hundred-yard “dash.”
Besides its lack of speed, the snail has another problem; it usually travels in irregular paths, often going in circles. Snails cannot hear and have very poor eyesight. They rely mainly on their sense of touch and smell. Snails produce a trail of thick slime as they travel.
This slime protects the snail and allows it to crawl across the edge of a razor and not get hurt. R. Wayne Edwards speaks of this trail in his insightful poem, "Consider the Snail":
Our life is like the little snail,
Where we go we leave a trail.
The things we do and the things we say,
Are the trail we leave from day to day.
Like the snail, our lives leave a trail. What we say and do leaves a path for others …to avoid or to follow. Paul gave us the example of a well-lived life in Philippians 3:13-14, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” —Tom Lane
Is your trail leading others toward Christ?
Rest
for Your Souls
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
—Matthew
11:29
For
centuries, yokes have been employed on farms to encourage oxen to plow lands and
transport many different goods. A properly fitted yoke is a wonderful tool, as
it will not injure the animal and will provide for a cooperative effort that
results in maximum efficiency. Oxen yoked together can accomplish difficult
labor easier than if
they were working apart.
Humans also have a job that must be done. It may seem like a difficult task to lead a healthy, fulfilling life and also minister to all the needs of those with whom we interact. How can we achieve this goal without being overworked?
The answer lies in the counsel of Scripture that instructs us to both follow and walk with Christ. Jesus is the perfect example of how to bear the burden without breaking and he is the one who will always be at your side. Becoming like Christ is the only way we will ever be able to complete our God-sized assignments. —Joseph Patterson
True rest is not found in avoiding work, but in doing things God’s way.