Daily Manna

Daily Manna - Friday, May 23, 2025

Topic: Reverential Obedience
Text: 1 Peter 1:17-21

Key Verse
“And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (1 Peter 1:17).

Message
Dr. David Livingstone was a Scottish physician and missionary who felt a deep calling to bring Christianity and medical care to Africa. He left the comfort zone of his native country in the United Kingdom and spent decades travelling from one part of the continent to another, treating the sick, and translating the Bible into local languages. He was compelled by his love for God, and obedience to Him. He was willing to pay the price for leading others to the gospel light and salvation. Livingstone’s unwavering faith and dedication to God’s message opened doors for missionary work, rescued many lives from diseases and death, and improved countless lives across Africa.

Apostle Peter’s exhortation, in today’s text, is a call to live a life of love and obedience to God which will compel us to sacrifice all to save others as demonstrated by Livingstone. The passage draws our attention to a very critical virtue that every Christian must demonstrate as we traverse this temporary space as pilgrims. It highlights the importance of living a life of obedience and righteousness and serving God faithfully. It also reminds us that the Scripture from Genesis to Revelation makes it clear that God does not support frivolous lifestyle and carelessness; nor does the Bible give license for the so-called universal grace that encourages the absence of godly fear in our conduct and relationships with others. Reverential obedience to God naturally makes Christians live an exemplary and godly life that attracts the commendation of heaven.

We are to “pass (spend) the time of [our] sojourning here in fear.” This means that we must obey God in everything, recognising His authority over our lives and the decisions we make. For this, we need to ask for His grace to live to please Him and strive always to be more and more like Christ. This way, our lives can be more fruitful and fulfilling.

Thought for the day
Service to God without obedience to His word is worthless.

Bible in one year
1 SAMUEL 6 – 7

Daily Manna - Thursday, May 15, 2025

Blessing Of Communication
Text: Philemon 1:1-6

Key Verse
“That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus” (Philemon 1:6).

Message
An elderly Christian woman would not allow the predicaments of distance and her illiteracy to deny her from getting in touch with her son, who lived in the city some hundreds of kilometres away. So, periodically, she would dictate a letter to a student in the family or community to be written and sent to her son. The message would bear a mother’s loving counsel for the young man and news about how the household fared. The mother would also let the city dweller know what the family needed for their upkeep. Naturally, being a Christian, the parent would end with a plea that her boy should live a godly life.

The village woman’s habit is similar to the tradition of Apostle Paul, who, in prison in Rome, needed to reach his Christian friend, Philemon in Colosse. This was a distance of over 2092 kilometres. Only a letter could do the work. Paul wrote to Philemon essentially to plead for forgiveness for Philemon’s runaway servant, Onesimus. In doing so, he extols Philemon’s faith, love, and Christian charity which he heard about from another source. This correspondence broke down the wall of separation between the two believers.

Today, the world is enjoying closer togetherness, and we are practically living in a global village. Modern technology has helped to break down the communication barriers. With a button on a small device in our hands, we can now instantly reach people in very distant lands. This can be of immense benefit to the Church of Christ.

The good news can now be relayed to every corner of the earth without the evangelists stepping out of their closets. There are no spatial inhibitions like Paul’s, like his letter having to be hand-delivered. We must use this technological advantage by flooding the airwaves with the gospel message of hope for humanity through faith in Jesus, the Son of God. God certainly allowed the emergence of these modern communication technologies to speed up the spread of the gospel.

Thought for the day
Modern communication technologies amount to little if they cannot be deployed for the gospel.

Bible in one year
2 COR. 5 – 9