What's the Manna With You? Part II
By Pastor David Kuntz

The manna, which the Lord provided for Israel is a beautiful type of the food, which God has provided for our souls.  This food is none other than the written Word of God.  Our Father has graciously preserved His Word to nourish us.  To reject a daily feast in the Scriptures is to merit the question, “What’s the manna with you?”  I would like to share with you two more principles from the manna that will help you in your own study of the Scriptures.

Principle #3 – Manna must be gathered by stooping

As you’ll notice there isn’t a verse to support this principle, but I believe it can be logically assumed.  Manna did not grow upon trees, but it fell upon the ground.  In order to obtain it, the Israelites had to get down on their knees.  There is a beautiful picture of man working to get the Word into his hands.  As we study the Word, we must humbly stoop down and seek it.  Besides humility, a man must demonstrate diligence in collecting it.  If we are appropriate the Word of God for our souls, we must work hard at it.  We must get down on our knees and say, “Open thou my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law!”

Principle #4 – Manna must be gathered to eat

 

“So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’  For they did not know what it was.  And Moses said to them, ‘This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat’ “  (vs. 15).  The manna was not given simply to look at or admire; but to be eaten.  There are three components in eating: [consuming, chewing and assimilation].  In order for growth to take place, all three components are needed.  The same is true regarding the spiritual manna God provided for our souls.  The first component is so obvious that you may think I don’t need to develop it.  But yet this is the very area that so many of God’s children fail!  Like the Israelites we must start our day out gathering God’s word for our souls.  The second component in the eating process is the chewing stage.  When you put food in your mouth you chew it slowly and thoroughly.  This is an area where most of us as Christians are grievous offenders.  We rush through our devotions like fast food and never properly chew it.  Is it any wonder we have spiritual indigestion the rest of the day?  Many times we slowly read our devotions and yet forget what we read one hour later.  The problem with us is that we didn’t meditate, that is engage our mind in thinking.  The third component of eating is the assimilation process.  Once the food is properly chewed up, your body can digest it and assimilate the nutrients to your body for the strength you need for the day.  Spiritually speaking, if you just go through the motions and gulp your devotions down, your mind cannot absorb the spiritual nutrients for the day.  Consuming the word of God in a regular diet will result in growth!

How are you personally doing in your gathering and consumption of the word?  Do you have a complaining murmuring spirit about having devotions?  Or do realize that you are among the truly blessed to have the word of God?  Are you daily gathering the word of God in the morning so you can bless others?  Or are you skipping meals and starving yourself?  It’s time for us as believers to ask ourselves “what’s the manna with me?” and start studying God’s word.