The Manna Jar and Goodbye!

Christmas Greetings to you, my wonderful friends here at the Internet Café.

Today is my last post at the Café as the Lord has opened a new door for me to walk through in His service. I am excited about the future Kingdom work at hand and also sad that I will not meet you here twice a month.

I cannot adequately express the love I have in my heart for each of you. Your words of wisdom and encouragement you have shared with me over the months are a priceless gift. It has been a profound privilege to share the hope we have in Christ with one another.

As I leave you I want to share a post I wrote last year. I opened my Manna Jar today and was blessed beyond measure. It is my prayer, you will open your own Manna Jar in a year from now and see how perfectly the Lord Jesus Christ has moved in your life.

The Manna Jar

Do you know what the people of Israel kept in the Ark of the Covenant? Hebrews 9:4 This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

It contained manna that was made into bread and sent from heaven to feed the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness. God provided this sweet tasting bread every day with the early morning dew. Exodus 16 is a rich story of God’s faithfulness and provision. I hope you have time to read it this week.

Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.’

Did you know that God’s people are a forgetful lot? He knew the Israelites would quickly forget the divinely provided daily bread. It is also true of us today we are a forgetful lot! Our memory fades over time and we no longer are convinced it was God talking with us softly in the pre-dawn light months ago. We fail to remember it was God’s provision when our spouse lost his job. When a friend arrives to pray at the precise moment we feel overwhelmed by circumstances. We stop thinking about the scripture passage which brought new hope or a new direction.

John 10:10a The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. The enemy lurks in the shadows to steal our memories of Kingdom experiences. He will do everything in his power to cause doubt. —Did I really hear from God? Did I only imagine His presence. Was it just a coincidence or did God provide for our bills last year when my husband lost his job?

Are you surprised we can forget Godly encounters? God is not. In the Old Testament, altars were constructed to mark significant events in which God provided. They were visible reminders of His faithfulness. Altars were also used as object lessons for the children, to teach God’s provision and presence in their lives. God knows our feeble memory fails. He command the altars made to remember Him. (Genesis 8:20; Genesis 12:7 Exodus 17:15; Joshua 4:4-7; etc.)

We need our memories of past encounters with God. Remembering what God has done in the past, gives us hope for the future.

This year I will not surrender my memories made with Christ. I have my own manna jar. I have labeled it: encouragement, love, laughter, memories, and hope. It is a glass Mason jar. I can easily see the items inside.

Things I hope to place inside are:

Scripture verses which significantly impact my life
Photo of a friend who was Jesus to me
Clippings from a blog that enriched my relationship with Christ
A dried flower; I talk to God early in the garden
A penny to remind me of a senseless act of kindness I offered to a stranger
Each encounter with God I will remember with a spiritual marker, a token, placed in my manna jar.

I want to remember my experiences with God this year, the next, and the next. One day I want to share them with my grandchildren.
I have a manna jar.
Lord our God, You never forget us. Thank you for the memories we have of your divine and miraculous presence in our lives. Thank you for the future memories we will make together. In Jesus name, Amen.

Today I placed my first memory-clipping inside. I can’t wait to see what will be in the jar at the end of the year.

Start your manna jar today and imagine the amazing memories you will place there?



I would love to visit with you over at my place: Spiritually Unequal Marriage.