Exodus – Chapter 16

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. Exodus 16:4 – While many of the miracles we’ve read about in Exodus were amazing, such as the plagues and the Red Sea, the miracle of the manna from Heaven needs to be up there on our list. Every day, for 40 years, enough food for around two million people found its way on the ground. For anyone who has helped serve food before you know how grand of a miracle this would have been. God heard the cries of His people and He chose to show grace towards them by providing bread in the morning and meat in the evening for them to eat this entire stay in the wilderness. Yet notice an important phrase in our verse, “The people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day.” God provided, but He didn’t just miraculously cause their pantries and jars to be full of bread. The people had to still go out and gather. If they wanted what God provided, they had to put effort in to enjoy it. How often is this the case for us in our walk with the Lord? God is offering us His peace, but it’s found through the habitual study of His word. God is providing support and community, but it’s found through obeying His directions around reconciliation. Like with manna from Heaven, God is aware of our need and He supplies for our need, but for us to enjoy the provision there is often effort needed from us. It wouldn’t have been a surprise to any Israelite that they would have gone hungry if they didn’t collect the manna like God told them to. It shouldn’t be a surprise then to us that we may not have God’s peace, rest, or blessing if we don’t follow the path God directs us to take to have it. Find what God is offering by following the path He directs to have it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3160

Exodus 16 Daily DEVO And the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:3 – Do you fear that the same God who saved you from slavery can’t help you now? Because true, now you aren’t in slavery from sin, but the struggle you’re currently in is big and overwhelming. But is it bigger than eternity in Hell? Is it more powerful than the grip of Satan? Because Jesus conquered both of those and if He is able to do that, He’s able to take care of you now. Don’t let the current need blind you from what God has done for you in the past like we read happened with the Israelites. Your current need is seen by God and is nothing too big for Him to handle. He’s proven to be trustworthy more times than you can ever count and has never failed you either. He’s not going to start failing you now. Trust Him with your need. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 810

Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. Exodus 16:21 – There is a time to take hold of God’s blessing…now. Our chapter today spoke on how God provided food for His people as they traveled through the wilderness to the promise land. In the morning they were to collect a day’s portion of the manna that God had provided for them. It would be there every single morning without fail, yet when the sun came out and grew hot, the manna would melt and no longer be there to gather. A question for you then, if someone waited till late afternoon when the sun was hot to gather their manna and went outside to find the manna wasn’t there anymore because it had melted, was God unfaithful to His promise to them or were they just too late? God did everything He promised them He would, He even kept His word about it melting in the sun. God was never unfaithful, the one who waited just waited to long and missed the blessing. You as well are in danger of waiting too long and missing God’s blessing. Now is the time to share the Gospel with your loved ones because tomorrow might be too late. Now is the time to be faithful in your workplace because tomorrow might not be available to you. The promise of eternal life with Jesus is available to you right now, but the moment you die whatever choice you made while alive is the one you exist with for eternity. If you don’t take hold of it now, it may be too late for you. Don’t be like the guy in my example who waited to long to gather his manna. For him his suffering would have been an empty stomach for a day, yours would be an eternity away from Jesus. God’s faithfulness is here, take hold of it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1899