Perfect Portion

If you've ever bought candy by-the-scoop, you probably were surprised at checkout! One of my all-time favorite principles taught from the Bible is how God supplied the Israelites with a daily portion of manna. They were commanded to gather only one day's supply; like us, they were slow-learners. "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus ..." (Hebrews 12:1-2a, NASB). That "cloud of witnesses" refers to the people of faith mentioned in Chapter 11 - Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Issac, Jacob and others. They are [for us] testimonies and witnesses of the faithfulness of God; they [too] were entangled and burdened in their lives yet they endured with perseverance. If we are totally honest, it's usually the everyday things that test our faith most: chaos at the breakfast table, a flat tire, an unexpected trip to urgent care, etc. Whatever wearies us and weighs us down, we are to look to Jesus, "the Author and Perfecter of faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2, NASB). Octavius Winslow encourages us, "let yours be a life of faith in all its minute detail." That candy scoop is deceiving - it distorts our idea of portion, and we scoop too much. Look to Jesus - He is the ... Perfect Portion.