當我們正走向越發緊張與艱困的時候，鞏固我們的根基也比以往來得更為重要。身為一位專業機師，我不斷接受訓練，好讓我的技術頂尖，此訓練的九成內容都在鞏固根基。倘若我的基礎穩固，就可以幫助我在空中開飛機時處理緊急狀況。在處理問題時，你需要讓飛機持續飛行；同樣地，無論任何事臨到我們，我們都必須持續建造生命的根基，這即是何以在各行各業中的成功人士都是基本工做得最好，並努力不斷操練的人。這亦是何以我每天都讀聖經，並在寫作和演說上無愧地不斷重複一些真理與教導。
這就是『話語中的肉』，是深度真理的亮光。每一位信徒都應該斷奶，好使他們能吃更堅硬的屬靈食物。我們可以從比較深入的研讀中得著這些肉，例如參加特會，或修幾門課，閱讀書籍或聽一些主題教導。每一位剛強、不斷晉升的信徒都會持續做這樣的研讀，讓他們的根越來越深入神的話，並且明白主的道路。
此外我們還要有我稱之為話語中的『嗎哪』，這是比較輕鬆、從主所領受的每日靈糧。這可以來自每天有計畫地閱讀一到二章聖經或靈修，對我們而言或許這些話並不是新的啟示，卻能支撐著我們。
我曾聽過一位牧師說，他妻子在多年婚姻中為他預備了數以萬計的膳食，能讓他至今仍回味無窮的好菜卻寥寥無幾，但這些膳食卻使他活到如今！嗎哪同樣也應該成為我們的日用屬靈食物，那並不意味是深度、甚至是新的食物，卻能支撐著我們的基督徒生命。
在出埃及記十六章4節，我們讀到：『耶和華對摩西說：我要將糧食從天降給你們。百姓可以出去，每天收每天的分，我好試驗他們遵不遵我的法度。』這是非常值得我們注意的；這一件事成為決定百姓是否走在神道路中的主要因素。我們每早晨起來的第一件事，是否也從天上收當天所需要的新鮮嗎哪呢？
倘若我們夠看重主的話，足以每天早上起來花幾分鐘尋求從祂而來的新鮮嗎哪，我們的生命一定會有巨大的改變。你將會發現，倘若你以尋求主來開始你的一天，你一整天就比較能連結於祂。我們的思緒比較能受控制，心思意念比較能順服神，而不是浪費許多生命在徒勞的想像、挫折中。這真的能決定是否我們每天是以非常實際的方式行在主的道路中。
在申命記八章16-17節，我們讀到：『又在曠野將你列祖所不認識的嗎哪賜給你吃，是要苦煉你，試驗你，叫你終久享福；恐怕你心裡說：這貨財是我力量、我能力得來的。』這裡祂說到祂賜給他們嗎哪是要苦煉（謙卑）他們。我們都應該把謙卑當作我們的主要追求，因為『神阻擋驕傲的人，賜恩給謙卑的人（參考雅各書4：6）。神的恩典比地上一切寶藏都來得珍貴；主讓以色列保持謙卑的一個方式便是嗎哪！這要如何使他們謙卑呢？
對我們也是如此，每天起來的第一件事就是尋求從天上來的新鮮嗎哪，如此做我們便是在承認沒有祂與祂的話語，我們無法安然度過這一天。因此，每天起床都靈修將成為神的恩典傾入我們生命的最大導管。
正如耶穌在祂的教導提及，祂就是天上降下來的嗎哪。我們所尋求的不單是聆聽主的話，更是聆聽話語本身─主自己。這是個人每天與主的接觸，我們應當更沈迷於神的話，勝過吸毒者沈溺於毒品。這樣的上癮不會綑綁我們，反而會全然釋放我們得自由，成為祂最初造我們的樣式。
(摘自喬納 word for the week, Week 2, 2012)
Meat and Manna
Week 2, 2012
As we are now walking through increasingly intense and troubling times, it is more important than ever that we fortify our foundations. As a professional pilot, I was in continuous training to keep my skills sharp, and 90 percent of this training was fortifying the foundations. If my fundamentals were strong, they helped me to do the most important thing in dealing with an emergency in the air—fly the airplane. You have to keep flying the plane while dealing with the problems. Likewise, there are fundamentals in life that we must keep doing regardless of what else comes at us. This is why the most successful people in every field are those who do the basics best and devote themselves to constantly practicing them. This is why I unashamedly repeat certain truths and teachings throughout my writing and speaking and why I read the Bible every day.
There is the “meat of the word,” which is the illumination of the deeper truths. Every believer should be weaned from just milk so that they can eat this more solid spiritual food. We get this through our own in-depth studies, such things as going to conferences, maybe taking courses, reading books, or listening to the teachings of others on the subjects we’re pursuing. Every strong and advancing believer will have such studies going almost constantly, sinking their roots deeper and deeper into the Word and knowing the Lord’s ways.
Then we have what I call “the manna” of the Word. This is the lighter, daily Word we receive from the Lord. This can come from systematically reading a chapter or two of the Bible or a devotional. It may not be new revelation to us, but it will sustain us.
I once heard a pastor say that his wife had prepared him thousands of meals during their many years of marriage, and only a handful were so outstanding that he still remembered them, but all the rest kept him alive! It is the same with the manna that should be our daily diet. It’s not meant to be deep, or even new to us, but it sustains us in our Christian life.
In Exodus 16:4 we read, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will 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 or not they will walk in My instruction.’” That is remarkable. This one thing and primary factor will determine if the people will walk in the ways of the Lord or not. Will we too get up first thing every morning to gather something fresh from heaven for that day?
If we value the Word of the Lord enough to get up a few minutes early to start our days by seeking something fresh from Him, it can be one of the things that most radically changes our lives. You’ll find that if you begin your day with Him like this that you will be much better able to abide in Him all day. We will be more prone to take our thoughts captive, making them obedient to Him rather than wasting so much of our life in vain imaginations, frustrations, etc. This really could determine whether we walk in the ways of the Lord in a very practical, daily way.
In Deuteronomy 8:16-17 we read, “In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’” Here He adds that He gave them manna to humble them. We should all have humility as one of our chief pursuits because “God resists the proud, but gives His grace to the humble” (see James 4:6 NKJV). God’s grace is more valuable than any other treasure we could have on this earth. One of the ways that the Lord provided to keep Israel humble was manna! How did this keep them humble?
It is the same with us. By getting up first thing each day to seek fresh manna from heaven we are acknowledging that we cannot make it through the day without Him and His Word. Because of this, the simple devotion to get up each day to do this could be one of the biggest conduits of His grace into our lives.
As Jesus related in His teaching, He is the Manna that comes down out of heaven. It is not just hearing the words of the Lord that we’re seeking, but it is hearing the Word, Himself. It is a personal touch from Him each day that we should be more addicted to than a junky is for his next fix. This is an addiction that does not put us in bondage but truly sets us free to be what He created us to be.