Friday, 8 May 2026

Grace: The Day They Ate With God Fresh Manna by Pastor Tim Burt

Fresh Manna with Pastor Tim Burt 
Tim Logo   A Note from Pastor Tim
Greetings and thank you for reading. I pray that Fresh Manna is a blessing to you and helps you launch your day in the Lord. If you are blessed by what you read, please share it with a friend. There is a link in this box and  at the bottom of each devotional that says:  "Forward this email to a friend." Click on it, and put in their email and it will go to them. Thanks in advance for sharing! God bless you and thanks again for reading! Forward this email to a friend

Grace: The Day They Ate With God

May 8, 2026
by Timothy Burt

There are moments in Scripture that almost feel too sacred to step into—moments where heaven seems to touch earth in a way that leaves you in awe. This is one of them.

Exodus 24:9–11 (NLT) “Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. There, they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet, there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, He did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in His presence!”

Just days before this moment, the people of Israel stood at the base of Mount Sinai, trembling. Thunder roared. Lightning flashed. The mountain shook. God’s holiness was so overwhelming that boundaries were set—no one was to come near, or they would die. And yet here, everything changes.

Moses, Aaron, his sons, and seventy elders are invited up the mountain. Invited. Not driven back. Not warned away. Not consumed—invited. And what happens next is almost beyond comprehension: they saw the God of Israel. Not in His full, unveiled glory, but in a revealed form that allowed them to witness His presence without being destroyed. What they could describe wasn’t His face, but what was beneath Him—a brilliant, blue, crystal-like clarity, as pure and endless as the sky itself. Even in that limited glimpse, everything speaks of holiness, beauty, and perfection.

But perhaps the most stunning line in this passage is this: “Though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, He did not destroy them.” That is grace. This entire experience was a foretaste of God's grace.  Because everything we know about God’s holiness tells us that sinful man cannot stand in His presence and survive. Yet here, God makes a way. He allows them to come near. He allows them to see. And He allows them to live.

And then He does something even more unexpected—they sit down and eat. “They ate a covenant meal… in His presence.” This wasn’t just a meal—it was fellowship. In that culture, eating together meant peace, acceptance, and relationship. It meant the covenant wasn’t just spoken—it was shared, experienced, and sealed in closeness. They weren’t just servants at a distance. They were guests at His table.

This moment points us forward to something even greater, because what they experienced in part, we experience in fullness through Jesus Christ. Through Him, the barrier has been removed. The holiness that once kept us at a distance is now met by grace that draws us near. The covenant once sealed with the blood of animals has now been fulfilled through the blood of Christ. And today, we too are invited—not to a mountain of fear, but to a place of relationship.

Hebrews 10:22 (NLT) “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him.” Think about that. The same God whose presence caused mountains to shake invites you to come near—not to destroy you, but to receive you… not to push you away, but to sit with you.

There are times in life when we feel distant from God—aware of our shortcomings, our failures, our inconsistencies—and in those moments, it’s easy to assume that God is holding us at arm’s length. But this passage reminds us of something powerful: God’s heart has always been to bring His people closer. What once required distance, Christ has made near. What once would have consumed us, grace now covers. And what once was a fearful encounter is now a personal invitation.

So when you come to God—whether in prayer, in His Word, or in quiet moments of reflection—don’t come as someone expecting rejection. Come as someone invited. Because through Jesus, you are not just allowed in His presence—you are welcomed at His table.

Revelation 19:9 (NLT) “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for making a way for me to come into Your presence. Where fear once kept distance, Your grace has drawn me near. Help me to live with the awareness that I am invited—not rejected, welcomed—not condemned. Teach me to come to You with confidence, humility, and gratitude, knowing that through Jesus, I have a place at Your table. Let my life reflect the closeness You’ve given me, and may I never take for granted the privilege of walking with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Wednesday, 6 May 2026

It All Begins with Scribbling! Fresh Manna by Pastor Tim Burt

Fresh Manna with Pastor Tim Burt 
Tim Logo   A Note from Pastor Tim
Greetings and thank you for reading. I pray that Fresh Manna is a blessing to you and helps you launch your day in the Lord. If you are blessed by what you read, please share it with a friend. There is a link in this box and  at the bottom of each devotional that says:  "Forward this email to a friend." Click on it, and put in their email and it will go to them. Thanks in advance for sharing! God bless you and thanks again for reading! Forward this email to a friend

It All Begins with Scribbling!

May 6, 2026
by Timothy Burt

After church one recent Sunday, I watched a young child run up to his parent, excitedly holding out his “beautiful” Sunday school picture—which, in reality, was just a page covered in colorful crayon scribbles. The parent smiled, received it warmly, and celebrated it as if it were a masterpiece. That moment stayed with me.

It brought back a memory from when I was 16 years old. My oldest sister, who had four young children, asked me to babysit one evening. When I arrived, the kids were finishing dinner—talking a mile a minute and making me laugh. After we cleaned up, we headed into the living room—and that’s when I saw it. One wall my sister had just finished wallpapering was completely covered in crayon drawings.

I stopped and asked, “Whoa, what happened here?” One of the girls answered casually, “Oh, we did that.” I asked what their parents said. She replied matter-of-factly, “Mom cried for a while, got mad, and told us never to do it again.” Their innocence was undeniable. They knew they had done something wrong, but they didn’t fully understand the weight of it yet. They were very young and still learning.

That memory has often reminded me of young Christians.

Many have sincerely asked Jesus into their hearts. They’ve repented and begun their walk with God—but they are brand new. They don’t yet know much about His Word or fully understand what it means to grow in Christ. They are learning, little by little, week by week. And sometimes, like children with crayons on wallpaper, they make mistakes—not out of rebellion, but out of immaturity.

The apostle Peter speaks to this stage of growth:
“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation” (1 Peter 2:2 NLT).
Growth is expected. Maturity takes time.

In a recent conversation, I heard someone say about a new believer, “How can he call himself a Christian when he thinks and acts like that?” That kind of response misses the heart of God. Scripture reminds us,
“You who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently” (Galatians 6:1 NIV).
God’s heart is always restoration, not rejection.

Christians aren’t looking for condemnation. They’re looking for someone to love them, guide them, and walk with them as they grow. That’s one reason I started writing Fresh Manna—to help believers grow and mature in Christ. The goal isn’t perfection overnight; it’s steady growth and transformation through the Word and the Spirit.

Truth matters—but how we deliver it matters just as much. Truth can come as loving guidance or harsh judgment. Many young believers are already battling the accusing voice of the enemy. When fellow Christians pile on condemnation, some feel like failures and walk away from God. That’s why God’s Word says,
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NLT).

We must not be the ones who push people away from the very grace that saved us.

Every believer is at a different place in their journey. Some are in churches that don’t teach much Scripture. Some haven’t found a church yet. Others feel intimidated by the Bible or unsure how God could forgive their past. But God sees them differently. He sees the beginning of something beautiful.
“God…will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

Just like that parent who treasured a crayon drawing, God delights in the early steps of His children. He corrects—but always with love, patience, and purpose. And He calls us to do the same.

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” (Ephesians 4:2 NLT)

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to see others the way You see them—with patience, compassion, and hope. Teach us to be gentle with those who are growing, remembering how much grace You have shown us. Guard our hearts from judgment and fill us with Your love, so we can encourage and restore others with kindness. Help us walk alongside those who are new in their faith, pointing them to You with wisdom and humility. May our words build up, not tear down, and may our lives reflect Your goodness in all we do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Monday, 4 May 2026

Origins Interviews #008 - Riccardo Priolo

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Grace: The Day They Ate With God Fresh Manna by Pastor Tim Burt

Fresh Manna with Pastor Tim Burt  ...