Rainbow of Hope

And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.  

                                                                                                                  (Gen 9:8-17 KJV)

It has rained a lot here in Florida this past month. The water in my back yard is over my ankles. I do enjoy a nice rainfall but after awhile it can be a bit dreary. I can't begin to imagine what it would have been like to be stuck in a boat floating on endless water with the rain coming down for forty days knowing that the rest of humanity has been drowned. I am sure that near the end of that time I would have been thinking that I would be spending the rest of my life bobbing up and down in the stormy sea for the rest of my life. But, the rain does stop and God provides a rainbow which is a sign of the covenant he makes that he will never again destroy all of the people of the world in a flood.

Our lives can be flooded with misfortune from time to time. When we feel down the sight of a rainbow fills us with hope that the storm will subside as we are reminded of God's promise and not just the promise given in that covenant made with Noah. When I see the rainbow, I am always refreshed knowing that through Jesus we have a new covenant has been established for all people. By faith in Christ we have been reconciled to God our Father. 

"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."                                                                                                                   (Eph 2:12-13)

Thanks be to God for Jesus the Christ who is our hope and our salvation.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Rainbow Of Promise And Hope

 

"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” Gen 9:16 KJV

I haven't seen a rainbow in a few months. I, like most people, get tired and weary at times. Every once in awhile, I would like to see a rainbow to remind me that God is with me; to remind me of his promises; to remind me of His glory. In Ezekiel's visions of God he saw the glory of God. "As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.." Ezekiel 1:28

We have many dreary days; days when we just can't see the glory of God; days when there are no rainbows. There may be no rainbows today; but, we will always have the cross. In the cross there is always hope.

May God grant you eternal hope in the victory won for you on the cross by Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Riches

Treasure at the end of a rainbow?

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

                                                                                (Matt 13:44-46 NRSV)

It is has been said that one cannot reach the end of the rainbow. I beg to differ. Years ago, I was driving along U.S. 45 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and to my great surprise and delight witnessed the end  of a rainbow resting in a farmer's field. My heart was filled with joy at the sight of this occurrence which I had heard was impossible. 

Of course, being a wee bit Irish, I immediately thought of the mythical leprechauns who bury their pots of gold at the ends of rainbows and I smiled. But, what brought real joy to my heart was the gift of seeing this rainbow that God had promised up so close. It was a reminder to me of a treasure much greater than any silver or gold. It was a reminder that God is with us now and always. It was a reminder that, through the blood of Jesus, I and all who believe are heirs of the kingdom of heaven; a treasure much greater than anything that can be found here on earth.

Why seek riches in this world when we are already heirs of even greater riches? "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." (Col 3:1)  Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness... (Matt 6:33)

The kingdom of heaven is the treasure to be sought after. Yet, there is nothing that we can or have to do to receive it. There is nothing to dig up. There is no good work that we can do to gain this treasure. It rightfully belongs to all who believe that our beloved Lord sacrificed, himself on the cross, for us, that we might live in the kingdom of our God for all of eternity.

Rejoice then for the greatest treasure is ours; purchased through the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Discerning By Outward Appearance

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

Human beings tend to judge people by what they see on the outside and then give themselves no chance to see who they really are. Young people today (and probably many generations before) tend to think that people should accept them as they are with baggy pants, piercings all over their heads, low cut or see through shirts, torn jeans, and rainbow colored hair. Unfortunately, employers understand that their business will often be judged by how their employees appear and they will typically hire someone who appears more conservatively. Young people also have the age factor working against them. Many employers would like a bit more experience working for them. Fair or not; that is reality. Many people will not give themselves the opportunity to get to know you because they can't get past the outward appearance.

But, God does know you. He knows your every thought and action. He knows what is in your heart. When selecting the next king of Israel he told Samuel don't be anointing Eliab because of his appearance. Keep on looking; I will tell you which one to anoint. It was not the eldest that the Lord chose. Although, he was also very pleasing to look at, it was the youngest son of Jesse; a mere sheepherder that was chosen to be the next king of Israel.


God chooses whom he will choose. Thanks be to God! He does not discern by age or beauty as humankind does. He looks at the heart.

May the Lord our God soften our hearts so that we will not judge others by first impressions of outward appearances.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Covenant of Hope

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:13-16 NIV)

I have been listening to "Over the Rainbow" by Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwoʻole a lot lately. Iz was thirty-eight when he died in 1997. He had suffered many health problems during his life. In spite of his many health problems during his life, his music, especially this song, was filled with hope and with life. His music lives on.

God made a covenant with His people with the sign of the rainbow. He made a new covenant with us through the blood shed for us through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. There is always hope because we have Jesus as our Lord and our Savior.

As Hurricane Irma threatens the lives of property and many people, there is only one place that I know that I or anyone can go to in times like this to find comfort and reassurance. Only, at the feet of Jesus, can we find comfort and hope. Only at the feet of Jesus can we know a peace when danger is near.

May God grant comfort and peace to all who fear the coming days in the remembrance of the promise of life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

A Symbol Of Hope

"When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” Gen 9:16

I can't remember the last time I saw a rainbow. I am human. I get tired and weary at times. Every once in awhile, I would like to see a rainbow to remind me that God is with me; to remind of His promise; to remind me of His glory.  In Ezekiel's visions of God he saw the glory of God. "Like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the appearance of the splendor all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord."  Ezekiel 1:28

We have many dreary days; days when we just can't see the glory of God; days when there are no rainbows. There may be no rainbows today; but, we will always have the cross. In the cross there is always hope.

May God grant you eternal hope in the victory won for you on the cross, by Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Covenant With Hope

 

     "I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

     So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

                                                                                                                              Genesis 9:15-17

I cannot help but smile when I see a rainbow in the skies after a dark and rainy day. The darkness that often comes with rainy days brings about a gloominess all on its own. But, the rainbow brings us a brighter day. It is a source of hope. I wonder though, if the rainbow is really so beautiful in itself? Are we really so amazed at the show of colors and light or do we find it so beautiful because we know of its true source; because, we know of the covenant that is attached to its' presence?

Whatever the genuine reason is for the world to look upon the rainbow with hope and with joy, the fact is that it is a gift from God. It is a reminder that God watches over us. He is with us, even now, and desires that we should all live in hope of a blessed life in His presence.

The rainbow is God's sign of His covenant with all living creatures that life on earth would never again be so devastated by a flood. It pertains to life in this world. But, we have a new covenant sealed by the precious blood of Jesus. Whoever believes in him will be blessed with eternal life in His presence; in His Kingdom.

The sign of the rainbow may bring a smile to our faces; but, the sign of the cross brings us hope in eternal life.

God's Peace - Pr. J