Covenant

One Single Rainbow

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:12‭-‬13 ESV

This week a group from our church made a trip to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. It was interesting how they came back with wonderful stories of their time together and just a little bit about the Ark itself. I thought that fitting as the idea of finding the Ark of Noah has been embedded in the imagination of countless generations of both Christian and non-Christians alike. But even if one day someone finds the actual wooden structure of the ark it really wouldn’t change a thing. Believers would still believe and unbelievers would still be doubting.

You might think that a bit harsh but consider that God did leave us a sign of His faithfulness in the clouds. It is called a rainbow. Everyone over the age of five has seen at least one rainbow in the sky in their lifetime and few remember who put it there. God left us this beautiful yet fleeting sign of His eternal love and kindness. How many will see it and believe? But it is still a great experience to go take a trip to the Ark encounter for yourself. You won’t be sorry ( and be sure to check out the nearby Creation museum.) It is a trip worth taking, but far less spectacular than one single rainbow!

Poured Out

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I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowels. Psalm 22:14 KJV

When we are singing “It is well with my soul” we should always remember the price of what we are singing about. As a teenager I always loved the Christmas presents I got from my stepmother. She bought me beautiful expensive clothes, but she always left the price tag on! She didn’t mind spending the money, but she wanted to be sure that I treated her gifts other special care!

In the garden Jesus said that His soul was sorrowful unto death. He agonized in prayer in order to accept the suffering of the cross. He asked if there were any other way and then sweat ran down His face like great drops of blood. Just hours after

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He had finished praying, Jesus was nailed to the cross. The Bible tells us that He was poured out like water. Last, the spear pierced His side and the last drop of the lifeblood of Jesus flowed down to the ground. What a price He paid for us!  Maybe like me you will go to church this Good Friday and receive communion. Jesus said that each time we receive the bread and drink from the cup we are to remember His death until He comes. Jesus is not angry that our sin drove Him to the cross rather in love He chose a way of  leaving the price tag attached so we would know the price of His gift.

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Why a Rainbow?

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

I do set my bow in the clouds and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13

After Noah came out of the ark the first things he did was to offer a sacrifice and to worship God. In response God made a covenant promise and gave Noah the rainbow as a visible sign of His invisible promise. What strikes me is that for Noah to see God’s special sign, he had to respond immediately. Rainbows do not sit around waiting to be seen. Because rainbows appear and then disappear in a single minute we need Nosh needed to put down everything he was doing to see it. For us to see what God is up to in our life we must do the same. If we have asked God for an answer, He just might show up with a rainbow. Are you ready to drop everything you are doing to put your focus on Him? To see the beauty of the rainbow we must look up when God chooses to send it. To see the visible sign of the invisible promise of God we must be ready at a moment’s notice. The most beautiful rainbows come and go at their appointed times not when we can work them into His schedule!