Thought of the Day !!

When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth."
Genesis 9:14-16 (NLT)

Whenever we look at a rainbow we can be reminded of God's promise of "Never Again". "Never again will the flood waters destroy all life." We can also be reminded of God's love. The world had become absolutely wicked and filled with violence. And God punished humanity by sending the flood. But it was God's love for humanity as a whole that saved it through Noah and his family.

I believe we can be reminded of God's mercy as well. This covenant that God gives to us has no "if-then" clauses. The promise to never again destroy the world is not dependent on anything we do or don't do. God simply says that He will never again send the flood waters. I also believe that this doesn't just mean that He won't destroy the earth by water next time, but that He won't destroy the world. In chapter 8 God says:

And the LORD was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, "I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. - Genesis 8:21

I believe that the rainbow can remind us that there is hope for a future as well. Even though God punished humanity, He said never again. And with that comes hope for our future here on earth, as well as when we leave this place.

And finally, I am reminded of how God grieves over those of us who are lost. The flood waters destroyed the earth because of God's wrath...His anger. But I think that there's much more to it than that. I've heard it said to children that when it rains it's God crying. Obviously, this isn't true. But think if it were. Think about how many tears it would've taken to flood the earth. I believe that God grieved heavily for every single person and animal that He'd created and had become wicked or had to be destroyed. And then I'm reminded that every time I sin, I grieve my Father in Heaven as well.

The next time you see a rainbow, stop and think about what it can remind you about the promises of God.

In the love of Christ,
greg