THE RAINBOW – GOD’S COVENANT WITH THE WORLD

THE RAINBOW – GOD’S COVENANT WITH THE WORLD

In Genesis 9:15-16, God told Noah and his sons, “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.”

The rainbow is a beautiful token of the Lord that continues to testify of the covenant that He made with the world and all flesh (Genesis 9:11-13). It is a perfect reminder of our Lord’s protection and the keeping of His promises. In 2 Peter 3:3-6, Peter speaks of scoffers of the word who, in the last days, will deny the creation and the flood. This has most assuredly begun. In just the past one hundred and fifty years, creation has been mocked by many and replaced by theories of inorganic evolution and spontaneous generation. The flood has been denied as a universal event and is affirmed to be nothing more than a legendary story of oral tradition that has made its way into the holy Scriptures. The testimony of both creation and the flood has been forgotten by many in the world. Reflections about the rainbow sign have also been corrupted. Some people now view it as a symbol of homosexual pride and gay “rights.” This “view” shows total disrespect to the Creator who designed sexual relationships to be in marriage between male and female (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 5:2; cf. Matthew 19:4). To corrupt the symbol of His covenant by associating with such a despicable and ungodly manner of life is purely vile and disgraceful.

Even though man might forget the promise God gave through the rainbow, the Lord has not forgotten. He is not slack concerning His promises, and He will follow through with them. Our Lord is long suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He will save those who serve Him just as He will surely destroy those who are disobedient (2 Thessalonians 1:3-10; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). God’s rainbow should cause us to appreciate the surety of His promises (Hebrews 6:10-19; cf. Romans 15:8; 2 Corinthians 1:20).

GOD LOVE'S US SO MUCH

HONOR

Ephesians 6:1-3 (NLT) Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

Honor = to value, to respect, view as precious, to give a heaviness or weightiness to something.

When we honor someone we revere them, we submit to them, we dignify them, we OBEY them and we respect them. These are attitudes as well as actions. When you honor someone, you recognize his/her importance (value or weightiness) and you respond to it.

Dishonor = to ignore, to view as trivial, to view as insignificant or unimportant, to disrespect.

Let’s get real… Has anyone ever ignored your parents? Viewed their request or question as unimportant? Viewed their authority in your life as insignificant? Has anyone disrespected your parents or those in authority over you? Has anyone ever treated the things of God as trivial or unimportant? Has anyone every goofed off during church or SURGE? Have you ever laughed in your parent’s faces (or behind their backs) about something they are asking you to do? Have you ever made fun of your parents… a teacher, a coach, a police man (ha ha he’s eating donuts)? Have you ever talked back to your parents? Have you ever stormed off in anger and slammed the door behind you? Yes! We all have. But you know what… It’s not OK. It’s not funny. Dishonor is hurting you and hurting this generation.

There is a story in the bible about Eli and his sons. I Samual 2:17 says “This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD’s sight, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.”

We live in a “whatever” generation. We live in a “it’s no big deal” culture. Everything is common. There is not much left in our world that is holy. Not much left that is worth honor in young people’s minds. We don’t know honor. We don’t know how to respect. And it’s costing us. It’s costing us BIG TIME.

I Samuel 2:30 says “But now the LORD declares: ‘Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.”

John 12:26 “Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”

I love this video clip about honor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBb-Jlgn1U

Roger that! Do we do that with God and things that are important to Him? Do we do that with our parents and those in authority over us? Clean up the dishes… roger that! Read the bible… roger that! Take out the trash… roger that! Reach out to someone… roger that! Give a lot… roger that! Michael Monsoor honored his country and team above all else. He gave everything! In return, his country gave him the highest medal of honor possible. In the same way, when we honor God (and His things) above all else… He honors us.

There are many ways that God honors us, but one of the highest honors that God gives us, is His presence. God is everywhere, but God’s presence isn’t manifested everywhere. There is a big barrier to him manifesting His presence… no honor. Lack of respect. No value for the things of God. But if we will honor Him… above all else, he will honor us. If you are not experiencing the presence of God on a regular basis you need to take a look at what you are honoring or dishonoring in your life. Honor God and He honors us.

Here are some practical ways we can put this honor thing into action…

Be Responsive… Roger That! When your parents (God, coach, teacher, pastor) ask you to do something or not to do something, respond to them immediately and fully. Don’t wait until they ask several times and are tired and frustrated. Don’t do only a part of what they have asked you to do. And don’t stop doing only part of what they asked you to stop doing. Let them know you hear them and value their instruction. Honor them by obeying in full. Colossians 3 says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”

 

Be Thankful. Your parents work very hard to provide food, a bed, a roof and other things for you. They train you and protect you. It is easy to take this for granted, but don’t! Think about every small thing they do for you, and honor them by thanking them on a regular basis. They are not perfect, but they love you very much and are doing their best to meet your needs. Especially thank them when they do something special for you.

Be Helpful. Don’t wait to be asked to help out…honor your parents by offering to help them on a regular basis. This can be simple things like helping with dinner, picking up trash on the floor when you see it, helping wash dinner dishes or entertaining a younger brother or sister when you see that your mom is trying to get something done. Pay attention and ask God to give you opportunities to bless your parents!

Be Open. Honor your parents by communicating with them. Talk to them and listen to them. Tell them about the good in your day and share with them about the hard things you go through. Ask them questions. Be willing to talk to them when you are upset and things need to be worked out between you and them. Be respectfully honest when you feel misunderstood or when you are upset about a decision they have made. Give your parents a chance to hear your heart and to work things out with you. If they don’t hear from you, they won’t know what is in your heart. Remember, they were kids once, too. Maybe they will understand better than you expect. Trust their love for you.

Be Forgiving. Your parents are not perfect and will definitely make mistakes sometimes. They may forget something that is important to you. They may get angry and lose their temper. They may not do something you want them to do, may seem unfair, may misunderstand you or even blame you for something you did not do. Remember, NONE of us are perfect. We ALL make mistakes. Honor your parent by being forgiving toward them and remember that they are doing the best they know how to do to take care of you. If you ask God, he will help you forgive them when you are disappointed or upset.

What does God really expect from me? Do I have to be perfect in order to please him?

When you look at Abel’s life (Genesis 4), do you ever think that you have to be perfect in order to please God?

Some people view God as an impossible taskmaster with impossibly high expectations. Ever think that way?

Here’s the deal: like any loving parent, God has expects his kids to act a certain way. (Think of your parents’ expectations for you.) Some Christians may tell you about God’s expectations based on where they are in their walk with him. An abundance of advice often contributes to the belief that God expects way too much. If you are feeling overwhelmed, you might be listening to others’ expectations, rather than God’s.

So, how can you please God? The story of Cain and Abel gives a significant piece to the puzzle. Both of these men brought something to God; yet only Abel’s sacrifice pleased God. One reason was because Cain’s heart was not really in his offering. He tried to please God out of obligation instead of love.

The first step in pleasing God is to examine our motivation for doing so. Do we really want to please him, or are we going through the motions because someone told us we should?

Obedience is the second step to pleasing God. It means loving him enough to listen to what he says, then following through on what we know he tells us to do.

Through the Holy Spirit, God speaks to us as we come to him with willing hearts. He gently shows us areas in our lives that we need to examine and change according to his timetable, not someone else’s.

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
(NIV Bible)
Recently I was deeply moved by the words of a little girl who emailed me to share how the message of Father's love had encouraged her. She told me how she had grown up in a home where her earthly father had told her that she was not wanted and her life was a mistake. The only thing I could do was to stare at the computer screen and weep. I wept for this little girl, and it seemed for a moment as if I was weeping for every child who had ever felt unwanted. I was so glad that the Father had encouraged her that she wasn't an accident, but was set apart to be His child. This revelation of Father's love seemed to reach down deep into this little girl's heart and provide her with a sense of belonging that she was looking for.
Many of us are no different than this little girl, for deep down inside each one of us we carry a basic need to be wanted and to have a sense of purpose in life. When we suffer rejection from those who were meant to love us, this very foundation is shaken. Emotional abandonment can steal what is rightfully ours our destiny and sense of purpose.
I believe it is Father's desire to let us know that our lives were not a mistake. In Psalm 139:15-16, it says our frame was not hidden from God in the secret place for He saw our unformed body. He cared enough for each one of us, that He took the time to write down each one of our days in His book. Your yesterday was written in God's book. Your today and tomorrow is also penned by the loving hand of your Heavenly Father. You are not just a number in His eyes, but one that is incredibly unique with a special purpose. You were not an accident, for someone is watching over you who loves you more than you could ever know.


PRAYER
Father, I thank You that Your eyes saw my unformed body when You made me in the secret place. Thank You that I have a special purpose in life and that all my days are written in Your book. Help me to always remember that it was You who planned my creation and not my parents. You wanted me to come into this world, and you have planned each day that I live. In the name of Your beloved Son, Jesus, I pray. AMEN.

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