How often have you had the opportunity to see a rainbow in the sky during or after a summer afternoon thunderstorm? It is a marvelous spectacle and one of many of God’s creations. The first mention of a rainbow appears in Genesis chapter 9. Although theologians differ on when God created the rainbow either ‘in the beginning’ or after the worldwide flood, we know for sure the meaning and significance of the rainbow was put in place after the flood.
God, creator of the universe and the earth, has a unique purpose for each of His creations. The purpose of most of God’s creations are not revealed to us, but several are. Each of His creations point us to God’s almighty power, His infinite knowledge, His Holiness, and His love, grace and mercy. When we see a rainbow in the sky, it is more than magnificent splendor, it is a reminder to the specific purpose as to why it is there. It is the sign of God’s promise to each of us on the earth that He will never again destroy the entire earth by a worldwide flood.
God has kept His promise and will continue to keep His promise. The rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant with us. It is a sign of His faithfulness to us even though we are anything but faithful to Him. He forever remains faithful.
As we find comfort in the assurance of God’s faithfulness, may we not forgot what brought along the destructive flood. “Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt.” (Gen.6:11-12 nlt) We find ourselves in the same place today, sins of corruption and violence in all walks of life before a Holy God, and still God is keeping His promise.
But that does not protect the world from future judgement. The Lord is going to return one day. Jesus explaining to His disciples said, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.” (Lk.17:26-27 nlt)
The rainbow was put in place, to remind us that God is faithful and “…. He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2Pt.3:9b) That is ‘why the rainbow’!
The book of Proverbs is not only a book of wisdom, but it is also a true picture of life. Take Proverbs 10:26 for example, “Lazy people irritate their employers.” (10:2a nlt) A picture that comes to life I’m sure we have all seen. Hopefully, you’re not in the picture. I can testify that the Proverb is true from experience in my retail management days. Much too often I had become irritated by someone who had not finished a job due to laziness. The effects of the unfinished job created extra work either for me or other associates taking us away from our responsibilities and limiting the overall effectiveness of the business. Laziness affects more than one person, or the job that was assigned to them.
Lazy people across the working landscape can create devastating disruption of services and work products. Delays, inefficient quality, and poor business reviews just to name a few. If not corrected and left to continue it will lead to a toxic environment threating employee moral that will spread and erode the current reputation of the business.
As Christians we are co-workers with God in the world He has created. We have a responsibility to be effective in whatever job we may have and not be lazy. God’s reputation is on the line with our on-the-job performance. He is the one who created work and who supplied us with our jobs. Our God is entrusting us to be His representative in the workplace wherever that may be. He places us where He has for a reason, His reason. Christians are to live their lives for Christ in the workplace in a way that will draw others to Him. Any activity or non-activity, such as laziness, that causes inefficient quality or a poor Christian review from our co-workers just might irritate God, and we would not want to do that.
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:1b-2 NLT
There is a misconception that when one decides to follow Jesus and trust Him for salvation all their problems go away. In our present-day vernacular, we would call that misinformation. What does go away is our destiny to a Christless eternity replaced by our assurance of an eternal life with Him in heaven. Certainly, to go through this life with Christ by our side is better than trying to do it without Him, but they are not without the problems that are common to everyone. The Lord will bestow a generous portion of His grace to those who are His just as he gives common grace to all mankind in the troubles of this world. But an extra level of grace and protection is needed for all who are His, because the truth is things are going to get heated and messy.
Christians can take comfort that the Lord knows us by name. Jesus ransomed us by His death on the cross. We are bought and paid for, we are his and He knows our names. The prophet Isaiah encouraged Israel that God knew them by name for they were His chosen people even though they were unfaithful to the point they would go into captivity. But the Lord would bring them out and continue to watch over them through the centuries up to and including our present day. When Christ rules on the earth during the Millenium Kingdom all the land God has promised Israel will be completed. (Ez.47:13-20) And He will be watching over them until that time comes.
As Isaiah encouraged the Jews of God’s protection, the same encouragement applies to Christians who have been ransomed by the blood of Christ. We are assured of His continual watchfulness throughout our lives. When the rivers of difficulties come our way God is there to help us maneuver through the currents. As we struggle in deep waters, perhaps because of our doing, He throws us life raft and pulls us out. The most difficult struggles that are sure to come is the blowback Christians face for being obedient to the Lord and standing up for the truth of the gospel. It is the fire of oppression Isaiah refers to. But our God sees all that comes our way. The fire may hurt, but the flames will not consume us. The Lord tells us not to be afraid, but to remember we are His and He knows us by name.
“In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” Luke 15:10 NLT
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We have come to the last week of Jesus’ parables with three more all concerning the lost and found. These parables are all aimed at the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. They despised the tax collectors and the sinners who always gathered around Jesus to hear Him teach and to eat with Him, but they despised Jesus even more. In telling these stories Jesus would contrast the Pharisees exclusiveness with His love and compassion for all including the outcasts of society. These parables relate to every person who has ever walked this earth and those who will walk it in the future. It is about the lost and found.
“So Jesus told them this story: ‘If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?’” (Lk.15:3-4 nlt) A familiar painting comes to mind which most of us seen with Jesus carrying a lost sheep over His shoulders. That one lost sheep represents you and I lost in our sin before we came to Christ. He calls and looks for each of us individually. It’s not a group thing, it’s you by yourself and it’s me by myself. Jesus says, “…. there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” (Lk.15:7 nlt) It’s about you and me, the lost and found.
In the next parable, Jesus speaks of a woman who lost one of her ten silver coins. There were many women who followed Jesus, and this would be of considerable interest to them. A silver coin in those days was a day’s wages and she lost it somewhere in her house. She lights a lamp in the dark one room dwelling and sweeps until she finds it. When she finds the coin, she calls her friends to rejoice with her for finding what was lost. Jesus’ heavenly meaning in this earthly story is, “In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” (Lk.15:10 nlt) Again there is rejoicing in heaven over one individual who has come to Christ.
Jesus is not yet finished on this subject and to drive the point home, He tells a third parable. “…. Jesus told them this story: A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.” (Lk.15:11-12 nlt) This parable, known as the ‘Parable of the Prodigal Son’, is the most familiar of all Jesus’ parables. It also has more than one heavenly meaning. The younger son was greedy and impatient wanting his share of his father’s estate while he was still alive. This would have been extremely rare but not unheard of. The father would need to sell off part of his property up to a third, which was the portion allotted to a younger son. The father had done that, perhaps unwisely, and his son took the money and ran. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.” (Lk.15:13 nlt)
The younger son blinded by greed and selfishness failed to remember a few important things about life. Good times don’t last forever. A party life will eventually lead to ruin. Money disappears quickly when spent frivolously. And, of course, everything comes to an end. His end came sooner than expected and during the worst possible time, a serve famine. It is often during these times prodigals of all ages, both men and women, hear from the Lord and come to their senses. The fun-loving partying son finally came to his senses and started his way back home. Upon his return he would confess his foolishness to his father and ask to take a position as one of his father’s hired servants. But the father had other plans. And our heavenly Father has other plans for us when we foolishly run away from Him. “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” (Lk.15:20 nlt) This parable is sometimes referred to as the ‘Parable of the Father’s Love’, and we can see why.
The father demands a celebration be held in honor of his son’s return. All were enjoying the celebration with music and dancing. But there was one who did not celebrate by refusing to join the party. The older brother was furious at his father’s actions that he would welcome his brother back and with a party after what he had done. He looked at his brother as unworthy of such a celebration and forgiveness. A lesson directed right back at the Pharisees who thought those tax collectors and sinners were unworthy to eat with Jesus.
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These three parables of the lost and found show the Lord’s love for each one of us. We are all lost in our sin, and He and all of heaven rejoices when we turn to Him for salvation and for forgiveness when we go astray. As the father in the parable explained to his other son, “We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found” (Lk.15:32 nlt)
“Nearly one in four people worldwide — which translates into more than a billion people — feel very or fairly lonely, according to a recent Meta-Gallup survey of more than 140 countries. Although many calls to reduce loneliness are focused on older adults, majorities of those aged 45 and older do not feel lonely at all, while less than half of those younger than 45 say the same.” (1)
Loneliness affects people of all ages, but as seen above surprisingly the younger generation experience loneliness at a higher percentage than older adults. I will try to stay off my soapbox here, but it is amazing to me with all the technology and social media to facilitate communication that younger people would be lonelier. Perhaps, that is part of the problem. A recent google search reveals, “63% of people on social media report being lonely, 40% of people on social media report feeling anxious or depressed after using it, 61% of younger people in the U.S. say they are chronically lonely.” The bottom line is that people were created to be relational.
We are created in the image of a relational God. We were created to be relational with our fellow human beings, in person and part of society and not living in isolation. Sin has left a void, a large gap of loneliness, between us and our creator. That void needs to be filled first and foremost. A major cause of loneliness in the world today is the feeling of not belonging to anyone. You have no home that satisfies you to call your own. Well, God is calling you home. “(He) makes a home for the lonely.” (Ps.68:6a nasb)
The Lord God has made it possible through Jesus Christ His Son for you to have a sense of belonging and for your home to be in the kingdom of heaven. By accepting Christ as your savior, confessing your sin, and trusting Him for salvation the void is filled, and you are at home. You now have family members who long to see you to encourage you and for you to encourage them. Living life together with other Christians of like faith in a local church prevents you from slipping again into loneliness, it is a home for the lonely, both for the young and the old.
The term ‘bucket list’ has been gaining popularity over the last few years since its conception twenty-five years ago. In 1999 Justin Zackham, an American and British screenwriter, using the phrase ‘kick the bucket’ pertaining to death created his own ‘bucket list’ of things he wanted to accomplish before he died. Number one on his list was to get a screenplay made at a Hollywood studio. He eventually wrote the screenplay for the movie ‘The Bucket List’ in 2007 starring Jack Nicholson and Morgen Freeman which increased its popularity. Since then, the concept of putting together a list of things one wants to do has been adopted by many people, especially those of the older generation.
Preparing a bucket list for some people involves careful planning, thinking through every detail to what, when, and where. Then there are others who don’t hesitate in crafting their list, it’s a no brainer, I’m going to do it. Preparing a bucket list for your life should be an on-going project for everyone, especially Christians whatever our age. Stanford Medicine reports the following, “The focus of a bucket list is to live a life with hopes and aspirations. Making a bucket list allows us to reflect on our values and goals and identify important milestones and experiences that we want to have in our lifetime.” (1) And I would like to add that we consult with God, our creator, with what’s on His bucket list for us to accomplished before He calls us home. We don’t want to leave any unfinished business.
God had a few things on His bucket list for Joshua in his senior years. Joshua was charged with leading Israel in conquering the land God had given them. He was to divide the land seeing that each tribe got their portion. The Lord said to Joshua, “You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered.” (Jos.13:1b nlt) There was still much of the Lord’s work to be done. This may have been the last item on Joshua’s bucket list from the Lord. He would not be able to physically complete the conquering of the land, but he could give instructions to those who would come after him while he divided the land for them. Joshua’s bucket list from the Lord was filled.
So, what’s on your bucket list? Have you left room for God’s items to be added? We may not be able to accomplish everything on our list, but with God’s help we can fill His bucket list He has assigned us so none of His work will go undone.
“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart.” Job 22:21-22 NIV
Occasionally encouraging and direct words are spoken from an unlikely source whose intent was not to encourage but rebuke. Such an occasion occurred in the Old Testament book of Job. The man Job had gone through the lost of his family and all his possessions almost instantaneously by the hand of Satan by God’s permission. (Job 1:1-2:13) He was visited by his three friends to mourn with him and provide comfort. Their heart was in the right place for they did so for seven days without saying a word. They should have remained silent because what followed was their interpretation of Job’s circumstances, saying that he had sinned.
Sadly, some Christians today in their effort to comfort those in times of trouble will point the accusing figure to some sin in others lives leading to the distress they are in. Surely it could have been sin that brought on the tragic events, and it may not have been, but was God’s plan for His purposes. The Bible states Job did not sin, but it was for God’s purpose He allowed Job to suffer. Job’s friends were convinced he must have sinned towards God and this dialogue with him makes up the content of the book of Job. Eliphaz, one of Job’s three friends, while accusing Job spouts out godly wisdom for all who have sinned and need to reconcile with God. Although it was good advice, Job didn’t need it for he did not sin. Nevertheless, the words spoken, even in an accusing state, are truthful and can be applied to fallen believers.
For all of us this passage from Job is right on in reconciling ourselves back to God when we do sin. Submitting to God will back the peace we lost with Him. Accepting the instructions He gives us in His Word will draw us closer to Him by keeping us on the straight and narrow, and laying up His words in our hearts will seal them helping us in our daily walk with Him.
“…… (Jesus) said to his disciples, ‘As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’” Matthew 26:1b-2 NLT
An idiom most of us have heard is ‘carved in stone’ meaning something is permanent and cannot change. It has been used to get a point across in accepting new rules or policies that have been adopted, which I admit I have used during my retail career. Some people view it as the opposite, believing things will always stay as they are, ‘carved in stone’ when that is not the case, I have used that as well. Point taken, when something is said to be ‘carved in stone’, it is nearly impossible to change, except by the original creator should they decide to change it.
God the Father had His plan for salvation ‘carved in stone’ from eternity past and nothing would be able to change it, not even an attempt to delay it. The Religious rulers of Jesus’ day, the leading priests and elders, were plotting to have Jesus killed. But they were afraid to attempt it during Passover in fear the people who supported Jesus might cause a riot. So, they decided to wait a week until after Passover. (Mt.26:3-5) They may have thought their plan was ‘carved in stone’, but God’s plan was also ‘carved in stone’ and it would not change.
Jesus predicted His death would occur at Passover. “…. he said to his disciples, ‘As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’” (Mt.26:1b-2 nlt) It was not the plan of the plotters, but God’s plan and it could not be overruled. Jesus is the perfect lamb of God without blemish that would be sacrificed at Passover. His death would do more than cover our sins but take them away permanently for those who trust in Him for salvation. (Jn.1:29) God’s plan, ‘carved in stone’!
“Then the LORD sent this message through the prophet Haggai: ‘Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?’” Haggai 1:3-4 NLT
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Christians have a whole different set of priorities than non-Christians, or do we? Afterall the Lord has richly blessed us, and we are more than willing to support the church financially, or are we? The Lord God has bestowed upon us natural gives of ability and certain spiritual gifts which, of course, we use in service for Him, well maybe not. Jesus Christ opened the door of salvation for us by dying on the cross and we are eager to open that door to others, I wish that were true. Now, all this may seem harsh, and I am not calling out anyone. It is for all of us who proclaimed the name of Christ to self-examine if we have misplaced priorities, me included.
After seventy years in captivity the Jewish people returned to Jerusalem. They restored worship and preceded to lay the foundation to rebuild the temple that was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. The work started with joy and praise to God for their return to the homeland, but soon the work was stopped due to opposition. It was during this time of hostility against them the Jews backed off rebuilding the temple. The focus became restoring their lives first even using the building material designated for the house of Lord for their own homes. The Lord sent the prophet Haggai to confront them and encouraged them to get their priorities in order and finish building the temple.
Christians today have as much opposition against them as the Jews of ancient days. It is just as easy for us to back off the Lord’s work. But we are reminded the Holy Spirit is with us and we need not be afraid or intimidated. The effects of misplaced priorities can have devastating results as the prophet Haggai explained to the Jews in Jerusalem. Concentrating only on themselves they were always lacking, coming up short. The Lord God did not bless their efforts. Haggai tells the people, “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!” (Hag.1:7 nlt) When we find ourselves in similar circumstances it just may be the Lord getting our attention to recognize our misplaced priorities.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2 NIV
No pain, no gain is accurately applied to the struggling person in a rigorous exercise program either to lose weight or achieve an athletic goal. The pain involved is overwhelming at times, but as time goes on you notice a change in your overall appearance, strength, and athletic ability. The pain became gain, and you are better for it. The same process works in your spiritual life. No pain, no gain. The difference is that it is not you that is initiating the pain but God through His hand and His pruning shears. And the results are the same, you will be better for it.
In Jesus’ Farewell Discourse to His disciples the night before His crucifixion He covered many topics of which one was ‘bearing fruit’. Using an agricultural example Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” (Jn.15:1 niv) The very essence of being able to bear fruit for Christ or do anything in life is to remain in Him. Jesus also said, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn.15:5b niv) Your success in life and your ability to grow spiritually is to remain in Christ.
Just as a gardener prunes a vine to remove dead branches, bubs, and leaves that are unproductive cutting it back for future growth, the Lord God removes from us what is unproductive and hindering our growth in Christ. He uses His pruning shears to cut away anything that is not pleasing to Him pruning us in a way that alters our behavior to be more like Christ through circumstances He allows us to go through. Notice the gardener will cut off every branch that doesn’t produce any fruit. These non-producing branches are those who professed Christianity but show no visible signs of it. Take note Jesus also says those branches that are bearing fruit, true believers in Christ, are still subject to pruning. The goal is spiritual growth in Christ, so don’t resist God’s pruning shears, remember no pain, no gain.
Word for the Soul 