A rainbow

This morning as I drove into work I saw a beautiful rainbow. There wasn't any rain, and the clouds were thin. Remarkably, the sun was to the right and the rainbow to the left. I was facing east. Usually when you are looking at a rainbow, the sun is at your back; but not this time. The rainbow was not very large, but its colors were vibrant.

The rainbow reminds us that God will never again destroy the world with water. That is God's covenant with mankind. Rainbows stand for promise and hope.

God placed his bow in the sky after He saved mankind from the evil of itself. It must have broken God's heart to see that the thoughts of all men were only evil continually. The devil never missed a trick, and he still isn't missing any. Anything and everything he can do to cause men to forsake God and righteousness, he will try. Too often he succeeds.

Last night as Jackie and I drove to church, we passed by Centennial High School. The soccer field up on the hill was filled with players and spectators. Have they not forgotten that God's people worship on Wednesday evening? The devil doesn't miss a trick. The world is an evil place.

Evil is turning this world upside down. Postmodern thinking along with Schuller's New Reformation have declared sin an outdated word in our society. Schuller believes the worst thing you can do in evangelism is to call attention to sin or to people being sinners. He thinks the only sin is when an individual thinks low of himself. Obviously we have no desire to offend people; but no one helps

Schuller's way makes man into his own god. Our personal view of ourselves is important, but it is NOT the only sin. The God of Heaven is the One who defines what is sin. It is untrue that Jesus never recognized sin or that He refrained from calling a sinner a sinner. He said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan." He constantly called the Pharisees "hypocrites." The message of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the twelve was "repent." Repent. Repent.

Noah preached repentance for one hundred years, but the people grew even more evil. God destroyed them for their evil hearts and lives. He wiped out the evil so that man could start fresh and clean from that evil environment.

There are times in our own lives when we must sweep out the ugly, so that the fresh and clean may live. Sweep out the immoral, the presumptuous, the false, and the hurtful. Let the good of God live on. Turn away from sin and turn to God.

God promised with the rainbow never to destroy the world with water. There is a destruction coming, but it will be fire (2 Peter 3) at the end of time. In the meanwhile, the blood of Jesus is at work, cleansing us from sin, and motivating us to live righteous lives.

The world is evil, but there is now hope in Christ. The love of God, the blood of Christ, and the truth of the Spirit all assure us that there is a better way than falling into destruction and ruin. We can live for God and love Him. We don't have to follow the easy path. We can make it into the ark of safety and live by following the Lord.

I was encouraged by the rainbow. It reminded me that God has a way of redemption for me.

Phil