Light & Momentary: New Beginnings!

What do you think of when you see a rainbow?  Do you think of a leprechaun guarding his pot of gold?  Or the symbol of the gay pride movement?  Or Rainbow Brite?  Perhaps.

I think of New Beginnings. Consider this (Gen 9:8-16):

 ⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ⁹ “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you ¹⁰ and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”  ¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

A covenant is a promise; in this case, God made a promise to us and all living creatures that He will never again destroy the earth by a flood.  God destroyed the earth because He was displeased with the wicked and evil nature of humans (Gen 6:5, 12, 13).  When the earth dried up, Noah, his family, and all living creatures exited the ark  to start a New Beginning (Gen 8:16-19).

God is all about New Beginnings.  His mercies are new every morning (Lam 3:22-23).  We become new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17-18).  We renew our minds when we choose not to conform to the world (Rom 12:2).  And most of all, God activated the New Covenant with us when He sent his son Christ Jesus to forgive us for our sins (Jer 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:7-13).

Is it "raining" in your life?  Are you ready to see the rain dry up and the rainbow shine through?  Is it time for a new beginning?  Do not let fear hold you back.  Fear of leaving a toxic, long-term relationship.  Fear of leaving your job to start school.  Fear of moving to a new city.  Fear of doing what is right at the risk of losing friends.  God wants to give you a fresh start.

Memory Verse: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)

A picture of a double rainbow taken by my mother after a downpour on 3.25.2012