This has been a down and up day for me.. This morning I got the
results of one of my tests from yesterday and it showed a white blood
cell count of 50+ which is way over what it is supposed to be.. it was
not a great way to start the day.
This afternoon we went on another bike ride on the Cowichan
Valley Trail and although we have ridden this trail 5 or 6 times, today
I saw something I have not seen before although we have surely passed
it by every time. I guess I have been concentrating on the trail and
missed what was in the farm yards just beyond the side of the trail. So
here is what I saw:
What a cute little pony! I liked that it was looking right at me. Kind of chubby but cute just the same.
We
went our usual distance and on the way back my husband was, as usual,
way in front of me. I saw something dash across the trail in front of
him and learned later that it was a rabbit. I am thankful that my
husband was not close enough to hit it.
We
also passed two ladies walking 5 dogs which were on leash.. This was a
nice change from the last time we rode when there were a couple of
off-leash dogs. The ladies stopped as we approached and waited until we
passed. I thanked them for doing so.
But
the "just in time" was something that would have scared me if I were
riding the trail. A fellow on a mountain bike came speeding onto
the staging area and sped on down the trail at a terrific speed. I was
happy that my ride was finished before he hit the trail. I do not know
why he was going so fast, but I do wonder how the 5 dogs reacted unless
he slowed down when he saw them.
You never know what the day will bring.
What does a rainbow bring to your mind? My first thought is of
Genesis 9:13-16, where the LORD God establishes his covenant between God
and “every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth” and
what is this covenant? V13-16 “I do set my bow in the cloud,
and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the
bow shall be seen in the cloud: 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.”
In this passage, the rainbow is the sign of God’s covenant that no
more would the earth be destroyed by a flood as it was in the days of
Noah and the ark. How many of us since then have looked upon the
rainbow and marveled at its beauty.
Then there is the old Sunday School song, Mr. Noah Built An Ark. I
wonder if children still sing this song in these days? The latter part
of the song says “whenever you see a rainbow, remember God is love.”
But of course, God is so much more than love. When I shared this song
with my granddaughter when she was little, we used to sing “whenever
you see a rainbow, remember God loves you.” So the rainbow had special
meaning for me because my granddaughter still remembers that God loves
her when she sees a rainbow. Here is a rainbow as I like to think of
it, the rainbow in the clouds, the sign of God’s covenant and his love.
But now there is a new meaning for the rainbow, and this saddens me.
The rainbow has become a symbol of the gay community. I have no clue
why they chose a rainbow and I wonder, as time passes, how many people
will remember that the rainbow was originally a sign of the covenant God
made, or may have heard the Sunday School song and remembered that God
is love? or will they more remember what it is a symbol for now?
It’s not my purpose in writing this piece to say anything more
regarding the gay community, except to say that I am saddened that
this beautiful rainbow has become a symbol of something which God does
not approve of, enough said.
I would just like to quote the final verse from the song Mr. Noah Built an Ark..
Jesus died upon a tree
Jesus died for you and me
Go into the ark and you will be
Safe for all eternity.
Whenever you see a rainbow, whenever you see a rainbow, whenever you see a rainbow, remember God is love.
And what do these words mean? The Lord Jesus was crucified upon a
cross, shedding his precious blood and taking upon himself the
punishment for sin, dying on the cross, being buried and then rising
from the grave. He is the one and only risen Saviour, the Son of God.
Go into the ark means this: all have sinned, and you know in your heart
that this means you too. Believe that the Lord Jesus was crucified,
that he shed his precious blood and took the punishment for your sins
upon himself. Trust in Jesus to save you, and you will be saved for all
eternity.
So if you have followed the tag “gay community” and planned on
berating me for making this post about the rainbow, I hope that instead,
you have realized your need of the Saviour, and that you have trusted
in him.
vcg/June 2016
John 3:1-19
In the darkness Nicodemus stands listening to the Lord Jesus. This deeply religious man has been told by the Lord that to see God's kingdom he must be born again. To enter God's kingdom Nicodemus for all his religion, must be the recipient of a spiritual birth brought about by God, the Holy Spirit. V5 "..verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Jesus taught this religious man that true religion is being born again. Jesus teaches that the true religion is being born again. Jesus teaches Nicodemus that God initiates this new birth, and Jesus teaches Nicodemus that to be born again is absolutely essential. It is not an optional extra experience that some Christians have and others don't. You must be born again or you cannot see God's kingdom.
We must remember that Jesus is talking to this man who is a religious pharisee. The pharisees liked to be in complete control of their religion. That is why Jesus says in V8 that Nicodemus has as much control over being born again as he did over the wind. V8 "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." You must be born again. Jesus says that in V7 "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." did you know that this Greek verb means that it is an action completed in the past..it is a passive verb. You don't do it. To be born again is something that God does to you. To be born again is of God. John 1: 12-13 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Born of God. The new birth is of God. Nicodemus is astounded and he says "how can these things be"
To be born again is hard to understand: This religious man cannot understand the kingdom of God because he is not born again. He doesn't have spiritual life. The person who is not born again is a natural man (1 Corin 2:14) who receives not the things of the spirit of God, they are foolishness to him, neither can he understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Jesus says in V10 "..Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?" Master means teacher. Of Israel means renowned in Israel. Jesus tells Nicodemus that he is a renowned teacher among God's people and yet he was ignorant in these matters.
Nicodemus should have had a knowledge of what it says in Ezekiel 36:26 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." God is going to take way hearts of stone and give living hearts of flesh. That is God in the old testament talking about the creation of spiritual life within people being born again. Nicodemus was a spiritual leader who was unacquainted with the basics of spiritual life. In V9-13 Jesus goes on to say that these things are real, they can be explained. People being born again change from the inside out. How these things originated in heaven in God's plan and purpose, Nicodemus doesn't understand. Jesus said that he was in heaven and that he had planned it all.
