Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. As I sit here my mind goes back over the past year and there are so many things that took place, good and bad that have impacted our lives. Just remember this; God created all things. Now let that resonate in your spirit for a while.
Today’s Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, as we review the events of this past year, we need to ask Your forgiveness, for too often we who call ourselves Your people must have grieved You! We have often stood by silently. Meanwhile our streets, homes, and schools are unsafe. Although our children have been taught Your laws at church and at home, they are often victims of others who are uninformed and undisciplined. Help us to see that absolute freedom can only bring chaos to a society, for no nation can long survive with each person doing his or her own thing! Help us to see that as Christians we too are citizens, and thus we have a responsibility to speak out on important issues. Give us the courage we need, for fear that we fail You, ourselves, and our children, and become a party to our nation’s downfall. In Jesus wonderful name we pray, Amen.
Let’s eat.
The Bow and the Cloud
The Bow in the Cloud
Genesis 9:8-17
Then God told Noah and his sons, “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.” Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”
Grace, the Cloud without a Bow
Luke 21:25-28
“And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”
Judgment, the Bow without a Cloud
Revelation 4:1-3
Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow.
Glory
The First is the symbol of God’s present attitude toward man.
The Second is the symbol of what God will do hereafter.
The Third is the symbol of the Eternal Glory
Quote of the Day
The Christian is the person who sees every time and every situation, however dreary and repetitive, as God sees it – a fresh creation from his hand, demanding its own response in perhaps a wholly new and creative way. Under God he is free over it. He has won through to a purchase over events; he has risen with Christ.
Evelyn Underhill
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REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
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James H. Taylor Sr. – Kankakee City News has published my Daily meal message for a decade.