Tag: rainbow

35.y. “Keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart”

 

 

Genesis 9:8  Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

 Isaiah 54:9-10   “This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you.  For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

 Deuteronomy 7:9    Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

 1 Kings 8:23   and said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart;

 Psalms 106:45   For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

God-established covenant(s) are never broken. His covenants with man show His great mercy and love for His creation. It is through this love and mercy we have communion with the one and only Almighty God. Communicating this covenant to mankind displays His want to have communion with His creation. He has given us free will to choose to have communion with Him. Though we may break our side of the covenant by rejecting or denying His covenant with us, God will never break His covenant with us. 

He is steadfast, abounding in love and mercy, and wanting that no one perishes due to sin and rejection of Him.  He continually calls out to every soul, knocking on their hearts and minds saying let Me into your life, let Me guide your paths, let me bless your humble service, obedience, reliance, trust, and faith, let Me give you strength for tomorrow, let Me give you hope, joy, peace, love, courage, and power, let Me be your rock, fortress, and refuge, let me be light in the darkness, let Me redeem and forgive your sin through the blood of My Son who gave His life so that you may eternal life………Let Me In.

God has given man free will to choose to open the door to their hearts and minds. Those that intentionally open this door to their hearts and minds there is given a covenant promise of eternal life. Many though do not fully open this door, but rather keep it closed and deafen their ears to the knock upon it, or they think they can open the door just enough to catch a glimpse of God on the other side but never fully open the door.  Though they may stand at the door with God, it seems as though they have lost grip on the door handle or the ability to open it. The covenant promise of eternal life will never be theirs. The door must be fully opened with an expectant and desiring heart to want to have communion with God, laying aside all self-worth and self-reliance. How many people open the door to their lives just a crack on Sunday mornings and never think about opening it any other time of the week? This is not opening the door but rather just staying on your side of the door and keeping God on the other side. There is no covenant promise that bridges this closed door. The covenant promise of eternal life is only realized when the door is torn from its hinges by YOU and thereby letting God have free reign in and through your life. He has promised to never leave or forsake a person who has removed the door to the governance and leading of their lives to Him.  This is what faith in Him does, it not only removes the door, it tears it from the hinges and casts it away never to be hinged again.

7.f. No more delay

Revelation 10:1  Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

We see an interlude in here.  It is not as though there is a gap in time between the judgments of God, but rather an explaining of something, kind of like how we would use parenthesis.  When we read in verse 6 that there should be no more delay, we have to wonder if what is about to transpire has to do with what the martyred had said, “How long, O Lord….until You judge and avenge our blood….?  At that time, the Lord’s answer was that they should wait a little while longer.  But now He is saying that the wait is over.  Judgment is about to be completed.  There will be no more delay in the fulfillment of the seventh trumpet.  John was not allowed to write down what he saw but what ever it was the mystery of God would be fulfilled. No more delay.  Those in heaven and on earth will see the mystery of God will be fulfilled.  I am not sure what this mystery will reveal.  Will it be a fuller understanding of His grace, mercy, and love, or will it be more understanding of the righteousness of His judgment, wrath, and anger on those who have rejected His grace, mercy and love?  Do you ever think about those who resist His grace, mercy and love?  They resist with harden hearts of stone, deaf ears, and turned backs.  I wonder what I may be resisting in my life.  Am I resisting giving all my soul, heart, and mind and strength?  Am I resisting by not actively listening to what the Holy Spirit is whispering into my mind through the Word of God?  Am I resisting an act of kindness, a kind word, or a word of encouragement to someone God has place in my life?  Am I resisting seeking His guidance?  Am I resisting time in His word?  Am I resisting being a humble servant?  Am I resisting trusting in and cling to Him.  Am I resisting obedience?  We all do well to search our heart and mind for the resistance toward living fully and totally for God that is there and actively pursue eliminating it from our life.

6.n “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.

Revelation 4:2   At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

In the spirit, John sees a throne with 24 elders seated around this throne.  There are also 4 living creatures around the throne.  They never cease saying “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”  When these living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks the 24 elders fall down and worship Him, who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before His throne saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.”

Some commentaries explain the 24 elders as the 12 patriarchs of Israel and the 12 apostles.  Whoever they are and what whatever the 4 living creatures are it is what they do that is most important.  They give absolute praise.  In His presence, there is nothing else that seems worthy of their attention.  In His presence, they are in awe continually.  They are fully aware of creation and the fact that all things were created by His will.  Do you ever wonder why we get distracted so much that we can go hours or even days without giving heart, mins, and soul-deep praise, thanks, and worship?  We get so caught up in the things of this world and the busyness of life that the One who is worthy of all our praise, thanks, and worship.  We are shown these things for many reasons, and for sure one of those reasons is to focus our eyes, heart, mind on Him who is worthy.   What we do with what we see and have seen, and what we hear and have heard from the Spirit of God, we will be held accountable for how we respond.  If we live with our heart, mind, and soul given over to things of this world, and living for things of this world rather than for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ we will have lived unworthy of that to which we have been given through Jesus Christ.  Ask God to open the eyes of your heart, mind, and soul to His majesty, power, and creation.  You will then just begin to understand the awesomeness of God.