“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.” Genesis 9:13-15 (ESV) What’s at the end of the rainbow? There’s no need to look for a pot of gold. When you get to the end of the rainbow, you will discover the ultimate Promise Keeper. God keeps His Word! God is trustworthy! The sinfulness of man had saturated the earth so God chose to saturate the earth in judgment by flooding the earth. Only Noah and his family survived due to God’s provision of the ark. Noah joined God in His activity by obeying God’s instructions to build the ark and to fill the ark. God accomplished His mission through Noah’s obedience. God produced a visible sign of His covenant relationship with us. He set the rainbow in the cloud as a demonstration of His covenant relationship. God is the ultimate Promise Keeper. God demonstrated His grace by preserving humanity and providing for the salvation of Noah’s family. God has taken the initiative to bring us into the ark of safety by grace alone through our faith in Jesus alone. Our salvation is secure in Jesus because of His completed work on the cross on our behalf. Jesus took the punishment for our sin and satisfied the justice of God. God has given us His Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Eph. 1:13-14). Have you entered the ark of God’s safety by placing your faith in Jesus alone for salvation? Are you willing to invite others to come to know the Promise Keeper personally? Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Category: Noah
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Heb 11:7 (NIV) Making decisions about things not seen requires faith. However, faith is not walking in the dark. Faith is taking God at His Word and trusting Him to do what He says He will do. Faith is being confident that God honors obedience. Faith is walking in the light God gives you. Noah was willing to build a boat even though it had never rained. In the natural, constructing an ark made no sense. To his neighbors, the process of building such a massive floatation vessel was foolish. They did not see the need. Yet, Noah was operating in holy fear. Noah revered God and wanted to do whatever was needed to save his family. Noah’s faith in God and his holy fear of God motivated him to embark on a major construction project to demonstrate instant obedience. What decisions are you praying through right now? Have you patiently waited upon the Lord to hear from Him? Has God given you a clear sense of direction? Obey what God has already revealed to you. Trust God to show you the next step. Maybe God is calling you to do something that, in the natural, makes no sense. God will never ask you to do anything that He won’t equip you to do. God’s provision always matches His assignment. Discern what God wants you to do and then activate your faith by obeying what God shows you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 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.” Genesis 9:13-15 (ESV) What’s at the end of the rainbow? There’s no need to look for a pot of gold. When you get to the end of the rainbow, you will discover the ultimate Promise Keeper. God is keeps His Word! God is trustworthy! The sinfulness of man had saturated the earth so God chose to saturate the earth in judgment by flooding the earth. Only Noah and his family survived due to God’s provision of the ark. Noah joined God in His activity by obeying God’s instructions to build the ark and to fill the ark. God accomplished His mission through Noah’s obedience. God produced a visible sign of His covenant relationship with us. He set the rainbow in the cloud as a demonstration of His covenant relationship. God is the ultimate Promise Keeper. God demonstrated His grace by preserving humanity and providing for the salvation of Noah’s family. God has taken the initiative to bring us into the ark of safety by grace alone through our faith in Jesus alone. Our salvation is secure in Jesus because of His completed work on the cross on our behalf. Jesus took the punishment for our sin and satisfied the justice of God. God has given us His Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Eph. 1:13-14). Have you entered the ark of God’s safety by placing your faith in Jesus alone for salvation? Are you willing to invite others to come to know the Promise Keeper personally? Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 3: Genesis 8-11) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Heb 11:7 (NIV) Making decisions about things not seen requires faith. However, faith is not walking in the dark. Faith is taking God at His Word and trusting Him to do what He says He will do. Faith is being confident that God honors obedience. Faith is walking in the light God gives you. Noah was willing to build a boat even though it had never rained. In the natural, constructing an ark made no sense. To his neighbors, the process of building such a massive floatation vessel was foolish. They did not see the need. Yet, Noah was operating in holy fear. Noah revered God and wanted to do whatever was needed to save his family. Noah’s faith in God and his holy fear of God motivated him to embark on a major construction project to demonstrate instant obedience. What decisions are you praying through right now? Have you patiently waited upon the Lord to hear from Him? Has God given you a clear sense of direction? Obey what God has already revealed to you. Trust God to show you the next step. Maybe God is calling you to do something that, in the natural, makes no sense. God will never ask you to do anything that He won’t equip you to do. God’s provision always matches His assignment. Discern what God wants you to do and then activate your faith by obeying what God shows you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” Gen 6:9 (NIV) God’s workmanship included Noah. When we meet him in Scripture, we are drawn to Noah because he is the kind of daddy every child desires. He is in right standing with God and other people. Noah lives in harmony with God. He walks with God. It sounds like Noah is a finished product. When we read about him in this verse, it appears that Noah has arrived. Where can he go from here? Yet, God takes Noah on an aquatic journey that is preceded by a perpetual dry season. As God’s workmanship, Noah has to learn how to trust God when circumstances do not make sense and delays are as frequent as the shifting shadows. Noah’s life becomes a consistent pattern of waiting. Can you relate? Are you agonizing over something in your life that seems to linger? Waiting does not come naturally to us. We live in a high tech world that delivers information faster than the blink of an eye. We expect instant responses and instant results. Yet, God does not seem to be on our timetable. Could it be that part of being God’s workmanship includes more than just us employing good works? Maybe God wants us to see His value in the process more than the finished product. Maybe it’s not so much about the ark. Maybe it’s more about what is on the inside of the ark. God is really passionate about the interior of our lives. While you are waiting, God is working! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care