Tuesday 1 January 2008

Tuesday Reading: Genesis 8:20-22
 
Key Verse: Genesis 8:22
22  While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
 
Devotion:
Well, have you noticed any differences yet? Has the world turned upside down? Seriously, we put such a large amount of effort into celebrating the new year because it is a big event – or at least that is how we view it. We are the ones living within time and we are the ones governed by time. Our lives revolve around time and because we have a relatively short time on earth, we try to get a lot of things done – but what are we focusing on?
 
Noah was asked to do something very strange by God, something that would have made him look a bit ridiculous in many peoples eyes. He did it. And after he did it, he lifted up his heart to God through a joint family sacrifice. The last family on earth. He could have been distraught at the fact that everyone else was no more, but he focused on God and showed his thankfulness as best he could. The promise God gave in return was one that we live by today – even though we probably don't think about it all the time. God's promise was that the earth would continue to be exactly the same, having all the seasons and day and night for as long as He wanted it to exist. When the time is right, He alone will have done with it what He wills.
 
We may destroy things around us that we touch. We may pollute and trash the earth to such an extent that we have an affect on the climate, but that climate will still exist. Changing from one year to another does not have a profound affect on the world. It affects us. God's promise still stands. His promises continue to ensure that we still have a world that we can call home. He is our Creator and He is our Keeper. Why not make a difference and show God just how thankful we are this year by doing what is right by Him. He continues to supply our needs and continues to hang our planet in the middle of space... just because He loves us!
 
Points to Ponder:
A very happy New Year to everyone!