June 11, 2026:

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“‘Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.’ So God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I have established between Me and all life on the earth.’” (Genesis 9.16-17)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

God is true to His word. To this day, despite the tragic episodes of floods that have occurred since the Great Flood in the days of Noah, the earth has not been overcome by water. For the mighty ones of God, the flood that now may overrun the world is baptism. It is a sign for the believer of God’s invitation to become a new creation in Jesus Christ. It is not meant to be a symbol of “ritual cleansing.” That idea is foolishness because water cannot wash our sins away. Only the sacrificial shedding of Jesus’ blood on Calvary and His total release of the Spirit of Life within Him to God is sufficient for that. We can take our cue from the story of the Flood for that. Even though God “covered the world” with water from within the earth and above the earth, the real issue was not the earth itself but the spirit of evil which was overcoming the world (the human population.) Blame could be placed on dark spirits, fallen angels, Nephilim or just poor judgment on the part of every human being to one extent or another. The consequence and reality is the same: sin is a spiritual issue. Sin is a spiritual issue that sadly has physical, mental, social, emotional, psychological and ultimately a spiritual consequence manifested inwardly and outwardly. We know this as Noah and his family survived the flood. Noah had caught the attention and favor of God. He had learned, we may safely assume, the role of righteousness as a priest of believers like his grandfather- Methuselah. (see yesterday’s reflection) Still, Noah, and his family, were not without their faults. It is a part of our humanity not fully connected with God’s deity. While the Spirit of God is in us, it exists as part of us. Without connecting with it more and more each day, it is there doing limited work. It is limited by our faith and faithfulness to believe in God as sovereign over all of Creation. Call it “original sin,” as many have done. The original sin was simply not trusting God implicitly. We base our faith and belief and trust on tangibles and feelings. Our true faith comes from standing firm knowing what we sense inside as honest and ultimate truth beyond definition which was proof itself! I believe this is what Noah knew. I believe it was what Abram/Abraham knew. I believe it was what David knew; and Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and all the prophets. It was what those to whom Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well” and they were before He had to say another word.

This is what the world lacked. It was looking for concrete and not abstract. Concrete could be manipulated to serve their own purpose. It would be known in scripture as idolatry. It wasn’t limited to images of stone, wood, metal or some other construct. People, animals, nature and geography, as well as philosophies, ideologies, myths and politics and combinations of any of these were all a part of an idolatrous point of view and “religious” orientation. Even today, we see idolatry run rampant but easily excused as “not really” to the point of “worship.” But if we stop to consider it, it is exactly that and it is dangerous. It is a viral cancer that is sweeping over like a giant tsunami of sin over the world. God is not doing it. Those who declare themselves as enemies of God and one another, ultimately against themselves, are doing it. And it is being applauded as moral, right and good.

And God remains true to His word. He is not going to judge the world with a global flood to destroy all life. He is immersing it in the opportunity to exercise true faith in Him through baptism in Jesus Christ. Accompanying it is the on-dwelling of the Holy Spirit which is like that Day of Pentecost flames of fire dancing on the heads of the followers of Jesus in the Upper Room. It is a fire of purification reducing life to its essentials and melting away the things of this world which can never satisfy nor secure eternal life with God. He has made this promise to all those who will put their faith in Christ and in Him who so loved the world He would surrender His only begotten Son to the emptiness of death. And for the faithfulness of His Son, our Lord and Savior, He gave Him life again so that we, too, might have life and have it in abundance by the terms and design of God’s kingdom.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.