Beautiful Day Devotion

 

See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colours came out
It was a beautiful day
A beautiful day
Don't let it get away

Beautiful Day, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, 2000

 

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 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. 11 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.” 12 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: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

Genesis 9:8-13

 

How often in your life have you experienced love and grace without conditions? It is pretty rare, right?

If you are married, you might answer that your spouse loves you without conditions. It might be true that your spouse has grown to love you unconditionally, but was that always the case? I met my amazing, faithful, full-of-grace wife back in 1994. It was smack dab in my “grunge” phase. Let me tell you, I did not exude that love-at-first-sight persona. Over a few years, my flannels and beat-up hiking boots slowly morphed into a more responsible, becoming look. The disheveled friend she had gotten to know suddenly became someone she took notice of a bit more, but what if Molly REALLY knew me? What if she knew all the worst sins I had done up to that point? What if she could see into the future and view all of the ways my pride and selfishness would hurt her deeply multiple times over her life? Would anyone willingly sign up for that? My beautiful Molly might, but I have to believe that she is a bit of an anomaly.

The covenant God made with Noah shows you that he has that kind of love for you; he loves you without condition. Did you notice in this scripture, Noah did not have to meet any contractual obligations on his end to ensure that God would be faithful to His covenant with Noah. God made this covenant with Noah, and his family, with full view of their past sins. He established this covenant knowing that Noah and future generations would turn their backs on Him time-after-time. He knew that Noah would never be capable of living up to his end of a covenant, but he established that covenant anyway. God knows all that you have done, He knows that you will hurt him perpetually, and yet He loves you and He establishes His covenant with you. I hope that every time you see His “bow in the cloud” you will be reminded that you have a God who loves you without condition. It truly is a beautiful day. 

 

Prayer – Dear Father, thank you for your unfailing love. Your grace and mercy sustain me. I praise you for caring about me and for establishing your covenant with me, despite my consistent sinfulness. Lord, I pray that you will guide me so that I might offer myself as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to you. Thank you for the gifts you bestow upon me, and Lord I pray that I might use those for your glory. I love and I praise you Lord, and I thank you for loving me first. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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