God’s Promise

Have you ever walked outside after a rain shower, seen a rainbow (or more than one!) and been awestruck? The arch of colors in the sky is such a beauty that God has made! Unfortunately, in the present time, rainbows are associated with sin because of its usage, but this is not what this article is going to be about. Rather, it is about how the rainbow came to be and its story behind it. 

Do you know of Noah and the Flood? It’s probably quite likely that you have already heard of the story or even know it. Noah built an ark, and then he, his family, and the animals that he had gotten lived in the ark for forty days. During those forty days, God flooded the earth, destroying all the people (not on the ark) and land animals. You can find the story in chapters 7 and 8 of Genesis. 

Genesis chapter 7: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%207&version=KJV

Genesis chapter 8: 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%208&version=KJV

After those forty days (and forty nights), Noah and his family came off the ark and offered burnt offerings. 

“And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 20-22)

God said he would never again destroy the world with water, and in honor of that, he made a covenant with every living creature, both humans and animals. 

“And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” (Genesis 9: 8-17)

The next time you spot a rainbow, remember it’s more than a beautiful display of colors. It’s a symbol of God’s mercy and promise to all of us. No matter how hard the storm was, God’s promise is still there.

Thursday Devotion April 30th 2026

Okay guys,Chapter 1+2,week 2 of our study of:

“Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Ok also please remember everything in quotation marks is straight from the book written by Richard Carlson PhD. Ok let's dive in.

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               Chapter 1

“Often we allow ourselves to get all worked up about things that,upon closer examination,aren’t really that big of a deal. We focus on little problems and concerns and blow them way out of proportion. A stranger,for example, might cut in front of  us in traffic. Rather than let it go, and go on with our day, we convince ourselves that we are justified in our anger. We play out an imaginary confrontation in our mind. Many of us might even tell someone else about the incident later on rather than simply letting it go  

 Why not instead simply allow the driver to have his accident somewhere else? Try to have compassion for the person and remember how painful it is to be in such an enormous hurry. This way,we can maintain our own sense of well-being and avoid taking other people's problems personally.

There are many similar “small stuff” examples that occur every day of our lives. Whether we had to wait in line,listen to unfair criticism,or do the lion’s share of the work, it pays enormous dividends if we learn not to worry about little things. So many people spend so much of their life energy “sweating the small stuff” that they completely lose touch with the magic and beauty of life. When we commit to working toward this goal you will find that you will have more energy to be kinder and gentler.”

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              Chapter 2

“ I’ve yet to meet an absolute perfectionist whose life is filled with inner peace. The need for perfection and the desire for inner tranquility conflict with each other. Whenever we are attached to having something a certain way,better than it already is,we are,almost by definition,engaged in a losing battle. Rather than being content and grateful for what we have,we are focused on what is wrong with something and our need to fix it. When we are zeroed in on what’s wrong with something and our need to fix it. When we are zeroed in on what’s wrong,it implies that we are dissatisfied,discontent.

Whether it’s related to ourselves – a disorganized closet,a scratch on the car,an imperfect accomplishment,a few pounds we would like to lose – someone else’s “imperfections” – the way someone looks,behaves, or lives their life – the very act of focusing on imperfection pulls us away from our goal of being kind and gentle/ This strategy has nothing to do with ceasing to do our very best but with being overly attached and focused on what’s wrong with life. It’s about realizing that while there’s always a better way to do something,this doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy and appreciate the way things already are.

  The solution here is to catch yourself when you fall into your habit of insisting that things should be other than they are. In the absence of your judgement,everything would be fine. As you begin to eliminate your need for perfection in all areas of your life,you’ll begin to discover the perfection in life itself.”

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That is all for this week! Hope you are enjoying it so far. See you next week!

   -  Sophie Shearman

Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13-16 says: 

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Christians are called to be the salt and light of the world. But what’s so special about salt and light? They change the environment they come in contact with. You can always tell if something's salty. And it’s even easier to tell if it’s bright.

 But how exactly should salt and light act? 

First of all, salt is a preservative: Christian should hold back moral and spiritual decay in our fallen world. Salt produces thirst: The way we live and act should show unbelievers  that we belong to God. They’ll see something different and become curious or “thirsty” for what we have; a relationship with Jesus. Light is sometimes an irritant:  Being light can make the world uncomfortable because we shine our light. This discomfort is not a problem; it’s a sign we’re doing our job of exposing darkness and calling people to repentance. (Though, we shouldn’t go around just making people mad if it’s not for a biblical reason.) Salt must not lose its distinctiveness: If salt becomes tasteless it is useless. Likewise, a Christians who is worldly, lukewarm, or hidden fails to fulfill the calling to influence culture. We are called to be visible: outflowing ministry, godly witness, and consistent character so we function as salt.

This doesn’t mean that you have to become a missionary, start an orphanage, organize a movement, or run for congress (though all these can be good if that’s what God has called you to). Being salt and light can be as simple as putting Christ at the center of everything you do and being a Godly witness in everyday life.  “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”  

2 Corinthians 5:15