Wednesday, January 10, 2007

God's promise

Genesis 9: 12-16 "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I'm putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth."



In Genesis chapters 4-10 the story begins with Adam and Eve and their children and many many generations leading up to Noah and the story of the flood. The message included in these passages is very simple. Man when left to his own devices could not please God.

In fact, over the course of the many generations leading up to Noah man continually embraced evil and moved further and further away from their Creator. Their thoughts and actions were so totally abhorent to God that He decided to "make a clean sweep" and rid the earth of his creation.

The story of the ark is well known, as is that of the dove that went out when the floods started to subside. My favorite part of this whole story is that of the rainbow and God's promise to never destroy the earth again.

Genesis 8,
20-22 recounts what happened after they got off the ark:

Noah built an altar to
God. He selected clean animals and birds from every species and offered them as burnt offerings on the altar. God smelled the sweet fragrance and thought to himself, "I'll never again curse the ground because of people. I know they have this bent toward evil from an early age, but I'll never again kill off everything living as I've just done. For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop."

God's promise to us is one that we can count on. He will never destroy everything on earth again. Note that He didn't promise that we wouldn't attempt to self-destruct or to destroy the earth by our mis-use of His gifts to us.

I am thankful for God's faithfulness to me and to my family and our business. I hold on to the rainbow as a sign of His love and His faith in His creation.

While we are not expected to build altars and sacrifice burnt offerings to Him, in every circumstance we need to be grateful and thank him for his promise. Hold on to the promise of the rainbow today.


Chicke Fitzgerald

Wednesday, January 03, 2007


Genesis 3 - Sent out from the garden
Our church is studying Genesis this month. I've been long absent from our regular study and am anxious to get back into regular blogging, setting aside the beginning of my day (or the end as the case may be) to that which is most important to me and that which feeds me.

This passage of Genesis is a bitter one - Adam and Eve, having chosen to listen to the father of all lies, are cast out of the presence of their Creator for listening to the lies of the serpent -- the enemy.

How often do we listen to lies from all parts of our lives. The inner lies -- doubts about our abilities or lies about what others think about us or what we can accomplish, or the pressures of the world -- urging us to focus on everything temporal and nothing spiritual. We cling to what can easily be washed away versus those things that are everlasting. What are we thinking when we make that choice ????

The good news is that while we read this story of abandonment -- of Adam and Eve and their Creator, of the Creator of his creation due to their poor decisions -- we live instead in hope.

Genesis by its very meaning is a new beginning. Every day we face a new beginning for our lives -- the sun rises with that promise.

I am so thankful for the perpetual sunrise in my life. As I invariably fail [from time to time], each day brings the promise of encouragement, of acceptance and of new opportunities to be all that He created me to be. I live with His gifts and His grace. Without that, I am empty.

Today I realized that for One who is responsible for keeping the planets spinning carefully in orbit, that keeping my life and my business in tune is child's play. I am confident entrusting my future to the creator of the Universe.

My spirituality is not something to be segregated from my business life. It is who I am, to the core. My decisions are driven by my faith in my Creator. My ability to face tough decisions and tough times are because I know that there is a grand Plan and that as long as I serve Him, I can live in the absolute comfort of being in the center of His will. That is the definition of peace and I am happy to live in His favor so that I can enjoy His peace that absolutely passes all understanding.

2006 was a challenging year and 2007 looks to be a bit of an uphill battle. But I don't enter the battle alone. My God and king owns the cattle on 10,000 hills and I draw upon His resources, not my own to meet the challenges ahead. He has promised that this will be a harvest year and I am READY!!!

May those that read this blog be blessed and somehow through my words or through my life may you know Him better and find peace in your life.


Chicke Fitzgerald