The Bow of the
Beginning and End
by: Topher Wiles
“It’s not the destination
but the journey that matters.” That sounds like a great old adage to
follow, yet we need more to keep us afloat along till we reach our
destination. We need reminders of the beginning
and the end.
Noah steps off that grand ole ark to God’s artistic
lightshow in form of the amazing rainbow.
Imagine being a 601 years old adult seeing it for the first time! Noah had a wonderful fresh start to the journey
as we often do in our Christian walk. Do
you remember the time, like Noah, you were “saved through water?”(1 Pet 3:20) It was an amazing fresh start, wasn’t it!?
For many of us, that fresh start gets muddied & mired
with trouble along the way, much like the calamity Noah & Ham found just
after the flood. (Gen 9:22) How many
times have we seen Christians on fire with a fresh start only for that blaze to
die to a barely visible glowing ember through the rest of their lives? Yet, the
Christian walk doesn’t have to be this way.
We can continue to travel with a brightened and enlightened life filled by
focusing on two major points, the beginning and the end.
God gives us a view of the Alpha & Omega, beginning &
end, in the book of Genesis and Revelation.
To sum up both, you need only remember His rainbow.
- Remember the rainbow as God’s as a fresh start
in the first book of the Bible in Genesis 9:13.
- Remember that we will see God’s rainbow in all
its glory again in Revelation 4:3.
That’s right, the rainbow doesn’t show up again in the Bible
until John’s vision of heaven where that beautiful bow encircles God’s throne. How exciting it will be to see that rainbow
again with God in the middle of it!
“At once I was in the Spirit, and
there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the
appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an
emerald encircled the throne.” – Revelation 4:2-3
From these two rainbows in scripture, we are reminded of our
beautiful fresh start and our glorious hope to come when we finally see
Jesus. God purposefully puts His rainbow
only in the beginning and end of the Bible to give us sweet reminders of where
we’ve come from as well as our coming hope to give us motivation along the
way. May God bless you with sweet remembrances
on your journey.
May the hope of heaven help you to live today for Jesus!
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful
and effective! James drops this
motivating morsel at the end of his letter to Christians in trouble (James
5:16). If prayer is such a
potent force, why do we often feel as if we’re stuck in a rut uttering
mindless repetition before the almighty Father? Have no fear, scripture is here! I encourage you to put this helpful list from
scripture near your primary prayer place.
Whether it’s a kneeling bench, a closet, a bathroom, the office, or the
car, posting this prayer list in a prominent location can help you pray for the
same things early Christians did in a fresh and exciting way! Here are some
things you can pray for starting today.