Why the Rainbow?

Do you have a family altar? I think every family should have one. Wait a second, let me restate that again, this time correctly. I think every family must have a family altar! Not only is it Biblical but it is also a very good idea.

Altars get God’s attention. He stops and listens to what is said at an altar. He remembers those things that are laid on an altar before Him. It is not something He just passes over. He doesn’t just casually say, “Oh my, they are at the altar again, hummm.” No, when God sees a person at an altar His attention and memory become focused on that person and what they are saying.

Suddenly, right before his eyes, stands a man! This isn’t just any man. His appearance is totally different and within moments of being surprised by his appearance, Cornelius recognizes that he is seeing an angel of God. What the angel has to say probably surprises’ him as much as his sudden appearance.

“Cornelius, your prayers and your giving have gotten the attention of God!” He then instructed Cornelius to send for Simon Peter to tell him what more he needed to do.

The thing that stands out about Cornelius is he was a man with a family altar. The Bible describes him this way. He was devout, deeply religious, earnest and sincere. He feared God with everyone in his house. He taught his family to hold God in high respect. He gave alms. He showed his commitment to God by giving. He prayed to God always, leading his family in prayer as well as having his own private devotions.

Jesus stated in Matthew 18:19-20, “That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them . . . For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” That is what a family altar is all about! Two praying together in agreement! Two or three people who are gathering in the name of Jesus, worshiping the Almighty God.

More than one time in the Book of Revelations we are told that the prayers of the saints come up before God as an incense in heaven. Prayers get the attention of God! Families that pray together get the attention of God! Momma, your prayers are being heard and God is remembering them. Daddy, God hasn’t forgotten those tears you have shed for your son or daughter, you have His attention!

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that we have an altar. In the Old Testament the altar was a large box-shaped object that was in the Tabernacle. Many altars were built on sites as were needed. Abraham built an altar, on more than one occasion, to offer sacrifices to God. Isaac and Jacob followed in the patriarchs footsteps and built altars themselves. There are many other times that we find individuals building altars before God. However the writer reminds us, also, that our altar is different. It isn’t one that the animal sacrifice is to be made upon. This isn’t necessarily an altar built of stone so that it won’t burn when the sacrifice is offered. This isn’t an altar made of brass that is to be carried from place to place. This isn’t an altar made of gold and incense is to be burnt upon it. It is a place, whether a bench, or a chair, or a bowed head, it is a place where we can meet God and God will meet us.

If there is one thing that is missing in America it is the family altar! The place and time where the family gathers together to pray and touch God. If there is anything missing in the families of the Apostolic Church, it is the family altar! That place and time where the family unites together and touches God. Our hectic lifestyles have kept us from this a powerful spiritual communication with our God. We have allowed ourselves to become so busy with life that we have lost sight of the importance of praying together as a family and meeting with God.

The first place in the Bible that an altar is mentioned is in the Book of Genesis 18:18-20. Sacrifices had been made since Adam and Eve and they are mentioned as a sacrifice was made, however no mention of an altar was made until chapter eight. God has seen the sin of mankind and repented that He made man. He decides He will destroy mankind and start all over again. He finds Noah, a man who walked with God, and has him to build an ark or a large boat. When the ark is finished, Noah takes his family into the ark. Rain comes from heaven and the waters of the deep arise and the earth is completely cover by water. Every thing that breathed was destroyed, except those that were on the ark.

After many months the waters receded and Noah and his family walk off the ark with all of the animals that were on the ark. The very first thing that Noah did was to build an altar. This is the first mention of an altar in the Bible and it is built by a man whose righteousness had led to the saving of his family. With his family gathered together they come before God at a family altar and offer thanks to God for His salvation. What a way to start a new life! They built a family altar.

What I found to be so impacting about this story is what happened next. They offer their sacrifice on their family altar and the Bible says that God smelled a sweet smell and said, “I am going to change the way I deal with man in the future.” God makes a covenant or binding agreement with mankind. He promises never to destroy the earth by water again. As a sign of His covenant He placed a bow in the sky, a rainbow. Whenever you see a rainbow, it reminds us that God has made a covenant with us that He will never destroy the earth by water again. All because a family was thankful and built an altar.

Let me encourage you to build a family altar. Many of the friends and families have built and dedicated altar benches for their family altar. However an altar can be anywhere and anything. It isn’t really about the object. It is really about the time of agreeing together and praying together.

So the next time you see a rainbow in the sky, remember it is a sign of God’s covenant with man. The next time you see a rainbow in the sky, remember it is there because a family built an altar.

Hey, it’s just a thought!

Have You Checked Your Levee Lately?

This past week has been extremely different, weather wise, across our nation. I have read about volcanoes, tornados, blizzards, rains, winds, hail, sleet, sunshine and floods. It seems it has been a week filled with extremes and the unusual.
As I logged into Yahoo this morning and the headline for the top news stories caught my attention. Again, it had to do with the weather. This story was taken from Fargo, North Dakota and quoted the mayor of that city saying more levees will be breached by flood waters from the Red River. He went on to say that a briefly breeched dike was a “wake-up call for a city that needs to be vigilant for weakness in levees that could give way at any time.”
Instantly my mind went to a passage of scripture that gives us the same type of warning. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Cor 10:12
What a prudent warning for the last day church! In fact we find the scripture to be full of “take heeds,” “be careful,” “be vigilant” and other admonitions that remind us not to take our walk with God for granted. We are given warnings to be constantly on the alert of our time and situation.
The Church of Laodicea is warned, they think they are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and yet fail to realize they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. They were not aware of their true state of being. How prudent it would have been for them to check their levees.
As a child of God it is important that I have levees in my life. The scripture warns us there will be times when life and the enemy of our soul will come in against us like a flood. There will come times when we feel overwhelmed by what comes against us. The waters will rise and we will feel helpless to be able to stand against it. Yet we are also promised, in the same passage, that our Savior will help us to stand against it and to overcome it. In the times prior to these floods it is imperative that we build levees of faith and security around our lives. We might even call them “strongholds of faith.” These are levees that are purposed to stand as walls of protection against the onslaught of the enemy.
We must constantly be concerned about our protection. We must be vigilant to check and recheck the levees in our lives. There will be wake-up calls to warn us of areas where the levee might be weak. These are reminders of the importance of keeping the levee strong and in good repair.
It isn’t enough just to go through the motions of living for God. Going to church, reading our Bible, saying a prayer or saying we are a Christian. There has to be a relationship between us and God that is built on everyday. It is crucial that we get to know Him, as Paul said he wanted to do. This is strengthening that levee.
When we get to know Him, Jesus Christ, we begin to build confidence in Him. Then later, when the storms do come we will know Him. When the water begins to rise we will trust Him. When the pressure comes against us we will lean on Him. We will not cast away our confidence, allowing the levee to be breeched. We will stand firm in our faith against the flood tide.
When was the last time you walked along your levee? Have you checked it for weak spots? Have you taken action to continue to build your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ? Don’t wait until you are in the midst of an icy storm to realize how weak your levee is weak!
Just a thought! God Bless…