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January 5 Daily Devotional

Sending Flowers to Sinners

Peter G. Feenstra

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22)

Bible Reading

Genesis 8:20–22

Devotional

What a wonderful gift it is to step outside and enjoy the outdoors! The colour of flowers, the whistling of a bird, the crashing of waves on a sea shore, a water droplet that crystalizes into a piece of ice and the formation of new life, all display the beauty of God’s creation.

People have used God’s good creation to further their own interests and pursuits. So why does God send flowers to sinners? The answer to that question is given to us throughout Scripture. Right after the devastation of the flood, God promises the continuation of the seasons! God sends flowers to Noah and his family. In the beginning God made the world as a beautiful place where people could enjoy the glory of creation. Then the flood destroyed the beauty of the earth and the work of creation appeared to be undone. As a result of sin, beautiful landscapes, forests, plants and flowers are submerged under water. But on the waters floats a boat! In wrath the Lord remembers mercy. God remembers Noah and allows him to leave the ark. After the flood God promises never again to curse the ground because of man. He will not destroy every living creature as He did in the flood. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” God continues to send flowers to sinners because of His desire to save sinners through Jesus Christ. The continuation of every season and the blooming of every flower is a constant reminder that the Lord will gather His holy catholic church. The flowers you look at proclaim the work of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is creating a new mankind who will enjoy the wonderful gardens that He has planted in the New Jerusalem.

We shouldn’t think the Lord will keep sending flowers to sinners. God’s patience will only last “while the earth remains.” God will come again as judge at the end of days and if we do not believe the gospel of salvation, the flowers in our gardens and vases will testify against us.

All of creation displays how God is indeed true to His Word of promise and judgment. Listen to the birds sing the loyalty of your God. Think about God’s faithfulness when you watch a sunset, as you gaze into the night sky and as you take a walk through a park. The flowers of fields and gardens are telling you something! Bring some inside and listen to what they are saying. Thank the Lord for sending flowers to sinners.

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