Looking at the rainbow we often remember God's promise to never send a flood on earth again and talk about His mercy towards us. But when I opened the Bible I found out that there the rainbow is described as a symbol of the covenant. God promised that He will not destroy humanity but what's our responsibility?
I suggest we take a look at Noah with whom God made this covenant. In Genesis chapter 6 God clearly told Noah everything he was supposed to do and said "I will establish my covenant with you". And then one Bible verse describes what Noah had been doing for more than a century: "Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him".
In this story, I've always been amazed at Noah's obedience - and I think this is what became the basis of the covenant between humans and the Lord. Further in history when God would make a covenant with Israel, obedience was also the main condition.
It all sounds great - theoretically, but how can we be obedient to God - practically, in 21 century?
For myself I outlined a few simple steps:
Obedience to His word
In the Bible, we can find a lot of passages about keeping the commandments. Jeremiah mentions that the new covenant means that God will "write the law on our hearts". David speaks a lot about loving the word of God. And until this day the Bible stays the standard that defines sin, for example, Galatians chapter 5 clearly describes the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. That is why it's very important for us to know and follow what the Bible says. This is the kind of obedience that God expects from us.
Obedience to authorities
I'm not trying to talk about politics right now, I mean people that have authority in general: pastors, teachers, parents, and other leaders. Of course, you can say that if the person is older it doesn't mean that they are right and in some cases, you will be correct. But in your personal relationship with God, He will be looking at your heart and your humility. "To obey is better than sacrifice".
Obedience to God's voice
If in your relationships with God you are able to hear His revelations inside your heart (and I believe that every Christian can and should have this kind of intimacy with God) - don't ignore them. God can teach you or help someone. Be His vessel!
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”. James 1:22
Generally, we know how to do the right thing. We have read the Bible, we know what sin is and from our childhood, we were taught to listen to our parents. Most of us promised to serve God with clear and good consciousness when we were baptized. Now the most important thing is to stay faithful to your promises as God is faithful to His.
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