What Cold Teaches of God's Faithfulness

Its cold outside! What do we learn from cold? We learn a whole bunch!

We learn that we need warmth. We learn how to bundle up.

We learn how easy it would be for all of life to die on earth. Our existence is so fragile! If the earth were just a little further from the sun, we would freeze to where life would not be sustainable… Just a little closer to the sun and we would all burn up! God has placed us at a perfect distance! And the word of Christ keeps us there.

But winter comes along once a year to us in NYC and it gets cold. This is about as cold a day as we’ve had here in a long time! I do love the cold crisp air though. But let me encourage you that are cryaphobic, in just a few short months it will be spring! So, enjoy the cold air. Get out in it and take into your senses how God has made this engine called the environment work.

Our seasons trigger all that spring will give us. We need the cold for the seeds to think that they need warmth so that eventually there are leaves and flowers … its all in God’s plan!

But if we could in this cold, remember the first time God mentioned cold.

It was at a very low point in human history. Everyone had just died except for 8 people. At the time of the flood. Humanity had chosen to run from God’s ways to such a degree that He ended most of life as we know it. All but one family died. And most of the living things in the world did as well. It was a creation reset.

But God said, “I know that man will continue to do evil – that violence is in their hearts, so I will not destroy life again in this way.”

I will not destroy all life again. He made a promise to humanity –

"While the earth remains,

Seedtime and harvest,

And cold and heat,

And summer and winter,

And day and night Shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22 NASB).

And, it is because of the Lord’s faithfulness that the earth is not consumed! It is because of His undeserved covenant love toward us in Jesus that He does not react in wrath every time His cosmic law is disobeyed. He is merciful and patient, gracious and faithful to His promises even when we are not.

What a joy to know that God will be faithful to His promise to you. When you think of the cold, think of the spring, yes, but even more beautiful, think of the faithfulness of God.

So our words of grace today come from a letter written to the local church in Corinth which was struggling with living out their Christian faith in a consistent fashion:

“God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9 NASB).

Praise God today for the cold and that He is faithful to his promise even His promise for cold!