The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 6:9b,
"Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God."
Did you know Noah was a man who "walked faithfully with God"? We, of course, associate Noah with the ark, the animals and the catastrophic worldwide flood that took place during his life. And, rightfully so. It is not every generation that has experienced total worldwide devastation. Couple that with the remarkable and extraordinary way in which God used him, and the things he asked him to do to carry forward the existence of humans and animals of all types, and that consumes our attention when it comes to Noah.
I am sure we all recognize the reason Noah was chosen by God to provide for the survival of the human race and the various species of life was that he must have been a remarkable man in a horribly flawed human race. When God decided to bring the worldwide cataclysmic flood on the earth, he did so because of the evil nature mankind had sunk to, "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time." Genesis 6:5.
And, so, God made his decision, "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, 'I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.'" Verses 6-7.
However, there was one man that God took note of, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." Verse 8. What was it that caused Noah to find favor with the Lord? We can be quite certain that Noah was a man of incredible faith. We might ask how was Noah's faith expressed? The answer is found in verse 22 of this chapter: "Noah did everything just as God commanded him."
I ask myself this morning, what in my life can I pursue that would cause me to find "favor in the eyes of the Lord"?
James explains to us that our faith is evidenced by the things we choose to do. Doing things won't save us from God's judgment to come, but doing things exposes and expresses the faith we claim to have in our lives today. "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds." James 2:18b.
In following Noah as my example to do "everything just as God commanded him", here is a good start from Colossians 3:12-14, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
"Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God."
Did you know Noah was a man who "walked faithfully with God"? We, of course, associate Noah with the ark, the animals and the catastrophic worldwide flood that took place during his life. And, rightfully so. It is not every generation that has experienced total worldwide devastation. Couple that with the remarkable and extraordinary way in which God used him, and the things he asked him to do to carry forward the existence of humans and animals of all types, and that consumes our attention when it comes to Noah.
I am sure we all recognize the reason Noah was chosen by God to provide for the survival of the human race and the various species of life was that he must have been a remarkable man in a horribly flawed human race. When God decided to bring the worldwide cataclysmic flood on the earth, he did so because of the evil nature mankind had sunk to, "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time." Genesis 6:5.
And, so, God made his decision, "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, 'I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.'" Verses 6-7.
However, there was one man that God took note of, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." Verse 8. What was it that caused Noah to find favor with the Lord? We can be quite certain that Noah was a man of incredible faith. We might ask how was Noah's faith expressed? The answer is found in verse 22 of this chapter: "Noah did everything just as God commanded him."
I ask myself this morning, what in my life can I pursue that would cause me to find "favor in the eyes of the Lord"?
James explains to us that our faith is evidenced by the things we choose to do. Doing things won't save us from God's judgment to come, but doing things exposes and expresses the faith we claim to have in our lives today. "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds." James 2:18b.
In following Noah as my example to do "everything just as God commanded him", here is a good start from Colossians 3:12-14, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
That looks like a wonderful place to start! What do you think?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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