Let's Worship Before We Learn. Take a few minutes to listen and ask God to speak deeply to you,.
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
Genesis 6:8
Do you have a seemingly impossible task ahead of you? Are you wondering how you're going to pay your next bill, or feed your family, or provide for even yourself? Are you wondering if your season of toil and troubles are ever going to end? What about if you're in the opposite camp? Are you joyful, cheerful, giving thanks to God for helping you and providing for you each day? If so, rejoice!
Either way, wherever you are in your life, it is important to learn from those of old. Now, admittedly, I have never been much of a fan toward learning about History. However, the more I learn about history, people and Truth from the Bible, the more interested I become about the rest of the world's history and even the history in my own backyard! It is so neat the way that God transforms our thinking when we spend time in His Word.
Learning about others in the Bible helps us to learn about ourselves. For example, when we take Noah's faithfulness, we learn where we need to be faithful in our own lives. Scripture tells us that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). How did he do this? And how can we do this today?
Well, when we read on, we discover that Noah is described in three ways: "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God" (Genesis 6:9, NIV).
Faith produces righteousness.
"Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1, NIV)
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6, NIV).
Do you believe that God exists? Are you earnestly seeking Him? Let's take a moment before we go any further. Pray, "Father God, I confess to you that I have not been very faithful to you in seeking you or pursuing you. I know now that without faith, it is impossible to please you. I do not want to be like that. I desire to please you. Please increase my faith through your Holy Spirit. I believe Father, help me to overcome my unbelief. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Now, later in Hebrews, Noah is used as an example of faith in action. Remember when Noah was described as walking faithfully with God? This is another reason that Noah found favor with the Lord. "So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless" (James 2:17, NLT). We are not to just have faith, we are to act on it. When Noah was told to build the ark, he didn't scoff and he didn't just sit there. He didn't say, "Thank you Lord for telling me that an ark will be necessary in the years to come," and then go on living. He got right to work. This is an example of faith in action, or walking faithfully. Acting in faith is not always easy. Sometimes, it will be the hardest thing you will ever do, but if you learn with small steps, that giant leap will not seem so intimdating when it presents itself.
Hebrews 11:7 (NIV), states: "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith."
"In holy fear" - let's look at that for a moment. When God tells you, warns you, nudges you, shows you, speaks to you, gives you vision, wisdom or enlightenment toward something and you do not revere him or do as He has said to you, then you do not fear Him. This isn't a fear that is meant to paralyze you. This is the type of fear out of respect and reverence for God. Remember, God even tell us that His thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:9, NIV). So, if He is giving us a blessing by acknowledging, loving and helping us, we better listen! Too often, people often see God as a level playing field or not even worthy to esteem into their existence. I personally shudder to think of those who do this. However, there is a way to turn this around.
If you're in this spot, pray. If you're not, pray in intercession of those who are: "God, I admit that I do not know how great you are, nor do I comprehend in my thoughts and ways of how mightily awesome you are. I admit that I have not feared you as I ought, and I ask your forgiveness for this. Please help me to know you more fully, so that I might understand better how I should fear you because of holiness and divinity. You created me and you know how I think, feel, and act. You knew me even before you gave me to my mother's womb. Thank you for your mercy, that I might come to you and reveal my faithlessness against you. Remove any obstacles in my life prohibiting me from knowing you more fully in this way. Bind up all evil around, within and about me. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Now, the third way we must learn from Noah is that he was called "blameless." Noah was blameless or, without finding fault, because he and his family kept themselves from the moral chaos going on around them. Noah knew what was right, and how to live in separation from the evil around him in his day. He chose to lead by example, and brought blessings to his family because of his righteous attitude and walk. His obedience to God also made him blameless. Remember, believers walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7, NLT).
Still a bit hesistant to accept this message? Check out this quote by Charles Spurgeon:
"If we doubt God's Word about one thing, we shall have small confidence in it upon another thing. Since faith in God must treat all God's Word alike; for the faith which accepts one word of God, and rejects another, is evidently not faith in God, but faith in our own judgment, faith in our own taste."
Remember, we are working hard to submit ourselves to God and get out of our own judgment, our own tastes, our own thoughts and ways. God loves you and desires for you to become heir to his Kingdom. Keep learning, praying and acting in faith.
"Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching us about Noah. Help us also to increase in our faith, to not only increase but also then obey and act in our faith. Help us to become blameless in our own societies. Recognition is important, and we can only have that through Your Holy Spirit. Help us to recognize when we are stifling Your Holy Spirit of Truth, so that He may act on our behalf more and more; that we can become more aware of when are not obeying you, walking faithfully with you or loving you as we ought. Jesus, we receive you as our Savior, and are so thankful that you desired the Father's will and not your own. Thank you for doing that for us. We pray and proclaim as One Body: 'Our Father, who Art in Heaven, hallow be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen."
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