TITLE:  LIVING LIFE JUST AS GOD EXPECTED

TITLE:  LIVING LIFE JUST AS GOD EXPECTED

SCRIPTURE:

“This is the account of Noah and his family.  Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  11 Now, the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle, and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal, and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”  (Genesis 6:9—22)

OBSERVATION:

         The writer of Genesis wrote this about Noah.  Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.  Noah lived differently from the people of his time.  Everyone was corrupt in THE SIGHT OF GOD.  It is quite interesting that many things people do not bother them.  They have normalized corruption, and no one is interested in living righteously or walking with God.  God was pushed aside from their national life and individual life.  Everyone was doing what seemed right in their own eyes. 

         Noah was different.  He should have followed the crowd and their practice, but he didn’t.  He was righteous, blameless, and walked faithfully with God.  It is an excellent reminder that we do not have to be a part of the crowd.  The right and truth are not always on the side of the majority.  One life always makes a difference, contrary to the thinking of many. 

         God wanted to do away with the old covenant and established a new covenant with Noah that would lead to the blessing of his whole family.  God told Noah to build an ark and gave him a plan on how to do it exactly. Despite all the corruption around Noah, he sprang into action.  God was starting a new with Noah and his family.  God was detailed in his plan for the ark and Noah. 

         The eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.  God always starts new things with those whose hearts are fully committed to him.  God’s heart always honors and creates new things with those who walk differently from their surroundings.  In the end, I love what the writer said about Noah:  “NOAH DID EVERYTHING JUST AS GOD COMMANDED HIM.”

APPLICATION:

         This year calls for me to choose Noah’s way of walking with God in this perverse and crooked world.  I want to make a difference in God’s plans for this year.  I desire to be a person that does not kowtow to the crowd around me and lives in a way they want me to.  I want to please Jesus and see him do new things through me.  Today, I am covenanting with God to lead me TO DO EVERYTHING AS HE WOULD COMMAND ME TO DO.

PRAYER:

         Today, I pray that your eyes stop on me and help me to do everything you want me to do this year.  Jesus, I desire to live differently and to do the things that please you.  I ask that you help me to walk like Noah before you, to walk righteously blamelessly, and to walk faithfully with you daily.  Give me a heart willing to do everything you ask me to do faithfully.  I look to you throughout 2023.  Let all that I plan bring glory to your name.  Amen!