Noah: Willing Different

God looked at the state of His creation and was greaves by the corruption, violence, and evil. It pained Him enough to regret having made humanity. That's a pretty shocking declaration concerning the state of the world. But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah. (Genesis 6:8 MSG)

In the midst of absolute wickedness Noah stood apart. There was something different about him. The story goes on to show that Noah obeyed God. He played a role in saving the world—literally.

Maybe for us to be used by God all we really need to do is be a little different than the crowd. I'm not talking about being unique for the purpose of sticking out. Many today throw themselves so fully into a contrived attempt at uniqueness that they lose themselves in a noisy mob of similar pretenders.

Noah stood out, not because he was unique but because he was what God was looking for. He was willing to obey. He was willing to work. He was willing to wait. Noah was willing.

Perhaps all that is holding back a miraculous change in the lives of those around you, is for you to be willing. What if you could read Genesis 6:8 again with your name in Noah's place? What woukd it take to get you to that place with God? What is holding you back?

But _______________ was different. God liked what he saw in _________________. (Genesis 6:8 MSG)

January 11 - Carpenters

Read: Genesis 7

He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. (Genesis 7:23 ESV)

No one had ever heard of rain when Noah started preaching about it. They thought he was just a crazy old man. Even so, he had heard from God concerning his purpose and destiny and he responded. He and his sons built an Ark, a giant of a ship, from wood. The animals came, the boat was provisioned and passengered, and the rains came. And then they kept coming. The rain fell for 40 days and nights. The whole world was flooded for 150 days and the only thing that saved creation was the obedience of a righteous preaching carpenter.

Jesus' day, like Noah's and our own, was a day full of sin and selfishness. Jesus came into the world to overcome that sin and selfishness. He was obedient, and he was righteous, and like Noah he was a preaching carpenter. Unfortunately, just as in Noah's day, many did not believe Jesus' message. Today many still do not believe the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

What do you believe? Just as Noah was raised above the destruction and judgement of the flood by the Ark, we can be raised above destruction and judgement by the death of Christ on the cross and the power of his glorious resurrection.