Finding Favor With God

Genesis 6; Genesis 7; Genesis 8; Luke 3
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Scripture

Genesis 6

5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
9 This is the account of Noah.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked 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 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16 Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. 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.

Observation

How would you like to be the only person on the face of the earth that was walking with God? You might feel like that today, but you aren’t, but for Noah it was the truth. He must have been some kind of guy for God to be able to tell him to go build this huge boat in the middle of a desert so big that it took him a hundred years to build. He was building this huge boat in front of everyone and they thought he was crazy…until it started to rain and rain and rain. How did Noah keep from quitting? I wonder how many times he got up in the morning and looked at his half finished project and thought, “this is crazy I’m quitting.”

My ministry at our church has been almost like building an ark in the middle of the desert. There are days when I think about what I am sure Noah must have thought about but he didn’t and I haven’t - quitting. I don’t know if God brought animals to visit with Noah during the construction or what he did to encourage him. God must have used something to keep him working a huge boat that was not even close to any water and to work on it for a hundred years.

What God uses in my life to encourage me are people that are growing in the Lord. They are my joy and my delight! Dr. Waylon B. Moore taught me a long time ago not to focus on the crowds or lack of a crowd, not to focus on my critics (though it is hard not to), but rather to focus on the people where I see God doing a mighty work. Let that keep me going and may the same thing keep you going on days when you want to quit. Verse 22 is so important, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” May we be found as faithful!

Application

Today I will be encouraged by what God is doing in the lives of many of our young and middle aged adults and I will think of someone to encourage with a phone call, visit, or a card.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for not giving up on me. I am sure that you have probably wanted to quit helping me, but you haven’t. Thank you for bringing encouragers into my life. Help me encourage someone today. Put that person(s) on my heart. May I be like Noah and may I do everything that you command me to do today. Amen.


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