We tend to look at the Bible as a fable, instead of a book of historic people whose lives God is giving us a glimpse of through the writing of Holy Spirit filled men so that we can learn from their lives, from their experiences. Everyone IN the Bible were living, breathing human beings – like you and me. The ONLY difference is that our feet are currently on THIS side of the dirt.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about Noah… A man called by God during a time where people scoffed at God. People were doing whatever they “felt” was right at the time… Basically “if it feels good do it.” Genesis 6:9 tells us:
“This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.”
Think about him and see that the times such as today are not so different as back then. If you are part of God’s Called Remnant, you are different than those around you, you have been called by God and you may feel different as Noah felt different. That is because you are. You have been chosen by God. Holy Spirit has opened your spiritual eyes up to the truth and you may be feeling the difference of being saved among many who are still spiritually blind. It is not abnormal for you to experience feelings of loneliness if you have decided to take a stance for Christ.
So, God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth! “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.
“Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm my covenant with you. So, enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”
So here we see that God CALLED Noah with a specific purpose in mind. If Holy Spirit has opened up your spiritual eyes to the truth of God, He has a purpose for you. He has a calling on your life. Your job is to find out WHAT that calling us. How do you do this? You seek Him in prayer, you read your Word (the Bible) and you ask God. He is not a God that He will not answer. As He did with those in the Bible, He will do with you. If you let Him. If you seek Him. If you listen to Him. Will you listen?
Noah is an example of a man who listened and obeyed God… Genesis 6:22 says:
“So, Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.”
Let’s be real now. Noah was a REAL living person. This could not have been an easy calling, but he obeyed God. The Bible tells us in Genesis 6:9 that:
“Noah walked in close fellowship with God.”
The way to know the will and the desire of God is to determine to walk in close fellowship with Him. I won’t lie to you; this could not have been easy for Noah, and it won’t be easy for you. People will mock you because of your faith. The world that we live in is not so different from the world Noah lived in. Noah was ostracized for his faith. He was made fun of, he was probably an outcast because of it. Noah was NO different than you and I who have been called by God. He was an imperfect man with faults and with weaknesses and with talents and gifts. The ONLY perfect man that ever walked the face of the earth was Jesus. But God shares with us the stories of those in the Bible so that we can learn the lessons that they learned and apply it to our own lives.
Listen, the only difference between you and I and those of this world who are spiritually blind is that OUR eyes have been opened by Holy Spirit to the truth of God. We have been blood bought by Jesus. It is GRACE and FORGIVENESS and MERCY that we have chosen to believe, acknowledge and accept that differentiates us from the unsaved. Noah CHOSE God.
There is a very painful part of choosing to follow Christ. Any Christian that tells you otherwise is not being honest with you. Following Jesus means that you will have to live FOR Him and die to yourself. Quite honestly, this is the hardest part of being a Christian… Taking up your OWN cross and following Jesus means having to deny yourself. You have to LOVE Jesus more than your mother, more than your brother, more than your husband, more than ANYONE or ANYTHING. You must be willing to die for Christ. It is either you are slaves to sin, or you are a slave to Christ. Accepting Christ will cost you an easy life.
I hope saying that doesn’t dissuade you from living for Jesus. You must trust in the Lord in the hardest situations. You must discipline yourself and say no to the world. Your life must be all about Christ. The truth of the matter is, Jesus DIED for YOU. He died a death He didn’t deserve, John 3:16 tells us:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The sad thing is, many “religious people” acknowledge the Bible, they *may* accept Jesus as Savior, but they don’t choose to make Him Lord over their lives…There is a cost for following Christ.
There was a cost for Noah to obey his calling, but still he obeyed the will of God and I’m quite sure it cost him friendships, cost him relationships. When the day came for Noah to get on the Ark, the only ones that God (graciously) allowed to accompany him was his wife, his sons and their wives. Other than the animals, Noah was not permitted to bring anyone else. That could not have been an easy pill to swallow, I’m quite sure that as is the case with you and me, there were MANY people that Noah respected, loved and cherished that in listening to God, he had to separate from, that is often (and most likely the case) in the life of every follower of Christ, and it is painful.
Repeatedly in Noah’s story is the sentence (See Genesis 6:22 & 7:5):
“So, Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him”
This is where we should examine our own hearts and ask ourselves, are we listening to Holy Spirit? Are we walking in the calling God has designated for our lives? Do we have eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to receive ALL that God through Holy Spirit is telling us?
One of the hardest lessons we learn (as those who we read about throughout the Bible) is the fact that we are followers of Christ. We are God’s Called Remnant. Our job is to listen to what God has called us to do, we CANNOT save anyone. That is the job of Holy Spirit and I imagine that Noah witnessing the sinfulness of those around him and not being able to change hearts for God was as painful for him as it is for those of us of today. We are called to intercede on behalf of others, but such as was the case in the days of John the Baptist, in Jesus’ day – not everyone who hears the truth will turn to it. And that pertains to you and I and those we are surrounded by. Our duty is to shine forth the light of Christ, walk IN whatever calling God has designated you to walk. Recognize that the pain and anguish you feel in seeing those you know, those you love who choose to disown you, choose to mock you, choose to ostracize you is one that Jesus Himself experienced. And the pain you feel from it cannot be any worse than the pain God feels at the rejection of those He created. Those He loved enough to leave the glories of Heaven, come down in the form of man (Jesus), live a sinless life and die a death He did NOT deserve to die, in order for us to have the opportunity to have a RIGHT relationship with God. The key word is CHOOSE. Following Jesus, accepting Him into your heart as Savior, making Him Lord OVER your life has always been a choice. And it is one, that we have to determine to choose every day of our lives. The world entices, loved ones who don’t understand you have made many who choose to follow Christ make a decision between them and God. There are many Christians who are persecuted for their faith. In some way or other in your life, there will be a cost. It cost ALL but one Apostle their lives. All but one was martyred for their decision to follow Jesus. The price of salvation was paid for by Jesus Himself, but that does not mean that there is not a cost to those that choose to follow The Lord. Jesus put it this way in Luke 9:23-26:
“Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
There is nothing in this world that can be of more value than having a relationship with the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How hard it must have been the day that Noah and his family entered into the ark, knowing that the stand that Noah had taken for God is what had saved them. The Bible says the following in Genesis 7:13-16:
“That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives. With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind. Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.”
God Himself was the one who closed (and some versions say sealed) the door behind them. Can you imagine the pounding of fists upon the outside walls and the door of the ark as the water rose and those people outside of the ark came to the realization that what Noah had been telling them was indeed true? Their mocking words probably turned to words of sorrow, but it was too late. Listen, you in obeying the call that God tells you He has put upon your life could be the thing that turns hearts to Jesus. 2 Peter 3:9 says:
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Noah lived a life doing the will of God. We have the choice to do the same… We have no control over what others choose, but we do have a choice to what it is that we choose. There is a cost, but there is also a great reward. In spite of the pain of whatever it cost to pick up our own crosses and follow Jesus, there IS peace in knowing that God can use our lives to bring others into the knowledge of their salvation. What greater joy than to know that God used you as a vessel to save the lost. We can be true to our calling; intercede for those we love and entrust their well-being into the the hands of the One who loves them SO much more than we EVER could. Jesus is no stranger to all that we go through, all that we are feeling, all that we experience when the road gets rough in your walk with Him, turn to Him because He knows. He is there and He will comfort and guide you ALL the days of your life. The Serenity Prayer is one that many have heard – it is truth and words of wisdom to consider when you feel the pain of being surrounded by those that are spiritually blind and refuse to follow Christ.
God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
And always remember this – things come as a surprise to us, but NOTHING ever surprises God. He is El Roi (He sees you, He sees ALL things). We have to determine to keep our eyes on Him. Psalm 91:7:
“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”
I believe Holy Spirit is asking you who read these words the same thing He asked me…
“Will you stand for Christ even if you have to stand alone?”
You will actually never be alone because God is with you, but there are times in your walk while your feelings may indicate otherwise. Will you stand for Christ through it all? It can be lonely sometimes – but I believe it is at those times that Jesus is RIGHT there with you, you just have to push through it and continue on because the walk that we have been called to walk is one of faith. We CAN trust God, His Word IS truth, and He IS right there with you, every step of the way.
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