Noah? Ark!
Perhaps Noah’s toughest assignment was not building the ark, but living as God’s man in a pagan world – for over 500 years before God asked him to build the ark.
“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people. (Genesis 6:11-13)
At a 7:00 AM Deerfoot Lodge staff meeting, counselor Austin Dover pointed out that we want God’s special assignments, God’s unique interventions, when what God wants of us is to live a life pleasing to Him – every day. Forget about the big assignments. Yes, God may give us a special assignment, but don’t go looking for it.
Whereas God has chosen to give me several “special assignments”, there continue to be times when I fail at the challenge of living a righteous life day after day. A current example.
Joe (not his real name) was in the teenage Sunday school class I taught in the small church our family attended. Joe was in the class for several years so he knows what I believe, how I try to live my life. Fifteen years have passed and he still lives in our town, now with his wife and two children.
When I need physical help around our house, I call Joe. Recently he was over to fix my riding mower. As Joe was leaving for town to buy a drive belt, I asked him to buy 6 road flares from NAPA. He laughed! “I can get you better ones where I work – and they won’t cost you a dime”. I questioned him about this…and he assured me “no problem, we give them to everyone.” Two days later I had 6 road flares.
Was it corporate policy that employees could give out road flares to anyone who wanted them? Knowing where he worked….I am sure that it was not!!! So now I have 6 stolen flares in my garage….and I agreed to have him get them for me. No question: I am at least as guilty as Joe. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I have something in my possession that is not rightfully mine! This is a story about me that I would not want printed on the front page of the news paper!!! “Minister caught with 6….”
The item size does not matter! Disobedience does. I ate the apple! I destroyed my righteousness for 6 flares!
Joe will be back this Wednesday. I have confessed this sin to God…and now I must confess it to Joe when I return the road flares to him. Yes, this will make him uncomfortable – and what is he to do with the flares he got for me? If only I had said, “Joe, I appreciate your offer, but I can’t go that route”.
“If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”
(1 John 1:9). Confession involves confession to God, to other knowing people, AND turning from sin.
Noah was after Adam…therefore we know that Noah was a sinful man! (“ For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive”. I Corinthians 15:22). We also know that Noah appeared to God as a righteous man. When Noah did what was displeasing to God…Noah must have turned to God – asking for forgiveness.
And God must have turned to Noah and said…you are righteous. Here is your next assignment –