Tag: Noah and the Ark

The Workers are Fewer

Old Testament: Genesis 7-8

Poetry: Psalm 1

New Testament: Matthew 5:13-16

According to a study by the NORC at the University of Chicago, the last three decades have seen a rapid decline in those who confidently believe there is a God. In 1993, two-thirds of respondents answered “yes” to the claim they “know God exists and have no doubts.” In the most recent survey taken last year, this number has been reduced to 50%. That means in roughly a generation, 50 million Americans have reduced, abandoned, or failed to pass on their faith. No doubt, we are seeing the symptoms of this in our culture, where the most influential theology being preached is that each man or woman is their own idol and that their identity, narrative, or definitions supersede any relationships, including God.

“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” – Genesis 6:5

“Remember this! In the last days there will be many troubles because people will love themselves, love money, brag, and be proud. They will say evil things against others and will not obey their parents or be thankful or be the kind of people God wants. They will not love others, will refuse to forgive, will gossip, and will not control themselves. They will be cruel, will hate what is good, will turn against their friends, and will do foolish things without thinking. They will be conceited, will love pleasure instead of God, and will act as if they serve God but will not have his power. Stay away from those people.” – 2 Timothy 3:1-5

I would love to end this first week of 2024 on a more positive note, but here we are at the ministry of Noah, and I can’t help but see the correlations. I consider myself a church half-full, not half-empty type of person, so please understand I am not hanging an albatross around the neck of the place I call home. Recently, we have seen and could see more revival as people realize there is no salvation in pursuing self. Nevertheless, as it stands today, it seems like the wind is blowing hard in a different direction, and I can’t help but look at the forecast and know that the rain is coming. It may not be here or now, but it is. It is so disheartening to see people jump off the boat, abandon their God, so they can instead find their own way swimming to survive. I want none of us to be the next person overboard, so let us be ready to answer the challenges of the storm that very well may lie ahead, and be defiantly obedient as the prescriptions of Jesus in Matthew 6

Leave your righteousness at the door – Jesus says that if actions are done for the sake of being seen by others or if we are religiously pious thinking that we are worth saving and others are not, that we have already received our reward in full. Noah was the only righteous man left, but while building the boat, he did not tout his own righteousness. He preached to bring salvation to others, even if it fell upon deaf ears. We do not decide who is and isn’t worthy (see: Jonah). Our own righteousness is as filthy rags and none of us can be restored without the atonement of Jesus.

Extend the grace of forgiveness of God – If for no other reason, we should forgive because it is the measure for which we are forgiven; however, we forgive because we have the love of Christ that shows us mercy every time that we fall short. By simply listening and looking for those who thirst, we become more like Christ. A quote that has stuck with me by psychologist Russell Barkley, “The children who need love the most will always ask for it in the most unloving ways.” Do not let rhetoric or trespasses keep you from loving those who need Living Water. You can be the bearer of grace and forgiveness they are most desperately looking for if you cut through the crap and see the child of God.

Endure any suffering with joy – Those of us in the United States have enjoyed a pretty good run of Christian values as the dominant culture. While this run has been far from perfect, it has been easy to avoid persecution. It is very likely that my children will not live in this world. God, I pray that they will be able to declare you in a world that will try to snuff them out. For us all, may we endure the coming trials with joy. When we are persecuted because of the Gospel, we suffer alongside Him. What greater joy could there be than to live out the fullness of Christ?

Don’t worry about not going with the flow – God has promised to take care of our needs if we trust in Him and share His words. We may be unflatteringly categorized, lose our social standing, our job, live threatened, or the reality of violence. If God takes care of the flowers and the sparrows, He will take care of you in every single instance. Even though the traffic may be moving against you, be singularly focused on the Gospel of the Coming Kingdom, and everything else will be added unto you. Ask for your daily bread and then get to work for His Glory because the harvest is becoming more plentiful, but the workers are fewer.

-Aaron Winner

  1. Describe the world you live in today. What similarities do you see to the time of Noah?
  2. What do you admire most about Noah? What can you learn from him? What do you learn about God in Genesis 7 & 8?
  3. What is the problem of going with the flow? How can you help yourself, your family, your church stay in the boat?
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God, You Are…

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 9 & 10

Psalm Reading: Psalm 7

New Testament: Matthew 6

We are a week into our Bible reading plan for 2023. What are your thoughts so far? I have enjoyed reading Scripture and searching for what God is revealing about Himself in the words He inspired the authors to write. Previously, I have most often looked at the Bible as an instruction manual for life, and as such it is extremely valuable. I, for one, need a good bit of direction in my life! And while there are a lot of instruction manuals out there, I want to use God’s directions rather than the world’s. But I am realizing His words are so much more! They allow us the privilege to know God – really KNOW Him. What He likes, what He doesn’t like, what He IS like, what He does, what He doesn’t do, what He will do, what He desires, what thrills Him, what makes Him angry, what He plans, what He promises, what He controls, what He doesn’t control, even if He could. These are the things you would want to know about someone if you were considering entering into a serious relationship. It goes much deeper than knowing a name, a pronoun and 6 descriptive adjectives and thinking that we now know that person.

So, why is it important to really KNOW God? I am reminded of a very sad passage in Romans. It begins by saying all men should know there is a God because of the works of His glorious creation. Yes, we should. But, we know of too many who don’t. What went wrong? “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image…Therefore God gave them up to vile impurity… For they exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:21-25 NASB)

So many today have been at a point where they would say there is a God, but because they didn’t honor Him or give Him thanks, it was easy to turn their backs on Him and become fools and be given over to sin and judgment. When we SEE God for who He is and really KNOW who He is, the true response is honor and thanks. We can not give an unknown being genuine honor and thanks. The best list of rules won’t save us. If you don’t have a serious relationship with the author of the best instruction manual in the world, the words will be lost, neglected and even despised. It is time, for us and our children, to get to KNOW God Almighty – so we will honor Him and give thanks and be serious about our relationship with Him.

So, that’s one reason I am enjoying getting to know the author of this great instruction book more and more. In our Old Testament readings we are just finishing with the events of Noah’s life. What did you learn about God from Genesis 6-9? There isn’t one set of correct answers. But some of the things I jotted in my journal over the past few days include:

He feels pain – He sees evil in His creation.

He plans destruction of evil – but He still sees and gives favor to those who walk with Him and are righteous.

He is detail-oriented, gives precise directions that work well. He’s a good ship designer (that means He’s smart).

He creates covenants to save.

He saves families.

It happens as God said it will. He is trustworthy and true.

He controls the floodgates and springs. He controls the animals. He controls the winds. He is powerful.

He blesses with fruitfulness and children.

He gives plants and animals to eat.

He made man in His own image (How many times will we read this – how many times will we ignore it? Trading the truth of the creator was part of the lie spoken of in Romans. I think that makes it important. Thank you God for making us in Your image – you are incredible to make us – and super generous to make us in YOUR image!)

He will demand an accounting for the life of men. He values life, every life.

He makes covenants. He remembers His covenants. He created the rainbow.

If you haven’t tried it yet – I encourage you to give it a go. Read at least one of today’s passages, searching for what you can learn of God. What is He like? What does He like? What did He do? What will He do? It will give you reason to give Him glory and thanks. It will prepare you for a serious relationship with Him – for all eternity.

-Marcia Railton

Reflection Questions

  1. What’s in it for me? What are the benefits to having a serious relationship with God, rather than just agreeing that there is a God out there somewhere?
  2. Do you believe God created you and the world? Does it matter?
  3. If you’ve tried it – what did God reveal about Himself in your reading so far this week, or today? If you haven’t tried it yet – now is the time. Ask Him, God – what do you want to show me about yourself? And then dig in, seeking Him. When He shows you a bit of Himself, how will you express your honor, glory and thanks?
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So He Did

Genesis 6

February 1

Many of us know the story of Noah and the flood.  The earth was full of sin.  Noah was commanded to build an ark because God was going to wipe out all the earth.  Animals came two by two to enter into the ark which Noah had built.  It rained for 40 days and 40 nights.  At some time Noah sent out birds to see if the land was dry.  The dove returned with an olive branch or a freshly picked olive leaf, depending on what version of the Bible you are reading.  Noah and his family and all the animals went off the ark.  God promised to never destroy the whole earth with floods again and made the rainbow a sign of this promise.  But, there is more to the story than just this.

When we read the story of Noah and the flood, we see that Noah built the ark just as he was commanded.  Have you ever taken the time to imagine what would have happened if Noah had just said no?  What about if he had decided he would only take the animals he liked with him, leaving animals like mosquitoes, spiders, and snakes off the ark?  What if he had decided he knew a better way to build an ark than the way God told him?  But Noah didn’t.  We are told in verse 22 that “Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”

Noah built the ark exactly as he was told.  He built it out of gopher wood and covered it inside and out with pitch.  Noah made the length, breadth, and height of the ark exactly as he had been commanded to do.  He put the window and door at the exact location, which God had commanded him to.  Noah did everything according to what God had commanded him.

Not only did Noah continue to do everything as God commanded, which is difficult enough by itself, he also did it all while the earth was filled with corruption.  Noah spent years obeying God, building the ark, while he was living in a corrupt world. Not only did Noah build the ark while living in a corrupt world, he did it for many years, while the animals started coming to the ark, and the earth kept growing in its corruption.

We know that, in the end times, our world will be as corrupt as the world was in Noah’s time.  Our world is already starting to look similar to Noah’s.  We have to obey God while living in an evil world and continue doing so, overcoming whatever the world puts against us.  The question is: When the time comes will you be able to obey God while living in a corrupt world, not losing faith, for years, just as Noah did?

-Kaitlyn Hamilton

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Do a little research on the ark. Did it look like the photo above? What were the dimensions? Measure out what those dimensions would look like in your yard, neighborhood, church property or playground. You may find some interesting information online, including from the Ark Encounter site (a life-size ark museum Answers in Genesis built in Kentucky).
  2. Since our 2022 SeekGrowLove reading plan only includes 105 of the BEST chapters from the Old Testament, tomorrow we will be jumping forward to Genesis 12, rather than finishing the rest of Noah’s story. But take a little time reviewing the rest of this account (through 9:17). What do we learn about God? What do you think God may have been thinking or feeling as he watched the destruction of the flood? What about as he watched the faithfulness of Noah and his family?
  3. God probably isn’t asking you to build an ark, but what does He want you to do? What directions has he given you to follow as you work on the mission He has given? How well are you following those directions? What obstacles are in your way? How can you better deal with them in order to stay on track with God’s work? What rewards are there for sticking with His tasks, even when they are really difficult? What happens if you don’t? What will help you become a person known for doing what God asks of you?
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