Month: May 2012

God is consistent.  He wants to make his love for us known—The rainbow is a reminder of God’s covenant to us that he will not destroy the earth by flood.  The cross is a reminder that God loved us so much that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. When we hold our children, it reminds us of the unconditional love that God has for us, his kids.  God wants us to know he is committed to us.  We should never be concerned for others to know our commitment as well.  We walk in a way, that shows our covenant.  We submit to his leadership and walk according to his word.  God does not expect us to be perfect, he simply leads us in a way to become like him and free from sin and death.  Help me, Lord to walk in a way to honor you.

God Bless You

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. ”

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

The waters receded and the ark emptied.  Those that survived the flood were now released to start again.  Noah made a sacrifice that pleased with the Lord.  God knew things were not fixed—But, he was unwilling to destroy man or the earth, again.  It must have been a daunting experience, for Noah to start again, but, start again he did. 

In our lives it is difficult to face trials—but, often, it is also difficult to start again.  When we realize that God wants us to never quit, but, He expects us to move forward and trust him to follow his lead.  The aroma of our heart should be a sweet one as we follow.  Help me, Lord to follow and start fresh as you lead.

God Bless You

 

 

¹⁵ Then God said to Noah, ¹⁶ “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. ¹⁷ Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.”

¹⁸ So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. ¹⁹ All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another.

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. ²¹ The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

²² “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”

 

God Remembered Noah…We sometimes think that God has forgotten us.  In the midst of our trials and tribulations, we think there is no one left that cares or remembers us.  Imagine Noah, on  the Ark with the animals and his family knowing that everyone and everything else was destroyed.  What a heartbreak. But, in the midst of a world underwater, God remembered Noah.  He began the process of liberation and restoration.  It did not happen immediately, it was not full of fanfare and adulation; no, it was a simple wind, the natural processes God put in place.

Often, our lives are the same. We call out to the Lord and ask for relief and restoration.  Then, God remembers us.  He begins the process of reducing the calamity and restoring his own.  It does not happen overnight.  It is often a process of years.  But through the natural processes of the journey, God recedes the flood waters and restores our lives.  It is never the same—It is often much better.  But no matter what the outcome is—we know God is in charge and in love with us.  We have to be patient, we have to trust.  Mostly, we have to wait.  Help me, Lord to wait on you to make the waters of trials recede and provide new and fertile ground for me to continue the journey.

God Bless You

For The inhabitants of the Ark, there must have been a great sense of fear and concern.  All outside the Ark was destroyed and they alone remained to start again.  Noah was probably relieved he listened and trusted God.  He was grateful to have his family at his side.  But, the weight of starting again had to be incredible.  Noah and his family sat for months in the Ark simply waiting for what God had next.  Fear and lonlines a constant issue.

In our walks, through trials and circumstance, we remain grateful for what he has provided for us, but we also battle the fears and loneliness of our unique journey.  In the midst of the journey, we have to cling to the fact that he has brought us this far and that he loves us completely.  We accept what we are handed and pray for his wisdom and direction while we wait. His timing is always different, but his plan is always perfect.  Help me Lord to wait on you with a grateful heart and your peace.

God Bless you

¹⁷ For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. ¹⁸ The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. ¹⁹ They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. ²⁰ The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits. ²¹ Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. ²² Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. ²³ Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. ²⁴ The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

Then the Lord Shut him in. It took Noah roughly 100+ years to build the ark. While there is little detail about the  process, Clearly, at age 600, Noah and family entered the Ark.  I am sure that through the years, Noah’s neighbors thought him nuts.  And even the week before the flood as they sat in the Ark, folks probably walked by and laughed.  What a true test of faith. Noah was probably equally fearful of what would happen if God did not send the flood as he was if God did.  When the boat began to rise and the waters pounded the boat, the family felt the mix of relief and of devastation. This was not a celebratory event, but it was a historical pillar in time that proved that God is God and we are not!

Throughout the world, all major cultures’ histories include the Ark story. Only those who know and understand the things of God get its significance.  God will not tolerate sin, He will not be mocked.  God does look at the hearts of his chosen and will keep his covenant to love and walk with them.  God pays attention to detail and he will do what is necessary to execute his plan.  We need to continue to seek him and submit to his leadership—when we do, no matter the timeline, he will ultimately keep his word.  Help me Lord to trust you and watch you keep your word.

God Bless You

7 The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. ² Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, ³ and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. ⁴ Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made. ”

⁵ And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.

⁶ Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. ⁷ And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. ⁸ Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, ⁹ male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁵ Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. ¹⁶ The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.⁰ And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month —on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. ¹² And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights

Enough is enough! God had his fill with the sinfulness of mankind and decided to wipe the slate clean…or at least almost.  God recognized Noah’s devotion and as any father would do, he refused to punish Noah and family for the sin of the world.  Still God called Noah to a very difficult journey.  Build an ark and restart the world…No big deal.  What is difficult for us to comprehend is the idea that though saved we are not assured of an easy journey.  In fact, there is a large body of proof that the journey for all of us is full of challenges and struggles.  I can only imagine the thoughts passing through Noah’s mind as he tried to grasp what lay ahead.

 We are similarly situated.  We struggle with trials and circumstances as we attempt to grasp how much God truly loves us.  We are not God and can never understand his ways.  We can , however look at the history and realize he does have a plan  and it will be executed to perfection.  We must trust and follow.  Help me Lord to trust and follow you.

 God Bless You

 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.”

 

How does an all seeing, All knowing and All powerful God, have regrets?  It is a theological conundrum I have battled for years.  It is clear that God’s image without God’s holiness often turns horrific and destructive. God, longed for men to escape the devastating nature of sin. He had a plan. I am so grateful for Methusela, Lamech and Noah.  In a World that turned evil into an art and wickedness into a national pastime, God still treated Noah and his family singularly.  God has been God the entire time.  He really has not changed Character. 

God has always looked at a man’s heart.  He has always desired to have fellowship with us.  He has always used restraint—BUT, he has always remained in charge, in control, and committed to executing his plan.  We all come from Noah, everyone else was destroyed.  They, as we will see, chose their fate.  But God accepted all that believed.  He is still the same today.  He asks that we humble ourselves and surrender to his plan, if we do we experience freedom like none other.  He will spare us and be with us as we walk the amazing journey set forth for us.

Help me, Lord to surrender today and walk humbly in your Love.

God Bless You

6 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, ² the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. ³ Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

⁵ 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. ⁶ The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them. ” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

 

Adam’s lineage to Noah marks the time when God and Man still strongly resembled each other.  The amazing span of life was awesome.  Three men in the lineage stand out—Enoch, Methuselah and Noah.  Enoch stands out because of his intimacy with the Lord.  They were so close that God simply took him home without the pain of death.  He must have been an amazing influence on his son Methuselah.  What an irony, Enoch lived on Earth the shortest time while his Son the longest.  Methuselah’s name meant after death comes judgment. God used Methuselah to demonstrate his patience. God saw the human race becoming more and more wicked. Yet, he withheld judgment for nearly a thousand years because of his patience.  Finally—Noah, Noah was God’s choice to demonstrate restoration. His name meant after judgment—rest.  God’s judgment was to be dramatic.  But, after that, God knew he would grant rest and restoration. Noah was the model for that.

God used three men to show his intimacy, patience and restoration.  Please Lord use me to live those traits in my life.

God Bless You

¹⁸ When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.   ²¹ When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.  ²⁵ When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.  ²⁸ When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. ²⁹ He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed. ” ³⁰ After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. ³¹ Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.  ³² After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

When I was young, the lineages in the Bible seemed rather dry.  But as I have become older, I have become more intrigued by God’s attention to detail. Our heritage is important to God.  But, so is our willingness to follow.  As we look at Adam’s family tree three things stand out—1.  Adam was around for many generations. Adam met Methusalah. This is significant because oral history was maintained.  If the kids had questions, they could go to the source. 2.God created us in his image. And blessed us.  Looking at Adam’s lineage, it is clear they were blessed.  It does not discuss detail, there was probably many trials in the history, but as a lineage, God blessed Adam’s family. 3.  God is a personal God.  Enoch only lived 300 years on earth, Then God took him away.  Imagine the cool relationship God and Enoch had, “God what should we do today?” Enoch asked, “Why don’t you come to my house…We will hang out!”

God Cares about us.  Where we came from, whose we are and how we relate to him personally. As we seek him, we need to remember he seeks us more intently, intensely and personally.  Help me Lord to be excited about my heritage in you. Help me to follow you with the same intensity you have sought me.

God Bless You

When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. ² He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created.

³ When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. ⁴ After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. ⁵ Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died. ⁶ When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. ⁷ After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. ⁸ Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.⁹ When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰ After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ Altogether, Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.¹² When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. ¹³ After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died. ¹⁵ When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. ¹⁶ After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died. ¹⁸ When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died. ²¹ When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

God’s restoration, while often different than we expect, is amazing in so many ways.  As many times as I have read this passage, the last phrase really struck me.  By the language it seems that Seth’s family seemed to actually seek God.  Whether that means that they had a renewed desire to serve, or a real absence of his presence.  Either way, Seth’s family sought the Lord.

That is all God has ever desired.  He created us to be in relationship.  When we walk in that, we have his protection, his leadership and his freedom.  The book of genesis also shows how we differ when we abandon him.  Throughout the Bible, the difference is stark and consistent. 

Follow him, seek him and enjoy his peace and his protection.  Abandon him, and feel his absence. Joshua 24 sums it up…”Choose this day whom you will serve…As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”

God Bless You

²⁵ Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” ²⁶ Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.