Crazy Faith

Crazy Faith – Noah and the Flood

As we continue on our journey through the major stories of the Bible via Twitter, we encounter Noah, a man of crazy, radical faith.  He lived a faithful life when every single person, except family, around him was completely ignoring the Lord.  When God’s heart was grieved to the point of destroying man, He looked out and found one man and his family that had the courage to stand alone and choose to do right.  Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

He preached day in and day out the message that God had given him; right up until God shut the door of the ark.  He built the ark just as God intended and didn’t even try to cut corners.

Noah had crazy….radical faith.  I want that.  I want crazy faith in the Lord. Faith enough to step out and do what God is calling me to do, even when I’m clueless.  I want faith and courage to stand, even when I’m standing alone and the entire world is against me. 

I want it to be said of me… Marie, found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Here are my points of the discussion we had in the twitterverse Bible Chat.

Please feel free to continue the discussion in the comment section below.

 

Genesis 6:5&6 – God saw the wickedness of man and how that their hearts continually thought of evil & was saddened

It grieved God’s heart that He had made man.  He was deeply troubled at what sin had brought man to and decided to destroy man

While our Lord is our merciful Father, He is also a JUST God, Holy and expects us as His children to live for Him

Can you imagine the sin and horror that had to fill the world to make God bring an end to man, that was created in HIS image?

I think of the sin in THIS day and age and wonder just how bad it was to grieve God the way it did.

We are not taught to sin, choose wrong or always see the negative. Doing that is OUR very nature.  But, we still have a choice.

The fact that we have a choice to do right or wrong is just that… our choice.  What are you choosing on a daily basis?

We sometimes dress up “sin” to try and make it seem not as bad as it is. But, God destroyed mankind & living things DUE TO Sin.

To God, our choices matter.  Our hearts and the desires matter.  God will not tolerate only evil.

Think about it…. EVERY LIVING Thing, except those that were on the Ark. God punishing sin is HUGE. That is how it grieved God.

When we choose sin over what is right, we grieve God.  Genesis 6:6 But –  Sin isn’t just doing the wrong thing

Consider James 4:17 = If you know the right thing to do and you choose NOT to do it, it is sin.  What are some examples of this?

According to James 4:17 NOT reading the Bible, Not being faithful, NOT giving, serving etc. is Sin

Then… there is a ray of Hope! Vs. 8 – BUT Noah, found grace in the eyes of the Lord! All it takes is ONE person.

Have you ever been the ONLY one to choose to do right? Have you had to stand alone for years and years?

Noah was seeking after God’s heart and those choices allowed a covenant with the Lord to be made.

God still LOVES us, even though we sometimes grieve Him with our choices.

Noah had ha choice to make and Genesis 7: 5 tells us that Noah did according unto ALL that the LORD had commanded him.

Noah chose to trust God, even though no one else was. Noah chose to do all that God said to do, even though it seemed forever

Noah chose to do EXACTLY as God said to do.  Can you imagine? Wondering how this was going to work?

Can you imagine the faith that Noah had to show in the event his family was doubtful and/or scared?

I imagine (just cause I’m a wife….) Ms. Noah, “excuse me? Are you sure honey? God told you what?”

Noah didn’t just have to listen to the laughter of “the people”…i imagine his family had questions too #justsayin

Sometimes we will have to make a difficult choice when we are following the Lord, but TRUST HIM and do what you are called to do

Think about the faith it took for Noah to build the ark. It had never rain much less flooded.

Think about just how long it took for he and his sons to build this ark.  & the ridicule they faced each day because of it.

Think about sharing the love of the Lord, a way of safety and NO one….not one soul other than family, listening to you.

Noah built the ark EXACTLY as God said.  Do you get this? exactly!  He didn’t take short cuts or use  cheaper material.

The Ark was designed (by God) to simply float and protect them. Once Noah was in, his work was done. The rest was up to God

Sometimes God will require us to show great faith and step out in obedience.  Genesis 7:5

After the ark was built, 2 of every kind of animal got on board along with 7 pairs of some.  Noah did not have to round them up.

Can you imagine this sight as all the animals simply walked inside and then the food was put into the ark?

Remember, order is important to God.  Afterwards, God instructed Noah and his family to get inside

God Shut the Door.  Never, ever forget… God is in Control.

Via @BillMounce what did the Garden, the Ark & the Cross have in common?

Each is the place of judgment of sin AND the redemption of the righteous.

Even though He punishes our sin, He is there to redeem and to restore

It rained for 40 days and 40 nights.  Until everything was covered and destroyed.  Imagine the heartbreak of hearing the cries

Imagine if God had not shut the door…. The temptation to open it, to try and save others? Remember this when facing your next closed door

You may think you are doing right by beating the door down, but if it’s not God’s design, it simply will not work.

Everything is destroyed. Over a year later, God establishes His covenant with Noah, just as He did with Adam & Eve

He tells them to be fruitful and multiply and gives them a promise…one that WE still see today.

The rainbow.  When we look at a rainbow, we should reflect on God’s promises.  All are true.

Does this mean that God is ok with our sin now? No…. He knows we’ll still choose wrong and that is why Jesus was born to Die for us

Lastly, always remember the faith your past trials took & use that along with the promises of God to see you through the next trial

What if you are standing alone in what God wants you to do? will you have the courage to do it?

Are you willing (like Noah) to do whatever it is that God is asking of you? No matter how CRAZY it seems?

Thinking of the Rainbow – As we wrap up this time together, what are some of your favorite promises from the Lord?

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