God is so "grieved" by the "wickedness of man", his "corruptness", and "the earth filled with violence" that He decides to wipe man out and start over. I am struck by verse 5 which describes "every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." How important is my thought life? Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinketh, so he is." My thoughts and what I put in my mind will guide my actions. If I fill my mind with ungodly things, I will be anxious, confused, discontent, maybe even "violent" and "corrupt". If I fill my mind with godly thoughts, I will be peaceful, loving, content. I remember Kay Arthur used to say, "shake down every thought with Philippians 4:8":
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things." This is quite a high standard isn't it?
In spite of the heaviness of this chapter, there is hope. One man was "just", "perfect in his generations" and "walked with God": Noah. His faithfulness gained him favor and salvation, not just for himself but for his family. I remember David preaching on personal purity a while back and how our personal sin affects those around us; conversely, our personal holiness affects those around us. The scripture doesn't say Noah's wife, sons and daughters-in-law were "walking with God". Yet, they were all saved because of his faithfulness.
That is convicting to me. That my personal sin, unconfessed sin, sin that I don't deal with, detramentaly affects my friends and family. But my "walk with God" affects them toward salvation. What a powerful truth.
Everything in the Bible, all promises and truths, is based on the idea of "covenant." An unbreakable promise of provision, protection and relationship with God. This is the first mention of covenant in the Bible and it's given to the only faithful man on Earth. God notices our actions....
"The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the Earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." 2 Chronicles 16:9
Will we be faithful men and women of God when everyone else is compromising?? God revealed His plans and promises to Noah because he feared God and walked in obedience. Don't we want to be on God's plan?
"The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant."
Psalm 25:14 Very cool.
Living it today: To live differently, to walk with God and be a positive influence on those around me, I will guard my mind today, and before I watch TV, read online articles, or speak, I will give it the Philippians 4:8 shake down: Is it true? honorable? right? pure? lovely? of good repute? excellent?
Living it yesterday: Thinking about the whole genealogy thing, I thought about how faithful Mom and Dad were to take me to an amazing church with Godly, wonderful teachers who loved me and trained me to follow God. When Mom called, it prompted me to take them some tomatoes from the garden and visit a while. What a blessing it was for me and them. Thank you, Lord. Your Word is soooo good to guide me day by day.
*****If you are interested in a fascinating ark article, read this....
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/really-a-flood-and-ark
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things." This is quite a high standard isn't it?
In spite of the heaviness of this chapter, there is hope. One man was "just", "perfect in his generations" and "walked with God": Noah. His faithfulness gained him favor and salvation, not just for himself but for his family. I remember David preaching on personal purity a while back and how our personal sin affects those around us; conversely, our personal holiness affects those around us. The scripture doesn't say Noah's wife, sons and daughters-in-law were "walking with God". Yet, they were all saved because of his faithfulness.
That is convicting to me. That my personal sin, unconfessed sin, sin that I don't deal with, detramentaly affects my friends and family. But my "walk with God" affects them toward salvation. What a powerful truth.
Everything in the Bible, all promises and truths, is based on the idea of "covenant." An unbreakable promise of provision, protection and relationship with God. This is the first mention of covenant in the Bible and it's given to the only faithful man on Earth. God notices our actions....
"The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the Earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." 2 Chronicles 16:9
Will we be faithful men and women of God when everyone else is compromising?? God revealed His plans and promises to Noah because he feared God and walked in obedience. Don't we want to be on God's plan?
"The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant."
Psalm 25:14 Very cool.
Living it today: To live differently, to walk with God and be a positive influence on those around me, I will guard my mind today, and before I watch TV, read online articles, or speak, I will give it the Philippians 4:8 shake down: Is it true? honorable? right? pure? lovely? of good repute? excellent?
Living it yesterday: Thinking about the whole genealogy thing, I thought about how faithful Mom and Dad were to take me to an amazing church with Godly, wonderful teachers who loved me and trained me to follow God. When Mom called, it prompted me to take them some tomatoes from the garden and visit a while. What a blessing it was for me and them. Thank you, Lord. Your Word is soooo good to guide me day by day.
*****If you are interested in a fascinating ark article, read this....
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/really-a-flood-and-ark
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