Who doesn’t love a building project?
Making plans, buying the supplies, grabbing the sledgehammer to start demolition…I can almost hear Tim the Tool Man Taylor grunting now!
Whether you’re a professional or weekend do it yourselfer, there’s something about a building project that makes us want to grunt along. (Even if we aren’t very good at building.)
Sometimes I wonder if Noah didn’t let out a little Tool Time grunt when God commanded him to build the ark. Talk about a project! Noah spent years gathering supplies and building the world's first cruise ship before he and his family boarded with 2 of every kind of animal. This project had to be done right! After all, their lives depended on it, and the fate of humanity depended on their survival.
It was a massive task God gave Noah. Sometimes I wonder how God knew Noah was the right man for the job.
I believe the answer is found in Genesis 6:9:
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. (Genesis 6:9, NIV)
Before he was known for the boat, the animals, the flood, and the rainbow, Noah was known as a blameless man who walked in fellowship with God while everyone else rejected God and His ways.
Think about that for a minute.
Noah was one man following God against the culture. He was a ride or die man of God.
When I read this, I thought about all the re-enactments I’ve seen where the people around Noah think he's crazy for building the boat. If this Scripture is true; then, people thought Noah was crazy and didn’t want to be around him long before he picked up a hammer. Noah was always different because he was faithful to God and God's ways.
Even when everyone else around him was living a sinful life, Noah stood out because of His commitment to God.
It was because of this commitment that God saved Noah and his family from the flood.
It’s why God knew Noah could be trusted to build the ark according to His instructions, to finish the job and continue humanity’s line.
God knew Noah. They had a relationship. Noah had a reputation for following God no matter what everyone else did. That’s why he was chosen to build the ark.
Noah’s story didn’t start when He heard God give him building plans.
It began with his ride or die commitment to having a relationship with God and pursuing a blameless life in a godless world.
If we want to be like Noah, we need to have these same commitments: faithfulness to our relationship with God and a steadfast commitment to His ways.
That’s what makes a real man. Can I get a grunt of agreement?
By: Jamie Holden, Mantour Ministries
Today’s Scripture: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. (Genesis 6:9)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Comments