NOAH PREPARED FOR THE FLOOD; ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THE RETURN OF JESUS?

SCRIPTURE:
Noah did everything just as God commanded him.  
(Genesis 6:22)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever had the feeling that you could use some direction?
Maybe you have a big decision to make, or you might just need to set some goals.
Whatever the case, 
wouldn’t it be nice if a trusted person would tell you what to do?
Sometimes we need more than a suggestion, we need a direct command.

God is that voice of reason and gives us the direction we need.
His commands to Noah saved the lives of Noah and his family,
and His commands can save our lives as well.
You might be thinking, 
“But Noah heard his command from God. How can I hear His commands?”

In order for us to “hear” God today, we need to read His Word – the Bible.
The pages of the Bible are full of commands from God, 
and the question is, “What do we do with these commands?”
We obey them! 

Noah obeyed them (“he did everything just as God commanded him”).
If he had failed to obey God’s commands, the ark would not have been available 
to save Noah and his family from certain death.
When we obey God’s commands, 
salvation is available to save us from certain death.

One day God spoke to Noah about the wickedness of the human race. 
The actions of men and women grieved Him to the heart, 
and God said that He intended to send a flood that would destroy mankind.
He told Noah to build an ark to save his household and the animals.

Noah had never seen a flood and had never seen a 40-day rain. 
He had no weather map, no satellite photograph 
or meteorologist to tell him that a big storm was coming,
but the Bible says he believed God.

All he had to go on was the Word of God. 
But when the flood came, Noah and his family were saved
and the rest of the generation was swept away. 
Noah was saved because he put his trust in God. 

The days of Noah are returning to earth and a catastrophe as great as the flood 
awaits those who refuse to enter into the ark of salvation, 
which is Jesus Christ.

ACTION:
Two questions:
Are you actively reading the Bible?
Are you obeying the commands within its pages?
His commands are not a smorgasbord where we can pick and choose 
the commands we want to obey and ignore the other ones.
If we are sincere in our love of the Lord, 
we will strive to obey all of His commands.

How do you think God feels when someone tells others 
they are a child of the King, but fail to obey His command 
to meet with other believers to worship and praise Him?
How do you think others feel about the sincerity of someone 
who claims to love the Lord,
but have no interest in going to His house for worship and praise? 
It is no surprise that non-believers call some Christians hypocrites.

Jesus says that hypocrites will not enter heaven, but they also 
get in the way of the salvation of others as a result of their actions 
(or inactions, such as not worshipping with other believers).
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the 
door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, 
nor will you let those enter who are trying to. (Matthew 23:13)

Some say, “I can worship at home by myself”.
Is that what God says? Is this one of His commands you have chosen to ignore?
Some can be creative in explaining why it is okay for them 
to disobey His command, but that would mean that God makes exceptions, 
which means He shows partiality.

God does not show favoritism, so if a person is physically able 
and chooses to ignore His command to ‘worship together’, 
it cannot be glossed over, it is rebellion and disobedience, plain and simple.
Is your disobedience and rebellion causing others to miss out on heaven, 
because they cannot sense a sincerity in your faith?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for providing me with Your Word to read and 
see what commands You have for me. Forgive me for selectively obeying 
Your commands. Convict me of any of Your commands that I either unknowingly, 
or purposely fail to obey. I don’t want to be included in the group of 
hypocrites who are having a negative impact on the salvation of those who 
do not know You. If I understand Your Word correctly, heaven is not a place 
for hypocrites. Help me to sincerely trust You and obey Your commands.”