Believe, achieve, and receive!
As I read the devotion today from Dr. Tony Evans, it caused me to reflect on just how much I trust the Lord in my life.
What the Bible says about Noah is what we all wish was true about us. It tells us that Noah “found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). Noah was a trustworthy man in an untrustworthy world. In a world that had rejected God, Noah stood fast in his faith. Because of this, God gave him an unusual mission to fulfill. He was told to build a boat on dry ground because it was going to rain. These few words would change the world forever: it’s going to rain. The challenge for Noah is that it had never rained before. God had watered the earth from underneath the ground up to that time. So, Noah was going to have to trust in the word of God about something he had never seen or experienced for himself. Sometimes, when God wants to accomplish something, He finds just the right person to do it—one who is trustworthy, who will remain faithful and keep believing even when everyone else thinks they are a fool. Noah didn’t listen to the other voices that questioned his actions. He obeyed God. He started building a boat and preaching a message. He told people that it was going to rain because God had said so. Even though it was outside of his experience and theirs, he showed total trust in God and he and his family were saved.
Do you and I have that kind of unshakable faith? Are we willing to put our total trust in the Lord, even when it does not make sense or is seen as foolishness in the eyes of the world? Christians are being called out for their faith at an alarming rate throughout our world. More Christians are being persecuted today for their belief in the Triune God as the one and only God, and Jesus as Lord and Savior of all and the only way unto salvation. Are we willing to stand up for Jesus to the point that it may cost us everything, even our very life?
Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “Take up your cross and follow me”. The Apostle Paul states these words in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”. He also spoke this message through the Apostle John in Revelation 2:10, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Be though faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.” Are we trusting in Jesus to be with us as we carry the cross, even unto death? I pray we are and that we have the faith of Noah to stay the course! Pastor McCarty