[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] FW: [CWWC] 4 Hopeful Lessons from Noah and the Ark: - Fresh Start Devotion for Sunday mMarch 28 2021

Sun Mar 28 18:04:00 UTC 2021

From: committed-walk-with-Christ at groups.io
<committed-walk-with-Christ at groups.io> On Behalf Of Mr. Ed via groups.io
Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2021 12:56 PM
To: Mr. Ed <pinky14 at abe.midco.net>
Subject: EXT: [CWWC] 4 Hopeful Lessons from Noah and the Ark: - Fresh Start
Devotion for Sunday mMarch 28 2021

4 Hopeful Lessons from Noah and the Ark:

Author:  Meg Bucher 

(contributed by Lee Ann)

Scripture Reading:  "All the earth shall be filled with the glory of the
Lord."  (Numbers 14:21)

> "We All Fall Short of the Glory of God" ( Romans 3:23 )

The glory of God is what God intended humans to be. Since the fall in the
Garden of Eden via Adam  and Eve, we've been perpetually stuck in a spin
cycle of sin. God sent His only Son to earth out of  love for us, and our
inability to remedy the existence of sin in our lives. There's no way, on
earth, for us to shake it completely. And the consequence of our sin is
death. The Old Testament  points to our Savior, Jesus, who came to defeat
death once, for all.

Noah's Ark reminds us of our compassionate and forgiving God. Even though
the Father knew we would  end up drowning in the same sin that covered the
earth in corruption before the flood, God promised  not to destroy the earth
again. Through Jesus, we are forgiven for our sins, and able to turn from
strongholds of it- a heart change stronger than a powerful wall of water.
One step at a time, we  become more like Christ. Knowing this, we can choose
to lend the same love, forgiveness, and  compassion to others as He gives to
us.

> 2) Trust God with the Impossible.

Noah built an enormous ark, following every meticulous step God gave him.
Though it undoubtedly  cost him his reputation, friendships, and possibly
respect from his family, not to mention the  physical pain and mental
anguish of wondering if he heard God correctly, Noah demonstrated the
powerful product of godly obedience. We so often forget we serve the God of
miracles, the God of  the impossible. We list our gratitudes, and then turn
right around and lift up our worries  concerning the same list!  Genesis
5:32  says, "after Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem,
Ham, and Japheth." 500 years  old?!  Genesis 7:6  tells us Noah was 600
years old at the time of the flood!

Noah leaned into God for his strength. It had to be hard, and surely seemed
impossible at times,  but it didn't stop him from starting the task. "Noah
did everything just as God commanded him,"  Genesis 6:22  and  7:5  read.
One step at a time, Noah completed the Lord's instructions. In our own
lives, we can embrace  the truth that God's mercies are new every morning.
He meets us each new day, to walk through that  day's challenges, battles,
triumphs, and tasks. One thing at a time. One day at a time, He leads us  on
the path of His will for our lives. Small steps of obedience in our lives
may not end in a  completed ark with every species paired, but the gravity
of God's work in our lives will have no  less effect on those He's placed in
our paths. One obedient step at a time, we bring glory to Him  as we love
others for Jesus through the seemingly impossible things He asked us to do.

> 3)  God Cares for Us

"The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on earth, and his heart
was deeply troubled."  Genesis 6:6

God does not rejoice at human suffering. He does not cause bad things to
happen to us, but He is  holy and just, He is God! He could not allow evil
to continue unaccounted for in the way it had  saturated humanity.

Paul wrote to the Philippians, "cast your cares on the Lord, for He cares
for you." God cares. He  is concerned when we pray and deeply involved in
the state of our hearts. My daughter has a bad  habit of telling me what she
thinks I want to hear, the good stuff, the positive reports. But her  gauge
is inaccurate. As her mom, I want to know all the bad, hard stuff, so I know
how to go to  battle for her in  prayer .  I care for her whole heart, as
God cares for ours intently more so.

Genesis 6:8  reads, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of God." Against all
odds, we can put our hope in the  Lord. We can pray for His favor in our
lives. Amidst a world consumed in violence, God saw Noah. He  called him
faithful and righteous ( v6:9 ). After the earth-consuming flood,  Genesis
8:1  reads, "But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the
livestock that were with him in  the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth,
and the waters receded." God sees us.

> 4)  Our Hope Is in Christ, Alone

"The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: 'Never again
will I curse the ground  because of humans, even though every inclination of
the human heart is evil from childhood. And  never again will I destroy all
living creatures, as I have done."  Genesis 8:21

The flood didn't fix humanity. We are still sinful in nature, living under
the curse which began at  the fall in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.
Nevertheless, because of who God is, not who we  are, He chose to have
compassion on us. Not only did He promise never to destroy all living
creatures, but He made a way for us to stand in His presence, fully forgiven
and redeemed.

Jesus doesn't pop onto the pages of Scripture at the nativity scene. He's
present in the entirety  of it, as Scripture points to a problem only He
could ever remedy for us. God's love to send Jesus,  and Jesus' choice to
sacrifice His life for us to glorify the Father, is beyond anything we
deserve. We deserve the destruction and death our sin earns us. But God
loved us too much to see us  destitute and enslaved by sin. He made a way,
through Jesus. There is no greater love than that of  the Father, and of
Jesus to lay His life down for us.

Prayer:  y for all that You have done in my life. You are faithful even when
I am  faithless. Your love pursues me even when I am unlovable. Your
forgiveness covers my sin and frees  me from its penalty. I praise You for
your love and faithfulness to me. Your presence in my life  changes
everything, empowering me to live each moment of every day, content in
knowing You are in  control. As I face today, Lord, remind me that no matter
what happens, I can praise You! In Your  Name, Amen. 

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"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own
understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your
paths straight."

(Proverbs 3:5,6 NIV)

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