Genesis – First, God.
How do you feel when you pour your life and love into your kids only to hear from your toddlers, “I don’t need you!” in a struggle to help them put clothes on and get ready for the day. As a parent we correct your growing humans only to hear, “I hate you” when we won’t allow them the freedom to continue pestering their siblings or hurting other students at school.
What does it feel like when they steal candy while you are busy checking out and paying what is owed at the store? It breaks your heart and even angers you to look in the rear view window to see them sneaking bites of the unpaid candy with pieces of it on their angel like faces! “I didn’t do it!” is their only response when caught in the act. You want to cry.
When they grow into teenagers, they feel your direction and guidance is no longer needed, so they go their own, seeking their own path, and feeling confident that they can direct their destiny…at least for that day. How does it feel when they no longer look at you, talk to you or even acknowledge your presence in the room?Is that how God feels the humans He created? He gave humans His breath and life only for them to turn their backs on Him. His first thought was to destroy what He had created. But there was Noah…Noah was different.
Genesis 6
Giants in the Land
1-2 When the human race began to increase, with more and more daughters being born, the sons of God noticed that the daughters of men were beautiful. They looked them over and picked out wives for themselves.
3 Then God said, “I’m not going to breathe life into men and women endlessly. Eventually they’re going to die; from now on they can expect a life span of 120 years.”4 This was back in the days (and also later) when there were giants in the land. The giants came from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men. These were the mighty men of ancient lore, the famous ones.
Noah and His Sons
5-7 God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.”8 But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah.
9-10 This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.11-12 As far as God was concerned, the Earth had become a sewer; there was violence everywhere. God took one look and saw how bad it was, everyone corrupt and corrupting—life itself corrupt to the core.
13 God said to Noah, “It’s all over. It’s the end of the human race. The violence is everywhere; I’m making a clean sweep.
14-16 “Build yourself a ship from teakwood. Make rooms in it. Coat it with pitch inside and out. Make it 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. Build a roof for it and put in a window eighteen inches from the top; put in a door on the side of the ship; and make three decks, lower, middle, and upper.
17 “I’m going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction.
18-21 “But I’m going to establish a covenant with you: You’ll board the ship, and your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives will come on board with you. You are also to take two of each living creature, a male and a female, on board the ship, to preserve their lives with you: two of every species of bird, mammal, and reptile—two of everything so as to preserve their lives along with yours. Also get all the food you’ll need and store it up for you and them.”22 Noah did everything God commanded him to do.
THINK ABOUT IT…
Noah loved God. Noah did not break God’s heart. Noah did EVERYTHING God told him to do. Noah and his family were saved.We cannot say we love God and disobey His best for us. We cannot go our own way and avoid Him in this life without breaking God’s heart.
Jesus came to earth so that our relationship and life of peace with God could be restored once more. Jesus is the final answer to bringing us back to God who loves more than we can imagine, who wants His best for us, who wants to be in our lives and who is present always. HE is God and we are not. There is no one like our God.
Let us not break His heart today with our behavior that contradicts His commands and what we say we believe to love Him and to love others like He loves us. Our lives were created to love Him back. God, our Father, wants us to really love each other.
Everything hinges on God’s love.Dear Heavenly Father,
It grieves me when I break your heart with my selfish behavior. Your Holy Spirit convicts me to repent and come quickly running back to you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit! Thank you for helping us to stay focused on you and your best for us. Thank you for a way to restore our relationship through Jesus. Thank you for not destroying the entire human race in your grief. Thank you for loving us the way you do. Thank you for who you are. Thank you for Your Holy Presence. Help me to see You at work today and to praise You immediately.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Daily Manna with Your Mug 