Following Noah's Example

“So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth . . .for I am sorry that I have made them’ but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” “. . .Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:7-9).

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great and the intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. . . .I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them”
(Genesis 6:5, 7).

“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence, So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their ways on the earth” (Genesis 6:11-12).

“I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:21b-22).

Noah lived in an extremely wicked age when people’s thoughts dwelled continually on evil. In the verses above we see that the intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, He was corrupt before God and filled with violence and the imagination of man’s heart was evil. All flesh had corrupted their ways on the earth and before God..

The Scripture teaches that out of the heart flow the issues of life. Evil, corruption and violence all begin in the heart and imagination of mankind. Therefore, all evil is “pre-meditated” as it is lived first in the imagination, and then acted upon deliberately, “for all flesh had corrupted their ways on the earth. “ It is deliberate, willful, intentional evil. It is corruption before God
and out of their hearts they have corrupted their ways on earth.

Not only in our days is violence growing, but the kinds of violence is also growing rapidly. Our sense of morality has died, and even Christians are tolerating more and more kinds of evil. The struggle for too many of us is “the imagination of man’s heart”. Temptation comes to all of us as it did for Christ, but when it becomes imaginations in the heart, it is sin looking for a place and opportunity to happen.

How are we to live in such a time as this? Only by God’s grace. Live so as to find grace in the eyes of our Holy Father. Live righteously (just) perfect (spiritually mature) before God and all those around us. In a world of corruption, violence, and all manner of evil continually, we will shine as lights from Heaven. All will know that it is not possible except God make us able. We need God’s grace, but it will require filling our mind and heart with the knowledge of the Word and ways of God. We must walk daily in fellowship with God. Not only do we need to truly love Him, but also to draw strength from Him–daily.