Happy Sabbath!
Greetings! Today is the first Sabbath of the NAD Ten Days of Prayer initiative (Jan 8-18) and I wanted to share some thoughts regarding another faith hero, as I did on the life of Enoch on last week’s Sabbath message.
This morning, I would like to expand on Genesis 6:9 (NIV), which tells us about Noah: “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” The SOP sheds some light about the reality of Noah’s days: “The wickedness of men was open and daring, justice was trampled in the dust, and the cries of the oppressed reached unto heaven. … Neither the marriage relation nor the rights of property were respected. Whoever coveted the wives or the possessions of his neighbor, took them by force, and men exulted in their deeds of violence.” (EGW, PP, 91, 92). Amidst all of these, Noah was respected and considered a man of a noble character and righteous, even by those of his time. How could that be? The answer is found in the Bible verse mentioned above: Noah walked with God!
What does it mean for one to be righteous? I understand that it happens when a sinner fully accepts the free redemption offered through God’s grace in Christ! I believe that it becomes a daily reality for that son/daughter of God to dedicate a consistent time for the study of His Word, have a steadfast prayer life, and a continuous meditation on God’s goodness and His plan for their lives. This is the secret. Yes, Noah was considered a righteous person in his generation because he had a solid, stable, good, and persistent character.
Perhaps God waited for someone like Noah to live and walk with Him, to bring “rest”, so that He could send the flood to restart the earth again? Could that be that God is waiting for His people to become modern Noahs for Him to send His Son again to bring us the final rest? Noah never departed from the truth, in principle and practice. God is also willing to empower His people to share His light and witness about His truth to a spiritually dying society. Noah walked daily with God – his presence, attitude, choices, words, actions, purity, and piousness were a living testimony for the people of his time, by God’s grace!
Maybe we should compare Noah’s arc with God’s church today. Only those who are inside will resist the “storm” and reach the other side, by the indwelling presence of God’s Spirit! The decision to enter the “arc” and remain in it, despite its challenges, is entirely an individual one, as it is for each of us to allow ourselves to be “Led by the Spirit”!
Please, let us continue to uplift each other in prayer, always!
Happy Sabbath!
In His Service,
Wesley Torres
President
