– Genesis 6:22
Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
God asked Noah to build the ark. However God wanted it to be made, he did exactly as God asked. Noah was a person who listened to God’s words and obeyed Him.
One day, I read one passage of words from a gospel book, “What Noah did is materially different to what people are doing now. When Noah did as God instructed he didn’t know what God’s intentions were. He didn’t know what God wanted to accomplish. God had only given him a command, instructed him to do something, but without much explanation, and he went ahead and did it. He didn’t try to figure out God’s intentions in private, nor did he resist God or have a double heart. He just went and did it accordingly with a pure and simple heart. Whatever God let him do he did, and obeying and listening to God’s word were his conviction for doing things. That was how straightforwardly and simply he dealt with what God entrusted. His essence—the essence of his actions was obedience, not second-guessing, not resisting, and moreover, not thinking of his own personal interests and his gains and losses. Further, when God said He would destroy the world with a flood, he did not ask when or try to get to the bottom of it, and he certainly did not ask God just how He was going to destroy the world. He simply did as God instructed. However God wanted it to be made and made with what, he did exactly as God asked and also commenced action immediately thereafter. He did it with an attitude of wanting to satisfy God. Was he doing it to help himself avoid the disaster? No. Did he ask God how much longer before the world would be destroyed? He didn’t. Did he ask God or did he know how long it would take to build the ark? He didn’t know that either. He simply just obeyed, listened, and did it accordingly. The people of now are not the same: As soon as a bit of information is leaked through God’s word, as soon as people sense a sign of disturbance or trouble, they will immediately spring into action, no matter what and regardless of the price, to prepare what they will eat, drink, and use in the aftermath, even planning their escape routes when the disaster strikes. Even more interesting is that, at this key moment, human brains are very ‘useful.’ Under circumstances where God has not given any instructions, man can plan for everything very appropriately. You could use the word ‘perfect’ to describe it. As for what God says, what God’s intentions are, or what God wants, no one cares and no one tries to appreciate it. Isn’t that the biggest difference between the people of today and Noah?” (God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself I)
After reading, I was lost in thought: When Noah accepted God’s commission, he simply obeyed without opposition and suspicion. He didn’t consider how much time and energy it would take him to build an ark or whether his own interests would suffer too much, nor did he ask God the exact date of the destruction of the world by the flood. Instead, he built the ark based on God’s demands without discount. Toward God’s demands, he simply just obeyed and listened.
I could not help but reflect on myself: I have believed in the Lord since my childhood, do I have pure obedience to the Lord? Can I practice according to the Lord’s words? Although I read the Bible every day, spread the gospel and attend Sunday school, I rarely practice the Lord’s words. When working for the Lord, I would have jealous disputes with my co-workers, and wanted to have a good image in brothers and sisters’ hearts, and took more into account my own position, reputation and future plans … I realize that I fall far short of Noah. For this, I want to start over with a clean slate. From now on, I give no consideration to whether I gain or lose prospect. Instead, I will learn to obey God’s sovereignty and arrangements in everything, and take satisfying God as the principle.