"Finding Grace" 3-1-12

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

That one word "grace" made all the difference. When the flood waters rose upon the whole earth, it was only Noah and his family that were spared out of all of the human race. Why were they spared? Because Noah found grace in the eyes of God. When everyone else was living in wickedness and rebellion against the Lord, Noah was serving God. It was because of Noah's faith and trust in God that he found grace. Noah's obedience came from his faith, not the other way around. His faith was demonstrated by his works. It took great faith to build an ark when it had never rained before! For years, Noah worked diligently while the world seemingly passed him by, mocking and ridiculing him, but Noah's faith wasn't wavered by the unbelief of others. God knew this about Noah before He asked him to build the ark, and it was the reason that God spared him from judgment. I would suggest, however, that the story is much more about God than it is Noah. When the rain started pouring, it was God that shut him in the ark. This is a wonderful picture of Christ, for those of us who have believed in Him, God has placed us in Christ and has not appointed us unto wrath. As the last days come to an end, and the Great Tribulation approaches, we too can find grace in the eyes of the Lord by trusting in His Son. Like Noah, our faith will manifest itself by living in a way that seems peculiar to the wicked and the rebellious. Let us make it our priority to grow the family of God, understanding that it is not God's desire that any should perish.