Today, I did my reading in the morning. Acutally, since I only listened to yesterday's passage, I decided to re-read it today as well. I tend to be a little bit of an over achiever at the start of things. I have to remember that 'slow and steady wins the race'.
Today's reading was about Abram and yesterday's was about Noah. Reading them side by side was interesting though because both of these men give us a great recipe for obedience. When reading these stories I tried to put myself in these men's positions. Would I do the same thing? Was what God was asking of them easy or difficult?
Noah and Abram's recipe for obedience consits of four key steps:
1) God Makes a Promise - to Noah in Genesis 6:13, 17-19 and to Abram in Genesis 12:2
In both instances, God's promise is clear to these men. He doesn't mince words, and he lays it out crystal clear. Has God made a promise to us? Of course! He has promised us that we can be with him forever though his Son.
2) God Tells them What to Do - to Noah in Genesis 7:1 and to Abram in Genesis 12:1
God is specifc, especially with Noah. We still know exactly how big this ark was! Has God told us what to do? Again, yes! Each day, I'm realizing that His Word really gives us some pretty specific instruction that is surprisingly applicable to modern life. Every day so far, I've found at least one thing that has "clicked" for me.
3) Both Men Thank God Before He Fulfills His Promise - Noah in Genesis 8:20 and Abram in Genesis 12:7
How hard is this? First of all, these men's lives are turned upside down and here they are giving thanks to God before they get what they want! They have no idea what is going to happen. For Noah, there is a devastating flood. I have seen first hand what flood waters can do, and let me tell you, it is horrific. So for Noah to thank God in the midst of this is really something. Not only that but Noah remains in the ark for a few months after the waters receed. I always thought he got out when the dove brought back the olive branch because this meant it was dry outside. But no, Noah waited until God said he could come out. I know there is no way if I had been on that boat that I would have been able to stay inside after I knew it was dry.
Abram is asked to leave everything and go to Canaan. Travel in these days could not have been easy. It wasn't as if Abram could just pack his suitcase and set an out of office message...this was a HUGE undertaking and he knew he or his loved ones could quite easily have died on the journey. But yet, both of these obedient men thank God in the midst of great turmoil in their lives.
What a huge amount of faith this requires! It made me wonder if I am thankful to God even if what is going on in my life is not my desire or a comfortable place for me to be. I mean, it is easy to say a prayer of thanks when you buy a new house or eat a meal, but am I thankful for the obstacles God is placing in my life in order to change my path as well?
4) Lastly, both Abram and Noah do what God says - Noah in Genesis 6:22, 7:5 and Abram in Genesis 12:4
This may seem like a no brainer but what God is asking them to do is really difficult. In both cases their actions could lead them to ridicule by their peers, death of themselves or their loved ones or basically a loss of everything in their lives. Often, what is written in the Bible is not popular or easy to do in our society. Just because it is layed out for us doesn't mean it is going to be easy. I need to do a better job at not taking the easy way out and caring more about how God sees me rather than how the rest of the world sees me.
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