READING: Genesis 4-6, Matthew 2
“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.” Gen. 6:9
It’s a morbid question, I know, but what do you want written on your grave marker? “A Great Dad”? “Faithful Mother and Grandmother”? “Loving Husband (or Wife)”? “Famed Political Leader”?
Or how about, “He walked with God”? Or, “She was a righteous woman”?
In the midst of an increasingly evil world before God sent the great flood – a world the Bible describes as, “corrupt in God’s sight, and . . . filled with wickedness” – Gen. 6:11) – two men are recorded as having walked with God. Noah did so, and Enoch before him did the same (Gen. 5:22). In fact, Enoch so walked with God for centuries that he apparently went to heaven without dying! The thoughts and intents of human beings had turned completely against God, and those who were created in God’s image had rejected their Creator – but at least two men of God remained faithful and different.
Centuries later, even the king over Israel was so evil that he sought to kill the Christ child who had come to redeem the world (Matt. 2:13). So threatened was he that he slaughtered every male child under two years old in and around Bethlehem. In contrast, Mary’s husband Joseph trusted God fully, following the directions of angels to take his family to Egypt, then back to Israel, and then ultimately to Nazareth. He was a faithful light obeying God in a dark world.
No matter how rotten the world turns, God is always looking for the few men and women who stand strong. They may stand alone, but they model the truth that faithfulness is not only right, it’s also possible. In their obedience, they offer hope to the hopeless, forgiveness to the guilty, and life to the dying.
Even if you’re the only one making righteous choices today, be like Enoch and Noah. Walk with God in victory.
ACTION STEPS:
- Would your family and friends consider you “blameless”? If not, make better choices today.
- Thank God for someone you know who has stood for righteousness.
PRAYER: “God, I want my life to be pleasing to You. Grant me grace to make righteous choices today, even if it costs me.”
TOMORROW'S READING: Genesis 7-9, Matthew 3
