A Grace that Saves !
Do you need a lifejacket, or will you be on the boat?
Hello, Bonjour, Que Pasa Good People and Others. I pray all has been well with you and that you are continuing to push through and endure until the end.
Today we will be talking about the “A Grace that Saves!” I will be coming from Genesis 6:8-9.
When we look at vs 8 it reads “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” I’m not sure if you are well versed about Noah’s life in the Bible. So let me give you some background. Noah was a man with a small family who was instructed to build an ark. He was told that God was going to flood the earth, so he began to build an ark long before the time had come to flood the earth. (Makes total sense right? Don’t want to be trying to build an ark at the last minute. Might not make it.) He was instructed to take 2 of each animal…Male and Female…. (had to add that for context because reproduction. But anywho) and his family because God was going to flood the earth and wipe everything and one out because he was repulsed at his creation. Background completed. haaha.
During Noah’s process of building the ark and preparing the flood he was mocked and ridiculed for working tirelessly at this project that the people in his community felt like would be pointless. The people in Noah’s days were full of wickedness and violence and their hearts were evil. (Gen 6:5) Yet Noah continued to build. Could you imagine living in the days of Noah? Fortunately for you, you won’t have to if you make it to see the Son of Man return. The bible states that the last days will be like the days of Noah. (Matthew 24:37) Could you imagine being Noah? Being informed by God that there was going to be a flood to wipe out the entire world you had grown to know and possibly love and only you and your family would be saved?
See, the grace of God saves. But what was it about Noah that made him worthy of God’s grace?
When we look at verse 9 of Genesis 6 it reads “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
Many of us want the grace that God gives. Yet, we see in Noah’s life that there were a few things Noah embodies that grants him the grace that saves. It states that Noah was just, perfect and he walked with God. Many of us want to be counted just simply because we repent from our sins….repeatedly for some. Yet, if we have to constantly repent for the same sin. Have we truly learned the lesson? It also states that Noah was perfect in his generations. When we look at the community that Noah came from scripture tells us that the people were wicked, violent and had every evil imagination of the thoughts of his heart only. (Gen 6:5,11) Essentially, the people couldn’t get right. Have y’all seen that movie? Life? Has a character in there called “can’t get right” played by Bokeem Woodbine. Ironically, the people in the days of Noah could not get right and God brought a flood to wipe them out.
Noah lived a life that was pleasing to God. He not only lived a life that pleased God, but he also walked with God. There is something powerful about choosing to walk with God. Noah is the perfect example of that. Had Noah been like the people around him I imagine that God would have wiped everyone out completely and started over entirely from scratch. Let’s thank God for Noah alright! The grace that saves requires us to walk with God. We can’t continue to do what we want to do and then expect God to just save us. His grace is not unlimited. We must do what is required to be counted worthy of being saved.
It also states that Noah was perfect in his generation. Can we assume that Noah’s walk with God made him perfect? Or was there something about his life that made him noticeable to God in a good way? We’ll dive into perfection at a different time and different avenue. Maybe on my YouTube Channel Ls2Elevation. Check it out in your free time.
However, what we can take away from the life of Noah is that he put in the work, literally. He put in the work while walking with God. Everyone around him were stuck in their wicked ways but Noah chose to be different and walk with God. Granting him the Grace that Saves!
Till Next Time. Love ya Later!
The Grace isn’t Unlimited!
Hello, Bonjour, Que Pasa! How are you all today? I pray all is well with you.
Today I wanted to talk about The Grace Isn’t Unlimited!
Many of us have grown up in homes, churches and vast communities where we have established connections and loving relationships. Some of us have grown up in not so loving relationships. Yet, we have found the strength to heal and continue to move forward. For those of us who have endured different things in life I’m sure we can attest to the fact that “Grace isn’t always unlimited.”
When we look at the word of God in Psalms 78 we see where God was dealing with the Israelites thirsting in the wilderness. God provided for them numerous times. Numerous times. Yet, the Israelites continued in their complaints and their request for more from God with a lack of thanks. Have any of you ever been giving and giving and giving and no one ever took a moment to simply say “thank you” for the work or services you have provided for them? I’m not sure if many people understand the complex simplicity that “thank you” provides. Thank you is one of the most simple and profound things you can say to someone.
Thank you gives. It gives in ways that will uplift and encourage the giver to give more because they feel appreciated. God wants us to appreciate his love for us. Some of us take for granted the love that God provides. I believe this is the case because we get comfortable in his works for us. Much like the Israelites did in the Bible. (Psalms 78:42) They had become so expectant of God being God in their lives that they didn’t even acknowledge that he was doing miraculous deeds to ensure they were fed. They didn’t even acknowledge that God was feeding them heavenly food.
Could you imagine being fed bread from heaven and believing that you are just naturally deserving of such a meal? (Psalms 78:24) As if you created the heavens and the earth in 7 days yourself. Eventually, people get tired. Just as God himself gets tired. We see in the Bible where God had given to the point where he was fed up. He then turns and smites the Israelites right when they were about to feast on the manna he had provided. (Psalms 78:31)
The grace God allots us is not unlimited. We as believers believe that all we have to do is “repent”. Let some of your celebrity Pastors tell it. However, true repentance is turning away from your sins. Meaning leaving them in the past. Turning away from them. Allowing God to establish you as a new creature in him. When we get comfortable in walking in our sins we are playing with fire. God’s consuming fire! Whether we take his warnings seriously or not….do we really want the smoke that God gives?! Don’t take God’s grace for granted. One day you won’t have time to repent and get your life in order. Start today!
God’s grace is not unlimited!