Water

Water

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"The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him,” ‭Genesis‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬, ‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬‭‭‬‬.

Can you imagine living in a world where you are the only follower of Jesus? Maybe you do understand Noah’s plight—as the only one who obeyed God, faithfully.

We know Noah obeyed God and His instructions to build the ark, because it was seaworthy for over a year. Forty days and nights of continuous rain left the earth waterlogged. The waters needed time to recede and evaporate, hence the extra time.

At first, family and neighbors must have thought he was crazy to build a ship so far from the sea! I’m sure many of these people believed in God. The difference was to follow and obey what God had commanded, not just believe that God existed.

In our generation we too have many who believe God exists. Yet, like Noah’s neighbors and family, they just believe. They appreciate the evidence of creation all around them, they like the idea of not going to hell, and they hope for salvation. Some even show up regularly to a church service.

But they also continue to drink until drunkenness, live with their boyfriends or girlfriends, and only skim the word of God looking for answers to comfort them in a time of grief, sorrow or anxiety.

They don’t really want to “Know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

They want to know just enough truth so they don’t look foolish in their Life Group, church or Bible studies. But they also don’t want to look foolish being “one of those judgmental Christians” in front of their work friends or family. Because they straddle the fence, they don’t obey God with faithful regularity. They justify their private lifestyle and meager faith.

These are what Revelation calls the “lukewarm.” People who have not wholeheartedly surrendered to God at any cost.

“You are neither hot nor cold,“ Revelation 3:16.

This means they neither used their faith to heal, like the hot springs or to refresh another, like a cool mountain stream. They were the nasty residue that happens when one ignores God and metaphorically lets these two streams mingle, creating lukewarm, dirty water.

None of us want to have that as a vanity plate: “LUKEWARM.” Yet, as much as we don’t want it, some are standing outside of the ark as it begins to rain. Confused. That might not be you, but it might be someone you know and love.

Let’s do an emergency drill—checking to see if we are prepared to meet God:

What does it mean for you to be called a “Christian?”

What does it mean for you to love God?

How do you act and respond when facing the choice of going along with the crowd or standing with God?

Are you willing to be the only one standing, left behind as the crowd moves on? Or are you justifying God’s truth in order to remain part of the group? You figure you’ll ask for forgiveness later. Have you done so?

Do you study the Word of God in order to know God as well as be comforted by Him?

Do you desire to obey, though not perfectly, but you are sincere in your offering of your heart?

What are you doing with the challenging topics that are dividing us in our culture: homosexuality, living together, divorce, abortion? Are you ignoring them, or do you causally agree? By the way, we can disagree and still have unity if we disagree with kindness and gentleness.

Are you even aware of what the Word of God has to say on these topics? Or do you not care that the Bible actually has an opinion?

If we are struggling with some of these questions, that’s actually good—struggle means the Holy Spirit is moving us closer to God’s truth. If we aren’t struggling, it could mean we currently wholeheartedly agree with God, or we haven’t really thought about it—content doing our own thing, which sadly differs from God’s.

If you are doing what you want to do regardless of what the Word of God says, ask yourself again what it means to be a Christian.

I’m not trying to be insensitive, but I really don’t want any of us to be so fooled by God’s enemy, Satan, the liar, that we miss the reality of our situation.

There are some of us who need to figure this part out; if not for ourselves, for someone we know and love.

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” John 14:6, ESV.

Do you agree with this statement?

Do you agree to the point of complete surrender to our Heavenly Father?

If Jesus is the way, and He has told us to obey Him, how are we doing?

Our lives won’t be perfect, but we won’t use our imperfections to continue to justify our wrong doings.

Jesus summed it up—

“Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” Matthew 22:37-39, NIV.

Father,

Not my will, Yours be done.

This is so challenging and daunting —to love as You love. We are frail and misstep often. We don’t want to be embarrassed by Your way, yet we find ourselves just that.

Help us to grow bolder in Your truth, more confident in Your way, and to desire you above all else—especially over ourselves.

We know that when we surrender, the peace that surpasses all of our previous understandings will actually guard our hearts and minds.

When we surrender all to You, we eventually will not care what others think about us, because we are focused on pleasing You. But today, I admit, I still care. Help my unbelief.

Help me to be more like Noah, who did his all for his audience of one, You.

Amen.