patience and thankfullness

5/24/14



Pretty simple thoughts today....
1. Do you realize that Noah was 500 years old when he started the Ark?
2. Do you realize that God gave the world....a 120 year opportunity to turn it around?(120 years???????) Remember how he gave Cain a chance to turn it around?
What does your call to "turn it around" look like? If nothing else....this whole story talks about God's patience and His deep desire to call us back to Himself. Even today...He still desperately wants you back into relationship.

3. Did you know that Noah and his family sat in the Ark for 7 days before the flood came? How crazy would you start to feel on day 4 or 5? What do you think his kids were saying? Or his neighbors? Or Noah himself? How long would Noah stay in there before he would say to himself  "Ok this is crazy, we can't live in here forever......Everybody out....If you start to feel rain, come running!" but he didn't, he didn't know how long it would be, but he trusted.  What does that say about God....that he waited a week before He started anything? (Hmmmmm maybe His time isn't my time). Do you think his whole family came up to him one at a time and said......."I'm sorry Dad...I went along with all of this because I love you.....but I never really believed....until the rain started...I really thought you were plumb crazy...I'm sorry."

4. Do you realize that actually Noah and his family were in the Ark (with all those animals) for about a year if you add all the time up...not just 40 days? How crazy would it be on month 3? Month 7???? I wonder what they did with all that time? Maybe fed animals.....but there probably weren't any books. Maybe all the walls of the Ark were intricately filled with carvings? Maybe the spun a lot of wool?

5. How would it have felt to step out onto new earth? and to know you were the only humans alive? To look at your brothers and sisters-in-law....and to know that from you would come the rest of the world, would you been in awe of the responsibility?


and you do you know what the very first thing Noah did when he got out of the Ark was?



May God in His grace give you His patience.......

call on the name of the Lord

A little thought today....

Gen 4: 25"...At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord."





I am thinking that prior to this God actually walked and talked with people....we know that he made or sewed  clothing to help Adam and Eve with their nakedness....so He was still there physically. But, after Adam and Eve had Seth and Seth had a son Enosh....there must have been so much evil around that God removed himself physically from the world. So, they would make offerings and "call on the name of the Lord".
I wish he was still here physically. I anticipate His return.
  

why didn't God kill Cain?

Genesis 4:9

New International Version (NIV)

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

God gave Cain a chance to repent.....He could have walked up and asked "why did you kill Abel?", but didn't He gave Cain a choice. He allowed grace. I would have blown Cain away.......
God then tells Cain he will be a restless wanderer on the earth......really how awful to not only have the very earth that you once worked now reject you, your source of pride, and then to have no home. No family. No get togethers. No nothing. No place to lay your head, always on the move. I would have hated that life.
 "Lord, thank-you for the comforts of home."

But Cain is still worried about his own skin, and getting killed.....not about what he had done.

15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so[e]; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,[f] east of Eden.
 God still cares for Cain's life. I am amazed by this fact...and yet am I any different? Are my sins any worse? Through my anger have I not committed murder many times over?

In my own way I too am a wanderer like Cain, and long to be back in God's presence. I used to hate him now I recognize myself in him.
 "Lord, thank-you for your grace and protection."

Eve.... flesh and bone

sometimes my thoughts are best captured by another....Please see this entire post at: GotQuestions.org


http://www.gotquestions.org/Adams-rib.html

Question: "Why did God use Adam's rib to create Eve?"