Genesis 9:1-3, “God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fertile, multiply, and fill the earth. All of the animals on the earth will fear you and dread you – all the birds in the skies, everything crawling on the ground, and all of the sea’s fish. They are in your power. Everything that lives and moves will be your food. Just as I gave you the green grasses, I NOW GIVE YOU EVERYTHING” (CEB).
If you want to get what Noah got, observe two things about his life that will teach you how to unlock God’s EVERYTHING for you:
KEY #1: HE HONORED GOD: “By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.” (Hebrews 11:7 MSG). Noah had NEVER seen rain, nor had anyone else! In addition, Noah lived a hundred miles from the nearest ocean! Therefore, even if he could learn to build an ark, how would he get it to the water?! And how about rounding up all those animals? UGH! Listen: I have always had dogs, not one but sometimes 2 at a time! And even with just One Dog, trying to get him in the house or in the yard sometimes was an all-day event! So, I can’t even wrap my brain around what Noah had to do! Truthfully speaking, if it was me, I would’ve been sitting there in full negotiation mode with God…Seriously! Listen God, I’ll get the animals, but can I just get “some animals?” I mean do I necessarily have to get “Specific Kinds“ of animals, and to add more burden to my back, do I really have to also pair them up?! God this really sounds like unnecessary excess…don’t You think?! See, that’s why I’m Janet (J.P.) and HE WAS NOAH! And before you think this was just a small assignment, listen to Noah’s task: “I’m going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction. “But I’m going to establish a covenant with you: You’ll board the ship, and your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives will come on board with you. You are also to take two of each living creature, a male and a female, on board the ship, to preserve their lives with you: two of every species of bird, mammal, and reptile – two of EVERYTHING so as to preserve their lives along with yours. Also get all the FOOD you’ll need and store it up for you AND THEM.” (Genesis 6:17-21 MSG) Okay, did you catch all of that?! First off, that’s a lot of relatives to gather in the first place! Laugh if you will, but have you seen the chaos that breaks out when we have to get families together for an event? Lord have mercy! I promise you I would’ve boarded that ark leaving behind at least 2 siblings, 4 cousins, 6 nieces and nephews 8 aunts and uncles, and 10 in laws…not to mention a spouse and 3 kids! Judge me all you like! I Promise You I Would Not Have Made Out As Good As Noah! And then if that wasn’t enough, God tells him to be Specific, “Get Two of Everything”…Seriously God, Two of EVERYTHING?! And then you have to look at the animals carefully, because you have to make sure you have a “male and female“, I would’ve certainly been upset if I had to be the one to check for that in each animal! Then God goes even further to make sure he got two of “Every Species“! What?! Do you know how many “Species” of “Each Animal” That Is?
And then to add insult to injury, I now have to get all the food that me, my relatives and ALL the animals will need to sustain us for this entire journey! And even with that small task, there are still times I dread having to go to the supermarket for just two people! And yet, Noah honored and obeyed God’s instructions and went food shopping for all his relatives, himself and all the animals! Let’s just say I don’t think me and God would’ve been on the best of speaking terms after that supermarket shopping ordeal! However, Noah, with all that his task required of him, HONORED GOD!
Even though for a hundred and twenty years he was a complete and utter laughingstock in the land! Noah, yet Honored God! And because he Honored God, God Honored Him! People of God, I know this was somewhat comical, but truth is, that is my prayer for you! That you will live as People of God, Who Honor Their God, No Matter the Task They Receive From Their God! After all, NONE OF US will ever receive a greater and harder and sacrificially painful task as Jesus, and yet, He also honored and obeyed the Father! Isaiah 53: “Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this? The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about Him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at Him and people turned away. We looked down on Him, thought He was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains He carried—our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought He brought it on himself, that God was punishing Him for His own failures. But it was our sins that did that to Him, that ripped and tore and crushed Him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through His bruises we get healed. We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost. We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him, on him. He was beaten, He was tortured, but He didn’t say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, He took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and He was led off—and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for His own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw Him in a grave with a rich man, Even though he’d never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn’t true. STILL, IT’S WHAT GOD HAD IN MIND ALL ALONG, TO CRUSH HIM WITH PAIN. THE PLAN WAS THAT HE GIVE HIMSELF AS AN OFFERING FOR SIN SO THAT HE’D SEE LIFE COME FROM IT-Life, life, and more life. And God’s PLAN will deeply prosper through him. Out of that terrible travail of soul, HE’LL SEE THAT IT’S WORTH IT AND BE GLAD HE DID IT.
Through what He experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many “righteous ones,” as He himself carries the burden of their sins. THEREFORE, I’LL REWARD HIM EXTRAVAGANTLY—THE BEST OF EVERYTHING, THE HIGHEST HONORS—BECAUSE HE LOOKED DEATH IN THE FACE AND DIDN’T FLINCH, BECAUSE HE EMBRACED THE COMPANY OF THE LOWEST. HE TOOK ON HIS OWN SHOULDERS THE SIN OF THE MANY, HE TOOK UP THE CAUSE OF ALL THE BLACK SHEEP.” (MSG) Whatever God assigns to your hands that will Preserve Your Posterity, Do It! No matter how ridiculous, no matter how silly, no matter how time consuming, no matter how painful or even life threatening, Do It! For When You Honor Your Father, Your Father Will Honor His Children! Jesus and Noah are Full Proof of This!
KEY #2: HE OBEYED GOD: “So Noah did EVERYTHING EXACTLY as God had commanded him” (Genesis 6:22 NLT). Understanding can wait; Obedience Can’t! Instant Obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. In fact, there are many of God’s commandments you won’t understand until you first obey them! And is there really a blessing of grace and favor when you obey God? Sure is, listen, when Noah emerged from the ark after the flood, the Bible says this,“God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fertile, multiply, and fill the earth. All of the animals on the earth will fear you and dread you – all the birds in the skies, everything crawling on the ground, and all of the sea’s fish. They are in your power.
Everything that lives and moves will be your food. Just as I gave you the green grasses, I NOW GIVE YOU EVERYTHING” (Genesis 9:1-3 CEB). The first thing God does in response to Noah’s Honoring and Obeying him was to BLESS HIM! That’s your motivation! God has a blessing that is released as soon as you embrace His commandments with obedience! And what I also found to be an interesting point, the Scripture says, “God blessed Noah AND HIS SONS…” Now, if you’re anything like me (and God help you if you are), the first thing to come to mind is: “What are they being blessed for? They didn’t do anything…I did!” But God loves us so, that when we Honor and Obey Him, He Grants Us Generational Blessings That Are Poured On the Entirety of Our Posterity! The word ‘posterity’ is defined as, ‘all future generations of people.’ Its Old French origin, ‘posterite’, from Latin ‘posterus’, literally means, ‘following’. Honor and Obedience means so much to God, that He’s not satisfied to just bless US, but He blesses all of our future generations, every single seed that will follow us!
That’s the best inheritance besides salvation and eternal life! When have you ever heard of a better life insurance policy?! Listen, Parents, Your Sons and Daughters Are Blessed Because Of Your Honor and Obedience! You see, With God, your reward will ALWAYS be Greater than your Obedience! So, never compromise what you’ve been called to do! Truth is, sometimes we try “Partial Obedience”: We say things like, “I’ll attend church, but won’t tithe. I’ll read my Bible, but I won’t forgive the person who hurt me”. But: “Partial Obedience”, IS FULL DISOBEDIENCE! The word “Partial” literally means “Incomplete”. Which is why I find it interesting that we always want God to Completely Bless Us While We Incompletely Obey Him! However, Our God is a God of “Completion”:
The Bible says, “And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who BEGAN a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to FULL COMPLETION in you” (Philippians 1:6 AMP) God Completes Us So We Can Complete What He’s Given To Us and that Can Only Be Done In Complete Obedience! The Bible says, “You see that a man is justified (pronounced righteous before God) through what he does and not alone through faith [through works of OBEDIENCE as well as by what he believes]” (James 2:24 AMP). Your faith and belief are not enough! God is looking for your “…WORKS OF OBEDIENCE AS WELL AS BY WHAT YOU BELIEVE” Noah had a job to do for God and so do you! So get your overalls on and Put Your Obedience To Work! Why is Obedience so important? Because Jesus said simply, “If you [really] love Me, you will keep (OBEY) My commands” (John 14:15 AMP). Jesus puts the validity of our whole love relationship with Him on the line solely on the basis of our obedience! I’d say obedience means a lot to Him, wouldn’t you say the same?
Know this: God is watching you: The Bible says, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. HE DELIGHTS IN EVERY DETAIL OF THEIR LIVES” (Psalm 37:23 NLT). He’s Looking At Your Life (“…In Every Detail…”) Whether It Be In Church, On the Job, In the Home, In the Streets, In Public or In Private…and He’s Expecting To See Honor and Obedience…Will He Find It In You? And guess what? If He does, you get to get what Noah got (that was absolutely horrible grammar, but I love the way it sounded…lol) “God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fertile, multiply, and fill the earth…everything…is in your power….I NOW GIVE YOU EVERYTHING” (Genesis 9:1-3 CEB).
That’s the blessing that’s waiting on you, your blessing to be fertile, multiply and fill the earth; the blessing of having power and dominion! Not to mention His previous blessings were awesome, but after you Honor and Obey Him, He then says, I NOW GIVE YOU EVERYTHING! What Person Do You Know, Alive Or Dead, That Would Pass Up Such a Blessing?!
Blessings Are Waiting To Be Picked Up By You, But It Can Only Be Claimed By Those Who Honor and Obey God…So Do You Have a Valid Ticket?
Genesis 6:8, “But Noah found FAVOR and GRACE in the eyes of the Lord.” (AMP); “But Noah was different. GOD LIKED WHAT HE SAW IN NOAH.” (MSG); “But NOAH PLEASED THE LORD.” (NCV); But as for Noah, THE LORD APPROVED OF HIM.” (CEB) Once God likes what He sees in you, and you’re found to be pleasing to the Lord and receive His approval, like Noah, you’ll have the opportunity to hear God say, “…I NOW GIVE YOU EVERYTHING” (Genesis 9:3 CEB).
Never Forget: The Keys of Honor and Obedience Unlock the Blessings of God! So, are the Keys in Your Hands, or Have Your Dishonor and Disobedience Caused You to Forfeit All the Access of Heaven’s Resources?
Here are some quotes from leaders and pastors on obedience and honor.
“When you honor God, He will do in a fraction of the time what should have taken you a lifetime to accomplish.” (Joel Osteen)
“We do not segment our lives; giving some time to God, some to our business or schooling, while keeping parts to ourselves. The idea is to live all of our lives in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and for the honor and glory of God. That is what the Christian life is all about.” (R.C. Sproul)
“You need to know that you can’t honor God when you’re chained to the voice and opinions of man.” (Tyler Perry)
“We honor God by asking for great things when they are a part of His promise. We dishonor Him and cheat ourselves when we ask for molehills where He has offered mountains.” (Vance Havner)
“We don’t want to merely obey God: we need to catch His heart. It is then we will glimpse the wisdom behind His directives, and not just see them as laws.” (John Bevere)
“The Bible is full of ordinary people who went to impossible places and did wondrous things simply because they decided to obey God.” (Andrew van der Bijl)
“I could not comprehend God’s plan, but my understanding was not essential. My
“Why is being a servant such an important aspect of faith? It’s simple. If you cannot obey and serve someone you can see, will you really be able to obey and serve God whom you cannot?” (Paul B. Heidt)
“The great test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life.” (Henry B. Eyring)
Blessings
J.P. Olson
No comments:
Post a Comment