WARNING NOT HEEDED: Devotion for Sunday April 17, 2016

WARNING NOT HEEDED: Devotion for Sunday April 17, 2016            

Text: Genesis 6:13 – 22      Memory verse: 22

There are many ways God warns us. It could be through spoken word, through dreams, through natural events or through signs and wonders. The essence is to quicken us in order to avoid an impending danger. Each week we hear or read about numerous alarms from environmental and nutritional activists or religious and political zealots. Of recent is the alarm on impending flood on riverine. Most people don’t care to listen to the warnings of these ‘extremists,’ as they are labeled. That was probably how people responded to Noah. Our text tells the story of how Noah and his family built an ark in obedience to God, in response to His warning that the earth would be destroyed. Noah was the only righteous person living. The Bible doesn’t state that people mocked Noah, but it certainly shows that no one listened to him or to God.

Noah got right to work as God commanded (Gen 6:22). It seems that other people had been warned about the coming disaster (1 Pet 3:20) but, apparently, did not expect it to happen. This is how people today often react to warnings, even warnings from God. Daily, thousands are told of God’s inevitable judgment, yet most don’t really believe it will occur. We shouldn’t expect people to welcome or accept our message of God’s coming judgment on sin. Those who don’t believe in God will scoff at His judgment and try to get you to deny God as well. Let us not neglect the warning about the second coming of Christ as Noah’s generation did.

Food for Thought: How do you take God’s commandment?

Prayer: Grant me, O Lord, an obedient heart to do as you command me.