They Despised God's Warning: Devotion for Tuesday, April 21, 2020

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Tuesday April 21, 2020

Topic: They Despised God’s Warning                         

Text: Genesis 6:13 – 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 for us to avoid the impending danger. Daily on the media, we see and read about warnings on environment, nutrition or religious, politics and many other warnings. Most people have even stopped listening to these warnings. 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. Then, Noah was the only righteous person living. The Bible didn’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 (Genesis 6:22). From 1 Peter 3:20 it seems that people were warned about the coming disaster 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 judgement, yet most don’t really believe it will occur. This is same with the Covid-19 pandemic. Most people are adamant to warnings of stay at home. When it hit them, they will realize that Covid-19 is true.

As Christians who go out to preach the gospel, we shouldn’t expect people to welcome or accept your message of God’s coming judgement on sin. Some will scorn you but don’t let it trouble your heart. Nevertheless, for our good, we should 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?

Memory verse: 1 Peter 4:7

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

So He Did As Instructed

Devotion for Sunday November 19, 2017

Topic: So He Did As Instructed

Text: Genesis 6:22

Noah was a man of faith who obeyed God. His faith and obedience singled him out in his generation as a righteous man. What God demands from us is obedience. God revealed to Noah His plans to end the world through deluge because he was very obedient. He gave him the instruction to build the ark. He did what God instructed him to do with care and diligence which could be attributed to his faith in the word of God. He believed God’s word about drowning the world and he prepared the ark according to specification.

We should not doubt God’s word about impending wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. People doubted Noah but at last God’s word came to pass and so shall the reality of hell fire come to pass too. Noah did as God instructed him. His obedience was ready and resolute. Having begun to build, he did not leave off till he had finished. Such dedication to our call is required of us.

Just as Noah was warned, so we have a more solemn warning for us, to flee from the wrath to come. How prepared are you? Are you doing as God instructed you so as to flee the second death in hell fire? Noah did as God said and we must do as God said if only we hope to escape the wrath of God on the Last Day.

Food for Thought: Are you living your Christian life according to God’s instructions?

Memory verse: Genesis 6:22

Prayer: Lord God, I need your grace to live according to your instructions so that I can avoid the wrath that is to come upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men in Jesus name. Amen.

PERILOUS TIMES ARE HERE: Devotion for Thursday September 29, 2016

PERILOUS TIMES ARE HERE: Devotion for Thursday September 29, 2016

Text: 2 Timothy 3:1 – 9          Memory verse: 2 Timothy 3:1

Perilous simply means very dangerous. The time we are in fits in to this definition. Paul’s reference to the last days reveals his sense of urgency and the need to intimate Timothy so it shouldn’t take him unawares. Such warnings about the last days were certainly not unique to Paul alone but was a common theme among the leaders of the early church (Acts 2:17; Jas 5:3; 2 Peter 3:3; Jude 1:18). Perilous times mean hard to bear, dangerous, troublesome. As Paul used it here it means a period when it will be difficult to be a Christian (2 Timothy 3:1 – Living Bible).

We need to give this warning Paul gave to Timothy the full attention it deserves because we are already in the last days. The ‘last days’ began after Jesus’ resurrection, when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers at Pentecost (see Joel 2:28, 29 and Act 2:17). The last days will continue until Christ’s second coming. Paul speaks about the last days as a present reality (emphasizing the truth that the state of depravity in the world is always ripe for harvest). Paul set out for us these signs of last days in 2 Timothy 3:2–5. 

From the above it means that we are living in the last days. It should not surprise us, then, to see the moral decadence of our society. The example Paul gave from 2 Timothy 3:ff are all manifesting today. People are now lovers of pleasure more than bible Studies, mid week services, etc. We now have children who are highly disobedient to their parents. Our society is now filled with all manner of wickedness; killing, kidnapping, ritual murder, betrayals, etc.

Paul warned us that it would happen, as Jesus Christ did too (see Matt 24). Thus we should run from them (3:5b, Gen. 39), reject their enticement (Prov. 1:10) and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11). We should be careful and heed to the warning of Paul in Romans 13:12 and 1 Corinthians 10:12.

Food for Thought: We shouldn’t forget the warning of Christ in Mark 13:33 which says, “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”

Prayer: Keep me to yourself, O Lord, in this perilous time so I will not backslide into sin.

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.