It would appear that Noah started making the right choices long before it became apparent as to how God would use his life. Perhaps the good decisions already started in his youth? Noah could never have imagined how things would end up, but he knew that his decisions were important and that his choices to put God first were the right thing to do. At that stage in history humanity was making bad choices and choices that would lead to their downfall, but Noah was making good choices. The scripture tells us that Noah was a righteous man who was blameless compared to others in his generation. It also tells us that he walked with God and obeyed God. These attributes were a direct result of his choices. His choices were not the majority choices of the day, in fact they were very limited, almost exclusively, to this one man, Noah. He could never have imagined how these choices, made on a daily basis, in obscurity, would one day lead to him playing a role in a global calamity. Sometimes we do not see the immediate benefits of choosing God’s way. Sometimes it is only time that will reveal the results because we do not have the benefit of seeing the end from the beginning. And so, when we decide to choose God’s way above our personal way or preference, it requires faith. We make the choice and follow the path and the future and the end result is in the hands of our faithful God.
CHOOSING GOD’S WAY INVOLVES WAITING
It is seldom that we choose God’s way and see immediate or instant results. It is not like a recipe or a formula that yields instant outcomes. Noah chooses God’s way over time and over time it says that Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord. It is almost as if God is closely watching us as we follow Him and make the right choices, even when it is not comfortable or expedient. But there comes a time when this life that we have chosen begins to bear fruit and God uses this obedience in ways we could not have imagined. Most times the end result comes through the test of time, and waiting, while we faithfully follow God. Even after God had told Noah to build the ark it took over 100 years before the rain came. This is plenty of time to doubt or second guess yourself. The waiting can be very hard to endure. We may wish that we could just rush out and get the job done or take the ground we think we should. Our focus should not be set on what can be achieved in the short term but rather on what God will do in His time. We are here for the long-haul not the 100-yard dash.
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