Obeying God (4)
Friday 14th December 2018
'Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.' Genesis 6:8 NIV
The Hebrew word translated as favour is chen, which can also mean 'grace' or 'acceptance'. The first time the word 'favour' appears in the Bible is Genesis 6:8, telling us that 'Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord' (NIV). God had decided to destroy the inhabitants of earth because they'd become so corrupted. The only people spared were Noah and his family, because Noah was 'a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God' (Genesis 6:9 NLT). Noah hadn't allowed the world to influence him, instead staying true to God and obeying him, so God used him to re-establish the human race.
Our ultimate example of obedience is Jesus, who 'grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man' (Luke 2:52 NIV). How can we find and grow in favour? It starts when we surrender our lives to Christ and accept God's grace and love, and it continues as we show obedience to God through the way we live. And as we do that, we'll notice God's blessing on us in all kinds of ways.
He wants to favour every area of our lives. But first, we have to position ourselves to receive that favour by being obedient. If we honour God for what he's doing in our lives, we'll see blessing beyond our ability and resources.
So what now? Have a think about how obedient you are to God. What one thing could you begin to do, or do differently, to demonstrate your obedience to him?
Friday 14th December 2018
'Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.' Genesis 6:8 NIV
The Hebrew word translated as favour is chen, which can also mean 'grace' or 'acceptance'. The first time the word 'favour' appears in the Bible is Genesis 6:8, telling us that 'Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord' (NIV). God had decided to destroy the inhabitants of earth because they'd become so corrupted. The only people spared were Noah and his family, because Noah was 'a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God' (Genesis 6:9 NLT). Noah hadn't allowed the world to influence him, instead staying true to God and obeying him, so God used him to re-establish the human race.
Our ultimate example of obedience is Jesus, who 'grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man' (Luke 2:52 NIV). How can we find and grow in favour? It starts when we surrender our lives to Christ and accept God's grace and love, and it continues as we show obedience to God through the way we live. And as we do that, we'll notice God's blessing on us in all kinds of ways.
He wants to favour every area of our lives. But first, we have to position ourselves to receive that favour by being obedient. If we honour God for what he's doing in our lives, we'll see blessing beyond our ability and resources.
So what now? Have a think about how obedient you are to God. What one thing could you begin to do, or do differently, to demonstrate your obedience to him?
