DAY 76 - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE FALL & THE FLOOD
So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them."
Genesis 6: 7
Reading: Genesis 4: 10 – 13; Genesis 7: 17 – 23; Genesis 18: 20, 21, 19: 15, 27 - 29
God saw the great evil that was being done on the earth, and He could not turn a blind eye to it. And so, in order to save the world, God declared judgment on Earth and all its people. Does it sound like a contradiction that in order to save the world, God judged it? It is not. Within the very judgment God had declared, lay the way of escape, of salvation. And this is what we shall look at in more detail tomorrow.
Today, we need to see that our just and righteous God cannot be in agreement with sin, and for this reason, judgment always follows sin. There are many stories in the Bible of judgment coming upon the people for their sin, but none that involved the destruction of the entire earth as in the time of Noah.
Even though God promised Noah that he would never again destroy the entire earth by flood – we should not take the judgment of the Lord lightly.
As we saw when we looked, in depth, at the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin – we need to be aware that our sin carries a great weight. While Jesus has paid for all your sins, and has completely forgiven every single last one of your indiscretions, there is a judgment that comes to you from continual, habitual un-confessed sin. And not you alone. The world, a city, a nation, a family.
Let us therefore hold each other accountable. In your families and church communities and house churches, develop a level of authenticity with each other where you can share the sins you struggle with. Ask someone to help you be accountable, and to continually pray with you, until you are set free.
Remember as a body – we are united – and what the one part does, has an effect on the other. Can we love each other enough to be transparent and vulnerable with each other?
Prayer:
Lord thank you for giving us the Body. In all spheres of life I can operate in community and never in isolation – so that I may always be accountable and in this way, escape judgment.
For the Family
Watch this episode of Superbook (Noah and his Ark) together.