DRAWING NEAR
November 13
Obeying in Faith
"By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen,
in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household,
by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the
righteousness which is according to faith" (Heb. 11:7).
True faith works.
When James said, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26), he
stated a principle that's consistent throughout Scripture: True faith
always produces righteous works.
The people described in Hebrews 11 made their genuine faith known in
the things they did. The same applies to us today. Paul said, "The
grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing
us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly,
righteously and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:11-12).
Perhaps better than anyone else in history, Noah illustrates the
obedience of faith. Scripture characterizes him as "a righteous man,
blameless in his time . . . [who] walked with God" (Gen. 6:9).
I remember a sportscaster interviewing a professional football player
and asking him what he thought of his team's chances of winning the
Super Bowl. The player replied, "We believe that if we just do what
the coach says, we'll win." The team had absolute confidence in their
coach, but they realized they had to do their part as well.
That illustrates the quality of faith Noah had in God, whom he
trusted absolutely as he pursued a task that seemed utterly foolish
and useless from a human perspective. Imagine instantly surrendering
all your time and effort to devote 120 years to building something
you'd never seen (a vessel the size of a ocean liner or battleship)
to protect you from something you'd never experienced (rain and
flooding). Yet Noah did it without question.
Noah's faith is unique in the sheer magnitude and time span of the
task God gave him to do. He didn't argue with God or deviate from his
assignment. Is that true of you? Are you pursuing your ministry as
faithfully and persistently as Noah did his? Is your faith a faith
that works?
Suggestions for Prayer:
1.Thank God for the ministry He's called you to. If you sense there's
more you could be doing, ask Him for guidance. 2.Pray for added
faithfulness and tenacity in serving Him.
For Further Study:
Read the account of Noah in Genesis 6:1--9:17.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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