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Building by Faith

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”
Hebrews 11:6–7

When God told Noah to build an ark to shelter his family from the coming flood, Noah had no point of reference for what he was being instructed to do. He could not look through history books to find examples of other arks or other floods. What was about to happen had never happened before. Yet in faith, Noah responded obediently to what God commanded. Why? What was it about Noah that made him take on a task that would take decades to complete, expose him to contempt and ridicule, and require all of his time and energy? It was what he believed.
Based on his relationship with God, Noah decided to believe that what God said was true and then act on it. Someone said, “The greatest decision in Noah’s life was not his decision to build the ark, it was his decision to walk with God.” Nothing less than that kind of personal relationship with God would have sustained Noah through the long and arduous process of building the massive ark with only the help of his own family.
Every other person in the world refused Noah’s message of warning regarding the coming judgment. But the lack of response did not stop Noah from continuing to preach the truth, just as the lack of rain did not stop him from building the ark. When we choose to believe God in faith and obey Him, we do not need the approval of men.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Only when we believe what God says and act upon it will we find true success.

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And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him. --Genesis 45:15 The story of Joseph is one of most powerful stories of forgiveness and reconciliation in the entire Bible. Here was a man who was betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers when he was 17, and then he was falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten in prison. Yet Joseph resisted bitterness and grew in godly character. And when the day finally came when Joseph’s brothers came and stood before him in Egypt seeking grain, he didn’t punish them or retaliate against them. Joseph called them forward and loved them. Most likely, you have experienced injustice and unfairness like Joseph did. Perhaps someone mistreated you. Maybe you’ve been lied to or betrayed… or perhaps someone even abused you. Each of us suffers deep hurts over the course of our lives. But you and I can’t change the past. And it does us no good to try to figure out why things happened the way they did. But here’s one thing you can do. Like Joseph, you can refuse to allow the past to pollute your present or your future. Like Joseph, you can give the precious gift of forgiveness to those who hurt you. Are you willing to take these steps today? REFUSE TO ALLOW THE PAST TO POLLUTE YOUR PRESENT OR YOUR FUTURE.