Often when looking at the story of Noah, it's remarked that in the many, many years it took for him to construct the ark that no one was converted and believed on the Lord. Which, if you're familiar with the story, you know God brings about the great flood and Noah and his family along with two of each animal are the only ones spared (Genesis 6 and 7). This can be a depressing statistic, and let's be honest, we are a culture driven by numbers. We are constantly reporting and keeping data, monitoring progress. It can feel suffocating at times, especially when we work and work and work and do not feel as though we have made much progress. This is even true in church culture. But there are some things I feel are immeasurable, invaluable, perhaps the most important. And we will miss this if we aren't careful. We will only see the forest, not the trees.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
-Genesis 6:9 (emphasis mine)
Noah walked with God. He did not just claim God in his life, but he chose to walk with Him daily. This was something his family saw played out in his life. And guess who was saved? His family.
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.
-Hebrews 11:7 (emphasis mine)
The most important thing we can do is witness to our family, not just by giving them the Gospel, but by living it out before them and letting them see that it is a reality in your life.
"Whether you are a preacher or not, if you have a family, that is your congregation."
-Dr. J. Vernon McGee
Distraction and pride are two major tools the enemy of our souls loves to use against us. He loves to keep us busy, many times with good things in and of themselves, but they leave us for little time with the people the Lord has entrusted to our care.
"If the devil cannot make us bad, he will make us busy."
-Corrie ten Boom
Pride can also easily manifest itself as acts of service, but when we get down to the heart of the matter, which is our own hearts, sometimes we find ourselves compelled to do things out of selfish reasons such as recognition, praise, and achieving victory. And all of this takes away from pouring our lives into the people we have been given as family.
Let us not miss the importance of the time we have to give and the value we place on our families. May we be people who are mindful to walk with the Lord as Noah did so that we, along with those we love, may become heirs of righteousness according to faith.
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