Genesis Chapter 7

  

This chapter tells the story of the flood the entire earth and that only 8 people were safe in the ark. (Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives) Also, a pair of each of the animals were also safe in the ark.

Verses 1-5

God told Noah the flood was going to begin in 7 days and it would rain continually for 40 days and 40 nights.

Verses 6-24

Noah was 600 years old when the earth was flooded. 

In verse 9 it says that the animals went in two and two unto Noah. They came to him. He didn’t have to go after the animals. There were animals that normally kill or eat other species and they lived in harmony on the ark.

Once Noah and the animals were on the ark, God shut and sealed the door. Noah knew that he could not save himself and relied on God to save him and his family. John 10:9 in the New Testament says, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” In God’s plan the door always represents Jesus.

The flood represents judgement to all mankind and all living creatures that died in this flood.

The waters remained on the earth for 150 days. This is an explanation of fossils that have been found all over the earth. Fossils are the remains of plants and animals whose bodies were buried in sand and mud under ancient seas, lakes and rivers.

We see in this chapter that God is love in His protection of Noah and his family but He is also a God of justice when it comes to disobedience. Just like any parent would be with their child. But God offers us a way to be saved from our own sin through Jesus Christ. 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.

Because of our sin God sent us a way of escaping just like He did Noah and his family through His son on the cross, who paid for all our sin. All these events that we are studying in these books of the Bible will eventually lead to the cross.

Seems Easy Enough

Psalm 1:1-3 
Blessed is the man
         Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,  
         Nor stands in the path of sinners,  
         Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
 ² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
         And in His law he meditates day and night.
 ³ He shall be like a tree
         Planted by the rivers of water,  
         That brings forth its fruit in its season,  
         Whose leaf also shall not wither;  
         And whatever he does shall prosper.  

Most people think how fortunate it is to work in ministry because you get to have a job that allows you to read your Bible, pray, and meditate. Actually, it couldn't be further from the truth because if you are involved in ministry you work so hard and so much you are lucky if you have time to read your Bible, pray, and meditate. It just seems impossible when trying to get the work done! We justify it by thinking that we are reaching the masses by our work at the price of our own soul, such a small price to pay, right?

Actually God created us first to worship and then to work but it is easy to get our priorities out of order in the name of the church or ministry. The scriptures are clear above in Psalm on meditating in the Word and living according to His Word in order to be prepared like a tree planted by the water. I have been so full of myself over the years in believing what I was doing was so important that God would overlook my not meditating on Him only to find the wind knocked out of me and wondering why ~ could be that I just chose NOT to hear His still small voice!

It is so important to put God first and keep our priorities in order daily....it's a daily walk with Him!

 This picture was taken in Toledo, Spain when I visited in 2007.

Looking For Sunshine

Many times as a young mother I would plan a fun-filled day for my kids. The best of plans would go awry with just one of them waking up in a mood. It's difficult to expect 3 children to all wake up pleasant. Maybe it would be an accident where one of the kids would have an injury or we all woke up to an epidemic of illness.

By the end of the day I would just want to sit and cry from my own disappointment and that of the kids. It would be one of those days that would be so out of my control leaving me feeling helpless and questioning my ability as a mom. To say I was discouraged and frustrated would be an understatement.

There were a few things I would do to help us turn our awful and depressing day into a good one: Singing silly songs with the kids would always make them laugh and laughter changes everything. Building a fort in the middle of the living room for everyone of us to sleep and bringing all our mattresses to lay on. Makes the fort more comfy! Reading stories together as we all lay in my bed and having the older kids read aloud too. Baking something fun and festive that makes it feel like a holiday. Creating crafts always seems to be something kids find stimulating and enjoyable. Even a simple trip to the library together made the day brighter.

There are so many ways to make a day pleasant even though it didn't work out as planned. Keep looking for the sun on your next cloudy day!

A picture I took of a storm approaching the coast and

 the sunshine and blue skies just beyond those clouds.