Isaiah 17-19; Mark 5:1-20

In Isaiah 17 God speaks clearly about those who "have forgotten God your Savior." Many times we accept world views that pull us away from worshiping the father the way He deserves. "Yet a time is coming and is now come when true worshipers will worship in in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the father seeks." (John 4:23)
Many times we put other things in front of our worship or we cease to think it is not a vital part of my walk. These world views are what took Israel out of true worship and God allowed necessary correction on their life in order for them to fulfill their part of the relationship He had provided and to look to Him as their Savior. He was taking their country and put them in captivity because of their attitudes and activities in their daily lives. Even their place of worship would not be spared.

In chapter 18 we see God will take a nation of feared aggressive people who do not know Him and bring them bring offerings to Him. tough people only do that when God gets hold of them and brings them to worship Him. They first have to be humbled. God would do that by cutting off the harvest before its time.

In chapter 19 we see where The people of Egypt will worship Him. ...vs20. "When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. 21 So the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the LORD. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the LORD and keep them. 22 The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them."
The Lord will bring them to their knees through sickness and they will turn to Him to save them. God will bring Egypt Assyria and Israel to Him as He establishes them as His people, handiwork and inheritance. Jesus is the highway that makes all of this possible. He will take away the opposition and sin so we all may have free access to the father. That free access has come with a great price and much love and sacrifice from the Lord. Let us honor what He has done for us.

In mark 5 we see a demon-possessed man coming to meet Him from the tombs. They came out because they knew Jesus the Lord was in their midst. They had controlled this man for years but knew they could not hold a candle to God and bowed pleading before Him. "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 8For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!" Jesus sent them into the pigs and 2000 pigs ran over the cliff and were destroy. We see a couple of things in this passage. 1. Jesus has power over all principalities and powers in this world. 2. One soul is more valuable than any numbers of living creatures. 3. Once we are delivered we are to stay where Jesus originally planted us and tell others about what He has done. This is our assignment, our ministry to serve where He has placed us, not where we would rather be. We are to be His witnesses as He places us to show those that knew us before what great things He has done. 18..."the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed." Go and tell others what Jesus has done for you and you will be amazed how He will use you in ways you never imagined.

Isaiah 14-16; Mark 4:21-41

In Isaiah 14 and 15 we see God is faithful to His chosen people. That gives us hope because through Christ He also chose to include us in the chosen. Not everyone will accept Him. He said only a remnant of Israel will be saved. The root of the plant will be preserved to create a Holy people set aside for Him.
14:1 "The LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Aliens will join them and unite with the house of Jacob." He will take vengeance on their oppressors and justice will prevail in their lives. It is such a gift to understand He will fight our battles for us and bring peace to our lives. 14:27 For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

In chapter 16 we see the details of God's wrath against the Moabites who oppressed Israel during their captivity. God is just and will deliver us and promises Christ to establish His throne and justice in our lives.
5 In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it—one from the house of David—one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness. God has a plan for us as well and will bring good things into our lives as we enter His rest through Christ. He is the path to peace and restoration for us all.

In Mark 4 we see three parables. In the first we are to shine the light in our lives for those around us to witness and to help guide them out of darkness. We are not to keep it to ourselves. When we use it and share it we will be given more, if we don't He will take it away and give it to those that will use it and share it with others. God gives abundantly so don't be surprised how He will use you.
In the second parable He talks about the kingdom being like scattered seed. when we are faithful in spreading His word, He makes it grow. He always amazes us with the increase when He works.
The mustard seed is the smallest yet grows the largest plants. The kingdom of Gos is similar as He takes the most unlikely people and uses them tremendously for His work.
Then we see Jesus calming the storm. He calms the storms in our lives and sometimes He just calms us as we count on Him to navigate us through a necessary journey of faith and growth. He is the only captain that can calm the storm and not just navigate around the turbulence that may take our eyes off of Him when fear sets in. Sometimes we fear the storm instead of having reverent fear of the one who can calm our storm and bring peace in the midst of a troubled world.

Isaiah 5-6; Mark 2

Isaiah 5 is the song of the vineyard. His loved one cleared it of stones, planted it with choicest vines, built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. He had deeply invested in this vineyard and it did not yield good fruit. 4 "What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? 5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. 6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it."
The vineyard "is the house of Israel and the and the men of Judah are the garden of His delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress."
God had invested deeply into them and they only turned to their own way. Many times we are guilty of their sin and want to turn away from where and how God wants us to serve. He is God and He does have the right to make that choice. He sets the standard, and the details, not us. He guides our life and places us where He wants. We end up walking away from the Lord and the work He was doing in us remains undone. Does the Lord have the right to make decisions in the vineyard of our lives? Many times the struggles we have are a necessary part of God's plan to strengthen us and develop us for effective service. The easy part is to walk away and say I can't do this. You're right, but God can. When we walk away from His plan, He does have a right to cut the vineyard down.

In chapter 6 we see Isaiah's commission. When he saw the presence of the Lord he was in awe and confessed He was a man of unclean lips because lived among a people of unclean lips. Then God sent a messenger to cleanse him and make him ready for his assignment. God always equips us for the assignment. 8 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" It was a tough assignment to go to a people who had rejected God and deliver a message of God's judgment and discipline for their leaders and on their land. God had closed their understanding: 'You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' 10 This people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Isaiah's only question was "For how long, O Lord?"

In Mark 2 When Jesus re-entered Capernaum after preaching to the nearby villages, so many gathered at Simon Peter's house that there was no room left. The paralytic had to be lowered through the roof. That is radical church growth. That is what should happen when believers see God at work. When we see God caring and changing lives while working through other believers, we will be drawn to him. That's what he created us for, and all believers long for that. Only God can forgive sins. Jesus forgave the paralytics sins based on faith, and that angered the Pharisees. Was Jesus forgiving sins blasphemy? It had to be if Jesus was not God's son. They sinned if Jesus was God's son. Many times being on assignment is not popular.

The fasting will take place when Bridegroom is taken away, vs 18-22.
Fasting was associated with sorrow. John's disciples fasted as an expression of repentance, intended to hasten the coming of redemption taught by John. The Pharisees disciples fasted as instructed by scripture to observe certain fasting days, and at the direction of the Rabbi.
Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.
They did not recognize the Lordship of Jesus. Lordship is a product of obedience. If there is something the Lord has commanded or told us to do, then we will not be able to be trusted with the next thing until we obey the first thing. If you are having trouble getting a clear picture of his will for your life, it might be worth your time to check things out.
Is it:#1 Baptism, unhurried time with the master, priorities: do I have things right side up, or upside down? Who is in control? Go ahead and get yes out of the way. God will not take a back seat to other things in our lives. To our: spouse, our children, or our possessions.

Isaiah 3-4; Mark 1:23-45

As the Lord describes in detail what judgment will hold for the people of Israel we see the righteous will be protected. They will hurt as their kinsmen and rulers face the consequences of their actions. It shows how just God really is. 3:10 "Tell the righteous it will be well with them,for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. 11 Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done." The leaders are the ones God will hold accountable as they have lead His people into idle worship and mistreated the poor. The women were possessed with self-indulging practices and were more caught up in being alluring than in worship. There will always be much pain when God ceases to listen to the prayers of the people.

In chapter 4 God promises restoration. He will always have a plan for bringing us back to Him after needed correction. He promises the Branch of the Lord. Some say this refers to Jesus and some say to the restoration of Judah after captivity. Both were in God's plan and both could apply. The cleansing and setting apart a holy people for Him are in the plan. His shelter of protection is part of restoration and will be there.

In Mark 1 we see the Lord drawing men to Him through the work and power of the Holy Spirit. He cast out unclean spirits and willingly healed the sick that He encountered. Then we see Him getting alone and praying. This was an important part of His life. It was His strength and food from the father. This is just as important for us today in order to get spiritual nourishment from the father. He rose from there to do ministry and spread the good news. He kept compassion and was willing to serve. Prayer our service effective. Without it were relying on our own strength. We will get tired, frustrated and want to quit. That is our human side taking over. God will give us the strength to carry out the assignment and the blessing will come along with the victory He has in mind for our life.

Isaiah 1-2; Mark 1:1-22

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Isaiah 1-2; Mark 1:1-22
The Lord gave Isaiah His vision concerning His people. Isaiah is the book of prophecy most quoted by Jesus so getting familiar with this reveals to us the heart of God for His children. His own did not understand Him and had become a nation of sin loaded down with guilt, evil, corruption and had forsaken the things of God and had become detestable in His sight. Their spiritual condition was such that God had turned His eyes from them and would not hear their prayers. It made them vulnerable. The power of God they had to overcome their enemies was gone and bitterness towards God had set in. Their country was in destruction and there was only a few of their people left in the country. God wanted them to confess their stubbornness and be redeemed. He wants restoration and victory in our lives. Then God told them the consequences of remaining as they were will be destruction. His plan for us is always restoration and remaining in intimate communion with him as He wants to have the place of other things in our life. His plan then is to gather His flock back in their fold:

2:3 "Many peoples will come and say,"
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths."
...5 "Come, O house of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the LORD."
...22 "Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?"

We all have a tendency to follow the advice of others before we seek Godly council. This was Israel's biggest sin and it always leads to not listening to God. We may listen to a friend at work or a neighbor and follow what they are doing. That is not where God has placed us, it may even be where He has placed them, but we end up taking their vision as ours because we do not like the message or assignment God has given us, or in Israel's case God stopped talking to them because of their attitude before Him. They did not understand where they were in Him, and became bitter toward Him and His prophets all because of decisions they had made that did not include Him. When we blame God and His people for our circumstances we tread on dangerous soil. They were listening to the prophets that told them what they wanted to hear rather than the one God had sent into their lives. That always puts us at odds with God and we end up following the vision or assignment intended for someone else. God may have them on a path for discipline and we will end up there with them.

In Mark 1 we see John the Baptist preparing the way of the Lord. He said make straight paths for Him. We are to clear anything out of our life that may be getting in the way for god to communicate clearly. We are to do this with anticipation of what God will do next. He baptized Jesus and then Jesus was sent by the Holy Spirit out into the desert to be tempted for 40 days. When He was there angels and wild animals attended Him. Testing is something that is necessary for growing in our experience with Him. God always sends those to attend us as we go through it. Jesus then called His disciples. He went to them and said 17"Come, follow me Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18At once they left their nets and followed him. Where are you now? What is it in your life that is keeping you from following Him? If the Lord has placed you here to serve with us and you have been asked to join in that, take that as Jesus saying "Come, follow me" and He will bless you richly as you see Him work through you like never before. Will you follow Him, or take someone else’s vision and attempt to make it yours?

Posted by Dan Holley at 5:23 AM

Gen 39-40; Romans 13

Here we see the life of Joseph after being sold into slavery by his brothers. We see God blessing Joseph in every way. First he is put in charge of Potipher's household. Then we see Joseph wrongly accused by Potipher's wife and He is put into prison. God established him as responsible (granted him favor) in the eyes of the prison warden to the point that the warden paid no attention to all he had been placed in charge of.

In chapter 40 we see the baker and cupbearer's imprisonment and dreams. Joseph understood his gift and interpreted for them. The whole time Joseph was in prison he never wavered from the original dream God gave him while in his father's house regardless of how his circumstances changed. The cupbearer was to be restored and the baker was to be put to death by Pharaoh. Sometimes when we don't like the message we have a tendeny to try to change our circumstances when if we would prepare ourselves for where God has us reguardless of the circumstances and count on him to change the outcome. We need to ask ourselves where am I in you Lord? When we are in Him we are ready for tomorrow whatever the assignment may bring.

In Romans 13 we see the command to submit to authorities, to let no debt remain outstanding other than the debt of love and to wake up from our slumber as the day is drawing near. Finally we are told 13 "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." We are to put on Jesus and it will add a whole new Godly dimension to all relationships in our life.

Genesis 36-38; Romans 12

In chapter 36 we see the descendants of Esau (that is Edom). They became the Edomites. Jacob's other name is Israel and they are known as the Israelites. Esau became a great nation of people they were not the people of God because He did not seek God and the covenant with Abraham was honored through Jacob. Yesterday we saw in Romans 11 that the difference between the remnant of the Jews that did not have the promises of God and those that did was belief. They neither believed nor trusted God's promises and did not walk in His ways so God opened the gospel to the gentiles such as the Edomites and others. We are grafted in their place. Romans 11 says God will graft them in again as He chooses because they are a natural branch from the root (Abraham) and God always honors His covenant. He will draw them in when all of the gentiles have been exposed to the Gospel of Christ. If you are a gentile as I, you should understand that the call to us is real and we should respond to the calling of God. When we do we will also have a heritage of Godly people. One thing to understand is what God has established in our life and where He has placed us to serve. We are to take that seriously and involve ourselves where He has placed us and we will then experience the promises of God in our life. If you are not experiencing the promises of God in your life it is because you have not involved yourself deeply with God's people. We are to bloom where we are planted and when we do, see the beautiful crop God produces from the root of what He established.

Jacob raised his family in the Lord and we see prophesies unfold (your young men will dream dreams). Jacob's (Israel's) son Joseph started dreaming dreams and shared them with his brothers. These dreams showed what God was about to do with his life. They hated Joseph because Jacob loved him more, and so they rejected the dream and the idea that he would rule over them. It began to cause discontent on the family. The dreams usually come before the experience so we can look back and tie the two together. When Joseph shared these dreams with his father, he said "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. (NIV) His brothers plotted to kill him because of jealousy of the dream and the coat that his father made him. Instead they at Judah's prompting sold Joseph to traders who sold him to Potiphar one of Pharaoh's officials. This is why it is so important as parents to love all of our children the same. Jealousy is a terrible sin it is so hard to detect before it has done it's damage and will ruin their lives before they know. We should make them aware of the danger and do everything we can to keep it from settling in.

In chapter 38 we see the life of Judah. After he sold his brother he left his brothers. Jealousy is a sin that always leads to division of the people of God. The deception that started with deceiving Jacob continued in his children and he led a life based on his own desires and understanding. Deception causes us to lead a double life and we see this in the life of Judah. People around him knew his character and his son's widow (his son was killed because he was evil in the sight of the Lord) deceived Judah into getting her pregnant because his other son failed to take on the responsibility of his brother's widow and God ended his life because of that sin. Sin always makes a mess in our family. When she became pregnant the law called for her to be killed but when she produces evidence that she was pregnant by Judah he said "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again. Deception and jealousy weaves a web that causes much pain and their consequences are eternal.

In Romans 12 we see God's plan for our life. 1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Sacrificial living is something we all struggle with. For example should I keep my children out late to be involved in the things of God or should I keep them in to do their homework and get to bed early? If we don't invest in the spiritual, the earthly assignments will be impossible to accomplish God's way under our own strength and direction. Making that a priority it is a witness to our children through our actions. Our actions speak louder than our words. in verse 9 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." (NIV) We are to be devoted to each other as the people of God. Then we are instructed to bless those that persecute us and to repay evil with good. God knows what He's doing and being obedient in these areas will always honor Him and bring His people together in a way that will honor our creator.

Tomorrow I would like to read Genesis 39-40; and Romans 13

Gen 33-35; Romans 11:19-36

We see in Genesis 33 an example of how we are to go the second mile to reconcile to our brothers. Jacob had deceived his father and taken advantage of his brother in a weak moment in order to get his birthright. God had already foretold this to Isaac ("the older shall serve the younger)." Jacob first prayed and asked God to have favor on him. He had everything he could ask for but could not have peace without God's favor. He gave him many gifts to make up for the wrong he had caused and went to Esau as his servant.

In chapter 34 we see Hamor trying to make amends for his son Schechem after he had violated Dinah (Jacob's daughter). 11 Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, 11 "Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I'll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife."

Genesis 29-30; Romans 10

In Genesis 29 Jacob arrives at Paddan Aram where Laban lives. He was instructed by his father Isaac to go there and take a wife from among his own people. He agreed to work for Laban for seven years for Rachel and at the end of seven years Laban gave him Leah because it was custom to give the oldest daughter first. Jacob agreed to work for another seven years if He could marry Rachel. He ended up married to them and their maidservants and had many children through them. This is one way God fulfilled His covenant with Abraham.

In chapter 30 Laban wanted Jacob to stay and agreed to give him the sheep that were spotted. Jacob works hard and builds a large flock for his family. God gave him wisdom to build a large healthy flock of spotted and stripped sheep. God always gives us wisdom to succeed when we walk in His ways.

In Romans 10 we see righteousness by faith. 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
It is such a to be able to trust the covenants that God has ordained. These hold true for all of us. The scripture tells us that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Trust God and the same guidance and wisdom that made Jacob successful will be available you. Then you and your house will be saved.

Genesis 25-26; Romans 9:1-15

In Genesis 25 Isaac and Rebecka had two sons Jacob and Esau. God had told them the older will serve younger and we in a weak moment saw Esau trade away his birthright to Jacob.

In chapter 26 we see Jacob and Rebeka being obedient to God and following Him as He told them where to live and blessed the work of their hands. He established Him and others respected and feared God as Jacob was blessed by Him. Even when he dug two wells the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled over, Jacob dug a third well and named it Rehoboth saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land." But taking advantage of Esau cost him. 34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

In Romans 9 God shows us He chooses His children. 8In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring... 14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." God has chosen to bring to Him those who make His son Lord of their life. When we put our life in His hands, He gives us life. Jesus said "Because I live, you also will live." John 14 19(NIV)

Genesis 23 and 24; Romans 8:22-39

In Genesis 23 we experience the death of Sarah who was Abraham's wife. Abraham mourned for her and petitioned the people of Canaan for a burial site for her. They showed Him honor by selling it to him and by giving Him a fair price.

In chapter 24 we see Abraham providing a wife to his son Isaac to comfort him from his own people. God had promised to do that and God provided as Abraham trusted His word. Abraham's servant also trusted God and prayed specifically for a girl to come and offer him water and his camels and Rebecka did just that. The family believed God and Rebecka understood what God was doing and (without even a picture of him) went back became Isaac's wife.

In Romans 8 we see Paul understood they were first fruits. The great thing about the assignment they were given was the blessing they passed on in the faith. We are fruits of their labor. If they were not fruit that produced fruit we would not have the gospel. We are to pass on the word of God and be faithful to Him in all our ways and He will produce a crop of righteousness through us. 8:31 "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" The God who loves us will make all things happen according to His plan and will use all of his riches and power to accomplish through us. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. What more could we ask for?

Genesis 16-17; Romans 6

In chapter 16 we see where Sarai (Sarah) - Abram's (Abraham's) wife Made a decision to give her maidservant Hagar to Abraham to be His wife. She made this decision based on her understanding of God and what she knew she was capable of, not on who God really is and what He is capable of. This decision brought them much pain. Even though their decision was made by sight and not by faith, God still pursued them and restored them. God named Ishmael wile He was still in the womb, and knew what kind of man He would be and the relationship He would have in the family. The decision affected generations to come and when Abraham was 86 Ishmael was born to them.

In chapter 17 the Lord appeared to Abram and said "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. 2 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." He fell face down. He was now 99 years old and we see Him believing God and that day he responded in obedience and his descendants to God's covenants. God knows what he is doing no matter what phase of life we are in. As we respond in faith, then we see the miracle God has in mind.

In Romans 6 we see life in Christ verses death in sin. God is the master of our life and we are to take the position of the servant and serve Him with the things we used to serve the world. We are to use these things for good and God will show us a whole new area of service. He will not eliminate us but restore us and bring to our remembrance everything He has said to you and His original call on your life. He also knows us intimately and as we obey, God leads us to a greater understanding of Him and His intentions. John the Baptist's ministry only lasted 6 months. Is there a limit to what God can do? He said I will do even greater things through you. "It's not the length of time but the quality of your obedience." (Henry Blackaby) 6:22 "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." He looks for a heart that does not overlook disobedience but is willing to be redeemed and restored. You cannot recover what could have been but can take hold of what's going to be.

Genesis 7-9; Romans 3

In Genesis 7 we see the Lord following through on His decision to flood the earth. In Genesis 6:6 "The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain." Noah was the only one on earth that found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Gen 6:9 tells us about his character - "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." This is also a huge example for us to follow. All mankind is here today because Noah was faithful in His walk with God. We see God taking the life from everything He created on the face of the earth that was left behind.

In chapter 8 we see the Lord remembering Noah in the ark. He sends a wind, dries the earth and delivers them safely on dry ground. This whole process (the flood and receding of the waters) took a year and ten days. We then see Noah offering burnt offerings to the Lord. This pleased the lord and He vowed to never again destroy all living creatures as He had done. 22 "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

In chapter 9 He instituted that covenant with the rainbow as a sign that sealed the covenant and reminded both God and man of these things. 17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

In Romans 3 we see Jesus was the answer to the covenant between God and man. Man cannot do this on our own because of the condition of our heart. We want to have a Godly relationship with Him and everyone else, but it takes a changed heart in order to not grieve God. Gen 6:5 "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." Christ comes in and changes our heart to desire the things of the Lord. His spirit dwells in us and gives us a new life that reflects His image. Romans 3:28 "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law."
8:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." That means He acted on our behalf as the one who would turn aside God's wrath at the same time removing our sin and giving us life. We see God's desire for a covenant relationship with man realized through Jesus Christ His Son and our desire for a relationship with the father made complete through the Son.