18 A NEW START F O O T ================================
- H O L D
READING
18 A NEW START
PRAY Dear God, as I read this chapter, please build in my life, faith and faithfulness, patience and hope, peace and joy. —————————————————————– READ Genesis 8:1-22. —————————————————————– THINK What does this passage teach about God’s character and his attitude to the world? —————————————————————– FOCUS ‘GOD HAD NOT FORGOTTEN’ (1). Those opening words are the key to verses 1-19. God is FAITHFUL – that is something else you will meet again and again in the Bible. It means that he is always true to himself and to what he has said. He will not let us down. Sometimes we may feel depressed or bewildered, afraid or anxious. At such times we must trust, not in how we feel, but in what God has promised. Remember, Noah was in the Ark for over a year; God had not forgotten him and he won’t forget you. NOAH DID NOT FORGET (20). Noah’s first thought is for God. He shows his thankfulness in this act of worship. It is not the animal sacrifice itself which pleases God – it’s the obedience and love behind it (see 1 Samuel 15:22; Micah 6:6-8). Has God been especially good to you recently? How have you shown your thankfulness? Noah offered sacrifices to God (20,21). What may a Christian offer to him? ‘NEVER AGAIN’ (21). We have seen that God cannot overlook sin. We can now see God’s purpose in judgement. It is rather like a surgeon taking away a diseased organ so that the whole body can be healthy. Now there is a new start (16,17). Life must go on. And God gives us a stable, ordered world in which to live and work. Disasters and famines still occur (they’re part of a sinful world) but not until the end of the world will there be judgement on this scale again. —————————————————————— PRAY Ask that you may be aware of God’s presence and help whatever your circumstances. ==========