If you have walked in Christian circles or have been around at church for long enough then the name Noah will be very familiar to you. After all he was the man of God who against all odds built an Ark of legendary proportion and saved his family and all the animals in the world.
It is incredible to think about what Noah had accomplished in building this football stadium sized Ark. This was a building project like no other. Concerning technology, there were no cranes, no forklifts, no heavy machinery. Concerning human resources, there was no community support, no crowd sourcing, no people power. However, concerning righteousness and faith, Noah was exemplary. He was a righteous man of God in a wicked world because unlike the others he was obedient to God.
To be righteous is to be obedient to God. No matter what might be socially acceptable. No matter what might be popular. No matter if everyone else was doing it. Righteousness hinges on God and God alone.
This was by no means easy for Noah. As Rome was not built in a day, neither was the Ark. Day in and day out, righteousness was forged in the constant and deliberate obedience to God. Plank after plank after plank after plank after plank – it was in the small acts of obedience one after another where Noah was used by God to preserve humanity and all creatures great and small.
It is in the little acts of obedience where the great arks of righteousness are built.
More than an incredible feat of ancient engineering, Noah’s Ark was also the divine means of salvation. The flood was more than a natural disaster. It was THE act of God against a wicked world. But in the ark, Noah was safe. And in Christ, we are saved from our sins and we are safe from the judgement to come.
Noah and Jesus, day in and day out, lived righteously and in obedience to God and it all was worth it. For us, day in and day out it will be worth it too because living righteously and in obedience to God is much less about keeping the rules than it is about keeping our relationship. For those who have a relationship with God, who live with and for him today will continue to do so into eternity.
No matter how hard it may get, doing the right thing is always the right thing to do. May ESCCC be known for our obedience to God living righteously and never growing weary of doing what is right.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)
Boon Guo Quah