So if I’ve ever looked at a biblical character or looked through the Bible in a search and tried to find someone that I resonate with, it would probably be Noah. I have seen the Movie “Noah” and even though i’m certain Hollywood may have over dramatized some things, but really in my mind answered some “what if” questions. Imagine this guy who walks outside of his tent and he’s 50 years old and he’s tired and he sees the arc and he’s just frustrated. There’s no rain and maybe he hasn’t heard God’s voice in 50 years and he’s like, “not today.”
I feel that way sometimes. I feel like God’s given me a dream and a vision about what Maggie and I are supposed to do with our life. And I experienced that at an early age. There have been many instances in my life where I feel God has given me a refinement about our dreams and our visions about things that he wants us to do in our purpose. But it’s not every day. God doesn’t speak to me every day. And so if I have character in the Bible who I resonate with. What’s beautiful and sad about that story is that sometimes what God means for good the, the world sometimes takes it and uses it for bad.
And there’s a thing going around with the rainbow and this whole pride movement. I don’t think PRIDE something that we should celebrate. I think we should celebrate confidence. I think we should celebrate joy. I do believe that the rainbow in its original form, and it’s original beauty, was meant for one purpose. And that was for the promise. When God flooded the earth and he destroyed 99.99% of the human race, he produced a rainbow that was to remind us that he promises he will never destroy the earth again by water. He will do it by fire one day.
God has promised us many things, specifically salvation. Whenever I look at a rainbow I am reminded of the story of Noah. I am also reminded of my own story.
We have been conditioning Christians wrong this whole time because what we condition Christians to do is to save the world. Nobody had saved the world. God saved Noah. And God’s mission to Noah was to build an arc for himself and his family. And as a result, God would send all the animals to him. As Christians, we have been taught to “save the world.” But what has happened is we start to decide for ourselves who needs saving. We become judges.
Most people don’t think of it like that. If I walk out of my office and look around at all he people and view it as my commission to “save the world” I get to judge who needs saving and who I’m going to witness too. So what does is it takes the focus off of me and puts the focus on the world when that was never the intention of the word of God. I begin to look at people and say, “I get to choose who saved and who’s not.” Of course we don’t believe that in reality, but our actions prove differently because now I walk out of the door of my house on a mission to save people. At that point my own personal convictions become my lens and my filter by which I decide who needs saving.
If they’re not Pentecostal than they need to be Pentecostal. If they’re not baptist than they need to be baptist. If they’re smoking and I don’t smoke then I need to teach them about not smoking. So my own personal lens of my life gets filtered through who I choose needs saving.
The Bible says that a rivers of living water will flow out of us. As we become transformed the image and likeness of Christ, he begins to draw all people to him through me. I don’t have to save anybody. It completely takes the blood off of my hands because I haven’t signed myself up to save the world.
What I’ve come to realize is that I have to find God for myself and in finding God for myself. And through this journey I can give people my experience and the tools that I’ve collected to help them make life a little bit easier.
