Pearl of the Time

Verse: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:33

Topic: Sin - Where's the line?

Personal Piece:  Happy 2017!!!  It's crazy to think that another brand new year is beginning, it's a new start, a new chance to be the person I've always wanted to be.  I myself just returned to work after a 6 week vacation which I spent travelling between Wisconsin, South Dakota and Missouri, man what a ride, but so refreshing too.  See, I had reached this point in my life where I was starting to feel a bit lost, working food service wasn't what I had in mind when I graduated with my Master's last December, my foundation was starting to tremble and I wasn't sure if I was where God wanted me. So I took some time to do some soul searching.  I spent some time with my family and friends, but most importantly I literally ran away for an entire week to seek the face of God.  Sometimes that's what it takes.  Sometimes life gets far too hectic and the only thing is to take a sabbatical and remember who you are and, even better, who he is.  That's what I did, and I'm more ready than EVER (6 weeks of driving through snow storms will do that to you) to return to this job that God has placed me in and be the best that I can be, even it wasn't in the plan.

Thought of the Week:  As we head into a new year, a single thought keeps stirring through my mind: How can I make 2017 different then the 23 other years I've lived?  Most people will agree that 2016 was a rough year, if not on a personal level then on a national/political level.  Morality is constantly being attacked and grayed to the point that even Christians are seen making questionable decisions.  Throughout the year I have had numerous "discussions" with people who have claimed the Christian label and yet defend things such as abortion, partying and sexual immortality (of all kinds).

Since the start of the 21st century (or at least that was about the time I started noticing it), people have fought for tolerance.  "It's my body, my life, I can do whatever I want to it"  Anything goes as long as it's not hurting someone else.  As the Wiccan and New Agers say "do no harm".  That's all well and good, even Jesus told us to "do unto others as we would have them do unto us." But as Christians we are to live a life that goes beyond simply not hurting people.  Jesus didn't tell us to mind our own business he told us to "go into all the world" he gives firm instructions of what his kind of life looks like and it's not slavery, it's freedom.  It's not judgment, it's love.  The love of a man who cared so much he gave his own life.  I think he has every right to request our lives in return.

This week I read the story of Noah and I was reminded of how difficult it would have been to live during that time.  Imagine with me for a moment.  Noah's great great great great great great great grandfather was Adam.  That's only 9 generations since humanity had walked side by side with God in perfection.  His great-grandfather, Enoch, was so close with God that one day he just walked right into heaven without even dying.  This was only about 70 years before Noah was born.  His grandfather Methuselah, is known to be the oldest person to ever live...EVER!  He was nearly a THOUSAND years old when he died and would have well-known the teachings of his father, Enoch.  It is clear those teaching were passed down to his son, Lamech, and grandson, Noah, before he died.  Interestingly he died within a year of the flood's beginning and I like to imagine that he was his grandson's greatest cheerleader during what may have been the most difficult period of his 100 year call.

Now the Bible doesn't say how many people were on the earth at that time but after 9 generations with no known means of birth control it is probably safe to say that there were a few million people on the planet.  And out of of millions of people there was only one family that God looked down on and was pleased with.  Imagine that for a minute in your own life, imagine going to school and work and having no one who understands your beliefs and I mean NO ONE.  There's no church for you to escape to on a Sunday morning, no articles online to get encouragement from, no Bibles to read, no Christian bands to listen to, and no free country to make a run for...literally NOTHING.  Just you and your family gathering around the hearth every night and talking about God, just your own determination to be obedient, just His gentle voice leading you through the day.  Many of us can't even make it to a church service every week, let alone live so faithfully that God chooses us to save mankind.

We don't know exactly what the world was like, or what kind of sins the people were committing.  Some people think that the world today is just as bad as the world back then, others believe we still have a long way to go.  People love to theorize about what kind of people the nephilim were (see Gen 6:4) and what science and technology might have been like living in a world with brains only nine generations removed from perfection.  There are some intriguing historical fiction stories out there that will get the mind racing.  But I think there's a reason that the evil of that time is summed up into one little sentence.  The fact of the matter is that what the people did doesn't matter nearly as much as the fact that they did.

As humans we love to tow the line, we love to see how close we can get to the edge without falling off.  We rank sins in our minds to feel better about ourselves because, "watching pornography in the privacy of my own home in not NEARLY as bad as so-and-so's homosexual lifestyle".  Yet, God sees it as exactly the same.  I know, mind blowing right!  The people during Noah's time didn't need to do some specific sin to acquire God's wrath they just needed to take their eyes off of him and turn their focus to something else.  It always starts small.  Even from the start it began with selfishness, with Eve's desire to gain something without thought of the cost.  She saw what looked pleasant, she dwelt on it and rationalized it until she could think of nothing else and then when she could take it no longer she reached out and she took.  That's how it always begins and it's always followed by shame and separation from God no matter how small it is.

So where do we go from here?  Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 6 to stop worrying and just dwell on him.  When our minds start to wander, focus on him.  When we're tempted, turn to him.  When we feel alone, he's there.  When the call is too hard, he guides us.  When all this arguing about right and wrong is overwhelming, remember that he is all that matters.  When you focus on him, everything else becomes clearer and moral debates seem petty.  Don't waste your time on people who just want to argue (Matthew 7:6) instead take it to God, press into him, read his word, and hear HIS opinion.  Let's make it a habit as we go into this new year to bring a little of his peace wherever we go.  To be the church that Jesus called us to be - one that is overflowing with his love and is doing its part in the community to put a stop to racism, inequality, rape, violence, homelessness, and poverty.  As we go into 2017 let's make a commitment to open our hearts and our homes to what he might do.  Let's be the hands and feet of Jesus this year.

Digging Deeper: The story of Noah can be found in the book of Genesis chapters 6-9.  The genealogy from Adam to Noah is found in chapter 5.

For more information and scientific theories concerning the time that Noah lived, visit answersingenesis.org/answers and type "Noah" or "Nephilim" in the search bar.

For historical fiction based in that time try "Noah" by Ellen Gunderson Traylor or the "Origins Trilogy" by Keith A. Robinson (the third book specifically focuses on Noah and the flood).

This author does NOT recommend or support the Aronofsky film "Noah" as it is blatantly contrary to what is written in the Bible and the loving God that is shown there.  Visit this site for a Christian review of the movie and why it is anti-Christian.

The title of this entry comes from Matthew 7:6 (do no cast your pearls before swine) and 13:44-46 (the kingdom of heaven is like a fine pearl) and is also a reference to Genesis 6:9 where it says that Noah was "blameless among the people of his time"

Challenge: As we start the new year dedicate some time to spend with God and learn who he is again (or maybe for the first time), ask him who he is calling you to be, and what might be getting in the way of you fulfilling that calling.  Then ask him what part you have in making a change in 2017.  This might take an hour and it might take 6 weeks the point is don't go into 2017 without him.  Be a part of the change, not a part of the problem.