by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”

Genesis 7:1

Noah’s first task wasn’t building the ark but building himself.

Charles Spurgeon preached to thousands in London each Lord's Day, yet he started his ministry by passing out tracts and teaching a Sunday school class as a teenager. When he began to give short addresses to the Sunday school, God blessed his ministry of the Word. He was invited to preach in obscure places in the countryside, and he used every opportunity to honor the Lord. He was faithful in the small things, and God trusted him with the greater things. “I am perfectly sure,” he said, “that, if I had not been willing to preach to those small gatherings of people in obscure country places, I should never have had the privilege of preaching to thousands of men and women in large buildings all over the land. Remember our Lord's rule, ‘whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’”

Spurgeon realized that more important than how or where he served was his faithfulness in serving. The same could be said of Noah. As we’ve seen, God was wroth that men had turned their backs on Him and had lived in wickedness. He decided to punish the earth with a great Flood, but He promised to spare Noah and his family because they lived righteously. Noah was faithful even when others mocked him for living righteously. But what exactly were the results of Noah’s faithfulness? Notice today three blessings Noah received for being faithful.

First, Noah was spared. God’s grace is clearly seen in His warning of the Flood, His invitation to the ark, and His preservation of Noah’s family. While He could have completely destroyed the earth, He chose to bless Noah’s faithfulness and spare him and his family.

Second, because of his faithfulness, Noah was secured. Notice Genesis 7:16, “And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.” God commanded Noah to collect two of each beast (more if they were clean animals used for sacrifice) and enter the ark with the animals. God then closed the door and secured it before the rain began. This is a picture of salvation. God invites those who will trust Him for salvation, and then seals them in His salvation when they trust Him. No one can take away His salvation or remove us from God’s safety!

Last, Noah was set apart. God used Noah to populate the earth once more. Because of Noah’s faithfulness, he was used to pass on the legacy of faith from his godly forefathers to those who came after him. What a blessing!

Noah’s first task wasn’t building the ark but building himself. Before he ever picked up a hammer, he picked up God’s Word and lived by its commands. Before he gathered timber, he gathered his family to learn from God. Noah was blessed during the critical time because he was faithful during the commonplace time.

What blessings are waiting for you down the road? The only way to find out is by remaining faithful now. What if Noah hadn’t daily walked with God? Both he and his family would have died in the Flood with the rest of the people. Take time right now to decide that you will be faithful each day, even in the small areas, until God comes back or you go home to be with Him. Don’t believe that the little situations don’t matter. Everything matters to God.

To learn more about Pastor Paul Chappell and his ministry, please visit paulchappell.com or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Ezra 1-2 • John 19:23-42