A Wicked Society
Genesis 6:5-6
Even if the result isn't visible, your witness is affecting others.
It's no secret our world is full of wickedness. As Christians living in a society that doesn't recognize God, we see the sin that abounds in our world. Yet despite the overwhelming darkness around us, God commands us to be light. He wants us to dispel the darkness rather than letting it overwhelm us. One man who stands as an example of the power of shining God's light is Noah. Even when the world around Noah denied God and turned away from Him, Noah remained faithful.
Some would look at Noah's world and see many similarities with the world today. As God described the earth, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." People followed their own paths. Pleasing self replaced pleasing God. Many had forgotten the miracles God had worked in the lives of their ancestors. The world had turned its back on God and God repented that He had created man.
Sadly, the hearts of many people in our world are corrupt. As Christians, we are daily attacked with the wickedness of a godless society and are told to give in to the devil's temptations. Fighting against the devil's attacks can sometimes seem hopeless in such a wicked world, yet as Noah showed us, God can help us remain faithful in even the most god-denying societies.
Notice the story of Noah: he was a simple man who lived righteously where God had placed him. He wasn't a wealthy king, nor was he a man of great influence in his city. When God told him to tell of the coming flood, Noah didn't have a large soapbox to ascend. Some of God's other servants later in the Bible were given platforms of influence from which to speak, yet God commanded Noah to faithfully preach where he was.
God may have not given you a platform of influence or a position of prominence, yet His command to faithfully witness to others still applies. The world will seek to drown out your message with their own message, yet God still wants you to faithfully shine the light of His Word in your sphere of influence.
Noah didn't see national revival. In fact, most everyone on Earth ignored him. Many people would see Noah's efforts as a waste, yet notice who Noah did see saved, "And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood" (Genesis 7:7). Noah's family was saved because of his faithful testimony.
You may never preach to thousands or see hundreds saved because of your influence, yet your faithfulness affects those around you. Think of your family, your coworkers, your neighbors, your friends, your fellow church-goers. Each one of them sees your life; they notice your testimony, and whether it is evident or not, they are affected by your witness. Are they drawn to the Lord because of your life? Or are you just another member of society? Ask God to help you keep a faithful witness where you are in the face of a wicked society. Remember that even if the result isn't visible, your faithfulness is affecting others.
Daily Bible Reading
Judges 13-15 | Luke 6:27-49
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