That was then...this is now

Genesis 6:7-8 (NIV)
   So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them."
  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 

"The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain." (Genesis 6:6) It is difficult to imagine how bad things must have been to bring God to the point of regretting His creation of man. "...for I am grieved that I have made them."  (Genesis 6:7b)

If ever there was a testimony to the wisdom of not doing something because everyone else does, this story is it.  God was disappointed with His people.

This begins the account of Noah, the one good thing God saw. "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6:8) God saved Noah and his family; he did not allow them to become collateral damage once He decided to put an end to all the people.

In fact, while Noah and his family were obeying God and building that Ark, their future home, God still provided ample time for His people to change. Instead of ridiculing Noah, had they helped him on this project, and listened to Noah tell of his God, surely more could have been saved. But it didn't happen that way, and everyone outside Noah's family was destroyed.

Doesn't this make you wonder about the times we live in now? Wickedness and evil are at every turn. Christians are ridiculed and persecuted for their beliefs. The religious freedom once enjoyed by all is disappearing. Family values are put into question, even the definition of 'family' is changing.

We need to remember that God is good...all the time.  He wants us to embrace our faith and turn to Him...all the time.

Genesis 6:1-13