(Genesis 6:1-8) Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
People become selfish and violent when they want control of things. By seeking control, a person essentially is being their own god. And as we can see in this chapter, this is a terrible idea. Selfishness and violence only encouraged the relationships between people to become so wicked, that the Lord was sorry He had created mankind.
God created us in order to have a close relationship with us as our heavenly Father. So it grieved Him that these people didn't want Him in their lives, even though this includes having eternal life with Him. Remember, where there is sin there is death. And being omniscient, God knew that they would never turn to Him to be saved.
From this we should realize that we cannot force anyone to turn to the Lord or become a believer. Not even God does this, because that would not be love. Even though there might be grief and sorrow, love allows everyone to have free will, the personal freedom to choose the direction for one's life as well as which relationships will be there or not be there.
From this we should realize that we cannot convict anyone's hearts. This is the Holy Spirit's job. While He will "tap people on the shoulder" or cause someone to feel discomfort in order to get someone's attention, it is up to that individual to respond to the Lord.
From this we should realize that only God is omniscient and can see into the hearts of people as well as the future. And only God is holy and righteous! Therefore, only He can judge who is a believer and who isn't. Only He can determine what happens to any of us. It is not our job to spiritually or emotionally punish anyone. Physical punishment should be left to the country's authorities, and on the grand scale, physical punishment should be left to the Lord. Vengeance is His! As far as raising children goes, parents are to discipline them in love, which also incorporates teaching, guidance and leading by example.
So what is our job then as believers? What can we do for loved ones who are not living in God's will? What should we do to encourage anyone to know God personally and put their faith and trust in Him? From these verses, we can actually see that we are to be a living, humble example, being selfless and kind, while we strive with God to find favor with Him, always putting Him first in our lives.
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