To the world….it doesn't make sense when (Christians) forgive someone whose hurt them. It's baffling to see a family that struggles financially continue to give back to God. They don't get it when a person walks away from a succesful job or career to follow God into mission work. Society is programmed to think of self first. The world is an oyster! Take what you can, right?
Have you ever felt like someone saw you as foolish for following God? Or just didn't get it?
Following God can seem weak or strange to someone who doesn't know Christ personally. I mentioned to my Bible Study gals the other night something that my hubby said to me during a rough time in our lives. We were struggling with a ton of decisions and really had what felt like blinders on — we couldn't see past to know JUST WHAT TO DO! He said, "I wish I could be like every other person on the earth! The ones who never give God a second thought….so I could just choose what it is I want to do and not worry about it ever again! Life would be so much easier if I didn't care about pleasing God!"
Now before you get all in a huff at how ungodly that thinking is let me challenge you further. Non-believers never have to weigh the choices they make. They just do whatever feels right to them and move on. Followers of God spend time praying, listening and seeking guidance to just about every decision. Especially life impacting decisions. It's part of who we are as His children. No one wants to be out of God's perfect will!
As Christians we believe God has a plan for our lives and it's easy to take things into our own hands and CHOOSE something that isn't best for us. People do it every day!
God had reached a point of utter disappointment in Genesis. He realized that all the people could think of was evil…all the time (Gen. 6:5). He regretted ever making man in the first place! Wow, that's pretty bad. Especially when I think of all the sin and disgust that goes on in our world right now. God decided to wipe the slate clean and start again….with just one family. Noah's!
Which brings me to the looking weird or foolish part of following God. Noah took a ton of ridicule for obeying God and building that huge ark. People just didn't get it! But Noah did and so did his family that worked alongside him. I can only imagine what people whispered as they walked past.
Obeying God should be our ultimate goal. Even if it makes us look crazy. His ways will never lead us in the wrong direction.
Never be afraid…to be different.
Tags: believers, following God, Noah, obeying God, ridiculing Christians