Training Up in the Word: Part 2 (Updated From Tuesday)

Bro. Michael is out of town this week for an SBC conference. So I’ll be filling in for him.

Let’s continue to study we started yesterday on “Training Up in the Word.”

Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Yesterday we discussed the first step in training up in the Word: Listening. We discovered that Jonah had a bit of a listening problem and decided to go opposite of God’s plan. In today’s lesson we will discuss the next step in training up in the Word: Obeying His Commandments. There are countless men and women who listened in the Bible, but today I’d like to focus on another famous character from the Old Testament: Noah..

Genesis 6:13-22 NKJV

13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.” 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

In verses 13-21 God gives specific instructions to Noah to build an ark. Not only that, but God goes into great detail on why and how. But the key thing for me is found in verse 22. “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him…” Noah not only listened to God but chose to actively obey. In any relationship the key to success is to never stop working at it. You can’t grow closer to a boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse without some work. A relationship with God is the same. You have to be ready to listen and obey His commands. Sometimes like with Noah, God gives us the big picture, other times He sees it best to not tell us everything yet. Either way we must have faith and blindly follow and obey His Word.

Thanks,

Bro. Austin

*Next week we will look at the third atep in training up in the Word: Submit. 

**Artwork by Hazel Dawis