Walking Buddies

8   But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

9  These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.

I'm pondering this morning what it meant that Noah "found favor" in God's eyes.  As God observed Noah's life, He (the LORD, Jehovah) approved.  Why?

There was no Holy Spirit dwelling in the hearts of believers, as happened after Jesus Christ's finished work.
There was no Old Testament Law.

But, somehow, Noah knew God and, here's the secret . . . he walked with Him.  He knew God deeply BECAUSE he walked with Him.

Through that relationship Noah's faith was exercised to the point that he was able to endure hundreds of years of scorn from his fellows, while he trusted God's word and built "the boat to nowhere".

I used to have a walking buddy.  She and I would meet at a local park and walk a couple of miles and talk about all sorts of things.  We shared our lives together in this way.  Since then, her health has prevented us from walking together, but over the miles we became fast friends.  That friendship endures to this day.

When you walk with someone, either physically or relationally, you share your life with that person.  When you do that, you become closer to them.

With whom do you walk?  With whom should you walk?  Today, many of us wear these little devices that count our steps.  We are obsessed that we get the required number of physical steps each day.  I submit to you that it is much more important with WHOM we walk!

If you study the Scriptures, the spiritual giants of faith treasured their walks with God.  God commends them for how these men and women drew close to Him - - and not just to ask Him for things like "oh lord, please protect my children from harm", etc.  That is Genie God interaction, not true fellowship with the LORD.

Walking with God is costly, because it demands you NOT walk other paths which can be extremely beguiling, that you NOT spend your time in pursuits that are anti-faith, anti-God.

Making good spiritual choices as described above is a mark of spiritual maturity.  The ability to do so grows out of a faith relationship with the Savior.  Being "blameless" like Noah is not about creating your own self-righteousness, though.  Noah was righteous and blameless because he walked with God.

Noah's was a different day, although the principle is today the same.

Today, righteousness is only the gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ, a relationship with the only Savior.  (Ephesians 2:8-9)  The Bible says that there is only one name given to man through which we can be given God's righteousness, and that is the name of Jesus.  Salvation exists in no one else and in no institution, such as a mega Church that offers to confer salvation through membership. (Acts 4:12). Accepting Jesus Christ as Savior clothes the believer in God's righteousness and initiates the eternal, spiritual walk with God.  Each believer is given a welcome gift at the moment of salvation, that being God's Holy Spirit, who takes up residence in each believer's heart.

The old hymn "In the Garden" puts it so well - -
"And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.
And, the joy we share as we tarry there...none other has ever known."1

Oh, there are so many distractions!  Let's not allow them to interrupt our "walking time" with God today!  Put Him at the front of the line, and walk with Him before you walk with anyone else.

Source:

1    https://www.google.com/search?q=in+the+garden+lyrics&oq=In+the+Garden&aqs=chrome.1.0l6.6545j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8