Apr 10 - Evil Hearts

Read Genesis 6:5-8, also Gen 8:20-21

Context: It has been about 1,000 years since God created man (give or take about 150 years...). The sin that started in the garden has spread and wickedness is widespread.

Text:
Gen 6:5-8 5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 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." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Gen 8:20-21 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though [a] every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

The story of Noah always convicts me. In a world full of wickedness, he alone stood out and found favor with the Lord. Fast forward to today...our world is again full of wickedness...by God's standards who would be the one who finds favor with him? Who would be obedient to a massive project taking nearly a century to complete?

I know that as Christians many are confident that they, too, are pillars in their church. I wonder what God sees? I'm sure that there were others who thought they, too, were 'good people' and who occasionally worshiped the Lord (Noah had to learn it from somewhere, right?), but they were all focused more on themselves than on what God wanted.

Is that much different than we are today? I wish I could look at the 85% of Americans who proclaim they are Christians (and myself) and say yes....