Genesis 7:1-16

Can you envision what happened when gathering two of every kind of animal on the earth? Imagine; Noah didn’t need stun guns, steel cages, cattle prods, or sedatives of any kind. The animals went into the ark, just as God intended (vv. 9, 14-15).

I’m sure that when the animals were marching into the ark, the people around Noah had no idea what he was doing. I can just hear them, “Noah is crazy! He’s finally lost it. Not only is Noah building a gigantic boat, but he also says he’s going to save all the animals. Who does he think he is?”

People probably had cruel, harsh words for Noah, but did that stop him? No! He kept busy doing what the Lord had told him to do, and because of his steadfastness, he participated in one of God’s miracles. Verse 16: says, “…and the Lord shut him in.” It was God that took care of Noah and his entire family from the beginning to the end. It was God who made sure he was safe and sound, and closed everything up, shutting Noah in. How extraordinary. I wonder if the people that scorned him knew that the mighty, all-powerful God took care of Noah. Nothing mattered to Noah, though, but his obedience to God. He would follow God—no matter what.

Sometimes we live our lives trying to be “people pleasers.” We want to please everybody, and we just don’t consider what the Lord wants. We care so much about what others think that we often lose sight of why we are here on earth. We are not here to impress people, but to help them to know Jesus better.

Are you living to please people or God? Time is wasted when we focus on what others think or say about us. Instead, we need to get busy telling others about the love of Jesus.

Stop worrying about what others think of you. In the end it doesn’t matter. The only one that matters in the end (and right now) is God. What does He want you to do? Ask him for strength to keep on doing the work He has called you to do— no matter what obstacles you’re facing.