Your House is a Lifeboat

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. — Joshua 24:15

For many years, Noah and his wife refused to buckle under the temptations of wickedness all around them. In fact, outside their immediate family, they did not have one friend who believed in God or was living a righteous life. Can you imagine what it must have been like to be so alone?

The town — and the neighborhood — where Noah and his wife lived was soaking in sinfulness. According to the Bible, the world of their day was literally “full” of immorality. So reprehensible was the behavior of these people that God regretted having created them in the first place and decided to wash the slate clean.

But on His way to starting over, God bumped into a faithful man named Noah, his wife, and their three sons and their wives. From the time their sons were small, Noah and his wife surely included them in conversations about God. They must have prayed together and spoken of the majesty of God’s creation.

Deep inside this story is something very special. Noah and his wife opened their home to lost people. We know this because the women their sons married were counted among the righteous who came aboard the ark. This means that even though they came from homes where God was not worshiped, these women’s lives were changed by the influence of a believing family that welcomed them and loved them.

For Noah and his wife, the choice was clear. In spite of temptations to conform to the culture around them, they — and their family — chose to serve the Lord. You and your family can do the same.

It may not look like it, but your house is a lifeboat. Your storm-tossed friends and your children’s confused playmates need shelter. They need safety, instruction, and a display of love from a family that knows and worships the true God. Your family may be their only hope.

A safe little boat the shape of your house is floating in your neighborhood.

Our great and wonderful God, empower us to live lives that please You. Help us to be winsome messengers of Your Word and to show others the love of Jesus. Use us to lead people to Christ. Amen.

Excerpted with permission from Couples of the Bible by Robert and Bobbie Wolgemuth, copyright Zondervan.

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Your Turn

These days, it’s not hard to look around and feel completely surrounded by immorality. That can be isolating and challenging spiritually, but also a phenomenal opportunity for leading others to Christ! What opportunities for evangelism are there in your family, in your neighborhood, or at school or work? Please leave a comment on our blog. We’d love to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily