Genesis 6

Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

It seems that Noah was 500 years old and became the father of three boys.  Maybe triplets, maybe a single birth and twins.  I don't know; but what an eventful year.  It also seems that he found favor with God in that God told him to build an ark that year, too.   Wow.  I cannot fathom what Noah and Mrs. Noah's lives were like with babies and ark directions and the coming destruction of the world.  I also wonder if the boys were gifts that had been withheld until this momentous century  to help Noah build and then populate the post-flood world.  The timing of their births is makes me wonder ...

But, on to what I learned from this passage today.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ... Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. ... for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. 

Contrast that with Noah's behavior:

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.  These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. ... Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

Peer pressure is no excuse.  Trends don't need to predict or dictate my behavior.  The culture can't control  me if I wish to find favor in the eyes of the LORD.  No matter where I live, what I experience or what society demands, I can always choose to honor God and bring Him glory.  Noah was blameless in his time.  I can pursue blamelessness in my time.  The whole earth was corrupt and stuffed full of violence, yet Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.   Noah did, and so can I, all that God commands.

Father God, I desire to find favor in Your eyes.  I desire to do all that You command.  I desire to walk with You that I may have a similar testimony to Noah's.  I understand that means being counter-cultural and  being set apart from my time, which means I will most likely be set apart from society and family, too.  It is so comfortable to fit in and go with the flow; but I know that is not what You have called Your daughter to do.  And, in view of the cross, how could I respond any differently than to seek Your will for me?  You are worthy.  More worthy than anything or one, ever.  Let me not depart from that understanding, let me live with that motivation, let me glorify You in word and deed, that it might be said of me "In her time, she did all that God commanded and she found favor in the eyes of Her LORD."