Genesis 7:13

“On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth,

together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark.”

Mrs. Ham’s Lessons

Imagine what life was like for Mrs. Ham. She was in a boat with pigs, sheep, elephants, giraffes, and every other kind of animal. Thirty days after she entered the boat it was still raining. The sea is tossing, the smell is terrible, and the only light came from an oil lantern. She had neither sun nor moon nor fresh air. On top of this she did not know when or how this is all going to end.

This is not what she signed up for when she became Mrs. Ham. Life is not about what happens to you, but about what you do with what happens. If we could talk with Mrs. Ham today, there are many things she would tell us. Here are four life-lessons from Mrs. Ham.

1. Your seemingly crazy in-law might not be crazy after all.

100 years into the boat building, the neighbors surely thought that Noah was crazy. He was gathering animals and building a giant boat in the middle of dry land. No doubt that Mrs. Ham’s friends thought she had a crazy father-in-law. He was not crazy.

2. You do too marry his family.

Many folks marry into a family and say, “I am marrying him, not his family.” At the end of life, everyone understands that you marry not only him, but his family. The wise woman will get to know the family she is marrying.

3. If you marry the right person, it may save your life.

When Mrs. Ham was safe and dry while the whole world was drowning, she had to realize that she was safe because she married into a family of faith.

4. You are going to wind up in the same boat.

You need to learn to love your family because you are going to wind up in the same boat with them. You can say it is not so, but it is!

Do not live your life like you are the first person to walk the earth. Learn from those who have walked your path before. You will learn the lessons of Mrs. Ham. The only question is are you willing to learn from her experience or do you have to learn the hard way – by experiencing it yourself.

Lonnie Davis

Dealing with Adversity

 In the 14^th century, Julian of Norwich wrote, “He said not, thou shall not be tempested or thou shall not be afflicted. He did said, Thou shall not be overcome.” Our task is not to live our life in such a way that there are never any difficult days, but to live so that we can overcome the hard days.

Somewhere I read, “If you would be successful, do the things that are hard and lonely.” Everyone can do the fun things, the social things, or the easy things. Anyone can watch a football game with a friend or go to a movie with a special person. These things are fun and social for most of us. Doing them will bring us no lasting success in life. Few people are willing to do the hard things, the lonely things. Few people are willing to spend time alone memorizing math formulas so those who do are thought of as smart. Few people are willing to sit up at night with the television off and memorize passages from God’s word. To get ahead in your job or any part of your life, be willing to do the hard and lonely things. The fact that they are hard will mean you will be lonely in doing them, but doing these things will set you apart from the crowd. Do not curse the hard circumstances, but rather relish them as opportunities for victory.

Abraham Lincoln was reared in deep poverty. It was hard, but he was willing to overcome it. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a victim of polio. Beethoven, one of the true musical geniuses of the world, was completely deaf. Their problems, their almost impossible circumstances simply meant they must work harder. They did the hard and lonely things. We will always remember them. Never give in just because something is hard. The fact that circumstances are hard is what allows your victory to be great.

In the 17^th century, Anne Bradstreet put it beautifully, “If we had no winter; the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”

Lonnie Davis

Before He Was Born

 John 1:1-2

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

When Abraham Lincoln was elected President, Jesus was there. When Abraham of the Old Testament was childless, Jesus was there. When Noah started building the ark, Jesus was there. When Adam was created, Jesus was there.

In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let us make man in our image.” Who do you think He was talking to when he said that? Who is the “us” of that verse? John 1:1-2 make that clear. Jesus is the one who made everything that has been made. Jesus is not just the carpenter from Nazareth. He is also the Great Carpenter of the universe.

He made the sun, the moon, and the stars. He made the cattle and the birds and the fish. He made man and woman. He made the angels. He made me and He made you.

What was His name before it was Jesus? No one really knows. Some commentators think he is the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament, but Jesus is not an angel.

He is one of the three in the Godhead.

• “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” – Matthew 28:19-20
• “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” – 2 Corinthians 13:14

He always was. He always is. He always will be. That is the definition of an eternal God. Our minds are unable to imagine the possibility of a place where time does not exist, where time is irrelevant, where there are no clocks or calendars. Such a place is where Jesus was, where Jesus is, where Jesus always will be.

Since He is there and I am going there, then there will never be another time when I will not exist.  This is because of who Jesus is and who He was before He was born on earth.

Lonnie Davis