Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 2, No. 36
“Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.” (Gen 9:20-21NIV)
After the flood of Noah’s days, there were just eight people left in the world, and they were all members of Noah’s family. So, when they came out of the ark that God had used in preserving them, they were all by themselves. There was nobody waiting to welcome them. There was no house for them to rent or move into other than the ark that had come out from. There was no market for them to go and buy whatever they might have needed, even if they still had some money with them. There was no company or organisation waiting to employ any of them. And there was no government or charity foundation to give them aid or relief. All they had was the blessing of God upon them, which said, “Be fruitful and increase in number.” Yet, from these eight people came the billions of people who now fill the earth and from them also came all the civilisations men have known and adored. (Cf. Gen 9:1&18-19)
But how did that happen? How did those people who started out all over again with almost nothing end up laying the foundation for a world in which we are now constantly dazed by the wonders of our own advancement? It was by putting whatever skills they recognised in themselves to work, trusting that God’s blessing upon them would make them fruitful and productive in doing so.
For example, as we see in our opening text, Noah was someone that loved the soil. So he proceeded to plant a vineyard. That means he did something with his passion, inspiration and abilities. And in fact, as some other translations of the English Bible make clear, he was the first person to do this, to cultivate a vineyard. That was why he got drunk while he was trying the wine he had brewed (Gen 9:21). So, talk about breweries, they are not modern day inventions; they had been springing up since the days of Noah.
Then what about the sons of Noah and their wives? Evidently, they also considered what they had passion and abilities for and began to explore and work on them. So, as we are told in the bible, years later, we began to have among them maritime people (men of the sea) (Gen 10:2-4). We even had someone like Nimrod, a great hunter, warrior and developer of cities, among them (Gen 10:6-11).
Now I am showing these things to let you know that you too need to start doing something with your passions, natural abilities or acquired skills, instead of waiting for some family members, friends, governments or organisations to help you or set you up. Noah and his family did not wait for anybody to help them or set them. Even if they had wanted to wait like that, there was nobody for them to wait for or count on. The only one they all had was God. And since He has already put His blessing on them, all they needed to do was to activate that blessing by doing something honest and legitimate with their brains and hands.
In like manner, you too can activate the blessing of God on your life by putting your brains, abilities, skills and even education to legitimate and righteous use. You have waited long enough for help that may never come. Now begin to think and act for yourself, exploring all the possibilities that the abilities, skills or education God has enabled you to have make available. And just like God’s blessing worked mightily in the lives of Noah and his children, causing them to be fruitful and productive in the various fields of interests that they pursued, it will also work in your life and cause you to be exceedingly fruitful and productive in your honest and legitimate use of your brains, abilities, skills or education.
I look forward to hearing your testimonies. God bless you.
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