Being a parent in today's world is not an easy task. We may find the evil and corruptness around us overwhelming! The truth is, however, that evil has always been a problem, and Noah experienced firsthand the difficulties of raising a family of faith in a sinful world. Perhaps he is commonly thought of as the man who built the ark (without the use of power tools!), but his greatest accomplishment was raising his children in the ways of the Lord. Noah was human and made mistakes along the way, but today's verse reaffirms his heart and dedication to raising his family to honor God. Let's take a look at a few things that earned Noah a spot on the "Good dad" list:

Noah walked in close fellowship with God. Noah saw all the wickedness around him and the violence that was escalating and refused to be part of it. While the world was living according to their fleshly desires, Noah stood strong and chose to walk with God, and to live a life that would honor God.

Noah obeyed God. One thing is to say that you are living for God, but to put those words into the action of obedience takes great faith, especially when God is asking you to build an ark! Noah obeyed every detail of what God told him. This obedience was what made Noah stand out above the rest, and he was considered the only blameless person on earth at that time!

Noah won his family. In a time when his sons could have been pulled into the sinful practices of the world, they stuck close to their dad and supported him. Noah may not have had degrees or large titles, but he was a great father to his boys and won their trust by being a conscious and consistent example for them of God's love. He was authentic in his faith, not hypocritical. What a beautiful moment it must have been for Noah to see his entire family entering the ark; safe from the destruction that was about to take place around them. God's blessing and protection was indeed upon this righteous man.

I have seen many youth veer from Christian faith because the hypocrisy they saw in their parents discouraged them from wanting to continue in their walk with the Lord. Being a consistent example and putting our faith into action with our families is what will encourage them to pursue their own relationship with the Lord. Then one day we, too, will feel that sense of joy as we see our children and their families faithfully living for the Lord!

Suggested prayer: Dear God, sometimes it feels like I am the "odd man out" when it comes to my beliefs and convictions. Help me be like Noah and stand firm in the faith, not only for myself, but for my family. Make me more like you, so that I can be a good example for my children to follow. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus' name, amen.

1.    Genesis 6:9 (NLT).

Today's Encounter was written by: Crystal B.