38 DAYS TO PENTECOST

TEXT: GENESIS 6:1-8

¹And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

 ²That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

 ³And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

 ⁴There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

 ⁵And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

 ⁶And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

 ⁷And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

 ⁸But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

KEY TEXT: Genesis 6:3  “…My spirit shall not always strive with man…”

In the first reference to the Spirit of God the Bible tells us “The Spirit of God moved…”  In the second reference to the Spirit of God, the Lord solemnly warns Noah, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man…”

When the Spirit of God strives with men, sin is revealed, sinners are convicted, and repentant believers are convinced and converted. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit would “reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.”  (John 16:7-11). Without the striving of the Spirit, no one would be saved. The striving of the Spirit is an unmitigated blessing to those who heed His influence.

We presume that God’s Spirit will always strive with nations or with individuals.  But the Word of God is plain.  “My Spirit shall not always strive…”  The Apostle Paul warned, “Grieve not the Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30) 

Some have suggested that God’s Spirit persistently strives with the sinner and the unenlightened, but the time comes that their perception of the Spirit is dulled to the point of insensitivity.  Left unheeded the Spirit is finally unheard.  The conclusion is well grounded in experience, but the premise is not strictly Scriptural.  God’s Word is remarkably plain, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man…”

Why would God’s Spirit cease to strive? Certainly God delights in mercy and grace.  He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  But all who willfully resist and grieve the Spirit will finally be left alone to endlessly pursue their own carnal desires—desires that will never be fulfilled or satisfied.

Thank God for the day His Spirit began to strive with you.  Thank God for the moment you ceded to His strivings and wholly yielded yourself to His will.  Thank God that His Spirit is still striving to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 

May God grant that we would not resist the strivings of the Spirit, but that we would respect and receive His strivings—let Him move and have His way today.

PRAYER: Our Father, We are truly grateful for the day that your Spirit began to strive with our spirit.  We confess that the conviction of the Spirit is not pleasant, but we are so thankful that you love us enough to guide us into the way of truth and holiness.  Grant that today we would be sensitive to the slightest prompt of your Spirit.  May we hear, and heed, and enjoy the sheer delight of life in the Spirit. In the name of Jesus, whose blood secured the blessings of the Spirit, Amen. “Our Father, &c.”