THE ODD ONE

• DAY 281
• FAITH FILE: NOAH
• SCRIPTURES: GENESIS 6

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.”

Genesis‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬, ‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As I read our text today, I am curious about Noah. In the whole of the earth, Noah was the ONLY one righteous before God. Picture it with me, for a moment, how this must have played out in real-time. Imagine what that must have been like in reality. All men on earth in his time were evil. ON EARTH, not just his village. He was the only one that went against the norm. When people committed adultery, he refused to join them. When they lied, cheated, and abused people, he condemned the behavior by acting differently.

Do you understand how weird and crazy he looked? He was definitely the odd one out. No one would want to associate with him. If you are a believer, who obeys the word, I can argue that you are odd too. You still believe in sexual purity in a world that promotes masturbation and one-night stands; you still believe in God in a world that is increasingly spiritually rebellious; and you still build your life on biblical principles.

Okay With Odd

Society will automatically shun you, that’s if they don’t threaten or come after you. 70% of the time, the odd one out ends up being the same with everybody because they’re afraid of not being socially accepted. So many people suffer from social anxiety because they are odd. No one likes to be ostracised or shunned, so they blend in by doing what is acceptable to their group or to society because they can’t stand the disapproval of men. Not Noah. He was okay with being odd and disliked if it meant that he was pleasing God. He didn’t care if he was accepted or liked. He cared that he was pleasing God.

Beloved, God had made you not to fit in on purpose, so if you are concerned and worried about the approval of people and are trying to make people like you, just give up. They can’t like you because you’re weird and weird is good when it comes to the things of God. You have to be separate and be okay with being the odd one out. Be okay with not doing what everyone else is doing, liking what they like, or going the way they go.

The life of faith is not for blenders it for the odd. Jesus was odd and it provoked the religious leaders. You are different from everybody so embrace your oddness. Noah’s odd and weird behavior made him find favor before God. Why? Because although he was odd to society he was right before the God that uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Be separate and please God.

Shalom.