Genesis 6:22
Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
One of the more amazing men in the Scriptures is Noah. Not enough is talked about how great a man Noah was in his day. He lived in wicked days where there was no great church, no great man of God, and no spiritual influence that had a daily podcast to encourage him. Yet, though Noah grew up in this environment, he still found grace in the eyes of the LORD, and though he was the only man in His day on the whole earth that God was pleased with, he never allowed the surroundings to stop him from doing right.
One of the characteristics I have observed from great men is how they grew out of the compromising and evil influences of their youth. I think of men like Jack Hyles, Lee Roberson, and Lester Roloff, who all grew up in a liberal Southern Baptist denomination. Yet, each of these men grew out of what they were taught because God’s Word was the prevalent voice of guidance in their lives. The one I knew the best was Jack Hyles. I often tell people that you ought to copy the positions of the old Jack Hyles before he died because those were his strongest Scriptural positions. Though God used him to build a great work as a younger man, when it comes to his positional beliefs, you will find that he grew tremendously the older he got. Though all of these men were great, they were still sinners, but they found grace just like Noah, who was also a sinner. The greatness of Noah and these men was that God was gracious to them despite their humanity. Were they sinless men? Of course not! But they did find God’s grace to do great works for three reasons.
First, God used these men despite their humanity because they obeyed all that He commanded them to do. You will never be used greatly by God if you pick and choose what you want to obey from God’s Word. God’s Word is not a buffet to pick and choose from, but it is a serving line that God places on your plate and expects you to obey all of it. Greatness is never found by doing part of what God tells it to do, but by doing all of what He tells it to do. It is not always easy to do all that God tells us to do, but that is what makes greatness great. Greatness obeys all that God tells them to do despite the surroundings of others who hate and have compromised God’s Word.
Second, God used these men despite their humanity because they had faith in God. Noah’s faith was tremendous. God has never used anyone who didn't have faith that God could still do what man has never seen. We say we want God to do a great work in our day, but then we give excuses as to why it will never be done again. Oh, how we need believers who have the faith of these great men from the past who will attempt something great for God. You must have faith and act on it despite the voices that say we just need to hang on instead of charging forward by faith.
Third, God used these men despite their humanity because they did not quit. I don't know which of these attributes is the greatest, but I have a hard time not putting this one at the top. For one hundred and twenty years, Noah was building the ark, and he did not quit despite the ridicule and longevity of waiting on God. My friend, the great men of God never quit. You will never know greatness in your life if you are the person who quits by jumping to the next thing. Stay put and obey God without quitting, and He will honor your faith by doing the miraculous through your life.