Consistency

“This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah begot three
sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

Genesis 6:9

Most of my life I assumed that the phrase “perfect in his generations” was comparing Noah to all the others that lived during his life, but it occurred to me that the plural on the generations has meaning. Noah lived for 950 years, that is a lot of generations. To remain a just man for that many years and not become callused by life or loss in that time is significant. How many people these days loose faith in goodness before the age of thirty, let alone eighty. A cut throat world requires a cut throat lifestyle, right? And yet Noah was just for 950 years. That's admirable consistency.

Intent

“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.”

Genesis 6:5

Have you ever used good things you've done or failures of others to stroke your ego. We easily slip from a place of humility to a place of self-serving. It's not a pleasant truth, but it is a truth none-the-less. Examining our hearts' true intents can be a painful process, but a powerful eyeopener into what God truly desires for our hearts.