Just as in the days of Noah there are people more concerned about partying and drinking....

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.John 14:6

As I watched with horror Hurricane Irma barreling toward Florida, I'm reminded that there are numerous people who refuse to heed the warning of this very dangerous storm, until that is when it is too late to do anything about it.

At 11:00 pm, I noticed on the weather channel that Irma had regained her strength as it heads toward the Florida Keys and Miami.

I saw a warning that residents should not call 911 because there would be no one to rescue them once the storm began. The county wasn't about to put their emergency response people in danger because people refused to evacuate. Despite the dangers, there were still 100's of people willing to ride out this storm from their boats and homes.

One reporter described Miami as the party capital of the world as he scanned the beach of the young people partying as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening at the time. One young woman waiting for the gas trucks to arrive was asked if she had ever been in a hurricane. This after she acknowledged that they hadn't decided they would leave until they heard the latest weather report. Her response when prompted further was no. The reporter then added that he 'wished them good luck'. Once he turned to look at the camera, he added, ' most people die from drowning, not the wind.'

In another scene the camera began pointing to rows of boats on the bay. You could see that the winds were beginning to pick up. The reporter was invited into one man's boat when he was asked about being scared of Irma. The man said he had been in many other hurricanes and survived and defiantly said, " this may be a really bad storm and I may feel the waves, but this boat will stay put."

I was reminded of another scene of defiant people who were mocking Noah when he was building the ark probably thinking how crazy Noah was for building this large boat on land that wasn't near water. But when the skies opened up and the winds blew many of these naysayers came back pounding on the sides of the ark hoping Noah would let them in. But, like the warnings of the hurricane officials it was too late. The knocks on the Ark's door continued until they drowned. i

Then I saw the gap of those who believe-the youngest and oldest people.According to a ABC News poll, 60 % of people age 65 and older report attending religious services at least once a week; while those 18 to 30 just 28 percent go that often.

There is also a strong gender effect, with women of all ages more likely than men to attend a weekly church service.

Another interesting thing occurred during this hurricane: men were flocking out to the liquor stores and buying liquor to host hurricane parties. One group  interviewed had just finished boarding up their house and offered these words to the reporter, " now it's time to kick back and party because if anything happens to our house we're sure we won't feel anything."

If those young men would spend some time cultivating a relationship with Jesus Christ, they would see that Jesus  is alive and desires to partner with them through the storms of this life. Yet, booze and addiction clouds their thinking
I
n Proverbs 14: 12 are these words, 

'There is a way which seems right to a man,But its end is the way of death.'

Since the days of Noah, God has sent his messengers and when that fails he sends us the storms of nature to grab our attention that He wants to be apart of our lives and to  experience God's amazing grace in the face of suffering.

Through this simple act of submission God will take our pain and give us a new desire to live in this life.

Jesus Christ reminds us through those words found in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

There will be other storms after Irma and other earthquakes but it will not be the end because God wants to give everyone the opportunity to receive his Son.

Won't you give your heart to Jesus today? You won't be disappointed you did.