Thursday, November 9, 2023
Learning to Walk with God
Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him. (Genesis 5:23-24 NLT)
Some people falsely envision God up in Heaven, eagerly awaiting the moment He will bring judgment on the earth. But that is not what the Bible says.
In Ezekiel 33:11, we read, “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” (NLT).
And 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (NLT).
When we look at our world and how wicked things are, we wonder, “Lord, when are You going to come and establish Your kingdom? Why haven’t You brought judgment?”
The reason Jesus hasn’t yet returned is that God is waiting for more people to believe. He wants you to know Him, have faith in Him, and be ready for His return.
The Bible talks about a man named Enoch, who walked with God. But it appears from Scripture that he didn’t start walking with God until his son Methuselah was born. Genesis 5:21-22 says, “When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters” (NLT).
His son’s name helps us understand why Enoch began walking with God. The name Methuselah means “when he is gone [or dead], it shall be sent.” God revealed to Enoch that when this child died, judgment would fall on the earth. And Methuselah lived 969 years. That tells us a lot about the grace of God.
The revelation that God would send judgment when Methuselah died prompted Enoch to get right with God. And the Book of Hebrews gives us insight into his relationship with God: “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—‘he disappeared, because God took him.’ For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5 NLT).
Maybe Enoch said to his wife one day, “I’m going for a walk with God,” and he never came home. Yet he did go home—he went to his heavenly home. He started his journey on Earth and ended it in Heaven.
Some people have the mistaken notion that God is very difficult to please. He is not. He loves us. He knows all about us. Our failures do not come as a surprise to Him. He wants the very best for us. He is patient with us. His resources are at our disposal.
Our lives can please God. We start by finding out what God specifically says pleases Him. And the Bible gives us some very clear truths that it identifies as things that please God.
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