"Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." Genesis 5:24
Genesis 5 is the genealogy of Adam to Noah. There are 10 families mentioned in this chapter. I have to admit that when I come across a genealogy in my devotional reading, my initial reaction is to just skip over it. But in wanting to stay the course, I carefully read through each name and the Holy Spirit revealed something special to me in Genesis 5:24. Enoch is one of two men in the Bible who never experienced death and was taken up by the Lord. This verse is pretty much all that we know about Enoch. What was it about Enoch's life that was so special?
Well, the only thing that we know about Enoch from twelve words is that he "walked with God." At first glance, there’s nothing spectacular about this epitaph. Let’s consider this imagery of “walking with God” a little more deeply. I picture a person who is faithful and maintains a deep, intimate fellowship with God. I imagine a person that longs to be with God. I think of a person who sees his relationship with God to be the number one priority in his life. After drawing all these mental pictures, in my own spiritual shallowness I think to myself, "Is that it?" He must have done something extraordinary to earn the privilege of completely avoiding death.
And again, the Holy Spirit convicts me about the ways in which I evaluate this life. I guess that it’s natural to want to do something on a grand scale for God. This follows the mentality that surely, God would be most pleased in me if I worked harder, worked longer or worked better. But this verse, reminded me that God is most pleased when I am in deep, intimate fellowship with Him. God is most pleased when I am most pleased in Him.
This privilege of walking with God was not only made available for Enoch. We are all able to walk with God, know His heart and enjoy intimacy with Him. Is it possible that the greatest thing that I can do in my life is to walk with God? That was Enoch’s greatest life achievement and he was blessed with a direct ascent to the Heavenly Father!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
God's Delight in Process
Today I started a new Bible Reading Plan that will run for 3 years. I want to strive after a comprehensive study of God’s Word and keep a reasonable pace at the same time. That means a chapter a day, everyday for the next 1,095 days. I’m excited! So here I go … Genesis 1. Since I read this chapter many times before, I read it with little expectation of discovering new spiritual truths. But I was wrong to expect so little from God’s word. Here's my journal entry that I want to share with you. I hope that it will encourage you this week.
"God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good." Genesis 1:31
God chose to create the entire universe and everything in it through a process that progressed to something complete. Each day, small projects were completed (Day 1: light and darkness, Day 2: heaven and earth, etc.) God could have created everything in 1 second if He wanted to but He took His time and worked through a process. Why? One thing that I noticed was that God enjoyed and delighted in each stage of the process. After God created light and darkness on the first day, the verse says, “God saw that it was good.” This phrase is repeated throughout the creation account, reminding me that God delighted in His creation even when it was not fully complete. He didn’t merely wait to the very end to say that it was good. Instead, He showed his approval and delight after each day of creation.
As His children, we are all in the process of sanctification, seeking to manifest Christ-likeness each and every day. The process will be completed (perfected) when we meet our Father in Heaven. I have always hoped that at the end of my life, God places his hand on my shoulder and says, “David, well done” or “David, it was good.” In reading Genesis 1 today, I was reminded that God is patient as well loving throughout the entire process. He doesn’t just wait until the end to give his affirmation. He loves me in this stage of my growth and maturity.
"God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good." Genesis 1:31
God chose to create the entire universe and everything in it through a process that progressed to something complete. Each day, small projects were completed (Day 1: light and darkness, Day 2: heaven and earth, etc.) God could have created everything in 1 second if He wanted to but He took His time and worked through a process. Why? One thing that I noticed was that God enjoyed and delighted in each stage of the process. After God created light and darkness on the first day, the verse says, “God saw that it was good.” This phrase is repeated throughout the creation account, reminding me that God delighted in His creation even when it was not fully complete. He didn’t merely wait to the very end to say that it was good. Instead, He showed his approval and delight after each day of creation.
As His children, we are all in the process of sanctification, seeking to manifest Christ-likeness each and every day. The process will be completed (perfected) when we meet our Father in Heaven. I have always hoped that at the end of my life, God places his hand on my shoulder and says, “David, well done” or “David, it was good.” In reading Genesis 1 today, I was reminded that God is patient as well loving throughout the entire process. He doesn’t just wait until the end to give his affirmation. He loves me in this stage of my growth and maturity.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Battle at Kruger
Check this out! For those of you who were at the retreat, I showed a video illustration on the power of Community. The National Geographic has done a special on this video. I know that the National Geographic commentator is not exciting as the one that I gave, but it's pretty good :) Click on the image to see the video and other goodies. Have fun!
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