The past few weeks, I've been chewing on this piece of tidbit... Enoch walked with God. Our small group has been going through the old Testament - studying the lives and times of the people. But Enoch was different in that he was taken up to heaven with no record of his death. He was just taken. What made Enoch different from anyone else? God was pleased with David. God called Moses His friend. Daniel stood apart from the rest of the people in Babylon. So why was Enoch's experience different from the others. The key is in the word WALK.
Genesis 5:21-24 MSG
21-23 When Enoch was sixty-five years old, he had Methuselah. Enoch walked steadily with God. After he had Methuselah, he lived another 300 years, having more sons and daughters. Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked steadily with God. And then one day he was simply gone: God took him.
(New Living Translation) 21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.
I remember when I first came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior. There was such a passion there that, sad to say, isn't present in my life today. I loved reading my Bible. I had difficulty putting my Bible down because every time I read it it was as if I could hear the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit speaking every word on the page. When I woke in the morning, I would greet God with great expectation. I would dialogue with Him about what my day would look like and at the end of the day we would talk about what had happened. While walking down the corridors of my high school, I would be conscious of Him beside me - so much so that we would often be talking to each other while on the way to the next class. While I was doing my chores at home, I would be singing praise songs to Him or asking Him questions about what I read or telling Him about a family member who needed to get "saved." That was my relationship with the Lord. There was passion - the relationship was special. He was my Savior, my Creator, my Redeemer, and Friend. I walked with HIM. Psalms 42 was real to me - "As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you, oh God."
I allowed time to distance me from my Best Friend - priority changed I guess. He still stands ever so near - waiting for my meetings with Him. And don't get me wrong - I meet with Him often - in the morning, at church, just before a meal, at bible study, before bedtime, and whenever I say a prayer. Yes - I've gotten things a little mixed up the past few years. I've settled with meeting with God and allowing that to be the extent of our relationship. But... its no longer satisfactory for me. I want to once again WALK with God - just as Enoch walked with God.
So here's a challenge - for me - and maybe for some of you who are reading this today... instead of meeting with God, lets walk with God. Let's see how that will change our day, our week, our family, our community. In just the few days that God has allowed me to come to this realization, I already can feel a change in me. So this is what it means to be plugged into "The Vine" - my God, my Source... I forgot but now I'm remembering it all and it is good... Two Steps Forward.
