He Walked with God

Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years. Genesis 5:21, 22.
Of Enoch it is written that he lived sixty-five years, and begat a son…. During these earlier years Enoch had loved and feared God and had kept His commandments…. But after the birth of his first son, Enoch reached a higher experience; he was drawn into a closer relationship with God. He realized more fully his own obligations and responsibility as a son of God. And as he saw the child’s love for its father, its simple trust in his protection; as he felt the deep, yearning tenderness of his own heart for that firstborn son, he learned a precious lesson of the wonderful love of God to men in the gift of His Son, and the confidence which the children of God may repose in their heavenly Father. The infinite, unfathomable love of God through Christ became the subject of his meditation day and night; and with all the fervor of his soul he sought to reveal that love to the people among whom he dwelt.
Enoch’s walk with God was not in a trance or a vision, but in all the duties of his daily life. He did not become a hermit, shutting himself entirely from the world; for he had a work to do for God in the world. In the family and in his intercourse with men, as a husband and father, a friend, a citizen, he was the steadfast, unwavering servant of the Lord…. And this holy walk was continued for three hundred years. There are few Christians who would not be far more earnest and devoted if they knew that they had but a short time to live, or that the coming of Christ was about to take place. But Enoch’s faith waxed the stronger, his love became more ardent, with the lapse of centuries.
He [Enoch] was of one mind with God…. If we are of one mind with God, our will will be swallowed up in God’s will, and we shall follow wherever God leads the way. As a loving child places his hand in that of his father, and walks with him in perfect trust whether it is dark or bright, so the sons and daughters of God are to walk with Jesus through joy or sorrow.
Conflict and Courage p. 28
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for E who has a very important meeting today. Please pray for protection and the right words to say. Pray that all goes well in E’s favour. L
—– Jim had hernia surgery 20 days ago, was not getting better, discovered they had clipped his bowel and colon! Drainage into his abdomen. Please keep this family in your prayers. Lorna
—– Just received this from my friend from Academy. I knew that I could count on you all to become prayer warriors for India and other places as well. Let’s pray! N. “ Please pray for the Church in India. Buddhist extremists in India burned down 20 churches last night. Tonight want to destroy, more than 200 churches in Olisabang province. They want to kill 200 missionaries within the next 24 hours. All Christians are hiding in villages. Pray for them and send this message to all Christians you know. Ask God to have mercy on our brothers and sisters in India. “When you receive this message, please urgently send it to other people. Please pray for the 22 Christian Missionary families sentenced to be executed by Islamists in Afghanistan.”
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Dear Friends,
We used to have a Chihuahua named Junior. One night, he slipped out of the door while we were buying some food from the Schwan’s man. None of us noticed Junior’s disappearance. An hour or two later, Ronnie Jay missed him. We searched the house to make sure that he was not sleeping in some little out-of-the-way place like he liked to do. He was nowhere.
Ronnie Jay and I began searching the neighborhood. We drove very slowly, looking carefully between each trailer. No Junior. After searching the area where he usually goes, we decided to go by home and see if he had returned. As we drove by, there was Junior jumping and barking and trying to get into the gate. He knew he was in BIG TROUBLE. Ron heard his desperate barks and had come out to let him in just as we drove into the driveway. Had the gate been open, Junior would no doubt have pretended to have been there all the time just like Sandy (the dog we had before Junior) always did. Evidently, Junior had seen us searching for him and knew he had better get home right away. He wanted to escape the punishment that he knew he would get for running away.
How many times we are like Junior. We do those things that we know a Christian should in order to escape the punishment that is soon to follow. Outwardly, we look genuine, but inside our heart is not right. We are no sorrier for our disobedience than was Junior. Given another chance, he will escape again. Given another chance, we would fall right back into our old habits and sins.
Jeremiah tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jer 17:9 David adds, “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy, there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Ps 53:2, 3 Isaiah declares our condition, “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isa 1:5, 6
How much we need a Saviour! How much we need a change of heart. How much we need His cleansing power! Praise God! He has promised to give us this precious gift of grace! “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” Eze 36:26, 27
When we recieve this new heart, we will desire to please our Great Creator more than we want to please ourselves. Our thoughts, our attitudes, our motives, our words, our actions will change. Paul declares, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor 5:17 John exhorts, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” 1 John 3:18-24 Jesus assures us, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father?s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 14:21, 15:10, 11
May we”take heed lest there be in any of [us] an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Heb 3:12 May we, out of a heart filled with love for our Blessed Redeemer, obey His Commands for He bids us, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 May we, someday soon, see our Great Creator face to face, feel His Loving Arms around us in a joyful embrace, and hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Matt 25:21
Rose