I was an art leader for Vacation Bible School this year. As I made prayer journals with the kids we discussed what it takes to have a strong relationship with someone we care about. We talked about how difficult it is to really know someone without spending time with them. The investment doesn’t necessarily have to be in-person and face-to-face, but it does require intentional time and attention. There’s a big difference between knowing about someone and personally knowing them.
It’s humbling to me when I remember that the people we read about in the Bible did not have the Bible in its entirety as we do today, yet they still believed. They not only believed, but they walked with God. Walking with God didn’t look like thirty minutes at Starbucks with a Bible and a latte. I believe we’ve over complicated (or maybe it’s more like we’ve over styled) what spending time with the Lord looks like. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been guilty of this myself. Somewhere along the way I’ve created in my mind what the “perfect” quiet time looks like, and it almost leaves me defeated if my time doesn’t look that way.
In Genesis 5:25 we learn that Enoch walked with God.
As there are seasons in life, our lives have rhythms. We can’t expect for our quiet times to look the same throughout the years. As I have walked through a long season of loss, grief, and suffering, I’ve come to realize that walking with God is just that: a walk. It’s not a run. Walking with God takes time. Time in prayer and time in worship. What a privilege it is to know and be known by the Creator of the universe.
God is everywhere.
He is with us on our good days and on our bad days. God doesn’t distance Himself when life gets hard. When others walk out, He walks in. It’s time in His Word where we will learn and hear His voice. It’s crucial for us to decipher the voice of God so we can become familiar with Him while pursuing His presence in a loud and distracting world.
Enoch walked with God, and we can, too.
Enoch’s faith was a simple faith. He continued to choose the will of God over a culture that was pursuing worldly pleasures.
Enoch didn’t start his life in relationship with the Lord, but when he made the decision to do so, he was all in. He was set apart. He was blessed. Enoch’s walk with the Lord pleased the Lord.
As believers, I know that each of us desires to please the Lord. We desire to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” at the end of our life here on earth. Did you know that, as we worship, we are pleasing the Lord?
I love worship. I love listening to worship songs and I love leading others in worship. Worship sets my soul on fire. Not only does my life, my spirit, and my perspective shift when I’m worshiping, but even better than that is how much our worship pleases the Lord. Worship doesn’t always need to be music and singing. It’s the way we steward what has been given to us, which is also a form of worship. A life of submission.
One day, Jesus will return in the rapture of the church. We will be caught up, just as Enoch was. Enoch lived a life of submission, and this pleased God. As we walk with God and live our lives in wholehearted devotion and worship, we too can expect to have pleased God and be taken up. Enoch showed us what to do: walk with God, serve God, please God.
Even when the world entices us in every way, may we be devoted to discerning the voice of God and pleasing Him and only Him.
Week 3 Challenge:
Elijah lived a life that both honored God and invested in the next generation. This week, how can you intentionally invest in someone younger than you? It is important to grow in your faith and also encourage the next generation to know and love our Lord. This week, take some time to list a few names of who you could reach out to, and pray for opportunities to do just that.
Week 3 Reading Plan
Week 3 Memory Verse
Have you heard? Our Come, Lord Jesus, Come Bible study is available to order!
Join us as we study the coming return of Christ. As we study the way Jesus talked about His return we will find encouragement to live our lives with boldness and grace.
Click the image below to find out more!
100% of the proceeds from your order go straight back to the ministry, helping us fight biblical illiteracy around the world and equip women with God’s Word in 40+ languages.
Thank YOU for your investment and support!
Read more about our mission and the languages we reach here.
—
More from Love God Greatly:
