A Perfect Union

All of humanity is made in the image of the Trinity (Genesis 1:26). We have a triune being with a body, soul and spirit. Prior to salvation, our spirit is dead in sin. We live in prideful rebellion. We enjoy controlling our own life and we have no need or desire to think about God. In fact, thoughts about God, which intrude on our conscious mind, disturb us and make us feel uncomfortable.

We run from God’s conviction and reject people who remind us of Him. We forget that the “Hound of Heaven” is constantly pursuing us, drawing us into His loving embrace. Once we finally yield to His sovereignty, we wonder why we took so long to submit to His call and to relinquish control of our life to Him. When we surrender everything to God, life is no longer a struggle (Romans 8:28; Hebrews 4:10).

Salvation is the first step in our walk with God. Our spirit is finally Born Again. Then we embark on a journey toward holiness. God’s Holy Spirit changes us from one stage of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18). Each stage brings us closer to a perfect union with God (Ephesians 2:1-5). The closer our relationship with Him grows in the spirit (John 4:24), the more intimacy with Him we want in our life.

Some Believers are simply content with escaping hell, and they live a shallow, carnal life, without this intimate union with God. Yet others often feel like we are in a desert, thirsting for more and more of His Living Water (John 4:14). We hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6; Psalm 107:9). Our spirit longs to receive more nourishment from the Bread of Life (John 6:35).

Prayer:

Father God, even though we cannot sense You in our physical body, our spirit and soul – our mind, will and emotions – feel your presence every day of our life (Hebrews 13:5). We form this perfect union with You by spending time in Your presence as we go about our day. We consult with You and rely on You as we follow Your Spirit’s direction. When we pray, remind us to listen to Your Voice, as well as to commune with You from our heart.

Thought for the Day:

Do not despair if God seems silent; He is simply enjoying your companionable silence.

Viva la Technolongy

 

Technology improves our human existence in many ways. Among other things, it controls pollution, it keeps us connected all over the world, it controls a car and flies an airplane, it registers the weather and helps us to prepare for it, it gives reviews on information we are interested in, it enhances a surgeon’s ability in the operating room and photographs the inside of our body for medical information, it checks our spelling and it can even research the Bible in an instant.

However, technology can also be an idol in our life. Have you ever noticed that people can no longer sit still? We have electronic devices such as the TV, radio, iPad, iPod, laptops, tablets, smart phones, and the list goes on into infinity. They are always “ON”. We rarely take the time to sit quietly to think or pray. Flashing pictures, text messages and sound waves constantly distract our attention. We have televisions in the kitchen, in the garage and now they are even showing up in the bathroom.

We have several Biblical examples of people who actually walked with God. Enoch walked with God and God took Him home to His house (Genesis 5:22-24). Noah walked with God (Gen 6:9). God walked with the Israelite nation (Exodus 33:14; Leviticus 26:12). The biggest blessing is that God and His Christ make their abode within the heart of anyone who keeps His Word (John 14:23). As we keep His commandments, we dwell in Him, and He dwells in us by His Spirit whom He gives us (1 John 3:24).

I love silence. I spend much of the Night Watch (Psalm 119:148) in silence, listening to the voice of God as He teaches, comforts and inspires me. He pours His love over me like a waterfall and fills my soul with His peace. If I chose to sit in front of the TV or Internet instead, I would miss this wondrous intimacy with my Heavenly Daddy. I can even take this intimacy with me wherever I go, every moment of any day of the week and into any situation. You can too.

Prayer:

Father God, You motivate us to stay in constant fellowship with You and to stand against the temptation to have any idol rule our life. Your presence motivates us and gives us rest. We find favor in Your sight and we are Your people. You distinguish us from all other people, because we belong to You (Exodus 33:14-17; Leviticus 26:12). Thank You for allowing us to be one with You and Your Christ in perfect unity in Your love (John 17:23).

Thought for the Day:

Rejoice, be at peace, be comforted and complete, for the God of love and peace dwells in you. – 2 Corinthians 13:11

Enoch Walked with God

"And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." - Genesis 5:22-24

Police statistics estimate that one person disappears per minute in the UK and USA. In Australia one person every 18 minutes is reported missing. It is the same around the world. Then there are those who disappear and are never reported as a statistic. Many are kidnapped, or die unnoticed and undiscovered. How many of those who disappear, like Enoch, walked with God and God translated them home? In His foreknowledge, God prepared a destiny and a destination for the soul of every person before He ever created the earth.

Enoch was the father of Methuselah, the oldest man who ever lived; and the great grandfather of Noah. His claim to Biblical fame is that after his son was born, he “walked with God” for about three hundred years. This paints a portrait for us of two intimate friends unhindered by the lusts of the flesh and the world around them and totally immersed in one another’s fellowship (Amos 3:3). Scholars tell us that many of Enoch’s writings had the poetry of the Psalms and the wisdom of Proverbs.

Enoch was honorable, he loved mercy and He walked humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8). With his will totally submitted to his Lord, Enoch learned from God. As a man of faith, Enoch knew it was impossible to please God without trusting in Him. He also pleased God in his thoughts, words and deeds (Hebrews 11:5). This was the testimony he exhibited before God and his neighbors. He saw great visions from the Lord about heaven, Satan’s rebellion, worldly nations throughout the ages, as well as the consequences of wickedness and the rewards of the just. Enoch instructed his family in the ways of God.

Jude tells us that Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam and that he prophesied about the Lord returning with His Saints and executing judgment on the ungodly for their unbelief (Jude 1:14-15). Enoch walked in the ways of the Lord and all went well with him and his descendents (Deuteronomy 5:33). He lived to the age of 365. He saw a vision of the great flood and told his children about it. Noah lived by his great grandfather’s example, and walked with God as well (Genesis 6:9). The more Enoch knew God, the more he loved Him, and his love for the world dwindled (1 John 2:15).

Enoch was a man of integrity and a pure heart. He saw righteousness flowing like water, and mercy scattered like dew over the whole earth. He longed to dwell with the righteous. He realized that the Lord strengthens the spirit of the righteous for the sake of His own righteousness, and that many see Heaven without tasting the sleep of death. He saw Christ as the light of the nations, the hope of troubled hearts, the name by which we are saved and the one, which the righteous lean upon without falling. He foresaw the destruction of the wicked and the peaceful dwelling place of the righteous.

Therefore, rather than allowing Enoch to enter heaven through the gates of endless sleep, God translated Him to Heaven and he did not see death (Ephesians 5:10; Hebrews 11:5). Like Enoch, Adam and Eve enjoyed the cool of the day in the garden walking with God (Genesis 3:8). God revealed Himself to Moses and the face of the deliverer of God’s people shone with the glory of the Lord (Exodus 34:35). Abraham walked with God (Genesis 24:40). Jesus walked with God and embodied God personified (John 14:7-9). God loves to walk with all of His Saints. We are His Temple and He communes with us every moment of the day by His indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Prayer:

Father God, we want to walk with You, commune with You, listen to Your wisdom and direction, and walk by Your Spirit moment by moment throughout the day. Reveal Yourself to us in Your secret places, and teach us to walk in Your ways (Palm 91:1). Your mercy is great as is Your patience with us. All of your powerful works are wondrous for us to behold. You reveal all things to Your Saints, to Your elect. You write all of our deeds in Your journals and nothing we do escapes Your sight. Let us walk in justice and righteousness for Your name’s sake now and forever, and if our ways please You, translate us to Heaven as well.

Thought for the Day:

If Enoch can walk with God in this devoted intimacy, we can too.

 

 

 

Thank you, Stephanie Bentley, for the use of your photo.