Walking with God

We all want good relationships in our lives, right? Most of us strive to develop relationships and make noble efforts, but it’s not always easy. We live in a fast-paced culture, and unfortunately relationships get put on the back burner, or the microwave for that matter. But spend a few minutes thinking about the people who are closest to you in life, and then ask yourself why. What is it that makes those relationships stand out? If we really desire close relationships, it requires that we do a few things to make it work, right? We have to spend time with the other person. We have to make an effort to not only talk to that person, but we have to listen to them as well. We also have to do things that are important to the other person. And most importantly, when times are hard, we need to stand by the other person, no matter what the circumstances are. If you neglect one or more of these areas, chances are the relationship is not going to be as strong as you would hope it would be.

Now think about you relationship with God and ask yourself the same questions. Ouch! Let’s face it. If we’re honest, I’m afraid that many of us would have to admit that on occasion, we might have more of an acquaintance with God rather than a true relationship. Sure, we go to church, maybe a small group, we might check in with Him a few times a day and read a little bit of our Bible. But when it comes to actually building a relationship, we might as well be building a skyscraper. God might be in the same room, but do we actually walk with Him during our day?

Kids are no different. They long to have healthy relationships with people, as well as with God. They may not understand everything about faith, but it’s almost as if they instinctively have an attraction to God and things of God. Walking with God was the theme of our lesson last week and came from a very obscure little passage in Genesis. In Genesis 5:21-24, we are introduced to a guy named Enoch; the great, great, great, great grandson of Adam and the Father of the oldest living person on record; Methuselah. It is said that Methuselah was 969 years old when he died. Hence, the reason many folks shout, “Get out of the way, Methuselah!”, when they find themselves behind a slow elderly driver in the fast lane!

As we read through Genesis 5, we find that it is nothing more than a family tree from Adam to Noah. It begins with Adam and moves on through his family line something like this: “When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died. When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. And after he became the father of Kenan….” Well, you get the point? It goes on like this through chapter 5 and ends with the birth of Noah and his sons. For 32 verses you can read the same repetition of Adam’s lineage, line after line. In fact, I had a theology teacher in high school that made us write out this chapter 50 times for punishment! I think I had it memorized at one time!

But in verse 21, something stands out that causes us to pause. There’s a break in the repetition. Something is different. “When Enoch became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

We know very little about Enoch, other than what we just read. But the one thing that stands out, and speaks us today about our relationship with God, is that Enoch walked with God. In a culture that had for the most part turned its back on God, Enoch’s priority was on serving God before anything else in life. A person that “walked with God” practiced a lifestyle that was radically different from most people. Their faith was a holistic way of life rather than a regimented system of following the rules.

This week, I spent a lot of time thinking about Enoch, and what it really means to walk with God in our culture. I spent a lot of time thinking about our kids, and how much more difficult it will be for them to walk with God as they grow older. I also spent some time wondering what kind of example I am for my two boys. It’s not easy, but our children watch us very closely and they notice what kind of lives we live. When you get right down to it, the best example of what it means to walk with God is not Enoch; Its Mom and Dad.

Walk with God, Moms and Dads!