WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

These thoughts are added to each Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday)
(Scroll down to read previous thoughts)

Boring? Boring? Boring? Really? Why it is not boring at all but exciting!

The 5th chapter portion of Genesis is a series of begettings - “In this chapter beginning with the 18th verse it begins “When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God…”

It is one long list of beginnings and it is as about as boring as any genealogy can get. For thirty two verses all it does is list the names of people born and when they died. A nice neat long row of cradles followed by a nice neat long row of coffins.

We are told nothing about these individuals. Absolutely nothing. And then it reads, “And Enoch walked with God, and Enoch was not, for God took him.”

It is like a lightening bolt on a dull grey day. It is like a shout in the midst of deadly silence.

And as you read it you think to yourself, this Enoch must have had quite a relationship with the Kingdom of God to have been so singled out. This Enoch must have been quite a man.

“His name was Enoch and he walked with God.” Why did they write that? Did they write that because he refused to play the game called ring-around-the-gossip tree? Did they write that because he loved much and hated not at all? Did they write that because he listened to his own drummer and that drummer’s name was God? Did they write that because he prayed deep and rooted his faith deep and lived like it? Ask Enoch about his ongoing enthusiasm for God and he would probably have just smiled as if to say, “Is there any other way?”

His name had been Saul, a Roman citizen named after the first King of Israel. He had had a tremendous name change. He was a member of the tribe of Benjamin, which in that day was the same as being a member of the jet set. Certainly in the upper echelon. He had had wealth, position and leisure time when most people died of overwork at 40. He had been a follower of the majority opinion, which at the time was persecuting Christians. And then he had a name-changing experience on the road to Damascus. Accepted the Enoch principal. Became Paul.

Changed from persecutor to one who would now be persecuted.
Do you know what a life without a worthy purpose is? It is like a wheel with a lot of spokes but no hub. Does it make a difference? Well, let a cave prove to you it truly does.

You see, once upon a time there was a cave, and it was, as most caves are, a place of darkness. Then one day there came a persistent voice speaking to the cave and it kept saying, “Come out and find light.” And the cave replied, “There is no such thing as light, there is only darkness.” But the voice was persistent, so finally the cave came outside and found there was such a thing as light. Then the cave looked up and saw the sun and said, “Come down and enter at my opening I will show you darkness.” But the sun replied, “There is no such thing as darkness.” However, the cave was persistent, so the sun came down and went through the opening of the cave to find darkness. But there was no darkness, for where there is light it is never dark.

It is another week, another Sunday and we celebrate the Light of Life come to live among men. And it is not our call is to not go around in ritualistic circles but to live in such a manner we become in our 21st century more like Enoch of centuries ago. Enough so, that if we were written about in some genealogy it would read, “And Bill walked with God…” “And Mary walked with God.” And…

Have a friend visit my ONE A DAY YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS site. Have them go to Google and where it says “Google Search” type in “Neil Spiritual Vitamins”

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