By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Hebrews 11:5
Steps 1, 2, 3, 11, 12
In this text is the seed of the good news, or gospel, of God. That He can take a sinner/addict and change him or her to the point of being able to please God. God wanted to let us know that that which seems impossible to us is more than possible for Him. God took a man, who had the disease of addiction, and was able to take him through a process by which an addicted person could so behave in such a manner as that it pleased God. Since it has happened to one man, God says that He can do it with any other person who wants it done.
Prayer for Today: God, You know that our ability to do anything that pleases You, is virtually impossible for us to do, especially on our own. Yet, You have given us the story of Enoch to assure us that what we can not do, You are able to accomplish. And so we come to You and ask You to help us to do what can not be done on our own. Thank You for this opportunity.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Enoch was Translated Not Seeing Death
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Hebrews 11:5
Steps 11, 12
Translation is one of those unique Bible concepts. God has shared that He takes some of His people before the addictive disease can consume them. This event has happened only one other time since the time of Enoch and that is with a prophet by the name of Elijah in II Kings 2. God also has stated that this process of translation would happen for the people of God in the end. I Thessalonians 4:13-18. In this text the people who are alive will be caught up into the air with God without seeing death. This is one of the special promises of God.
Prayer for Today: Thank You for the potential of being a part of this experience of not having to die. We don’t know if this will actually happen to each of us but at least the potential is there. As You know we don’t want to die but if we need to we want to trust in You. Help us to meditate on these issues and explore them with You. Thank You for even suggesting such an idea and such a hope.
Steps 11, 12
Translation is one of those unique Bible concepts. God has shared that He takes some of His people before the addictive disease can consume them. This event has happened only one other time since the time of Enoch and that is with a prophet by the name of Elijah in II Kings 2. God also has stated that this process of translation would happen for the people of God in the end. I Thessalonians 4:13-18. In this text the people who are alive will be caught up into the air with God without seeing death. This is one of the special promises of God.
Prayer for Today: Thank You for the potential of being a part of this experience of not having to die. We don’t know if this will actually happen to each of us but at least the potential is there. As You know we don’t want to die but if we need to we want to trust in You. Help us to meditate on these issues and explore them with You. Thank You for even suggesting such an idea and such a hope.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Enoch Walked With God
And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him. Genesis 5:24
Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Enoch walked with God. This is Bible short hand for doing all of the steps. Enoch followed all of the Bible requirements, which are as follows: “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” Psalms 15:1-5 What this above text means is that the recovering person can be trusted, that he does what Jesus would do, he speaks truth in his heart and truth to others, he does not gossip, he recognizes that some people are evil and acts accordingly. He is honest, he does not try to take advantage of others, doesn’t take bribes, and when he says something it can be trusted. This is how Enoch walked with God.
Prayer for Today: God, we know that we are usually not like Enoch, and we are certainly not like You. None the less, we want to be. We to would like to go to heaven and be with You and Enoch. Help us to do what we can not do, and help us to do what we can do. We look to You for help. Thank You.
Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Enoch walked with God. This is Bible short hand for doing all of the steps. Enoch followed all of the Bible requirements, which are as follows: “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” Psalms 15:1-5 What this above text means is that the recovering person can be trusted, that he does what Jesus would do, he speaks truth in his heart and truth to others, he does not gossip, he recognizes that some people are evil and acts accordingly. He is honest, he does not try to take advantage of others, doesn’t take bribes, and when he says something it can be trusted. This is how Enoch walked with God.
Prayer for Today: God, we know that we are usually not like Enoch, and we are certainly not like You. None the less, we want to be. We to would like to go to heaven and be with You and Enoch. Help us to do what we can not do, and help us to do what we can do. We look to You for help. Thank You.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Was Enoch an Addict?
Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Romans 5:12
Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12
We have no record of any wrong thing that Enoch ever did. None the less, according to the Bible, every man has sinned. The Bible defines sin as breaking God’s laws I John 3:4; by lack of trusting in God Romans 14:23; or by not believing on Jesus John 16:9. So from God’s point of view He knows that all of us human beings have had some kind of difficulty, some kind of addictive behavior, thought, or action. He knows the problems and He knows the solution – to come to Him for help. Each of these stories is to tell something about God, His people, their problems, and His solution. This process even includes men like Enoch, who accepted God’s solution completely.
Prayer for Today: Thank You for watching over all of us throughout history. We know that each of us have our problems but it is sometimes difficult for us to see that certain people have problems. Thank You that You did not give up on us and that there is a way to get our problems and addictive behaviors solved. Please continue to work with us. Some of us do not even know that we have problems, please help us to recognize this and to recognize that You can and will help us. Thank You.
Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12
We have no record of any wrong thing that Enoch ever did. None the less, according to the Bible, every man has sinned. The Bible defines sin as breaking God’s laws I John 3:4; by lack of trusting in God Romans 14:23; or by not believing on Jesus John 16:9. So from God’s point of view He knows that all of us human beings have had some kind of difficulty, some kind of addictive behavior, thought, or action. He knows the problems and He knows the solution – to come to Him for help. Each of these stories is to tell something about God, His people, their problems, and His solution. This process even includes men like Enoch, who accepted God’s solution completely.
Prayer for Today: Thank You for watching over all of us throughout history. We know that each of us have our problems but it is sometimes difficult for us to see that certain people have problems. Thank You that You did not give up on us and that there is a way to get our problems and addictive behaviors solved. Please continue to work with us. Some of us do not even know that we have problems, please help us to recognize this and to recognize that You can and will help us. Thank You.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Enoch - The First Recovering Person to Go to Heaven
And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methusalah three hundred years, and begat sons an daughters; and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Genesis 5:21-24
Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12
Enoch has no recorded sins against him, and no clear identified addictive patter. The Bible still sees him as a person, who sinned, for the Bible says “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. But God says that Enoch walked, or entered into a pure relationship with Him, and after 300 years He took him, or translated him, to heaven without seeing death. Thus God tells us that a positive relationship with Him is beneficial. We will see a few of the interesting things that God has to say about Enoch in the next few days.
Prayer for Today: God, as you know, the idea of walking with you for 300 years is beyond our comprehension. And then to have the hope of being able to go to heaven without seeing death is pretty amazing as well. Help us to be able to study about Enoch and see what he saw, and do what he did. We need all of the positive role models that we can get. Thank you for your tender love, and your wonderful mercies.
Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12
Enoch has no recorded sins against him, and no clear identified addictive patter. The Bible still sees him as a person, who sinned, for the Bible says “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. But God says that Enoch walked, or entered into a pure relationship with Him, and after 300 years He took him, or translated him, to heaven without seeing death. Thus God tells us that a positive relationship with Him is beneficial. We will see a few of the interesting things that God has to say about Enoch in the next few days.
Prayer for Today: God, as you know, the idea of walking with you for 300 years is beyond our comprehension. And then to have the hope of being able to go to heaven without seeing death is pretty amazing as well. Help us to be able to study about Enoch and see what he saw, and do what he did. We need all of the positive role models that we can get. Thank you for your tender love, and your wonderful mercies.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Seth and Enos
And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: for God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also thew was born a son; and he called his name Enos, then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. Genesis 4:25-26
Steps 1, 2, 3, 11, 12
The next son of Adam, that God chose to focus upon, was Seth. His name means appointed and he was the replacement of the lineage of Abel. Seth’s lineage is spoken of in Genesis 5 and takes us down the ages through many men. By the time of Seth’s son Enos there was enough division between the lineage of Cain and the lineage of Seth that they took on a special name – they called themselves people of the Lord. Later they called themselves Israelites, and in the New Testament times they called themselves Christians. But all who were willing to follow the Lord would be counted in this group. Apparently those who followed in the footsteps of Cain did not want to be associated with this group of people.
Prayer for Today: As we have seen in history people of like beliefs tend to gather together, because of their shared beliefs. We have seen many things happen, and many things we have difficulty understanding. But we can understand shared beliefs and shared goals. Our goal today is to get to know more about You. We can see that many things have happened through history and we would like to know what You think about these things and how they affect us today. Help us to think often about You and how You want us to respond. Thank You for patiently telling us the story so that we can learn Your ways.
Steps 1, 2, 3, 11, 12
The next son of Adam, that God chose to focus upon, was Seth. His name means appointed and he was the replacement of the lineage of Abel. Seth’s lineage is spoken of in Genesis 5 and takes us down the ages through many men. By the time of Seth’s son Enos there was enough division between the lineage of Cain and the lineage of Seth that they took on a special name – they called themselves people of the Lord. Later they called themselves Israelites, and in the New Testament times they called themselves Christians. But all who were willing to follow the Lord would be counted in this group. Apparently those who followed in the footsteps of Cain did not want to be associated with this group of people.
Prayer for Today: As we have seen in history people of like beliefs tend to gather together, because of their shared beliefs. We have seen many things happen, and many things we have difficulty understanding. But we can understand shared beliefs and shared goals. Our goal today is to get to know more about You. We can see that many things have happened through history and we would like to know what You think about these things and how they affect us today. Help us to think often about You and how You want us to respond. Thank You for patiently telling us the story so that we can learn Your ways.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Lamech: The First Polygamist
And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. Genesis 4:19
Steps 4, 5, 6
In this addiction story Lamech becomes the first man on earth to violate the basic command of God for one husband and one wife. For whatever reason, Lamech was a polygamist, eventually was a murderer as well. Genesis 4:23 In this story we find that the names of his wives are interesting as well. Adah means pleasure or ornament and Zillah means shade or shadow. Some believe that these two women introduce the arts of jewelry and makeup into the Bible story. In any case Lamech did not appear to learn the lessons of Cain and Abel, nor of Adam and Eve. He consulted his own desires and pressed forward with his addictive desires even at the cost of another man’s life.
Prayer for Today: God you know that many of us have unfulfilled desires. We would do them in a minute if we were not afraid of the consequences. Please help us to recognize our need of You for without You we to would be willing to hurt others to accomplish our desires. Often we do not know what the long range effects of our behaviors would do to others but we have seen enough that in the back of our hearts we know that left to our own devices we would cause harm. Forgive us today, and help us to want help.
Steps 4, 5, 6
In this addiction story Lamech becomes the first man on earth to violate the basic command of God for one husband and one wife. For whatever reason, Lamech was a polygamist, eventually was a murderer as well. Genesis 4:23 In this story we find that the names of his wives are interesting as well. Adah means pleasure or ornament and Zillah means shade or shadow. Some believe that these two women introduce the arts of jewelry and makeup into the Bible story. In any case Lamech did not appear to learn the lessons of Cain and Abel, nor of Adam and Eve. He consulted his own desires and pressed forward with his addictive desires even at the cost of another man’s life.
Prayer for Today: God you know that many of us have unfulfilled desires. We would do them in a minute if we were not afraid of the consequences. Please help us to recognize our need of You for without You we to would be willing to hurt others to accomplish our desires. Often we do not know what the long range effects of our behaviors would do to others but we have seen enough that in the back of our hearts we know that left to our own devices we would cause harm. Forgive us today, and help us to want help.
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