“When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.” (Genesis 5:21-24 NLT)
“Every man is as close to God as he wants to be.” These convicting words of A.W. Tozer challenge me as I hope they challenge you. We can argue with them, ignore them, or let them speak life and spiritual health into our soul, but we only have this life in which to come to terms with them.
If you profess faith in Christ but are still living for the devil, your words won’t hold up in the courtroom of the most high God. Your good intentions won’t move the heart of God when your heart stops. Anything you plan to do for God or anyone else, you only have today to do it. And I “hear” you: “What do you mean? I can’t buy a house today, I just started a new job?” “I can’t have all the money I need for my child’s education, it takes time to save that much money.” “I can’t memorize all those Bible verses, my brain doesn’t work like that!” “I can’t …” and you can finish the sentence based on whatever’s going through your mind.
But the truth remains, whatever you’re planning, including how close to God you want to be, begins right now, in this moment! Guess what? You don’t have any other moment in which to do anything. This is it. The last moment is gone, the next moment may never come. This is it! What’s your choice? You want to be close to God? You’d better get started.
The Bible says that when Enoch was 65 years old, he had his first child, Methuselah, but it goes on to say that, apparently influenced by his new son’s birth, he lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years. Everything we do has a beginning and will have an end. We just completed renovations on the bathrooms in our house. And I realize this may seem weird, but the first time I used our new shower I thought to myself: “There will be a last time I’ll use this shower.” I told you it was weird. 😊
But as weird as it is, it’s true. We took our first breath, and we’ll take our last. It’s the order of life – beginnings and endings. So, again, if you’re going to live faithfully, close to God, it’s got to have a beginning. When will that be for you? Before you stress your brain trying to figure out a reasonable plan, let me just say – it must begin in THIS moment! Whenever you decide it will be in THIS moment.
Moments wait for no one, they just keep clicking onward, and they will continue to click onward until the Author of time says: “ENOUGH!” Then they’ll stop. Tozer also wrote: “Always, everywhere God is present, and always He seeks to discover Himself to each one.” God is always the grand Initiator! You can’t make a move toward Him without Him having already made a move toward you.
When will you wake up? When will you see that your procrastination is the devil’s workshop. Satan doesn’t say: “Don’t follow God!” He only says: “Not now!” You’re as close to God as you choose to be in this moment. Stop waiting for a more convenient “season,” it will never come. You’re 20 now, but when you blink, you’ll be 50, then … your life will be over, and you will have never been as close to God as you wanted to be.
Please stop waiting!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 