January 3 - Walk with God

If the key to our humanity is our relationship with God, we must know who He is and how He operates. To know God is the beginning of a right relationship with Him. In the second Psalm, a Messianic Psalm about the Messiah, we learn about the two sides of God: His righteousness and His mercy. He relates to us as Judge but also as Father. The Messiah is given the iron scepter of authority, to judge and destroy evil; but He is also the one we need to kiss and be close to. We must live so as to stay away from His righteous anger but also trust Him for our blessing and protection.

Two men in the Old Testament had one similar characteristic: they both walked with God. Enoch walked with God while he lived his life on earth, having children and doing everything a normal person would do at his time. However, the major difference with him was his relationship with God. His daily walk with God was so normal that eventually he walked into God’s presence in heaven, leaving this earth without going through death. He lived his life on earth as if he was living in heaven, exactly as Jesus teaches on the Lord’s Prayer: “on earth as it is in heaven”.

Noah was a righteous man in that he walked with God and obeyed what God told him about the world and its future. He believed in God’s wrath against evil and sin but trusted in God’s mercy in saving the world through his family of eight. The instrument of salvation, the Ark, was a source of ridicule but he persisted in completing it. In his walking with God, he understood fully God’s character and His will for the world. The result was salvation for the world through him.

The perfect man in the New Testament is Jesus, Son of God, who obeyed the Father’s will and walked with Him even on this earth. From His life, we can see God’s presence and power. The heaven was opened for Him and God spoke to Him with words of endearment. The Holy Spirit fell on Him and stayed on Him through His earthly ministry. His relationship with the Father enabled Him to have power and authority on earth to accomplish God’s will to save the world.

Today, you may walk with God and experience the “open heaven” type of living. God can be with you while you live your normal life on earth, just like Enoch. He can use you as His instrument to bring salvation to others and direct your life so that you may be a blessing, just like Noah. Would you like to walk with Him and see the “open heaven” in your life?