RELIGION: Intimacy with God

    

      There was not much written about this man in the Bible but the words that described him suffice it to explain why he was considered to be one of God’s beloveds and favorites. It was written, he ‘walked’ with God (Gen.5:21), meaning, he became so intimate with Him. So much so that the entire Heaven entreated him to be there in one whole piece, body, soul and spirit. So there he was taken up to heaven before his time here on earth ended (the first human who went to heaven without dying). God took him to be  with Him for he loved God so much and God likewise loved him much as well. He modeled how people should commune with God to become also His favorites and intimates.

     But what does it really mean to walk with God? We can’t over spiritualize this matter for it is as simple as literally walking with God. God commune with Mosses from time to time in Sinai, why can’t He not walk with Enoch from time to time? Imagine Enoch walking with God (and entirely not an imaginary friend) anytime and anywhere they agreed to meet.

      There was a story of a dear brother by the name of Lawrence who in his years of service and ministry for the Lord became unsatisfied in mere causal or ‘shallow’ relationship with the Lord in that he wanted to be more intimate with Him. So every day, he set a special time to commune with the Lord and just be with Him conversing or enjoying His presence. For months or even years, I may not get the whole story straight but he never failed to do this and one day Jesus showed himself up literally and told him if he would continue this kind of practice, He promised him that He’ll show Himself up every time he would commune with Him. He never failed even once to do this so Jesus continued to be with Him literally. God honors such insatiable thirst and hunger and will never ever leave it unquenched. That’s walking with God!

     Have you ever had a very close friend, the very best friend at that? Your communication is entirely different as compared with the ones you have with your ordinary friends and acquaintances, isn’t it? Your communication involves more of the nature of disclosures or the divulging of the important matters in life, secrets may be, major decisions and other intimate things. That’s how most probably the dialogue goes between Enoch and God. It is as if both their hearts became entwined as they share and reveal everything to each other. They became one that God made it a point that he should always be on His side forever, so He took him away with Him.

When Little Things are Big

Simple or little things are the main things and the main things are the little or simple things. They might be as tiny as a little key but they meant real big.

One will come to know the importance or significance of little important things when they lost it. Twice, I went somewhere within the city of Phnom Penh to take a little tour and for each time I lost my key chain. At times, when we have some little tiny things we tend to become careless in handling them. We even just juggle or play them with our hands. It slip out from our mind their importance until such time that we lost them. They became just the normal little things we become accustomed to and tend to take them for granted. There are many things like that in our lives. 

As for me, fortunately, I was able to find it for each instance. But going through the hustle was somehow a waste of time. Or so I thought. But for each time, as I pondered why or what's even the purpose of it having to lost something as 'profoundly' significant as keys, I thought that it has some benefits. Far be it that I am trying to rationalize things. May be yes or may be no. But for each instance, I was able to connect and form a relationship with these significant people, first to my landlady who went through my trouble sharing her precious time with me to solve my seemingly profound, very important and pressing matter at hand, looking for my lost key. Second, to my neighbors and friends who helpped me wransacked my door and retrieved my key inside. For each time, I am profoundly and exceedingly gratelful the events turned out, to the people involved,  and above all to God almighty. The word says, everything works together for good and the things that the enemy tried to use to harm us, God will turn it into our favor, advantage and for our own good.

The morale here is that:

1. Little things have profound impact to our lives no matter how we view it. At times, no matter how seemingly miniscule and little they are, they are still the main things and the main things are the little things. (This is entirely different from the notion of being pesimistic or too negative or magnifying something much less a problem). As this was exacting the saying, 'The sum of the parts is not greater than its whole itself.' We need each things that directly affects our living no matter how small we view them (except the problems of course). Like for instance, Jesus thought the disciples to value the "left overs." Now, left overs are not that so important as to make them the presents or to feed others (far be it). It is just that, we should value them as not to waste the grace we received. The world is fast becoming pre-dominantly on the "non-recylable" and "fast-food-type" phase of environment. In some affluent countries, they produce so fast that which they could not consume and would just turn out to become waste. Or we buy or accumulate to many that which we can not use. And we tend to despise and even become ungrateful to the little things we have or we have received. And so much more application of this idea such as when it comes to conserving our environment (our perishable herritage).

2. Spiritually speaking, all things work together for good even the seemingly little or insignificant aspect of our lives (as we see them). And whatever the devil intended to use against us to harm us, God uses it for our own good.

God cares for us even the smallest detail in our everyday life. God cares for the simplest things from the minute we were conceived in our mother's womb. In fact from things such as protecting our skin from the scorching heat of the sun to major things as giving us jobs; from having conducting or celebrating an occasion to letting marry the right woman and living at the right specific place; from granting providing our daily needs to fulfilling our desires and dreams.  

So, whatever we have, whatever we receive we should be grateful, learn to value them, we should maximize them at an efficient state, we should simply be careful, ....