January 10: Enoch Sought God's Reward
Scripture
Observation
It is not enough simply to believe that God exists. In order to please Him it is also necessary to believe that He is moral and just, that He will reward faith in Him. We must recognize God as a personal, loving, gracious God to those who seek Him. Enoch did not believe God was merely a great impersonal cosmic force. He believed in and knew God in a personal, loving way. For three hundred years Enoch had fellowship with the true God, a God whom he knew to be just, merciful, forgiving, caring, and very personal.
The Bible tells us that God not only can be found but that it is His great desire to be found. David said to his son Solomon,
- "If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever" (1 Chron. 28:9).
- "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth!" (Ps. 58:11).
- "I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me" (Prov. 8:17).
- "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).
Jesus was very explicit:
- "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened" (Luke 11:10).
It is not enough just to believe that He is. We must also believe that He rewards those who seek Him.
The reward that God gives for faith is salvation.
- "Whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
- "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33).
In other words, every good thing that God has, including eternal life, constitutes the reward for belief. For faith we receive forgiveness, a new heart, eternal life, joy, peace, love, heaven—everything! When we trust in Jesus Christ, we become mutual heirs with Him. All that God's own Son has is ours as well.
Understanding
What is God saying to me?
If you seek Him, He will let you find Him! God does not hide from us! He wants us to find Him, he desires to be known by us. How often I think that God does not want to have relationship with me because of something I did or did not do, but that is not the case – He is longing for us to seek Him so that we can find Him.
AND…
When we find Him we discover that He is not just waiting to be with us but He has a bag of presents waiting to give us. He wants to give us eternal life, salvation, peace, joy, unconditional love and forgiveness, heaven, and the list goes on. He wants to reward those who earnestly seek Him.
Life Application
What will I do about it?
That word earnestly is the key. It means to intensely search for. To prioritize my time so that I will find what I am looking for. To be diligent in my attempts to search God.
God I want to be earnest in pursuit of you. You are not a calendar item for me to fit in – you are my priority! You first and then everything else fits in. By faith I will chase hard after you because I believe that you care enough to respond to all who will pursue you with sincerity and diligence.
How will I pursue you?
By fasting and setting aside priority to pray and commune with you.
By prioritizing my time so that I gather together with your family regularly for worship and fellowship.
By PBand J-ing so that I can learn of you and allow you to speak to me.