Living in the presence of God. Enjoying His eternal favor because of Jesus Christ. Knowing that the Almighty is moving in all the details of my life. This is the good life – the truly good life.
The Psalmist tells us in chapter four, verse six, that many are asking, “Who will show us some good?” These people have not even an idea of whom it is to which they should be looking. The Continue reading “What Is the Good Life?”
Recent educational research stemming from the nonprofit group, Teach for America, tells us something the Bible made clear centuries ago: the teacher is the most important component of educational success. Ripley (2010, p. 60) posits, “This tale of two boys, and of the millions of kids just like them, embodies the most stunning finding to come out of education research in the past decade: more than any other variable in education – more than schools or curriculum – teachers matter.” Though endless amounts of money have been spent on fancy curriculum additions, more classroom gadgets, and more standardized testing; it is, in fact, “which adult stands in front of their children” (Ripley, 2010, p. 60) that should be the main concern of parents. Why? The answer is rooted in God Himself.
God is relational. Father, Son, and Spirit have eternally loved one another. God began relating to human beings when he created us in His image. When we lost relationship with Him, God continually pursued us. His pursuit culminated in the incarnation. He took on flesh and entered our world to save us from our sin and restore relationship with Him.
Jesus taught us the things of God in a personal way. he demonstrated God’s love to us. He lived out God’s love right in front of our eyes.
In essence, God did not say, “Here’s an instruction manual.” Rather, God said, “Here I am.” And He continues to offer Himself through His Spirit.
Excellent teachers model God’s heart and say, “Here I am.” They do not simply hold forth curriculum and activities and words as the answer. Great teachers offer themselves as living curriculum.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14 (ESV)
Work cited: Ripley, A. (2010, Jan/Feb). What makes a great teacher. The Atlantic, 305(1), 58-66.
A Brief Commentary on Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,…
While the world chases circumstantially-rooted happiness, we ought to be pursuing the blessing of God. To have our Creator pleased with our existence – rejoicing in the substance of our life – this is the rock-solid foundation of fulfillment and peace.
To be blessed is to stand strong. To be blessed is to know that all is well despite difficulty and heartache because we have invited God into every facet of our life.
To be blessed is to be wholeheartedly engaged in living because the Holy Spirit speaks and moves continually in our hearts and minds.
To be blessed is quite the opposite of being bored, being drained, being lonely, or fighting to keep our head above water.
To be blessed is to live vibrantly, with hope as a backdrop that never dissipates because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and conquered the sin that used to bind us and the death that used to overshadow us.
As mentioned at the outset, worldly happiness sits juxtaposed with this state of Christian blessedness. Worldly happiness derives from a mindset of materialism. For people enslaved in the pursuit of happiness, the world is very small, and yet mysteriously elusive.
Therefore, the Psalmist says we ought not to live according to the counsel of the wicked. The mindset of ungodliness tells us we must seek many things to be happy: entertainment no matter the cost to our morality or pursuit of intellect; fast-paced living in order to keep up with what is expected no matter the cost to health or sanity; gadgets, appliances, and vehicles no matter the cost to a reasonable financial plan or the amount of time needed for maintenance; a youthful look no matter the price tag or investment of valuable energy and resource; incomes that keep us on par with others’ standards no matter the cost to relationships and emotional stability. And the greatest cost of this chasing of happiness is that it steals from us our commitment – our true relationship – with God Himself.
Happiness cannot be found by human effort. Rather, blessedness is bestowed by God as our heart turns genuinely and unabashedly to Him in a world gone mad. The man or woman is truly blessed who stays alert to discern worldly thinking from biblical thinking. The person on whom the favor of the Maker of the Universe rests is the one who measures every thought and motivation against the Word of the Lord. The blessed person is secure and full of hope not because of fleeting circumstances, but because of walking moment by moment with unchangeable, unshakeable, unfailing Jesus.
See to it that you are blessed of God and not merely happy. See to it that you make His approval your aim. For, the blessed person will remain, while the wicked in pursuit of worldly happiness is soon destroyed in his or her own way.
Enoch lived an extraordinary life and escaped physical death as a result. Though this grand blessing is obviously not the norm in God’s scheme of things, we certainly gain insight into the incredible things that can happen when we actually live a life pleasing to God.
The general description of eight of nine men in the genealogy of Genesis chapter five is that each one lived a certain number of years, fathered a certain son, lived a certain more number of years, had other children, and died. Enoch’s description stands out as markedly different: instead of dying, he simply “was not,” for God took him away. The exact details are not divulged, but this man did not have to die a physical death. Both Enoch’s body and spirit were taken directly by God!
Genesis tells us that Enoch walked with God, and Hebrews 11:5 reveals in greater detail that Enoch pleased God. Enoch’s walking with God was no doubt an intimate, passionate relationship. Certainly the man put God at the forefront and is now forever known for living above the ordinary and experiencing a miracle indeed.
The genealogy of Genesis chapter five makes clear that one man of many saw life as more than an accumulation of years and the building of a family. The span of each man’s years represents a myriad of endeavors, including his work, his care for his family, his eating, his relaxation, his ponderings, etc. But, of all those things in which Enoch was also no doubt involved, none compared to Enoch’s walk with God. His heart must have always been driven by a love for His Creator and Savior; his mind must have pushed all other activities to align with God’s view.
For Enoch, this love for God was real. I Chronicles 28:9 informs us that God actively searches our hearts and understnads every intention. Neither Enoch nor any one of us can get away with falsifying our passion. God knows our core. Enoch’s right living was motivated by a desire to please God.
Following the effective description of Enoch in Hebrews 11:5, verse six goes on to tell us there are two requirements for drawing near to God; believing in His existence and believing that He rewards those who seek Him. Enoch staked his life on the existence of the one, true God who requires that we live for Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. Enoch was not disappointed.
One thing for which we ought to pray is such an unbroken walk with Jesus that our death is simply a seamless transition to the glorious continuance of eternal life. Though we will die physically (if Jesus does not return before then), our spirit will not miss a beat because of how close we are to our Lord.
God upholds Enoch as a shining example of God’s power to do miraculous things for those who earnestly seek Him. If God translated a man to Heaven without death near the beginning of history, what is He trying to communicate to us in terms of our pursuits and expectations?
Jesus will completely destroy death, as outlined in I Corinthians 15:26. Death is the last enemy. Death is the result of man’s sin against God. Death makes men fear. But Enoch looked forward to Jesus. He loved and believed in Him so much that Jesus gave Enoch a taste of the end at the beginning. May we allow God to so redeem us and pervade our lives that we, too, can taste His glory even as we walk this earth.
God may not translate us to Heaven without death, but Jesus promises us in John 5:24 that we have already passed from death to life when we hear Jesus and genuinely believe in Him. He gives us life and victory over sin and over ordinary, mundane circumstances. He then reveals that one day, everyone whose body is in a tomb will hear His voice. Those who walked with Him in this life will have their body resurrected for eternal life, and those who walked without Him in this life will have their bodies resurrected for eternal judgment.
Pleasing God clearly means life eternal. For Enoch – and for us – it means amazing things are possible. The question is: how closely are we walking with God?
The only help on which we can completely rely is that of God’s own Spirit. Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever…”(John 14:16, NASB). Since God designed and created both this world and us, He alone understands what is necessary for us to function properly as we live each day. Right functioning- or righteousness- is God’s original intent. Jesus walked this earth and gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sinfulness. When He arose from death and left this space-time continuum, He sent the Holy Spirit to be the One who leads us in right functioning.
God’s Spirit, our Helper, is with us forever. Unlike the help of friends and family, finances, health, or success; the help of God Himself never weakens or disappears. The Holy Spirit is with us now, and He will stay with us until the return of Jesus to Earth and beyond!
As John 14:17 reminds us, the world will not be able to wrap its mind around the concept of God’s Spirit living in us to comfort and help. We, however, must determine to talk daily with God and embrace His desires for our lives. No one and no thing can ever take from us His eternal, unfailing help.