Faith And Pleasing God Series

Perhaps this is the thing with living a godly life. We all have our blindspots, our weaknesses – those sins that we find it so hard to shrug off. We try willpower, we try prayer – we’ll try anything. But once again it is the fruit of faith and focus. The more our focus is on God the easier it will be to live as God wants us to. This is what Enoch discovered. Enoch is seen as a godly man. God rubs off on us as that happens we know God’s peace, his joy, his presence.

3. Faith is rewarded

Verse 6 tells us that earnest seeking leads to a reward. I think the writer is talking about faith, maintaining our focus on God. This faith/focus is the way to receive a reward, it is not disappointed. It leads to a walk with God where we know his presence, peace – where we receive what God has promised. He is there – Psalm 23 is for real you know? I remember when Heath had come through a pulmonary embolism he said how conscious he was that God was with him, even in the valley of the shadow of death - the stuff there works, its true. But it takes faith. The reward is discovering what God can do in our daily lives.

Enoch’s reward was that God took him, translated him before death. Ultimately like Enoch we get to go to heaven. We know Jesus is coming back. Those who are alive at his return not see death but caught up. Those who die in meantime go straight into his presence. I’ve told the story before of a missionary returning from a life of service on the mission field in harsh circumstances. When he arrived home in America there was a big celebration, crowds cheering. He thought “Oh, they shouldn’t have…”. It turns out they hadn’t. Not one person was waiting for him and his wife. The crowds were for the President who’d been on a hunting trip. Despondent he thought at least there could have been someone to greet us or put us up for the night when we got home. Then God spoke – “You’re not home yet.” God has a reward for us. We’re not home yet, but when we get there…

Conclusion

What we need to get it is to focus on him, trust him, make him our goal. That way we please God, we walk with God and we get the reward of God’s presence now and in eternity. Where is your focus? Are you feeling like Peter about sink – cry out to God today he will reach out and hold you up. Are you walking on the water in a storm. Keep that focus.