Inspire, Summer 2010

1-888-CEDARVILLE www.cedarville.edu/graduate Earn your M.Ed. from Cedarville and benefit from ... • Affordability — Competitive tuition, along with a 20% scholarship for CU alumni and teachers in Christian schools, makes your experience an outstanding value. • Convenience — Choose from online or Saturday-only courses to fit your busy schedule. Register now for fall 2010! If you’re a new student, you’ll receive a 50% tuition scholarship for your first class. Master of Education Inspiring today’s professionals, tomorrow’s leaders For the first six generations of mankind recorded in Genesis, the Scripture follows a pattern: “They lived, they had children, and they died.” Their lives are summed up with this one phrase. This pattern continues until Enoch, who is described as a man who walked with God and did not die. The Bible does not mention any great exploits of Enoch, and yet Hebrews 11:5 states, “[Enoch] was commended as one who pleased God.” We know basically two things about Enoch: he walked with God and he pleased God. “Walking with God” means having a close, personal relationship with God; a communion or fellowship or intimacy with God. In reading Genesis and Hebrews, we see that “walking with God” and “pleasing God” are two sides of the same coin; you can’t do one without the other. So the question arises: How do we walk with God and follow Enoch’s example? Your hope of walking with God is built upon the righteousness of Christ. Every hope you have that is centered on God will be fulfilled because of the shed blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Walking with God is an all-day affair. We should continually be reflecting upon His will and His provision in our lives, reminding ourselves that we are dependent on Him for every breath we draw, that we are accountable to Him for every action, thought, word, and deed. But a day-to-day, hour-by-hour walking with God is built upon a focused time alone with Him every day, a time when you can put aside your distractions and focus your mind, emotions, and will on developing a stronger relationship with God. I begin my time with God by coming to Him as a saved but still-practicing sinner. Even though we are new creations in Christ, we still have indwelling sin that wars against our souls. I use the words of Luke 18:13: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Every day I still need the forgiveness of my sin. I lay my sin on Christ and then embrace His righteousness. This is what I call preaching the Gospel to myself every day. Then I go to Scripture. My goal is to read prayerfully and reflectively, asking God to teach me whatever He has to say to me that day. And then I spend time in prayer. I think the most important prayer we can pray is found in Matthew 6: “Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done.” When I meet with God each morning, I’m seeking time with Him. My soul thirsts for God; I crave the living reality of God. That’s the foundation stone of walking with God. We began by looking at six generations of men who simply lived, had children, and died. How do you anticipate summing up your life? When I come to the end of life I want to say, “By His grace, I walked with God.” Dr. Jerry Bridges is a Christian writer and conference speaker. He has authored several books, including The Discipline of Grace , The Gospel for Real Life , and The Pursuit of Holiness . He has been on the staff of The Navigators for more than 50 years. He and his wife, Jane, live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and have two married children and six grandchildren. Walking With God Dr. Jerry Bridges spoke in chapel on March 11. The following is an excerpt from his message from Genesis 5:1–24. Listen to his full message at www.ThePath.fm/chapel . “How do you anticipate summing up your life?” 24 SUMMER 2010