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Walking with God in a Corrupt World, September 29
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Genesis 5:24
.
Enoch’s life and character, which were so holy that he was translated
to heaven without seeing death, represent what the lives and characters
of all must be, if, like Enoch, they are to be translated when Christ shall
come. His life was what the life of every individual may be if he closely
connects with God. We should remember that Enoch was surrounded with
influences so depraved that God brought a flood of waters on the world to
destroy its inhabitants for their corruption....
When Christ shall come, our vile bodies are to be changed, and made
like His glorious body; but the vile character will not be made holy then.
The transformation of character must take place before His coming. Our
natures must be pure and holy; we must have the mind of Christ, that He
may behold with pleasure His image reflected upon our souls....
Joseph preserved his integrity when surrounded by idolaters in Egypt,
in the midst of sin and blasphemy and corrupting influences. When
tempted to turn from the path of virtue, his answer was, “How can I do
this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
Genesis 39:9
. Enoch, Joseph,
and Daniel depended upon a strength that was infinite. This is the only
course of safety for Christians to pursue in our day....
The lives of these marked men were hid with Christ in God. They
were loyal to God amidst infidelity, pure amidst depravity, devout and
fervent when brought in contact with atheism and idolatry. By faith they
gathered to themselves only those properties which are favorable to the
development of pure and holy characters. Thus may it be with us; whatever
our position, however repulsive or fascinating our surroundings, faith can
reach above it all and find the Holy Spirit.
The spirit which Enoch, Joseph, and Daniel possessed, we may have.
We may draw from the same source of strength, and realize the same
power of self-control; and the same graces may shine out in our lives.
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