Enoch is described as someone who “walked with God and was no more; for God took him” (Genesis 5:21-24).
Remember this was a time before the Bible was written and the Abrahamic covenant of faith was established. And I don’t think the Holy Spirit was involved either. Positive mental attitude and mindfulness has been cheapened by merchants, but it’s Biblical. Read Paul. FOUNDING FATHER AND WRITER OF BEING IN THE PRESENT WITH GOD.
Guys like Abel, Noah and Enoch were JUST PLAIN mentally healthy! They knew there was a Creator and that He loved them. Probably didn’t even know how to pronounce His real name. Hummm. We probably don’t either!! They just woke up every day saying ‘I getta walk with God today!’ A happy sentence. A healthy, God pleasing state of mind. If they woke up and said ‘I gotta walk with God today’ I doubt that we would even know their names.
My best English students cannot grasp coulda woulda shoulda getta gotta but these word nuances are so mysterious and powerful that I push them. They are almost spiritual slang.
There are two types of born again, saved believers. Yes, they are both going to heaven. But their trips getting there are vastly different.
Getta or Gotta. Gotta as in ‘Gotta do it’ Christians and Getta as in ‘Getta do it’ Christians. Life changing. Roger Wing from Calvary Chapel taught me that.
‘Gotta Christians’ are the group I fall into nowadays. Unfortunately! This is new to me. I was a ‘Getta Christian’ for decades until recently. An invalid wife, kid problems, money problems, treacherous friends, betrayers, people not coming through, bad purchases, mistakes, accounting and legal nightmares, board problems, staff problems, government problems, health problems have turned me into a ‘gotta christian’. Now I ‘gotta read the Bible’ ‘gotta pray’ ‘gotta fellowship’ ‘gotta make small talk’ ‘gotta go on a board meeting’. Personally I’d rather eat and swallow ground glass.
I still ‘getta’ do the things I love, IE evangelize non believers, help the needy. Love the homeless. Feed the hungry. But the rest of my life, as of now, is ‘gotta’ stuff. I miss the ‘getta’ days.
That all ended August 19th when we, along with around 7000 other ngos lost our non profit status’ in Nicaragua. Thousands of missionaries have left. Sad. When you ‘gotta’ stay is not as much fun as ‘getta’ stay.
I always expected religious persecution. I didn’t expect to react this negative way though. Persecution sucks, especially because it’s all enveloped in lies which pit the brethren against each other. I do not want to be a ‘gotta Christian’ anymore. They are the majority as it is, even in the land of plenty.
I hereby plant the stake on this hill and will thrive or die here! I am once again going to be that same ‘Getta Christian’ who loved PTA and board meetings and accounting and all the govt Charlie Brown blah blah blah double talking, ever changing rules. I don’t miss it but I miss the ‘Getta’ attitude!! I GETTA stay here, in the land of lakes and volcanoes. PRAISE GOD!!!
– I GETTA study God’s Word
– I GETTA give away 1,658 christmas presents
– I GETTA stay with my friends that love me
– I GETTA serve my wife (my love, my best friend)
– I GETTA pray continuously
– I GETTA travel
– I GETTA remake lost friendships
– I GETTA forgive traitors
– I GETTA love my enemy
– I GETTA make new friends
– I GETTA get new ankle in January
– I GETTA go to sleep in peace
– I GETTA wake up with God
– I GETTA walk with God
– I GETTA feed the hungry, clothe the naked and house the homeless
– I GETTA intercede more (missionaries are gone) and continue our beautiful PureHeart school
– I GETTA see how God is going to miraculously fix this AND EVEN BETTER, a great praise report afterwards. Getting released from jail and cured of cancer is old news.
– I GETTA learn and improve my interpersonal skills
– I GETTA see the new thing God is going to do
– I GETTA keep on doing the same thing, just on the downlow
– I GETTA suffer for Christ
– I GETTA be a shining example of love to the police who come and seize our cars and furniture. And the grumpy hate gringo Judge. Might even make them lunch!
– I GETTA turn the other cheek
– I GETTA figure a way out of the mess. S.E.R.E. teaches you to never quit trying to get out of a mess. It’s kinda fun, not really but kinda!
– I GETTA COUNT IT ALL JOY!!!!
James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations!!
Isaiah 43:19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland